two men in dinghy installing floating inflatable artworks on lagoon
Events & Tourism

Illuminating Wagga Wagga’s CBD for Lost Lanes and beyond!

Published: 24 Jun 2021 3:35pm

Wiradjuri-inspired artwork ‘Lagoon’ will illuminate and float on the Wollundry Lagoon in Wagga Wagga’s CBD as part of a special festival hub which will be launched at Lost Lanes on Saturday (26 June) and remain on display over the winter school holidays.

Installed on the Wollundry Lagoon on 24 June, ‘Lagoon’ is the creation of artists Maurice Goldberg and Matthew Aberline from Goldberg Aberline Studio (GAS) in collaboration with local Wiradjuri artist Owen Lyons.

As part of this year’s Lost Lanes festival this $10,000 public art commission, which is part of Council’s endorsed Enliven Public Art Plan, was recently selected by the Public Art Advisory Panel through an Expression of Interest process.

The successful artwork for the commission, ‘Lagoon’, celebrates the importance of the lagoon environment, set within Australia’s vast dry landscape.

The illuminated installation comprises 24 inflatable patterned reed-like forms floating up to 2.5-metres high in the Wollundry Lagoon, with Owen Lyon’s artwork printed on the surface of these forms as they emerge from the water.

local Wiradjuri artist Owen Lyons, Maurice Goldberg and Matthew Aberline from Goldberg Aberline Studio with their floating creation ‘Lagoon’
LIGHTING UP THE WOLLUNDRY: (from left) local Wiradjuri artist Owen Lyons, Maurice Goldberg and Matthew Aberline from Goldberg Aberline Studio with their floating creation ‘Lagoon’.

Visitor Economy & Events Coordinator Fiona Hamilton said Council is thrilled to have this collaborative work as one of the features of the festival hub, which will centre on the Wollundry Lagoon precinct and Victory Memorial Gardens for Lost Lanes and during the winter school holidays.

“We are encouraging those attending Lost Lanes on Saturday, along with residents and visitors to the city over the school holidays to make the ‘Lagoon’ installation one of their destinations,” Ms Hamilton said.

“It’s a beautiful space to find a quiet spot to sit down and enjoy watching the inflatable reeds gently swaying in the breeze.”

The festival hub also features the 25m x 15m pop-up ice rink called ‘Skate Wagga’ in the Victory Memorial Gardens, ‘Regal Peacock’, a giant kinetic light artwork, and ‘Plasma’, a interactive artwork that children can climb on.

Tickets for Skate Wagga are now on sale at visitwagga.com

The activations will remain in place from Saturday 26 June to Sunday 11 July.