my night with vivid...vol.2

The MCA... in a new, colourful playsuit provided by the organisers of the Vivid Sydney Festival.

So the last time I saw you I was watching people play video-projected instruments on the front of the MCA, and had started to run toward The Opera House to meet up with a few friends to see Janelle Monae perform as part of the Vivid Festival. I know. Big treat and something I have saved and waited for while hibernating in the studio. I say - if you're going to treat yourself its worth doing in style! And it was a brilliant performance by Janelle and her Androids. 

And the best part? The people watching. 

Those Janelle fans really know how to dress!!

Anyway...

On the way there I was taking in all the light installations as part of the Vivid festival. And today I thought I would show you the last two big highlights for me, which were the two massive projections on the front of the MCA and Customs House buildings at Circular Quay...

If you're in Sydney and thinking of a trip down to see the lights, I suggest spending some time with these two works in particular as act as like performances in themselves. Both light shows are synced to a musical score that you can listen to while sitting on the grass. And while I was there people were having picnics on the dark.

It felt like the best Friday night plan in the world.

Customs House... with a captive audience.

How beautiful does Customs House look? Amazing isnt it? There were locals and tourists lined up to see this work. And with the surrounding buildings also lit up for the festival, there was colour and action everywhere.

So... did I make it in time to see Janelle?
Did I pull myself away from all the colourful shiny things?
Oh yes. But the light show held me captive for longer than I thought.

A brilliant night out and a brilliant treat for the months of hibernation in the studio!

...........
VIVID Sydney Festival
25 May - 11 June
Sydney Opera House, Customs House and MCA
Vivid Lights is a free event (map provided on the festival website)

my night with vivid... vol.1

Vivid 2012... with the MCA all a glow...

Too much fun.

I had too much fun on Sunday night and I just have to share...

It felt like I was on a date with Sydney, and let me tell you, there will be a second.
But let me back track a little...

On Friday night the city cut the red ribbon on its annual Vivid Festival, a two week festival which sees the Circular Quay and Rocks precincts turned into a massive play pen of light installations, music performances and creative discussions.
It truly is the most beautiful + colourful way to usher in the Winter season ... 

Vivid really is three festivals grouped under one umbrella, and one name. There is Vivid Live, a festival for the performing arts that this year boasts Florence and the Machine as one of its heading lining acts at the Opera House. There is Vivid Ideas, a festival of creative and innovative talks, workshops and panel discussions. And then there is Vivid Lights, a festival that truly takes the cake this year!

Festival director of lights Anothony Bastic has created an illuminated playground of 65 light sculptures and art installations that make up the outdoor, and most accessible portion of the festival. And from what I saw on Friday night Anthony has given every adult an open pass to act like a big kid again! And that doesn't mean that the kids are forgotten - they were running around in awe. I mean, one light game requires you to scream in order for it to work!

To start my Sunday night with Vivid I decided that the best way to take it all in was to walk across the Harbour Bridge. And boy - was I right...
The colours playing on the water and surrounding buildings was so beautiful and mesmerising , I knew it was going to be hard to know where to start... 

But two works that acted like shining beacons were the pink chandelier and Rubik's cube sculptures at Hickson Bay Wharf. And they seemed to be the hit with many of the other photographers out there too... 

The place was packed and I knew I was going to be a long, slow walk around to the Opera House... 

When I got around to the Passenger Terminal it was 8pm and lucky for me that was the start time for the 3D video projection performance on the exterior of the Opera Houses' gleaming white sails...

The video piece was created for Vivid by a collective from German who go by the name of Urbanscreen. And what they have created for the iconic sails is truly amazing... 

Larger than life dancers slide across each sail, pushing and pulling the 'tiles' to make it seem as though the structure is losing its skin... 

Then the video moves into a constructivist/college section where it looks as though The Opera House is revealing what lies hidden underneath its exoskeleton and inner shell ... 

The whole piece is detailed and captivating, and I could not stop taking photos. But then I would look at the clock and remember that I was on a deadline to see a performance at the Opera House. I had to keep moving!

Next was the newly opened MCA and its light graffiti installations that had to be my highlight for the night...

I loved all the light graffiti on the side of the new wing...

And on the front there were motion sensing 'instruments' that you could jump on and 'play'  - designed by Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas and Sydney artist Justine Williams. There were 3 or 4 of them being projected onto the front facades of the MCA , and if you were patient enough, you could queue up and play them... 

{To be continued....}

Art for humanity....

Like balancing the scales... or clearing the slate... I find that the month of June can be a big time of reflection for me. 

What have I been doing with my time this year? Am I on track with some of my dreams and wishes for the year? Do I feel like things are all ok - mentally, physically, creatively and energetically? If something feels like its off balance or off key, I find that Winter is the time to try and address it... 

For example? This upcoming exhibition. 

A few weeks ago I was asked by my good friend Mel Young if I would like to participate in this amazing fundraising exhibition for the Australian Red Cross - a charity that i like to donate to every year. Mel and a few other lovely people were trying to bring together a great collection of painters and jewellers for a two week exhibition, that would see monies donated to the Red Cross when works were sold. So of course I said yes. 

And next Thursday this great show will open at the Depot II Gallery at Danks St in Waterloo... which is a great gallery space in Sydney. 

As an extra honour my painting was also chosen for the online flyer - which you can see above {but not very clearly! Sorry bout that...} But what an honour it is too as there are some brilliant Australian artists in the show.

I cant wait to see it all unfold next week...

If you are in Sydney please come along and support, and hopefully we will all be able to give some balance and good energy to this truly worthy cause.

Have a great weekend and keep warm!

x

sheer beauty.

Very rarely am I blown away by an artwork these day... 

