Inner west to get own version of Vivid Sydney
THE inner west will hold its own version of Vivid called EDGE after plans to expand the festival west of the bridge were calculated by the council to cost anywhere from $850,000 to more than $1 million
Inner West
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THE inner west will hold its own version of Vivid after plans to expand the festival west of the bridge were calculated by the council to cost anywhere from $850,000 to more than $1 million.
Instead, Inner West Council will spend $600,000 on a program of street activations, light installations and live music to tap into the area’s wealth of creative talent. The new EDGE program is expected to become a major fixture on Sydney’s arts calendar and turn inner west into the city’s street art capital.
While the full program won’t be developed until creative communities are consulted from next month, some of the concepts include pairing experimental artists, installations and light projections along Iron Cove Bay and Canal Rd and adding new contemporary festivals to complement the Perfect Match and Open Studio Trail programs.
The Sydenham and Marrickville precincts would be enlivened with light and window installations, street art and live music.
High rise buildings like the Ashfield Town Centre could host projections of local histories and contemporary cultures.
Council staff claim a $500,000 to $800,000 “financial commitment” was required to participate in Vivid on top of event management and other “in- kind” costs of at least $350,000 to stage the festival in a single location.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne and Cr Anna York, who moved the proposal to create EDGE, said the program would harness the community’s creativity and allow emerging artists to showcase their work with an innovative program.
“We can create something that really captures the spirit of the inner west for half the cost the Government wants to squeeze out of ratepayers,” Cr Byrne said.
A Destination NSW spokeswoman said the Government does not charge councils any fees to be part of Vivid Sydney.
“However, clearly there are associated costs for third parties wanting to be involved in the festival,” she said.
“Destination NSW outlined the estimated costs to the Inner West Council from a creative, event management and financial perspective, including costs such as traffic management fees, security costs, risk assessment fees, artist and creative fees, marketing costs and of course insurance.”
She assured no Vivid events would be cancelled due to EDGE.
“In 2018, the Vivid Music program will include performances from international artists such as Knower at the Factory Theatre in Marrickville; a celebration of the music in Baz Luhrman’s film Romeo & Juliet at the Enmore Theatre and a performance from one of Australia’s most exciting breakthrough artists, Vera Blue who will also perform at the Enmore Theatre to a sold-out crowd.”
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Painter and Kid/Dub performer Alexandra Plim welcomed EDGE.
“Anything that makes our small villages more of a destination and beautifies our surrounds is great,” she said.
“Marrickville and the inner west really is the hub of creativity in Sydney,” she said.
“The inner west has such a broad community of artists and graphic designers, creatives and music types — it’s such a great hub to tap into.”
Kid/Dub, a time travelling dance party for kids, will be at the Factory Theatre on Saturday, April 28.