By Patrick Shearn of Poetic Kinetics

Presented by HOTA, Home of the Arts

Wonder 2025 will see our biggest and boldest artwork to date in a ‘not to be missed’ experience. 

CLOUD PLAY by international artist Partick Shearn of Poetic Kinetics, is the hero artwork for Wonder 2025, designed exclusively for the Gold Coast, and exhibited at HOTA this winter. 

Reminiscent of a school of fish coalescing, or the graceful murmuration of a flock of birds, CLOUD PLAY is a 530sqm kinetic sculpture that soars in the sky, harnessing the wind as a constant reminder of nature moving around us. Making up this stunning movement of artistry and engineering are tens of thousands of ribbons that hold messages from the Gold Coast community. The Sky Ribbons project undertaken in March, asked Gold Coasters to complete the sentence, ‘I’m grateful to call the Gold Coast home because…’. These written responses now installed within the artwork carry a living narrative that embodies the beating heart of the Gold Coast and its community in the spirit of gratitude. 

Complementing the sculptural majesty of CLOUD PLAY will be an ethereal soundscape that blends ancient indigenous knowledge with an original score and natural sound recordings by Saltwater man Lann Levinge, Jose Carbo and didgeridoo virtuoso, William Barton. 

By night, experience CLOUD PLAY in a different light as the team at IKONIX illuminate the work and site with a stunning display of light that responds to wind data and changes as the sculpture moves and dances across the sky in a symphony of colour. 

This Australian exclusive and limited international exhibition promises to be a must see attraction for locals and visitors and it can be experienced at HOTA’s Outdoor Stage from 31 May – 13 July. 

CLOUD PLAY will be presented with a suite of exciting free and ticketed events and performances as part of WONDER. Additional WONDER Programming will take place in the first three weeks, from Sat 31 May – Sat 21 June.