White Night Melbourne, 12-hours of synchronised swimming to live music, fashion and illuminations, will return to City of Melbourne on February 22.
The dusk to dawn event is held for one summer’s night across Melbourne’s city streets, laneways, landmarks and cultural centres.
The program will expand for 2014 to cover 8 city blocks from Southbank Boulevard to Victoria St and from Elizabeth St to Russell St ranging from the National Gallery of Victoria on St Kilda Rd to the State Library of Victoria, Melbourne City Baths and the Melbourne Museum.
White Night Melbourne celebrates the city’s music, art, theatre, sport, fashion, film, design and performance. The concept was inspired by Nuit Blanche in Paris. Melbourne now joins 23 major cities including New York, Tel Aviv and Toronto hosting similar events.
More than 80 free events will happen during the evening starting at 7pm and going through to 7am. “Melbourne really is a 24-hour city, and a capital of art and culture,” artistic director Andrew Walsh said. “From live music and fashion to all-night synchronised swimming, film screenings and a continuation of the glorious projection programme, there really will be something for everyone.”
Highlights of the free programme include:
• Northern Lights Music Stage: Following on from the success of the Flinders Street Station music stage as part of White Night Melbourne 2013, the new northern precinct will play host to a music stage featuring musical acts throughout the night.
• Crepuscular Beam: A visual beacon that will be seen from all parts of the city. Searchlight and sound will combine to create a work of mesmerising beauty.
• Midden: A real-time 3D content visualisation at Birrarung Marr created by eness that pays homage to the traditional owners of the land.
• Making Fashion Move: Explore the city to find these fun and dramatic animated images from international and local runway collections created by FashGif.
• Arcadian Reverie: An ensemble of international and Australian artists transform a familiar urban park with light, performance, film and sculpture.
• Tim Winton’s The Turning: Created by award winning Melbourne based director-producer Robert Connolly, eighteen directors from diverse artistic backgrounds each interpret one chapter of Tim Winton’s novel The Turning. The film’s exhibition will be reimagined for White Night Melbourne 2014 in an extraordinary way. Each chapter will be staged in a different environment and location guided by the core themes, ideas and experiences in each story.
• Moonlight Synchro: Right throughout the night teams of synchronised swimmers will showcase this exquisite sport in the Melbourne City Baths.
• Tattooed City: A commissioned exhibition celebrating Melbourne’s skin art through digital projections on the external walls of the NGV International.
• Wonderland: A highlight of the 2013 event, Wonderland returns in 2014 to transform Melbourne landmarks along Flinders Street with illuminated projections.
• I Could Have Danced All Night: A favourite returns for another fun-filled dance extravaganza featuring 12 different dance styles to get everybody moving.
• Vortex: The Southbank Pedestrian Bridge will be transformed into an immersive light tunnel for audiences to walk through, sparkling and flickering, delighting and enchanting people of all ages.
Additional events will be added to the program in coming weeks.
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