Sydney harbour and city transformed with light, music and ideas
The 5th annual Vivid Sydney (24 May - 10 June) has officially opened with Sydney's iconic Opera House illuminated in a stunning 3D-mapped visual feast of colour, movement, and world-class lighting artistry by Australian creative innovators The Spinifex Group.
The largest light, music and ideas festival in the Southern Hemisphere, Vivid Sydney features lighting installations around the harbour foreshore, live music performances at Sydney Opera House, and over 120 creative industry events.
Developed by Destination NSW as part of the NSW Government's new tourism and events agenda, Vivid Sydney is expected to attract over 550,000 people in 2013.
This year Vivid Light has tripled the harbour foreshore area devoted to lighting installations, with one-third from international artists including from the USA, Germany, Italy, Greece, Malaysia, Korea, Poland, Brazil and New Zealand.
In a world first, Sydney's famous Harbour Bridge will come alive with an interactive programmable lighting installation on the bridge's western face, controlled by the public from an interactive touch screen, through a collaboration with Intel and with Sydney's 32 Hundred Lighting.
In another world first, Vivid Sydney also now extends to the popular Darling Harbour, with spectacular water fountains, water screen projection performances and dazzling light and water shows, by France's legendary Aquatique Show International.
Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House, part of Vivid Sydney's music programme, opened with performances by RNB soul legend Bobby Womack, as well as electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk, who opened the first of a four-night presentation of their acclaimed retrospective series that also sold out at MoMA in New York and TATE Modern in London.
Vivid Ideas brings leading international creatives and thought leaders to Sydney in over 120 creative industry business events. Highlights include Australian-exclusive talks and events featuring visual artist and cult icon David Shrigley (UK), streetwear entrepreneur Johnny Cupcakes (USA), digital artist and storyteller Jonathan Harris (USA), IDEO's Chief Creative Officer Paul Bennett (USA) and revolutionary product designer Jane Chen (USA/India).
