The Walking Neighbourhood is a concept that premiered in Brisbane in 2012 and involved children leading tours in their own neighbourhood - giving people a rare insight into the world of kids living in inner city suburbs.
Today we took The Walking Neighbourhood tour in Kings Cross that is running within the Art and About program. We all met in the Departure Lounge in the Rex Centre and selected which tour we wanted to take. The departure lounge is an interactive waiting station where you can view the gallery of found items from previous tours, draw on the large map of Kings Cross, learn more out the tour guides and share what you love about Kings Cross. We all decided that the Underground Mystery tour was the one for us. (There were many other tours to choose from) Our tour guides Finn and Nick (aged 11) were confident and proud of their neighbourhood as they lead us around their underground hangouts.
The Walking Neighbourhood moves to Redfern next week. To book tickets (free) or to get more information visit: Art and About Sydney.
The Sydney Film Festival revealed their full program last week. I was hoping that there would be a full family/youth program - it's important for kids to watch films beyond the Disney repertoire - to have the opportunity to view different worlds.
We have gone through the program to let you know the films that under 18's are permitted to attend due to classification restrictions.
Last Saturday night we had our first family outdoor cinema experience in Bondi. It was exciting do try something new as a family.
The gates open at 5.30pm (there is live entertainment) and the film starts at around 8.15ppm. We arrived at 7.30pm and most of the space was full on the hill. We found a spot up the back (we had a great view) and settled in. Only bringing along blankets and pillows, we splurged and hired bean loungers - the kids loved them. But at $8 a pop would be out of the question for a large family. We saw a family with inflatable sleeping bags which did the same job.
As the sun went down the kids got more excited. The felt like they were on a camping trip and relaxing under the stars, it reminded me of going to a drive in theatre when I was a child. Before the movie, I was a bit apprehensive of the screen and sound quality but once the movie got underway it was fantastic.
We are looking forward to our next Open Air Cinema adventure.
Extras
Children under six years are free
Get there early to secure your spot on the hill
Brings blankets, pillows and anything else to make your family comfortable
Bean Loungers can be rented ($8 each)
You can bring your own food in - bring a picnic dinner to enjoy before the movie and enough snacks for during the film. Food and drinks are available at the bar.
Alcohol or glass bottles are not permitted to be brought in.
Unfortunately, I have been unable to fit this years Sydney Children's Festival into our schedule this year. But from what I have been reading plenty of other families have.
It is really wonderful when a performance piece enthralls a young audience as well as an older one. Weeping Spoon Productions (Perth based) succeed with the beautiful tale, "The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik - Deep Sea Explorer" performed by the multi talented Tim Watts.
My youngest son (aged 7) and I fell in love with Alvin and his underwater journey to save the world (now a world covered in water with minimal land and survivors left) and reunite with the soul of his wife who has recently passed away.
Creator and performer, Tim Watts uses animation, projections, puppetry and singing to bring Alvin and his entrancing story alive.
This performance is one of my favourites from the Sydney Festival 2011 line up.
Last night my two youngest (9 and 7) with their Dad and Grandad went to the opening evening of the Le Grand Cirque - Adrenaline at the Opera House. They all have not stop raving about the show. From their awe of seeing a performance in the beautiful Concert Hall, the strength of the cast and the overall excitement of the whole show .
The show is an action packed evening featuring a cast over 40 of the most extreme athletes from around the world. Highlights include the Globe of Death motorbike act and the Wheel of Destiny.
This is a show not to be missed!
Grandads review
Man becomes Superman
The Grace and the beauty of the Bolshoi, the Gentle Charm of a clown that Chaplin himself would have envied, the delirium of three motorheads and astonishingly brave beauty, the infectious exuberance of a trampoline troupe....the fun was fantastic and endless.
The large sculpture seen in the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House is the magnificent work of Architects of Air.
The Mirazozo luminarium is a walk through experience that incorporates light, colour and sound. The journey of this labyrinth includes four domes, tree space and tunnels, each bringing their own experience.
