The lights of Vivid may have gone out in Sydney for another year but do not fear, oh lover of light installations (we know you’re out there), your friends up the F3 in Newcastle are about to launch their own celebration of light and what’s more, the lights will be on for an entire year!
Newcastle’s own City Evolutions brings together colourful cinematography and awe-inspiring and interactive light installations. Watt Street, in Newcastle’s CBD, will be the beating heart of the project as from sundown to 10pm each night as heritage listed buildings, historic townhouses and colonial terraces along the street become a canvas on which to showcase Newcastle’s diverse and vibrant history. But why Watt?
“Watt Street is the oldest street in Newcastle and is so important to the city’s history,” Newcastle City Council’s Economic Development Services and Tourism manager, Jan Ross tells Eventfinda.
“Even before Newcastle was settled by colonialists, Watt Street was a path used by Indigenous Awabakal and Worimi people to come down to the harbour. This exciting project allows us to bring this rich history to life and showcase the city’s evolution in a highly innovative and engaging way.”
Ross said City Evolutions would provide a unique backdrop for other events in Newcastle throughout the rest of 2013, including the Travelling Film Festival this month and This Is Not Art (TINA) in October - there is even scope for the project to continue beyond its initial twelve month time frame to become a long-term feature in the Newcastle CBD.
“I’ve had dozens of people coming up to me with ideas for roving installations and what we can do next. Even the Lord Mayor has been saying, ‘I want to light up this and that’,” Ross jokes.
“I think people just love seeing art differently. These installations take things from a static, often indoors perspective to a canvas that is dynamic and interactive. But for us at Council, it’s about getting people out of the house and away from the television and into the city, into the bars and restaurants and businesses.”
And what better way to kick off this amazing yearlong celebration of light than with a good old fashioned street party. From 5pm on Friday, June 21, Watt Street will be closed to traffic and become a hive of activity as the official City Evolutions launch celebrations kick off. There’s gonna be live music, markets, street performances from the likes of local favourite Dangerboy and free walking tours departing from the Lock Up Cultural Centre on the hour between 6pm and 9pm. There is even a lantern-making workshop where you can whip up a lantern to bring along to yet another amazing Newcastle event from 6pm the following night: the Winter Heat Lantern Parade on Honeysuckle Boardwalk.
For more info on installations, participating sites and the full launch night program, visit cityevolutions.com.
- Amelia Parrott
