LIGHTING UP ICONIC BUILDINGS
Interactive projection art festival turns buildings into amazing spaces
A NEW arts festival will showcase the Cairns CBD like never before and shine a new light on some of the city’s iconic buildings.
The inaugural Illuminate Cairns light and projection arts festival will take over the heart of the city next month and add a new dimension to the work of some of the city’s favourite artists.
The event features both immersive, small-scale projection art and large-scale projections on to buildings such as the Cairns Corporate Tower, Rydges Plaza hotel, the Pullman Cairns International Hotel and the Cairns Post, which will all become part of the Illumination Trail.
Event producer Rebecca Scott said the festival would provide an interactive, inspiring and free experience for locals and tourists and leave them seeing the city in a different light.
“The audience will also be encouraged to take part in creating the projected artworks through various cutting-edge, interactive techniques, setting a platform for this year’s theme – Connections,” Ms Scott said.
“The event will connect artists, photographers, technicians, non-English-speaking tourists and the community, who will be encouraged to take part in interactive projection stops along the trail.”
The talents of a team of local artists will be beamed on to walls and there will be live street performances, live vision mixing or “VJs”, virtual reality live paintings and other surprises.
The event will highlight the history of the Cairns CBD, through projected historical photographs of yesteryear onto some of the city’s oldest buildings.
“The aim is to have something for everyone at the event, whether they are a tourist wandering the streets looking for something to do, a schoolaged child colouring in the
Cairns Post building or an elderly history buff wanting to view photos of the Cairns of old,” Ms Scott said.
Supported by the Regional Arts Fund, the event will showcase a wide range of artworks and draw attention to the artists and content providers.
Illumination Trail guides will lead people around the CBD pointing out the different areas and, for those who want to explore by themselves, a purpose-built interactive map will show the way.
Illuminate Cairns will run from November 11-13.