Art & About Sydney 2011

The idea of Art & About Sydney was to transform the city into a canvas, to create a living gallery on the streets, with work that would make Sydneysiders stop, think, laugh or smile. Being my first Art & About Sydney experience, I thought it managed to do just that.

This year, Art & About Sydney took place from September 23 to October 23 and saw the participation of local and international names. One project was called Acts of Kindness. By Michael Landy, it is in partnership with the 24th Kaldor Public Art Project.

I did not really notice it until I accidentally looked up at one of the pieces to the jigsaw puzzle. And these were placed at where the mentioned actions of kindness took place.

Bubbleway is part of the Laneway Art Program.

A modular, inflatable social furniture system designed for Laneway Art by Rebar, it asks us to rethink our notions of public space and discover new forms of informal social interactions, creativity and play in a heavily encoded cosmopolitan centre.

Over at Customs House Square was a small patch of green with a washing machine and a Hills Hoist.

The top of the machine had instructions for the public to write a message to Sydney.

I thought it was pretty clever and was thinking that if Boey was here, what he would write. Maybe something similar to this, but with his website address on it as well.

Continuing with Laneways, I 'found' Donut by Brook Andrew. A large inflated PVC form that takes the shape of a donut floating high above the scale and context suggests this is nothing like a regular donut as it is transformed instead into a striking black and white matrix of Wiradjuri design. The shape references ancient European and Indigenous depictions of time travel and healing, and the popular contemporary notion of a ‘pie in the sky’.

Remember those little jigsaw puzzle pieces? Well, they actually make up a gigantic piece that was on display at Martin Place.

Another project by the students at UNSW was this eye-catching collection of 'benches'.

I liked the idea of plants growing in coffee cups but I wonder how feasible the idea is in the long run. No, really. I think it is rather high maintenance but I am not an Environmental Science student so perhaps I do not really know what I am saying.

By Isidro Blasco, Deconstructing Ways was just down the road from where I used to live early last year. The thought of myself (with having a little to drink) walking into it at night made me laugh.

Yes, I am pretty sure I would walk into it. LOL.

Tsunami 1.26 hangs off Woolworths and Town Hall. It is a gigantic arerial net installation by acclaimed American artist Janet Echelman. This spectacular vision is one of the works from the Powerhouse Museum’s new Love Lace exhibition, and combines ancient craft practice with cutting-edge technology to create an oasis of sculpture delicate enough to be choreographed by the wind.

Netted with a high tensile rope, 15 times stronger than steel in weight, and lit by changing coloured lights, Tsunami is inspired by the events that unfolded following the 2010 Chile earthquake. Using a 3D model of the 2010 tsunami, and software to create an outline of the model’s higher amplitude area, Echelman created her sculptural form, with machine-knotted mesh revealing the intricacy of traditional netting.

This looks way better at night. Too bad I do not have a night shot of it.

I did not get to see every display this year. I will try again next year, time and weather permitting.