BRISBANE, Australia – The 2014 G20 Summit brought the world’s top finance ministers and bankers to Brisbane Nov. 15-16. it also included the G20 Cultural Celebrations, a three-week program of free events sponsored by Queensland (Brisbane is the Australian state’s capital). 32 Hundred Lighting came up with an app that let citizens all over the world color the buildings of Brisbane.
More details from 32 Hundred Lighting: (www.32hundredlighting.com):
It is one of several design advances made by 32 Hundred Lighting Managing Director Iain Reed and Systems and Design Engineer Martin Bevz in their quest to make Brisbane the brightest show on earth when the eyes of the world are upon it. Reed and Bevz have once again proven that lighting is an art form that captivates people in a way that a gallery of paintings never could.
“The beauty of Brisbane Paint Your City is the interactivity,” says Reed. “There are 15 buildings plus the Story Bridge that can all be designed from an interactive touch screen or through the web app. “But people aren’t limited to just painting, they can decorate. We’ve created a range of effects like strips and waves and random elements that run through the buildings to give it animation.”
Bevz says the dramatic light-up has allowed Brisbane to see its city in a new light. “People are loving what happens when the city comes alight,” says Bevz. “They see these buildings every day and they’re just boring brown and this has completely changed the way they look at them.” One of the capital’s least loved structures, the Executive Annexe, is the most densely lit and now pops with 32 color etchings.
Along the Brisbane River from the Gateway Bridge to Queensland University of Technology, 20 City Cat Ferries strung with LEDS are creating a kaleidoscope of colour on the water using geo-fenced technology. As the Cats make their way from the city to the suburbs the muddy brown river is transformed into a Mondrian-like canvas.
Reed and Bevz are together pushing lighting art and technology ever further and with development of this latest software they have an app that can be used on any building or structure anywhere in the world and activated remotely as well. For Reed, lighting is a life-long fascination that began in theatre, before moving on to television, events, expos and shows. He has lit the Sydney Harbour Bridge red for World Aids Day, created its 75th birthday light show and sat atop the arches for countless New Years Eve celebrations.
There’s little chance that people’s love of this new and emerging art form will lose its glow any time soon. The technology and LED lights that are making Brisbane sparkle may be 21st century modern but the fascination with light is as old as humanity itself.
Paint Your City ran from Oct. 24 to Nov. 16.
Brisbane buildings include:
Quay Central
Mercure Hotel
State Law Building
Brisbane Square
Treasury Casino & Hotel
Old State Library
Treasury Hotel
111 George St
63 George St
Mineral House
Neville Bonner Building
Metro 21
Parliamentary Annexe
Parliament House
+ Story Bridge
+ 20 City Cat ferries changing colour.
The Hardware
150 high power Philips colour reaches
200 custom high output led cans
60 colourblasts
1/2 million sqm wireless network
2 custom in-house coded applications
2custom interactive touch screens
40m tape for each City Cats
Geo-fence technology
