Sure Vivid Sydney has been seen as a great celebration of music and light, but many fascinating talks are to take place over the next few weeks of the festival as well. Many topics in this year’s festival have a focus on tackling difficult ideas with creative solutions. With this in mind, we have decided here to pick eight of the best ones for you to go see and stimulate your brain creatively during Sydney’s Vivid season.
Factory Design District
3—5 June at the Commune Makers Space, 901 Bourke St, Waterloo
Check out a whole bunch of innovative design and pick up something to buy as well for your own creative project. The event includes conversations, marketplaces and dining from the best vendors in Sydney right now. More info here or here.
Media Architecture Biennale
1–4 June at various venues across Sydney.
Taking place outside Europe for the first time, this Biennale explores how cutting-edge design and art can lead to exciting, liveable city environments. The four-day event includes a conference, series of exhibitions, symposia, workshops and an award ceremony. There will be keynotes from Ethan Kent, who is known to work with placemaking organisations to improve public spaces, as well as co-ordinator Matt Jones who oversees Federation Square’s event program. More info here.
Soul Safari
4–5 June at The School, 85 Dunning Ave, Rosebery
Soul Safari is the vision of an Australian born high flying New Yorker who has turned her back on the corporate world and is on a mission to celebrate all things handmade and creative. Soul Safari is a mini festival showcasing some of the best creative minds in the country featuring Sasha Titchkosky and Sibella Court and the iconic Ken Done. Vanessa Holden, who has had a diverse career in design and publishing and also the visionary of Soul Safari and will also speak at the event. More info here or here.
Do Good, Be Good
3 June at the York Theatre, Seymour Centre, Sydney, all day
Can art be socially revolutionised? How can creative expression make a message powerful enough to evoke positive change? Artists Steve Lambert (pictured), founder of the Centre For Artistic Activism, Natalie Jeremijenko, alongside many other academics, cultural programmers, activists and artists focused on strategies for social change. More info here or here.
Killer Clothes – How To Navigate The Ethics Of Fashion
4 June at the Museum of Contemporary Art, The Rocks, midday
This provocative discussion will take a look at the many human rights violations that occur within the fashion industry among other issues that trouble consumers and makers of our clothes. Speakers for the event include ethicist Sascha Callaghan (pictured), renowned Australian designer Celeste Tesoriero, General Manager of Patagonia Australia, Dane O’Shanassy, and Brand Manager of Cue, Kate Bielenberg. More info here.
Etsy Sydney Made Market
4 June at Pier 2/3, Walsh Bay, all day
The first of its kind ever presented in Sydney, as the title of the event says, this is one giant Etsy market celebrating all things handmade. A chance to discover meaningful art, homewares and gifts and interacting with the makers and curators who are the heart and soul of etsy.com. There’ll also be a silent disco just to throw a spanner in the works. Speakers include Helen Souness – Managing Director and Sydney Designers. More info here.
Art Is Our Artillery To Defend Human Rights
4 June at Museum of Contemporary Art, The Rocks, 3pm
Amnesty International Australia’s Indigenous Rights campaigner Roxanne Moore (pictured), will discuss creative strategies to undertake action for beliefs that we stand for, more particularly human rights. Roxanne will particularly look at the the possibilities to engage Indigenous communities creatively, communicating their rights. More info here.
The Ethics of Representation in Media, Arts & Advertising
8 June at the Ethics Centre, Level 1, Legion House, 161 Castlereagh St, Sydney, 6:30pm
Can media, advertising and the arts straddle the fine line that is the corporate and social expectations? Can artists present a performance that doesn’t reflect the views of the audience that it plays to? Speakers include General Manager of Bauer, Marina Go, Executive Producer of ABC’s QandA Peter McEvoy (pictured), and Director of MCA Takes, Liz Ann Macgregor. More info here.
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