- Argyle Cut in The Rocks returns with Pixar Animation Studios
- Campbells Cove and Hickson Road Reserve rejoin light walk
- Game Changers Spike Lee and Esther Perel headline Vivid Ideas plus The Cure, 
Rufus Du Sol, FKA Twigs & Underworld rock Vivid Music
- 2019 program announcement video content and images are available at: 
www.vividsydney.com/media-centre 

Vivid Sydney, the largest festival of light, music and ideas in the Southern 
Hemisphere, will ignite the Harbour City this winter from Friday 24 May to 
Saturday 15 June 2019 as it enters a new decade of innovation and creativity 
with an inspiring and star-studded program of events.

Video - https://cdn4.prnasia.com/002071/mnr/video/20190319DNSW.mp4 
(Vivid Sydney 2019 Highlights)
Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190319/2407120-1-a 
(Vivid Sydney, Austral Floral Ballet, Andrew Thoma Huang & Bemo)
Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190319/2407120-1-b
(Regal Peacock, Vivid Sydney 2019)

Destination NSW CEO and Executive Producer - Vivid Sydney, Sandra Chipchase 
said, "Australia's most loved and awarded festival, now in its eleventh year, 
will bring together light artists, music makers and brilliant minds to showcase 
Sydney as the creative industries hub of the Asia-Pacific.

"This year's Vivid Sydney program is bold, exciting and diverse, offering 
something for everyone so I encourage those who want to experience this 
unmissable event to start planning their trip now."

Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW, the NSW 
Government's tourism and major events agency, and in 2018 attracted 2.25 
million attendees, delivering $172.9 million in visitor expenditure into the 
NSW economy.

"I am proud to say our marketing activities saw a record 185,887 travel 
packages sold to domestic and international visitors for Vivid 2018 - an 
increase of 37 per cent over the previous year. Vivid Sydney is a must-attend 
event for travellers and motivates people to visit Sydney and beyond," Ms 
Chipchase said.

"It doesn't matter your age or interests, whether it is your first time to 
Sydney or if you are a local - Vivid Sydney has universal appeal. The Vivid 
Sydney 2019 program offers inclusive and accessible installations, events and 
experiences that you can enjoy for one evening or over 23 nights."

Ms Chipchase also announced the inaugural Vivid School for High School students 
in years 9-12 to assist students to learn more about the creative processes 
involved in imagining, designing and delivering light-based artworks for this 
huge global event.

"This initiative will enable students and their teachers to meet the 
professionals behind Vivid Sydney's iconic building projections and light walk 
installations, and to hear from artists, designers and technicians about their 
career paths and how they harnessed opportunities to build their skills for 
future projects and employment," Ms Chipchase said.

VIVID LIGHT

This year's Light Walk sees over 50 radiant works curated into the largest 
outdoor gallery of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, stretching for more 
than three kilometres.

In a partnership first, Academy-Award winning Pixar Animation Studios will 
illuminate Sydney's heritage-listed Argyle Cut in The Rocks with a creative 
light projection that will delight visitors of all ages as they are transported 
through a visual feast of behind-the-scenes artwork and the evolution of iconic 
animation. The return of the Argyle Cut to the Vivid Light program will be a 
huge drawcard for festival goers featuring the captivating characters of Pixar 
films, including the beloved duo of Woody and Buzz Lightyear.

For this year's eagerly anticipated Lighting of the Sails, Los Angeles-based 
Chinese American artist-filmmaker Andrew Thomas Huang presents Austral Flora 
Ballet. This hypnotic tribute to Australia's exquisite native plants and 
flowers incorporates a dancer's movements in response to the sensuous arcs of 
the Sydney Opera House's silhouette.

Visitors can once again weave their way through the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney 
for close encounters with illuminated artworks that reflect and refract both 
light and nature. Glowing, darting, hovering above the ground, Firefly Field is 
a mesmerising installation of 500 flying light points that simulate the aerial 
ballet of these tiny nocturnal lampyridae.

Viewers are encouraged to look beyond the night sky and wonder what secrets lie 
beyond the stars through KA3323, a retro-futuristic satellite dish overgrown 
with alien plant matter that has mysteriously landed in the Botanic Garden. 
While at I Hear You (But Do You Hear Me?), an array of LED light poles 
generates a space between two people with their voices starting a conversation 
of light and sound, questioning inequality in the digital era.

Across the Quay, the imposing art-deco facade of the Museum of Contemporary Art 
Australia will be transformed by award-winning Australian-Columbian artist 
Claudia Nicholson who, together with light veterans Spinifex Group, reimagine 
her vibrant artworks into Let Me Down, an animated cycle of creation, 
destruction and regeneration underscored by the cool and contemporary sounds of 
Lonelyspeck.

Next door, in addition to an incredible experience at Foundation Hall, Samsung 
Electronics Australia will create a once in a lifetime experience at First 
Fleet Park using some of the most exciting features of the Galaxy S10 to 
reimagine how you see Vivid Sydney.

