Name: Lighting of the Sails: Opera Mundi
Start: 2026-05-22T08:00:00
End: 2026-06-13T13:00:00
Location: Sydney Opera House

Subtitle

by Yann Nguema

Renowned French multimedia artist Yann Nguema, known for his mesmerising projections onto significant buildings around the world, brings his unique fusion...

Location:

Bennelong Point
2000 NSW
Australia

Price:

Free

Sydney Opera House during Vivid Festival

Artist Details

Yann Nguema

Renowned French multimedia artist Yann Nguema, known for his mesmerising projections onto significant buildings around the world, brings his unique fusion of science, music, and computer programming to the Sydney Opera House sails in a major new work. Produced by Nguema's animation studio Anima Lux and scored by Romanian classical and electronic composer Mischa Blanos, this breathtaking original commission is a powerful ode to transformations in nature and the landscape—land, sea, and sky—that inspired Opera House architect Jørn Utzon.

Anima Lux

Anima Lux is a French design studio that blends complex technology with poetic storytelling to create immersive public experiences. Based in La Rochelle, the studio was founded in 2016 by Arnaud Doucet, Yann Nguema, and Anne Ferignac specifically to produce and promote Nguema's interactive artworks and large-scale digital installations.

The studio's philosophy, "Coding to Poetry," reflects its unique approach of using generative design, algorithms, and data to transform physical spaces—such as heritage buildings and public squares—into "dynamic, living canvases". Their work is designed to move beyond the screen, offering audiences participatory experiences that provoke deep emotional responses.

Mischa Blanos

Composer

Mischa Blanos is a Romanian neo-classical pianist and a progressive electronic and acoustic composer. Working between clubbing and concert halls, his music shakes the boundaries of classical, jazz and electronic music.

Event Details

Renowned French multimedia artist Yann Nguema, known for his mesmerising projections onto significant buildings around the world, brings his unique fusion of science, music, and computer programming to the Sydney Opera House sails in the major new work, Opera Mundi.

Produced by Nguema’s animation studio Anima Lux and scored by Romanian classical and electronic composer Mischa Blanos, this breathtaking original commission is a powerful ode to transformations in nature and the landscape—land, sea, and sky—that inspired Opera House architect Jørn Utzon.

The beauty, fragility, and complexity of living things have provided endless inspiration for artists and architects. Among them, Utzon designed the Sydney Opera House as a deeply organic piece of architecture, whose forms evoke unfurled sails or shells sculpted by the elements. Drawing inspiration from the iconic silhouette of the Sydney Opera House, Opera Mundi—which translates to ‘works of the world’—embraces and extends this sensitive connection to nature.

The animation transforms microcosms into luminous, kinetic forms, emphasising relationships in the natural world. Through precise transitions of light, subtle details emerge on the surface of the architecture, revealing the sublime forms and mechanics of living things. Each sequence offers a zoomed, graphic interpretation of natural phenomena, revealing easily missed complexities through Nguema’s unique visual language.

Generously supported by the French Embassy in Australia.

Country represented by installation: France