Temple

Temple embodies the idea of nature as a sacred refuge. The natural world is a life-force, both mysterious and ever-present. It takes us out of our busy minds, even if for a moment.

Comprising both superscale visuals and sculptural elements, this monumental installation is a temple to nature with the power to immerse us in the present moment. Temple’s slow motion film and reflection pool offers a contemplative sanctuary on the Light Walk.

Artists Leila Jeffreys and Melvin J. Montalban have collaborated with cinematographer Chris Bryan, bird trainer Ravi Wasan, and composer Jackson Milas on an immersive three-channel film that pays homage to our native cockatoo. Watch as Red-tailed Black Cockatoos, Galahs, and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos play in water and fly through mist in hypnotic loops. They appear and disappear out of the frame, asking us to consider the fragility of their existence.

The shallow pool of calm water at the foot of the triptych reflects and refracts the on-screen images. By evoking the beauty of Sydney’s waterways, it similarly invites contemplation.

Enter a space that stirs the human spirit, where the link between ourselves and a universe that all living creatures are part of becomes apparent. The natural world is a gift to cherish and protect.

Pause. Reflect. Be restored.