Palo Alto Opens 2027 code:ART Call as Poicon Leads in Mountain View

Interactive public art installations, bi-city virtual reality theater, and closely contested municipal council returns highlighted Peninsula and Bay Area civic life on Monday. In Palo Alto and San Francisco, the City of Palo Alto opened artist submissions through November 16 for its October 13-16, 2027 code:ART festival while Silicon Valley ACM SIGGRAPH prepared a November 10 dual-city staging of "Uncanny Alley: A New Day", and in neighboring Mountain View weekend ballot updates pushed Erik Poicon 145 votes ahead of Robert Cox for the third City Council seat.

Palo Alto Unveils 'Luminous Ties' and Seeks Artists for 2027 code:ART Festival

As reported by Embarcadero Media arts editor Heather Zimmerman (who joined the group in 2019), the City of Palo Alto last week unveiled "Luminous Ties" in King Plaza in front of Palo Alto City Hall. Created by 2025-26 King Residency artist Kiana Honarmand under the municipal residency launched in 2021 in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, the sculpture links two benches beneath an arch that illuminates whenever both seats are occupied, and will remain on view through summer 2027.

Simultaneously, the city is accepting applications through November 16 from national and international artists—with particular encouragement for creators in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties—for Palo Alto's fifth biennial code:ART interactive media festival, scheduled for October 13-16, 2027, in downtown Palo Alto. Following works such as Pneuhaus' "Grove" at the 2025 edition, the city is commissioning an interactive nighttime centerpiece for Lytton Plaza alongside temporary outdoor artworks using light, sound, motion, and digital technology.

Silicon Valley ACM SIGGRAPH Co-Hosts Dual-City 'Uncanny Alley' on November 10

On Tuesday, November 10, from 6 to 9 p.m., the Silicon Valley chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH—founded in 1982 as part of the Association for Computing Machinery—is partnering with Los Angeles and San Francisco chapters to stage the Ferryman Collective's Emmy-winning production "Uncanny Alley: A New Day" (event ID 317117175). As noted by Menlo Park resident and SIGGRAPH member Ken Turkowski, the show will connect two physical venues virtually for the first time: performer Brendan Bradley at the Gray Area/Grand Theater at 2665 Mission St. in San Francisco (where tickets are $28.52) and Whitton Frank in Los Angeles, joined by two audience volunteers interacting through virtual reality.

Erik Poicon Takes 145-Vote Lead Over Robert Cox for Third Mountain View Council Seat

In the race for three open seats on the seven-member Mountain View City Council, ballot returns released by the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters at 5:03 p.m. Sunday showed Human Relations Committee member Erik Poicon overtaking Rental Housing Committee member Robert Cox by 145 votes. Parks and Recreation Commissioner IdaRose Sylvester remains in first place with 18.38% (8,820 votes), sweeping precincts north of El Camino Real including Monta Loma, Rex Manor, North Whisman, Slater, Wagon Wheel, Whisman Station, Shoreline West, and Old Mountain View.

Los Altos educator Silja Paymer holds second place with 15.21% (7,301 votes)—just 64 votes ahead of Poicon in third place at 15.08% (7,237 votes), who led in high-density San Antonio and performed strongly in Shoreline West. Cox dropped to fourth place with 14.78% (7,092 votes) while leading in one Waverly Park precinct, and Environmental Planning Commissioner Paul Donahue sits in fifth place after carrying two precincts south of El Camino Real including Cuesta Park. With an estimated 186,550 unprocessed ballots remaining across Santa Clara County as of 5 p.m. Sunday, county certification will conclude within a month ahead of state certification on December 11.