World First Comes to Burns Lane
Singleton’s Living Laneways program is about to hit an international high with Newcastle University to showcase its world-first media orb in the centre of town.
The media orb is a light-activated arcade that when walking under will give participants a unique visual interactive experience.
The artwork that has been created on the Burns Lane pavement has been designed to specifically capture the light from the media orb installation and those who walk underneath it can say they are among the first in the world to have such an experience.
Installation will begin on Sunday (May 24) and will be in place until May 30 with the Firelight event on May 29 showcasing the technology.
The project has already initiated projects in other laneways in the CBD and is funded by the NSW Government.
Singleton Council’s Strategy and Engagement Manager Sean Britton is excited by the partnership with Newcastle University and said the Firelight event is the start of council placing a stronger focus on arts and culture in our region.
Firelight on May 29 will see John Street close from 2pm to 10:30pm to make way for food vans, boutique beer and wine stalls.
Local businesses have the opportunity to stay open outside their usual operating hours during the event to seize an opportunity to attract new customers through their doors.
“It is about invigorating the main street and the installation in Burns Lane has already attracted plenty of positive comment, it is great to see people enjoying the space and it brings a whole new vibe to the main street, it is all about appreciating where we live giving people the opportunity to stop, invest in local business and enjoy what Singleton has to offer,” Mr Britton said.
Within 24 hours of opening up booking for the free May 29 Firelight, 1000 people have already secured their ticket. The event itself is from 6pm to 9pm.
“We encourage people to book their attendance through sticky tickets so we can adhere to covid safe requirements regarding crowd gatherings and it will also give our food vendors some understanding on how many people they can expect to have,” he said.