Farewell to Transformer

It is with a heavy heart that DarkLab announces the withdrawal of the Transformer project, a pavilion by American artist Doug Aitken that behaved like a kaleidoscope, reflecting the changing landscape outside. We gave the project every opportunity to succeed, but after seven years we have made the decision not to proceed.

We would like to thank the far south community for their support, and we are disappointed that we have been unable to finish what we began. We would also like to thank the Huon Valley Council, the State Government, and the Federal Government, who have worked patiently with us throughout this process.

Unfortunately, the environmental and economic landscape is very different from when we were first asked to look at this project back in 2019. The long approval process, Covid and rising construction costs have all worked against us this time.

While we still believe a catalyst project is urgently needed to spark further tourism visitation and investment in the Huon Valley, the timing for this project is no longer right.

We will now focus on working with the Office for the Arts to acquit the Federal Government grant and ensure the funds are returned in full. DarkLab, with David Walsh, will cover the costs incurred in attempting to realise the project.

— Leigh Carmichael, DarkLab CEO and Creative Director, 3 July 2026