Lumenocity is an abstracted energy consumption map of the Sydney CBD. The site-specific installation will take place in the forecourt of Customs House as part of the Smart Light Sydney Festival in May and June.

The festival aims to promote smarter, greener forms of energy – with an objective to encourage people to reduce power usage.

In response, the installation will document and draw attention to the costs of inefficient methods of lighting the city, both in terms of energy and our diminishing view of the night sky.

The colour of the lanterns making up the miniature city correlate to the amount of energy consumed and light pollution emitted by a particular city block.

As the street and office lights of the CBD are switched on for the evening, the installation too is illuminated by the soft glow of highly energy efficient LEDs; programmed to simulate a real-time relationship, parallel with the city.

As the visitor approaches and wanders through the luminous city, a gentle hum sounds and intensifies.

This ’hum’ of the lanterns builds up to a chorus; and to the visitor standing amidst the installation, will be a counterpoint to the delicate appearance of the miniature CBD, a salient reminder of the price of the city’s current beauty.

The installation by 3 University of Sydney architecture students; Sean Bryen, Sascha Crocker and Andrew Daly is one of twenty-five projects which will feature on the Light Walk, a free public walk of light art around the harbourfront precinct, taking place nightly from 6pm til midnight, 26 May-14 June.

The Light Walk will be the highlight of Smart Light Sydney – a major component of Vivid Sydney – leading visitors on a journey of beautiful and dynamic light art from Sydney Observatory, through The Rocks, around Circular Quay and on to Sydney Opera House.

Smart Light Sydney
smartlightsydney.com

Words by Nikita Notowidigdo