But this installation by Japanese artist Yasuaki Onishi is truly breathtaking... even while looking at the photos and video half a world away. 

This installation piece by Yasuaki Onishi called Reverse of Volume RG is an amazing example of how an artwork can change the whole atmosphere of a gallery space with a few simple materials, brilliant lighting, and a clutch of clever hands working a few thousand hours. 

Ephemeral art, or art that only exists for a moment in order to create an emotional response with you (the audience), is absolutely huge at the moment. And there are many great examples of this art movement on display in some of the worlds top universities, art museums and Biennale's. 

Maybe we are all looking for art to give us a sense of raw emotion? Maybe pop culture at the moment is not engaging us enough? {If you've ever watched a Kardashian tv show you may agree with me on this point!}  

But it truly is amazing how we are all wanting to experience things on a deeper level. And 'Reverse Of Volume RG' is a brilliant example. Onishi has created an artwork that you can walk into.... think about... puzzle over... and in the end... feel something for. 

I just wish I could be at the Rice Gallery in Texas to feel it first hand! 

Maybe i just need the Sydney Biennale 2012 to start?! 

Not long now... 

Yasuaki Onishi, Reverse of Volume RG, Rice University Art Gallery, Houston, Texas, 2012.
Image courtesy of Nash Baker & Design Boom.

Thanks Kylie, and designboom,  for the tip off!
And if you're in Houston, Onishi's exhibition is on at The Rice Gallery until 24 June 2012

As day turns to night.

The view at night.... from my desk... may 2012

At the moment a tiny routine has developed.

And it all centres around the light.

In the morning... paints, canvases, boards and brushes move into the open air and I get stuck into my work for the day. The hot sunny Autumn days have been a blessing these past four weeks as I have needed them to be able to work outside on these large works. And thankfully im on schedule with these oil paintings.....{ok-everyone touch wood!}

But as we move ever closer to Winter the days are becoming shorter and shorter... and the light begins to fade at around 430 in the afternoon.

So on cue, I pack up, clean up and head to my desk as day turns to night.

And as I reach my chair and my computer I unwind my thoughts by turning on some tunes, and re-adjust my eyes by staring at my mood boards, with all the bits n pieces that I have collected, and been given, over the years.

So I thought Id take a few photos of the view from where  I sit every night....

With the artificial lights turned on.

Its always interesting to look at colours and the way they change with the light....

I prefer to see colour by sunlight....

But they look so dramatic with the artificial bulbs switched on...

Dont you think?

and the street were paved in gold...

Wagga Wagga Lagoon surrounded by the Saturday Farmers Market situated outside The Art Gallery...

And so to my last post for the week, and my last post on the lovely little town of Wagga Wagga. I say little, but its actually one of the biggest regional centres in Australia. And to prove it the town showed me a great time last Saturday, as I took a walk around its golden streets... 

But first its best to rewind the tape a little....

eeeeerrrrrrrrrpppp (that's me rewinding the tape) 

A couple of weeks ago I got a request from my lovely mama to accompany her to Wagga for the weekend, as she was invited to a massive reunion. My mum is from Wagga and spent all of her youth in the district before heading off for bigger adventures in London. Years later she arrived back in Australia.... but she never went back to live. So I got to know the place through family holidays to visit my grandparents. And, boy, did my brother and I love visiting the family farm, and years later, their house in central Wagga.

Sadly my grandparents passed away a few years ago. And since then we've had no real pull to visit. That is, unless there is a major event that my mum cannot miss. And this year there was a huge celebration for the old Wagga Wagga high school on the hill... 

So off we went. 

And as an added bonus I had a crack at driving on the highway. 

Something I have never done before, being a new driver and all!

So once we arrived we had a great night at one of the local pubs on the main street. And on  Saturday we went our separate ways. Mum to her reunion.... and me?

Well... I decided to talk a walk around the centre of town. 

The art and glass gallery, the farmers market, the cafes, the vintage stores, and a stroll around all the places where my brother and I used to ride our bikes when we were kids... 

Plus it was a beautiful, colourful, Autumn day. 

Not too shabby.... I reckon.

Thank you Wagga for a lovely visit.

The beautiful Lagoon right next to the Arts Precinct and library...

And lucky for me it was Farmers Market Saturday where local farmers and producers sell their wares to the eager public. And with the trees covered in golden leaves it was a beautiful setting...

There was live music and tables set out in the bright sunshine...
so of course people were making the most of it!

Then it was off to the old part of town and the streets lined with golden trees.
My Nana wasnt a fan of all the falling leaves, but for me, it's magic...

Then back round to the Lagoon and the old foot bridge and pathway underneath it... 

By this stage the light was fading and it was time to find coffeeeee....
Great day and great getaway.
And ps I enjoyed driving on the Hume highway! Who would have thought?!

marking the land

Love the line of light slicing through the landscape...

Its amazing how we all like the idea of 'leaving our mark' on the world.

Whether its through some amazing personal achievement, the building of a house or landmark in the world, the breaking of a record in some small degree, or the helping of another in need - we all like the idea of marking a mark. At the moment I'm focused on making marks in my artwork...lots of marks... that will soon make their debut on an art gallery wall  {fingers crossed}.

While I was walking around Wagga Wagga on the weekend I started to realise that my photos were about documenting different kinds of 'beautiful' marks' on the landscape. The way the Sun highlights colours and objects in nature, the way we mark + graffiti boring bits of concrete, and the way we mark roads and pathways with signs and barricades... 

OK - some of these marks maybe more beautiful than others...

But I guess its all in the eye of the beholder...

Ah... the ol' corrugated iron fence. I had to have a photo of one of those...
especially being in the country and all!