MEDIA RELEASE: Tuesday 23 May, 2017

SPOTLIGHT: FULL STEAM AHEAD FOR VIVID IN CHATSWOOD Ride the steampunk wave into a funky, retro-futuristic smart city

There’ll be something old and something new, as retro and future worlds collide when Vivid Sydney morphs Chatswood into a steampunk themed world, where technology and light fuses with 19th Century steam-powered machinery. Interactive light installations will transform the Chatswood CBD into a funky smart city complete with people-powered steam engines, a giant drumming octopus, underwater worlds and sustainable cities perched in the sky as the bustling precinct is reinvented.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said: “As the Member for Willoughby, I’m proud that Chatswood is part of Australia’s largest event which entertains locals and visitors alike, attracting a record 2.31 million visitors and injecting $110 million into NSW’s visitor economy last year alone.

“Since 2015, Chatswood has delighted visitors with thought-provoking creative works, bringing cultures, communities, artists and local businesses together while delivering these tremendous benefits to the NSW economy. This year is no exception, and is set to amaze and delight with an explosion of light and colour.”

NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said: “Chatswood is a vibrant, bustling destination that goes from strength to strength as a Vivid Sydney precinct. This year’s light installations will again amaze, inspire and engage visitors and get them thinking too, with projections shining a light on future worlds and sustainable communities. As a thriving retail and dining hotspot, visitors will be spoilt for choice with so many options on the menu to make their trip to Vivid a complete night out.”

Highlights include:

 Voxelscape: Cue the lights! Exit the Interchange and enter a three dimensional lightshow as more than 9,000 LED light spheres glow in the vast air space above you – all viewable from any level of the .

 Gear Shift: Help create this amazing, pulsating, people-powered steam engine simply by moving. This extreme-resolution interactive projection uses intelligent motion tracking to

shift, pump and turn in perpetual motion.

 Future City Smart City: A fantastical future world is waiting to be discovered. You’ll see people take to the air in whimsical airships and an airborne, sustainable community emerge in the sky in this feature projection on the futuristic sails of The Concourse.

 Steampunk Waterworld: What lies beneath? Peer into the reflection pool on The Concourse to discover the magic of this submerged world that pays homage to the likes of Jules Verne through light, sound and special effects.

 Crossword: What will you say? All is revealed when you wander through a glimmering canopy of light in to the Victor Street intersection and discover this installation sending hidden messages mid-air and onto revellers.

 Light Bounce: Those who can’t wait for sundown to enjoy the lights can wander through an enchanting, sparkling forest of refractive light in a captivating daytime installation at .

 Go on a food adventure: Visitors can enjoy dozens of dining options throughout the precinct. Take a foodie journey around the world with international cuisines at The District at Chatswood Interchange, a stroll down Hawker Lane for authentic Asian street-food at , see the light show while dining alfresco on The Concourse, or tuck into specially created Vivid dishes, from Orchard Tavern’s Vivid Burger to The Choc Pot’s decadent Chocolate Vivid Dessert.

Vivid Sydney will light up Chatswood from 5.30pm - 10.30pm every evening from Friday 26 May to Saturday 17 June. Light Bounce at Chatswood Chase Sydney will operate from 9am - 5.30pm daily and until 9pm on Thursdays.

About Vivid Sydney Vivid Sydney is the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, which for 23 days - from 26 May to 17 June 2017 - transforms the Harbour City with its unique colourful, creative canvas. In 2016 Vivid Sydney attracted a record 2.31 million attendees. Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency. Vivid Sydney features large scale light installations and projections - Vivid Light; music performances and collaborations - Vivid Music (including Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House); and creative ideas, discussion and debate - Vivid Ideas, all celebrating Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia-Pacific. Vivid Sydney is in its ninth year. For more information visit www.vividsydney.com

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

Katie Lettice, Red Agency M: 0405 470 925 E: [email protected] and/or [email protected]

Kate Campbell, Destination NSW Michael Morcos, Destination NSW M: 0418 126 211 M: 0419 093 882 E: [email protected] E: [email protected]