In just 20 days, streets, laneways, landmarks and cultural institutions spanning eight city blocks will burst into life overnight with 50 events and activities added to the White Night Melbourne programme.
More than 100 free events and activities now make up the dusk-til-dawn line-up, which will transform Melbourne’s streets into a thriving cultural playground.
The first event of its kind in Australia, White Night Melbourne is a State Government of Victoria initiative inspired by the international network of Nuit Blanche cities around the world. The newest event on the enviable Victorian calendar of major events showcases Melbourne’s music, art, theatre, sport, fashion, film, design and performance.
Victorian Premier Denis Napthine said “With more than 100 activities to enjoy and many of Melbourne’s iconic buildings and public spaces opening their doors for you to explore, White Night is a chance for Melburnians, Victorians and visitors to our State to experience our amazing city in a whole new way.”
The event, which runs from 7pm on Saturday 22 February to 7am on Saturday 23 February, expands significantly this year to include 11 precincts, ranging from the National Gallery of Victoria on St Kilda Road, to the State Library of Victoria, Melbourne City Baths and the Melbourne Museum. It stretches from Southbank Boulevard to Victoria Street and from Elizabeth Street to Russell Street.
White Night Melbourne’s Creative Director Andrew Walsh AM said the size and scope of the programme would provide something for everyone in the genres of music, fashion, film, design, art, sport and performance.
“Explore laneways by night, watch light displays in the sky, listen to music or get involved in a street performance,” Mr Walsh said.
“With more than 100 events across so many different genres, there really is something to suit every possible interest. Many events are designed to suit families and most are offered free-of-charge.”
Highlights added to the White Night Melbourne program include:
NORTHERN LIGHTS MUSIC STAGE ARTISTS
Programmed by Ali Bird. From psychedelic pop to dance electric, country/folk to metronomic percussion, listen to Melbourne’s finest, wildly entertaining bands from psychedelic pop to dance electric, country/folk to metronomic percussion. Discover local talent with an international flavour as a broad spectrum of artists explodes onto the main stage. Programmed by Ali Bird, an impressive talent bursting with energy and flair, who brought the incredibly popular Morning Ritual to Melbourne Music Week. Bands include Client Liaison, Teeth & Tongue, Fraser A. Gorman, Baptism Of Uzi, Black Cab, Beaches, Lost Animal and The Cactus Channel and The Murlocs.
ARCADIAN REVERIE
Curated by Anais Lellouche (former Centre Pompidou-Metz and Nuit Blanche Paris), Queen Victoria Gardens is transformed into an experience of nature sublimated by artistic imagination. An exceptional ensemble of international and Australian artists creates innocuous creatures and atmospheres in a historic botanical park. Walk through immersive works across light, film, sculpture and music activating and transforming the vast natural environment. The versatility of works gathered attest to the garden as a fertile source of inspiration for artists to interpret the natural surroundings. Artworks include:
PURPLE RAIN
Pierre Ardouvin (France)
An unforgettable sensory experience, proven to be one of the most popular works of Paris’ Nuit Blanche, Purple Rain is a breathtaking visual and sound installation that entices you to pick up an umbrella and wander through mauve-coloured rain. Referencing the high kitsch rock ‘n’ roll film and song by infamous musician Prince, French artist Pierre Ardouvin literally interprets the 80s melancholic spirit with a piercing soundtrack to match.
YOUNG PRAYER
William Robinson (Canada)
Young Prayer riffs on the spiritual characteristics intrinsic to rock music, where the electric guitar is revered as a tool of sacrifice, exultation, violence, sexual expression and transcendence. Stemming from William Robinson’s attraction to rock and its sub-genres of grunge, punk, new wave and thrash metal, an electric guitar is repeatedly lifted and dropped, ultimately smashing to reveal the clichéd nature this action has assumed over its relatively brief history, whilst at the same time commemorating its lineage and celebrating the distinctive auditory effects.
VOICES
Directed by Lyn Williams OAM and Andrew Walsh AM, VOICES is a multifaceted choral installation work capturing the stories of young Australians from diverse backgrounds in a unique and powerful way. Members of Australia’s internationally renowned national children’s choir Gondwana Voices, aged 11 – 16, record an important moment in their lives or of one of their ancestors in a small, handmade, theatrically lit diorama. Video projections of each child are screened as they sing their own composition based on their special story. The audience circulates around the space, observing whilst listening to each child’s extremely personal lyrics. All the voices blend into one majestic and beautiful choral sound, the diverse vocal sounds joining as one.
CABINET OF CURIOSITIES
Curator and cultural critic Ashley Crawford uncovers Cabinet of Curiosities, a fascinating multimedia exploration of the body via sculpture and video. Following on from his work on the exquisitely strange The World Below at the inaugural White Night Melbourne, Crawford converts the beloved Forum Theatre into a beguiling body parlour showcasing exceptional works by Australian artists Lisa Roet and Stelarc, as well as Tony Oursler from the USA.
A Video Survey of Recent Projects – Stelarc: Cypriot-Australian performance artist Stelarc is internationally renowned for visually probing and acoustically amplifying his body. Between 1976 –1988 he completed 25 body suspension performances with hooks into the skin.
Monkey HEART – Lisa Roet:
This groundbreaking new artwork utilises 3D echocardiogram projections and MRI footage of the artist’s own heart supplied by Monash Heart and a gorilla’s organ by The International Primate Heart Project. Utilising turn of the century ‘smoke and mirror’ freak show techniques, this installation investigates the primate/human relationship and the beastly roots of mankind.
Selected Works -Tony Oursler (USA) – American multimedia installation artist, Tony Oursler works across a variety of mediums including video, sculpture, performance and painting. Utilising technology to produce illuminating projections, Oursler presents immersive works combining both visual and aural environments accompanied by spoken text, video and sculptural objects.
The full White Night Melbourne 2014 programme can be viewed at whitenightmelbourne.com.au.
Image credits: John Gollings
