The Great Barrier Reef comes alive in the Immerse 2023 art installation at this year’s Cruise Whitsundays Great Barrier Reef Festival, with the goal of immersing viewers in an underwater wonderland created by local artists.
Immerse 2023 recreates the Reef with projected animations and sculptures using recycled materials created by local and visiting artists and the community. Free community workshops are scheduled in June and July for members of the public to create corals and fish to be incorporated into the installation.
Lead sculpture artist Margaret Burgess said she was excited to be working on the Immerse installation again.
“This project ticks all my boxes; community building, creative, inclusive, educational and it creates environmental awareness and conversations about our Great Barrier Reef,” Mrs Burgess said.
The Immerse installation initiative, first delivered in 2021, is the brainchild of creative director and Great Barrier Reef Festival Chairperson Margie Murphy, who wanted to create a reef-inspired visual focus for the event.
For the first time, in 2023, the installation will include a composed musical element, inviting musicians aged 15 and over who play a classical instrument to perform under the guidance of Brisbane-based contemporary composer Corrina Bonshek. ‘Call from the Deep’ will be a purpose-created piece featuring stunning recordings of Eastern Humpback Whales and performed by talented regional youth.
Project creative director Margie Murphy said she was thrilled to be bringing another element to the installation.
“This will be a special performance on the Saturday evening of the festival, which will also provide a soundtrack for the installation. There are so many parts of our community involved in the Immerse 2023 project, and I can’t wait to see them all come together,” Mrs Murphy said.
Tourism Whitsundays Chief Executive Officer, Rick Hamilton is excited for the Immerse 2023 installation.
“It is hugely encouraging to have the State Government support the Immerse installation again his year. This funding opens up significant opportunities for the Festival organisers; it also provides the community with the opportunity to get involved and create their piece of the Great Barrier Reef.
The Immerse installation brings the Great Barrier Reef out of the water and into the centre of the festival, where kids and adults alike are awed by the almost life-size sculptures hanging from the foreshore fig trees. Using recycled materials is an important element of Immerse and one that fits with the values of the Festival and The Whitsundays,” said Mr Hamilton.
Another angle of arts in the festival will be the Coral Sea Marina Lantern Parade on Friday, 4 August. Artist Lalune Croker will lead community lantern-making workshops in July to create lanterns for the parade.
The Coral Sea Marina Lantern Parade will commence at Coral Sea Marina and conclude at the Immerse installation on Friday, 4 August. Immerse 2023 can be viewed in Fairy Tree Park from 4 – 6 August 2023.
To stay updated with workshops and to get involved, view details
Immerse 2023 is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.Community lantern-making workshops are made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia, administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance.