A one-minute guide to this year’s Enlighten Festival Illuminations
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Last night, we got a sneaky peek at this year’s vibrant Illuminations at Enlighten Festival.
So, where can you see them this year and what are they all about? Here’s a quick guide.
National Gallery of Australia
Photo: Davey Barber, courtesy of EventsACT.
Artwork name: Structured Light
What: Geometric shapes that pay homage to the iconic architecture of the Gallery and reimage its facade with hyper-real 3D projections.
Who: Naarm/Melbourne based artist Daniel Crooks who says that “One of the things I’m trying to do with my work is to offer another way of looking at the world”.
Why: Curated by Elspeth Pitt, Curator, Australian Art at the NGA, Crooks’ projections are part of The Balnaves Contemporary Series
Where to get the best view: From the walkway that runs above the entrance, accessed by going up the ramp near the National Portrait Gallery. GoogleMaps pin here.
More info: enlightencanberra.com
National Portrait Gallery
Artwork name: What is an Icon?
What: A wash of bright colour sliced with pops of text and video.
Why: Reflects on the Portrait Gallery’s new blockbuster exhibition Shakespeare to Winehouse: Icons from the National Portrait Gallery, London that poses the question: what makes an Icon?
Where to get the best view: Along the northern edge of the Portrait Gallery, near the High Court of Australia. GoogleMaps pin here.
More info: enlightencanberra.com
Questacon
Photo: Davey Barber, courtesy of EventsACT.
Artwork name: Well, there are three themes here this year—Questacon’s founder, Michael Gore AO, Questacon’s MARS exhibition, their Feature Collection (robots!) and their current visitor experiences.
What: A bright pop of aqua, purple and red with the above themes featured in photos.
Where to get the best view: At the northeast corner of Questacon. GoogleMaps pin here.
More info: enlightencanberra.com
National Library of Australia
Photo: Davey Barber, courtesy of EventsACT.
On Stage: Spotlight on our Performing Arts, our Enlighten experience includes rich imagery and an audio selection of oral history recordings from the Library’s collection.
What: A vibrant collage of moment from Australia’s performing history, with themes including ‘Circus: Roll Up, Roll Up!’, ‘Dance’, ‘Music’, ‘Up In Lights’ and ‘Women in Performing Arts’.
Why: Each image is inspired by the NLA’s current exhibition On Stage: Spotlight on our Performing Arts.
Where to get the best view: From the forecourt of the library. GoogleMaps pin here.
More info: enlightencanberra.com
Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House
What: A series of immersive projections that wrap the entire building in thematic illustrations showing letters, mail, stamps and animated cartoons. Even the scaffolding covering the damaged front entrance has been used innovatively as a large screen to show interviews with political cartoonists.
Why: Projection themes represent two current MoAD exhibitions—Behind The Lines 2021: The Year in Political Cartoons and Dear Democracy.
Where to get the best view: From King George Terrace, at the front of the building. GoogleMaps pin here.
More info: enlightencanberra.com
Australian Parliament House
Photo: Davey Barber, courtesy of EventsACT.
What: APH’s Illuminations are stacked with important artworks and messages this year—encompassing themes like women’s suffrage, Indigenous art, contemporary Australian art and Parliamentary Firsts.
Why: Because where else would you find such a rich blend of art and history?
Where to get the best view: Right out the front! GoogleMaps pin here.
More info: enlightencanberra.com
Photography: Davey Barber, courtesy of EventsACT.
