Melbourne NYE 2022 | "Feel the sound"
In September of 2021, Celestial became the first permanent drone light show company in Australia. Shortly after, we won the contract to put on a light display for the Melbourne New Year’s Eve celebrations.
January 2022 / Melbourne, Australia / For City of Melbourne
As Melbourne emerged from the longest lockdown in the world, Celestial designed a drone display that aimed to reflect on a difficult year and rouse a definitive sense of hope for the future. Harnessing an array of talent, the story married the epic scale of drone art with captivating music and spoken word.
Ren Alessandra’s poem, ‘Melbourne: Feel the sound’ formed the foundation of the narrative onto which we built our visuals, with the help of First Nation artist Mandy Nicholson’s concept artwork, drawing inspiration from Melbourne’s heritage, both modern and indigenous. Meanwhile, acclaimed film composers Jeremy Lane and Andrew Lancaster designed a sumptuous score, underlying the emotional journey of the drone display.
Despite extended Covid-related delays and remote working, Celestial delivered a NYE celebratory residency show in Melbourne, for Melbourne.
And what a show it was.
John Hopkins
Celestial Co-Founder
In collaboration with…
Concept artwork | First Nation artist Mandy Nicholson
Poetry | Ren Alessandra
Music | Jeremy Lane and Andrew Lancaster