Art with Altitude Opens 24th - 27th October 2013
A bamboo ‘boo machine’, a giant scrabble artwork and a colourful 3.5m trike madefrom recycled car bonnets are not what you’d normally expect to find at an airport, or while shopping at DFO.
But visit Skygate from tomorrow until Sunday 27 October and you’ll find these and much more.It’s all part of Brisbane Airport’s Art with Altitude festival – a free 4-day contemporary art festival at Skygate.General Manager of BAC’s property division BNE Property Ms Renaye Peters said the festival, which opens to the public tomorrow, will be a family wonderland.“Children can explore the amazing outdoor sculptures, watch art come to life at our theatre performances, and then become an artist at our art workshops,” Ms Peters said.
“The completely free children’s entertainment program makes art accessible to young families and provides a great family day out in Brisbane,” she said.“The event is like no other on the city’s calendar. The relaxed, outdoor environment of Skygate challenges how and where people may think art should be traditionally enjoyed,” Ms Peters said.
A festival highlight is Emma Anna’s IMAG_NE artwork – a giant scrabble tile that invites people to complete the work by standing in the place of the missing ‘I’.Interactivity is a clear theme among the artworks, from throwing balls into Jay Irving’s 5m high bamboo structure Steam Punk Flight, to playing music on Adriaan Vanderlugt’s Fish Scales, and fossicking through the sand of David McGuinness’ Fossil Fuel.
The free entertainment program includes artist Leonie Rhode’s Stratospherical workshops where children learn to make their own mini plasticine person which then becomes part of a colourful community sculpture. QAGOMA’s Make A Roo children’s art workshops from the ‘Kangaroo Crew’ exhibition by Indigenous Australian artist Gordon Hookey will also be open throughout the festival.Queensland Theatre Company is returning again this year with daily performances of The Lost Property Rules by Matthew Ryan. There will also be weekend performances of Lissa and Nee Nee’s Riverside Adventure and Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra will present its fun interactive kids’ concert as well as classical music by the sculptures.
Art with Altitude Curator and Founding Director of the highly successful Swell Sculpture Festival, Natasha Edwards, said Art with Altitude’s theme of ‘suspended in translation’ will resonate through the artworks she has selected.“The sculptures reflect on stories past, present and future and work well within their airport setting” Ms Edwards said.“Each artwork has its own story to tell, and together they tell another story of culture, crossing borders, arriving and departing.”Festival-goers can learn more about the artworks at scheduled curator tours. New this year are children’s ‘Mini Picasso Tours’, where our young art aficionado provides his own perspective on the sculptures.For more information, details of exhibiting artists and the full program visit www.artwithaltitude.com.au.
About Skygate: Skygate is a vibrant retail, commercial and lifestyle precinct brimming with fashion, food, art and leisure. It’s home to more than 130 retail, café and dining options, including DFO, Queensland’s only 24-hour Woolworths and a 4.5 star Novotel hotel. Skygate is located at the entrance to Brisbane Airport, just off Airport Drive. Find out more at http://www.skygate.com.au
About Natasha Edwards - Curator, Art with Altitude: Natasha Edward’s passion and advocacy for embracing visual arts in public spaces is supported with a strong artistic and business background, and wealth of knowledge to the public art sector. With over 15 years working in public art, major projects and exhibitions, it is not surprising Natasha has landed herself with Brisbane Airport Corporation to deliver another awe-inspiring exhibition Art with Altitude. Natasha is the Founder and Director of the highly successful Swell Sculpture Festival on the Gold Coast.
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