Vivid Sydney 2023 starts in two and a half weeks and this year there are two exciting installations from France for you to enjoy. The artists behind these installations have been exhibited around the world in Tokyo, Singapore, Madrid, Paris, and now we get to see them in Sydney!
Pick up a brush, stamp or spray, and make your mark with Waterlight Graffiti – no paint required! Inspired by the practice of ‘dishu’ in China, where artists paint ephemeral but elaborate water calligraphies on the ground that evaporate and disappear completely, Antonin Fourneau created a new technology, a moisture-responsive LED board.
Part dishu, part ‘Etch A Sketch’, Waterlight Graffiti is a large electronic blackboard that you can ‘paint’ with water, each stroke immediately transforming into light. Unleash your inner artist, or just have a scribble – whatever your creation, it’ll shine bright for minutes, before it fades to make way for a new ‘layer’ of graffiti.
ARTIST BIO: Antonin Fourneau is a digital artist based in Marseille, France who creates interactive art that plays with popular culture, games, ancient practices, and new technology. After first creating Waterlight Graffiti in 2012, which uses patented technology to create a moisture-responsive LED board, he continues to build innovative ways to provoke intrirgue and suspense. Antonin has had residencies across institutions in Tokyo, Madrid, Paris and Auckland, exhibitions and installations across the globe, and currently teaches digital design at French game and interactive design school ENJMIN.
All aboard Voiture 21, where there’s no ticket needed to travel Australia and the world. Dreamlike landscapes flicker by, projected on the walls of the abandoned tunnel at the end of The Goods Line. All of the footage is taken from the artist’s own travels with new footage filmed in Sydney and the Blue Mountains and surrounds, encouraging us to think about our own travels and where we’re travelling to. But for now, with no destination, simply take in the view and daydream as you speed past busy cities, empty beaches, snowy mountains and more.
ARTIST BIO: Milosh Luczynski is a French visual artist and performer based in Paris. A pioneer of Vjing in the mid 90s, he has collaborated with countless electronic musicians, composers, poets and media artists, and has performed and displayed his works across the globe, exhibiting at the likes of the Palais de Tokyo, Kunsthause Baselland, Museum of Modern Art Warsaw, National Gallery Singapore and more.
KEY INFO FOR VIVID SYDNEY 2023
WHAT: Vivid Sydney 2023
WHERE: various locations in Sydney
WHEN: 26 May to 17 June 2023
HOW: No need to book tickets for these events but some Vivid Sydney events are ticketed and their tickets can be purchased via the Vivid Sydney website
HOW MUCH: These two events are free!
What’s been your favourite Vivid Sydney experience?
For more events with links to France and the Francophonie happening in Australia, check out our What’s on in May article.
