Sydney Spectaculars

Sydney Harbour Icons With LEGO® Bricks

Sydney Living Museums presents Sydney Harbour Icons With LEGO® Bricks, a world-première exhibition at the Museum Of Sydney from 7 November 2015 that brings to life the spectacle of Sydney Harbour in colourful LEGO.

Australia’s only certified LEGO® professional, Ryan McNaught, has recreated Sydney Harbour’s most iconic & visionary structures, as well as some of its most famous moments, in a series of playful LEGO® installations incorporating world-first fireworks, lights, movement & almost 1000 minifigs.

Visitors will see a flotilla of harbour watercraft including Sydney To Hobart maxi yachts, a tug boat, ocean liner & the Endeavour tall ship as well as a cross-section through the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.

Across the Harbour will be the joyously grinning face of Luna Park, the waterfront amusement park where generations of Sydneysiders have been thrilled & enchanted, along with the park’s Ferris Wheel, Wild Mouse roller coaster & Crystal Palace.

Central to the exhibition will be a giant model of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, made from over 130,000 LEGO® bricks & complete with traffic, pedestrians, criss-crossing commuter trains & the Harbour Tunnel underneath. Suspended above the exhibition will be a trio of exploding LEGO® fireworks.

Visitors to the exhibition will have fun exploring the intricate detail within Ryan’s LEGO® creations; discover minifigs at the opera, on a cruise, having fun at Luna Park & climbing the Harbour Bridge. Perhaps even spot a Sydney celebrity or two amongst the sea of bricks.

“Sydney Harbour Icons With LEGO® Bricks recreates the magic of our world-famous harbour in a creative & playful way. Visitors will marvel at the charming level of detail featured in each of the LEGO® structures, which are just as eye-catching as the real-life versions” said Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon, Assistant Director, Creative Services at Sydney Living Museums.

The exhibition will also take visitors behind the scenes, exploring the techniques & tricks used by Ryan McNaught in creating his vivid & imaginative models, as well as interviews filmed on board & on top of these spectacular Sydney Harbour icons.

Best of all, visitors will be able to put their own LEGO® skills to the test. The exhibition will be brimming with over 500,000 loose LEGO® & DUPLO® bricks for visitors of all ages to assemble, share & display their own inspired creations. See if you can match the playfulness & wit of Ryan McNaught or perhaps even add your own Harbour icon to the display.

Sydney Harbour Icons With LEGO® Bricks is the 2nd exhibition developed by Sydney Living Museums with LEGO® professional Ryan McNaught & follows the highly successful Towers Of Tomorrow With LEGO® Bricks which drew record crowds to the Museum Of Sydney earlier this year.

“I was thrilled to work with Sydney Living Museums again on this latest exhibition, recreating some of Sydney Harbour’s much-loved landmarks. It’s been challenging but terrific fun to build these LEGO® models, bringing them to life with interactive elements & an array of colourful minifigs” said Ryan McNaught.

EXHIBITION: Sydney Harbour Icons With LEGO® Bricks
DATE: 7 November 2015 – 31 July 2016
VENUE: Museum Of Sydney, Corner of Phillip & Bridge Streets, Sydney
TICKETS: $15 adult, $15 child, $45 family (4 people), children 3 & under free
BOOKINGS: Online at slm.is/harbouricons or phone 1300 448 849

Media Release: Sydney Living Museums

Celebrate New Year’s Eve In Sydney Harbour National Park

Sydney Harbour National Park is set to go off with a bang this New Year’s Eve as tickets go on sale today for a number of unique harbour-side locations including Clark Island, Shark Island, Bradleys Head and Nielsen Park.

Deputy Chief Executive, New South Wales National Parks & Wildlife Service, Mark Peacock said these venues, set amongst Sydney’s bushland and heritage sites, are special places to ring in the new year.

“Celebrating New Year’s Eve on the Harbour captures the very essence of Sydney and this year we’re hosting a range of events to attract visitors into our waterfront parks,” Mr Peacock said.

“Tickets to the National Parks & Wildlife Service premier event, The Garden Party, at Clark Island have been made more affordable for visitors wanting a once-in-a-lifetime experience with uninterrupted views of the Harbour and fireworks displays.”

“This year, Shark Island will be transformed into a fiesta-style celebration where guests will be treated to a fun, themed event with South American-inspired food, live music and DJs.”

“Those attending the ever-popular Bradleys Head can look forward to a change in entertainment and facilities so families can enjoy a safe, child-friendly and alcohol-free evening.”

“The price of 1,500 tickets to the Bradleys Head Mast Precinct have been reduced this year, offering a more affordable option for those wanting to spend New Year’s Eve on Sydney Harbour.”

