Images of Sydney in brilliant, colourful and playful light have been beamed around the world from Russia to the UK, China to the USA and across to Brazil, to mark the opening of the fourth annual Vivid Sydney on Friday night, which attracted tens of thousands of locals and visitors over the weekend.
30 May 2012Chart-topping English indie band Florence + the Machine kicked off Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House with a sold out show as the sails of the iconic building came to life with magical transformative projections by Germany’s URBANSCREEN.
Across the Quay, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), show-stopping Australian multimedia technology and creativity saw the realisation of a world-first sound and light installation for sponsor Intel with Black Eyed Peas front man will.i.am and Sydney urban artist Justene Williams.
The centrepiece building displays, along with the popular Customs House cartoon light show, formed just part of over 60 light art installations now on how nightly, free of charge, from 6pm to midnight until June 11, covering a footprint from Walsh Bay arts precinct, around beneath Sydney Harbour Bridge to The Rocks, and around Circular Quay to Sydney Opera House.
Sandra Chipchase, Destination NSW CEO, said: “The sheer scale of the Vivid Sydney light show is keeping locals and visitors coming back as it now takes several nights to fully explore and enjoy.
“Vivid Sydney has also expanded its Vivid Ideas program with more than double the events, providing free and ticketed creative industry and public talks, collaborations and discussion panels as well as a festival lounge at Vivid Ideas Exchange at the MCA.
“Highlights include keynote talks from Etsy CEO, Chad Dickerson and Boing Boing founder, Cory Doctorow; a free information session on finding funding and accessing spaces for your creative projects; thought provoking panel discussions on bridging the Digital Divide and the next big Game Changer in technology; and in its third year, The Loop’s successful Portfolio Master classes.
“Destination NSW estimates 500,000 people will attend Vivid Sydney 2012 and early indications suggest that number will be reached across the 18 days with tickets selling strongly and early crowds clearly pleased with the quality and extent of this year’s light show,” Ms Chipchase said.
Popular installations included the new Interactive Collaboration #2 on the new façade of the MCA (will.i.am, Sydney artist Justene Williams and DJ Keebz), Motion Collaboration #1 (MCA old façade), Customs House, Screaming Rapture and Pack Intelligence.
Thousands of people also visited Walsh Bay where over a dozen installations, including outdoor film, curated by Sydney Dance company multimedia artist Peter Greig, marked the first participation in Vivid Sydney by the Walsh Bay creative precinct.
“Vivid Sydney is attracting global media interest in the wide array of lighting art works, the unique performances of Vivid LIVE musicians at the Opera House, as well as the visiting thought leaders and creative industry and business innovators involved in the Vivid Ideas program,” Ms Chipchase said.
Highlights of the Vivid LIVE program coming up this week at Sydney Opera House include; Karen O in ‘STOP THE VIRGENS’, The Temper Trap, Sufjan Stevens, and Imogen Heap with several concerts broadcast live and in full on Vivid LIVE YouTube channel.
IMAGES AND INTERVIEWS WITH THE ARTISTS AND FESTIVAL DIRECTORS ARE AVAILABLE.
Vivid Sydney is one of five signature events in the NSW Events Calendar developed by Destination NSW on behalf of the NSW Government.
Broadcast vision of the festival, including the only available footage of Florence and the Machine at the Sydney Opera House, can be downloaded from Reuters at: mediaexpress2.reuters.com
Username: VNR_PAL
Password: Videonews1
Other broadcast materials can be previewed and downloaded from: vimeo.com/vividsydney
The full Vivid Sydney program is available at vividsydney.com
Throughout Vivid Sydney stills will also be updated at Destination NSW Media Centre: vividsydney.com/media-centre
MEDIA CONTACT:
Emma Heath, Avviso PR David Varga, Destination NSW
02 9368 7277 or 0413 768 588 02 8114 2404 or 0411 604 755
emmah@avviso.com.au david.varga@dnsw.com.au
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