Public Art
We love creating art in public spaces. Available for hire.
We love creating art in public spaces - whether that’s painting murals or picnic tables, decorating our town Christmas tree, or animating public spaces with our giant puppets or projects like Boxtopia (a creative cardboard kingdom for kids). Get in touch if you’d like to know more!
Boxtopia
A creative cardboard kingdom for kids and adults alike!
Boxtopia is our creative cardboard kingdom for kids! We show up with as many cardboard boxes as we can get our hands on and a whole bunch of art supplies, and we help kids create their dream box forts!
We do this project several times a year, often bringing Boxtopia to festivals or other special events. Boxtopia can be themed (ie: farm, pirates, circus) or just pure fun and imagination. Contact us if you want us to bring the magic of Boxtopia to your special event! Fun fact - adults love it, too!
Night Watch at Base31
Our biggest and brightest illuminated adventure to date.
Night Watch was The Department of Illumination’s biggest and brightest project to date: an illuminated adventure at Base31!
After nightfall, visitors could transport themselves into the nighttime world of illuminated spectacle. Equipped with a magical lantern, they would embark on a journey through 10 immersive exhibits brought to life with dynamic lighting, spectacular video projections and a soundscape for adventure.
This one-of-a-kind experience ran for two seasons, 2023 & 2024.
PLASTIC BITES BACK
Part of a water parade; Art that addresses the topic of plastic pollution.
The Department of Illumination was commissioned by Kingston’s Calliope Collective to create a float for HYDRA, a pilot project that took place in June 2021 in the waters adjacent Douglas Fluhrer Park. Designed as a ‘water parade,’ the overall theme of the event was water, and The DOI was asked to address the topic of plastic pollution. We wanted to create something beautiful while at the same time addressing the pervasiveness of plastic pollution in our waterways. The resulting work is a 13-foot rather menacing fish with gnashing jaws entitled Plastic Bites Back.
For six months we solicited our community to bring us their plastic recycling, and we collected more than 200 laundry detergent and water jugs which were painstakingly cut into fish scales. Lead artists Krista Dalby and Nella Casson constructed a lightweight frame out of cane, bamboo and wood, and then covered it in the plastic scales.
In June 2023 we participated in the next evolution of HYDRA: The Spirit of Water. More than 30 artists came together to contribute a dozen art pieces/performances which collectively told a story on water at Kingston Mill Locks.