“Tickets to the Bradleys Head Amphitheatre are also available, offering what’s probably the best view of the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge and city skyline from within a bushland setting.”

“Many Sydney Harbour National Park venues have improved accessibility and for the first time, wheelchair accessible viewing areas are offered at Goat Island, Bradleys Head (Mast Precinct) and Nielsen Park.”

“Ticketing for sites will keep crowd numbers within comfortable and safe limits as well as provide a range of options for people looking for different experiences.”

“If you’re thinking of heading to 1 of the spectacular harbour-side spaces or islands of Sydney Harbour National Park this New Year’s Eve, we encourage you to book your tickets as early as possible to avoid disappointment” Mr Peacock said.

Tickets are available by booking online through Moshtix. For more information about the events, visit the National Parks & Wildlife Service website.

Media Release: NSW Government – Office Of Environment & Heritage

ABC To Broadcast Sydney NYE…Again.

Despite two controversial broadcasts in a row, the ABC has been awarded the TV broadcast rights for this year’s Sydney NYE event.

This, along with this year’s Sydney NYE theme, ‘City Of Colour’, was confirmed following the release of details of an ABC3 ‘Design Your Own Firework‘ Competition:

The ABC first broadcasted Sydney’s NYE celebrations in the 1970’s in 4-hour broadcasts but that was back when the event was more of a music concert. Fast forward to 2013 and the ABC surprisingly got the rights of the now high-profile event for the 2013 & 2014 events.

They took the ambitious step of returning the event to 4-hour broadcasts for the first time in nearly 30 years despite no time-consuming TV-quality scheduled Sydney Harbour entertainment in the 3 hour gap between 9pm and Midnight so ABC resorted to their own entertainment choices.

As an event watched by 1 billion people worldwide, it is a given that it rates well on TV so despite 2 years of ratings success, ABC’s entertainment choices for the night have not been so good and over time, did not improve but got worse. Immediately after both broadcasts, speculation on the next broadcast rights holder begun. Here is where they went wrong:

2013

Offensive & insensitive comments
Rushed 9pm Family Fireworks countdown – have to be on time.
Hosts seemed to be influenced by alcohol
Long interviews
Dull quizzes with guests
Concerns that the broadcast was politicised

2014

Constant repetition of the ‘ABC Budget Cut’ joke – once would have been enough
Concerns that the broadcast was politicised
Little but some coverage of the Acknowledgement Of Country ceremony (At least they showed some – Channel 9 ignored the ceremony completely between 2009 & 2012. Channel Ten & ABC showed it in full in 2008 & 2013)
No 9pm Family Fireworks countdown this time – who does not like the countdown?
The ‘Pub Quiz’ broadcast – an expansion of the guest quiz from the previous broadcast – great idea for a game show but not for NYE entertainment.
Long interviews
A 15-minute segment dedicated to the negatives of NYE
Bad camera work and technical issues (excluding the drone usage – that was something new remember)
And finally something that all media outlets missed, delayed footage of the 9pm Family Fireworks inserted into the live Midnight Fireworks.

Of course, the 2014 broadcast was summed up in it’s conclusion when host Julia Zemiro infamously said: “Oh, thank god” after the credits started rolling.

The broadcast isn’t shown internationally except the fireworks segments. In 2013, the post-10:30pm broadcast was shown to Asia & Oceania. Ironically, the Telstra YouTube broadcast of the event, which is shown internationally, was extremely well produced with continuously entertaining musical performances from high-profile artists, short interviews with those artists and YouTube personalities & more complete coverage of activities on Sydney Harbour. One downside of the YouTube broadcast though is that the official fireworks soundtrack is not broadcast due to copyright reasons.

Sydney NYE broadcasts are not new to controversy but 2 controversial broadcasts in a row was unprecedented. NYE1979 saw drunken crowd behaviour on live TV climaxing with The Angels’ frontman, Doc Neeson, being hit in the head and thus injured by a large object thrown by someone in the crowd. NYE2006 saw a Channel Ten broadcast which was clearly deemed ‘not family friendly’ and NYE2009 was more of a Channel 9 promo.

The TV rights went up for grabs again in April this year and instead of the usual tender process of the past 6 years, the City Of Sydney returned to sponsorship agreements (a practice they did between 1996 & 2008) and as we now know, ABC signed it. We understand it is a 1-year minimum contract.

Details and duration of the Sydney NYE2015 TV broadcast have not been revealed as yet but the 9pm Family Fireworks & the ABC3 ‘Design Your Own Firework‘ Competition winners have been confirmed as features of the broadcast. The Midnight Fireworks, whilst not confirmed, are all but guaranteed.

