Outdoor art installation House of Mirrors attracted more than 22,000 people during its time in Rosalind Park.
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Bendigo Art Gallery director Karen Quinlan said she expected about 7000 people to go through the reflective artwork.
“I am very conservative with my expectations, so it's three times what I thought. I thought maybe it would get to 10,000 but didn't expect 22,000.
“It’s been really incredible. It’s put a smile on the face of many people and some have come back two or three times. We are really pleased.”
The popularity and high visitation numbers of House of Mirrors was attributed to the timing of the installation as well as the experience it offered.
“We decided to position it near (an event) and the Easter festival was a big part of that,” Ms Quinlan said.
“Some days over Easter saw more than 2500 people visit and even things like the wine festival on Saturday, Anzac Day weekend and school holidays have all helped generate interest.”
“It's a different experience. It broadens (the art gallery’s) repertoire and we are able to work outside the walls of the gallery and use this beautiful back drop.
Ms Quinlan said she is eager to use the Rosalind Park backdrop for future outdoor installations.
“It is a central point and has a lot of potential,” she said.
Artist and co-creator of House of Mirrors Christian Wagstaff said the installation’s first trip into regional Australia had been a success.
“Bendigo been extraordinary, we are rapt with result. We are so impressed with Bendigo that we want to do a regional tour around Australia,” he said.
“We were really confident it would do well. The Bendigo Art Gallery has extraordinary reputation around the country – it is probably best regional gallery in Australia.
“So we were confident but the numbers blew us away.”
Ms Quinlan said the art gallery had some ideas about the next outdoor art installation.
“Expect the unexpected, that’s the nature of the business,” she said.