Brisbane Powerhouse 2023 | Commissioned for Night Feast | Photos: Pixel Frame
Capturing a moment in time through an immersive place specific installation, Steam Works transports audiences back in time to when this landmark site was once New Farm Power Station, powering Brisbane’s largest tram network.
A site-resonant and experiential installation by Swiss-Australian artist Tom Mùller conceived in response to the historical significance of the site. Consisting of four large industrial fog generators, the work is activated twice a day for a duration of 2 minutes enveloping the main entrance in thick voluminous steam. These towering vapour pillars evoke a bygone time where the main structure of the original complex, the boiler house once stood. Now buried beneath this site, the boiler room consisted of ten large boilers, fuelled by coal shipped by river and rail and drawing cooling water from the river to generate steam.