BVN principal Kevin O’Brien has created a series of “ephemeral” light sculptures for the 2021 Bleach Festival on the Gold Coast.
The sculptures, designed and constructed in collaboration with Ben Tait from UAP (Urban Art Projects), will be suspended between heritage-listed Norfolk pine trees along the esplanade at Burleigh Heads. The space under the trees will be home to a feast during the festival.
A sketch of the Light Flowers installation designed by Kevin O’Brien in collaboration with UAP.
Image:
Courtesy BVN
The project features 15 illuminated sculptures inspired by the wallum banksia shrub, which is found in coastal regions of NSW and Queensland from Sydney to Bundaberg. The flower has traditionally been used by local Indigenous peoples to extract nectar, strain drinking water and carry fire.
A sketch of the Light Flowers installation designed by Kevin O’Brien in collaboration with UAP.
Image:
Courtesy BVN
The flower of the wallum banksia changes colour from green to pale yellow and then to brown and grey as it reaches maturity. The sculptures will be made from a translucent 3D printed plastic. They will emit different light colours and effects, which will imbue the space along the esplanade with a dynamic character.
“The material enables light to act in an ephemeral way with the indentations on the main drum appearing differently depending on the viewer’s movement,” the architect said in a statement.
“Light Flowers emanates from an awareness of Country, space and technology to articulate a setting for gathering.”
Bleach Festival is an annual regional arts festival held on the Gold Coast celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2021. Themed “Listen to Your Heart,” the program of contemporary art, music and performance is held across four main hubs in Burleigh Heads, the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens, Southport CBD and the suburb of Mudgeeraba, as well as the newly opened HOTA. The festival runs from 12 to 22 August.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
