Aus Lights on the River

Having taken their ceremonies inside in the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in 2021, the Australia Day Council of South Australia decided to do the exact opposite in 2022, presenting Aus Lights on the River at Tarntanya Wama/Elder Park over four nights.

Aus Lights on the River invited connection to nature and belonging to Country via the medium of large-scale projections with audio. The varied installations featured animated sea creatures and native animals inhabiting trees and water, cultural moving image art by Kaurna presenters, and stories of multicultural community members celebrating belonging. Facets of the Adelaide Festival Centre, the park’s Rotunda, trees, and a water screen were all canvases, with content produced in collaboration with projection arts and illumination specialists Illuminart and Campfire Content Co. Aus Lights on the River was assisted by the Australian Government through the National Australia Day Council and supported by the Government of South Australia and strategic partner City of Adelaide.

Around 20,000 visitors experienced Aus Lights on the River from 23 to 26 January, which included performances by First Nations dancers and the Adelaide debut of Illuminart’s AirLume, an 8m x 8m x 9.5m inflatable, projection-mapped sculpture whose appearance was sponsored by Epson.

Novatech Creative Event Technology supplied all technical infrastructure across the site, including media servers and projectors, with the exception of AirLume, which was handled with Illuminart’s own equipment. Projection design for the event was handled by Jayden Sutherland of The Bakery Design Co., with Nexstage providing all the projection towers needed for the event.

With activations spread throughout the park’s area, including on the opposite bank of the river, and the public free to wander wherever they chose, getting all the infrastructure in required some careful planning.

“We didn’t want to have to build too many projection and lighting towers,” explains Novatech’s managing director Leko Novakovic.

“The design doubled-up on what the towers were covering as much as possible. For example, the tower that covered the AirLume projections also covered the Moreton Bay Fig projections, and all the towers also run lighting. Some of the original locations we wanted to build towers weren’t feasible because of building works, but it was a simple matter to find work-arounds as we’d mapped the entire site in disguise’s Designer 3D modelling software.”

Nexstage’s custom-built projection and lighting towers kept valuable equipment protected from the elements and totally secure. Built around a lightweight aluminium scaffold frame, the towers are modular, scalable, and clad in black panelling, giving them an unobtrusive a clean look.

The projections covering the facets of the Festival Centre and the wrap-around screens of the Rotunda were handled by Novatech’s & The Bakery’s disguise media servers. Playback around the rest of the site came from a mixture of Novatech’s Mac Minis running QLab, or Illuminart’s high-specced laptops.

On the opposite bank of Karawirra Parri/River Torrens to the Adelaide Festival Centre and the bulk of the activations, a huge 14m x 4m Layher scaffolding frame was built by Nexstage to support a giant realisation of the central theme of Aus Lights on the River – ‘Country’. With input from the First Nations Open Circle Discussion Group, the enormous message was created by custom printing a banner for each letter and installing them on the scaffolding frame with Keder track. Illuminated by Novatech, the changing colours and textures reflected in the water of the river, bathing the site in the ancient message of belonging.

Illuminart’s AirLume

AirLume is a giant air and light filled extrusion imposing its grand and luminous personality on young and old alike. It is an abstract icon that takes its audience on a magical, mystical journey through light, sound and grandeur. Invoking beauty, mystery and excitement, AirLume looms large above the audience with its 8m cubed posture.

During the daytime, the cavernous interior is aglow with the reflected colours of the shining canopy above, and in the evening this inner sanctum pulses in a resonant harmony of light and sounds. Visitors are enticed into this glowing void, to marvel at the iconic structural forms.

Once ‘activated’ the audience is free to walk up to and through the structure, immersing themselves in a unique luminous soundscape experience. On the outer surface, luminous rays of light play over the curvaceous form.

AirLume is an 8m x 8m x 9.5m inflated, illuminated and projection mapped entity that inhabits the site with a symmetry of tension and surprise. It’s powered by 4 x Epson 1505UHNL laser projectors and 2x L-Acoustics X8 loudspeakers.

The Tech

Festival Centre Projections
2 x Barco UDX 4K32
4 x Barco UDM 4K22
4 x L-Acoustics X8
disguise solo media server

Gum Trees
4 x Barco UDM 4K22
4 x L-Acoustics X8
Rotunda
8 x Hitachi CPWU8600W
disguise d3 4×4
8 x L-Acoustics X8

Water Screen
1 x custom 20m x 7m water screen system
1 x Barco UDX 4K32
4 x L-Acoustics SYVA

Moreton Bay Fig Tree
1 x Barco FLM-HD20
2 x L-Acoustics X8

Rock Water Feature Display
27 x ShowPro Fusion Q7
6 x ETC Lustr2
2 x ETC Source4

Inflatable Animals
Kangaroo: 1 x Fuji Z5000
Other Animals: 24 x ShowPro Fusion Q12

‘Country’ Letters Lighting
7 x ProLights Studio Cob FC
8 x Claypaky Stormy
16 x ShowPro LED PAR Fusion Q12

Sand Art Installation
6 x ShowPro Fusion H12
6 x ETC Lustr2

Site Lighting
8 x ETC Lustr2
14 x ShowPro Fusion Q12
8 x ShowPro Fusion Q7
High End Systems HedgeHog 4

Credits

Cindi Drennan : Artistic Director, Concept / Creative / Projection Design, Illuminart

Sam Wark : Creative Director, Campfire Content Co

Jayden Sutherland : Projection and Lighting Design, Bakery Design Co

Leko Novakovic : Managing Director, Novatech

Matthew Ruggiero : Project Manager, Novatech

EPSON Australia : Projection Ambassador Support contributing Artists

Thank you to artists from Umeewarra Network who were part of the Naidoc2K20 project who agreed to exhibit at Aus Lights on the River

Pauline Crombie Sandhill Country, Untitled

Regina McKenzie Arkarru

Charmaine Wilson NAIDOC

Jennifer Reid Creeks APY lands

Linda Dare Rain Wind and Fire, Goorranya (Rainbow)

Inkjata Community, Flamingos, Honey Ants

Rehanna Coulthard Mudlarpin

Regina McKenzie and granddaughters Ngarlaa, Ngayan and Ngintaka Donovan Family painting

Jonas Dare Triptych Barlarri, Barlarri Seven Sisters

Jasmine Brown Coming Together

Aaron Reid Gawler Ranges Rock Holes, Untitled, Country