Domremy Light Festival Thank You Photos
In 2023, staff were planning a collaborative Year 5 and Year 9 Newman STEM Project and chose to focus on Light. As we discussed this further, it became apparent that we could do so much more with this concept โฆ and so the Domremy Light Festival flame began to flicker.
The Light of Christ shines within all of us and is underpinned in our Presentation Charism, started by Nano Nagle as she carried a lantern helping those in need on the streets of Ireland. Light is very special to all at Domremy; it is central to our College ethos, visually represented in our logo and students work towards the achievement of Shine and Lantern Awards each year. It was only natural that at some stage, Domremy College would share light with our community in an event such as the 2024 Domremy Light Festival.
On 19 June, we opened our gates to approximately 2,000 visitors from 6-8pm. Most people began their journey in our Chapel; a serene, reflective, spiritual space lit by candles and lanterns. Many young children, and those young at heart, ran from there to our Glow Bar, where they had their faces painted and accessorised, with glow accessories, before heading to the silent disco with glowing headphones. Our labs were opened and inspired a new generation of scientists with a variety of light experiments: including open flames, refractions and holograms. The Neman Project was on display and Year 5 and 9 students discussed the new skills and knowledge they gained around the principles of light and architectural lighting. Student photography was also exhibited, as was the creative conceptual thinking undertaken by our Critical Thinking and Philosophy students.
As always, our Music and Drama students provided wonderful entertainment, the latter performing self-devised Expressionist Theatre pieces which included strobe and other lighting and sound effects. Our English faculty introduced us to Ekphrastic and Blackout Poetry and exhibited student works through an engaging video. Our Maths faculty introduced us to the Japanese art of Origami, with visitors able to make origami lanterns and undertake measurement and problem-solving activities. Our HSIE faculty created a variety of spaces and experiences including the use of telescopes to view the stars and planets on a beautiful clear evening, a thriving Avalanche Avenue and a stunning Enchanted Garden, which captivated many.
Earlier this year, a group of students and staff undertook a study tour of Italy and the amazing sights and lights of this country and culture were on display for all to see. Japanese students made 200 lanterns which lined the plaza and served as beautiful centrepieces on picnic tables for dinner.ย
We thank the wonderful food vendors who provided us with many delicious dinner options including pizza, manoush, dumplings, burgers, satay and fried chicken, curries, warm drinks and a popcorn cart. Most notably we congratulate our wonderful Food Technology students who made and served scrumptious chocolate brownies, apple pie and gelato at our Dessert Depot, which proved to be very popular.
As you would expect, crowds were drawn to the spectacular Light and Design Installations created by our students. These were the result of a semester-long design, planning and creative project supported by our talented Visual Arts and Design and Technology faculties. Installations were designed for specific spaces and included sea jellies, an octopus named Eugene, bubbles, beautiful flowers, puzzles and much more around trees, umbrellas and gardens. We also had a variety of neon lights which became extremely popular โinstagrammableโ moments. Peter Soleness, a celebrated photographic artist, dazzled the crowds with incredible Photographic Light Painting. Large groups of students moved about the oval with light props to make photographic creations. This was certainly a major festival feature.
As a community, we recognise the privileged position we are in, with access to reliable light and power. However, we also acknowledge that many people around the world live in energy poverty. Hence, we used as much solar power as possible for the evening and included a Social Justice initiative, raising awareness of energy poverty as a global issue and making a small but valuable contribution to those less fortunate. (Please see the additional article about our Solar Buddy Project.)
We congratulate all students and staff involved in this most outstanding event and, in particular, we thank all of our support staff who put in many hours of work behind the scenes. They are often the unsung heroes, so today we thank them for all they do at Domremy to help us shine. The 2024 Light Festival will no doubt be one of the great highlights of the year and we are most proud of all who contributed and grateful to those who attended.
Ms Sarah Thompson, Leader of Innovative and Global Connections/Mrs Lucy Silva,ย Instructional Specialist
ย Thank you and credit to Chris Gleisner Photography
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