Open Sky is a fictionalised account of John Henry Pepper’s ‘cloud compelling’ experiment, which took place in 1882 at Brisbane’s Eagle Farm racecourse. Pepper is know for his contribution in developing and popularising the theatrical illusion ‘Pepper’s Ghost’, however he was also a passionate scientist and educator.

As the narration traces the story of Pepper’s arrival in Australia, his tour of ‘the ghost’ across the country and the manifestation of his rainmaking experiment – the visuals slowly alternate between a scene of endless clouds and a drought-stricken landscape. Open Sky blurs the boundaries between film, sculpture and installation, drawing parallels between the illusion he popularised and his own delusions of grandeur.