One of the most popular works shown at White Night Melbourne 2015 will feature at this year’s Ballarat leg of the event.
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There will also be new large-scale installation work created specifically for the night celebration by artist Carla O’Brien.
Ms O’Brien works with LED Neon Flex lighting to create sculptures and messages that express her vision of the indomitable spirit of love and hope.
LED Neon Flex is a replacement for traditional glass neon tubing. It can be cut and rejoined in any shape and is increasingly used for outdoor installations.
“It’s almost like a garden hose that’s got LED lights through it,” says Ms O’Brien.
“It’s the most perfect material to make light art out of.”
One of her first creations, Neon Angel Wings, has an impressive four-metre wide wingspan and stunning neon 'feathers'. It will feature for White Night Ballarat alongside a smaller version of the work.
“They are coming back because they were so popular,” Ms O’Brien said.
“There’s a baby pair of wings too, designed for kids to take their photo with.”
Carla O’Brien’s love for light art began in 2009 when she visited the Burning Man festival in Nevada, USA.
“It was my inspiration to become a large-scale light installation artist’” she says.
When not creating neon art Ms O’Brien is the resident visual artist for the ‘A Day on the Green’ concerts in vineyards across Australia.
The other installation which she has created specifically for White Night is called Love This Way.
“Love This Way is a two-part installation,” said Ms Brien.
“The first part in the word ‘LOVE’. Each letter is bigger than a doorway, and it has an almost three-metre arrow. So that part of it is almost 10 metres long.
“It will be somewhere where you’ll see it and say, ‘Love! Where is that? Where’s Love? I want to find Love!’
“And it will point you to where it is – it’s a field of neon love hearts that you can walk among and take photos in.
“They are all different colours, some will have words written inside them, four different languages of ‘I Love You’, like those little candy hearts you get with messages on them.”
White Night Ballarat runs from 7pm Saturday March 4 to 7am Sunday March 5.
“From sunset to sunrise, local and national artists, musicians and performers will take over Sturt and Lydiard streets and their adjoining laneways and buildings, making the city their canvas and their theatre,” say White Night organisers.
More information at https://whitenightballarat.com.au/program
