Urban Light by Chris Burden

Urban Light by Chris Burden is one of those L.A. landmarks you’ve probably seen a million times, even if you didn’t know its name. It is the famous cluster of glowing street lamps in front of LACMA, aka the place where everyone suddenly becomes a professional photographer at sunset. But behind the pretty lights is a cooler story: the installation is made of 202 restored cast-iron street lamps from the 1920s and 1930s that once actually lit the streets of Los Angeles. So yes, it is cute, but it is also basically a glowing graveyard of old city infrastructure.

There are 202 lamp posts, but 309 bulbs, because apparently even the lamps had to be extra. The lights are controlled by an astronomical timer, which means they turn on and off with the sunset and sunrise instead of a regular clock. Chris Burden started collecting these old lamps after finding one at the Rose Bowl flea market, and somehow that turned into one of the most recognizable public artworks in L.A. You should see it because it is beautiful, weirdly romantic, very dramatic, and a perfect example of how Los Angeles can turn forgotten street junk into an icon.