With winter just around the corner, there’s only one thing on our minds here at Haron Robson HQ: when will Vivid Sydney and Sparc Design kick off for 2014?!?
We are forever intrigued by all things lighting, and what’s more exciting to a gaggle of lighting designers and a herd of electrical engineers than the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest lighting festivals? We’re almost beside ourselves with anticipation!
Vivid Sydney, now in its 6th incarnation, will celebrate with lights on at 6pm on Friday 23rd May and the lights will switch off for the last time at midnight on 9th June. The sparkle of the festival hasn’t tarnished with age however, and the organisers are promising the largest ever program for Australia’s ‘Event of the Year’ (having been honoured with that title in 2013).
Vivid is the annual winter festival of light, music and ideas which changes Sydney’s skyline, streets and spaces into canvases for art, sculpture and interactive displays, all with light as their central theme. And for the first time, Sydney Harbour will itself be a canvas, with ferries and vessels decked out in LED lights, their colours controlled by satellite navigation as they pass through the harbour on their nightly voyages.
Being Vivid Veterans – with previous years’ festivals on our résumé and a bunch of award wins for our Vivid sculptures gracing the walls – this year our lighting team decided to share their wisdom for success with a few Vivid virgins. A number of design teams who specialise in media other than light have asked us for guidance and advice on how best to make their ideas turn into living, lighting art displays. The lighting design team jumped at the chance to once again participate and we’re looking forward to the industry’s most fantastic demonstration of what an energising and transformative effect light can have on a city and its people.
Sparc is the celebration of lighting design for industry professionals which coincides with Vivid each year. This year’s SPARC Design, to be held at the MCA on 26th and 27th May, will be an educational experience featuring presentations delivered by industry experts with extraordinarily diverse backgrounds. Haron Robson’s very own Lighting Principal, will be speaking during the ‘Talking at the Speed of Light’ series. Based on the PechaKucha 20x20 format, he'll show 20 images, each for just 20 seconds, during which he will share his thoughts and ideas on each image. We're yet to divulge the topic, but it’ll be every bit as entertaining as it is controversial… Front row seats please!
