Vivid Sydney 2017

I have spent the past two evenings wandering around the Sydney CBD to check out as many of the light projections and installations as possible on display from 6:00 - 11:00 pm as part of Vivid Sydney. My first stop was Martin Place, which had the Urban Tree 2.0 projections on the CTA Building, and the pieces Waratah and re/FRACTION at the opposite end of the pedestrian mall.

Down towards Circular Quay were a few interesting pieces, including the different angles of the piece Helix, the umbrellas of Supernova and Under My Umbrella, and the hanging lights of Parallax.

The Rocks and along the waterfront were where I was able to catch the bulk of the light projections and installations. The highlight was the Organic Vibrations projections on the facade of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, which were spectacular.

Other interesting installations in The Rocks and Campbell's Cove precincts were the light columns of Connections, the different environments viewed through Portholes, the light sculpture of Fractal, and Landscape of the Mind, which explored people's experiences with anxiety on a series of body maps.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge and buildings along the waterfront had different colored lights. The southern pylon of the Bridge also had projections of the Bangarra Dance Theatre as part of the piece EORA - Bennelong.

Of course the main draw of Vivid Sydney is the projections on the Sydney Opera House. Lighting of the Sails: Audio Creatures had a focus on sea creatures and animals this year.

The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney was my final stop and contained many of the sculptural elements at Vivid Sydney this year. There was a set path through parts of the Garden, with some of my favorite pieces being the moving The Sunflowers, the kiwi Birds of Lumos, the dandelions of SPREADING LIFE, and the Reflection light boxes.

The trees in the Garden were also lit and contained some interesting objects as part of the Electric Forest, and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music had some colorful light projections as you exited the Garden.

Overall there were some really great pieces at Vivid Sydney, but I don't think it compares as a whole to the all encompassing amazing experience that is White Night Melbourne.

Fleet Foxes - Vivid LIVE Sydney

Tonight Tash and I headed to the Sydney Opera House for the second of four shows by Fleet Foxes as part of Vivid LIVE. As these were their only shows in Australia for 2017, I was really excited to be able to get tickets to attend.

It's been five years since we last saw them play live. The set list featured many songs from their upcoming album Crack-Up, which is due to be released in mid-June. I always enjoy the opportunity to get to preview songs live before an album is released, and these tracks show the progression of the band from their previous two albums.

Watching Fleet Foxes recreate these intricate songs live is an amazing experience as band members switch instruments not only between songs but during them. They were also supported at points throughout the set by a string quartet and some horn players. It was great to hear some old favorites played, including "Grown Ocean," "White Winter Hymnal," "Ragged Wood," "Your Protector," "He Doesn't Know Why," "Mykonos" and "The Shrine / An Argument."

For the encore Robin Pecknold did a stunning version of "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" solo on acoustic guitar. We also got to hear "Blue Ridge Mountains" and were treated to a cover of the Bee Gees' "In The Morning." During the concert someone shouted out what sounded like "I have the same tattoo" but it turned out to be a request for "Helplessness Blues," which ended up being the last song they played this evening. It was such a fantastic show and the band earned the standing ovation they received at the end.

Here's the lyric video for the first single off Crack-Up, "Third of May / Odaigahara"

Vivid Sydney 2017 - Taronga Zoo

Tonight was the kick off of Vivid Sydney for 2017, the 23 day festival of light, music and ideas. This is my first time attending Vivid, and tonight I took the ferry out to Taronga Zoo for Lights for the Wild. When you arrive there are some fantastic light projections on the heritage building at the entrance to the zoo.

Inside the light walk takes about an hour and half as you wander around the zoo on a marked path past these amazing giant animal light sculptures. They are split between ten legacy species lanterns in honor of Taronga Zoo's centenary conservation commitment, as well as feature lanterns of a variety of different animals and creatures.

I cannot recommend checking out Lights of the Wild enough - this alone made the trip up to Sydney this weekend worth it.

Eurovision 2017

I was up very early this morning to catch the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which was held in Kiev (or Kyiv), Ukraine this year. Going with the theme "celebrate diversity" it was interesting that they decided to have three white males as the hosts. However, they did grow on me over the three days of the competition, and did a hilarious sketch with Mans Zelmerlow about learning how to be the perfect Eurovision host:


This year's contest didn't really have any songs that totally bowled me over like in previous years. I did really like the winning song from Portugal, Salvador Sobral's "Amar Pelos Dois" (written by his sister Luisa). It was a delicate, quiet performance that packed an emotional punch with a song that reminded me a bit of Antonio Carlos Jobim.


My favorite song for this year was Blanche (Belgium) with "City Lights." She may not be that animated a performer, but the song stands on its own.


I also liked Lucie Jones (United Kingdom) with the ballad "Never Give Up On You," which had the best staging of any song in the competition.


Australia was back once again this year with two contestants - Isaiah Firebrace as Australia's official entry with "Don't Come Easy," and Anja Nissen who sang for Denmark with "Where I Am."