VIVID SYDNEY 2022 STARTS TONIGHT

Vivid Sydney 2022 starts tonight and the opening weekend is bursting with events that celebrate the soul of Australia’s harbour city!

This year’s Vivid Sydney is bigger and brighter than ever before, with a Light Walk navigating from Central Station to Sydney Opera House, and a jam-packed line-up of live music shows and inspiring speakers that celebrate the soul of our city.

Transforming the Harbour City into an illuminating fusion of creativity, innovation and technology from Friday 27 May to Saturday 18 June, The Vivid Sydney 2022 Program includes:

THE VIVID SYDNEY DINNER

Great food, talks, music, wine and light collide at the very first Vivid Sydney Dinner – a celebration of all things Sydney. Join host Justine Clarke at Merivale’s Ivy Ballroom, which will be completely transformed into an effervescent feast for the senses on Saturday 4 June, featuring “love letters to Sydney” from renowned artist Ken Done and journalist/author Julia Baird. With music by the Vivid Sydney Brass Band, James Morrison, Ngaiire, Virginia Gay and Kate Monroe, a NSW inspired feast created by chefs Dan Hong and Mike Eggert, and a bespoke lighting experience.

VIVID LIGHT

Visitors will connect with powerful stories of Sydney’s soul after dark, as more than 50 light installations and projection artworks designed to explore and define the city’s character come to life. Gill Minervini, who curated the 2022 Vivid Light program, said: “I am incredibly proud the Vivid Light program showcases 25 Sydney-based artists delivering a true representation of how Sydney makes us feel: vibrant, awe-inspired, mischievous, uplifted and curious”.

“Vivid Sydney’s Light collection features work from a vast array of artists, from the renowned Ken Done and Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, to Luca French, an 11-year-old boy and the youngest artist ever to participate in the Light Walk. It’s very exciting to deliver a refreshed and surprising program that will enthral audiences.”

Revealing the various artistic interpretations of the “soul of the city” creative vision, the spectacular Light Walk will host the works of 62 light collaborators and 114 light artists from 5 countries, with street installations re-shaping old sights, surprising projection sites, large-scale immersive experiences and never-before-lit buildings adding new sparkle to the city skyline.

Works expressing their love story to Sydney include legendary Australian artist Ken Done. In collaboration with Spinifex Group, Done’s work For Sydney with Love will be projected onto the façade of landmark Customs House. Michaela Gleave’s large-scale illuminated text work will see the phrase Endless Love arching over Circular Quay in what will be an Instagram favourite. Temple, by Leila Jeffreys, is a large-scale work in Circular Quay paying homage to Sydney’s bird life and our relationship with them.

Celebrating Australia’s rich First Nations culture, the Sails of the Sydney Opera House will be transformed into an impressive new digital artwork, Yarrkalpa – Hunting Ground, 2021 by the Martu Artists and creative technologists Curiious, with soundtrack by Electric Fields and Martu Artists (inspired by Yarrkalpa – Always Walking Country 2014). The bold projection is inspired by the vibrant, Martumili collective painting, Yarrkalpa- Hunting Ground, Parnngurr Area, 2013, created by eight female artists of the Pilbara region.

First Light, a moving Welcome to Country ceremony and performance is another first for Vivid Sydney 2022, celebrating the Gadigal people and Country. Opening the festival on Friday 27 May, audiences will be captivated with a smoking ceremony, stunning performances by NAISDA students, a pyrotechnic display and Sharing the Same Life Essence Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon projections. Rhoda Roberts AO is the Creative Advisor for First Light.

Mandylights’ Our Connected City will shine new light on the city’s landmarks, with over 200 searchlights beaming across Sydney Harbour, CBD buildings and the Cahill Expressway, while also linking the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge in riotous colour. Between them, at Circular Quay, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia will morph into a kinetic, visual journey of the work of acclaimed Australian artist Helen Eager, who has collaborated with artists Rico and Julian Reinhold from H0rse, to create New York Sunday. Be transported on a visual journey through Eager’s work, with colour, light, and geometric fortified by a soundtrack from electro-pop musician Paul Mac.

In two festival firsts, the waters of Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour, will dance with the showstopping Sydney Infinity by Oracle Liquid, an epic water sculpture in a scale never seen before in Australia. Featuring dynamic jets, 12 x 80m high water shooters and dramatic lighting supported by a Sydney inspired soundtrack from DJ Pee Wee Ferris, this is set to be an audience favourite.

Also on water, Walsh Bay will come alive with a 100m floating Light Walk incorporating the largescale artwork Ephemeral Oceanic. Produced by Sydney’s own Atelier Sisu, visitors are invited to walk under more than 200 giant, bubble-like spheres hovering eight metres in the air.

VIVID IDEAS

Vivid Ideas brings together the world’s brightest minds and fearless global storytellers, exploring the forces that shape not only Sydney’s unique society, but all great cities around the world. With more than 85 intriguing talks and workshops on offer, Vivid Ideas explores the forces shaping our society, and starting conversations that continue long after the festival has ended.

