As dark winter nights begin settling over Queensland, one city fights back with the power of light. SPARK Ipswich has been lighting up Ipswich with light and sound for years, and they return with an array of SPARK After Dark events sure to keep the chills at bay.
Showcasing interactive art and experiences alongside music and performance, SPARK After Dark also brings deLIGHT to the streets of Ipswich: A massive projection lighting up two sides of the Metro B Building that will showcase local artists’ physical and digital work. James Muller of Earth Base Productions will lead the massive undertaking, and shares the story of how he entered the world of projection.
“I started as a documentary filmmaker, and moved into the film industry. Then I started Earth Base Productions and went digital. I saw the technology coming through and the opportunities, so I left the film industry. Inadvertently, it was a strategic move because digital took off. Projection always fascinated me, so I got into it 25 years ago when the technology started emerging. We did our very first projection off VHS tape,” he laughs.
SPARK After Dark will span across town from Tulmur Place to the Ipswich Civic Centre, offering talks from the artists, as well as live shows, performances and exhibitions. Muller unfolds how deLIGHT has developed across the years as a festival staple.
Artwork by Chloe Adams
“This is my fifth year now involved with SPARK. We did the first couple of years on a beautiful big church, and then both a church and a modern building. This time, we've moved to the Metro B Building in the Nicholas Street precinct. We have a super widescreen projection which spans two sides of the building. It’s a huge projection space.”
Muller has worked tirelessly with nine local artists to bring what's made alone in back rooms out into the town square for all to see and enjoy. The project spans from projecting animations to transforming mosaics and paintings into a moveable format.
“I'm working closely with local artists, which has been an awesome experience for all of us,” Muller says. “There’s amazing creative talent down there. Some of these artists are visual artists, such as painters or mosaic artists. So we get high resolution photography of their works, whatever the form is, and use those to develop animated works for the projection surface. Some of the artists are digital media artists, so they’ve taken on that creative process this year. There’s going to be some fantastic locally produced works, it’s really exciting.”
“Each night is going to be really different. For example, Andrew Kimberley is an amazing animator who created and repurposed some of his works to fit the format. It's absolutely top class, it's amazing.”
Artwork by Chloe Adams
Transforming media into a format that can span two sides of a building is no mean feat, but Muller relishes the opportunity.
“It's a crazy ratio, usually around 8300 pixels wide by nearly 900 high. It provides its certain challenges, working across installations, but that’s the fun of it all. That super widescreen format creates an interesting visual experience for the viewer.”
Muller employs a unique approach to projection mapping that seeks to reveal the intrinsic qualities of the spaces, places and people he collaborates with, aiming to create experiences that transcend the boundaries of projected media and invite viewers to experience the world in new and unexpected ways.
He looks forward to festival attendees enjoying Ipswich in a new light.
“They’ve sought to reactivate the Nicholas Street precinct in a different way this year. Audiences get a varied array of interactive experiences in an easy to access space. Whilst we're on there each night, there's also a bunch of other performers and art and light installations. The whole precinct will be a really fascinating and interesting experience for people to come and see.”
deLIGHT takes place on 11-20 July on Nicholas Street as part of SPARK Ipswich.