You can hide away in the pockets or stare into the dome centre and let it take you away.
What I loved most was it is an experience that be enjoyed by any age. It was wonderful to seeing young children crawling around discovering the radiance of the Mirazozo.
Charlie and Lola's Best Bestest play ever opened today at the Sydney Opera House. Most families are familiar with the wonderful BBC series and books of brother and sister and their imaginative world. This charming production by Watershed Productions brings the siblings to life with a magical mix of puppets, live action and music.
The performance which lasts just under an hour consists of three stories within Charlie and Lola's world. Laughter filled the audience with mostly under 5's, some even shouted out to Charlie and Lola on stage as they would to a friend.
This magical production is a must see over the school holidays!
Our whole family loved The Book of Everything at the Belvior on earlier in the year. So we are very excited to see that Richard Tulloch and Kim Carpenter have teamed up again for the production of Snow on Mars. The production will incorporate aerial, actors, music, song and digital animation.
12-year-old Waylon (physical performer, Rick Everett) wants to be the first man on Mars.
From a country caravan park, he writes letters to his hero, Andy Thomas. It seems impossible that Waylon could ever become an astronaut. His Dad (Elliott Weston) and Nan (Deborah Kennedy) move around so often that he is falling behind in his schoolwork.
Waylon getting into NASA is as unlikely as finding snow on Mars.
With the help of his Nan and local girl Gabi (Danielle Jackson), Waylon throws himself into the challenge, entering a project about the difficulties of landing the first man on Mars.
They discover that, although dreams may not necessarily come true, there is much joy and excitement to be had in reaching for them.
Writer: RICHARD TULLOCH. Concept & Design: KIM CARPENTER. Director: GALE EDWARDS. Composer: PETER KENNARD. Choreographer: ROWAN MARCHINGO. Lighting: TRUDY DALGLEISH. Digital Artists: MICHELLE FRENCH & BETSY BAKER. Advising Astronaut: ANDY THOMAS. Cast: ELLIOTT WESTON, DEBORAH KENNEDY, DANIELLE JACKSON, RICK EVERETT, DEAN CROSS.
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More details:
January 7 to 16
York Theatre, Seymour Centre.
Suits ages 6-106 Adult $36, Child $24 Family $23 x 4 = $92.
Bookings: Sydney Festival 1300 688 812. Seymour Centre 02 9351 7940 Ticketmaster 1300 723 038 http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au
If you live in the Blue Mountains or planning a visit check out the beautiful Laughing Children's Garden launched yesterday. The garden is situated at Mount Tomah Botanic Garden in the Blue Mountains.
The aim of the garden is to be interactive and to encourage play and creativity by providing aesthetically pleasing pieces of sculpture which enables kids to develop their imagination while using their motor skills through developing games and playing with each piece of sculpture.
Art is for everyone – that is the message of this weekend’s START Fest to both art lovers and the curious alike.
As part of the month long Art & About Sydney Public Arts Festival, 17 studios in Annandale, Alexandria, East Sydney, Leichardt, Lilyfield, Mosman, Newtown, Redfern, Rozelle, St Peters andSurry Hills will collectively open their doors to the general public for the first time with over 90 artists on hand to demonstrate the personality and story behind their work.
Carriage Works Living Library is looking for beautiful, interesting, inspiring books.
Many of you will remember that as part of the Sydney Children’s Festival last year, we ran a program called the ‘Living Library’. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, see below:
In a Living Library, readers borrow out books in much the same way as they would in a traditional library, with one important difference – the ‘books’ are real people. The idea is that readers (in this case, the children of the Festival) can ‘borrow’ a book for a short amount of time to hear their personal story, enabling them to hear tales of people with lives very different from their own.
Right now, I’m looking for people of all ages, cultural backgrounds, and from all walks of life to be books. We’ll be enlisting kid’s ‘dream job’ people like firemen, doctors, vets and astronauts if we can find them, as well as people with quintessential ‘Australian Stories’ - people who have migrated to Oz and seen the times change; someone from a tattoo parlour in The Cross covered head to toe in ink; a blind person talking about how they experience the world; and actors and storytellers who can pull the kid’s legs with tall tales and jokes.