Headlining the Ideas Program are Global Storytellers including Oscar and Emmy award-winning theatre and film director, screenwriter and playwright Aaron Sorkin, renowned for film and TV shows such as The West Wing, The Social Network, A Few Good Men and The Trial of the Chicago 7. Aaron will discuss politics and drama with renowned Australian broadcast journalist Leigh Sales at Sydney’s State Theatre.

A fearless advocate for women’s rights, American broadcast journalist, author and television personality Gretchen Carlson shares her story that inspired the blockbuster movie Bombshell with The Project’s Lisa Wilkinson. Gretchen will reveal how she helped to pave the way for the global MeToo movement and advocated to end the silencing of harassment victims through forced arbitration and non-disclosure agreements.

This year’s Vivid Ideas Exchange will see over 60 events hosted at The Great Hall at The University of Technology Sydney – with talks, seminars, film screenings and special events designed to spark debate amongst the creative community. Sessions will be presented by Audible with Marc Fennell, Melissa Doyle, and Adam Liaw and Squarespace.

For the first time, Vivid Ideas Up Late will be hosted at Sydney’s renowned cultural institutions for a series of free, playful nights that mix talks, performances, fashion, music and food at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Australian Museum, the Powerhouse Museum and the National Maritime Museum.

VIVID MUSIC

Taking a deep dive into Sydney’s diverse and dynamic music communities, Vivid Music 2022showcases a line-up of Sydney’s most potent artist talent. In a Vivid Music exclusive, legendary Australian music icon Marcia Hines who will enliven audiences with The Gospel according to Marcia, in a world-premiere show for two-nights only in the uplifting surrounds of St Stephen’s Uniting Church. Marcia will be joined by a 12-piece band and choir set against an atmospheric bespoke lighting backdrop, celebrating the sounds of her gospel roots.

Paying homage to artists from other great world cities, Vivid Music welcomes highly influential UK space rock band Spiritualized, delivering their unmistakable sound live at Luna Park’s Big Top, with Indie Rock cult singer Baxter Dury, making his debut Australian performance at The Metro Theatre. Emerging New York rapper Cakes Da Killa’s fusion of hip hop, house and electronic dance music will take the Oxford Art Factory by storm.

In a festival first, Tumbalong Nights presents an astonishing line-up of free live music events and short film screenings in Darling Harbour’s Tumbalong Park. Young and old can groove the night away to Stevan, a rising young R&B multi-instrumentalist and band, True Vibenation’s party vibes and uplifting afrobeat and Donny Benet with his undeniably fun disco and funk. DJs at The Goods Line will pay homage to Sydney’s vibrant DJ heritage, with a free line-up of DJs every night including Ebony Boadu, Stereogamous and Soul of Sydney DJs, in another new addition to the program.

In Sydney’s urban cultural precinct at Eveleigh, Carriageworks will present its seventh Vivid Music program, bringing together artists from all four corners of the globe. Estonian rapper and visual artist Tommy Cash will excite with his raucous and wild show in a Sydney exclusive, alongside American indie Queer artist Perfume Genius, Japanese all female rock band Chai, and Perth’s Alter Boy queerlectro pop band also enlivening audiences.

VIVID LIVE AT SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

Curated by the Sydney Opera House’s Head of Contemporary Music Ben Marshall, Vivid LIVE will transform the world-famous building inside and out, celebrating artists at the forefront of their genres, with more than 70 Australian and international artists presented across seven Opera House venues.

Beloved Australian rock royalty, Paul Kelly will be joined by Gamilaraay singer-songwriter and ARIA Award winner Thelma Plum and band members Vika and Linda Bull, Bill McDonald, Peter Luscombe, Ash Naylor, Cameron Bruce and Dan Kelly for Time And Tide: Four Decades of Song live under the stars on the Northern Boardwalk. Kelly has curated a catalogue of his award winning songs for this special one-off event across four nights.

Zambian-born singer, poet and visual artist, Sampa Tembo – better known as Sampa The Great – will debut her long-awaited new show An Afro Future, performing the four-time ARIA award-winning debut album The Return with her epic band, dancers, singers and special guests Mwanjé, KYE and C.FIRM.

Berlin-based piano prodigy, producer and composer Nils Frahm will captivate audiences with new music in the world premiere of his new live show, Music for Sydney. Multi-faceted African-Australian rock-star, rapper, singer and producer BLESSED will present Aussie Blackstar, a curated evening with appearances by Maina Doe, Baby Prince and Chirine with more to be announced.

In the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Australian-Zambian singer-rapper Tkay Maidza will make her return to the Australian stage, for a night of powerful hip-hop and soul. Meanwhile, local collective Astral People have curated a significant line-up for a decade-defining outdoor weekender on the Broadwalk featuring Hiatus Kaiyote, Barkaa, Briggs, Arno Faraji and more in an Australian exclusive that celebrates their 10 + 1 birthday.

Vivid LIVE Studio Parties also return in 2022 with Future Classic, Picnic Party and Mad Racket and Astral People presents John Talabot. There will also be performances in the Studio from Low Life, RVG and Japanese doom metal titans Boris with special guest guitarist, Toki.

Start planning your trip now! Check out the Top 10 tips to plan your best trip to Vivid Sydney 2022Travel Feeder

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.