From home-delivered theatre performances in private living rooms, to Sydney’s largest backyard party in Martin Place, Art & About Sydney 2014 is set to excite and delight, where every street, laneway, building site, intersection and thoroughfare is a canvas for creation and storytelling.
With a program boasting works from the quirky to the quintessentially Australian, local and international artists will present works that explore the festival theme of ‘endangered’ from 19 September to 12 October.
The 13th Art & About festival contains a unique three week program of works including:
Friday Night Live – Quarter Acre Block Party
Once a staple of Australian life, the quarter acre block is a fading dream in many parts of Australia. Martin Place will be transformed into a giant backyard – a welcoming and relaxed ‘block party’, featuring entertainment, quality food and drinks and a great place to begin your festival adventure. BBQs, Hills Hoists, back fences, lawn cricket, garage bands, garden furniture, dogs, vinyl records, beer and snags….all slap bang in the middle of Sydney’s CBD.
Australian Life
For the first time, the former Sydney Life photo competition and exhibition is going national. The Australian Life exhibition in Hyde Park will display large scale images depicting Australian life across the nation.
Little Sydney Lives
The always-popular Little Sydney Lives photo competition is back, displaying a selection of images from our smallest citizens, set amongst the greenery of Sandringham Gardens.
The Banner Gallery – Milk Bar
Passiona, a mix bag of lollies, a milkshake – Australia’s much-loved Milk Bar is back, with images of this fading icon emblazoned on our city banners during Art & About Sydney. The changing landscape of our beloved bars were born out of The Island Continent by Eamon Donnelly, an online archive capturing the colour, nostalgia, fashions, design and people across our country.
Neon Nomads
Ten three-metre-high tepees in Hyde Park will illuminate the works of some of Australia’s and the world’s most respected graphic artists. The designs, by artists including Wendy Red Star, Phil James and Brett Chan, will pay homage to nomadic lifestyles and urban lifestyles.
The Walking Neighbourhood
Kids will turn the tables and take adults on a tour of city streets, providing a rare glimpse into their world. Taking the reins, kids guide adults on a 90-minute curated tour of Kings Cross and Redfern, sharing their thoughts and experiences of the ‘hood.
Bodies in Urban Spaces
Under the direction of Austrian artist Willi Dorner, 20 human bodies will cram themselves into doorways, alcoves and any gap they can find in the CBD. Dressed in brightly coloured clothes, the audience will spot them in all sorts of nooks and crannies as the festival finale.
Trolleys
Best described as part dance performance, part ballet, part outdoor spectacle, Trolleys is a 20 minute outdoor high-energy theatre work where street dancers and acrobats come together with the humble shopping trolley to spin, glide and slide across city spaces. Created by Shaun Parker & Company, Trolleys will take over Martin Place, Customs House Square, Hyde Park and Pitt Street Mall.
Armchair Apocalypse
Jumping off the stage and into your home, Armchair Apocalypse presents three brand new lounge room theatre shows, written and performed by some of Sydney’s most exciting young writers. Sydneysiders will be able to order these performances straight to their door and into their lounge room.
Creative Director, Gill Minervini says “Art & About Sydney explores the endangered – the ‘at risk’, the threatened, the exposed and the risky from all perspectives, bringing hope to the endangered – through artists’ ability to recognise, express and act and our opportunity to immerse, engage and participate – in spaces that belong to us all.”
The 2014 Art & About Festival runs from 19 September to 12 October. For more information, visit: www.artandabout.com.au for details.
Image: Trolleys – photo by Irven Lewis