Category: Art

Art and About Sydney | Walking tour

September 22, 2014
by Arts Rocket
The Walking Neighbourhood is a concept that premiered in Brisbane in 2012 and involved children leading tours in their own neighbourhood – giving people a rare insight into the world of kids living in inner city suburbs.
 

Today we took The Walking Neighbourhood tour in Kings Cross that is running within the Art and About program. We all met in the Departure Lounge in the Rex Centre and selected which tour we wanted to take.  The departure lounge is an interactive waiting station where you can view the gallery of found items from previous tours, draw on the large map of Kings Cross, learn more out the tour guides and share what you love about Kings Cross. We all decided that the Underground Mystery tour was the one for us. (There were many other tours to choose from) Our tour guides Finn and Nick (aged 11) were confident and proud of their neighbourhood as they lead us around their underground hangouts.

The Walking Neighbourhood moves to Redfern next week. To  book tickets (free) or to get more information visit: Art and About Sydney.

Thanks Finn and Nick for sharing your world.

 

How to survive Vivid Sydney with your family

June 1, 2014
by Arts Rocket

Vivid Sydney

As we are heading up to the last weekend of Vivid expect more crowds and from experience – crowds and strollers do not work! The team at Vivid have given us some family tips to survive this event with your family (stroller optional).  Vivid is something every family should see and for more information on what is on offer visit http://www.vividsydney.com

  1. Go early in the week and early on!

Tuesday is set for fine weather and earlier in the week is less busy!  The crowds build at the weekend so we suggest you make your Vivid visit on a weeknight.

  1. Take an early mark: Martin Place now opens at 5.30pm every night!

Beat the rush and get to Vivid early – Martin Place opens at 5.30pm.  There’s The Urban Tree to mesmerise the littlies, as a tree grows out of the ground and up a building, complete with birds and bugs!

  1. Enjoy Vivid from one of the new precincts

There are newer Vivid precincts including Walsh Bay, North Sydney and Martin Place.  Head to one of these spots for installations, projections and much more!

  1. Leave the car at home and remember, ferries are very busy

There are an extra 3,500 bus and train services to help get families in and out of the city this year during Vivid, so families should plan their trip at www.vividsydney/transport

Ferries are also busy so bus and train are probably the way to go!

  1. Catch a show – a water show that is!

Darling Harbour is again transformed each hour from 6pm into a theatre of water with spectacular water displays, fountains, water jets and lasers. There are also fireworks displays during the week as well as weekends – Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7pm.

Mother Artist Network Forum

May 17, 2014
by Arts Rocket
Big KIds magazine
Our friends over at BIG Kids magazine will be at this months MCA Zine Fair on the 25 May to host the Mother Artist Network forum and launch Issue 6 Patterns of Pathways.
My date for the event will be  the very wonderful Wolfgang and Rose – hope to see you there!

“Artists and co-creators of BIG Kids Magazine Jo Pollitt and Lilly Blue will be hosting the first Mother Artist Network forum at the MCA. Joined by artists Emma Magenta and Emma Gale, the panel will explore the challenge and rich terrain of navigating motherhood with an ongoing professional art practice. The Mother Artist Network (MAN)) was launched in 2011 as a platform to provoke dialogue about creative practice and motherhood.”

This event is free but bookings are advised.
For more information and to book:  http://www.mca.com.au/events/mother-artist-forum/8772

Youth week – Block Party

March 31, 2014
by Arts Rocket

light_graffiti

From the team that changed how Sydneysiders interacted with The Australian Museum with Jurassic Lounge  are back with a youth event for the celebrations of Youth Week – Block Party. There’s a great buzz already surrounding the event that will be held at the Hyde Park Barracks.
Expect an interactive extravaganza.

For more information and to book tickets visit
http://whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/events/22552-block-party-hyde-park-barracks

Art Month Sydney 2014 | Youth program

February 17, 2014
by Arts Rocket

Art Month Sydney is always an exciting time for families to get around and explore art around the city with exhibitions, talks, tours and experiences. Gallery doors are thrown open with over 200 exhibitions and events in March allowing for many adventures to be had.

