Michaela Gleave
Endless Love
2022
26.5 x 1.2 x 9.3m
Circular Quay, Sydney
Commissioned by Destination NSW for Vivid Sydney
Photography: 1 Destination NSQW, 2+ Silversalt Photography
ENDLESS LOVE is a large-scale illuminated text work overlooking Sydney harbour at Circular Quay. Arching above Cahill Expressway, bold geometric letters reach up into the sky, proclaiming the phrase ‘endless love’.
Centred on the harbour ENDLESS LOVE is scaled for its location, with 2m high lightbox lettering designed to have strong visual impact and legibility in this setting. Illuminated internally using RGB LEDs the text progresses through a palette of spectral colours, the mood of the work shifting subtly with the programmed light. Joyous colour washes surrounding areas, tinting audiences in the work’s glow and creating shimmering reflections in the water beyond.
ENDLESS LOVE is a declaration of love for the city of Sydney. It reflects the passion, generosity, and freedom of spirit that has made Sydney one of the great global cities, and is evocative of the hopes, dreams, and aspirations the city inspires. The work connects audiences on both deeply intimate and universal levels, uniting the city and all those who experience it with a sense of joy, celebration, and belonging.
Executed at scale and located between the iconic forms of the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House, the arc of the letters speaks to these landmark structures and the role that the ingenuity and creativity have played in the creation of our vibrant and energetic city. Positioned against the sky with the city skyline as it’s backdrop, the joyous arc is also emblematic of the rising sun, suggesting unlimited potential, and the glorious blue skies and sunshine synonymous with the Sydney lifestyle.
Reflecting the deep history of this country both culturally and geologically, ENDLESS LOVE
celebrates the beauty of Sydney’s harbour and it’s positioning between the vast Pacific Ocean and the landmass of Australia beyond. It speaks to the innumerable journeys made here in pursuit of a better life, and all those drawn back home by their love for the city and everything it represents. A celebration of colour and the visible light spectrum, the work is also reflective of the significance of Sydney as the LGBTIQ+ capital of Australia, of openness and acceptance, and the battles that have been won in the name of love.
Timely and generous ENDLESS LOVE is a work for this moment. It speaks to the challenges we have endured, and the optimism with which we look to the future. It reaches out to the world with a message of love and captures the spirit of joy and boundless optimism that makes Sydney one of the truly great global cities.