ABC is a professional television broadcaster and expectations of them are high. They can deliver but with the past 2 Sydney NYE broadcasts they have gotten it disastrously wrong. Hopefully when details are released, the program is different and entertaining even if it is 4 hours long. A 3rd chance is usually the limit – they have got to get it right or at least significantly improve.

ABC has been contacted for comment. No response was received.

Since the theme has been confirmed, our ‘Guess The Bridge Effect’ section has now opened up again. All that is left to be announced is the Creative Ambassador. With the theme ‘City Of Colour’, it could be a famous, bright & colourful Sydneysider. Can you guess who it will be? We’ll just have to wait & see.

Design Your Own New Year’s Eve Firework With ABC3

ABC3, in conjunction with the City of Sydney, is giving 1 lucky ABC3 fan the chance of a lifetime – to design their very own firework and see it come to life on the Harbour this Sydney New Year’s Eve!

The winner and their family will even feature in the live New Year’s Eve broadcast and countdown to the start of the 9pm Family Fireworks display!

To enter, just get creative, put your imagination to the test and draw the very best firework design.

The winner will receive a trip to Sydney for a family of 4 including:

2 nights accommodation in the Central Business District
Return flights to Sydney
VIP tickets to the official Sydney New Year’s Eve Dawes Point (Hickson Road) Reserve viewing area
Be part of the live ABC TV New Year’s Eve broadcast at 9pm

The design which shows the most creativity, effort and potential to be reproduced as a firework, will light up the sky during the biggest fireworks display in the world.

How to enter:

Check out their handy step-by-step guide
Put your grand idea down on paper
Add colour to your design to bring it to life
Upload your entry by the 5pm (AEST) 2 October deadline here

Entries close 5pm (AEST) on Friday, October 2, 2015 and you must be under 16 years of age to enter.

To submit your entry or for more information and to view the terms & conditions, visit abc.net.au/nye.

Media Release: Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

Huseyin Sami To Illuminate Museum Of Contemporary Art During Vivid Sydney 2016

Vivid Sydney today announced that the creative vision of Western Sydney artist Huseyin Sami will illuminate the heritage-listed façade of the Museum Of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), when the world’s largest festival of light, music & ideas returns in 2016.

NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism & Major Events, Stuart Ayres, said “Vivid Sydney is a remarkable opportunity for artists to create on a grand scale & it doesn’t get much grander than seeing your work projected onto 1 of Sydney’s most iconic landmarks. It’s exciting to see Huseyin Sami, an acclaimed artist from Western Sydney, given this opportunity & I look forward to the big reveal of his projection art next year.”

Each year, an Australian artist represented in the MCA collection or exhibition program, is chosen to work in collaboration with projection content creators to create the amazing 3D-mapped projections that adorn the MCA façade during Vivid Sydney.

Huseyin Sami is a former exhibitor in MCA’s annual Primavera exhibition, highlighting the work of young Australian artists. His work explores the material qualities of paint, crossing over the categories of painting, sculpture & installation. He has exhibited extensively both nationally & internationally.

MCA Director, Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE, said “We are delighted that the involvement of artists in the creation of the work for the MCA façade for Vivid Sydney will continue with the commissioning of Huseyin Sami, one of a generation of younger artists working with materials such as paint in exciting new ways. We look forward to seeing how his vision comes to fruition on our façade.”

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer, Sandra Chipchase, added that there is still time for projection content creators to submit expressions of interest for the MCA original façade, with the deadline extended to midnight AEDT, 7 October 2015.

Vivid Sydney is managed by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW & returns from 27 May to 13 June 2016.

Media Release: Vivid Sydney

Customs House Transformed Into A Bright ‘Twilight Garden’

Customs House will be shining both inside and out this month with animated projections, illuminated sculptures and a Twilight Garden light-art installation.

SuperLux (Smart Light Cities), a major new exhibition exploring sustainable lighting, until 17 October, will feature the work of some of the world’s leading artists working in the ‘smart light’ field.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said smart lighting was about more than just reducing your carbon footprint and saving on energy bills.

“The growth of smart lighting as a creative field has really changed the role of light in our cities at night, inspiring us to think differently about how we illuminate public spaces,” the Lord Mayor said.

“This SuperLux show will transform Customs House, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and encouraging us to use our limited resources sustainably.”

‘Miroir de Mer (Sea Mirror)’ by Yann Kersale 1 Central Park Sydney (Medium)

SuperLux co-curator Mike Day, creative lighting director of the BEAMS arts festival and a lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney’s School Of Design, said one highlight of the show will be the Twilight Garden.

