Latest news with #VividFestival
The Guardian
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Fall of an ayahuasca empire, the secrets of self-optimisers, and when digital nomad life turns sour
Top of the weekend to you all, and happy Naidoc Week to all who celebrate. Hopefully this week's first selection inspires you to seek out your nearest event. Recent attenders of Sydney's Vivid festival would have seen Vincent Namatjira's King Dingo character, pictured above, in animated form on the MCA building. Now the First Nations artist's work is UK-bound as part of an Indigenous art explosion in the UK. And Archie Moore, a Kamilaroi/Bigambul man who shared the top prize at the 2024 Venice Biennale, is getting some of the credit. How long will it take to read: Three minutes. Alberto Varela claimed his Inner Mastery venture was the first to take the ayahuasca experience multinational. Users of the Amazonian plant brew often report revisiting past trauma or repressed experiences, and Varela was warned that rolling it out on an industrial scale with minimal oversight would result in accidents. As the company grew, so did the number of accidents – and deaths. Sam Edwards tells the story of how Varela's cult-like 'anti-therapy' empire unravelled. Delusions of grandeur: In March 2020, not long after Covid had been declared a pandemic, a half-naked Varela shared a video with the findings from his latest ayahuasca trip: 'I created the coronavirus.' How long will it take to read: 14 minutes. Work your own hours at your own pace, wherever you want in the world? Been there, posted the Facebook updates from Goa. But, as Emily Bratt discovered in her own stint as a digital nomad, the reliability of a certain global coffee chain's wifi gives it a strong gravitational pull. And by the final month of her latest six-month stint on a south-east Asian island, she found herself wondering: 'What am I doing?' 'I watched friends go about their days, following through on plans made before I arrived and making new ones for after I had gone. I was like a time traveller, temporarily injected into their world from another realm.' – Bratt on the ennui of digital nomad life in Sydney. How long will it take to read: Five minutes. Who to target after you've made a water-cooler show that mirrors the travails of the Murdoch media empire? In his new film Mountainhead, Succession creator Jesse Armstrong pulls back the curtain on tech billionaires. Sign up to Five Great Reads Each week our editors select five of the most interesting, entertaining and thoughtful reads published by Guardian Australia and our international colleagues. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Saturday morning after newsletter promotion The former British political staffer tells Danny Leigh why he was terrible at his old job – and how his research for Mountainhead made him feel sorry for Elon Musk. Move fast and break things: Film and television projects are typically a long haul. But not Mountainhead, which Armstrong conceived in November and premiered in May. How long will it take to read: Four minutes. Further reading: Back to the Future at 40, as told by the co-writer and one of its stars. I'll sometimes brush my teeth in the shower if I've left my run for the office a little late. Some people do this all the time – life comes at you pretty fast, after all, and they figure every second saved is a second you can pay forward to your future self. Are these so-called microefficiencies clever life hacks, or another sign of a snowed-under, productivity-obsessed society? Whatever the case, the self-optimisers Chloë Hamilton spoke to were uniformly chuffed with their time-saving innovations. Basic maths: One 'microefficient' person makes two cups of tea each time they boil the jug. If you drink eight cuppas a day, that saves you 20 minutes of jug-watching time. Across two years that adds up to more than 10 full days reclaimed. Simples. How long will it take to read: Four minutes. Enjoying the Five Great Reads email? Then you'll love our weekly culture and lifestyle newsletter, Saved for Later. Sign up here to catch up on the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture, trends and tips for the weekend. And check out the full list of our local and international newsletters.
The Age
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Bridget has Down Syndrome and is non-verbal, but still expresses herself Vividly
The work of artist Bridget Kelly, who has Down Syndrome and is mostly non-verbal, received a strong response at the Vivid Festival this year. Bridget communicates by expression, limited words and writing. I interviewed her by text with the help of her sister, Morag. Fitz: Bridget, congratulations on your art. When did you take it up? BK: I have been drawing since I was little but I started using Posca Pens in Year 12 at St Scholastica's College, Glebe, which I attended with my two sisters. That was when I got really excited about my art. Fitz: When did you realise you were not just good at it, but seriously talented? BK: When I finished high school, I kept doing my art because it made me happy. When I was 21, I won the Inner West Blooming Arts prize. I won a mentorship to University of Sydney College of the Arts. I felt happy because people started to call me an artist. Loading Fitz: Who are your greatest artistic influences? BK: I get ideas from the world around me. I like colours and shapes and showing people how I see things. Fitz: What did your parents and sisters say when you told them your work was to be displayed at Vivid?