Watch your chips! in The Rocks examines the collective behaviour of birds, 
mimicking the way gulls sometimes harass humans for food scraps while Nostalgia 
Above connects the romance of nature to data-driven climate technology, 
creating a virtual barometer that forecasts rain and thunderstorms, clear or 
gloomy skies.

Campbells Cove is back with Ballerina, an eternal dance solo that shimmers 
along the harbour's edge as if in a dream, while Let it Snow makes it seem that 
giant snowflakes have landed at Hickson Road Reserve offering great views from 
the water.

Celebrating the International Year of Indigenous Languages, the southern pylon 
of Sydney Harbour Bridge is set to come to life with Eora: Broken Spear curated 
by Rhoda Roberts AO with projection design by The Electric Canvas. This 
powerful work reminds us to reflect, to call country, to read country and 
listen to country.

The facade of Customs House is once again transformed to become an aquatic 
wonderland in Under the Harbour by Spinifex Group, sure to delight children and 
adults alike. The watery world with neon sea creatures, botanical wonderlands, 
and unclassified oddities will provide a playful and exquisite escape into an 
extraordinary underwater fantasy certain to inspire audiences and deepen the 
appreciation of Sydney's aquatic haven.

VIVID SYDNEY PRECINCTS

Popular precincts Taronga Zoo, Darling Harbour, Chatswood, Barangaroo and Luna 
Park also light up in 2019.

On the north shore, festival favourite Taronga Zoo's Lights for the Wild adds 
to its illuminated trail of interactive lanterns featuring endangered species. 
Joining the star-spangled Asian Elephant, a family of glowing Silverback 
Gorillas, the iridescent Marine Turtle and the Weedy Sea Dragon, is the 
Sumatran Tiger Cubs marking the birth of three new tiger cubs and highlighting 
the Zoo's commitment to conservation.

In its second year, the ever-grinning Luna Park Sydney dazzles again after 
dark. This year adrenaline seekers can get airborne in the new family thriller 
Volare studded with thousands of LED lights which perfectly complements the 
light-laced iconic Ferris Wheel.

Vivid Sydney at Chatswood, a family favourite, is set to radiate with peace and 
harmony. The Concourse will shine with Co-existence, a large-scale projection 
work by Hungarian artist collective Limelight while music fans can catch shows 
by Vince Jones and Lisa Fischer as well as performances by the Willoughby 
Symphony Orchestra. Vivid Ideas weighs in with a festival/conference for girl 
gamers and free sessions on clean beauty, fit-tech and wellness.

Barangaroo offers a feast for the senses with Exchange Place set to become a 
wondrous Winter Camp each night with the glowing six-metre tall spirit Marri 
Dyin (Great Woman) visiting Thursdays to Sundays. Visitors are invited to join 
her to hunt and gather through illuminated bushlands and enjoy light-inspired 
fare at all price-points from over 40 restaurants, bars and cafes.

At Darling Harbour, Robot SPACELand imagines a not-too-distant future where a 
new civilisation rises from our post-industrial debris. This is where you will 
get to meet mind-boggling electro-automotive super-bots that have been sent to 
sow the seeds of a brighter, greener tomorrow.

Vivid Sydney's inclusive playground Tumbalong Lights is back with the support 
of Access and Inclusion partner Cushman & Wakefield. Inspired by the next 
frontier, playSPACE will bring together super-scale installations that give 
intrepid explorers an opportunity to walk Under the Milky Sky, play with 
Spaceballs, and share different perspectives with See What I See. Low-sensory 
sessions will be catered for too.

VIVID IDEAS

Vivid Ideas brings to Sydney 23 days and nights of talks, hands-on workshops 
and industry-shaping forums delving into the meaning of love, loneliness and 
belonging in our fast-paced, ever-connected lives.

This year's Game Changers challenge assumptions on race and relationships. 
Hollywood trailblazer Spike Lee opens up about his personal politics, 
story-craft and tips for making movies that matter, while iconic 
psychotherapist and creator of the wildly popular podcast Where Should We 
Begin? Esther Perel investigates modern love in the digital age and looks at 
the ways relationships are being affected by technology.

The New Horizons series tunes into signals from the future. Highlights include 
Future of Sex researcher and podcast creator Bryony Cole charting the frontiers 
of sextech, Marc Fennell exploring loneliness and how and why many people in 
Japan feel overworked and undersexed, and Eileen Ormsby shines a chilling light 
into the dark underbelly of the web. Scientists and researchers from UTS, the 
ABC and CSIRO will also shed light on what's coming next in AI and ethics, 
space exploration and more.

In The Mark Colvin Conversation: Net Worth, Pulitzer prize winner author 
Sebastian Smee, psychologist Jocelyn Brewer and artist and author Holly Throsby 
look at the value of an 'inner life' and ask what price we'll pay for our 
constant digital distraction.

