Southern Crossing on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. A light sculpture by Richard Tipping, 1982. Photograph © Miki Komatsu.
In association with Clarke Perry Blackmore Architects. An associated event of the Sydney Festival and Biennale of Sydney, 1982, for the 50th Anniversay of the opening of the Bridge.
(c) Richard Tipping All text and images are copyright and protected by international legislation. See the Copyright page for more information. For permission to use any of these materials please see Contact page
Installing Southern Crossing in January 1982. Five lightboards were attached to the south-east Pylon facing the Opera House by the Department of Main Roads. Remarkably, a lane of the Bridge was blocked by a cherrypicker (on the left side of the photograph) for some hours, while workers descended on a painter's plank from the roof.
Each lightboard had a 400 watt mercury vapour bulb at the centre, and a number of 150 watt paraflood lights around it, depending upon the relative brightness of the star in the constellation Cruxis - so there were four levels of brightness. Distance from top to bottom light about 33 metres. The lights were on each night from 6pm until 6am from 1 January to 30 June 1982, and from 1-31 January 1983.
Southern Crossing, 1982 © Richard Tipping, 1982/2018