It's big, it's bold and it's wonderfully fantastical.
Ballarat's brand new immersive art experience, Sunnyside, is a cheery celebration of colour, creativity and community collaboration.
The inaugural edition will see internationally acclaimed UK artist Morag Myerscough transform the historic Ballarat Mining Exchange into a wondrous new nature-inspired installation, Chasing Sunbeams, from 6–23 November.
An immersive soundscape by local musician and composer Raul Sanchez i Jorge will drift through the space, offering a sensory connection that will be as intimate as it is surprising.
Chasing Sunbeams is the London-born artist's first major large-scale Australian installation.
To help bring her vision to life, Myerscough ran several word and pattern workshops in the Ballarat community earlier this year to explore themes like belonging and identity.
Extending beyond the main installation, Sunnyside will spill into Ballarat's laneways, unexpected pockets and hidden corners in a playful program of free wanderings, community collaborations, artist talks, ticketed experiences and a creative workshop series.
Fontella The Zine Machine (created by Ballarat artists Siobhan Finn and Tegan Crosbie) will add a playful, analogue twist with 16 freshly made zines up for grabs, alongside opportunities to create your own with local zinesters.
And a collaboration between Myerscough and Wadawurrung Traditional Owner and First Nations artist Jenna Oldaker (Murrup Art) will transform a series of laneways, drawing on the outcomes of inclusive community workshops that celebrate identity, culture and collective expression.
Sunnyside will run from 6– 23 November.
Tickets on sale from Tuesday 2 September at sunnysideart.com.au
