Fire Gardens

The Melbourne International Arts Festival ran till Sunday, 21 October and Milk Bar Mag were lucky enough to attend one of its most exciting events. For a magical few nights, as the warm spring days descended into twilight, French artists Compagnie Carabosse put the torch to the Royal Botanical Gardens.

For more than 20 years, these luminary alchemists have been setting dreamscapes alight and it was finally Melbourne’s turn to burn. Fire Gardens featured several installations around the gardens that left you in a state of wonderment each time you turned a corner.

At first, we were slightly concerned that organisers had forgotten about daylight savings, which had only just kicked off the weekend before. But there was something special about seeing the artists light up their contraptions, setting each sculpture aglow against the backdrop of a setting sun. The artists were costumed in old-fashioned tailcoats complete with bowler hats, while curious mechanical figures squeaked as their parts turned, completing the steampunk illusion. Before long, night had arrived in full and the experience really came to life.

A flame has an enchanting quality about it. The dance of flickers and sparks are utterly captivating and we were more than content to sit mesmerised on the lawn as mammoth spheres were set aflame and launched into the lake, gracefully floating down their path. Elsewhere, totemic pipes bursting with a blowtorch-like flame, fuelled by a coal fire below, cast enigmatic shadows that melted into the darkness. A snaking trough of burning blue coals blazed on a hill in the distance, reminiscent of a raging bushfire and a reminder that fire can be a wild and ferocious danger – a contrast to its graceful beauty.

Having wandered away from the crowds, an eerie silence descended upon us as we entered the fern glade, gently lit with hanging lanterns made from white singlets. One could not help but think we were about to be captured by fairies as a haunting cello filled the air.

After looping the gardens twice, we reluctantly left the soft glow for the bright city lights, glad to have avoided the massive crowd that had yet to step into the magical realm. The Fire Gardens were a truly immersive experience full of wonder, mystery and a touch of otherworldliness.

Fire Gardens 
Melbourne International Arts Festival
The Royal Botanic Gardens, South Yarra
festival.melbourne/2018/events/fire-gardens