Lines for the artist’s much-traveled Neon Angel Wings formed hours before sunset and grew longer with the shadows as thousands waited to pose with the metres-wide wings.

Her adult wings have been seen by tens of millions worldwide after popstar Katy Perry posed with them at Nevada desert’s Burning Man Festival last year.

“I love it, my work is fully interactive, that’s how I’ve designed it – so when I see people interacting with it it brings it all together and it makes you feel really good, there’s nothing better,” O’Brien, who was at White Night Ballarat with her mum, nephew and niece, said.

O’Brien, whose work also featured in White Night Melbourne, also made a pair of baby neon-flex feather wings for children.

“I think what’s so good about here is it’s a bit more contained.

“White Night Melbourne is just so big, it’s such a big footprint, it just seems like you can see more in a smaller space (in Ballarat) which is really good because people can get round to see more things.”

People also waited at each of the dozens of O’Brien’s installations to have their photo taken.

The neon artworks made up an “electric” canvas in the CBD which stretched along Sturt Street. 

“Neon, my medium, no one’s doing what I’m doing, it’s really unique so except for seeing maybe a neon sign on a restaurant or a bar.

“Kids don’t get many opportunities to see so much neon. 

“Everything I’ve made I’ve made with the idea that people are going to tough it so I’ve had to design it so it’s pretty kid friendly – it lasted all through White Night Melbourne.”

O’Brien’s “electric canvas” included four hearts – each inscribed with ‘I love you’ in Victoria’s most spoken foreign languages – Arabic, Chinese, Greek and Italian.

Other motifs included a broken heart and a heart with an arrow through it. The broken heart had been particularly popular, O’Brien said.

“I just love the fact that we’re in the middle of town and people are walking down the main street and it’s such a beautiful night. I just love seeing everyone out and about and enjoying themselves. You don’t get many opportunities to walk down your main street at this time of night and 3 o’clock in the morning and see it all lit up so spectacularly.”