Lantern Vaults
Opens the hidden basement of Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute
After sell out sessions of the beautiful Lantern Vaults installation at the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute during the Ballarat Heritage Festival, artists Amanda Western, Zlatko Balazic and Tabitha Rickard along with the staff and volunteers of the BMI are delighted to offer a further opportunity for patrons to experience this remarkable work in the fascinating basement space at the Institute.
These sessions are capacity limited so please get your tickets early to avoid disappointment.
Paula Nicholson, President
The rarely seen basement vaults beneath the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute will open to
the public through Lantern Vaults, a new immersive experience by Ballarat artist Amanda Western.
Presented as part of the Ballarat Heritage Festival Lantern Vaults invites visitors
to step below ground and move through a sequence of historic rooms guided by shifting light, sound
and voice. Drawing on detailed research into the Institute’s past, the work brings forward stories
shaped by the building and the people connected to it.
Visitors will move through the vaulted spaces in small groups, encountering a series of scenes that
unfold quietly and gradually. The experience runs for approximately 25–30 minutes.
“This is about stepping into the building’s memory,” says Western. “You’re not just looking at
history, you’re moving through it and meeting the people who lived and worked here.”
Lantern Vaults is written and directed by Amanda Western, featuring her detailed linocut artworks
some in sculptural form, with animation and projection by Zlatko Balazic, and voice by Tabitha
Rickard.
30 May 2026 2 sessions 10am & 11am
Duration: approximately 25–30 minutes
Access via stairs only.
This production is supported by the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute and the City of Ballarat.
Media enquiries:
Amanda Western
amanda@amandawestern.com.au
0437 800 886
