Brisbane Writer’s/Uplit Festival
15 metre custom digital print: Fabric Solutions
Projection mapping: Ikonix
The dome was called “Angel’s Palace”
“Angel’s Palace is an immersive literary experience first presented at Brisbane Writers Festival 2017. Paying tribute to Carpentaria, Alexis Wright’s monumental, award winning work and designed by acclaimed Brisbane-base artist Gordon Hookey, it is a multi-media venue with performances and installations brought to life by creative collaborators, including creative producer Alethea Beetson. Angel’s Palace represents the voices of indigenous Australia and celebrates First Nations storytelling and literature in a powerful experience for audiences.
Challenge
Transpose an original art work onto the three dimensional hemisphere dome.
Erect the dome on a platform with minimum space around the dome to place ballast blocks
Solution
A one metre diameter hemisphere was made out of expanded polystyrene. A canvas was stretched on to this solid dome and an original artwork was created by Gordon Hookey.
This artwork was then photographed and expertly transposed onto the 360 square metres of Ferrari fabric. Complex segments of the hemisphere were welded together by Fabric Solutions to create one seamless 7.5 metre high dome artwork.
One tonne blocks were place on the platform before the dome was built, and The Dome Company lowered the one tonne frame into place using our proprietary ‘tripod’ system
Setup and execution
The shape of the dome reflects Aboriginal architecture, especially that of traditional ‘humpies’. Using Alexis’ words as inspiration, Gordon Hookey created a visual design which was reprinted on a massive scale.
Entering inside Angel’s Palace, audiences experience an evocative digital landscape, transporting them across time and place to Alexis’ mystical world.
Video designer Ken Weston, sound designer Guy Webster and Lighting Designer Ken Hughes collaborated with the teams at Iceworks Design and Reverse Garbage in a unforgettable immersive venture, with Brisbane Design Company DWDC Designs, creating a beautiful site design. The whole project was brought together by the inspiring direction of creative producer Alethea Beetson.
“Angel’s Palace is a multi-disciplinary collaboration that represents the voice of indigenous Australia and celebrates Aboriginal storytelling and literature in a powerful experience for audiences.”
Outcome and benefits
“When Alexis Wright’s Carpentaria was published in 2007, it ignited conversation, imagination, and presented an ambitions, beautiful and epic literary achievement. The novel shares teh interconnected stories of several inhabitants of the fictional town of Desperance, situated in the Gulf of Carpentaria. There, the Aboriginal people of the Pricklebush clan are engaged in a number of combative disputes with various enemies in the community, including the white inhabitants of Desperance, the local law enforcement, and government officials.”
The Angel’s Palace dome experience brought Alexis’s book to life in an interactive multi-media experience.
Testimonials
“Inside, for those who managed to wrangle themselves a ticket, was a veritable treasure house: the ideal blend of kick ass performers, and imagination revving spectacles of beauty and evocation.”
Scenstr, 2017
Conclusion
The Angel’s Palace dome was built again in 2019 at the same venue.
Angels Palace is available for hosted touring complete with a number of ready made programs that can be included in your presentation package. They include performances and installation in an interactive space. For more information about how you can bring Angel’s Palace to your community please email info@bwf.org.au
