“Notes for Walking” post-impressions

As I was saying yesterday, or the other day, or any day since I’ve done it, “Notes for Walking (the space in between time)” totally rocks.

It’s an amazing multimedia installation (text, photo, video, audio) that you can both watch at the Mosman Art Gallery and experience later on your smartphone/iPad while walking around at Middle Head Reserve near Mosman (you can skip the first part, but the second one it’s a ‘don’t miss’ for anyone with good mobility!)

Ultimately, “Notes for Walking” is an artistic and introspective journey in which you’ll be led by a smarthphone app (preferably download it before you get there – 60MB; I’ve did it at the Gallery – they are kindly offering great free wifi and took me only 2 mins).

The tour takes you in the heart of the Middle Head National Park – Corner Old Fort Road and Govenors Road – to explore several parts of the site: the Gate, the Outer Fort, the Inner Fort and the Cabin. Old naval fortitifications with mysterious tunnels and cannels and mazes, they are all architectural and historical jewels waiting to be admired. Positioned on harbourside cliffs, they offer breathtaking views of the Sydney Harbour, too.

At any time, you can check your app for the artist’s notes. Megan Heyward, ’cause she’s the creator of ‘the magic’, prepared various sets of images, texts, video and audio fragments to be watched on each of these spots. It’s an amazing experience interacting with her pieces of art at the sites they’ve inspired them.

Likewise, the quietude of the space, the height, the beauty of the landscape is an invitation to meditation by itself for all the visitors, turning their introspections in parts of the artistic journey.

Don’t miss this chance to get inspired! Take some photos and write your own messages while explore the Middle Head.

SydneyFieldTripper shares her impression here.

I’ve already posted my Instagram-inspired (to keep the digital media mood) photo essay here. The poem accompanying it just wrote itself in my heart while looking to the world from the Middle Head fort.

My “Notes for Walking”

Early in the morning I found the telegramme

Whither your words took me, I could find no one.

I was still calling you God when I got lost following the right sign.

This poem, this poem wa­sn’t of mine.

I saw your cell, your stone, your bed,

your pain, your blood,

your hopes and dreams

dried in a hook.

I wasn’t calling you God yet when I choose following the left sign,

the stillness, the wave, the sky, the water, the flower,

and the thought

I bought once for a penny

that

Every hour, every minute, every heartbeat, we are dying a little and living a bit.

Grab your camera @ Sydney Festival

Don’t forget: despite of Sydney Festival 2013’s lack of photographic events or photography competions, you should grab your camera and make the most of your photo skills!

Shoot as many as you like, go Facebook, Flickr and Instagram, search for @sydney_festival and share all your awesome pics! When uploading, just add: ‘#sydfest’. Search for the hashtag to check out other photos took by the public – is not amazing to see how the exactly same event can look so increbily different through somebody else eyes/lenses?

Also, most of the events have their own webspaces (blogs, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram). Usually, you can get such info at the event’s venue (just grab a program or ask the cool volunteers there). If you got yourself too absorbed by the show (and by your camera, hopefully), you could just searched online afterwords (starting with the event title or the troop performing might be a good hint 🙂 )

For instance, “Notes for Walking” goes online as #notesforwalking, and “Micro Parks” can be find both as #microparks and #performancespace (being presented by Performance Space).

You know what would be quite awesome? A post festival exhibit with public’s best online photos!

Photo events @ Sydney Festival

If not hosting any photography competion was a little bit suprising, as I was writing here, what about not hosting photography related events, in general?

Out of 80 something events, Sydney Festival doesn’t include a single one completely focused on photography: a photo exhibit, a photo talk, a photo ‘anything’.

When present, photography is more or less part of a background set-up of a musical or theatrical event, as in “Wreck” – where, by the way, you could admire some great shoots of wrecked cars, as the following one by Colin Somerset:

or this Saturday at “Tablatronics“, promising to feature stunning photography by Pete Longworth 🙂

A little bit of spotlight will be put on photography by “Notes for Walking” – a set of images, texts, video and audio fragments that follow the outlooker in his walk at the Middle Head Reserve near Mosman (but more on this on a separate post, cause it’s a really amazing experience!)

Unfortunately, list ends here, while hoping more for the next year!

Photography Competition @ Sydney Festival 2013 – Not this time!

As the coolest event of the year in Sydney, I find a little bit surprising that Sydney Festival is neither hosting any photography competition, nor making the theme of any. Highly prominent (it lasts for three weeks, attracts approximately 500.000 people, features around 80 events and involves upwards of 1000 artists from all around the world), I’d say launching a photo competion, such as ‘The Best Photo of the Festival’, ‘The Best Photo of That’, “The Best Photo of the Other One’ it would be a huge hit.

I did some digging, and it looks like photographic competitions were never of much interest for the festival’s organisers. Two years ago, the University of Sydney, as partner of the festival, launched the 2011 Sydney Festival ‘Feed Your Mind’ photo competition. Dedicated only to uni staff and students, the competition asked for images representing how these one were feeding their minds on campus.

First prize was won by Inga Topolnicki with a whimsical composition, with a strong renascentist scent:

Second prize went to Madison Roland-Evans for an inspirational, pensive image:

A documentary photo of study practice brought the third prize to Kristi Pupo:

Talking of Sydney Festival as a photographic competition theme, I could find only one such example: the 2011 Sydney Festival Competition organised by T-Dimension. However, it seems it wasn’t very popular, and, considering the five photos shortlisted, the quality standards were rather law (although I welcome their initiative, I reckon bigger efforts could have been put in promoting it):

Photo by Besan Dabeet

Photo by Mathefani Arifin (Athe Arifini Photography)

Photo by Melanie Aslanidis

Photo by Warwick Kent

Photo by Platini Ying Hang Lee

The last photo represented the winner of the competition, as well.