🌱 Bloom and Beyond

A conversation with Camila de Gregorio, EggPICNIC, about art, nature, and luminous hope

I. INTRO – HUMANISE, CONNECT

1. Let’s start from the heart

Camila, first of all: congratulations on Bloom! How do you feel after seeing your work lighting up the Argyle tunnel at Vivid Sydney 2025? Was there any moment during the setup or the opening that really stuck with you?

“Bloom was a very special installation,” Camila recalls. Closing down an entire street in Sydney allowed people to lie on the ground and look up, immersing themselves in this luminous jungle. “Seeing how they marvelled at the species was wonderful. Some told us: ‘I felt healed looking at Bloom’ or ‘This was like a collective meditation.’ That’s what we wanted: to recreate, even just a little, the connection you feel with flora and fauna in the real world.”

One of the most emotional moments came during the final rehearsals. After months of work, Camila ran into Jill, the director of Vivid Sydney 2025. “We gave each other a huge hug under all the lights, and Jill told me: ‘This is like a beautiful temple.’ And she was right: that’s what Bloom was— a space of shared awe and reverence.”

2. The power of the collective

You and Christopher have been working together as EggPICNIC for years. How has your vision evolved since you started? What does it mean for you as a duo to be part of such an iconic event as Vivid again?

Camila and Christopher met more than 15 years ago—she a graphic designer, he a product designer—and they haven’t stopped growing together since. “We started with art toys, on a much smaller scale. Today we work with animation, augmented reality, sculpture, and exhibitions. We also collaborate with scientists in Chile, Australia, and around the world. It’s been a very enriching experience.”

That evolution, Camila says, has strengthened their dynamic as a duo and allowed them to bring their art to an ever broader audience.

II. BLOOM – PROCESS, CONCEPT, AND EMOTION

3. There’s intention behind the art

Where does Bloom come from? What message did you want to convey through this “dreamlike landscape of nature”?

Bloom germinates in northern Chile, inspired by the red añañucas and the patas de guanaco of the Atacama Desert. To them are added Chilean flamingos, the oasis hummingbird of Arica, and new explorations with flora, fungi, and invertebrates.

“We wanted to take a journey around the world: South and North America, Asia, Australia, Europe. The idea was that each person could recognise a piece of their own story in Bloom,” Camila explains. At a multicultural festival like Vivid Sydney, that diversity reinforces a global connection to species and to the Earth itself.

4. A multisensory experience

The piece features original sound and an enveloping atmosphere. What was it like to collaborate with Ann Jones and Corey Hague to translate your visual vision into a sonic experience?

The rapport with Ann Jones and Corey Haig has been woven through previous projects: the façade of the Australian Parliament, the pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and Wildlife Day in Chile. Bloom was their fourth collaboration—and also the most immersive.

“With Bloom we were able to recreate specially designed sounds, compiled from the landscapes where Ann and Corey live. We moved from a silent 2D to a living world: we gave voice to the drawings, the habitats, the environments.”

Beyond the technical, the connection runs deep. “Anne has a PhD in Chilean History. We’ve spent time there together. Uniting our love for the species of Australia and Chile, and translating it into a visual and sonic fusion, is something very special.”

III. NATURE, ACTIVISM, AND DESIGN

5. Love that illuminates

How do you think art can influence care for the planet beyond aesthetic emotion?

“Art creates emotional bridges between the public and the species. So much so that Western Sydney University is studying our work to measure how art can change attitudes in conservation,” says Camila.

“If we can get people to stop to look, read, and learn, we open a crucial door to connect with science and caring for the planet. Science has the information, but art tells the story.”

6. Design’s role as a bridge

How do you tackle the challenge of translating complex scientific or ecological topics into an accessible, enchanting visual language?

“The most important thing for us has been collaborating with biologists and scientists who work with the species we depict. Science dreams and provides the knowledge; our role is to tell it visually in an accessible and attractive way.”

IV. BEHIND THE SCENES AND CREATIVE LIFE

7. Moments of truth

Which part of the process was the most challenging? And which was the most magical?

“There are always nerves when you’ve spent months seeing Bloom on a screen and then the moment comes to see it in a real 50-metre site. We rehearsed mapping, timing, music, sound… there were intense nights after a lot of work. But everything went really well.”

The magical moment, Camila recalls, was that first time the lights, sounds, and animations came on together: “It was like watching an entire universe bloom.”

8. Creative life post-Vivid

What are you working on now? Are there new projects on the way?

Eggpicnic is preparing the exhibition “Tracing the Sky,” together with Chilean muralist Anis88, thanks to funding from DIRAC. Opening in Canberra in September this year, the show will be dedicated to the wetlands of Chile and Australia, their species, and the parallels between bird migration and human migration.

“We want to invite those who have migrated to Australia to share their stories. They will be part of the exhibition,” Camila explains. Stories can be shared at eggpicnic.com/historias.

In addition, there’s a product launch coming in North America in collaboration with conservation organisations, and new work with the Jane Goodall Institute in Chile for Wildlife Day.

V. CLOSING – VISION AND MESSAGE

9. For those who create and dream

What would you say to someone who wants to combine art, impact, and purpose but doesn’t know where to start?

“My advice would be to build community. Create a network of people you want to learn from and collaborate with. Walking together makes all the difference.”

10. Bloom as a metaphor

If Bloom were a seed in the heart of whoever sees it, what would you like to blossom?

“I’d like love, curiosity, care, and an eagerness to learn about species and protect the planet we live on to bloom.”

📸 Visual extra

What’s your favourite illustration from Bloom and why?

Camila smiles at the difficulty of choosing. “I was moved by the part where we combined flora from South America and Australia. That’s where the Christmas beetles appear, an invertebrate that was abundant years ago and has almost disappeared today. Seeing them as a luminous shower was a tribute and also a wish that one day they’ll return.”

🌐 One word for Bloom

How would you describe Bloom in a single word?

“Moments of truth.”