Vivid Sydney Festival Opens: Celebrating Creativity and Innovation

NSW Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner officially opened the fifth annual Vivid Sydney festival on May 24 by lighting the sails of the Sydney Opera House to unveil a stunning visual feast of colour, movement and world-class lighting artistry. The show included amazing 3D-mapped light projections by Australian creative innovators, The Spinifex Group and will run through June 10.

The Vivid Sydney festival this year has greatly expanded, including lighting the Sydney Harbour Bridge and transforming Darling Harbour into a spectacular water theatre. Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner said the festival, which is owned and managed by Destination NSW (the State’s major events and tourism agency) reinforced Sydney’s position as Australia’s global city and the creative hub.

“After a few short years Vivid Sydney is now the Southern Hemisphere’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, and a globally renowned celebration of creativity and innovation,” Stoner said.

“2013 will be the biggest and boldest Vivid Sydney yet, showcasing the city like it’s never been seen before to visitors not only from Sydney and NSW, but interstate and overseas, and promoting the world-class creative industries of NSW.”

For the first time Sydney’s famous Harbour Bridge will come alive with a spectacular interactive installation, controlled by the public from a touch screen located on the Luna Park boardwalk.

In another first, the Vivid Sydney festival has extended into Darling Harbour, transforming the area into a spectacle of dancing water fountains, water screen projection performances and dazzling light and water shows, never seen before in Australia, masterminded by France’s legendary Aquatique Show International. Water shows will play on the hour, every hour from 6 pm each night of the festival with fireworks joining the choreographed performances each Saturday.

Crowd favourites – Customs House, Circular Quay, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, The Rocks and Walsh Bay – will again become a canvas for the public to enjoy wonderful light projections and installations that appeal to all ages.

With a record number of applications to be part of Vivid Light, one – third of all light installations are from overseas artists, demonstrating the unique platform Vivid Sydney offers to engage with the best of the global creative economy and foster international business opportunities.

Here is a timelapse video of the opening of Vivid Sydney 2013:

DNSW FRIDAY LAUNCH NIGHT VNR from Vivid Sydney on Vimeo.

“Vivid Sydney is where technology, commerce and art intersect — delivering real business outcomes. With 37 percent of Australia’s creative industries located in NSW, supporting creative industries through events like Vivid Sydney is key to the NSW Government’s strategy to grow the NSW economy,” Stoner said.

In 2012 Vivid Sydney attracted more than 500,000 spectators. This year, organizers anticipate numbers will reach well over 550,000, injecting around $10 million in new money into the NSW economy.

Vivid LIVE and Vivid Music

With more than 25 music events by leading international and national artists, highlights include the world premiere of Australia’s Empire of the Sun’s much-anticipated second album Ice On The Dune, Underworld’s electronic king Karl Hyde, and the 45-piece Heritage Orchestra performing Vangelis’ original Blade Runner score.

For the first time, an additional music program Vivid Music will be staged in the last week of the festival, focusing on electronic, experimental, improvised music, including the Terminal Projekt at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, Vivid Sydney at Seymour’s New Wave: Sound, and special programs for ISEA2013 and the Argyle.

Vivid Ideas assembles big thinkers in biggest line up yet

The Vivid Ideas program brings leading creatives and thought leaders from across the world to Sydney in over 120 creative industry business events as part of Vivid Ideas, and was voted one of the world’s top ten ideas festivals in the world by the UK’s influential Guardian newspaper.

Vivid Ideas’ program focuses on innovation, discussion, and collaboration. Highlights include Australian-exclusive talks including from 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).

NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase said, “Vivid Sydney is a ground-breaking event that builds the creative community of Sydney, as well as generating visitation from our key tourism markets. It is Sydney and Australia’s major festival in winter, and a signature event on the NSW events calendar. This year we have a free Vivid Sydney Harbour Shuttle ferry servicing Walsh Bay, North Sydney and Darling Harbour.

“I thank partners Intel, Citibank and Audi and other supporters, and encourage everyone to come and experience Australia’s global event city in a completely different light during Vivid Sydney.”