New South Wales (NSW) in Australia is scheduled to host for 23 nights from May 27 June 18 “Vivid Sydney”, a festival that will see some of the world’s leading light artists in Vivid Light, musicians in Vivid Music, and innovators in Vivid Ideas.
In a Vivid Sydney first, the sails of the world-heritage listed Sydney Opera House will celebrate the work of Australia’sIndigenous artists through the projection, Songlines. This work of art is directed by Sydney Opera House head of Indigenous programming, Rhoda Roberts of the Bundjalung Nation of NSW, and brings together six Indigenous artists whose work illustrates the connections between Indigenous astronomy and the natural world – the celestial and terrestrial Songlines that weave through time and distance, earth and sky.
Vivid Sydney’s light also returns to Chatswood, Central Park, Darling Harbour and the Australian National Maritime Museum, Martin Place and new precinct The Galeries, which becomes the festival’s first indoor precinct. The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Taronga Zoo will light up during Vivid Sydney in celebration of the anniversaries both celebrate in 2016.
At Garden of Light, visitors will take a journey through the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney as part of its 200th birthday celebrations. Installations will dazzle and delight including the 60-meter long Cathedral of Light, made from hundreds of thousands of white LEDs which radiate gentle but brilliant light from all angles.
Taronga Zoo will be illuminated by larger-than-life multimedia sculptures of ten critical species ranging from the Asian elephant to the colored Corroboree frog, encouraging visitors to Be the Light for the Wild in Taronga Zoo’s centenary year and beyond.
Vivid Music will pulse through the city with new sounds and venues with highlights including the world premiere of Bjork Digital, a new virtual reality project from the international avant-garde artist and the inaugural Curve Ball – a large scale live music and art event from Fuzzy Music, both held at Carriageworks.
Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House will unleash a series of acts including synth-pop legends New Order, indie folk band Bon Iver, jazz artist Esperenza Spalding and the Australian premiere of Anohni’s multimedia show.
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music will present The Sound Gardens: Vivid New Music performed by students with guest artists Natasha Anderson, Anthony Pateras and Clayton Thomas. Aussie hip-hop will be celebrated at Come Together @ Luna Parkand One Day Sundays at The Factory in Marrickville. ARIA Hall of Fame inductees and 80s trailblazers the Models will join the Machinations and a stripped down version of Dave Mason’s The Reels to present The Models, Machinations & The Reels for one night only at the Enmore Theatre.
Vivid Music venues joining the line-up in 2016 include Newtown Social Club, brand new venue Cake Wines Cellar Door and returning favorites including Oxford Art Factory, Freda’s and The Basement.
At Vivid Ideas, the Game Changers Talk Series will be headlined by storytellers shaping the creative landscape including director and producer Spike Jonze, House of Cards creator Beau Willimon, the creative force behind Orange is the New Black Jenji Kohan, and one of Australia’s new creatives, Margaret Zhang.
Across the city, conferences will dive into the business of innovation and imagination with highlights including The Sunrise which delves into Australia’s start-up culture, an exploration of how technology and digital media can shape livable cities at the Media Architecture Biennale 2016; and Conscious Change Makers, a summit exploring the idea that “good business” is good for everyone.
Vivid Sydney is now in its eighth year. It is managed and produced by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
For more information, visit www.vividsydney.com.
