Come July, the fields of North Byron Parklands will become a canvas bursting with more than live musical performances.
Each year the Splendour Arts programme provides some of the most unexpected, unforgettable and Instagram-breaking festival moments from some of the world’s innovative and boundary-pushing contemporary artists.
'Program 1' – Sam SongailoFrom performance installations, handcrafted micro-universes, epic inflatable sculptures and, of course, Splendour’s much-loved 'Tent Of Miracles' – one of Splendour Arts’ magical moments is never far away, you just have to keep your eyes peeled and Snapchat open.
Here are some of the artists you'll see at Splendour In The Grass this year...
'Nicolas Cage In A Cage' – Hungry Castle
Last year the Barcelona-based art collective Hungry Castle – featuring Dave Glass and Kill Cooper – brought their internet-breaking 'Lionel Richie’s Head', and this year they present a giant inflatable sculpture of Nicolas Cage... in a cage. You can face off with Nicolas. Yes, you can. The meme-inspired cage was built to bounce. This is an artwork that reflects the internet and the internet’s effect on culture. Love him or hate him, you won’t break Nicolas Cage.
'Treasure Mountain' – Pip & Pop'Treasure Mountain' – Pip & Pop
Landscapes meticulously constructed from sugar, glitter, sweets and assorted crafty materials draw on ideas of paradise and imagined worlds described in folklore, mythology and mappae-mundi. Weaving together multiple cultural and local references, 'Treasure Mountain 'draws the viewer into a tiny but optimistic world of blissful abundance and utopian dreams. Pip & Pop (Tanya Schultz) has exhibited her work throughout all over the world, collaborating with many renowned companies including Romance Was Born, Hermes, and MT tape.
'Flash' – Reko Rennie'Flash' – Reko Rennie
For the third year a new work by a different artist will take over the iconic entrance tunnel to North Byron Parklands as its canvas. Each artist has responded to the previous artist’s work and remnants remain of all three commissions. This year's commission will consist of large-scale flash symbols along the entire tunnel in a mixture of colours and backgrounds. The work will integrate with the previous works to create pattern effects distinctive to Reko Rennie's style – an interdisciplinary artist who explores his Aboriginal identity through contemporary mediums.
'Post Digital Ruins' – Tom Borgas'Post Digital Ruins' – Tom Borgas
In a world saturated with digital information, it seems obvious to consider that the limits of the virtual world might one-day rupture the excess data bursting out of the non-physical back into reality. The problem is, no one really gave thought to where and how this might happen. But it has happened. A team of experts from around the world have been assembled to document, study and record the details of this curiously fluorescent, low-res tessellation. Samples need to be extracted and categorised. Data needs to be gathered and analysed, analogue material measured and processed.
'Anabaptister' – Bennett Miller Other artists that will be gracing Splendour over the July weekend include: Sam Songailo with an acrylic on board work titled 'Program 1'; Andy Forbes & James Dabrowski's 'You C*nt Stop The Music' (a performance in the 'Tent Of Miracles'; and 'Anabaptister', a live installation piece by Bennett Miller.
Splendour will also be bring back Splendour in the Craft. Just when you thought the glitter aftermath was over, they’re back to shower you with shiny stuff all over again. This year they'll pump up the jam with even more free-form body painting, crafty chill spaces and dancing in the dark. And start flexing your makin’ skills with a craftastic array of 100 per cent paleo friendly workshops from some of Australia's premiere craft freedom fighters including Beci Orpin, Kitiya Palaskas, Fancy Free, Meet Make Create, Regular Wildcat and Craft Mafia.
Splendour In The Grass takes place at the North Byron Parklands, 24-25 July.
