During the first week of June several members of the Arcadia team had the opportunity to experience the Vivid Sydney light festival. Across various scales and mediums, from whimsical and interactive lighting installations to the grand signature displays at the Opera House and Darling Harbour, the festival was a spectacular event which showcased the world-class central Sydney waterfront.
The festival held a broad appeal to people of all ages, as evidenced by the diverse crowd of visitors, and despite a few transport related issues, it was great to see such a huge turnout for the event. Our admiration must go not only to the event organisers but also to Sydney Ferries, who were run off their feet putting on extra services, as the harbour was one of the best vantage points to admire the show. Some of Sydney’s most iconic waterfront architecture took on a dazzling new dimension.
Given the success of the event, from a landscape architecture and urban design perspective we should be looking for more opportunities to introduce innovative and engaging lighting installations, at a smaller and more widespread scale, into the urban fabric. Several recent streetscape upgrades, such as those in Angel Place and Kimber Street by Aspect Studios, have illustrated to what degree good lighting design can influence the success of the project.
Written By Andrew Mason