Now in its third year, Splendid is a partnership between Australia Council for the Arts, Lismore Regional Gallery, Northern Rivers Performing Arts (NORPA) and Splendour in the Grass to develop artistic talent and to offer festival audiences new creative experiences.
Splendour in the Grass Producer, Jessica Ducrou said, “The Splendid initiative has been a fantastic collaboration that has and will produce some inspired presentations at the festival. Three years down the road we look forward to showing the best possible instalments at the festival yet.”
The program is open to young and emerging artists (under 30 years old or in the first 5 years of their practice) who work in the visual arts, theatre, dance, design, installation, architecture, digital media, sound, text, community arts and other creative pursuits.
This year Jordana Maisie will present Close Encounters – a large scale (6.5m diameter) interactive sculpture which takes the form of an unidentified flying object (UFO). The curved mirror surface reflects the world around it – the trees, the sky and the festival punters. Festival goers are encouraged to text the inhabitants of this UFO during the festival and they will respond.
Jimmy McGilchrist and Lachlan Dowd will present Curious Creatures, an interactive sensor driven work that creates life sized shadows of creatures roaming behind the fence perimeter that respond to the presence of the human audience within the festival. As audience members approach the creatures their shadows appear on the fence and they are able to interact, transformed from viewer into performer.
The 2011 Splendour Arts Program will present a diverse collection of works from artists from Australia and abroad including interactive digital media projection, street art and sculpture, performance and monumental installations.
“We’re again excited to see the fruits of the Splendid initiative flourish at Splendour in the Grass. Last year set the pace with some amazing, innovative and thought provoking pieces that left a lasting impression on festival goers,” said Andrew Donovan, Director of Inter-Arts at Australia Council.