Power Plant at Chinese Garden | Sydney Festival 2011.

For three weeks each January, Sydney Festival offers an exciting program of approximately 80 events in the areas of dance, theatre, music and visual arts, across a whole range of different venues. In other words – it’s epic. There is so much to see and do with a rich and varied program which offers ‘something for everyone’, and it makes me feel so incredibly lucky to live in this glorious city. In other words – I heart Sydney Festival. A lot.

This year, Husband and I are going bit Sydney Festival crazy, with tickets to 8 different shows, and I have a feeling we won’t be stopping there either. Why would you – it is affordable (get the festival multipack y’all) and it’s SO MUCH FUN! And I don’t know about you, but I can NEVER have enough fun. Or inspiration. And you guys know how important I think it is to expose yourself to as many inspiring events as possible (see my earlier post On Inspiration And Honing Your Design Instincts). Most of the things we have seen/ will be seeing are not really bloggable (is that a word?) at least not on here. Having said that, what we saw on Sunday night was just so magical that I decided to share it with you guys. Yes, you know it – I’m talking about Power Plant at Chinese Garden.

Top – view across the pond towards ‘IGNIFER CONSPIRO’ – Pyrophones, by Mark Anderson, with Darling Harbour ferris wheel in the background.  Bottom – view back towards the same installation.

Top – outside ‘LAMENTOR CARMEN’ – Siren Song, by Mark Anderson. Seriously bizarre sounds within this room, and a super weird looking dude running the whole thing. Bottom left – ‘WABI SABI’ by Ulf Pedersen. A stunning barely-there installation of layered organza (I think) with laser lighting projection. Impossible to photograph without a tripod. Bottom right – random pretty bamboo with green coloured lighting.

Top & bottom left – ‘SUSPIRIA DE PROFUNDIS’ – Sighs from the Depths by Kirsten Reynolds. Man, this was so trippy. Random disco balls were casting fragments of light onto nearby trees. Vintage gramophones were playing some bizarre tunes and the whole things was just cool and completely weird. Bottom right – ‘NOKIA PUJA’ by Jony Easterby. Little metal dishes with attached magnets were making synchronised noises of sorts.

Power Plant is a collaboration between five visual and sound artists – Mark Anderson, Anne Bean, Jony Easterby, Kirsten Reynolds and Ulf Pedersen. This event is a series of site specific installations which animate, illuminate and transform the tranquil nature of Chinese Garden. There you will see coloured flickering lighting synchronised with eccentric and often bizarre sounds, projections of varying scales and complexities, disco balls, old gramophones, fiery explosions on water, illuminated spinning objects and sparkling flowerbeds, lit-up dresses and vintage lamp installations, possessed Chinese temple (I’m sure the temple wasn’t actually possessed or even titled as such, but I could have sworn…) At times I felt a little bit like Alice, walking through a dream mesmerised by this secret, magical and bizarre nocturnal world.

My favourite! One of them anyway. Top and bottom left – ‘EFFLORESCE’ – Bloom by Anne Bean. Absolutely stunning installation of vintage women’s dresses light from within. Bottom right – ‘NOCTILUCES’ – Night Flying Moths by Anne Bean.

My other favourite! Top – ‘FLORIS FLUCTUATION’ – Kinetic Flowers by Mark Alderson. ‘REPERCUSSUS’ – Reflection by Kirsten Reynolds. A truly stunning installation of flickering flowers and LED lit gramophone. Bizarre magic. Bottom – ‘NOCTILUCES’ – Night Flying Moths by Anne Bean.

Both images – ‘INGENIUM PROPAGO’ – Power Plant by Mark Alderson. This was SO COOL! I know it’s the title of the whole event, but I think that a more fitting title would have been ‘Possessed Temple’. Go see it and let me know what you think. Bottom images was of the light beam which was coming through the trees with crazy artificial fog which made it all super trippy. Sweet.

Anyway, none of my words or any of the images taken by Husband (without a tripod!) will prepare you for this event. I’m hoping that this post will encourage some of you to go see it while you still have the chance. And for people out of Sydney – I hope you guys come and visit one year during January. Sydney really is THE place to be during this time. So much amazingness everywhere.

And yes – tickets are still available. Go on. Do it.

Ok, one more favourite and I’m done. ‘EX MEMORIA’ – From Memory by Kirsten Reynolds. A divine installation of scattered vintage light shades with flickering lights. A real Alice in Wonderland moment.

Top – ‘AGLOMERO SALICTARIUS’ – Wind in the Willows by Ulf Pedersen. Projections outside Chinese Garden walls. Bottom left – ‘ TELLUS AEGIS’ – Earthing & Protection by Mark Anderson. Bottom right – ‘IGNIFER CONSPIRO’ – Pyrophones, by Mark Anderson.

Top – ‘IGNIFER CONSPIRO’ – Pyrophones, by Mark Anderson was a visual and audio feast. It’s not often you can see synchronised dance of fire on water, all done with a baking rhythm of percussions. Bottom – obligatory bamboo and lantern shot. Were we at the Chinese Garden or what? Enough said.

[Top 4 images via Sydney Festival website. All other images by Nick Hughes for yellowtrace. Hooray for Husband for such ace quality hand-held shots in the dark. Skills.]