For three weeks, the city of Sydney will be flooded with lights for the annual Vivid. After a two-year hiatus, Long live Sydney returns with over 200 events from May 27 to June 18.
Vivid embodies the soul of the city – a celebration of art, innovation and technology. It highlights the stories of our artists and musicians, but also the history of Sydney, the design and technology it has created, and what to expect for the future.
Vivid’s return brought a sense of jubilant anticipation to the city. There are events, exhibits, performances, and venues for everyone at Vivid this year, including the design curious.
So we’ve put together a list for you – the morning before the lights go on – with just ten Vivid ideas and lights events that we don’t want to miss and you don’t want to miss either.
1. Design with the country
Join BVN Principal Architect Kevin O’Brien and other leading voices in design and architecture in an essential and insightful conversation about how First Nations thinking shapes our built environment and a future Australia.
2. Sydney Harbor Bridge 90th Anniversary
Celebrate the 90th anniversary of Sydney Harbor Bridge, our symbol of modernity, connectivity and the city itself. The Historical Archives will publish over 100 years of photographs, revealing the stories and experiences of the people and places the bridge connects across Australia – a collection that will be displayed on the Harbor Bridge each evening.
3. Flood, fire, plague: can greener cities protect us from disasters?
From disaster to disaster, we find that the cities we have now cannot protect us. This event raises the question: if we design our cities greener, what might that future look like? And what would it take to create it against the coming storm?
4. TRACKS
As an audio-visual journey that responds to real-time engagement, TRACES is an Indigenous-led multimodal project inspired by the works of Kamsani Bin Salleh. TRACES merges generative art, projection, voice and light that guide you through the country from east coast to west, accompanied by the poetry of Kirli Saunders that tells the story of our connection to the land, its colors and shapes.
5. Infinite Sydney
Hundreds of multi-textured nozzles, jets and LED lights will dance with the water on Darling Harbour. Accompanied by a soundtrack that embodies the soul of Sydney, this aquatic spectacle takes light art and aquatic technology to an unprecedented level.
6. Ideas and innovators transforming the world
On this panel, hear the voices of Sydney’s greatest innovators who have changed the world for the better. Discover how these leaders are using creativity, technology and humanity to design and transform the world around us.
7. We dream the city
Witness the ideals, transformations and visions that have made Sydney the metropolis it is today. This light show paints projections of our past along the Powerhouse Museum and offers a moment of reflection on how we collectively shape the future of city life.
8. The art of looking deep – cultivating creativity
See the city in a different light with these experiential sensory labs that take iconic architectural spaces and challenge your perception of creativity and imagination. Each lab engages with art, nature or architecture by sharing new thinking techniques, challenging your perspectives.
9. Pedestrian crossing here
A charming reimagining of the familiar “do not walk/walk” instructions of crosswalks, i2C Architects and Empire 3D Printing + Design introduce a twist on crosswalks. With quirky suggestions such as standing/dancing, holding hands/kissing and more, the symbols use a call to action to tap into universal human emotions, highlighting experiences shared by a wide range of people.
10. Lighting the sails
Vivid’s most iconic sight, the Sail Lighting captures the spirit of Australia’s iconic landmark. Each year, an internationally renowned artist is commissioned to create an original work to be projected onto the Sydney Opera House. This year the collective painting Yarrkalpa – Hunting Ground, Parnngurr Area 2013 by Martumili will be displayed on the sails.
Vivid Sydney is not something to miss with its big comeback. To prepare for the weeks ahead, check out here to see the 200 events you can participate in.
For more information, visit vividsydney.com.
Images: provided
