Vivid, the word, is enough to convey the essence of the Vivid festival, Sydney.

Bright. Realistic. Colourful. Strong. Interesting.

It was started in 2009 by lighting designer Mary-Anne Kyriakou and Brian Eno in collaboration with Bruce Ramus. Back then it was called Smart light festival. It’s been 8 years and this annual light festival is attracting more visitors every year. The event is not just grand scale light projection, it transforms Sydney into a beautiful canvas displaying lighting sculptures, installations and ideas. It’s a platform for talks, creative debates and music programs.

Lighting the Sails ‘Songlines’

I was at the Opera House the day Vivid 2016 started and I was enthralled by the projection. I didn’t click a single picture on that day. It was too beautiful to take my eyes off. I had to come back to click and I did.

Songlines was about celebrating the culture through patterns of sharing, interconnected history lines and trade routes. The patterns and the painting were beautiful and mesmerising.

Artists: This year’s Vivid projected Australian indigenous art featuring works from Karla Dickens, Djon Mundine, Gabriella Possum Nungurrayi, Reko Rennie, Donny Woolagoodja, and the late Gulumbu Yunupingu.

Synthesis

It was another interesting projection on heritage listed Moreton Bay Fig Tree in the Royal Botanic Garden. Synthesis was about recognising the important roles of organisms in ecosystems. The projection was on timber and ground. It created ripples and finally moving like snake.

Artist: Ample Projects

Cathedral Of Light

It was at the entrance of the Royal Botanic Garden. The tunnel reminds of traditional architecture of churches. The tunnel was lit by thousands of LED lights. Walking through the tunnel was like walking under a beautiful and warm blanket. It was inspired from the idea of walking out from the darkness.

Artist: Mandylights (Richard Neville (United Kingdom))

Vastitude

This was one of my favourite installation. As the name suggests, the idea revolves around the concept of ‘vastness’. It hosts a complex 3D grid of LED lights. It’s a representation of the vastness of space, the endless variation of cultural expression and the ready availability of vast data resources.

Artists: Cox Richardson Architects and Planners

Horizon

The installation was against a limestone wall and it was presented as a painting of an arid central-desert landscape. The installation gave the illusion of a sky which changes colour from deep orange to dark blue during the day.

Artists: Indermühle + Indermühle

Reference: Some of the information about the installations was taken from http://www.vividsydney.com/