Festival 2018 Gold Coast

An enormous moon sculpture, an interactive playground of illuminated musical see-saws and beach karaoke are among the public artworks set to surprise and delight everyone from 4-15 April at Festival 2018, the arts and cultural program of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018).

Festival 2018 Gold Coast Co-Creative Director Kate Fell says the public art program - featuring the work of internationally leading artists - strikes a balance between playful interaction and artistic integrity.

"All of the artworks have an element of fun; they pop up in unexpected places and involve the audience in some way. At the same time, these are works that inspire you to think," Ms Fell said.

Australian premieres include Museum of the Moon, a seven-metre-wide replica of the moon by acclaimed UK artist Luke Jerram; and Impulse, 15 giant see-saws that light up and play music in a dynamic composition by award winning Canadian companies Lateral Office and CS Design.

Mass karaoke event Giant Sing Along also makes its Australian debut with a field of microphones on the beach - courtesy of Canadian company Daily Tous Les Jours - and a songlist as voted by the people of the Gold Coast.

Famous for his surrealist photoshoots that feature the likes of politicians and Dachshunds, Andrew Baines will stage a quirky mass photoshoot on the beach in the world premiere of Water Cooler Games. The Australian artist will bring together 40 suited participants for a race and an award ceremony featuring a surprise guest.

Urchins, a series of giant sea urchin shells crafted from hand-crocheted lace, will float along the waterway. Designed by internationally awarded architects and artists Choi+Shine, and created in collaboration with the Gold Coast's own SWELL, the urchins embody the spirit of the coast.

After travelling the world, Richard Bell's Embassy visits the Gold Coast for the first time. With talks running throughout the day, the installation pays homage to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, the world's longest running protest assembled in 1972 by activists at Canberra's Parliament House.

In Weaving Water Stories, local Indigenous artists share water stories and traditional techniques to create a large-scale installation under the vision of curator Freja Carmichael and designer Lisa Sorbie-Martin. Weaving workshops will invite audiences to add their own creations to the artwork.

An array of public art features at Festival 2018, 12 action-packed days of free culture taking over the Gold Coast from 4-15 April to celebrate GC2018.

For full program details and more information on Festival 2018 visit gc2018.com/festival2018