“Designed by artist Mary-Anne Kyriakou, the work is reminiscent of a Persian garden and sits on a black reflective pond with a dozen 1.5-metre tall columns growing out of it that are covered in lighting, featuring plants and human bone forms,” Mr Day said.

“I’ll also be lighting the Customs House façade with warm lighting to showcase its beautiful sandstone, and inside I’ll be bringing the miniature model of Sydney to life with little laser dots that will make it appear that there are hordes of people scurrying about.”

“The ground floor models’ George Street will also be glowing with white light to showcase its importance as the main street of Sydney.”

The show is inspired by the new book, SuperLux: Smart Light Art, Design And Architecture For Cities, edited by Davina Jackson and published by Thames & Hudson.

The exhibition will feature images from the book, as well as installations, video and projections by a range of artists working in the smart light field.

Other works created specifically for Customs House include Damian Gascoigne’s Four Shore, a mysterious movie projection with sound that creates a series of natural elements that appear to grow up the building’s spiral staircase.

Galaxia 3, by Alan Rose, will illuminate the laneway behind Customs House with colour and tricks of light.

SuperLux (Smart Light Cities) Exhibition
Until 17 October 2015
Customs House, 31 Alfred Street, Circular Quay

For more information, visit http://superlux.org/superlux-exhibition/ (dead link)

Media Release: City Of Sydney

Watch The Sails Of The Sydney Opera House Turn Pink As The McGrath Foundation Celebrates 10 Years

This September, the McGrath Foundation is celebrating ten years of placing McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities across Australia.

To mark this milestone, Sydney Opera House will turn pink for one special night only on 16 September; lighting up the iconic sails to recognise the 1 in 8 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer and require the support of a breast care nurse.

The Foundation is also inviting those aged over 18 to share a McGrath Pink Moment cocktail with those closest to their heart – available throughout the month of September at Sydney Opera House’s renowned harbourside Opera Bar.

Since 2005, the McGrath Foundation has supported more than 36,000 families through the challenges of breast cancer.

“As we look back on our achievements over the last decade, we’d like to invite all Australians to pause and reflect on those friends and family members who have been affected by breast cancer,” said Petra Buchanan, CEO, McGrath Foundation.

“Those who can make it to the Sydney Opera House on 16 September can celebrate with us, for 1 night only, by watching its’ iconic sails turn pink,” continues Buchanan.

To mark the occasion, Opera Bar at Sydney Opera House will be selling the McGrath Pink Moment cocktail jug throughout the month of September, with $5 from each jug donated to the McGrath Foundation. Additionally, Bennelong Restaurant at the Sydney Opera House will donate 100% of the revenue from the sale of each Clover Club and Gosset Rose Champagne sold on September 16 to the Foundation to coincide with the sails turning pink.

It costs nearly $13.3 million per year to fund 105 McGrath Breast Care Nurses across Australia.

“10 years on, the McGrath Foundation has been able to support thousands of families as a result of the wonderful generosity of Australians.”

“We have set ourselves the ambitious goal to increase our Breast Care Nurses to 110 in our 10th anniversary year. To achieve this, we need Australians to continue to support our work so we can all make a difference together” concludes Buchanan.

Media Release: McGrath Foundation

Sydney New Year’s Eve Brings Harbour Bridge To Life

New technology will transform both sides of the Harbour Bridge pylons into giant screens for creative displays for Sydney New Year’s Eve 2015.

As well as being the focal point for the world’s favourite fireworks display, this year the Sydney Harbour Bridge will be illuminated with full-length projections at each end, showing photos, film clips and creative content from both local artists and residents.

For the first time, there will be projections on the western side of the Bridge pylons as well, meaning great views of the action for everyone around the Harbour.

“Sydney New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest annual celebrations in the world, attracting more than one million spectators along the Harbour foreshore,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

“We can’t rest on our laurels if we want to keep our place as the world’s best place to celebrate New Year’s Eve, so we are constantly evolving.”

“I’m delighted that communities in both the east and west of the city centre will have a great view this year.”

“These new projections will bring our world-renowned Sydney Harbour Bridge to life, using locally created images to showcase to the world the diverse beauty, talent and colour of our great city.”

Sydney New Year’s Eve has a global audience of one billion viewers. It is Australia’s largest public event and features one of the largest, most technologically advanced fireworks displays in the world.

The City Of Sydney has wanted to project on the western side of the Bridge pylons for some years but until now technical issues made it difficult to achieve. Now new technology will make the impossible a reality.

Both the City and Imagination, the creative company who will produce the images for the projections for Sydney New Year’s Eve 2015, are staying tight lipped about the finer details of this year’s events.

