Reverse the Sun
Art About Sydney

A submission for Art About Sydney, a council funded initiative to create thought provoking art in public spaces.

A giant weather balloon illuminated from the inside reverses the setting sun, by ascending the skies each night immediately after the sun sets. It rises as a marker of optimism for the upcoming evening and the joy that the presence of the familiar glow of the sun brings. The nature of the balloon would mean that it would be visible from miles around and would feature heavily in the conversation of people on their way out. This piece would help positively turn the conversation of Sydney not being open, to the enjoyment of the night.

The ballon would be attached to a retractable wire and allowed to rise each evening and set each morning. The colour could cycle from a deep red closer to the horizon (setting or rising), through a yellow and then to a near white at the peak. Possible locations could include parks or open spaces that would allow for the ballon to rise and fall unhindered by buildings or trees.

This work was inspired by my experience of Olafur Eliasson’s “The Weather Project” in 2003, where he created a giant sun in the turbine hall of the Tate Modern in London. The feeling of content and calm experienced by a close, large meteorological event was incredible. Not to mention the wonder of strange nature.

My Role: Concept, design.