Color From The Adelaide Festival: Northern Lights

Light projection installations have been filling dark nights with radiant colors a lot in the past year. With the previously mentioned exhibit Evoke, by Usman Haque, who wrapped the facade of York Minister with projected colors that were sensitive to the sound waves created by people in the immediate area, to the recently ended Adelaide Festival exhibit, Northern Lights.

The Adelaide Festival of Arts is an innovative art festival that takes place every other year in South Australia and includes an array of events, performances, exhibits, and theater, including the incredible projection installation created by The Electric Canvas, a Sydney production team.

Photo by SpacePotato

During the Festival which ran from February 29th through March 16th, an estimated 15,000 people made their way each night to see the multi-building installation light up with 70 different projections that changed every five minutes. The turnout must have been a little unexpected because the installation was extended two weeks beyond the original ending date to March 30th. Even though the installation was such a success the festival honored Earth Hour on March 29th by turning off the lights for one hour.

The 2008 festival as a whole was also a huge success, with the announcement that box office projections were vastly exceeded.

The Electric Canvas

The Electric Canvas team, who provides design, production, technical and creative services for installation, used huge projectors that weighed in around 200k (440lbs) to project a selection of patterns and colors on the State Library of South Australia, the Institute Building, South Australian Museum, as well as the Art Gallery of South Australia, and three landmark university buildings including the Mitchell Building, Bonython Hall and Elder Hall.

Photo by SpacePotato

About Northern Lights

Celebrating one of the most beautiful cultural boulevards in the world for the duration of the Festival, the city’s historic architectural icons will be painted with light and coloured with life.

The State Library of South Australia, The South Australian Museum, The Art Gallery of South Australia on North Terrace are the sandstone cornerstones of our culture, illuminating and enlightening each generation. For two weeks, they themselves will take the spotlight every night of the Festival from dusk till 2am, the artists from the internationally acclaimed The Electric Canvas will transform their facades.

Through a constantly changing array of perfect, jaw-dropping architectual projection, reflecting the heritage and function of these beautiful buildings, Colonel Light’s 19thcentury vision will become a 21st-century vision in light.

Photo from SpacePotato

About the Festival

The Adelaide Festival of Arts is one of the world's great arts festivals. It has created a strong tradition of innovation since 1960, inspiring celebration and presenting diverse art from across Australia and around the world. Held in the warm South Australian autumn in every 'even' year, this is a large-scale multi-arts event of extraordinary richness and diversity.

Each Festival program includes opera, theatre, dance, classical and contemporary music, cabaret, new media events, Adelaide Writers' Week (the largest literary festival in the world), outdoor entertainment, visual arts exhibitions, master classes, forums, a late night club and much more.

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About The Electric Canvas

THE ELECTRIC CANVAS is a Sydney based company specialising in the exciting techniques of large format stills-film and effects projection.

We are expert in scrolling image systems and in the creation of architecturally accurate projections onto buildings, monuments and complex structures.

Our large format projection has featured at hundreds of events in Australia and around the world.

From corporate and promotional launches, to arts festivals, parties and functions, to theatre and installations, The Electric Canvas has amassed an impressive body of work.

More Photos from Northern Lights

Photo by SpacePotato

Photo by SpacePotato

Photo by SpacePotato

Photo by SpacePotato

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Title Photo by SpacePotato