“We’re really excited to have even more of the Sydney Harbour Bridge this year as a giant canvas for creativity,” said Imagination’s Director, Heath Campanero.

“The eastern projections will be four times the size of previous years and for the first time ever we can wow the west too.”

“Both Imagination and the City have plenty of other exciting plans for Sydney New Year’s Eve 2015 but they are staying under wraps until nearer the time.”

As well as showcasing creative content, the pylon projections will also be used as an important public messaging channel for community service announcements, messaging from our Sydney New Year’s Eve 2015 charity partner, Habitat For Humanity, and emergency messaging.

Sydney New Year’s Eve has a direct economic impact on New South Wales of more than $133 million.

For more information on Sydney New Year’s Eve, visit sydneynewyearseve.com.

Media Release: City Of Sydney

Handa Opera On Sydney Harbour 2016 Presents Puccini’s ‘Turandot’

Puccini’s epic fantasy, Turandot, is set to captivate and delight audiences when Handa Opera On Sydney Harbour returns in 2016.

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events, Stuart Ayres, said the grand production will be set against the striking backdrop of Sydney’s most famous icons, the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

“Handa Opera On Sydney Harbour will return for the fifth consecutive year with this grand cultural event now firmly established as one of the world’s greatest outdoor operas,” Mr Ayres said.

“Handa Opera On Sydney Harbour is a huge success story, introducing a new legion of fans to opera and driving visitation to New South Wales (NSW). This year’s successful season of Aida saw around 20,000 tickets sold to people outside of Sydney – an increase of around 75 per cent on the previous year – a remarkable achievement.”

“The NSW Government, through its’ tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, partnered with Opera Australia in 2012 to establish Handa Opera On Sydney Harbour and we’re delighted to continue this partnership through to 2017.”

Opera Australia Artistic Director, Lyndon Terracini AM (Member Of The Order Of Australia), said director Chen Shi-Zheng will present a new vision for one of opera’s most loved works, with a huge cast, bold and exotic themes, big dance numbers and powerhouse voices including the biggest opera hit of all time, Nessun Dorma.

“For some time I’ve wanted to work with Chen Shi-Zheng. His incredibly rigorous Chinese opera background combined with his work in the West has given him two worlds to draw upon. The result is a unique style, both spectacular and incredibly intense and powerful.” Mr Terracini said.

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer, Sandra Chipchase, welcomed the announcement and said that since 2012, Handa Opera On Sydney Harbour has attracted an estimated 37,000 visitors from overseas, interstate and intrastate.

Handa Opera On Sydney Harbour: Turandot will run from 24 March 2016 until 24 April 2016.

Media Release: Minister for Trade, Tourism, Major Events & Sport – Stuart Ayres

Vivid Sydney On Show At International Event

Vivid Sydney is being celebrated as one of the world’s greatest contemporary arts festivals at this year’s Very Fun Park festival in Taiwan.

Presented by the Fubon Art Foundation, Very Fun Park is held in Tapei each year and promotes a museum without walls approach to art. In the festival’s 10th anniversary year, Vivid Sydney is one of ten international festivals with a similar artistic ethos being showcased.

NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events, Stuart Ayres, said he was delighted Vivid Sydney is being showcased at this international event.

“Vivid Sydney is firmly established as one of the world’s most renowned festivals and its’ involvement in Very Fun Park reinforces our state’s reputation as the creative industries capital on a global stage” Mr Ayres said.

Vibrant images of the spectacular artworks that transform Sydney into an outdoor gallery of extraordinary lighting projections and sculptures during Vivid Sydney each winter will be on show.

Vivid Sydney is the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, attracting a record 1.7 million attendees in 2015. Owned and managed by the New South Wales Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, the festival is now Australia’s largest event, welcoming visitors from across the globe.

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer, Sandra Chipchase, said Vivid Sydney’s inclusion in Very Fun Park will give audiences a taste of the festival and encourage people to visit Vivid Sydney in future years, to experience the event for themselves.

“We’re delighted to showcase our spectacular Vivid Sydney festival at Very Fun Park and thank the Fubon Art Foundation for their invitation. There’s nothing like seeing Vivid Sydney transform our harbour city with its colourful creativity and I encourage everyone to join us in Sydney next year when the festival returns from 27 May to 13 June 2016” Ms Chipchase said.

The Vivid Sydney showcase is located in the Songshan Cultural And Creative Park, Taiwan Design Museum – Golden Pin Design Area, and is open from Tuesday to Sunday between 9:30am and 5:30pm until 20 September 2015.

Media Release: Vivid Sydney