Parallel Reality

Posted on by Dr Zuleyka Zevallos

Sun Xun’s exhibition drawing on mixed media to depict a parallel reality of propaganda figures, mythical creatures, cities, ancient townships and our relationship to time.

‘Maniac Universe,’ Sun Xun (2018), made with mineral pigment on bark paper with UV-A lights. The artist, born and lives in China, drew inspiration from Australia’s Southern Lights (Aurora Australia). ‘With the extreme natural spectacle of Aurora, you have a feeling of something impossible to capture or to comprehend in its entirety, much like the animal kingdom in Australia.’

Finally, ‘Triple Tangle,’ the new mural at the Museum of Contemporary Art, by Sydney artist, Gemma Smith.

Dark Emu by Bangarra Dance Theatre

Posted on by Dr Zuleyka Zevallos
Two dancers reach up while jumping and twisting their arms

Guess who had front row tickets to Dark Emu by Bangarra Dance Theatre?

Based on Bruce Pascoe’s wonderful and important research into Australia’s pre-history – the agrarian and aquaculture innovation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people people prior to invasion.

Continue reading Dark Emu by Bangarra Dance Theatre

Barangaroo and the Four Thousand Fish

Posted on by Dr Zuleyka Zevallos
Two people walk along the foreshore. In the background, other groups gather at the pier taking photos and looking around, while others are near a giant vessel. The sun shines brightly as it sets over the water

My Weekends With A Sociologist series is going to start coming to you more frequently and completely out of sequence. I will share with you my visual sociology adventures from different places, at different points in time, showing you what has captivated my sociological imagination most recently, through to what has lingered with me over time. The purpose of this series is to showcase what it is to see the world through a sociological lens. (For visually impaired readers, descriptions in the alt.) So let’s get started!

What better way to restart our journey, than with the enduring legacy of a strong Aboriginal woman, Barangaroo.

Beginning in the first week of January, Sydney annually hosts the Sydney Festival, with various sites around town housing performances, public art and sculptures, including many interactive installations. The best this year was the artwork, Four Thousand Fish, curated by Emily McDaniel, artist from the Kalari Clan of the Wiradjuri nation in Central New South Wales. The artwork blends sea song, visual story telling, sound, lighting, sculptures, landscape photography, music and of course, a beautiful nawi (bark canoe).

Held at the Cutaway in Barangaroo, every weekend this past January, the site was transformed into a public art sculpture that was set ablaze nightly at dusk. I attended an event hosted by the beloved street photographer, Legojacker (formerly from Melbourne, they had moved to Canberra in recent months).

Barangarro is named after the mighty Cammeraygal woman of the Eora nation, who defied colonialism in Gadigal, her homeland (also known as Sydney).

Continue reading Barangaroo and the Four Thousand Fish