Sydney Festival is still on!
Another year, another Sydney Festival. But this year’s 21-days of theatre, visual art, music, cabaret and dance is a little different. This year, the Sydney Festival is an all-Australian affair. (Featured image: Sydney Festival / Facebook)
However, festival director Wesley Enoch is no stranger to providing a platform for Australian and particularly First Nation artists. This year’s events will see up to 39 specially commissioned works showcased at the festival and something like $6m going to Australian artists who have done it tough. That’s great news for our artists.
If you can and feel safe doing so, get on down to these free events and support the Sydney Festival—one of the most wonderful arts festivals in the world.
All events will follow NSW Health guidelines and advice, meaning that face masks are now required for patrons 12 years and older at Sydney Festival indoor and outdoor venues. Patrons who reside in the northern area of the Northern Beaches Local Government Area or have recently visited any of the identified case locations should not attend the Festival and follow NSW Health orders.
1. A Mile In My Shoes
We’ve all heard the saying, but what is it like to actually walk a mile in the shoes of someone else?
Find out at the Australian National Maritime Museum where visitors will be able to enter into the shoe shop and pick out a pair of shoes to walk in accompanied by a story that will take you to places you hadn’t thought possible.
A Mile In My Shoes has been performed in cities around the world. However, this reiteration focuses on the voices of migrants and refugees who have made Australia their home.
2. HIVE MIND
Created by Dead Puppet Society and produced in collaboration with Sydney Living Museum, the HIVE MIND installation aims to highlight the life and importance of insects in our world through sound, movement and light by displaying large, floating bees hanging from the trees at Vauclause House.
Alongside the installation, there will be a range of bee-inspired public programs, including workshops, self-guided activities, tours and talks.
3. Keeping Peace
To keep the peace, you need to work together. And that’s exactly what visitors need to do to keep the giant bouncy peace symbol inflated throughout the festival.
Cooperation is key. So, put your name down to attend this free event through the Keeping Peace event page on Facebook and see if you can work together with others and keep the peace.
4. Rooftop Projections
Every night from 8 January to 26 January, the roof of the Australian Maritime Museum will be the canvas used to highlight the migration stories that have helped shape Australia today. Inspired by objects in the national migration collection, Waves of Migration and Threads of Migration will weave together the diverse nature of those who have come to this land from afar.
5. Fractures and Frequencies
Recent works by Megan Cope, Quandamooka artist, are brought together in Fractures and Frecuencies on display at UNSW Galleries.
The soundwork Untitled (Death Song) combines sounds from discarded mining and industrial equipment with sounds from nature, providing visitors with the chance to simultaneously hear what is occurs in the Country.
Alos part of the installation is the sound sculpture Old Kahibah, which maps the sound vibrations of Awabakal Country in the Lake Macquarie area.