Vivid, Sydney’s annual festival of light, music and ideas, begins tonight. ADR has collated a list of the greatest events and sights that will be of interest to the architecture and design industry, including talks by William Smart, an installation by architectural practice Turner, and a discussion on housing affordability. See the list below:

re/FRACTION

Created by design firm The Buchan Group, re/FRACTION hides behind the constantly undulating, curved water veil of the Lloyd Rees fountain by day, however, at ‘lights on’ each evening of the festival, the installation reveals itself by throwing brilliantly glittering, refracted light across the fountain’s length.

Scenes play out continuously over the 20-metre-wide turbulent canvas, looping throughout the evening to greet festival-goers as they move along the length of Martin Place. Some scenes are sparse, with animated characters moving smoothly along just behind the curtain of water, gliding over the black stone of the fountain; other scenes will fill the cascade with colour and movement.

Get tickets and find out more info here.

re/FRACTION by the Buchan Group, which will show at Vivid 2017. Image courtesy the architect.

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I’ll Be Happy When…

Success in design is a balancing act between productivity and creativity. As creatives, how do you know when your work is finished? Is it ever finished? When will you be happy with it? A panel of Sydney’s leading creatives discuss these teasing questions for Vivid Ideas 2017.

With insights from Kirsten Stanisich (SJB Interiors), Vince Frost (Frost*collective), Bianca Spender (Bianca Spender), Nick Karlovasitis and Sarah Gibson (DesignByThem) and guests, this event will be dissecting a topic every creative has faced across a spectrum of different professional approaches. It will dive into the gritty decisions, compromises, shortcomings and wins that lead up to a finished project to find out where the line is drawn between success and satisfaction.

Get tickets and find out more info here.

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Supernova

Supernova by-passes the bright lights of the city to create a starry night sky. An array of cantilevered umbrellas open and close, their material glowing, then when fully open, there’s a flash of bright light – the supernova is revealed!

This miniaturised astronomical event has been created by architectural practice Turner and represents the sudden and bright birth of a star, which then fades back into a ‘Milky Way’ of shifting canopies.

Get tickets and find out more info here.

Supanova, which will show at Vivid 2017. Image courtesy Turner.

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Housing Affordability: Place by Place Forum

Housing Affordability is a crucial ingredient in connected urban density. All new mixed-use neighbourhoods should feature intrinsic inclusive housing to harness funding opportunities and as part of future social value. This social complexity enriches neighbourhood life and contributes to the lasting value of each place and society as a whole.

The Housing Affordability: Place by Place Forum looks at anchoring the opportunities in each new local place through the dimensions of governance, policy, design, partnerships and investment. It explores site-specific typologies in Greenfield, urban renewal and infill developments with a range of local and international speakers presenting case studies and sharing their expertise. It will explore a range of models for housing, which consider design, management and theory of place-by-place thinking.

Get tickets and find out more info here.

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Art and the Environment: Creative Responses to Place at Sculpture by the Sea

Held annually since 1997, Sculpture by the Sea has transformed a slice of Sydney’s coastline with an exhibition of contemporary sculpture that stretches two kilometres along the coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Tamarama over 18 days each spring.

This session provides an opportunity to explore the importance, impact and opportunities of exhibiting art outdoors. You will hear from contributing artists including Cave Urban, Sally Kidall and Jane Gillings about the ideas, concepts, techniques and creative processes behind some of the site-specific works shown in recent years at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi.

Get tickets and find out more info here.

David McCracken’s, diminish and ascend at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2013. Photo William Patino.

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Urban Tweaks: Prototyping Creative and Liveable Cities

With the accelerating urbanisation of the global population, cities are fast becoming places for experimentation in social interactions, governance and community life. More than ever, modern cities are testbeds for urban renewal concepts that seek to address a wide range of cultural, social, economical and political issues, often with conflicting interests.

This event, facilitated by visual artist Luke Hespanhol and anti-disciplinary designer and interaction design researcher Steven Bai, discusses the increasingly popular concepts of urban ‘hacking’, city apps and the exploration of ‘in-between spaces’. These are the new platforms for alternative experiences of a city as a liveable, creative and empowering habitat, designed by and for its people.

Get tickets and find out more info here.

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HANDMADE – Back to Where We Started?

Are we seeking out bespoke products and processes in retaliation to a homogenous interior landscape created by a glut of ‘cookie-cutter’ design products and interiors?

Five Australian creatives – Fiona Lyda, founder, Spence & Lyda; Jon Goulder, designer-maker and creative director of furniture, Jam Factory, Adelaide; Andrew Simpson, industrial designer, glass producer, director, Vert Design; Lisa Cahill, director, Australian Design Centre; and William Smart, founder and creative director, Smart Design Studio – present the return to thoughtful design and craftsmanship, and the importance of producing meaningful pieces in a world obsessed with consuming more ‘stuff’.

The panel will be moderated by author and design commentator Karen McCartney and is presented by the AUTHENTIC DESIGN ALLIANCE and Factory Design District.

Get tickets and find out more info here.

Lead image: re/FRACTION by the Buchan Group. Image courtesy the architect.

https://www.vividsydney.com/

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See more architecture and design events that are coming up on our events calendar.