Embargoed Until 7:01am AEDT - 25 December 2023

As the world wakes up on December 25, the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge will have received a special festive makeover.

For the first-time ever, the steel arches of the world's most iconic bridge have been elegantly draped with chic Christmas decorations and twinkling lights that fill the expanse of the bridge, stretching across the spectacular harbour from the Sydney CBD to North Sydney.

The incredible new-look, although life-like, is the result of a Christmas collaboration between Destination NSW and visionary Parisian artist Vincent Smadja of the avant-garde If Only AI.

Discussing the five-day creative process, the 29-year-old Smadja says, “The aesthetics of the Sydney Harbour Bridge are quite different from any other bridges I've worked on before. This allowed me to push boundaries with AI, combining elegance and creativity. I hope this digital rendition brings a piece of Sydney's festive spirit to audiences everywhere.”

Smadja's transformation of the world's tallest and eighth longest steel arch bridge adds to an impressive and long list of AI reinterpretations of global landmarks such as The Golden Gate Bridge, Big Ben and the Empire State Building.

Despite not yet having the opportunity to visit Sydney, Smadja's affinity to the city played a key role in his creative inspiration.

“I've always been drawn to Sydney. I've heard lots of great things about the mindset, the culture, the architecture, the good weather. Through this project I've felt closer to the city that I hope to be able to visit soon.”

Share the festive transformation of the Sydney Harbour Bridge on your social channels tagging @sydney #FeelNewSydney.

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@sydney

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About Destination NSW

Destination NSW is the lead agency, champion and voice for the visitor economy within the NSW Government. Spearheading a whole-of-government approach to visitor economy growth, Destination NSW is responsible for leading the delivery of the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030 in partnership with government and industry. Destination NSW influences and shapes the visitor economy through strategic research, policy and thought leadership, stakeholder engagement and consultation, commercial partnerships and investment in visitor experiences, business support, marketing and events. Destination NSW is also the major investor in Business Events Sydney (BESydney) for the purpose of securing more international and domestic conventions, incentive travel reward programs, corporate events and exhibitions.

@sydney #FeelNewSydney @visitnsw #FeelNSW 

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