Cygnus – Nawi Cove, Barangaroo, Sydney | 23 May – 14 June, 2025

Location: Nawi Cove, Hickson Rd, Barangaroo, Sydney NSW 2000
Dates: 23 May – 14 June, 2025
Cost: Free

12 life-like animatronic swans glide across the mirrored water of Nawi Cove. They weave in geometric patterns and pirouette gracefully in a hypnotic, dreamlike display.

Swans have long captured the human imagination, appearing in myths and folklore across cultures—from the shape-shifting swan maidens of Celtic and Norse legend to Zeus’s transformation in Greek mythology. Cygnus brings these timeless stories to life through an ethereal, captivating dance.

Drifting across the water, the birds pulse with light, their colours shifting in rhythm to the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack composed by Anil Sebastian. For a moment the Cove becomes an uncanny valley, where artificial and organic become indistinguishable.

Cygnus is both an homage to ancient storytelling and a testament to technological artistry. Having enchanted audiences in Berlin, London, Paris, and beyond, it takes on special resonance in Australia, home to the world’s only black swans.

Cygnus invites us to reflect on beauty—both timeless and man-made.

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