The Story Behind the Scene and the People Who Created It

A five-person crew finished the final wiring for an interactive light and sound work at the National Gallery of Australia on King Edward Terrace last Friday.

The piece, titled Capital Echoes, draws on archived radio broadcasts from the 1970s and 1980s that were recorded in the Parliamentary Triangle. It will open to the public on 18 July and run through December. The timing coincides with increased federal arts allocations announced in the May budget, which lifted support for regional institutions by 12 percent compared with the previous year.

From Concept to Construction

Lead artist Lena Torres, who lives in Ainslie, began the project after receiving a $120,000 grant through the ACT Arts Fund. She worked alongside sound engineer Raj Patel from Braddon and lighting technician Mia Chen, who operates out of a studio in the Kingston Foreshore precinct. They tested early prototypes at Gorman House Arts Centre on Ainslie Avenue before moving the full-scale build to the gallery’s lower level. The National Gallery of Australia provided workshop space and technical staff, while the Canberra Museum and Gallery supplied reference material from its local history collection.

Numbers Behind the Installation

Records show the team logged 2,400 hours across 14 months. Materials cost $87,000, including custom LED arrays shipped from Melbourne. Entry to the exhibition is free for ACT residents on weekdays, with adult tickets priced at $22 on weekends. Gallery attendance data from 2025 recorded 1.1 million visitors, and staff expect Capital Echoes to draw at least 180,000 additional people by year’s end.

Visitors can book timed entry slots through the gallery website starting this Wednesday. The work remains on view daily from 10am until the building closes at 5pm.