A Beacon of Hope

Architectural projection, Walking Thomastown, Thomastown Lutheran Church (Westgarthtown) VIC, 2024

Project description

A Beacon of Hope turned the bluestone Thomastown Lutheran Church into a canvas of light for the night-time Walking Thomastown event. Dedicated in 1856, the church is the second-oldest Lutheran church building in Australia and was the heart of the Westgarthtown settlement for more than a century.

Visitors first glimpsed the projection through the trees from the Edgars Creek path, then followed German Lane into the reserve to the church. The work explored hope through the story of the German and Wendish immigrants who settled Westgarthtown in the 1850s: the long voyage to a new land, the weddings, baptisms and harvest festivals the church held, and the renewal of the volcanic plains around it, from the drystone walls of the stony rises to the Murnong (yam daisy) that flowers on the eve of spring.

The church’s arched windows became portals into the story, with a soundscape drawing on Lutheran hymns and the cantatas of J.S. Bach.

Technical information

Projection mapping onto the church facade, with soundscape

Credits

Artist - Lee Ramseyer Bache

Sound - Ivan Masic (Ex-Ponto)

Presented by - City of Whittlesea, Walking Thomastown