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“Vivid Sydney” Cloaks the Australian City in a Spectacular Display of Vibrant Lights

By Sara Barnes on May 31, 2016

For the eighth year in a row, Vivid Sydney has bathed the Australian city with a spectacular display of lights. Combining illumination, music, and ideas, it brings Sydney alive with large-scale installations and projections across cultural centers like the Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo, and Royal Botanic Garden. More than 150 artists from 23 countries have lent their talents to the free festival, producing over 90 site-specific artworks.

The colorful pieces are displayed in a myriad of ways. Taronga Zoo, for instance, has an exhibition featuring larger-than-life animal lanterns that brighten the path of festival goers. These creatures playfully interact with the landscape, sitting on the branches of trees and hopping among tall blades of lit-up grass. The iconic architecture of the Opera House also has an artistic makeover, with the building serving as a blank canvas for vibrant, continually-changing imagery. With each new look, it has a dramatically different feel.

Vivid Sydney is currently on view until June 18, 2016. Check out some our favorite moments (so far), below.

Above photo credit: Mitch Green

Photo credit: Freya