Artistic Excellence / People's Choice Award Winner

Chalk River Labs

Night Parrots 2023

Fibreglass sculpture with projection

180 x 240 x 300 cm

Not for sale

About the Work

Night Parrots is a projection sculpture of a parrot sheltering a fellow parrot with its wing.

The proud 1.8-metre tall, reinforced fibreglass sculpture is brought to life through a vibrant kaleidoscopic animation of seamlessly projection mapped hypnotic colour.

It is based on a ground-dwelling, nocturnal Australian species thought to be extinct until they were very recently rediscovered in Queensland in 2013. Night Parrots pays homage to this bird and the connections to resilience in human nature, creating a sense of discovery for audiences.

The geometric parrots are surrounded by three high-definition projectors illuminating the sculpture, accompanied by a multichannel soundtrack.

About the Artist

Chalk River Labs is a Melbourne-based creative studio founded by Jay Tettamanti, a multidisciplinary artist who creates experiential installations that combine projection, music and sculpture. Chalk River Labs draws inspiration from nature’s symmetry and complex geometry, overlaying them in a moving collage that transforms simple structures into mesmerising textured sculptures.