Introducing the Belgian-born new director of Sydney Festival.
What new elements can we expect for this year’s festival?
“One of the new things I wanted to introduce was using unusual venues as performance spaces. Placing a dance work like Concrete and Bone Sessions in a skate park; bringing the world’s biggest rubber duck into Darling Harbour; and presenting Chronometer — a hypnotic soundscape in a beautiful Sydney park with an outlook over the water and the city.”
Which event do you consider to be the biggest coup for Sydney Festival?
“Semele Walk. This has Sydney written all over it — sophisticated and fun, with
a unique mix of fine music and great fashion design. It shows what a festival can do best: turn a heritage building like Sydney Town Hall into an amazing performing arts venue. We’re thrilled that we convinced Vivienne Westwood and Kaleidoskop Ensemble to repeat this project after what was going
to be a one-off season in Germany.”
And the most underrated?
“Eraritjaritjaka. With French actor André Wilms and Amsterdam’s acclaimed Mondriaan String Quartet, Heiner Goebbels combines live music, video and special effects to weave a powerful spell. It’s a feast for the senses that is not restricted by the confines of the physical theatre space.”
Which show are you most looking forward to seeing?
“The Paradiso at Town Hall series. From the Rolling Stones to Tom Waits, anyone who is anybody in rock’n’roll will play the Paradiso Club in Amsterdam. My friends at Paradiso have agreed to lend us the name for the pop-up bar and venue that we are creating at Sydney’s Town Hall. Some of my favourite new music acts will perform, including Rokia Traoré, Nicolas Jaar and Osaka Monaurail, the Japanese answer to James Brown.”
-Sydney Festival runs January 5–27,
sydneyfestival.org.au.