Reverie lights the night

By Rebecca Fraser
LET there be light in Greater Dandenong.
That was the message last Thursday night when a laser light animation titled Reverie was launched.
The installation, located at the southwest corner of Lonsdale and Walker Street, was created by Queenslander Paul Johnson, an internationally acclaimed artist with works in Malaysia, Japan, Queensland and New Zealand.
Reverie is said to be a metaphor for the history of Dandenong, taking inspiration from the local area and communicating the connection between nature, industry and communities.
The project was cofunded by Greater Dandenong Council and the Dandenong Development Board.
Greater Dandenong CEO Carl Wulff said the creative piece would change the whole atmosphere in Dandenong.
“It is a truly iconic project. Some will love it and some hate it; it will definitely be a real point of discussion,” he said.
Mayor Maria Sampey helped launch Reverie and said the installation greatly added to Greater Dandenong’s growing collection of art work.
“Reverie adds to the growing cultural and creative life of Dandenong.
“A work like this says something special about this place and its people and the powerful role industry is playing in the development of this city.
“The artwork offers visitors and residents a different experience and is a fitting symbol of the great change Dandenong has undergone,” she said.
Dandenong Development Board chairman David Cowlishaw, who helped launch Reverie, said it would bring life and vitality to the city centre.
“I welcome this new phase of growth and change.
“Dandenong has always been a welcoming place and this project has been an exciting step in heralding a new vision for Dandenong.
“This is all about the city embracing its past and embracing the new technologies of the future to come to the forefront of progress and change,” he said.
Artist Paul Johnson said Reverie would not have been possible without the work and input of his partner Gail Mason who also attended the launch.
“It was a real team effort and this project involved a tonne of work.
“We would research ideas and draw and show each other and then disagree and then draw and disagree until we reached the end result,” he said.
Mr Johnson said life gained meaning through art, colour and expression.
Greater Dandenong Council said further laser light animations would be commissioned over time and could be used to tell stories through images that may explore a range of issues and topics.
These could be linked to exhibitions within the city’s cultural facilities.