Midnight Sun is one of more than 90 interactive and immersive light art sculptures and installations on a trail through the spectacular waterside precincts of the Royal Botanic Garden, Darling Harbour, Taronga Zoo, Martin Place, and Barangaroo, in what is said to be the biggest event in Sydney’s cultural calendar. The festival attracted 2.3 million visitors in 2017.
Designed by an international team from our Sydney and London studios, the two pieces were inspired by the Aboriginal mapping paintings and the dot paintings of Damian Hirst.
Midnight Sun is a large, flame-coloured disc that rises over the harbour near Farm Cove. The polycarbonate disc measures 2m in diameter and is covered in small clear, yellow, orange and red discs, which create its golden shimmer.In the morning it is lit by the rays of the sun, and at night hundreds of tiny coloured discs are illuminated by a LED and flutter and shimmer in the breeze.
The LED light is powered by a photovoltaic panel which is integral to the installation; Midnight Sun is the only installation in VIVID’s 10 year history to be entirely powered by solar energy.
The festival happily coincides with the opening of our new studio in Surry Hills, Sydney. And we are delighted to be contributing to the cultural as well as the commercial life of this fantastic city.
Midnight Moon appears to float magically above the Royal Botanic Garden. It serves as a beacon for this section of the Light Walk, drawing visitors through the Queen Elizabeth II Gate from the Sydney Opera House forecourt and along the paths of the Garden.
Created again from a 2-metre diameter clear polycarbonate disc, covered with 900 muted pastel mini-discs of grey, blue and green,
the design reflects the shadows, undulations and craters of the moon’s surface, rather than being a purely abstract representation.
By attaching the LED lights around the circumference in two independently controlled sections, Midnight Moon appears to be waxing and waning throughout the evening. In the morning, the moon is back-lit by the rising sun creating an ethereal atmosphere.