WHERE SOLAR LIGHTING MEETS SCULPTURE: KAJI AT SWELL 2026
“The glow from the solar light is really beautiful and works so well with the sculpture.”
As the sun begins to set, another side of the sculpture starts to appear. A soft glow emerges from within, drawing out its form against the darker beach and changing the way the work is seen.
KAJI at SWELL Sculpture Festival 2026
By day, KAJI stands against the coastal landscape of Currumbin Beach, its sculptural form shaped by natural light and its surroundings. As the sun begins to set, another side of the sculpture starts to appear…as the beach falls into shadow, a soft solar-powered glow brings new depth to the work, changing the way it is seen and felt within the night-time landscape
KAJI forms part of the wider SWELL Sculpture Festival 2026, returning to Currumbin Beach from 11 to 20 September 2026. Across the 10-day event, more than 100 large-scale sculptures transform the beachfront into a free open-air gallery, placing contemporary art directly within the natural coastal environment. Rather than viewing art inside a traditional gallery, visitors encounter the works as they move along the beach, with the surrounding landscape, changing light and public space becoming part of the experience.
Working with light
For Jodi Wuestewald, light is more than a way to illuminate an object. It has been part of her creative work for more than 20 years, alongside colour, texture and the careful placement of objects. KAJI brings that experience into a new setting. Instead of a styled interior or commercial space, Jodi is working with the open landscape of Currumbin Beach, where the changing light and surroundings become part of how visitors encounter the sculpture. Solar Bollard Lighting supplied the Australian-made, commercial-grade standalone solar lighting used to support KAJI after dark.
Bringing KAJI to life after dark
As the sun begins to set, another side of the sculpture starts to appear. A soft glow emerges from within, drawing out its form against the darker beach and changing the way the work is seen. It is the kind of transformation that makes you want to stay a little longer, or come back after sunset, just to see how different the same sculpture can feel at night. The solar lighting behind that glow was supplied by Solar Bollard Lighting.
“The glow from the solar light is really beautiful and works so well with the sculpture.”
SBL and Orca Solar Lighting
What makes the collaboration unusual is where the lighting has ended up. SBL solar lighting is more commonly used along pathways, in parks and across other public spaces, but at SWELL it has found a place inside a work of art. Solar Bollard Lighting supplied the Australian-made, commercial-grade lighting used in KAJI, with Orca Solar Lighting involved as SBL’s distribution and support partner. For SBL, the project offered a chance to see a familiar technology used in a completely different way.
Why solar lighting suited the installation
KAJI also opens up a wider question about where solar lighting can be used. Because standalone solar lighting does not require conventional trenching or cabling, it can offer greater flexibility in locations where fixed electrical infrastructure may be difficult or undesirable.
For a temporary outdoor installation such as KAJI, this provides a fit-for-purpose lighting approach. That makes projects like KAJI an interesting example of how a technology designed for practical public spaces can also find a place in temporary installations, creative environments and public art.
See KAJI at SWELL 2026
KAJI can be seen at SWELL Sculpture Festival on Currumbin Beach until 20 September 2026. If you catch it during the day, it may be worth staying until the light begins to fade. The shift from daylight to evening reveals a different side of the work, and one that is best experienced in person.
Project Overview
- Location: Currumbin Beach, Queensland.
- Event: SWELL Sculpture Festival 2026
- Artist: Jodi Wuestewald
- Lighting: Solar Bollard Lighting
- Distribution/Support: Orca Solar Lighting
- Application: Public art/ temporary outdoor installation