For acclaimed light artist Angus Muir and his team at Darklight, returning to Whakatū for Bayleys Te Ramaroa 2026 feels like a homecoming. Having previously illuminated the Cathedral steps with Bloom, filled Morrison Square with UV Spaghetti, and cast projections onto the exterior architecture, for Muir stepping inside the Nelson Christ Church Cathedral this year is an honour.
"To bring Darklight here and take the audience on a sonic journey, showing this beloved building in a new light, is very special to us as artists," Muir says. "We can’t wait to see how the audience in Whakatū responds." This will be the first time that Darklight has had a major installation in a building as historically important and architecturally impressive as the Nelson Christ Church Cathedral.
Darklight is a collaboration with renowned Tāmaki Makaurau lighting designer Cat Ellis. Ellis is known for creating hypnotic moody aesthetics and dreamy event atmospheres at large-scale public light festivals and events across Aotearoa and Australia. Working alongside Muir and Ellis for the festival in Whakatū, on sound design is Peter Hobbs, a composer who specialises in environmental sound art and spatial audio installations.
The ethos of the light festival as a community-driven, free festival is a massive drawcard for Darklight. The central city location is beautiful, and getting to work alongside great people makes the decision for Darklight to exhibit here incredibly easy. Muir deeply admires the immense effort and funding required to keep Bayleys Te Ramaroa free and community-centered.
"I love that it's a mixture of big bright things and amazing community artworks—something for everyone," Muir notes. "Unlike some light festivals, it's not all lasers and projections; it has artisan, handmade components, local performers, and great community involvement."
This philosophy perfectly mirrors Muir’s own artistic mission. "I love creating artwork that is accessible, big, beautiful, and that can inspire anyone, from a kid to an elderly person, any race, any religion. It's about creating fun for people."
That mission is also deeply personal. Having spent his childhood summer holidays in the region, returning as an established artist brings his journey full circle. Knowing he is inspiring the next generation of Whakatū artists and makers and returning this year with his family and young child, makes the experience extra special, and Muir feels incredibly lucky to do what he loves.
While Darklight boasts a packed 2026 calendar, anchoring the event in Whakatū is the highlight of their year, featuring two distinct, immersive installations that play beautifully with scale, heritage; and environment.
Renowned for site-specific light art that mesmerises viewers while acknowledging a space's history and architecture, Darklight's cornerstone installation, Mind in the Ether, invites audiences into a meditative journey through mind, body; and spirit. Set inside the majestic Nelson Christ Church Cathedral, it promises to be an atmospheric transformation. Where light, sound, and space dissolve into a suspended, dreamlike environment. The installation showcases the beloved cathedral on Piki Mai (Church Hill) in a way it has never been seen before.
While Muir prefers not to give too much away, he promises a transformative spectacle and is excited to play in the space. The historic structure offers a vast canvas where multiple lasers will scatter light downward to "tickle the audience's brains," enhanced by a site-specific soundscape and shifting haze designed to accentuate the building's striking architectural features.
Just outside the Cathedral doors, the journey into sensory art continues. In the adjacent gardens, visitors will encounter The Forbidden Dell. This installation leads audiences through a dark corridor of towering trees, where layers of shifting light and a haunting soundscape fills the air. This work created by Catherine Ellis and Peter Hobbs, guarantees to deliver a powerful, memorable journey into the unknown.
Darklight at Bayleys Te Ramaroa in 2026 promises a transformative encounter that does more than just showcase architecture; it elevates the experience, acknowledging and enhancing the Cathedral and Piki Mai (Church Hill) as a sacred space of Whakatū.
Mind in the Ether by Darklight can be experienced 3 - 7 July inside the Christ Church Cathedral at the top of Trafalgar Steet.
