The Museum of Sydney commissioned Alison Page to create an artwork for Vivid Sydney for display at the museum’s forecourt. Alison, a Dharawal and Yuin artist, developed her concept of lighting patterns representing seven different ecologies across Australia. Adding to the multimedia experience, Alison partnered with composer and creative technologist, Charlie Chan, to combine the two disciplines into an immersive experience bringing the elements of Country and culture together.

Echoing ancestral First Nations stories and symbolism, the light-filled pillars dance and play in harmony with the evocative music and sounds woven together with custom AI technology developed by Charlie. The soundscape is built live, through pre-recorded sounds, collected over a forty-year period. The interactivity of the artwork is triggered by live weather data from around NSW, creating a unique sound experience at any given time. The audience is immersed into the wildest and most sacred aspects of Country, where connections between people and nature intertwine in timeless unity.

Tilt was approached by the museum to provide curatorial and design consultancy services for the concept and detailed design, along with coordinating the supply, fabrication, and assembly of the sculptural, lighting, and audio components.

The project required extensive collaboration among the project team, beginning with Alison’s concept drawing of seven nodes representing distinct Australian ecologies. Together, Tilt and Alison worked on material selection for the nodes and determining their design. Prototypes were developed and tested before the final design and material was determined – sheets of aluminium with a powder-coated chrome finish and shaped into tall columns.

Using Alison’s drawing, Tilt translated the pattern across the aluminium sheets to create the desired lighting display on the ground plane. The design was laser cut, and the sheets were assembled into columns to house the LED lighting. Tilt collaborated with DarkHouse to develop the lighting components and arrangement within each column node, as well as with 2 Barrows, to construct the 400kg concrete bases.

Symphony of the Dreaming connects us to the primal world of the Dreaming, where songlines tell stories of life and creation. The audience is enveloped in light and soundscapes, guiding them on a journey through the natural cycles of Country. The interactive technology composes a different sound and story for each moment, ensuring that every experience is unique.