Art in the Dark

I feel like I’m a couple of years late to the Art In The Dark party…
Awesome idea — wander through Western Park in the dark, check out light installations for FREE. The only problem was it was waaaay too busy. Painfully so. The line moved at a snail’s pace and with people packed in like sardines it was rather claustrophobic.
This was my first time to Art In The Dark so I don’t have a point of comparison but I think it was particularly bad this year because of the weather. It had been raining, hard, for a couple of days beforehand so you couldn’t leave the paths without the risk of falling over, which we saw several people do. Hilarious, when it’s not you…
Also, the bad weather meant that come Sunday (the last day and also the first break in the miserable weather), every man and his dog were there. Plus we went just after it got dark. Rookies. My recommendation is to go a little later, after all the kids have gone to bed.
I think it’s awesome that Auckland plays host to annual free events like this and it’s unfortunate that the weather didn’t play ball but I can’t help that think that perhaps it’s time they moved to a bigger (and flatter) park.

I’d never been to Art in the Dark before, a free event and a great find on a rainy night In Ponsonby. Wandered through Western Park for the first time, driven past it often. Some of the light displays were really impressive, not all were available because of the rain. Putting this on the list for next year.

I have to say, as free events go, this has to be one of the best I’ve been to, be that here in Auckland or back in Blighty (to be honest, the council would have charged for this kind of event back in the UK).
The imagination behind the installations at this years Art in the Dark was amazing, with so many of the pieces having my wife and I going «wow».
I had no idea that Western Park was so big, as I’ve only ever passed the park from Ponsonby Road. The event organisers made great use of the space and really showed off the natural beauty of this park. Although, better lighting on some of the footpaths may be something to think about for next year, especially the paths being lifted up by stretching tree roots.
From the very cool QR Code mobile to the giant fish riding around on cycles, we very much enjoyed our first time at Art in the Dark and look forward to next years.

Art in the Dark was awesome! I had not been before until last year and was impressed. My friend and I went around 8:30 so it was already dark and from start to finish it was a somewhat mix of a mystical, eerie and fun experience that we both enjoyed. Different mediums were used in the installations in addition to the lights. Film, sound and some digitally interactive installations too via smartphones. It totally transformed the park.
Art in the dark is one of those rare events put on for free that are actually worth going too. So many people were here, even dogs, doesn’t matter what age this exhibition will appeal to most people whether at a superficial level or something more profound depending on how you look at things.