Metamagical Sydney Opera House

Rebecca Varidel
3rd May 2018

“Interacting with an icon as beautiful as the Sydney Opera House really feels like a once in a lifetime opportunity. Metamathemagical explores the concept of creation and the creative process, both on an individual, personal level, but also a cosmic and environmental one. I’ve taken inspiration from the natural world around us and the synthetic world of artificial materials, substances and textures. The Opera House is a completely unique piece of geometry so rather than simply thinking of it as a two-dimensional surface to project onto, I created Metamathemagical as a 3D work from the very start using open source software to create many of the colours and textures” explains Australian artist, Jonathan Zawada.

I remember working at the Sydney Opera House, pinching my cheeks as I walked to work each day. If there is signature that defines Sydney, since its 1973 opening this harbour-front architecture is it. There isn't an adjective that describes how deeply inseparable that this more-than-arts venue is now with our identity.

Likewise wonderland of light and art VIVID has become as much a part of Sydney DNA as the iconic building.

So it is more than fitting, more than powerful, in bringing the two together. The Vivid lighting of the Opera House is now the triumphant Sydney moment of each year.

This year, Jonathan Zawada has created Metamathemagical – a specially commissioned, site-specific artwork that will transform the World Heritage-listed masterpiece into a digital light sculpture inspired by Australian motifs across science, nature and culture.

In Metamathemagical, Zawada’s use of cutting-edge technology challenges our understanding of the possibilities of projection. Taking the unique three-dimensional form of the Opera House as a starting point, the artwork explores metaphysical themes through a series of sculptural compositions that distort and mutate in continuous motion. Inspired by the dual concepts of cosmic creation and human creativity, Zawada uses bold neon colour and striking geometric designs to create captivating scenes comprised of everyday objects and natural specimens that evolve, dissolve and metamorphose.

The Metamagical 3D light sculpture housed within the iconic Sails of the Sydney Opera House will illuminate Utzon’s masterpiece for Vivid Sydney from 6pm on Friday May 25th.

Image of Metamathemagica by Jonathan Zawada, provided courtesy of the Sydney Opera House.