The Sydney Biennale and Vivid

Cultural Opportunities Abound in Sydney!

Hello Elementary Friends!

First, I would love to share a film recommendation for you. I am unsure if this film is being shown much in the USA, but it is GREAT!

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a 2016 New Zealand film written and directed by Taika Waititi, based on the book Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump and stars Sam Neill and Julian Dennison. The film premiered In Competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2016. The film opened New Zealand wide on 31 March 2016, becoming the highest-grossing locally-produced film of all time, as well as setting box office records for highest-grossing opening weekend and highest-grossing first week.

Here is a short synopsis of the film:

Ricky Baker (Dennison), a defiant young city kid, is sent by child welfare services to live in the country with foster aunt Bella and cantankerous foster uncle Hec (Neill). When Bella suddenly passes away and child services decide to take Ricky back to a care home, Ricky runs away into the bush with uncle Hec in pursuit. Child services arrive to find the house empty, and come to the conclusion a bereaved and mentally unstable Hec has abducted Ricky. A national manhunt ensues, and the two have to get over their differences to survive.

We loved seeing the New Zealand scenery (mostly bush land) that we experienced just a few weeks ago. If you have a chance to see it, you won't be disappointed!

20th Sydney Biennale

Since our arrival in Sydney, I have remained impressed with the plentiful opportunities to engage with wonderful art exhibits, attend concerts, and learn about the varied styles of architecture of the homes and buildings in and around Sydney. Shortly after our arrival we attended Opera in the Domain and soon we will attend our first opera at the famous Sydney Opera House! We have booked our tickets for Carmen on 21 June to welcome our dear friends, Robyn and Andy Smith to Australia!

This past weekend we attended an Exchange Teachers League sponsored "Art and Architecture Walk in the city. It was a beautiful day for a walk! Here is information from the Exchange Teacher's League Term Two newsletter regarding the walk:

"Join Wilma and crew on a leisurely and flexible walk around the back streets of inner Sydney, visiting some of the venues and displays for the Biennale of Art, including a guided tour at the Carriage Works, and smaller galleries around Redfern and Camperdown. We will also visit two of Sydney's most interesting and modern buildings, the Frank Gehry Dr. Chau Chak Wing building and Central Park - covered in living green walls."

The focus of the walk was the Sydney Biennale. Here is a bit of information on the Biennale:

The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is the largest and best-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice and São Paulo Biennales and the Kassel, Germany "Documenta," it is one of the longest running exhibitions of its kind and was the first biennale to be established in the Asia-Pacific region.The first Biennale of Sydney was held in 1973 as part of the opening celebrations of the Sydney Opera House. The Biennale has since grown to become one of the great cultural events hosted in Australia. The Biennale of Sydney is a non-profit organisation that presents Australia’s largest and most exciting contemporary visual arts festival. Held every two years, the Biennale is a three-month exhibition, open for free to the public, with an accompanying public engagement and education program including artist talks, forums, guided tours, school programs and family days.

Widely respected for working with independent artistic directors to exhibit prescient themes and artists, the Biennale has a reputation for showing renowned senior artists early in their careers. The Biennale was also the first to focus on Asia and the contemporary art of our region (1973 and 1976); the first to show Indigenous art in an international contemporary art context (1979); and in 2008, the first biennale to present an online venue.

The exhibitions and programs provide a counterbalance to traditional institutionally driven exhibitions and programs, and act as a cultural catalyst by encouraging innovation and experimentation. They also offer major opportunities for artists, facilitating cultural interchange and global connections.

Since its inception, the Biennale of Sydney has provided an international platform for innovative and challenging contemporary art, showcasing the work of nearly 1700 artists from over 100 countries. Today it ranks as one of the leading international festivals of contemporary art.

Here are some photos of our day of "Culture in the City!"

This "Lady" was standing outside the small coffee shop where we purchased our Morning Tea

Lunch in Newtown after our Art and Architecture Walk with the Exchange Teachers League

Lee Mingwei

Carriageworks

Guernica in Sand takes Pablo Picasso’s famous Guernica, 1937 – a powerful political painting created in response to the massacre of Basque civilians during the Spanish Civil War – as a reference and a point of departure. Having re-created the exact lines of Picasso’s piece with sand, during this one-off performance, the artist and his collaborators alter it.

Sydney Vivid has Arrived!

The annual tradition "Vivid" has arrived in Sydney! Several buildings and areas in and around the Sydney Central Business District are ablaze with lights and lighting effects from 27 May through 18 June. It is breathtaking! We rode the Woolwich ferry into the city last night to see what "all the fuss is about!" Here is some information about Sydney Vivid:

Vivid Sydney is an annual outdoor lighting festival with immersive light installations and projections in Sydney. Part of the lighting festival also includes performances from local and international musicians and an ideas exchange forum featuring public talks and debates from leading creative thinkers.

This winter event takes place in central Sydney over the course of three weeks in May and June. The centrepiece of Vivid Sydney is the light sculptures, multimedia interactive work and building projections that transform various buildings and landmarks such as the Opera House and Harbour Bridge in and around the Sydney central business district into an outdoor night time canvas of art.^[1]

During the 2015 festival, sites of interest were Central Park, Chatswood and the University of Sydney as well as around the CBD,Darling Harbour and The Rocks.

Here are some photos of our evening at Vivid!