Cross‑lighting brings public sculpture to life at night by creating intentional highlights, shadows, and chiaroscuro effects that reveal texture, depth, and form. Even when directed from a single primary angle, the technique introduces contrast and visual drama, guiding the viewer’s eye and helping the artwork stand out within an environment that may already contain ambient illumination from street and pathway lighting.
This approach allows the sculpture to “pop” through carefully controlled brightness and shadow play, producing long, expressive silhouettes that enhance its presence after dark. Importantly, the lighting strategy elevates the artwork without overpowering the surrounding space or compromising the illumination levels required for public safety
Australia's two first federal female politicians have had their legacies immortalised in the first female statues to appear in the parliamentary zone in Canberra. The statues of Dame Dorothy Tangney and Dame Enid Lyons will stand on one side of Old Parliament House in the nation's capital, not far from the Women's Suffrage Commemorative Fountain in the adjacent rose gardens.
Dame Enid, hailing from Tasmania, was the first elected woman to the House of Representatives and the first woman to serve in the federal cabinet, while Dame Dorothy was the first woman elected to the Senate for Western Australia, with both taking office in 1943.
The statues, sculpted by Lis Johnson, were inspired by an iconic photograph of the pair on their first day of parliament in September 1943.
Client: The National Capital Authority (NCA) and ACT Government
Lighting Designer: Ben Baxter
