Artist:Mandylights: Richard Neville (UK)Collaborator:Clint Dulieu (Australia)How Many Light Bulbs…? is a play on the ever-popular ‘how many...

How Many Light Bulbs...?

Location:

Mrs Macquaries Rd
2000 NSW
Australia

How Many Light Bulbs

Access and Inclusion

  • Wheelchair Accessible - Access to the venue is suitable for wheelchairs (toilets, ramps/lifts etc.) and designated wheelchair spaces are available.
  • Audio Described - Audio description is a service provided for patrons who are blind or have low vision. Trained audio describers give live, objective, verbal descriptions.

Event Details

Artist:
Mandylights: Richard Neville (UK)

Collaborator:
Clint Dulieu (Australia)

How Many Light Bulbs…? is a play on the ever-popular ‘how many people does it take to change a light bulb’ jokes.

The genesis of this work came when artist Richard Neville spotted the phrase scrawled under a bridge in Thornton, near Newcastle, NSW, on an evening drive. As he sat waiting at traffic lights the impact of the graffitied question hit home. He realised that the words were more than a tired old opener for a joke and asked himself, as a lighting designer:

“How many light bulbs does it really take to have a profound effect on a person? Is it a whole city of light, cycling through every colour every night, or is it just one bulb found in the right dark corner at the right time?”

Sydney’s bright city lights form a fitting backdrop to this installation, which poses the same question spelt out in 2570 individual light bulbs, all on various dimmers so that they too can sparkle and form part of the city lightscape.

The bold font stands high, forcing itself on the viewer and demanding answers:
Are you impressed?
Are you changed?
Are you better because of this?

The hope is that this light-bulb moment has a positive impact.

Country represented by installation: Australia

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Audio Description

Access and Inclusion

  • Wheelchair Accessible - Access to the venue is suitable for wheelchairs (toilets, ramps/lifts etc.) and designated wheelchair spaces are available.
  • Audio Described - Audio description is a service provided for patrons who are blind or have low vision. Trained audio describers give live, objective, verbal descriptions.

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