BE prepared to take a journey into space when parts of the central business district are illuminated this month.
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For the fourth time, Bathurst Regional Council has engaged ESEM Projects to deliver the illuminations for the Bathurst Winter Festival.
Director Michael Killalea said the theme guiding ESEM's creativity this year was 'cosmic paradise', which council revealed earlier this year was the overall theme of the festival.
"Through that [theme] we're exploring light, colour and technology," he said.
As has become tradition, Bathurst Court House will be the centrepiece of the illuminations and ESEM promises the display will be an adventure.
People will get to see it on the opening night of the winter festival this Saturday.
"The court house is going to be a lot of fun. It is going to be a great reveal," he said.
"It's basically heading on a spaceship through a black hole and into pan-dimensional, crazy, new-universe stuff."
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Winter festival patrons will also find illuminations in Machattie Park, the Fernery and Court House Lane.
Machattie Park will feature a large-scale ground projection near the rotunda with an accompanying soundtrack, which will "take people through the stargate".
The Fernery will be inspired by the movie Avatar and feature black lights and glowing plants.
"It'll be a different installation this year. We won't have any projections in there; it is really about the light and the atmosphere," Mr Killalea said.
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In Court House Lane, there will be an interactive game in which people can be characters by logging on using their smartphones.
An important part of this year's design process was community participation in a new project, called Ways of Seeing.
ESEM and local artists Henry Simmons and Nicole Welch each worked with young groups to co-create work.
"ESEM Projects worked with school kids from Kelso Public School and Scots All Saints College, and created projects that are based around technology, portraiture and the way that we see the world in a digital age," he said.
The local artists worked with people aged between 18 and 25, who were either from TAFE NSW or just had an interest in working in the creative fields, to do something similar.
Those works will be included in ESEM's festival installations.
Mr Killalea hopes people will enjoy the installations.
"Every year we try to do something that's different, fun and engaging," he said. "It's such a great festival. It's such a good opportunity, working in Bathurst and with the people in Bathurst."
