Client
Vandal

Question?
How do you let colour speak across architecture and time?

Our Role
Animation
Large-scale content

Collaborators
David McDiarmid
Tim Clapham

Info

What’s This Studio was commissioned by VANDAL to contribute motion design for the Lighting of the Sails at Vivid Sydney 2025, celebrating the bold and joyful work of artist David McDiarmid.

McDiarmid’s Kiss of Light series radiates colour, defiance, and queer pride. Translating his work into animation for one of the most recognisable canvases in the world was both an honour and a creative challenge - balancing the energy and detail of his art with the architectural form of the Sydney Opera House. 

This project marked a full-circle moment for the studio. VANDAL’s first work on Lighting of the Sails back in 2012 was a defining inspiration that sparked our ongoing exploration of large-scale projection mapping. To now contribute to the same program, more than a decade later, was a milestone that connected the studio’s beginnings to its present practice. Huge thanks to the VANDAL team and Tim Clapham for their leadership and technical expertise in bringing the final piece to life on the harbour.