Saying it's been been a tough 12 months doesn't quite cut it. But while times have been truly challenging, they've also led to some truly heartwarming and inspiring moments and messages. And two Australian artists want you to share those messages with them so they can beam them up into the heavens.
'Messages of Hope, Messages of Love' is a public artwork conceived by Sydney-based artists Michaela Gleave and Fausto Brusamolino as part of Adelaide's new winter arts festival, Illuminate Adelaide. From June 7 to 20, the artists are calling on the public to submit their own messages or hope, love, support and solidarity via the Illuminate Adelaide for potential inclusion in the artwork. Gleave and Brusamolino will then take selected messages and turn them into morse code, which will be beamed 80 metres into the night sky.
Gleave and Brusamolino created the new work in direct response to the events of 2020, and will be curating the eventual poem of light with help from Melbourne's fave electronic group, the Avalanches. You don't have to live in Adelaide to participate – the work is calling for submissions from all around the world, and hopes to connect us remotely and inspire joy at a time when many of us cannot be physically together.
If you'd like to take part in 'Messages of Hope, Messages of Love', head to Illuminate's website before June 20 to submit your own message. The selected messages will then be visible in the sky above Illuminate's Light Square from July 22 to 25. For those unable to make the festival in person, a livestream will also be available each night.