IT'S almost time to breathe light into the Bathurst central business district again.
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The Bathurst Winter Festival will commence on Saturday, with the event to be run very differently so it complies with public health orders.
One thing that can remain fairly unchanged on the program, though, is the illuminations.
For the fifth time, Bathurst Regional Council has asked ESEM Projects to create the displays.
The team has prepared illuminations for seven locations, with the major display to be on the Bathurst Court House.
At this location, people will see an installation that explores "the understanding of patterns and mathematics that underpins our understanding of the world and our place in it".
The majority of the installations this year will be found in Keppel Street.
It's not the first time ESEM has taken over sites in Keppel Street, but there are buildings on the list that haven't appeared before.
Light sequences will be projected onto the historic Tremains Mill, and the coffee shop in the court yard, Doppio, will also be part of the display.
It is the site for the installation called Connections, a collection of 3D animations from the minds of the MacKillop STEM Club.
ESEM continues to work with schools and community groups in Bathurst to create installations that are more personal to the community.
The installation, called MemoryPalace, at Keystone 1889 (99 Keppel Street) will turn the site into "a dynamic tapestry which explores colour, movement and the structure of the building", alongside a soundtrack provided by the Mitchell Conservatorium.
ESEM will pair a video featuring the work of Bathurst school students with a soundtrack provided by the Bathurst Academy of Music for an installation at 84 George Street.
Further up the road at 173 George Street, there will be an installation that ESEM collaborated on with local musician Rob Shannon.
This installation will be about the magic lantern, the earliest slide projector.
ESEM has also partnered with Bathurst Regional Art Gallery (BRAG) to present a new animation work by local art and design duo WBYK, which can be seen at the gallery.
The illuminations will be available from sundown to 10pm every night until the festival concludes on July 19.
Mayor Bobby Bourke said people can watch them from their car and tune the radio to hear accompanying soundtracks.
"For those illuminations that may be trickier to experience from the car, we ask that you maintain strict social distancing measures when walking about," he said.
For more information about the Bathurst Winter Festival, click here.