Vivid Sydney
It's that time of year when things start to shift in Sydney. Cooler nights, heavier jackets and the usual preparation that comes before the doom and gloom of the inevitable winter. Vivid Sydney is something I consider to be one last colourful hurrah before becoming a recluse, drowning my sorrows in soup and herbal tea on a nightly basis. I never let the chance go by without going for a rugged up walk to enjoy the Vivid lighting installations before winter really sets in.
32 Hundred Lighting together with Indigenous charity Tribal Warrior, marked the opening of Vivid Sydney on Friday the 23rd of May with a sacred smoking ceremony aboard the Mari Nawi on Sydney Harbour. Last night, Kevin and I were invited for a repeat of the opening night festivities, and to catch a glimpse of the stunning harbour from a distance – illuminated and glowing in all its Vivid glory.
The harbour cleansing on board Tribal Warrior’s Mari Nawi boat pays respect to people past and present and is a symbol of clearing negative energy, making way for positive and fulfilling experiences. Against a stunning backdrop of all that makes Sydney iconic, the traditional Aboriginal ceremony was both a humbling and moving experience.
Created by the founder of 32 Hundred Lighting Iain Reed, Digital Harbour Lights sees more than 30 boats fitted out with customised technology and lighting that creates a kaleidoscope of colour as they enter different zones of the harbour. The boats have been fitted with LED tape and carry on board a black box control unit with GPS software designed by 32 Hundred using the Intel Galileo chip. The control unit responds to its GPS location to trigger the lights in a specific sequence for each zone of the harbour, creating a gentle interplay of light on the boats as they weave in and out of the Vivid precincts.
32 Hundred Lighting has been a major contributor to Vivid and last year introduced the Sydney Harbour Bridge into the light festival for the first time. 32 Hundred is again lighting the bridge, creating the world’s largest real time interactive lighting installation which visitors can activate from Luna Park. Reed said he was extremely proud to partner with Tribal Warrior to pay respect to the original owners of the land and harbour upon which thousands of people will enjoy Vivid in the weeks ahead.