Simply put, everyone has a story to tell, and no-one knows how to tell your story like you do. It doesn’t have to be wild and wacky (although it certainly can be), just something from your life that you feel makes it unique.
Whilst it’s clearly not for everyone, volunteering to be a Book has the potential to be a distinctly rewarding personal experience, as well as a generous contribution to the young community. With your help, we can create a safe environment for kids to interact with a huge range of people who they normally wouldn’t cross paths with - and what better way to promote awareness and acceptance of diversity?
The time commitment isn’t huge - at least one of the Library sessions for a few hours on either the 2nd or 9th October, as well as a short info session in the week prior - so if you think you’d like to be involved, contact me for more details.
If it doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, PLEASE forward this to anyone else you know who you think might be interested.
This is the type of event that really needs personal recommendations to work, so I appreciate any assistance you can give me with that.
Thanks, and we hope to hear from some of you soon,
Kyra Bartley
Associate Producer of Sydney Children’s Festival producing@carriageworks.com.au | 02 8571 9099
(in the office Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday)
Popping up in some of our cities' most idyllic locations during August and September are the Get Reading! Outdoor Reading Rooms.
For a gold coin donation to the Indigenous Literacy Project, you can enjoy comfy furniture for adults and children, great reads and author appearances at popular outdoor spots.
Outdoor reading Rooms:
Sydney: 27–29 August Nagoya Gardens, Hyde Park Corner of Elizabeth & Market Streets, Sydney 10 am – 4 pm daily
Brisbane: 1–5 September Maiwar Green, Southbank Cultural Centre State Library of Queensland Stanley Place, South Bank, Brisbane 10 am – 4 pm daily
Melbourne: 10–12 September The Amphitheatre, Federation Square Flinders St, Melbourne 10 am – 4 pm daily
1981 Dir: Ricardo Trogi, Canada, 2009, 102 min, French with English subtitles
The film 1981 premiering at this years the "Possible Worlds" Sydney Canadian Film Festival is the semi autobiographical story of 11 year old Ricardo after he moves to Quebec City with his family. We follow Ricardo venture through first love, the challenges of making friends at a new school and wanting what every other child has.
This is a very funny coming of age film and will bring back lots of childhood memories and teenagers will also be able to relate to the films themes.
Danish theatre company Gruppe 38 are returning to Sydney with their adaption of Hansel and Gretel. My son and I saw their wonderful production of The little Match Girl a few years ago and I have already booked the whole family in to see the new show in August.
The darkest of The Brothers Grimm fairytales is brought to hair-raising life using storytelling and stunning visuals in this enchanting re-working. Accompanied by an onstage musician, the narrator seamlessly transitions between the characters of Hansel, Gretel and the evil witch as she magically illustrates the tale using light and projections.
Brother and sister, Hansel and Gretel are abandoned in a forest. They stumble upon a delicious gingerbread house that is owned by an evil witch who secretly wishes to eat them. They eventually escape and are reunited with their father. This tale of this abandoned brother and sister is about fighting against life’s difficulties and distinguishing between good and evil.
Season Details:
Dates/Times: 1pm & 2.30pm Saturday 14 – Sunday 15 August
Ven Venue: The Studio
: Age Age Group: 8+
Cost: Tickets $27
Duration: 60 - 75 minutes
Bookings: (02) 9250 7777 or online at sydneyoperahouse.com
My family and I fell in love with Lillebror and his family. Twigson is a Norwegian film based on the children's books by author Anne-Cath. Vestly. Having to move to the country to cut down on expenses the youngest of the family, Lillebror is bored with the lack of children around to play with. He does encounter from a distance "the princess," a young girl the same age as himself. Lillebror is sent outdoors after he falls through the floor of their falling apart house, where he find a new friend "Twigson." (a twig that has fallen from a tree his father is cutting down) Twigson provides Lillebror the company and friendship he craves for. This is a very beautiful family film for younger children (who can read the subtitles) and older children. Twigson is a film full of adventure and humor and the positive moral theme of never giving up.
