Luminous: Art After Dark will feature a spectacular laser and light show on the Moruya River. Photo: River of Art Festival.
Move over Vivid, the Moruya River will light up with its very own after-dark spectacular to round out this year’s River of Art Festival.
The Luminous: Art After Dark laser and light show will erupt over Riverside Park on 24 September, providing locals and visitors with a mind-blowing display the likes of which you’d normally only find in the city.
One of the show’s creators, award-winning motion graphics designer and Moruya resident Duncan Irving, said the visual and musical spectacular will be a feast for the senses.
“This is a first for our area and it’s going to be epic,” Duncan said.
“Unless you get up to Canberra or Sydney, there’s not a lot of exposure to this kind of artform down here.
“I hope it really knocks people’s socks off.”
Duncan has collaborated with Arthur Ipsaros from Melbourne’s Genius Laser Technologies to create the 18-minute METAFORMZ XL spectacular that will light up the skies twice during the evening.
Giant laser beams shooting into the sky will frame Duncan’s 3D animations that will be projected through a 10-metre square water screen – created by using a fine mist – resulting in a dazzling, holographic-style light show.
Set to a textural mix of electronic and orchestral style music and vocals, influenced by bands such as the Severed Heads and Depeche Mode, the visual feast will reflect off the river ‘canvas’, providing a memorable end to the 10-day art festival.
Since relocating to Moruya from Sydney with his family five years ago, Duncan has been keen to create a 3D light show as part of the River of Art Festival.
The geometric work was inspired by his love of electronic music and culture, the film Tron, the early works of William Gibson, and Japanese character design.
“The laser show is a continuation of work I have been slowly developing which started as an animated piece I created as part of a Pictoplasma Character Design exhibition in Berlin, 2014,” he said.
Duncan described the installation as an “AI fever dream about the digital universe and the spirit totems that exist there”.
“The main motif throughout the work is Metatron’s Cube, which holds the building blocks of reality,” he added.
With a background in illustration, animation and motion graphics, working with laser software and how it “talks to” his 3D software tools was a learning curve for Duncan, but he’s “stoked” with the finished product.
“I hope people can feel uplifted by the end of the show,” he said.
“It’s been a tough couple of years post bushfires and lockdown weirdness, so I hope we can come together safely and have a good time.
“It would be great for the audience to be entertained and hopefully some local animators and school kids might be inspired to be involved next year.”
Luminous – Art After Dark co-directors Di Jay and Vicki Lascelles said organisers were seeking to create something “out of the box, spectacular and mind-blowing”.
“We wanted to exceed people’s expectations of what they might see in this region in terms of art,” Di said.
“We are contemporising the festival and creating a hub for artists to come together at the end of the event to celebrate the creativity of our region.”
The Luminous – Art After Dark festivities will kick off at 4 pm, with an artisans and local produce market, food stalls, live bands and street performers in the park.
Marquees in the festival grounds will also be lit up with Duncan’s animations and works by Indigenous artists Bronwen Smith and Gavin Chatfield, while the parkland and kids zone will glow with themed feature lighting.
Headlining the main stage will be Dom Turner and The Rural Blues Project, as well as Dog Trumpet spearheaded by brothers Peter O’Doherty and Reg Mombassa, original members of iconic Aussie band Mental As Anything.
Those seeking a VIP experience can purchase tickets to the exclusive Luminous Lounge for the ultimate viewing and catering experience, featuring a selection of local produce including freshly shucked oysters.
General entry to the festival is $20 and children under 16 years are free.
The River of ART will host a diverse range with more than 100 exhibitions, workshops, open studios, music and performances, with both free and ticketed events across the Eurobodalla from 16 – 25 September.
The full festival program and tickets to Luminous – Art After dark are available from the festival website.
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