On a city lake at night, a dozen glowing robot swans glide across the water in a synchronised dance.
The artwork CYGNUS by Berlin-based duo Loomaland is a bizarre and beautiful sight at Adelaide's Rymill Park Lake, as part of the Illuminate Adelaide festival.
The city's winter celebration of art, light, music and technology was first staged in 2021 and attracted an audience of about 500,000 people.
That's now grown to more than 1.5 million, thanks to a crowd-pleasing program of mostly free events.
"I really wanted it to be accessible for everyone, I felt that sometimes the arts can get a bad rap about being elite and not for everyone," festival co-founder Rachael Azzopardi told AAP.
Much of the city's cultural calendar is crammed into autumn in a period known to locals as Mad March - including the Fringe, the Adelaide Festival and WOMADelaide.
Having worked across Australia's arts scene for decades, she and Lee Cumberlidge devised a winter event that would entice people into the city, and provide jobs for arts workers.
"Adelaide's such a great city... I just thought, how could we create opportunities for artists and administrators and crews to stay here and make a living in Adelaide," said Azzopardi.
Glowing inflatable creatures can be found on the streets, including Dream Herd, a cloud of sheep - elevated on really, really long legs.
Nearby, Laurence Walker's Axon Anxiety is an interactive portrayal of the human brain, in nodes of candy coloured lights and illuminated neural pathways.
Versions of the rotating artwork Optik by The Urban Conga have already attracted crowds, experimenting with how its circles create music, light, and reflections.
These might all be crowd-pleasers, but they also make a point. In an age when technology is usually deployed for efficiency, perhaps it can be beautiful too?
Another standout is the mesmerising Rarrirarri from The Mulka Project, a collective based in Yirrkala, North East Arnhem Land.
Installed at the Art Gallery of South Australia, it uses animation and music to bring to life traditional designs by acclaimed late Yolŋu artist Mulkun Wirrpanda.
At the Immersive Light and Art gallery there's Digital Abyss, a ticketed exhibition of works in various media by French digital art pioneer Miguel Chevalier.
The artworks are inspired by the deep sea and illuminated with UV light, including 3D-printed sculptures of sea life, drawings of plankton executed by robot, and animated videos of imaginary sea life.
Illuminate Adelaide runs until July 19. AAP travelled with the assistance of the AGSA.
