It’s art in a whole new light

Set to transform Auckland’s Western Park into a bustling hub under bright lights, Art in the Dark returns for its fourth year with more than 40 artworks to light up even the darkest nooks and crannies of Ponsonby’s own green valley.

Held over three nights – 7-9 November – Art in the Dark challenges local and international artists to not only create projects that fit the aesthetics of outdoor urban areas but that also illuminate the dark using sustainable materials and energy wherever possible.

This year’s programme promises to be the best yet with an incredible calibre of artists involved: Creature and Flox collaborate to bring an interactive piece, Flight of Fancy, which will allow audiences to bring a ‘static’ installation to life. Wellington’s Darklit Design creates Tracing Transcience, a light sculpture that explores how the shift from light of day to night creates an absence of detail for those passing through the environs.

Australian creatives Experience Workshop will present their work Screaming Rapture – an interactive, full-body experience that’s been described as ‘one hell of a public spectacle’. Pulsating luminous patterns set off murmurs in the crowd and as they begin to speak quietly, the fluttering grows, eliciting shouts and noise until wave upon wave of light splashes out across the audience.

In keeping with the idea of sustainability, Art in the Dark will once again run an environmental education schools programme. Headed up by Sustainable Coastlines and Alex Bartleet, New Light will be formed by joining together different artworks from local schools, each having been created from litter collected during a beach cleanup on Rangitoto. The mystery creature will all be revealed on opening night of the season.