FIND THE SAMPLE, FIND THE SECRET!

UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) has been unlocking secrets of the natural world from the ground beneath our feet to find life-changing cures for more than 20 years.

Now techno-troublemakers, Counterpilot, have taken IMB’s greatest discoveries and locked them back up again in the forest.

A mysterious game of secrets and spectacle hidden in the rainforest.
Commissioned by Brisbane Festival in 2021 for the South Bank Festival Hub.

This forest is full of secrets.
Some of them can be unlocked!

Follow your curiosity and connect the pieces to reveal moments of hidden spectacle amongst the trees. There's always something hidden beneath the surface, ready for you to discover.

IMB Institute of Light is a unique collaboration between curious performance-makers Counterpilot, and local scientists at UQ's Institute for Molecular Biology (IMB). Counterpilot have raided IMB's real research to inform this intriguing light and sound installation.

The natural world is full of answers to questions we haven’t even asked yet. Every cell operates in a way that influences the world around it. There's only so much we understand - but we're learning more every day. The more we can come to understand the intricate behaviours of life at a microscopic level, the better equipped we are to tackle the challenges we all face.

Every lighting effect in this forest has been created using real microscopic imagery from IMB research projects. When you make a discovery, individual living cells are expanded to the size of the forest floor. The dynamic impact of these emphasises the effect that microscopic details can have on a whole ecosystem.

“If we can understand the relationship between the surface of a bacterial cell and its environment, then we can disrupt those interactions and stop infection, and the negative consequences of coming into contact with some micro-organisms.”
- Director of IMB, Ian Henderson

Read More from Brisbane Festival

Created by Counterpilot
With the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, UQ

Devisors: Nathan Sibthorpe, Christine Felmingham, Mike Willmett, Sarah Winter, & John Felmingham
Director: Nathan Sibthorpe
Technical Designers: John Felmingham & Christine Felmingham
Sound Designer: Mike Willmett
Production Designer: Sarah Winter
Graphic Designer: Sean Dowling
Technical Associate: Sam Black
AV Programming: Jeremy Gordon
Design Assistants: Anna Straker, Maddie Nixon, Damian Tatum, Colin Felmingham
Voice Performers: Paige Poulier, Shubshri Kandiah, Toby Martin

Media from IMB Researchers: Dr Samantha Stehbens, Dr Nicholas Condon, Dr Anne Lagendijk, Dr Emma Gordon, & Darren Brown

Commissioned by Brisbane Festival 2021

All photos by Atmosphere Photography.

Institute of Light is a modular site-specific installation that can be adapted to various spaces and presentation contexts. Counterpilot are available to develop large-scale installation works with interactive light, sound, video, machines and other surprising media.