b a n g !

And so it has begun....
Sydney Biennale 2010 {The beauty of distance Songs of Survival in a precarious age}...
I was incredibly lucky to score an invite to the Artists' and Supporters Party at Cockatoo Island...
Well...I was someones plus one!

I always wondered what one of these big events was like, and after the press from the 2008 opening at the island, I was curious...
It began at Pier 2/3 on a VERY cold and blustery night and I was just trying to keep warm!
We boarded ferries and made the journey to Cockatoo Island in the evening light. It was beautiful and people were buzzing...cold but buzzing!


And this is what greeted us when we arrived...
It was an airline runway, with lights on the ground to guide us up to the massive Turbine Hall
...where the party was being held.



Sorry this ones alittle fuzzy...
It was very dark and I decided to shoot with a long exposure! Mad really, as I had no tripod and my hands were shaking from the cold! You get the idea though...I loved the way the cut sandstone wall was lit with a bright red gel...
It was a sea of white light as you entered the massive hall..
...and then ...

Bang! This is what greeted the 2000 or so guests as they entered... It was an amazing exploding car installation by the Chinese born, U.S based artist Cai Guo-Qiang...
I was blown away...

The lights that sprayed from each of the 9 white Chevy metro cars looked like fireworks set off at midnight on New Years... Except these fireworks kept going... all night! Actually - it was funny - as people would make meeting spots with each other as there was a sea of people, and you would hear...

'Oh ok...Ill meet you under the car, 3rd from the left!"

Funny...

It was a great night and the organisers had alot of logistics to contend with...

I came, I saw, and then left ...at nana hour with some of the other early birds!

So I cant say how it all ended...

But lets just say its just the beginning... and let the art viewing commence!!

Im looking forward to checking out all the venues in the coming months, and getting back out to the Island to see this amazing installation again...