The Top 7 Things To See At Art & About
Get ready to see Sydney in a whole new light. Once a three week extravaganza of colour and sound, Art & About is now a year-round party – a rolling series of pop-up events that will transform the city into a living canvas. Fancy unexpected delights in unexpected places? Then this is definitely for you. Here are seven unique experiences to pencil into your diary.
#1 Roof rocks
Enjoy the soothing tunes of some of Sydney’s finest musicians from a garden in the sky. Inspired by the revival of rooftop gardens in New York, the Marconi Terrace will be transformed into a live music venue named The Terrace, hosting intimate performances from the likes of Dave and Joji from Gang of Youths, Emma Pask, Microwave Jenny and Jones Jnr over nine nights from September 18 to 27.
#2 A two-second tree change
Fancy beating the rat race and getting back to nature? Step into Near Kin Kin, a 21-metre high bamboo sculpture that will stand on the forecourt of Customs House Square from September 18 to October 11. With a soaring canopy and a soft forest floor, it’s a little slice of rewilding in the middle of an urban jungle.
#3 Picture perfect
Two outdoor galleries will host 42 large-scale photos by Australian snappers, young and old, when Australian Life and Little Sydney Lives return this year. The images, which aim to display the incredible diversity of Australian life experience, will be on display from September 18 to October 11. Hyde Park is the place to see it.
#4 It might get loud
Over three weekends, from October 17 to November 1, a horde of more than 100 people will gather with identical instruments for an impromptu sonic boom called Games + Actions (for a Quiet City). The musical flash mob will make three appearances all up, near Martin Place, Mitchell Library and Hyde Park.
#5 Do androids dream of a roof top cinema?
The Goulburn Street carpark will be transformed into a seething, surreal future city for a special event screening of Blade Runner on November 21. Make your way through spaces filled with post-apocalyptic art to the rooftop market and cinema, where the Ridley Scott classic will play under the stars.
#6 We’re going to need a bigger boat (and balls of steel)
It’s a phenomenon enjoyed around the world, swimming into the Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool – a screening of Jaws where the audience is in the water! Grab a floating seat on the edge of Sydney harbour and prepare for the ultimate in immersive cinema experiences at The Deep End: Jaws. This one-of-a-kind freak out is happening for two nights only, on January 29 and 30, 2016. No doubt the tickets will be gobbled up fast. (Get it?! Like a shark could gobble your legs off while you’re watching the movie.)
#7 Made to enjoy & perfectly paired with (human) survival
Check your cynicism at the door and become a connoisseur at H2O: Water Bar, a high concept watering hole. The interactive installation will be at Paddington Reservoir Gardens from 2-21 February 2016, a shimmering sculptural laboratory serving nothing but water, sourced from diverse regions around Australia.
(Lead image: Australian Life finalist Henrique Fanti, ‘Floatie’, 2015 [detail])
For more information visit the Art & About homepage. Check out Qantas flights to Sydney here.
