Geelong is getting lit later this year, with a major public art piece set to take over Geelong Performing Arts Centre’s new Ryrie Street building.
Internationally acclaimed Victorian artist, Daniel von Sturmer, has won the commission to create a landmark public art piece for the centre’s eastern façade, with a large-scale digital work, Painted Light.
Spanning two-thirds of the building’s CBD-facing exterior wall, Painted Light, will stretch from the base of the first floor to the crest of the rooftop. It’s set to be a stunning feature of the centre’s $38.5 million Ryrie Street Redevelopment.
The dynamic work will use LED technology to replicate the dripping of paint against a flat black surface. Every 10 to 15 minutes, the wall will flood with a new sequence of colour, marking time passing and providing a spectacle for visitors and passers-by. The entire sequence is likely to be at least an hour before it repeats – which is an amazing addition to the Geelong city centre.
Painted Light was selected following an open call for expressions of interest, which attracted 63 proposals from Australia and around the world – including Daniel von Sturmer, who represented Australia at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007 and has exhibited in leading galleries across Australia and around the world. This new project will be a key work in his recent series of light-based installations, expanding the potential for moving image and light within art.
The Geelong Performing Arts Centre Ryrie Street Redevelopment is funded by the Victorian Government with some philanthropic support. More information can be found at gpac.org.au
