Northern Lights & North Winds

I'll show some pretty pictures before the whinge starts. We've had a couple of fantastic visits to Northern Lights on North Terrace as part of the Adelaide Festival. These are my two favourite designs. Above is the Mitchell Building at the Adelaide Uni with a fabulous William Morris-like (or maybe, it is) design. The building below is the Museum with an Egyptian design.


The projections start at 9pm and continue to the early morning, the images changing every 5 minutes. They are intricately designed to fit the buildings, with colours following the lines of the windows and doors and little decorative features.

We had a look at the lights last week and there was a modest crowd. Then last Sunday night (long weekend) we visited again and it was like going to the football! There were thousands! But it was exciting at the same time. So many families and children and older and in-between people enjoying a fantastic visual experience.

We also saw another great free, visual event: Junk Theory. Junk Theory is a Chinese junk floating on the Torrens, that has images projected on its sails and with a soundscape as the boat sails down the river.

Some brilliant shows we've seen too are A Midsummer Night's Dream (the funniest I've seen, the lovers were even interesting!); and When the Rain Stops Falling (a brilliant new Australian play). On Saturday we hope to go to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (crazy German production - we love crazy Germans!). Not a cheap time of the year (if only J could claim a tax deduction: professional development!) but a highlight.

Oh, and it's my birthday tomorrow. So going to COAHTR is for that. And out to dinner to my favourite caf tomorrow night: the best Italian place. I'll have polenta and vegetables. I'm a peasant at heart.

Now for the whinge. It is far too hot. I'll say it again. TOO HOT!! Supposedly we are looking at 16 days over 35ºC (95ºF). It's not interesting anymore. I'm so glad we had a new airconditioner and insulation installed last month. It has made a huge difference. Otherwise, we'd be camping on friends' floors and begging for mercy. I've forgotten what it's like to see rain.

[End whinge]

11 comments:

Tamara said...

Those lights look so beautiful. Thank you for sharing them. I do love William Morris.

I hope you have a very very happy birthday.

And yeah, we are over the heat too, we get your weather a few days later here and it is horrible.
40'C tomorrow - yuk.

Jenny said...

We have been lucky to have some wonderful fringe and festival productions and free things too! And I totally agree it is WAY TOO hot and for too long!! Good luck keeping cool and have a very happy birthday tomorrow:)

Hyena In Petticoats said...

Happy Birthday to you!

I am so over the heatwave - and I haven't even seen anything much at the fringe to make it feel better.... hoping to rectify that over the next couple of days.....

Holding my breath for that 31 on Wed...

Leah xxx

Unknown said...

How obnoxious of this heat wave to hit during Fringe! We did the family fun day but we've bailed on everything else, including the Northern Lights (dragging the kids into the city at 9pm just isn't worth the drama really.)

Brierley + Clover said...

Awesome pics. And the heat...honestly, ENOUGH!!!

I want Autumn dammit!

Bird Bath said...

Happy Birthday to You! I've seen very little of Fringe/Festival. We've been hibernating indoors....the heat is absolutely stifling. Good to see you're ejoying the festivities.

Levin said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

too hot to type...........

l
x

Kris said...

We went to Northern Lights last night and absolutely loved it! We had put it off because of the HEAT, but felt we had to go last night because it will soon be finished. We took 5 of our kids with us and they loved it too. Some of my kids have been to exhibitions etc, but I have been hibernating.

I hope you have a happy birthday Carolyn! Can't wait for Wednesday and the 31 degrees. As if that's cool!

petrafanella said...

wow, those just look incredible. How inspiring!

Anonymous said...

Wow, now I am wishing I had faced the heat and gone and had a look. I had heard they were amazing but didn't imagine anything like this. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that's amazing!

When i was in Dresden they had a festival and were projecting movies onto the walls of buildings in the street, with people sitting in deck chairs etc in squares or the side of the road watching the movie!

I thought that was cool, but this is breathtaking! What a pity that it sounds like a lot of people have missed them because of the heat...?