This year’s Biennale Artists and Supporters Party at Cockatoo Island — panorama — featured a large installation of “exploding” cars hanging from the roof — by famous Chinese artist Cao Gu0-Quiang.
Biennale party — 2010
May 20th, 2010Stephen Wiltshire in Sydney
April 28th, 2010
Stephen Wiltshire is an autistic savant artist with phenomenal drawing/memory skills … he is in Sydney at the moment … panorama.
New Year’s Eve 2009
January 1st, 2010
Harbour Bridge picnic
October 25th, 2009
On the “Steve Irwin” (Whale Wars) in Sydney Cove
October 6th, 2009
One of the Sea Shepherds’ fleet — the “Steve Irwin” – is in Sydney at the moment as part of a short tour of Australian cities before they head towards Antarctica for another summer foray with the Japanese whaling fleet. On the bridge –panorama. In the galley — panorama. Here is a view on the bow — panorama. You can see last year’s actions on the ”Whale Wars” show.
Tatzu Nishi’s “rooms”
October 2nd, 2009
Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi turns civic monuments into weird interior features of temporary “rooms”. In Sydney currently he has created rooms over two large equestrian statues that stand outside the state Art Gallery — you can go up ramps to view the rooms. Here is one of the rooms — panorama, and here is the other — panorama. Here is what this latter statue looks like normally.
Defqon 1 — “hardstyle” dance festival
September 20th, 2009
City to Surf 2009 marathon
August 9th, 2009
“World’s biggest running event” the official website says — about this mass run this morning from the city to Bondi Beach. You can see about a quarter perhaps of the 75,000 runners — waiting to start — in this panorama. The race starts quite early in the day and it is often chilly — whence the tops you can see discarded on the hedges in the panorama.
In the forest primeval — the Landslide
June 25th, 2009
In the Blue Mountains to the west of the city the townships keep to the central plateau and north and south there are enormous thickly forested valleys with sheer cliffs … panorama. Being a landscape of ancient tropical seabeds there are coal seams here and small scale mining went on until the 1930s. Mining is blamed for the landslide you see here — where a large hunk of cliff tumbled into the valley in the middle of the night in early 1932. For a year crowds gathered at a large crack in the cliff top hoping to see some action but in the end it fell unwatched.
Vivid Lighting Festival, Sydney Opera House
May 27th, 2009
Observation deck — Eureka Tower, Melbourne
May 9th, 2009
I was in Melbourne last weekend and went up to the 86th floor of the new Eureka Tower on the South Bank, where there is an observation deck … panorama. In the opening view of the panorama you can see the Yarra River winding its way west - then south, to Port Phillip Bay. The most impressive part of the Eureka Tower “experience” I thought was the sci-fi speed and smoothness of the lifts. Sydney’s Centrepoint Tower lifts are placid in comparison.
Anzac Day — at the War Memorial
April 25th, 2009
On Anzac Day (the national day of remembrance) there are a number of ceremonies in the CBD — including this one at the War Memorial in Hyde Park at noon. Panorama.
Jesus in the City
April 12th, 2009
A crucifixion reenactment in the city on Good Friday. Panorama. Here is a little movie from earlier on. Movie. The Roman guards used to flay Jesus with whips and Mary used to run up to Jesus and carry on — but the last few years the action has been tamed down some. There is a person however with stage blood in a sauce bottle who discreetly sprays Jesus periodically so he miraculously appears to get bloodier as he procedes down the street.
Infinity rooms
March 5th, 2009
“Mirrored Years” at the Museum of Contemporary Art, at Circular Quay, on at the moment, is a large scale retrospective of the work of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama — and includes a couple of her amazing mirrored “Infinity Rooms”. viz. “Phalli’s Field” : Quicktime panorama. And “Fireflies on the Water” : Quicktime panorama.
Turbine hall
January 19th, 2009
On the weekend Cockatoo Island was given over to a music festival, All Tomorrow’s Parties — and the turbine hall here was one of the venues. Panorama. This is the same location that was used for the Sydney Biennale opening night party last year. Panorama. The headlining act for the music festival was Nick Cave … panorama .. at dusk. You can see the turbine hall exterior to the right of the stage in this panorama.
Dame Edna
January 16th, 2009
Fire music
January 10th, 2009
NYE 09
December 31st, 2008
New Years Eve fireworks last night by the harbour. Noteworthy this year were amazingly bright coloured spotlight effects and startling strafing sequences of fireworks along the length of the bridge. Panorama.
Bondi Beach Xmas
December 24th, 2008
“Green Void”
December 19th, 2008
Newtown Festival gymnasts
November 9th, 2008
Fundraising gymnasts at Newtown Festival yesterday — they had some unruly spectators to deal with sometimes … panorama, Quicktime.
Tamarama sunset
October 19th, 2008
Marrickville Festival 08
September 10th, 2008
The six month long annual cycle of suburban festivals has begun — from last weekend, Marrickville Festival in the inner west … panorama Quicktime.
Fishtank models
September 10th, 2008
A promotional stunt involving a giant fishtank and models outside the Customs House in the city today .. panorama Quicktime
More caves
August 5th, 2008
I made a second trip to Jenolan Caves last weekend and made some more panoramas. First … the Cathedral Cave … panorama, Quicktime, Flash. This is the tallest chamber in the caves. There is an interesting article on the “Age and Origin of the Jenolan Tourist Caves” here. Here is the Orient Cave, perhaps the most elaborately “decorated” chamber in the Caves … panorama, Flash
July 15th, 2008
This is Barangaroo in the leadup to the first WYD Mass yesterday — Panorama, Quicktime, Flash. Barangaroo is a a large area of wharfage which is due for conversion to parks, apartments etc shortly. Originally there were rocks and beaches here but they were excavated away in the 19C to make this cliff edge and the area for the wharf. Here is the Pope in his Popemobile whizzing past me in the Rocks last night (Thursday night) … Panorama, Quicktime. I got another panorama of the Pope on Sunday at Randwick Racecourse where he did a circuit of the enormous crowd before conducting the final Mass of WYD … panorama, Quicktime. Here from earlier in the week “Nuns on a Bus” … panorama Quicktime. These nuns venerate Saint Faustina, “the first saint of the Third Millenium”, and the painting they are holding represents one of her visions.
July 6th, 2008
World Youth Day - and the influx of vast numbers of young Catholic ”pilgrims” - is fast approaching. The body of Italian saint-in-the-making Pier Giorgio Frassati has arrived and has been put on display for devotees in an inner-city church. Panorama - Quicktime, Flash. The last pope, John Paul II, is being remembered for WYD by a new statue of him installed outside St Mary’s in the city. Panorama - Quicktime, Flash . Inside the cathedral a rather novel looking Australian-themed Madonna picture “Mary of the Southern Cross” by local portrait painter Paul Newton has been installed. Panorama - Quicktime, Flash. Update: Monday 14th. Here is a panorama .. Quicktime, of the Cross (like the Olympic Torch for WYD), arriving at Circular Quay this morning.
June 1st, 2008
I was at Jenolan Caves last week … PANORAMA (Quicktime Flash). This is the Temple of Baal cave, one of the many highly decorated chambers in the caves. Jenolan Caves is a three hour (train/bus) trip west of Sydney and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state. The Showcaves website has a lot of info on this particular cave in their world cave directory. Here is another panorama — of the Grand Arch — a large exterior cavern … PANORAMA (Quicktime Flash).