Vivid Sydney to Take Place 25 May - 11 June 2012

Vivid Sydney is back for its fourth year, with a program that according to Destination NSW will transform the city at night into a colourful canvas of light, music and ideas.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment, Andrew Stoner confirmed this week that the festival’s lighting centrepiece, the lighting of the Sydney Opera House sails would be designed by German light collective, URBANSCREEN.

Mr Stoner joined this year’s three Festival Directors at Sydney Opera House to announce the Vivid Sydney 2012 program. Anthony Bastic presented the Vivid Light selections. Fergus Linehan unveiled the Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House music line-up and Jess Scully outlined an 18 day and night Vivid Ideas program.

“As the major investor in the festival, the NSW Government is committed to supporting and growing Vivid Sydney, an event that has been truly embraced by Sydneysiders and visitors alike. Last year Vivid Sydney attracted more than 400,000 people and in 2012 we expect up to 500,000 people will attend the festival from the 25 May - 11 June. Destination NSW estimates Vivid Sydney 2012 will inject more than $10 million in new money for the State,” he said.

Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase said Vivid Sydney, developed by Destination NSW, has become an international success story.

“As the largest annual festival of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, Vivid showcases Sydney as the creative industries hub of the Asia Pacific. Vivid Sydney was recently ranked as one of the world’s top ten ideas festivals by the influential Guardian newspaper in the UK; being named alongside SXSW and TedX is a major endorsement of the festival. Images of the illuminated Sydney Opera House sails have been seen by tens of millions of people across the globe, in all of our key tourism markets. Last year 45,000 interstate and overseas visitors attended Vivid Sydney,” she said.

Vivid Sydney Creative Advisor, Ignatius Jones said once again audiences would be wowed by a world-class festival program where the best, brightest and most innovative talent in the creative industries from both here and overseas come and play with light, music and ideas that will dazzle and amaze.

The festival includes free and ticketed events around Circular Quay, The Rocks, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Sydney Opera House.

The hugely popular Vivid lights will be switched on every night of the festival from 6.00pm to midnight in a free lighting display around The Rocks and Circular Quay, featuring 50 interactive and immersive light art sculptures, illuminated skyscrapers and large scale 3D mapping projections on the Sydney Opera House, Museum of Contemporary Art and Customs House.

Vivid Light Festival Director, Anthony Bastic has selected light art works from around the globe including France, Poland, Hong Kong, Scotland, USA, Brazil, Singapore and New Zealand. Australians feature from Sydney, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and regional NSW from Wagga Wagga, Goulburn, Maitland and Newcastle.

Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House will feature a line-up of local and international artists hand selected by Festival Director, Fergus Linehan. Cutting edge, German projection artists, URBANSCREEN, have been invited to weave their creative magic across Sydney Opera House in the festival favourite, ‘Lighting the Sails’.

The line-up of local and international artists, includes opening night act – the critically acclaimed English artist Florence + The Machine who will perform with the Ceremonial Orchestra taking over the Concert Hall.

The YEAH YEAH YEAHs front woman Karen O will present her ‘Psycho Opera’ STOP THE VIRGENS; R&B superstar Janelle Monáe will make her long awaited Australian debut with ‘The ArchAndroid Orchestra’; and some of New York’s finest creative minds Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly and Sufjian Stevens will collaborate on a special commission for Vivid LIVE.

This year’s festival has more than doubled the creative industry events with over 100 specialist and collaborative events in the Vivid Ideas program curated by Festival Director, Jess Scully.

“Vivid Ideas will attract global industry leaders alongside emerging talents, coming together over an 18 day program of discussion, debate and workshops at the new Vivid Ideas Exchange located at the Museum of Contemporary Art,” said Mr Jones.

Highlights from the Vivid Ideas program include a partnership with the Sydney Film Festival, keynote talks from Chad Dickerson, CEO of Etsy and UK fashion talent, Henry Holland, to House of Holland and creative industry conferences X Media Lab, Song Summit, Mumbrella360 and CeBIT Australia.

Mr Stoner said I strongly encourage Sydneysiders and visitors to step out during Sydney’s mild winter and experience Vivid Sydney 2012.

“Vivid Sydney has a record number of creative industry events and we invite creative practitioners from across Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific to come to Sydney to share ideas from around the world,” he said.

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