Sydney Morning Herald
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Bridget has Down Syndrome and is non-verbal, but still expresses herself Vividly
The work of artist Bridget Kelly, who has Down Syndrome and is mostly non-verbal, received a strong response at the Vivid Festival this year. Bridget communicates by expression, limited words and writing. I interviewed her by text with the help of her sister, Morag. Fitz: Bridget, congratulations on your art. When did you take it up? BK: I have been drawing since I was little but I started using Posca Pens in Year 12 at St Scholastica's College, Glebe, which I attended with my two sisters. That was when I got really excited about my art. Fitz: When did you realise you were not just good at it, but seriously talented? BK: When I finished high school, I kept doing my art because it made me happy. When I was 21, I won the Inner West Blooming Arts prize. I won a mentorship to University of Sydney College of the Arts. I felt happy because people started to call me an artist. Loading Fitz: Who are your greatest artistic influences? BK: I get ideas from the world around me. I like colours and shapes and showing people how I see things. Fitz: What did your parents and sisters say when you told them your work was to be displayed at Vivid?
Sky News AU
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Vivid decides to make most attractions free due to cost of living crisis
Vivid Festival Director Gill Minervini says the decision to make 80 per cent of Vivid's attractions free is because 'the cost-of-living crisis is very real for all of us'. 'The crowds have been great, the response has been really good,' Ms Minervini said. More than a million people have attended the light festival already, with attendance being up 10 per cent from last year.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Inside Martha Stewart's disastrous trip Down Under where the American TV star raged about Sydney
Martha Stewart didn't have the best experience at Sydney 's Vivid Festival last month, according to reports. The controversial 83-year-old American celebrity was Down Under to present a talk entitled In Conversation with Martha Stewart as part of the event. And according to insiders, the cookbook author was none too impressed with her venue - the famed ICC theatre, which has hosted stars such as Elton John and Cher. Sources reported to Confidential on Tuesday that Martha was unhappy that she had to use a hand held mic throughout her 90-minute talk. However, insiders told the publication that Martha had refused to use a headset for fear of messing up her hairdo. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. She also rejected the option of using a lapel mic, reportedly because she was concerned it might cause damage to her jacket. Meanwhile, the publication also reported that Stewart disapproved of the vehicle that had been arranged for her use because the window tinting was not dark enough. Stewart also shared a gripe about Sydney airport, reported insiders, with the entrepreneur complaining that the terminal was 'too big' and that she had to walk 'too far'. Stewart did find something to her liking during her trip. The culinary guru skipped over to the eastern suburbs for a nibble and shopping and elected to dine at Totti's, a mecca for local and international celebrities, reportedly after a friend's recommendation. The Merivale-owned restaurant, known for its famous bread and small plates, as well as its signature rich pasta dishes, is beloved by the eastern suburbs in-crowd. Given its reputation as one of Sydney's best restaurants, we asked around what America's kitchen queen thought of her dining experience. And, after a bit of wild goose chase, we were able to find a diner who had been at the restaurant at the time and just so happened to overhear Martha's musings. 'She was impressed. She had a great time and ate everything,' they said, adding that she 'was really lovely', 'super friendly' and asked the staff 'lots of questions'. The cookbook author 'enjoyed a large selection of antipasti' accompanied by the signature wood-fired bread, but our spy didn't stay long enough to see if she sampled any of the mains. She had 'Sanpellegrino sparkling water' while she ate, said our source, and 'seemed very interested in the produce, asking the waiters lots of questions.' Totti's fast made a name for itself as the place to be among Sydney's elites after it first opened its doors at The Royal Bondi in December 2018. The highly regarded menu, created by executive chef Mike Eggert, features an array of Italian dishes from pasta, antipasti and its famous 'puffy' wood-fired bread. Totti's interior was inspired by an Italian taverna, featuring old timber chairs, paired-back walls and huge olive trees filling out the lavish courtyard. Just hours before Martha made a surprise appearance at Totti's, she was seen arriving at Sydney airport in the early hours of the morning. She flew in from the US ahead of her Vivid Sydney In Conversation event, and was greeted by airport staff holding a sign which bore her surname Stewart. The home-cooking icon was all smiles as she stopped to meet fans outside her terminal, toting a personalised 'MARTHA' travel bag.
