Art installation to make regional debut

A GIANT seven-hundred-square-metre audio-visual sensory mirror-maze described as a “euphoric human-sized kaleidoscope” is coming to Bendigo’s Rosalind Park this April.

Bendigo will be the first regional centre to host art installation Kaleidoscope by artist Keith Courtney, following showings in Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.

“There were two large-scale immersive artworks that I have presented in Bendigo, and the team down in Bendigo were keen for me to look at the option to bring Kaleidoscope after I launched it in Melbourne last year,” said Courtney.

“I love doing the regional centres. It’ll look beautiful in the park.”

Courtney’s had previous exhibitions displayed in Bendigo including House of Mirrors five years ago and 1000 Doors.

He said Kaleidoscope is related to the former.

“It’s kind of an evolution of House of Mirrors,” he said.

The giant work of art is made up of internal mirrors, luminous glass, and translucent beads of colour.

“As the light shifts and the delicate tubular structure rotates, the space is transformed into an intergalactic playground,” Courtney said.

“The visitor is completely submerged in sound and light where their experience is entirely personal.”

Courtney said part of the reason he likes it so much is that he believes everyone takes something unique from it.

“I think I like creating environments that the audience can walk through and have a myriad of different experiences,” he said.

“Young kids will run through it and all they’ll see is the mirror maze and have fun, but then older people will find that there is some serenity. It’s quite a haunting experience.

As part of setting up the work, each installation is adapted for the location it travels to.

“In every city it looks a bit different because it doesn’t have a roof,” Courtney said.

“I’ve had to reconfigure the structure because to the need to have the exit ramp on one side of the parkland there, so the Kaleidoscope experience in Bendigo will be completely different.

“Just like an actual kaleidoscope keeps on changing, so does mine.”

Kaleidoscope is the work of a team of creatives, including Ash Keating and Samantha Slicer, as well as several technicians.

The structure is augmented with sounds designed by Tamil Rogeon and includes voices from the The Australian Boys Choir.

Kaleidoscope is a paid event and City of Greater Bendigo’s manager of tourism and major events Terry Karamaloudis said people should book in advance to secure a place.

“Residents and visitors will be dazzled by it as they’re immersed in the light, colour and sound interplay that will heighten senses,” he said.