Mirror maze dazzles at Johnstone Park

GEELONG’s Johnstone Park came to life over the weekend for the launch of Kaleidoscope, a life-sized maze made of 70 tonnes of glass, mirrors, steel and moving prisms.

The colourful and immersive maze was officially opened to curious community members on Saturday, May 13, and is the latest clever creation of well-known Victorian installation artist Keith Courtney.

Mr Courtney has a track record of delivering high quality and immersive art projects in Melbourne and across the world and has had his large-scale works exhibited in Singapore, Auckland and Toronto to over a million people.

To create the cathedral-style experience in Kaleidoscope, Mr Courtney has worked with South Geelong’s Robert Large Engineering and Menzel Glass, who also built his popular House of Mirrors and 1000 Doors projects.

He has also collaborated with artist Samantha Slicer, visual artist Ash Keating, composer Tamil Rogeon and the National Boys Choir of Australia to bring the project to life.

Mr Courtney said it was incredibly exciting that his work would be shown in Geelong at the very location where it was constructed.

“What I imagined in my head was that when you look through my Kaleidoscope from the top, the little shards of glass or beams that are moving are actually the people walking through.

“No two experiences are alike with the 60-degree angles and participants might feel a level of calmness – it’s quite serene.

“We’ve created something that’s really beautiful, that’s not saturated with technology and has a softness to it which I think people really resonate with.”

City of Greater Geelong Mayor Trent Sullivan said he hoped the Greater Geelong community experience the exciting and enchanting Kaleidoscope construction.

“This is a unique opportunity to take an hour to see the world in a different light and be completely immersed in light, colour and sound,” Mayor Sullivan said.

“There’s a real appetite for immersive art in our region from a diverse range of community members who like to connect with art in different ways.

“While footy fans are out and about to see the Cats play at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday 27 May, they can drop into Kaleidoscope beforehand or afterwards for a truly incredible experience.”

The Kaleidoscope exhibition is dog-friendly and will operate from 2pm to 9pm Wednesday to Sunday till June 18.

Tickets are $15 plus booking fees, while children five and under and those over the age of 75 can enter for free.

For more, head to the www.kaleidoscopebykeithcourtney.com/