BEAMS Arts Festival | Back with a bang
Setting the streets of Chippendale a glow, the BEAMS Arts Festival returns for one night only this September.
A free community event, BEAMS Arts Festival is unique in its arrangement. With the casual vibe of a block party, the combination of live music and unique local eateries integrated amongst contemporary art results in an immersive experience of all things creative.
Phenomena sets the theme for this year’s eclectic site – expressing the phenomena of Chippendale itself. A curious space that is constantly transforming, the precinct has grown from industrial beginnings to a contemporary scene. It’s focus? To actively celebrate the local and engage the city in collaborative imagination.
Festival Director, Nicky Ginsberg highlighted the new additions this year, “Incorporating the Kensington Street lifestyle precinct for the first time this year, BEAMS will feature a kaleidoscope of visual and performance art installations incorporating sculpture, light, video, animation, live dance and theatre.”
With no regard to physical boundaries the innovative light display curated by a variety of local artists leaves no room for the norm. Curious forms emerge from the shadows, shifting colours light your pathway and swirling images climb the brickwork.
As there is no direct starting point and place of reference is the ‘Chippendale Green’ public park. From there you’re just going to have quit google maps, relax, and follow your nose. A myriad of lights and forms (if last year is anything to go by) are set to guide your meanderings through the laneways and galleries.
For the foodies, the curious art goer, or the young-hearted wanderer, this unique festival aims to please. Delighting all the senses the full menu includes local Chippendale eateries, as well as live music co curated by King Sound Studios with finalists from Triple J Unearthed and the Australian Institute of Music.
Make sure you head along and embrace this great local initiative. You’ll probably run into someone you know, and that’s the beauty of it.
EXHIBITION
BEAMS Arts Festival
Saturday 19 September, 5 – 9pm
Chippendale Creative Precinct
Courtesy the artists and Chippendale Creative Precinct
The response to Artist Profile over time has shown that getting behind artists and their art matters to you as it does to us. To...
Remembering the incredible life of Charles Blackman OBE, who has passed away one week after his 90th birthday.
Congratulations to this year’s artists selected to take part in the 27th annual ‘Primavera: Young Australian Artists’ show at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia...
Congratulations to Brook Andrew, who has been announced as the Artistic Director of the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, taking place in 2020.
Congratulations to Yvette Coppersmith, Yukultji Napangati and Kaylene Whiskey, who have been awarded the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes respectively.
‘JUST LET IT GO’ ASKS THIS ISSUE’S cover artist, Raquel Ormella, in the wonderful embroidery above. Like most of Ormella’s works it has a...
Emerging Melbourne photographer James Bugg takes home the $50,000 2018 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize (MCPP).
Congratulations to Steve Lopes, who has won the 2018 Gallipoli Art Prize.
Applications for 2019 Bundanon Trust Artist-in-Residence program are now open.