The ‘Capture the Spirit’ Community Photo Activation transformed festive retail spaces into immersive, participatory environments across both Christmas and Lunar New Year, inviting communities to engage with the season through art, photography, and shared experience.
Delivered as a dual-sided installation, the work combined two distinct visual worlds within a single cohesive activation. One side featured a traditional, photorealistic mural that celebrated the warmth, nostalgia, and familiarity of the festive season through richly detailed, atmospheric design. The opposing side offered a vibrant, neon-inspired fantasy environment, where bold colour, futuristic elements, and contemporary visual language reimagined seasonal celebration in a more unexpected and expressive form.
The activation evolved across the calendar, launching first as a Christmas experience at Keilor Central from 1–24 December 2025, before transforming for Lunar New Year at Central West from 9–28 February 2026. This seasonal shift saw the artwork reconfigured to reflect each cultural moment, extending the life of the installation while offering audiences a refreshed visual experience across both events.
Across its run, the project invited visitors to step into and become part of the artwork, striking a pose within environments designed for connection, play, and memory-making. The installation balanced accessibility with spectacle, offering both a familiar festive aesthetic and a more imaginative, contemporary counterpart.
Engaging approximately 4,800 people over six weeks across both centres, ‘Capture the Spirit’ delivered a large-scale community activation that celebrated the evolving nature of seasonal tradition, while creating lasting moments of participation and connection.
Lunar New Year Experience: Central West
9-28th February 2026 9am-8pm
Christmas Experience: Keilor Central
1-18th December 2025 11am-2pm 19-20th December 2025 7-9am (Low Sensory Sessions) 19-24th December 2025 9:30am-2:30pm
