The Jørn Utzon-designed Sydney Opera House has been lit up with graphics to advertising a horse race, prompting protests from designers and locals.
Attendees of an event called Defend the Sydney Opera House flashed torches to disrupt Racing NSW's advert for the Everest Cup, which was projected onto the side of the UNESCO World Heritage building from 7.40pm 9 October 2018.

The crowd boos as the Racing NSW lighting display begins at the #SydneyOperaHouse @abcnews pic.twitter.com/0aguCP385J
? Nick Dole (@NicholasDole) October 9, 2018

Protesters at the "counter projection" held signs with slogans such as "sails not for sale", and booed in unison as the curving shells of the cultural centre were lit up with the promotional graphics. Designers led online protest
Australian graphic designer Marcus Piper supported the online counter-campaign, posting protest slogans to his Instagram page that were shared widely under the #SailsNotSales hashtag before the event.
Piper told Dezeen he had been motivated to join the activist campaign after returning from an inspiring week at an architecture conference and feeling "sick" when he heard the news the illumination would go ahead.
Graphic designer Marcus Piper created activist graphics for protesters to share online
"I did what came naturally ? blending a play on words with bold graphics to make a point," he said. "I guess in some way it worked ? [it's] perhaps the most successful campaign I ...