Big ideas are about to burst into colour at BLEACH
Award-winning British artist and designer Morag Myerscough has created a huge colourful installation at HOTA on the Gold Coast to celebrate this year’s BLEACH Festival.
It’s not supposed to rain on the Gold Coast. That’s what British artist Morag Myerscough figured as she paused the installation of her massive artwork Beacon for one day earlier this week.
“It’s like being in England again,” she says. “But we’ve made good progress.”
Despite a bit of bad weather, the work will be launched tonight, October 1, at Home of the Arts (HOTA) at Surfers Paradise, on day one of BLEACH Festival, the Gold Coast’s signature annual arts event.
Beacon features vibrant hand-painted patterns, adorned gateways and poetic text by author Holly Ringland. It transforms into a glowing neon tower at dusk. With a geodesic dome.
Myerscough has joined forces with award-winning Gold Coast arts organisation Everybody NOW! To create this playful and large-scale installation (it soars to 10 metres high) as part of BLEACH, with support through the EGC Arts Fund.
Developed as part of Everybody NOW’s 10-year anniversary program in 2025, the installation is the culmination of community workshops where hundreds of Gold Coasters contributed their voices, creativity and perspectives of home and belonging.
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Myerscough’s iconic colours, patterns and text, alongside Everybody NOW’s distinct approach to community engagement and playful participation, have created a festival gathering space that is bright, joyful and interactive.
Myerscough’s work suits the Gold Coast perfectly, despite the rainy day she’s experiencing when we chat. In fact, her work is a bit of a response to such weather and to the greyness of the London she grew up in.
“The brightness is a reaction,” she says. “My work is a reaction to living in such a grey environment.”
The award-winning British artist and designer is celebrated globally for her vibrant, large-scale structural installations and immersive public artworks. Her instantly recognisable style blends hyper-saturated neon colours, geometric patterns and bold typography to inject optimism into everyday concrete environments.
Her work heavily emphasises community collaboration, frequently relying on local workshops to explore identity and co-create landmarks. She has transformed a wide variety of public spaces — including schools, hospitals, historic sites and major festivals — with prominent commissions ranging from The Temple of Agape on London’s South Bank and installations at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, to a reimagined Roman gatehouse at Hadrian’s Wall. Through her interactive structures, Myerscough aims to dismantle urban monotony and establish a universal sense of joy and belonging.
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On opening night, a choir will help animate Beacon, which will be on display until October 11. Myerscough’s weeks of work will then be stored away, so see it while you can. It flanks the Lake Precinct at HOTA as part of BLEACH, a transformative program of close to 50 events across 11 days and nights.
The festival, produced by Experience Gold Coast, includes a dynamic mix of free and ticketed works spanning contemporary performance, theatre, live music, large-scale and participatory installations and unexpected creative experiences.
The 2026 line-up includes more than 290 contributing artists from the Gold Coast, across Australia and around the world. The program features new local commissions, world premieres by national companies, Queensland exclusives and community-engaged works that celebrate the spirit of the city and offer audiences new ways of seeing and experiencing art.
Dance will take centre stage with a line-up that breathes energy into the springtime program with contemporary movement, immersive experiences and genre-defying performances.
These include outdoor performance work THAW, by Legs on the Wall; two major live music events by Lady Blackbird and NZ chart-toppers Six60; new theatre works No One Gets Out of Here Alive by The Farm; as well as Beacon by Myerscough.
Experience Gold Coast head of arts and culture John Kotzas says this year’s program celebrates 15 years of artistic ambition and creative collaboration on the Gold Coast.
“BLEACH Festival has championed the Gold Coast’s creative identity, growing from a bold local initiative into one of Australia’s leading contemporary arts festivals,” he says.
Artistic director Felix Preval says the program reflects the festival’s evolving identity and the opportunity to create new connections between artists, audiences and place.
The festival will culminate in High Tide, a spectacular closing event featuring live music and visual spectacle with jet pack performers taking flight above HOTA Lake and 100 giant jellyfish puppets descending on the parklands. The celebration will continue under the stars with a family-friendly rave on the Live Music Stage, bringing audiences together for a finale to 11 days of creativity and connection.
BLEACH Festival runs on the Gold Coast, October 1-11. For the full program and tickets:
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