Expansion into the Royal Botanic Gardens &Taronga Zoo
Over 80 light installations & projections
Björk, New Order & Bon Iver for Vivid Music
Superstar storytellers Spike Jonze, Jenji Kohan, Beau Willimon for Vivid Ideas
The longest ever Vivid Sydney will shine for 23 nights when it illuminates Sydney Harbour, new and much-loved precincts & hosts vibrant music performances and big ideas talks from Friday the 27th of May to Saturday the 18th of June.
Destination New South Wales (NSW) Chief Executive Officer & Executive Producer of Vivid Sydney, Sandra Chipchase, said “This year, Vivid Sydney is back with an incredible program where art, creativity and innovation meet & are celebrated by local and international visitors.”
“Vivid Sydney delivers the world’s leading light artists in Vivid Light, cutting-edge musicians in Vivid Music & creative innovators in Vivid Ideas. In 2015, the festival attracted a record 1.7 million attendees & this year, visitors to Vivid Sydney will have longer to experience the wonder and enjoy our biggest year yet.”
In a Vivid Sydney first, the sails of the world-heritage listed Sydney Opera House will celebrate the rich & diverse work of Australia’s Indigenous artists through the projection, Songlines. This exceptional work of art is directed by Sydney Opera House Head Of Indigenous Programming, Rhoda Roberts, of the Bundjalung Nation of NSW & brings together 6 Indigenous artists whose work illustrates the extraordinary connections between Indigenous astronomy and the natural world – the celestial & terrestrial Songlines that weave through time & distance, earth and sky.
Vivid Sydney’s brilliant light also returns to Chatswood, Central Park, Darling Harbour, the Australian National Maritime Museum, Martin Place & new precinct The Galeries, which becomes the festival’s 1st indoor precinct. Treasured attractions, the Royal Botanic Gardens and Taronga Zoo, will light up during Vivid Sydney in celebration of the monumental anniversaries both celebrate in 2016.
At Garden Of Light, visitors will take a glittering journey through the Royal Botanic Gardens as part of its’ 200th birthday celebrations. Grand installations will dazzle & delight including the impressive 60-metre long Cathedral Of Light, made from hundreds of thousands of white light-emitting diodes which radiate gentle but brilliant light from all angles.
Taronga Zoo will be illuminated by larger-than-life multimedia sculptures of 10 critical species ranging from the magnificent Asian Elephant to the vividly coloured Corroboree Frog, encouraging visitors to Be The Light For The Wild in Taronga Zoo’s centenary year & beyond.
Vivid Music will pulse through the city with new sounds & venues with highlights including the world première of Björk Digital, a new virtual reality project from the international avant-garde artist & the inaugural Curve Ball – a large scale live music & art event from Fuzzy Music, both held at Carriageworks.
Vivid LIVE At The Sydney Opera House will unleash a series of incredible acts including synth-pop legends New Order, indie folk band Bon Iver, jazz artist Esperenza Spalding & the Australian première of Anohni’s astonishing multimedia show.
The Sydney Conservatorium Of Music will present The Sound Gardens: Vivid New Music performed by talented students with guest artists Natasha Anderson, Anthony Pateras & Clayton Thomas. Aussie hip-hop will be celebrated at Come Together @ Luna Park & One Day Sundays at The Factory in Marrickville. ARIA Hall Of Fame inductees & 80s’ trailblazers The Models will join fellow chart-toppers The Machinations and a stripped down version of Dave Mason’s The Reels to present The Models, Machinations & The Reels for 1 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 & returning favourites 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 acclaimed director & producer Spike Jonze, House Of Cards creator Beau Willimon, the creative force behind Orange Is The New Black Jenji Kohan & one of Australia’s most influential new creatives, Margaret Zhang.
Across the city, creative conferences will dive into the business of innovation &d imagination with highlights including The Sunrise which delves into Australia’s start-up culture, an exploration of how technology & digital media can shape exciting, liveable cities at the Media Architecture Biennale 2016 & Conscious Change Makers, a dynamic summit exploring the idea that ‘good business’ is good for everyone.
Vivid Sydney, now in its 8th year, is the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas & is owned, managed and produced by the NSW Government’s tourism & major events agency, Destination NSW. Vivid Sydney runs from Friday the 27th of May to Saturday the 18th of June 2016. For more information, visit www.vividsydney.com.
Media Release: Vivid Sydney
Sydney Spectaculars 