Way back at the beginning of July we spent a wonderful day on Cockatoo Island seeing the 18th Biennale of Sydney. It's on until 16th September, so if you're in Sydney I'd highly recommend a visit for a great family day out. For a start the ferry ride across the harbour is a fun treat for the kids, especially on these glorious winter days and Cockatoo Island is worth a visit even when there's no art to be seen. There's tunnels and old buildings to explore and lots of climbing to be done, and the bar and cafes are a drawcard too.
My favourite work from the Biennale is Philip Beesley's interactive kinetic environment. We could have spent all afternoon looking at this one work and come away happy. Beesley's work incorporates lightweight digitally produced textile structures with touch sensors and LEDs that respond to the actions of the viewer. Walking in the interactive installation felt like you were part of a beautiful ethereal living organism.
I've blogged about Cal Lane's work before, so I enjoyed seeing her 'industrial doilies'.
And I particularly loved this collaboration between polish artist Monika Gryzmala and Euraba Artists and Papermakers, who are a group of northern NSWAboriginal artists specialising in handmade paper art. Breathtaking.
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