Nightlife is an event that shows there are many ways for artists to be nocturnal in Big Sur.

The idea came to Big Sur multimedia artist Sean Sweeney a year ago. It was a way to showcase art, as well as a way to explore how Big Sur Grange, the area’s community center, can be further used.

In the coming days, the facility will serve as the space for Nightlife, an art show and accompanying events. The core of this multimedia week is an art exhibit that brings together 13 California artists.

“The name came first,” says Sweeney, the organizer. “And ‘nightlife’ is not only about people going out in the city. Nightlife – especially in the countryside – includes many nocturnal activities, provides space for being alone within landscapes changed by darkness, contemplation, silence and night sounds, the mind going places.”

Sweeney talks about flowers that bloom only at night and the transformative nature of nightfall in general. His own piece uses netting and shells.

Multimedia artist Daniela Hinman’s work combines black-and-white photography and installation. She is interested in the threshold between day and night, and its visual and emotional landscapes. Hinman will also lead a creative workshop on Monday, April 21.

Another multimedia artist is Peery Sloan. Just days before the Nightlife opening, Sloan was still at work on her piece exploring forms of nighttime decomposition, “when things rot to become the next thing,” she says. Such processes are easily observable in Big Sur, where wilderness is plentiful and darkness does not contend with much artificial light. Sloan’s mediums are sculpture and ceramic. Her material can be natural – cow manure, among other things.

“Many artists are still working on their piece,” Sweeney points out. “So there is the element of trust.”

Some artists decided to work in unfamiliar media. Musician Roger Kim will present a series of prints. Jake Luce is a poet, but he will present a visual piece.

Nightlife offers variety: watercolor and video, communal art and photography. Nube Hawk Cruz is bringing writing and photography, invoking his indigenous ancestry. There are musicians, too. Fletcher Tucker’s sound bath is meant to facilitate a descent into the underworld.

NIGHTLIFE runs Friday-Wednesday, April 18-23. Opening at 5:30pm Friday, April 18 at Big Sur Grange, 47090 Highway 1, Big Sur. Free. 667-2956. For details about other events, contact seanwillsweeney@gmail.com.