Sydney’s Festival of Music, Light & Ideas.
For tickets and more information visit the Vivid Sydney event website.
The Laraaji Laughter Workshop was certainly an experience. At least 100 people gathered in the Utzon Room at Sydney Opera House on Saturday to learn about laughter therapy from Laraaji, one of Brian Eno’s handpicked Luminous performers.
Some people took the challenge very seriously and exhibited hysterical bouts of laughter! Collectively laughing with 100 people is something that everyone should do at least once in their life!
Last night the Opera Theatre at Sydney Opera House went wild to sounds of Rachid Taha. His fusion of Arabic sounds with serious rock had the audience on their feet and dancing.
A highlight was when Taha called Brian Eno, the curator of Luminous, onto the stage and they spontaneously performed together including a cover version of ‘Rock the Casbah’. Audience members also got up on the stage and danced with Eno and Taha. It was a great celebration of music and culture!
Stop. Take a beat. Listen. Or BYO ipod and crack on some Ingrid Michaelson (I did say I like a little ukulele). You’re in for a treat.
Eno’s 77 Million Paintings is as literal as you make it out to be. A patchwork of original artwork, cut and sewn by hand to form fractals of ‘77 million’ algorithms.
But what is IT?
What is great art if not at its base the simple deceit of light and colour?
Yes, BUT WHAT IS IT?
Get over the first five minutes squirming on the faux leather benches in the Playhouse, making faux flatulent echoes, and you will be richly rewarded. Punch through that barrier in your mind that keeps you locked in the Big City Life and you’ll find your pot at the end of the rainbow.
Rushing across the way from the office, I must admit I found the first minutes quite tedious. I had numbers to crunch, papers to push, i’s to dot and cliches to recall. But once I switched off that side of the brain, I was mesmerised. Transfixed. And incredibly chillaxed.
Does it feel like you’ve popped a few (metaphorical) beta blockers and the blood vessels of your mind loosen and with the flow you go? Why, yes. Yes, in fact it does.
And what does THAT feel like? I hear you ask.
By Meg Blog
And so I’m the kind of punter that got excited when I heard the New Kids on the Block were regrouping for a tour down under. I don’t know my Mozart from my Wagner, my punk from my funk and electronicwhatnow? I’m also the kind of punter who wouldn’t under normal circumstances use the word ‘punter’ but such was the enlightenment I experienced last night at the Battles concert.
Avant garde to the max, the Battles experience is mindblowing. I’d always been one to think electronic music was less so (because let’s face it I love a good ukulele accompaniment) but the mathematical precision of the man at the drums was enough to make me binary (eclipsed only by the spectacular razor sharp HD projection on the Sails).
As striking as said genius’ shorts, black socks and black shoes combo was the jumble bag crowd. Surely there were more ear piercings per square metrage than the Opera House has ever seen. Looking around the room, hey look it’s Sideshow Bob next to my neighbour’s kids next to Dr Pennyfarthing lately of Harley Street. And who’s that sitting behind me? Brian Eno! In grey tweed no less, but that didn’t take away from his star power.
It felt great to be shelled inside the Opera Theatre, listening to what my philistine ears classified as the absolute antithesis of the classic canon with a roll of Mentos in one hand and a Crownie in the other. The best of Sydney on a stick. Surely.
By Meg Blog
Brian Eno, the curator of Luminous, a key part of Vivid Sydney, presented his key note address ‘Scenius’ to a packed house in the Opera Theatre at Sydney Opera House on Friday night.
The audience was clearly interested in hearing Eno’s thoughts on art culture, climate change and his choice of artists for Luminous. The speech kicked off the Luminous performance program. The New York super group, Battles, played in the Opera Theatre over the weekend and tonight Rachid Taha will take to the stage with his unique sound that transcends genres.
Images of the historical lighting of the sails.
Photography by Belinda Rolland
Vivid Sydney Executive Producer, Brenton Kewley, was recently interviewed by Time Out Sydney and gave his top five tips of what to experience during the festival. Brenton is also the producer of the City of Sydney’s New Years Eve celebrations so he certainly knows how to entertain the public!
http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/aroundtown/executive-producer-of-vivid-sydney-brenton-kewley.aspx
Sydney Opera House today announced Brian Eno has handpicked seven Australian bands to be special guest performers at Luminous. Joining The Necks who will be performing with Food Court are Palace of Fire, Pivot, Lola Lovina, The Crocked Fiddle Band, Alistair Spence Trio and Watussi.
Last week Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority announced that Coda would be performing live during Fire Water performances so there will be lots of live Australian music being performed during Vivid Sydney.
This morning Smart Light Sydney launch its dynamic program of events and revealed the 25 light art works in the ‘Light Walk’ that will transform The Rocks, Circular Quay and Sydney Opera House into a spectacular living canvas.
Australian and international artists have created stunning light art installations that will challenge, amaze and draw people to the beauty of light.
Highlights include Brian Eno’s ‘Lighting of the Sails’, Alex Haw’s ‘Weather Patterns’, Warren Langley’s 14 storey high ‘Vessel of (Horti) Cultural Plenty’ and Sean Bryen/Sascha Crocker/Andrew Daly’s Luminocity, an abstracted energy consumption map of Sydney’s CBD.
For more information visit http://vividsydney.com/smart-light/
Artist impression - Luminocity, Customs House forecourt by Sean Bryen/Sascha Crocker/Andrew Daly
Creative Sydney, the ‘ideas’ component of Vivid Sydney, announced the first details for its inaugural free event series taking place from
27 May - 12 June.
For three weeks, Creative Sydney will present an array of the city’s most interesting and inspiring talent, from the world-renowned to the underground, in a string of free talks and events at the Foundation Hall of the Museum of Contemporary Art and The Roxy in Parramatta.
Program highlights include Three Minute Sydney, where some of the city’s leading personalities will present their visions on what the city is to them and what it could be; Behind the Screens, a rare opportunity to gain insight into the inner-workings of local film production companies; Back My Project, where local emerging artists will pitch their creative ideas to a panel of experts “Dragon’s Den-style”.
Two performances not-to-be-missed include Remixing History, a live DJ/VJ performance mixing music, film, TV, news footage and advertising jingles; and for the finale, Songs of Sydney sees local musicians pay tribute to their town.
For more information visit www.vividsydney.com/creative-sydney
