A participatory installation by Wade and Leta
at Vivid Sydney
THERE, NOW, HERE is our first Australian artwork, which debuted at Vivid Sydney, standing 6.5 meters tall in the heart of Circular Quay on Gadigal Country. It’s a kinetic and sound-based sculpture in near-constant motion driven by both wind and motors. The work is designed as a shared, playful encounter that brings a shock of color to the busy CBD. As multiple visitors interact, the sculpture becomes an instrument for play, shaped collectively through sound, touch, movement, and curiosity.
Wade was born and raised in Australia, so this was an extra special one for us. The name, “There, Now, Here,” comes from the constant motion and reflection on time as something that is always moving and shifting to the environment and space, causing us to reflect on this present moment, knowing that it will never exist again. Wanting to ensure that this piece felt specific to its location, we made sure to add elements that spoke to the things unique to Greater Sydney and Australia. The colors carry the feeling of our past works but are toned down in reference to the phrase “sunburnt country” in Dorothea Mackellar’s famous 1908 poem, “My Country.”
Endlessly spinning, the composition’s colors are constantly layering to the beat of a sonic soundscape, composed by Josh Burgess. The music composition takes the sounds of Sydney and greater Australia and layers them to create three distinct tracks. If one were to listen closely, they can hear the rush of water on the rocks, the dings of the light rail, the crosswalk signal, and most importantly, the local wildlife. Together, these controls give the public a direct role in stretching, compressing, and layering time and space through sound. Our favorite piece is a nod to the “bush doof” using the sounds of a lyre bird as the structure. As multiple visitors interact, the sculpture becomes a social instrument, shaped collectively through touch, movement, and curiosity. Individual actions ripple outward, blending with others to form a constantly changing environment, where play becomes a way of connecting — to the work, to one another, and to the shifting atmosphere of the space.
