Move over Vivid – there’s a new light festival in Sydney!
More than 2,000 people attended Domremy College Five Dock’s first-ever Light Festival, complete with a glow bar, silent disco and inspiring light-themed student works.
The two-hour event in late June celebrated a term’s worth of learning in STEM, humanities and the arts.
Spotlight on learning
The college Science labs featured light experiments including open flames, refractions and holograms.
Year 9 students at Domremy and Year 5 students from four nearby Catholic primary schools explained what they learnt about the principles of light and architecture while designing model houses.
Their works were part of a Science project for Newman Selective Gifted Education Program students at Sydney Catholic Schools.
Bold and bright installations by the college’s Design and Technology students included sea jellies, puzzle pieces and an octopus named Eugene.
Music and Drama students entertained with musical performances and expressionist theatre performances enhanced by strobe and other lighting effects.
English teachers screened a video of students’ blackout poetry (made by removing words from newspaper clippings with black marker) and ekphrastic poetry, named for the Ancient Greek practice of describing things in vivid detail.
Instructional Specialist at Domremy, Lucy Silva, said the college arranged for a renowned Photographic Light ‘painter’ Peter Solness to work with students on the school oval to capture light in movement.
“The results were simply spectacular!” Mrs Silva said. “The students made wondrous photographs of light that showcased the beauty of light in a creative way.”
Other event highlights included the chance to make origami lanterns, visit an ‘enchanted garden’ and view the stars through a telescope on the clear winter evening.
A special theme
The event theme was also a nod to the faith and spirit of the Domremy school community, inspired by Presentation Sisters’ founder Nano Nagle.
Nagle delivered Catholic schooling in secret when it was prohibited in Ireland in the 1750s and worked to help the nation’s poor with a lantern lighting her way.
“Light is very special to us at Domremy,” said the college’s Leader of Innovative and Global Connections, Sarah Thompson.
“It is central to our college ethos, and students work towards the achievement of Shine and Lantern awards each year.”
The Shine and Lantern awards acknowledge students’ academic and co-curricular achievements and contribution to school life.
Domremy’s prefects also took the opportunity to build a broader awareness of energy poverty during the two-hour festival.
They demonstrated the process of building one of the solar-powered lights student volunteers at the college made to help ease energy poverty in Papua New Guinea.
“As a community, we recognise the privileged position we are in, with access to reliable light and power,” Ms Thompson said.
“We also acknowledge that many people around the world live in energy poverty, hence we used as much solar power as possible for the evening.
“Our light festival was a great highlight of this year and we are so proud of all who contributed and grateful to those who attended.”
Photos: Chris Gleisner
