Expanded Vivid Sydney Line-Up Shines in 2016

Spike Jonze_WTWTA_credit Chris Searl

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Björk lionsong 2015

Dress Circle – artist impression by 32 Hundred Lighting (2)

Anohni – Hopelessness at Vivid LIVE

The longest ever Vivid Sydney will shine for 23 nights when it illuminates Sydney Harbour, with new and much-loved precincts, and hosts vibrant music performances and big ideas talks, from Friday 27 May to Saturday 18 June. 

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer and Executive Producer-Vivid Sydney, Sandra Chipchase said, “This year Vivid Sydney is back with an incredible program where art, creativity and innovation meet, and are celebrated by local and international visitors.”

“Vivid Sydney delivers the world's leading light artists in Vivid Light, cutting-edge musicians in Vivid Music, and creative innovators in Vivid Ideas. In 2015 visitors will enjoy our biggest year yet.”

NSW Premier, Mike Baird said the festival was the largest of its kind in the world and last year attracted a record 1.7 million domestic and international visitors to NSW.

“Sydney shines on a grand scale during Vivid Sydney and this year's precincts will be expanded to include the Royal Botanic Garden and Taronga Zoo.”

“Vivid Sydney is a platform for Australia's creative industries and, this year, visitors will have an extra five nights to explore our global city and enjoy the light art, musical performances and creative ideas that will delight this year's audiences,” he said.

In a Vivid Sydney first, the sails of the world-heritage listed Sydney Opera House will celebrate the rich and diverse work of Australia's Indigenous artists through the projection, Songlines. This exceptional work of art is directed by Sydney Opera House Head of Indigenous Programming, Rhoda Roberts of the Bundjalung Nation of NSW, and brings together six Indigenous artists whose work illustrates the extraordinary connections between Indigenous astronomy and the natural world – the celestial and terrestrial Songlines that weave through time and distance, earth and sky.

Vivid Sydney's brilliant light also returns to Chatswood, Central Park, Darling Harbour and the Australian National Maritime Museum, Martin Place and new precinct The Galeries, which becomes the festival's first indoor precinct.

Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

At Garden of Light, visitors will take a glittering journey through the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney  as part of its 200th birthday celebrations. Grand installations will dazzle and delight including the impressive 60-metre long Cathedral of Light, made from hundreds of thousands of white LEDs which radiate gentle but brilliant light from all angles.

Taronga Zoo

Taronga Zoo will be illuminated by larger-than-life multimedia sculptures of ten critical species ranging from the magnificent Asian elephant to the vividly coloured Corroboree frog, encouraging visitors to Be the Light for the Wild in Taronga Zoo's centenary year and beyond.

Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House

Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House will unleash a series of incredible acts including synth-pop legends New Order, indie folk band Bon Iver, jazz artist Esperenza Spalding and the Australian premiere of Anohni's astonishing multimedia show.

The Sydney Conservatorium of Music

The Sydney Conservatorium of Music will present The Sound Gardens: Vivid New Music performed by talented students with guest artists Natasha Anderson, Anthony Pateras and Clayton Thomas. Aussie hip-hop will be celebrated at Come Together @ Luna Park and One Day Sundays at The Factory in Marrickville. ARIA Hall of Fame inductees and 80s trailblazers the Models will join fellow chart-toppers the Machinations and a stripped down version of Dave Mason's The Reels to present The Models, Machinations & The Reels for one night only at the Enmore Theatre.

Vivid Music Venues

Vivid Music will pulse through the city with new sounds and venues with highlights including the world premiere of Björk Digital, a new virtual reality project from the international avant-garde artist and the inaugural Curve Ball – a large scale live music and art event from Fuzzy Music, both held at Carriageworks.  Joining the line-up in 2016 are Newtown Social Club, Cake Wines Cellar Door and returning favourites include Oxford Art Factory, Freda's and The Basement.

Vivid Ideas

At Vivid Ideas, the Game Changers Talk Series will be headlined by storytellers shaping the creative landscape including acclaimed director and producer Spike Jonze, House of Cards creator Beau Willimon, the creative force behind Orange is the New Black Jenji Kohan, and one of Australia's most influential new creatives, Margaret Zhang.

Vivid Sydney, now in its eighth year is the world's largest festival of light, music and ideas and is owned, managed and produced by the NSW Government's tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Vivid Sydney runs from Friday 27 May to Saturday 18 June 2016. For more information click here .  

Alison Carmichael-Rulten

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