Sitting with a cold one at Artspace
PECHAKUCHA NIGHTS AND THE SYDNEY BIENNALE
Yes, maybe it’s a cliché to take the format of a PechaKucha Night to talk about the Sydney Biennale. But it’s a presentation style that a lot of people will not have heard of. It’s useful and entertaining. And the slides keep coming so the speakers can’t hold their audience hostage if they get too rambling. A PechaKucha program is running at SuperDeluxe@Artspace as part of the Biennale. Ok let’s get started.
Sit back and pretend you’re sitting with a cold one at Artspace – I’m about to present to you, in the style of a PechaKucha Night, why you might want to grab a piece of the Sydney Biennale.
So what’s your passion? PechaKucha (the Japanese term for ‘chit chat’) originated in Tokyo as a novel way of show-casing your favourite topic to a room of people. You’ve got 20 slides and only 20 seconds to talk about each one... so let’s get going!
[IMAGE: TITLE ‘THE BEAUTY OF DISTANCE’ FROM OFFICIAL BIENNALE SITE]
I’m your speaker tonight – my name is Lorna and my passion is art – I can hear some people yawning up the back but I’m going to do my best to put across to you what’s great about the 17th Biennale of Sydney. Due to time constraints and how long I think I can hold your attention I will be cutting down my number of slides!
[IMAGE: TEN THOUSAND WAVES BY ISAAC JULIEN]
Let’s have a quick look at the theme. The Biennale is celebrating distance – distance allows us to be ourselves and creates differences that make us unique. Art also needs some distance from real life to function. ‘Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age’ has been added as a subtitle to underline the positive influence art can have. It’s inspired by the work of Harry Everett Smith and his Anthology of American Folk Music and finding true values in difficult times. I find this uplifting. Remoteness and worrying times are transformed into something to celebrate. So let’s celebrate!
[IMAGE: JUMPING CASTLE WAR MEMORIAL BY BROOK ANDREW]
Before you all ask “how much will it cost me?” – It is a free event across many venues and aimed at all ages. Out of all the amazing sights on offer, there’s going to be something that you’d like to take a closer look at.
[IMAGE: INOPPORTUNE: STAGE ONE BY CAI GUO-QIANG]
There’s a free ferry to Cockatoo Island. Around 35 artists’ works will be exhibited at this unique major exhibition venue. The island was once used as a prison, and a shipyard, so it’s interesting in its own right. It was referred to as ‘Biloela’, an Aboriginal word for ‘black cockatoo’, but in 1913 it became officially known as Cockatoo Island. A nine-car installation by New York-based artist Cai Guo-Qiang dominates the vast Turbine Hall.
[IMAGE: NEW ADVENTURES OF HAVOC IN HEAVEN III BY JENNIFER WEN MA]
Our beloved Opera House hosted a new work by Jennifer Wen Ma developed from her Beijing Olympics Monkey King! Hands up if you love when they get creative with our national treasure. A Shouting Men’s Choir from northern Finland performed on the steps.
[IMAGE: DE QUEEN Y SITTING BULL EL PRESIDENTE (OF QUEEN AND SITTING BULL, THE PRESIDENT) BY CLAUDIO DICOCHEA]
The Biennale is a BIG deal. International artists are joining in the event alongside our many talented Australian artists. Visitors will be arriving – this is a world scale event. David Elliott, Artistic Director of the Biennale promises an event that would grace any major world city. You don’t want to miss out!
[IMAGE: ARTSPACE IN SYDNEY]
Did I mention there would be PechaKucha nights? These will take place on Thursday nights at SuperDeluxe@Artspace. They began in Tokyo and are now hosted in over 280 cities worldwide. I’ll be heading along; I’m keen to learn a bit about the speakers’ pet subjects. Some will be unusual, some will be educational, but I expect them all to be entertaining.
[IMAGE: THE FEAST OF TRIMALCHIO BY AES+F]
Are you someone with strong values and a belief in equality? You’ll be supporting an event that promotes a non-elitist playing field where all cultures stand equal. The Biennale of Sydney takes pride in the part it has played and continues to play in highlighting all art from our side of the globe; specifically it has promoted lesser-known art at a world event, including indigenous and Asian art. Many of the artworks tug at your activist streak. I’m looking forward to The Feast of Trimalchio by Moscow based AES+F - an animated panorama which draws on Roman decadence and the West’s control of global resources.
[IMAGE: PUB SHAMAN, LAMP TAVERN, BIRMINGHAM, UK BY MARCUS COATES]
My presentation is nearing its end and I hope you’re gathering yourselves for lots of cheering. It’s easy to get stuck into old routines. It’s good for your sense of curiosity to get out and see something new. Don’t get stuck in a rut.
Thanks guys – it’s been a pleasure! Good night!
Get full info about the Biennale from official website:
www.biennaleofsydney.com.au
END
Images courtesy of The Biennale of Sydney
Art is the means by which life reflects on, transforms and indeed creates its values; human life without it would not properly be human at all.
Antony Gormley