Tonight marks the 3rd annual White Nights Festival in Melbourne. It is an all-night arts festival which runs a full-on 24 hours from 7.00 p.m. Saturday February 21, 2015 until 7.00 a.m. on Sunday, 22 February, 2015. Since its inception 2 years ago it has grown in content and support and organizers are expecting an even bigger crowd than last years 500,000+ attendees. This year’s offerings boast over 90 free cultural events and activities over the 12-hour duration.
It was only three years ago that the first White Nights festival was held in 2012 in the “City of Lights” – Paris. Since its inception, 20 cities have hosted similar festivals from Toronto to Bogota.
This year Queensland-based artist, Craig Walsh returns with a promised greater projectioned exhibition than last year. Walsh is an internationally acclaimed projection artist who creates haunting synergies between humans and natural environments. Last years “Monuments” installation (see above) provided five moving images of human faces which transformed the trees that lined the Yarra River precinct close to Birrarung Marr into a facade where faces would look and blink their eyes at you, whilst you watched them.
Like the previous two years of White Nights celebrations; as darkness falls tonight, the projectioned images along Flinders Street will burst into life, turning familiar edifices into a carnivalesque facade which will entrance one and all. This year, these works will be extended into other areas over Melbourne’s central street precincts.
After last years success outside the National Gallery of Victoria, where depictions of body art were projected on the front wall of the gallery (see banner above), this year will include animated stick figures who appear to dance and move to music as if they are standing in the moat outside the front of the gallery.
Another special moment will be re-enacted within the stunning domed area inside the State Library of Victoria, which will pay homage to Lewis Carroll’s 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland; and speaking of this… it reminds me to get myself gone:
“Fore I am late, I am late, for a very important date. I’m late!
I’m late!
For a very important date!
No time to say “Hello”, goodbye!
I’m late!
I’m late!”
- Events such as this are testament to a new wave of evolving Performing Art which reaches and stretches previous known boundaries.
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