Vivid Art After Hours returns to the Art Galley of NSW for free Wednesday 
evenings that combine art activities, live music and talks by creative thinkers 
addressing issues of belonging - including comedian and 'bad Buddhist' Meshel 
Laurie, rapper, poet and author Omar Musa and artist Abdul Abdullah in 
conversation about cultural identity, and the team behind the hit ABC TV show 
You Can't Say That celebrating social diversity.

Citizens of the World workshops and other how-to sessions will unlock essential 
skills for living a more creative, better informed and fulfilled life and Semi 
Permanent returns with a jam-packed program of design goodness featuring vice 
president of design for Uber, Michael Gough and other luminaries.

The Vivid Ideas Exchange will once again reside on Level 6 at the Museum of 
Contemporary Art Australia with 23 days of stimulating talks and skill 
sharpening workshops including future-facing industry forums, deep-dive 
conferences, panels and showcases where we brighten up your perspectives and 
challenge your ideas.

VIVID MUSIC

Vivid Sydney spotlights the city's live music culture by both bringing in 
influential overseas acts and placing a firm focus on local talent, this year's 
line-up is set to impress.

Dynamic electronic act RUFUS DU SOL and genre-bending popstar FKA Twigs 
headline this year's Carriageworks program while the warehouse party of the 
year, Curve Ball curated by Fuzzy Events returns featuring Hayden James, Touch 
Sensitive and Mallrat.

The City Recital Hall presents four musically diverse highlights including 
Australian music legend Paul Kelly and leading Australian composer James Ledger 
performing thirteen new songs and soundscapes inspired by birds, pop-darling 
Kate Miller-Heidke, internationally acclaimed pianists ZOFO and Concertos on 
Fire.

Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House celebrates artists at the cutting edge of 
their genre and visionaries who create on their own terms. British alternative 
rock pioneers The Cure mark the 30th anniversary of their landmark album 
Disintegration with four sold-out Australian exclusive performances. Their 
compatriots, UK electronic titans Underworld are set to transform the Concert 
Hall into a euphoric dance floor with four exclusive shows, while rising 
American synth-pop star Maggie Rogers makes her Sydney Opera House debut 
bringing her singular fusion of melodic folk and percussive beats to showcase 
her incredible new record, Heard It in a Past Life. Acclaimed singer songwriter 
Sharon Van Etten also sails in for an electrifying one-night-only performance 
and legendary jazz ground-breaker Herbie Hancock's only Sydney show will be 
unmissable.

2019 marks X|Celerate's third big year and partnership between the City of 
Sydney and Destination NSW supporting the ongoing growth of Sydney's thriving 
music scene. 23 inner city venues including a hair salon, church and brewery 
showcase emerging grassroots acts across every imaginable genre, with acts like 
The Catholics, Set Mo, Carlotta and I Know Leopard, while Heaps Gay returns for 
the Qweens Ball at the Sydney Town Hall.

Vivid Art After Hours returns to the Art Gallery of NSW with the fused Vivid 
Ideas and Music program on Wednesday evenings. Catch Andrew Bukenya's Do the 
Spike Thing, OKENYO taking a sonic deep dive into the human condition and JZ 
Lunar Capsule presenting an Astronaut's Playlist celebrating the music of space 
travellers as imagined by the Apollo 11 astronauts 50 years ago.

VIVID SYDNEY SPONSORS

Vivid Sydney thanks its sponsors for their support of Vivid Sydney 2019.

American Express returns as partner for the third consecutive year with the 
American Express Lounge at Cruise Bar as well as supporting the Vivid Sydney 
Volunteer Program.

Samsung Electronics Australia and official energy partner TransGrid also return 
as partners with Pixar Animation Studios joining as partner for the first time.

Supporters include City of Sydney, Sydney Opera House, Technical Direction 
Company and 32 Hundred Lighting and ICC Sydney.

For the third year, Vivid Sydney's Access and Inclusion Partner is Cushman & 
Wakefield and the festival continues its sustainability partnership with the 
Banksia Foundation and Informed 365.

Vivid Sydney's collaborators include Art Gallery of NSW, Australian Museum, 
BEMO, Carriageworks, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Event 
Engineering, Kennards Hire, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, NSW National 
Parks & Wildlife Service, PropMill, Spinifex Group, State Library NSW.

The official charity party is the Royal Flying Doctor Service, South Eastern 
Section.

The full 2019 Vivid Sydney media kit, program announcement and high-res imagery 
including 2019 Vivid Sydney light renders and broadcast quality video footage 
of 2018 festival highlights, are available to download at 
www.vividsydney.com/media-centre.

Media Enquiries

Florence Rocca 
Destination NSW
M: +61-(0)-428-555-080
E: florence.rocca@dnsw.com.au  

SOURCE  Destination NSW