Morag Myerscough x Everybody NOW!
1 October - 11 October, 2026
Presented by HOTA
Morag Myerscough x Everybody NOW!
Presented by HOTA
A bright and bold BEACON of belonging this epic, large-scale installation becomes a landmark for joy across the 11-days of BLEACH Festival taking over the HOTA Lakeside Precinct.
Led by Award-winning Gold Coast Arts Organisation Everybody NOW!, BEACON is a new commission designed by Internationally acclaimed Artist Morag Myerscough (UK), in collaboration with hundreds of Gold Coasters who participated in creative workshops.
Impossible to miss, BEACON calls you in with vibrant colours, hand-painted patterned entrances and adorned gateways. Step inside to discover a welcoming space for all people, of all ages to explore, connect and create.
Become mesmerized as the natural world interacts with the artwork; light dances through space, shapes move with the wind, and poetic text by best-selling author and ABC TV presenter Holly Ringland signal messages from people and place.
Across the festival, as dusk falls BEACON sends out a siren of song with local community singers performing a special musical arrangement of Holly Ringland’s poem, before neon light transforms the artwork into a glowing nighttime festival hub.
Be sure not to miss the festival choir signing the artwork to life at the BEACON Opening Night on Thursday 1 October as part of BLEACH 2026!
Love to sing?! Come join our Festival Choir!
We’re looking for singers of all ages and experience levels to perform a special musical arrangement of best-selling author Holly’s Ringland’s poetry, commissioned as a part of Morag Myerscough’s large-scale installation, BEACON, for this year’s BLEACH Festival.
You’ll work with the highly sought-after choral director and vocalist Alex Van den Broek, joining a series of fun and inclusive workshops, before singing the artwork to life as part of the BEACON Opening of BLEACH Festival.
Free to join. All voices welcome!
Sign up now at www.everybodynow.com.au
Everybody NOW! creates participatory arts projects that generate joy. Proudly based on the Gold Coast, as a HOTA Home Company, Everybody NOW! is an Impact award-winning organisation dedicated to the creation of high-quality, community-engaged arts projects, that are made with and for community, alongside outstanding professional artists.
Morag Myerscough is an acclaimed UK artist and designer, renowned for her vibrant and immersive public art installations that transform urban environments. She is best known for her use of bold colours, patterns, and words to create spaces that foster a sense of community, belonging, and joy. Myerscough’s work spans a wide range of projects, from schools and hospitals to cultural hubs and town centres, often involving local communities in the design process to reflect their cultural identity and shared history. Myerscough’s work is instantly recognizable for its energy and ability to resonate with diverse audiences worldwide, having been featured in cities across the globe, including London, USA, Hong Kong, and Mexico City. In addition to her design work, Myerscough is a passionate advocate for belonging, often speaking about the importance of creating spaces that promote inclusivity.
Holly is an international best-selling author and TV presenter for ABC’s Back to Nature. She is best known for her 2018 novel The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, which won the 2019 General Fiction Book of the Year Award, and was adapted into a television miniseries in 2023 starring Sigourney Weaver. Holly grew on the Gold Coast and returned home in 2020 after living abroad. In addition to her best-selling fictions Holly regularly writes & speaks on topics of belonging & creativity. In 2023, she authored her first non-fiction The House The Joy Built. Holly is delighted to be collaborating with internationally acclaimed Artist Morag Myerscough (UK), and Everybody NOW! to create a new poetry commission which will be woven throughout the artwork as well as sung by hundreds of voices in specially created festival choir.
Alex Van den Broek is a sought-after Queensland arranger, vocalist, choral director and singer-songwriter known for creating vocal excellence within safe, nurturing spaces where every voice can shine. Her work spans theatre, choral music, television and live performance, including music director roles for La Boite Theatre on shows including Congratulations, Get Rick and Fancy Long Legs, as well as various collaborations with The Little Red Company as arranger and choral/vocal director. Alex was arranger and choral director for the nationally televised Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols (2021–2024), working with artists including Kate Miller-Heidke and Dami Im. She also arranges orchestral works, session sings (including on two Bluey tracks), and shares music with her 200,000+ online followers. Alex will be gathering and inspiring a choir of hundreds as part of this special BEACON project in collaboration with Everybody NOW!
135 Bundall Rd, Surfers Paradise, QLD 4217
