BIG CITY LIGHTS*

Following an extremely successful pilot program in 2022, BIG CITY LIGHTS* is back and opens on Friday 21st June, 5.30pm.

The impressive BIG CITY LIGHTS* program presented by Experience Gold Coast will feature more than 39 works across more than 40 locations, including Nerang Street, Scarborough Street, Regent Lane, Davenport Street and Davidson Lane in Southport.

The festival is family friendly and free. It will be presented over three weekends from 21 June – 7 July 2024, Friday, Saturday & Sunday nights, 5.30pm till 10pm. The cutting-edge, self-guided festival features immersive audio-visual experiences, large-scale digital works, 3D-mapping and installations that transform Southport’s laneways and buildings into an outdoor gallery – literally using the building façades as a blank canvas.

BIG CITY LIGHTS* will also feature live music and performances in venues and at outdoor sites across the Gold Coast CBD, adding to the appeal of the free, family-friendly and accessible festival to a wide demographic of locals and drive-market visitors.

BIG CITY LIGHTS* presents an opportunity for locals and visitors to experience the Gold Coast through a new lens and for locals of all-ages to rediscover their city.

BIG CITY LIGHTS* is unique to Southeast Queensland, the only festival of its kind in the State.

BIG CITY LIGHTS* is presented by Experience Gold Coast (EGC). Operative from September 2023, Experience Gold Coast promotes, advocates, and collaborates with industry, government and the community to strengthen the Gold Coast’s position as Australia’s premier tourism destination, the home of major events, a preferred place to study and a city that values and celebrates arts and cultural experiences.

BIG CITY LIGHTS* is driven by innovation and will deliver plenty of Instagram-able moments for all who experience this family-friendly and free festival, a place where creativity and technology collide.

Presented by Experience Gold Coast and supported by the City of Gold Coast and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, part of the Department of Treaty, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts.

Sign up for the latest festival news and see the full program of events: www.bigcitylightsfestival.com.au

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

ALWAYS THE LAST ONE AT THE PARTY
JOAN ROSS
Covering the surface of Australia Fair Tower, this enormous, animated projection will make you ponder the question – could you imagine a world where colonisers cared about the environment? Combining landscape paintings, colonial images, and elements of western culture, Joan Ross uses her iconic fluorescent ‘high vis’ yellow to symbolise the impact of colonisation, juxtaposed by Aboriginal people’s enduring presence and connection to land. Bold and experimental, Joan Ross’ practice investigates the legacy of colonialism in Australia with a particular focus on reconfiguring the colonial Australian landscape and drawing attention to the complex and ongoing issues surrounding the effects of globalisation and colonisation.
Each evening from 5:30PM
Australia Fair Towers

GREETINGS, PROGRAMS
MICK LUDVIK – EVENT LASERS
Inspired by the ‘80s computer–sci-fi cult film TRON, high-powered lasers combined with the latest laser graphics technology blanket buildings on the skyline, sending webs of electric lines moving along every edge. As daylight fades and darkness covers the city, buildings disappear from sight, reborn as a series of luminous electric pathways.
Each evening from 5:30PM
Southport TAFE Building

LIGHT AND BREATH
JUSTENE WILLIAMS
Be mesmerised by a kaleidoscopic video performance by renowned Australian artist, Justene Williams, who sets the screen ablaze with her signature bold style and elaborate upcycled costumery. Dancers skate through a technicolour room wearing handmade robes, inspired by the colour wheel of master Johannes Itten fame – a teacher expelled for tutoring students in esoteric maztazan breathing exercises. Experience psychedelic colour in motion with this prismatic whirlpool of light and breath. Born in 1970, Sydney, now living and working in Brisbane, Justene Williams is a key figure of the Australian art scene of the 1990s, working across different media including photography, video, performance, installation and sound. Her early work revolved around photography and utilised the ad hoc nature of disposable cameras and one-hour printing labs. The locations for these early photographic projects were sites of public recreation such as shopping centres, car shows and strip clubs. In recent work she has constructed elaborate sets and costumes made from collaged paper and a variety of waste or refuse materials.
Each evening from 5:30PM
Hutong Gardens

UNDERCOVER WORLDS
PROPMILL
A sequence of ground projections along Nerang Street, UNCOVERED WORLDS reveal lively patterns, shapes, hues and shadows in response to viewers moving in and out of the projection areas. As festival goers move within the projection a deeper layer of the abstract landscape is revealed. PropMill is a leading experiential design consultancy specialising in dynamic, large-scale built environment works in both the public and commercial sphere. The world today requires your attention. Large commercial assets need to change and evolve over increasingly smaller timeframes to order to stay relevant in today’s competitive landscape. PropMill turns static environments into dynamic spaces that communicate context and values, drive user engagement and foster a sense of identity and community.
Nightly on Nerang Street

THE TIDES ADVANCE ON AUSTRALIA FAIR
ERIC GRISWOLD
Using a harmonious blend of music and sound, The Tides Advance transports you to a future where rising sea levels lap at the edges of Australia Fair and the labyrinth of lanes that surround it. Amidst the streets of Southport, waves crash, pulse and surge, the rhythmic cadence transformed into dream-like chords and melodies. With each rise and fall, the music synchronises with the real-time waves at nearby Southport Spit, evoking both the thrill and awe of the ocean. Wander through Southport’s CBD and become enveloped in this sonic embrace.
NIGHTLY at 7PM