The Work

Over four days in October, Sydney shoppers watched in surprise as the ancient stained glass of the Queen Victoria Building dome shattered and dispersed, revealing a gaping void through which Sydney’s sky was seen in the midst of a violent storm.

Of course, the dome was not really destroyed. Rather it was an illusion made possible through 3D projection mapping, a technology that can transform almost any surface into a dynamic video display. With added sound effects and music, the result is a remarkable and immersive experience. In this case, a sequence of animations was projected onto a huge circular screen suspended from the roof of the dome, creating an optical illusion precisely the depth and scale of the real thing.

The project required many complicated sequences with the most complex being the collapse of the huge glass dome, which had to be digitally broken into 17,000 tiny individual shards that would then be animated to fly away. This had to be carefully recreated in a 3D program based upon photographs of the actual dome.

The show, entitled ‘Here Comes the Sun,’ was designed to depict the beauty of nature as it transforms with the seasons. After opening in such a tempestuous fashion, the audience saw a colony of fruit bats flock across a dusk sky; giant hot air balloons move lazily through the sunshine; fiery red and orange autumn leaves float downwards from unseen trees; tangles of vines creeping around the shattered framework of the destroyed dome; and springtime butterflies fluttering in a dizzying display of colour and moment.