Here’s a few to get you started:

Art Play at the MCA – Hang out with Hiromi Tango’s beautiful interactive artwork Dance(2012)
For teens – Skate Deck Painting Workshop with artist Phil James
Your mind is exactly at that line –  Bright and bold Sol Lewitt
Express Yourself – Selected artworks by 2013 HSC Visual Arts students
Discover Sydney’s art neighbourhoods by bike

Art Month Sydney 2014
artmonthsydney.com.au

Cai Guo – Qiang | GOMA

February 1, 2014
by Arts Rocket

Over the last weekend of the school holidays my youngest son (10) and I went to Brisbane to spend time with family. One of the highlights was our time at the Gallery of Modern Art to visit their exhibition of artist, Cai Guo – Qiang.

We were very lucky to be the first in to see the exhibition that morning and walking into the room of Heritage 2013 featuring 99 animals from around the world drinking from a single watering hole was exhilarating.

A large Eucalyptus tree which was earmarked for clearing for an urban development (Eucalyptus 2013) sits patiently as visitors explore its colours, shapes and textures.  Children (and adults) are invited to sit and draw.
‘By placing a tree in a gallery space, Cai references the Chinese literati tradition in which artists and poets would commune with nature to gain their moral and spiritual bearings, and represent the landscape as a reflection of their experiences and values.’
Head On 2006 (inspired by Berlin’s turbulent history) allowed the children to walk amongst the pack of 99 wolves throwing themselves towards a large glass panel.

My son and his cousins (8 and 11) spent over an hour within Cai Guo – Qiang’s children’s project Lets Create an exhibition with a boy named Cai. They created explosion events, gunpowder drawings and built trees, boats and animals.

If you live in Brisbane do not miss this exciting exhibition and if you are interstate do whatever you can to visit.
Another must see when visiting the gallery is the  exhibition Everyday Magic which ‘focuses on how the every day – both material and situations – can be transformed into art’.
Gallery of Modern Art – Brisbane
until 11 May 2014
* Free admission for children 12 years and under

 

Sydney Festival 2014

January 6, 2014
by Arts Rocket
image: Joshua Morris

Ok – we have been busy so this is my first chance to go through the Sydney Festival 2014 program in detail.  The festival starts this week and is a great way to fill in the last few weeks of the school holidays.

There is a lot to choose from this year –  a wonderful selection of performances and activities for families – and if you still want more, it is also fun to beyond the family strand (especially if you have older children) to discover some interesting finds.

If you are a family of four – the festival also has family packages for some performances. For families on a budget these holidays but still want their children to be involved in the festival –  check out the free performances and activities on offer.

We love everything in the program, but we are looking into these performances:

Othello – The remix: My eldest son (15) would love it if this is how Shakespeare is taught in school.
Band of Magicians: Magic is extremely popular in our house at the moment with my youngest son (9) and this performance is number one on his list!
Ockham’s Razor: Looks absolutely amazing – Circus meets storytelling.
The Piper: Limited tickets to be involved and on stage of this intriguing retelling of The Pied Piper of Hamelin.  The Piper incorporates multimedia, puppetry and stagecraft.
Tom Thum: Beating the Habit: I caught Tom at TEDx Sydney in 2013. Kids of all ages will love Tom Thum.
Jazzamatazz!: Cabaret singer Ali McGregor does jazzy beats for kids.
Lao Qiang: Expand the music your children are listening to with ancient Rock’n’Roll from the East.

To  browse the full family program visit: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2014/Family/

re:make project

September 17, 2013
by Arts Rocket

remakeproject
I am working on a new project with Vanessa Berry. We have been rescuing discarded art works from the streets in our neighbourhoods. We will be matching 12 found art pieces with 12 emerging and established Sydney artists to give them a new life. The new artworks will be sold at an exhibition in early 2014 with funds raised to be used to develop an art workshop program at East Sydney High School.

You can find more about our project here: re:make and follow us on twitter and facebook.
You can also sign up to receive re:make updates and exhibition details

We will be revealing our found artworks and artists very soon.