'Lighting the Sails' turns the Sydney Opera House into a psychedelic light show

For the Vivid Live music festival, the Sydney Opera House got a digital makeover. Designed by creative studio 59 Productions, the project involved lighting the building's iconic sails with video, turning its surface into a crazy light show. The projected images include dancing colors and transforming shapes, and even a few video game sequences. According to the creators, the goal is to take viewers "on a dramatic journey through time — from the birth of architecture and civilization through to the pinnacle of human and technological achievement."59's previous work includes the opening ceremony for the 2012 summer Olympics in London, as well as the exhibition David Bowie is, which has been featured in galleries everywhere from Berlin to Toronto. "Sydney has posed us an entirely new challenge: that of bringing an entire building to life, and making it stand out against one of the world’s most spectacular skylines," says 59 creative director Leo Warner. Appropriately dubbed "Lighting the Sails," the event has been on display every night since May 23rd, and will continue on until June 9th, so there's still a chance to check it out in person.Photos courtesy Prudence Upton