farmdoc's blog post number 401

Melbourne has the F1 Grand Prix. Unimaginative. Tired. Dated. Same old same old. Environmental dinosaur. Economic bottomless pit. What a contrast to Sydney, where the inaugural Vivid Sydney festival begins today and runs until 14 June. By-lined ‘A Festival of Music, Light and Ideas’, it’s creative, diverse, energetic, exciting and above all environmentally sustainable. All of which makes it appropriate – indeed cutting edge – for a city seeking to be at the forefront of relevance as this planet faces its greatest threat in its life spanning billions of years. Vivid Sydney features four exciting events: Luminous, Smart Light Sydney, Creative Sydney and Fire Water. To me the most interesting one is Smart Light Sydney, and especially the Smart Light Walk featuring dynamic sculptures of light around the Harbour-front precinct. Also the Smart Light Symposia featuring leading Australian and overseas designers and engineers exploring topics including Future Cities, Smart Architecture, Engaging the City and Lighting the City. How brave. How relevant. How wonderful. How inspiring. Sydney, you’re putting Melbourne to shame. I applaud you. I salute you. May Vivid Sydney prosper. This year, and increasingly in the years to come. Meanwhile the F1 cars in Melbourne, wasting precious fossil fuel as they speed in circles going nowhere, are the perfect metaphor for Melbourne – yesterday’s city left behind in tomorrow’s world.