my creative space - biennale

Some friends and I took our school holiday kids on the free ferry to Cockatoo Island on Tuesday. The Sydney Art Biennale is on this month with sites around the city including a large showing at this old industrial island which has all its old buildings and cranes and slipways and tunnels. I didn't realise it before visiting but Cockatoo Island is also an old convict site too.

In fact I hadn't been to Cockatoo Island before and I must admit the space, the old industrialia, the old wooden, sandstone and fibro buildings, the tennis court on the edge of a cliff, the convict buildings on the plateau up top, the rickety stairways past large fig trees hanging by convoluted root systems to the cliff face, the ruined glasshouses and the views to the city were my favourite part of the trip.

The art was perfect in this context, and we just loved it all. It was the perfect day trip and great for the kids, they ran and played in the open space between galleries and then explored the art in between. There are some pop up cafés all around the island too and we had delicious noodles for lunch sitting out in the square in the sun.

A favourite part was this large gallery draped and garlanded with bits of coloured materials everywhere which were sewn with vintage buttons, buttonholes and magnets. The kids all played dressups and ended up looking like Persian and Japanese princes and garden fairies.

Another favourite was this fog installation (made by a 78 year old Japanese woman artist) which changed the light in a magical way. I also loved the carved sandstone tunnel that ran right through the middle of the sandstone plateau with these lovely old numbers painted along the supports. I only wish I'd taken my camera and not just my phone, but I will definitely be going back. It runs till September so there is plenty of time to make the trip again. If you get a chance to go do, this is a magic day!

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