FINALLY FRIDAY: Illumination for Customs

JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
GEELONG’S iconic Customs House will become a canvas for artists as part of a Courthouse Arts project.
The artists will use multi-media projection, lighting, sound and their imagination to brighten up the historic Brougham Street building.
Producer Luke Gleeson said Illumination aimed to enliven chilly winter evenings throughout July as part of LIGHT UP Geelong.
“The program hopes to expose the creative talents hiding within our local community,” Gleeson explained.
“It’s an opportunity to link visual, written and audio artists and create a new collaborative piece from their work.”
Gleeson teamed with Courthouse associate artist Stephen Oakes, a digital artist working with ambient and electronic music composition, video and animation.
“The digital re-rendering of the 1856 facade of Customs House is a great chance for artists to share their visions with the public,” Gleeson said.
“Appearing just after twilight, the images will transform the building into a 21st Century canvas.
“Hopefully we can delight the public at the end of their working week and remind them of the importance of the arts in this changing waterfront city.”
One of the artists involved, Keren Zorn, said she had followed the project on Courthouse Arts’ Facebook page.
“I’ve been working on a series of portraits in various formats. I’m really drawn to faces with lots of expression.
“The original is a reverse image on scratch paper only 28cm by 35 cm, so to see it projected on the side of Customs House will be awesome.”
Zoren’s work will also feature in the LIGHT UP Geelong exhibition, to be launched at 5pm this Friday 8 in Market Square shopping centre.
A free event, Illumination will run from 6.30pm to 8pm on July 15, 22 and 29 from 6.30pm to 8pm on the Customs House lawn off Eastern Beach Road.
Gleeson said the project would include a Twitter component on Courthouse Arts’ account @courthousearts1.
The best responses would be included in the projection shows throughout the month, he said.
Gleeson urged visual and audio artists interested in participating to contact Courthouse Arts by emailing production@courthouse.org.au or phoning 5272 4689.