Marketing manager for The Lawns Amber Maddigan and artist Tommy Balogh with Sky Orchid – one of the artworks to be displayed during the two-week installation. Photo: The Lawns.
Enlighten will be lighting up more than just buildings: diners at Ballyhoo can expect their tastebuds to light up as they dine surrounded by light-reactive artworks by renowned local artist Tommy Balogh.
The collaboration between Balogh and Ballyhoo will see the restaurant’s dining room decorated with seven original canvas artworks, and a Pyramid of Light outside. But these are no ordinary paintings.
“These works are light reactive, so the motifs and colours shift as the different light settings interplay with the works,” Tommy told Region, as he demonstrated the effect.
“These canvases are all about texture and the interplay of light. I really want to push the boundaries with these works.”
Tommy Balogh chats about his artworks during the installation at Ballyhoo. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Tommy is generally known for his plexiglass artworks, but these canvases come from Tommy’s ‘pandemic era’, when he was playing around with new techniques for spin paintings – influenced by his ‘idol’ artist Damien Hirst – and inventing a new pulse spiral technique which Tommy describes as “a dance of paint in air”.
These vibrant, luminescent pieces develop new dimensions with the addition of light. Some parts of the paintings appear to float on the canvas, others allow viewers to see different patterns and colours through the changing spectrum of lights.
“I would love to see people resonate with the works and connect in a way that really heightens their experience of dining in the restaurant. There’s lots of interesting connections between flavour and colour, so hopefully it will change the way people taste as the change in art mirrors their experience.”
The Pyramid of Light will also be installed at Ballyhoo for the duration of Enlighten. Photo: Tommy Balogh.
As well as art on the walls and on easels, there will also be art on the dining tables as the Ballyhoo team has put together some specials to add to the sense of theatre.
Ballyhoo’s venue manager AJ Smith explained there will be dishes served with dry ice, as well as colour changing UV reactive cocktails made with Archie Rose and Underground Spirits gin.
“We want tche experience to be immersive, so the dishes will be interative. I think the combination of art, food and drinks will have this really visceral excitement,” said AJ.
“It’ll be a kaleidoscope of colour!”
Outside the restaurant, Tommy will install his Pyramid of Light – a 2-metre tall sculptural piece – also light reactive – which will be lit up in the evenings. And once diners have had their fill, they can walk off the meal and check out Enlighten’s public installations around the Parliamentary Triangle.
Director of marketing and events at The Lawns Amber Maddigan said that while this is the first time they’re hosting an art installation, it’s something they plan to do more of in future.
“We aim to bring vibrancy to the Triangle, to augment the dining experience. In today’s climate, serving great food isn’t always enough — diners are seeking more value from their dollar, and that’s exactly what we’re delivering.”
To experience this installation, diners simply need to make a booking at Ballyhoo during the Enlighten Festival. Spaces are filling up fast on weekends, with more tables available on weeknights.
Ballyhoo is located at The Lawns, 7 King George Terrace, Parkes. Book between Friday 28 February and Saturday 8 March. Ballyhoo is open Tuesday to Saturday from 5:30 pm. Follow Ballyhoo on Instagram.
Find out more about Tommy Balogh’s work, including an upcoming collaboration with Midnight Hotel, and follow him on Instagram.
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