Temple Of Science at Rainbow Serpent Festival 2014

Rainbow Serpent Festival 2014 proved once again why it is hands down the most epic Doof in Australia. I consider the approach and planning of the festival on a whole as one gigantic artwork with each element and team involved contributing to a larger masterpiece. I am so goddamn proud that this year myself, Mark Swartz (markswartz.com), Isaac Gallagher, David Tracey, Owen Brasier and a crew of heroes came together to bring a stunning installation to the festival and the response has been overwhelming. Funded with the Rainbow Serpent Community Arts Grant, months of planning went into this project and we have all left it feeling extremely happy with the result. Aesthetically the temple sat within the festival landscape so perfectly that I couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome.

Constructed of 38 interlocking hexagons and 27 half hexagons, each hexagon was cut into 16ml ply and then framed with 3’1 or 6’1 timber to create a tessellating open top pyramid. Pre fabricated and stackable, the temple was loaded onto the back of a ute and trailer then transported 12 hours from inner Sydney city to the festival site of Lexton, 2 hours outside of Melbourne city on private bushland. Dave Tracey created the initial 3D model and worked out all the tricky design and math problems. Interior science themed decor panels where created by visual artists Marcelle Robbins, Lillian Morrissey and yours truly. Programmable LED’s outlined six hexagons to create mesmerising animated sequences in the evening. During the festival Owen Brasier, a science educator (and master of LEDs) hosted a small activities program consisting of simple science experiments including DNA extraction and chemical reactions to the delight and awe of festival participants.

In the end the achievement of this project relied heavily on the close knit alternative art community centered around the inner Sydney suburb of Marrickville (loosely referred to as MWA or the Marrickville Warehouse Alliance). The hexagons where built over two weeks of measuring, cutting, filling, sanding and painting by a small army of great friends who worked for the price of love and beer. Without the support network of people with creative attitudes a work of this scale could not have been achieved on a small budget.