Bioluminescence @ Bega Streetlight Festival 2026
Bioluminescence was back in Bega Town for the 2026 Bega Streetlight Festival!
The workshops ran on 23–24 September and the main event was on Friday 25 September 2026.
Once again the wonderful people at the @bega_chamber brought Bioluminescence to the festival. This year we worked with a group of 7 @bega_highschool students to create their own site-specific video projection installation in the centre of town.
Day One – Content Creation
This year’s ice breaker was sharing a “wild place” we had recently visited, and the answers were brilliant! Everything from a weekend tandem sky dive to a 7th birthday party, Kianniny and bushwalking at Yellow Pinch!
Then it was down to business. We broke down video formats, talked about why we shoot at higher frame rates (so we can slow it down!) and went through a bunch of practical camera tips. Then we headed out through Littleton Gardens, the Bega Courthouse and the local arcade to start the content creation process. The students captured the small details we walk past every day, finding interesting textures, shapes and colours.
Back in the fabulous @secca__bega Project Space, we got stuck into editing and building the foundation for this year’s video projection installation. By the end of the day over 66 video clips had been created and they were still going! The cool thing is that all of this content was shot right here in the heart of Bega, all created by young people flexing their creative muscles and sharing their vision for their town.
Thanks to @eye_candy_portals for being there and sharing his deep knowledge base!
Day Two – Projection Mapping
Day two wrapped up all of our content making with a bunch more clips (only another 42!). That brought the grand total to over 108 clips, all shot within the heart of Bega.
Then it was deep into tech land, looking at the technology and techniques of projection mapping. The topics of the day were lumens, throw distance, projector placement, lens selection, and safety, safety, safety!
Next we practised in the @secca__bega workshop space, and before we knew it we were mapping the Andrew Warren Building and the Bega Courthouse on the corner of Carp & Gipps Streets, ready for the main event on Friday night. The students knocked it out of the park! Not only did they create a super detailed and inspiring map of the two buildings, they even had time to chuck some of their content onto the buildings for a complete rehearsal.
We were ready!
Day Three – Showtime!
The final day of the Bioluminescence program always starts with a crew dinner. We reviewed the plan for the evening and the safety guidelines, and got ready to engage with the audience and share the story of the past few days.
And it is an extraordinary story! Three days earlier these young people built the content. Two days earlier they learned projection mapping. Then they were performing live in front of thousands of people walking up and down the main street of Bega!
After a final technology check, we installed a couple of extra fun bits, like the video microscope and live iPad video feeds through the @lightbeamapps GoVJ app, so the Bioluminoids could live mix their video content. They made new clips on the spot and added them straight into the shifting, moving colour-scape on the two massive buildings. This opened up instant audience engagement, with everything from pulling funny faces to dancing in the street!
The night was amazing. The young people locked in and kept the projections fresh and moving for over three hours. Big respect to them for sharing their creative vision with their community at the @begastreetlightfestival!
Thank You
- @bega_chamber and @begastreetlightfestival, for having us back to light up the town
- @eye_candy_portals, for sharing his knowledge
- @secca__bega, for hosting us in the Project Space
- The amazing staff at @bega_highschool
- @lightbeamapps, for the GoVJ app
Festival details: https://www.begachamber.com.au/streetlight/