Julian Kuo will be performing a set of Musical Theatre tunes as part of the 2012 Beams Festival in Chippendale on the 22nd September.
Chippendale BEAMS with history, creativity and sustainability.
Sydney, 11 July 2012 – On the 22nd September 5pm-10pm the groundbreaking BEAMS arts festival will bring Balfour St and the surrounding streets of Chippendale to life with a kaleidoscope of artistic work from over 250 Chippendale creatives working across light, video, performance, sculpture, live music, installation and dance.
Tucked into the back streets of the inner city, Chippendale has long been overlooked in Sydney’s cultural landscape. With no main street or central gathering place it can seem difficult to access and many Sydneysiders are not even aware of the wealth of galleries, restaurants, production houses and creative studios that exist behind the industrial facade of Chippendale.
BEAMS will bring this wealth of talent out into the streets for one bright night.
This festival, hosted by the Chippendale Creative Precinct, will BEAM creativity and will have Chippendale buzzing with works and performance themed around history, creativity and sustainability.
Nicky Ginsberg, Festival Director, founder of the Chippendale Creative Precinct and Director of NG Art Gallery, is confident about their vision;
“Our objective is to model ourselves as the next Chelsea of New York. BEAMS is the first celebration of this.”
Held entirely outdoors BEAMS provides the opportunity for everyone to come and wander the streets of Chippendale and be a part of the spectacular emergence of this dynamic creative community.
Over 50 guerilla knitters and tree venerators will be out in full force decorating the streets of Chippendale with their colourful adornments as a tribute to the celebratory nature of the festival.
With an industrial aesthetic to match its sordid past, Chippendale has historically been known as a gathering place for prostitutes, drug dealers, gamblers, and a variety of colourful characters, such as pig lady Mary O’Shea, that have gone down in the local mythology.
Embracing its grimy history BEAMS will incorporate historical and site specific art works that will encourage festival-goers to explore the nooks and crannies of Chippendale, discovering work that is both gritty and sublime.
BEAMS will also look forward to the creative and sustainable future of Chippendale with a rich and broad program of performance, sculpture and workshops that will engage even the most
unsuspecting audience. A lively sense of community will be fostered with a convivial atmosphere and communal outdoor dining.
“We chose the name BEAMS as we felt it conjures the myriad of ways something can be beamed – a creative expression, a smile, a personality, a bright light or a film – we felt this word captured the essence of this festival with more and more immensely creative talents in Chippendale gaining international recognition and beaming their creativity on the national and international stage,” said Ms Ginsberg.
The festival is proudly hosted by the Chippendale Creative Precinct and sponsored by Frasers Property Australia, City of Sydney, NG Art Gallery, Mission Restaurant Bar, Momento, UTS Faculty of Design, Production Technologies, Splendid Communications, Tongue, Fred Bare and Dane Ash Design.
Entry to BEAMS is FREE and everyone is encouraged to attend. For more information visit http://www.beamsfestival.com.au
Media enquiries:
Katie Cox, Media Liaison E: kcox@beamsfestival.com.au
Nicky Ginsberg, Festival Director T: 02 9318 2992 E: ng@ngart.com.au About the Chippendale Creative Precinct
Formed in 2010 by Nicky Ginsberg (NG Art Gallery), James Hackett (Hackett Films), Libby Jeffery (Momento Pro) and Peter Thompson (Zapruder’s Other Films), the Chippendale Creative Precinct (CCP) aims to promote the area as a creative, sustainable community and a diverse and unique cultural meeting place. The Precinct currently has over 55 members from local Chippendale businesses that specialise in a broad range of creative industries from architecture to advertising and from production houses to public artists. Membership is open to creative businesses or individuals supporting or promoting creativity in Chippendale and the Precinct currently has a database of approximately 450 businesses. The CCP hosts three networking events every four months in different businesses within the precinct. These events are well attended and give each and everyone the opportunity to showcase their extraordinary talent and groundbreaking ideas.
Julian Kuo 