Enlightened Monkey Arts To Transform Downtown Hotel Roof Monday

SARASOTA, FL — Dave Gordon and Elln Hagney with Enlightened Monkey Arts presents a unique pop-up projection mapped art installation at the Art Ovation Hotel Monday night.

“After sunset (we’ll) radically transform the hotel’s rooftop bar into an immersive augmented reality experience,” Hagney wrote.

The projection mapping will start at 8 p.m. In addition to the hotel’s pool and pool house, the Sarasota-based creative couple will project “a dazzling display of moving murals” on two to four additional rooftop locations after dark and “may bring in a few other illuminating experiences,” Hagney said.

The downtown hotel has also created a signature cocktail, called Enlightened Monkey Arts, available Monday evening only. Each drink will come with a light-up monkey.

This is the second time Enlightened Monkey Arts has partnered with the Art Ovation Hotel, which is located at 1255 N. Palm Ave. They projection mapped displays on the pool and pool house for the hotel’s Spring into Arts event in May.

Hagney promises that Monday’s event “will be much larger.” They’re also planning future art events at the hotel with four to six projection experiences planned in coming months.

Originally from Boston, Gordon and Hagney moved to Sarasota nearly nine years ago. She initially ran local Olympic events, and the couple formed the tech art company Enlightened Monkey Arts two years ago. Their goal is to work with tech artists and help them "make a living wage off what they're doing," she told Patch in October.

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The average person likely doesn't know much about tech art, she added. In fact, many artists and museums are often unaware, as well.

"A lot of places might know about projection mapping, but when you start talking tech art, they don't get it. Tech art is art where technology is incorporated in a meaningful way. It's not just I have a digital camera and I'm taking a picture."

In early 2020, they partnered with the Lighthouse Education Center to create "Moonlight Landscape in Four Senses" at the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art. The project brought a painting in the museum, "Moonlight Landscape" by Joseph Derby, to life for the visually impaired.

During the pandemic, when there were few community or arts events taking place, they transformed the cul-de-sac near their S. Lime Avenue home into a colorful, animated drive-thru display for the Fourth of July and Halloween holidays.

Follow Enlightened Monkey Arts on Facebook for more information about future events.