Iconic Canvases

Sydney is a vivid city anyway. But when it is winter in Australia and it gets dark early at night, the city takes on a whole new countenance and awakens anew. The iconic architecture is immersed into light - colorful and intense, shifting, changing shapes every second, vibrant, pulsating to the bass of the music which accompanies the visual effects. Telling hidden stories which every viewer decodes in his or her very own way. Sydney's landmarks transform into spectacular canvases. The Opera House, one of the most photographed buildings of the world, turns into a tableau. The famous sails change their appearance every second:  I took hundreds of different pictures in only a couple of minutes.

Different artists get the opportunity to virtually paint their very own pictures on this special canvas during the Vivid Sydney Festival. This annual outdoor cultural event features artists from all over the world. Not only the Opera House is used as an artistic playground, amongs the other venues are, for example, the Harbour Bridge and Sydney's Customs House. Light installations, projections and performances are everywhere.  For three weeks - between May and June -,  the metropolis is tinted in magical colors.

 

French artist Danny Rose, created an interative installation called "Move Your Building". The Customs House started to actually dance: People just had to choose a song from a playlist, decide which graphic theme they preferred, and then had to start dancing as wildly and extravagant as possible - the more they moved, the more the building's 3D mapped projections changed rhythmically.

Last year, when I didn't even know yet that I would get the opportunity to visit Australia so soon, I watched an arts program on TV which included a contribution about some German visual artists who made Sydney Opera House fall into pieces. I was so intrigued by the view of those crumbling sails that I did never forget those pictures. I did my bit that Sydney's Opera House ranks amongs the most photographed buildings in the world, but I am glad that I could get so many different impressions from this famous facade.

Snapshots Creating Flashbacks

It's a triangle: photographer - model - viewer. Jim Rakete wants eye-contact.

Between 2009 and 2011, Jim Rakete shot portraits for the German Movie Museum (Deutsches Filmmuseum) in Frankfurt. Legends, talents, and creators of German cinema - and they all have one thing in common: They brought along one prop. An object which possesses a special meaning or which holds a memory for them. Christoph Waltz wore the watch from "Inglourious Basterds".

Actor Moritz Bleibtreu is holding the weapon in his hand which used to be his while playing Abdul in "Knocking on Heaven's Door" (1997). He is Abdul. Strong, proud and stupid. The relaxed pose awakens memories and you're in the middle of the movie again.

Those pictures are intimate. But even though I have only watched a very small part of all those films the portraits are reminiscent of, it is like I am entering a dialog with those people and the artist.

Jim Rakete is one of Germany's most renowed photographers who started working for newspapers and agencies at age 17 and made a name for himself when he took pictures of Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and Mick Jagger. In the 80s he worked as a music manager for German bands such as Spliff, Die Ärzte or Nena.

The original intention for this exhibition was to create a Hall of Fame. Rakete ended up taking 100 portraits. Jürgen Vogel, Nora Tschirner, Caroline Link, Wim Wenders... even though I only met one of those 100 in real life for an interview, they all felt close. Due to the central role of the objects, the props they are holding, Rakete decided - against his habit -  to take all pictures in color. Still, there is very little color in the pictures. They are earthy, sometimes graphite colored, however, there is a certain warmth.

One of my favorites - besides Moritz Bleibtreu and his gun - is Ulrich Turkur with the coat from "John Rabe". He seems to be imperturbable,  one with his prop, and doesn't even care that a dog is licking his ear. It is like Rakete has pushed the pause button.

Der Stand der Dinge - The State of Play - is the exhibition's title which is now shown in various museums throughout Germany: Snapshots creating flashbacks.

A Moss Covered Fairytale

It is a sleeping beauty. It is, indeed, a fairytale setting. But this moss covered scenery has its own fable to tell:

Once upon a time there was an adventurous Spaniard who came to Australia to commence a new life. He found this incredible place with this stunning waterfall and decided: "¡Quiero quedarme aquí!"
This was the place to make his dream come true.

He built a park. And because he was not so much of a humble man, he named it after himself: Paronella Park. José Paronella was a man who thought big. He built a castle for his fiancée Matilda.

It took him years. Inspired by childhood memories of Catalonian castles, he also included refreshment rooms, a ballroom, a tennis court. José planted more than 7000 trees, he excavated a tunnel through a hill. Upon returning to Spain he had to discover that Matilda had married another man. But he needed a princess to be the king of his castle. So he married Margarita, Martilda's younger sister.

He walked her through his self-planted Kauri Avenue or sat with her at the riverside watching crocodiles swim by. Or he took her to the top of  the 47-step staircase to let her watch down on their kingdom.

The picnic area would later be opened to the public and soon turn into a popular weekend getaway.  People would be entertained by live bands in the ball room while a massive ball of mirrors spun from the ceiling. Those were roaring times Down Under, in a land far, far away.
 
Almost one hundred years later: The park is weathered and conserved at the same time, as if the moss layer will protect Josés dream from crumbling. It is weather-beaten: several floods, a cyclone and a fire have severely damaged the buildings. However, it just seems like they are sleeping.

When night falls, Paronella Park wakes again. Then you hear the leathery sound of the enormous bats* passing through the gloomy sky and in the beam of your flashlight the spiders look even huger and more frightening than in daylight.

The moss vanishes in the obscurity of the night. Do you hear the piano playing in the ball room, people dancing and laughing?**

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* This magical scenery was also the place where a pack of flying foxes I recently wrote about chose to dwell.

** Listen to the sounds of Paronella Park

More info about Paronella Park can be found here.
Their night tour is highly recommendable. There is also a camping ground (which is included in the admission fee) where you can stay for the night.