Capella Sydney has woven a breathtaking artistic element into its already sophisticated interiors with the installation of a flora-inspired lighting sculpture by Netherlands-based art duo DRIFT. The artwork, one of many pieces displayed in the impeccably refurbished heritage building, was revealed for the first time when the hotel opened its doors in Sydney’s Sandstone Precinct in mid-March.
Titled Meadow, the sculpture is the first by DRIFT to be installed in the Southern Hemisphere. A poetic display of cutting-edge technology and artistic elegance, the piece brings an otherworldly presence to Aperture – the hotel’s generously scaled ground-floor gathering space that occupies the original courtyard of the historic Department of Education building.
The piece comprises 19 mechanised polyester-lined lanterns, whose mesmerising dance mimics the umbrella-shaped petals of Australian wildflowers in the landscape. The changing colours and rhythm of the suspended piece, combined with the impressive scale of the installation among Aperture, bring grandeur to the hotel’s public art program.
“We welcome this evocative sculpture to Capella Sydney as the pinnacle piece in our publicly accessible art program,” says Marc Von Arnim, Capella Sydney’s general manager. “DRIFT have beautifully captured the colours and the liveliness that exists in the Australian landscape, providing hotel guests and Sydneysiders with a magical experience. The robotics of the piece are mesmerising to watch.”
It’s the ever-changing movements of the installation that prompts its creators to liken the piece to a living organism. “All the flowers in Meadow come together to create the experience of a botanical creature,” says Lonneke Gordijn, co-founder of DRIFT. “Suspended from the glass ceiling in Aperture, the flowers include integrated sensors, allowing guests to interact with the different characters and moods that the sculpture can express.”
“Types of movement vary from very slowly expanding and contracting behaviours to a surprising instant opening of the flowers in much higher speed. A combination of those two types of movements results in a carefully orchestrated composition that runs through the entire sculpture.”
Founded in 2007 by Dutch artists Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta, DRIFT is a leading art duo that explores the intersection of art, technology and nature through deconstructive, interactive and innovative processes. The studio’s performative approach to art and design has garnered international acclaim and their work can be found in collections and exhibitions around the world.
Meadow is just one of the many artworks in a large curation of acquired and commissioned pieces at Capella Sydney. More information on the hotel’s full collection will be unveiled in coming months.
Discover the magic of Meadow in Aperture at Capella Sydney – book now to celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday 14th May.
Experience Mother’s Day Aperture Afternoon Tea held over two sittings, 12.30pm and 3pm, with a high tea-inspired menu (sampled below) including tea and coffee.
• Nori cracker, tuna tartare, spicy mayonnaise
• Salmon roe tartlet, lemon burrata
• Spanner crab brioche, buttermilk dressing
• Truffled free-range chicken mousse sandwich
• Wagyu beef ossobuco pie, bush tomato relish
• Fruit scone, raspberry and rosella jam, double cream
• Aperture signature lamington
• Salted caramel and wattleseed mascarpone eclair
• Pavlova, passionfruit curd, strawberry, finger lime
Cost: $105 per person (full prepayment required)
Reservations for Aperture Afternoon Tea can be made online through the ‘Dining’ section of the Capella Sydney website capellahotels.com/sydney or by email dining.sydney@capellahotels.com
Capella Sydney is now open for accommodation reservations, via telephone +61 2 9071 5090 or online capellahotels.com/sydney
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