The Falls Before Us is a free outdoor installation by Emily Parsons-Lord, presented as part of Melbourne's Now or Never festival. The work makes Evan Walker Bridge appear to vanish inside a dense drifting mist infused with methyl jasmonate, a naturally occurring pheromone that plants release in response to stress. The atmospheric intervention evokes communication and intelligence beyond human perception, treating the mist as a transmission from forests of the past and futures still forming while reflecting on life amid overlapping crises and instability.
The installation operates nightly from 6:00pm to 10:00pm from Thursday 20 through Sunday 30 August 2026 at Evan Walker Bridge, also known as Southbank Pedestrian Bridge, in central Melbourne. General admission is genuinely free and no booking is required. Visitors can arrive during operating hours and view the work from the public bridge environment.
City of Melbourne promotes the work as family-friendly and lists mobility access. The bridge will be enveloped in mist containing methyl jasmonate; visitors with scent, respiratory or other sensitivities should review the official festival information or contact nowornever@melbourne.vic.gov.au or 03 9658 9658 before attending. Accessibility details are supplied by the listing owner and have not been independently verified by the City of Melbourne.
