If you think art is something that should be observed and philosophised over from a refined distance, think again.

Take a wander down Macquarie Street at any time of the day or night – that’s right, any time – and you’ll be able to not only see but touch, feel and hear the shape of things to come in the public art space.

Sky Castles is a light installation that looks simply like a crop of inflatable arches all grouped together, but it’s more. So much more.

Step up to the arches, and they light up and start to sing . Move around and through, touching them as you go, and both the song and the colours change, responding like a giant chameleon to the flow of human interaction.
The rainbow hued spectacle at night, with children running in and around and through the arches bringing the sound to a crescendo is nothing short of joyful.

And that’s just what Kim Hague, manager of regional events for Dubbo Regional Council, was hoping from the unique piece of public art.  

It has been, and is, Kim’s pleasure to coordinate the Sky Castles installation, which is on display in Dubbo for a month as part of the Dream Festival celebrations.

“It’s been one of the most favourite projects I’ve worked on in a long time,” says Kim. “It’s one of those things that we saw and immediately recognised just how much Dubbo and the community would love this interactive art installation, but I didn’t realise just how much people would engage with it, how many would visit, how much they would all talk about it and share their photos.

“I can’t tell you how many people have sent me photos and contacted me to say, 'How great is this for Dubbo?'. People have just loved engaging with it, and I know people who have come down to see it not just once, but a number of times at all times of the day.

Such radiant feedback makes for a nice change, and Kim says it reflects the joy Sky Castles brings to visitors.

There’s some pretty funky technology involved in generating that joy.

The sound and lights change according to the interaction of people weaving in and out through the installation, thanks to sensors placed in the centre of each of the Sky Castles.

“As people move through, those sensors pick up that movement and the lights change and the music plays as a result. So the more people who are interacting with the installation, the more it changes meaning that each experience is different.”

You can literally make the art dance to your own tune – that’s the beauty of an interactive display such as Sky Castles, and it was that feature Kim recognised as something that would strike a chord with Dubbo audiences.

The installation itself, which is from a Melbourne-based company and took Kim ten months to coordinate, is very robust, the point being to have people wander around and touch and feel.

“An interactive art installation is about immersing people – it’s not about standing there and looking but not touching. It’s very tactile and people love that they can touch it, and even put their arms around and “hug” the castles. It’s lovely.”

Sky Castles is quietly overseen by ‘round-the-clock security, necessitated by a desire for the entire community to be able to access and enjoy it.

“The whole point of having this temporary public art installation open 24 hours a day is that it wasn’t intended to be an event that runs between certain hours,” says Kim. “It’s accessible to everyone.”

Would we ever see similar, more permanent interactive art installations grace our public spaces? If Kim has her way, the answer is yes.

“I’m a big fan of public art. I’d love to see more of it in Dubbo and council’s cultural team is constantly looking at ways to increase public art in the city.

“It’s something that’s great for people to enjoy, and that adds to the diversity of things to see and do.”

Sky Castles is installed in the space adjacent to Old Dubbo Gaol in Macquarie Street until October 9, when it will be packed up and re-located to Victoria Park where it will again open on October 13.