The final screening for this film is on Monday and I highly recommend you catch it.
My son and I headed to our first film at the 2010 Sydney Film Festival, Yona Yona Pengiun. I was a bit concerned when I was told the film would be subtitled as my son is learning how to read and did not want him to feel overwhelmed.
Yona Yona Penguin is a delightful anime and my son only needed a few translations to keep him onto to the story. Coco is a young girl who fantasises about being a pengiun who can fly. A new friend - Charlie, lures Coco to the Goblin village believing that she can help them save their village. Yona Yona Pengiun encourages to believe in yourself and the importance of friendship. The film gently covers the theme of missing a family member who has passed away.
The Sydney Film Festival have announced their program today and there are some magical films for little kids but it would have been great to have seen a wider selection for older children within the family programming. The festival is a fantastic opportunity to introduce your children to different experiences and worlds. We are all very keen to check out Twigson, a box office hit in Norway about a young boy who has moved to the country and befriends a twig!
This weekend grab the kids and head down the MCA to catch the wonderful exhibition from Olafur Eliasson - Take your time.
Suitable for kids of all ages this exhibition explores light, shapes and colour in an interactive environment. When we first walked in the kids rushed to the large communal table filled with small pieces of white lego and constructions that had been built by creators before them. Every room within the museum captures the imagination.
This is not to be missed!
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About the Exhibition
The MCA presents the must-see contemporary art event of the year, Take your time: Olafur Eliasson. Gathering works from major collections worldwide, it spans Eliasson’s diverse career from 1993 to the present, including installations, sculpture and photography. It is the first large-scale exhibition of works by this Danish-Icelandic artist to be presented in Australia.
From light-filled environments to walk-in kaleidoscopes, Eliasson’s unique, experiential works explore the intersection between nature and science, and the boundary between the organic and the artificial.
Raised partly in Iceland, Eliasson has drawn his inspiration from that country’s landscape and spectacular weather. He recontextualises elements such as light, water, ice, fog, arctic moss and lava rock to create works that shift the viewer’s consciousness and sense of place.
Tropjnr (the worlds largest film festival for kids) has announced the 2010 finalists. This year we are heading the Domain on Sunday 21 Feb to check out these fabulous short films.
Congratulations to all the finalists...
Title: 2 OF ME | Director: Kool Kids Club (group entry) State: NSW Title: ART OF THEFT, THE | Director: Jeremy Bonwick & Julia Faragher | State: VIC Title: BEHIND THE GROUPS | Director: Justin Westlake & Declan Green | State: NSW Title: BIKINI | Director: Ellen Wiltshire | State: SA Title: BILLY AND HIS DOG | Director: SilvermayDarlison-Raines (group entry) State: QLD Title: BUBBLEGUM THEORY, THE | Director: Ella Sandor | State: NSW Title: D’AMOUR COURTE | Director: Sam Wickham | State: NSW Title: CRAWFORD AND JEEVES | Director: Sarah-Jane Petts | State: NSW Title: EVERY COIN HAS TWO SIDES | Director: Peter Richardson & Joshua Raish | State: NSW Title: FORGOTTEN | Director: Hannah Meegan | State: NSW Title: FROG LEGS | Director: Emma Graham | State: NSW Title: IN SILENCE OR INDIFFERENCE | Director: Clare Cornish | State: NSW Title: MARSHMALLOW REVENGE | Director: Chester Greaves & CallenHardie | State: VIC Title: RISE UP | Director: Year 5/6C Greenway Park Public School (group entry) | State: NSW
FESTIVAL SITES LIVE Sydney: The Domain Presented by Tropfest Grounds Open 12pm
Canberra: Stage 88, Commonwealth Park, Canberra Presented by The National Capital Authority
Brisbane: The Parklands at Southbank Presented by QPIX
Surfers Paradise: Circle on Cavill Presented by Surfers Paradise Alliance
Visit www.tropjr.com/au for festival details, screening venues and regular updates
