Winter is coming. But the warmth brought by the good feelings that we get as we see the lighted skies during this season will not be there - making winter a lot colder.
Last March 15, following the recommendation of the Federal Government and health authorities to limit non-essential organised gatherings to less than 500 people to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus, VIVID 2020 – Sydney’s iconic festival, was declared canceled – the first time in 10 years after its launch in 2009.
VIVID is NSW’s annual festival of light, music and ideas, held in Sydney. It includes outdoor immersive light installations and projections, performances by local and international musicians, and an ideas exchange forum featuring public talks and debates with leading creative thinkers. Last year it boasted a record high of 2.65 million attendees generating $172 million for NSW.
Ignatius Jones (Member of the Order of Australia), the event’s former Festival Creative Director, said, “Obviously, I was very disappointed that VIVID has to be canceled. 2019 was the most successful year in VIVID’s history and under my direction became the most successful event in Australian history.”
Jones, a Filipino-Australian event director, who has overseen the event’s creative requirements making VIVID Sydney the most iconic and noteworthy Australian event that it is today. He has left his post after 10 years to focus on personal matters after suffering back injuries from a recent accident. He, however, is still connected to the event as a consultant.
This milestone event is the main reason why people get to go around the city despite the freezing cold and the shivering winds of winter. The state-of-the-art video mapping images projected on the roof of the Sydney Opera House is both breathtaking and thought-provoking. It breaks conventional thinking that makes this milestone event a hub for young minds, visual artists and freethinkers as well as thousands of awestruck tourists.
Aside from the Opera House, VIVID Sydney features several participating landmarks including the Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Botanical Garden, The Rocks, The Star, Carriageworks and Taronga Zoo. One of my favourite walks is along The Rocks which provide not just amazing interactive light installations but also engaging projections.
VIVID Sydney is also the home of VIVID Live! – the yearly convergence of musical talent that featured awesome artists like The Cure, Florence + the Machine, Kraftwerk, Morrissey, Lauryn Hill, and St. Vincent.
And though there are signs that lockdown laws are slowly easing up, VIVID Sydney originally set to fun from the 22ndof May to the 13th of June has already forgone much of its needed preparation time. This means a major dip in the state income of NSW wtih the loss of tourism and the loss of many jobs a lot of people are looking forward to this season.
Sadly, we all have to wait and hopefully see great comeback after this global pandemic. The Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres, says, ”It’s been an incredibly tough time for the tourism industry and this is yet another body blow, but NSW will bounce back and VIVID Sydney will shine brighter than ever in 2021.”
---------
*all photos courtesy of https://www.australia.com/en/events/arts-culture-and-music/vivid-sydney.html