A monumental light installation so vast and bright it will be visible from space is set to illuminate Western Australia’s south coast.
The installation, to be projected onto Albany’s King George Sound, will be the largest lightscape artwork ever created, spanning a massive 15 kilometres of the surrounding hills.
Finnish artist Kari Kola, who has illuminated famous sites including Stonehenge, the Eiffel Tower and the rugged Irish Connemara mountains, said his Albany installation, titled Lighting the Sound, would be his largest work yet.
“Creating the largest light installation on Earth is no small feat — this installation will be so monumental that we will be having it filmed from space via a satellite,” he said.
The project is part of celebrations for Albany’s bicentennial and will be on display for three weekends in March.
It is expected to bring 50,000 people to the region.
Kari Kola says the work will be his largest yet. (Supplied: Christopher Lund)
Red beams of light represent bloodroot
Kola said the inspiration for his first Australian display was equal parts culture and location.
“The idea of the project started actually from the Menang people and the Menang plant … the bloodroot,” he said.
Tasting the plant inspired the installation.
“It was incredibly spicy, a powerful medicinal herb with a flavour that left a lasting impression,” he said.
“Taste became the beginning of the story.
“The red beams of light will represent the roots, connecting the land to the cosmos.”
Kari Kola has illuminated famous sites including Stonehenge and the Eiffel Tower. (Supplied: Christopher Lund)
The 47-year-old’s passion for creating massive lightscapes was born in 2006, after an accident in which he broke his back while working as a lighting tech in a concert hall.
He was paralysed from the waist down, but as he learnt to walk again, Kola said he was gifted a new perspective on life.
“I remember those slow walks and the light and how it touched things … it changed my perspective,” he said.
Kola said the accident was the best thing that could have happened to him.
“I want to be uncomfortable so that I can push myself to learn more … to achieve an installation of this immense scale, you have to have cooperation, teamwork and be open to knowledge,” he said.
Display to illuminate culture
The display was developed in consultation with the Albany community and local elders to make it more than a light show.
“This red light has a significance — it’s related to a special plant that used to, and still does, grow here,” said Menang elder Lester Coyne.
Lester Coyne hopes people gain a new appreciation for the local culture. (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Collins)
“It was used as a food source for our people and to have it featured in that way is quite spectacular.”
Mr Coyne said he hoped people would gain a new appreciation for local culture through the display.
“I’d like to think this isn’t just about looking at coloured lights — it’s about remembering why they’re there, what they represent and the story behind them.
“It reminds people that we shared this country and some paid a very heavy price for that.”
King George Sound will be illuminated with 750 LED lights and a dozen red pencil beams. (Supplied: Christopher Lund)
More than 750 high-powered LED floodlights and a dozen red lasers, dotted along the sound, will project a special hue designed to have a minimal impact on the environment.
While the artwork is temporary, Kola said he hoped its fleeting nature would live on in people’s memories.
“I hope that the project will leave residents and visitors to Albany with a positive and permanent memory that will be forever etched in their mind, without leaving anything visible behind,” he said.
“I hope that 50 years after the project, there will still be people talking about ‘something special that happened’ in Albany.”
