Released 24/02/2021
This year, celebrate Enlighten in the city with illuminations, performances and ‘Late Night Treats’.
The historic Sydney and Melbourne buildings will once again be illuminated with works from artists Mikaela Stafford and Bohie Palacek as part of the 2021 Enlighten Festival.
City Renewal Authority Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Snow said that the city centre illuminations and activities would complement the broader Enlighten program and offer an ‘urban’ festival experience for visitors to enjoy.
“Building on the success of previous years, we’re excited to bring Enlighten back into Civic with the illumination of the landmark Sydney and Melbourne buildings.
“This year, we asked artists to reflect on the theme of inclusiveness, thankfulness, care, and hope to magnify all that is good about our city, its people and places. Mikaela and Bohie have responded with bold, colourful designs that have enlivened our inner-city spaces and demonstrate the healing powers of art, community and nature.”
Multi-disciplinary artist Mikaela Stafford’s work, ‘PROXIMITY’ uses the distinctive colonnaded facades of the Sydney and Melbourne buildings as canvases to contrast our urban environment with the natural world. Her abstracted, curvilinear and organic forms create a sense of depth, motion and dynamism that brings the building to life.
Bohie’s work ‘Dandelion’ uses the common perennial plant with its bright yellow flowers, strong roots, healing properties and floating seeds to symbolise ‘care’ within the Canberra community. Her works seek to transport the viewer into a space of connection and warmth, particularly considering the recent hardships experienced by our community.
Evening performances and activities will take place around the buildings to help connect the city centre with the festival. Local restaurants, bars and other services are also getting into the Enlighten spirit with ‘Late Night Treats’, offering special themed menus, performances and activities on Friday and Saturday nights from Friday 26 February to Saturday 6 March.
“Canberra’s city centre has a lively night life and we’re excited to work with local businesses to bring more colour, visual excitement and activities to the precinct after dark,” Mr Snow said.
“This past year has been a challenging one for city businesses. Art is a uniting force, and these events can help us showcase and support not only our local creatives but also our business community and the many great people who are part of it.
“To make it easier for people to travel between the city and the broader Enlighten Festival, we’ve partnered with the Canberra Centre to provide an illuminated shuttle bus that captures the colour and luminosity of the event. This free bus service offers a convenient way for visitors to see the illuminations and performances in the city, grab a bite to eat from a local vendor and then head into the Parliamentary Zone to continue their explorations,” Mr Snow said.
Enlighten 2021 is a COVID-safe festival and requires registrations for many of its events and activities. Registrations are not required to view the Enlighten projections, however we ask that community use the CBR Check-in app and maintain physical distancing.
Registrations are required for Enlighten Alley and BentSpoke Beer Garden. For more information go to enlightencanberra.com
For more information on the Enlighten Festival in the city centre, visit cityrenewalcbr.com.au
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