Live Event Installations & Projections
Sydney Opera House - Lighting of the Sails: Kiss of Light by David McDiarmid
VANDAL
For Vivid Sydney 2025, VANDAL reimagined the Sydney Opera House sails with Kiss of Light, a luminous tribute to the late artist and activist David McDiarmid. Commissioned by Vivid Sydney and the Sydney Opera House, the seven-minute projection animated McDiarmid’s iconic works - including Bedsheet Paintings, Disco Kwilts, Rainbow Aphorisms, and the titular Kiss of Light series - into a vibrant celebration of queer identity, protest, and joy.
VANDAL’s creative team worked closely with McDiarmid’s estate to authentically translate his bold, handmade artworks into dynamic animations. Using a blend of 2D and 3D animation, Houdini simulations, and precise projection mapping, we preserved the tactile essence of McDiarmid’s originals while adapting them to the Opera House’s unique architectural canvas. The result was a kaleidoscopic display pulsing with the artist’s signature themes of lust, rage, and hope.
Set to an evocative electronic score, Kiss of Light transformed the sails into a beacon of radical self-expression - resonating with audiences and celebrating McDiarmid’s enduring legacy of visibility, resistance, and joy.
CREW
Client: Sydney Opera House Trust, Destination NSW
Artist: David McDiarmid with estate executor, Sally Gray
VANDAL
Creative Director: Chris Scott
Creative: Phillip Muzzall
Executive Producer: Melody Ha
Producer: Alice Robinson
Lead Artist: Anna Fraser
3D Artist: Tim Clapham
3D Artist: Sam Price
Junior 3D Artist: Will McNamara
Realtime Artist: Paris Wilson
2D Artist: Jeremy Mansford
2D Artist: Kieryn Hyde
Composer: Stereogamous
SOFTWARE
Premiere, C4D, Houdini, After Effects, Unreal Engine, Resolve
