Enter a world of shifting illusions and navigate 700 sqm of glass, steel, mirrors and moving prisms.
Geelong, prepare to lose yourself inside the euphoric human-sized ‘Kaleidoscope’ – a new work by renowned installation artist Keith Courtney that will see guests step inside a hall of rotating mirrors, light and sound.
Weighing 70 tonnes and made of glass, mirrors, steel and moving prisms, Courtney will bring his 700 square-metre Kaleidoscope to Geelong this May, setting up in the Johnstone Park Forecourt from Saturday 13 May to Sunday 18 June.
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Featuring a dazzling white mirror maze during the day, and ever-changing, deep colours and light reflections from the surrounding environment at night, the work encourages the viewer to see the world in a different light.
Designed to be enjoyed by all ages, the work scales the deceptively simple optical device to epic proportions, creating a unique and ever-shifting experience that fuses art and technology.
Produced in collaboration with visual artist Ash Keating, artist Samantha Slicer, and a team of highly skilled technicians, Kaleidoscope is completed by a soundscape composed by Tamil Rogeon, featuring The Australian Boys Choir, for an all-encompassing sensory experience.
The multi-sensory and immersive work boasts a local twist given it was manufactured in South Geelong by Keith Courtney’s go-to fabricator Robert Lange Engineering and glazier Menzel Glass.
“Serenity, meditative and joyful are the words that come to mind when I think of Kaleidoscope,” Keith Courtney shares.
“I imagined the work almost like a cathedral-style experience. I’ve actually designed it so that just like a kaleidoscope changes infinitely, my Kaleidoscope will keep on changing and keep on evolving.
“It’s the first time that one of my major works has had a showing in the town that it was built. It’s just a really wonderful opportunity. I’d just like people to lose themselves for half an hour – get lost in my Kaleidoscope!”
Kaleidoscope isn’t Keith Courtney’s only piece with links to Geelong, with previous works The House of Mirrors and Inverted Crosses for Dark Mofo built here also.
Following Kaleidoscope’s stint in Geelong, the installation will travel to Bathurst in NSW, Queensland’s Gold Coast and Auckland in New Zealand.
Tickets to Kaleidoscope are on sale now and can be purchased here.
Kaleidoscope will operate Wednesday-Sunday 2-9pm (last admission 8:30pm) 13th May until the 18th June. Note: Open on Monday 12th June (King’s Birthday Public Holiday). Advance tickets will be available in 30 minutes slots 2- 8:30pm.
