Vivid Sydney 2014 to Include Pixies, Upworthy and Your Giant Face

Winter in Sydney has become synonymous with Vivid, and the first weeks of autumn brightened by news of its plans. This year, the news is more light, more music and more ideas: interactive light art is expanding to Martin Place and the harbour waters, new music event Modulations comes to Carriageworks while the Pixies prop up the Opera House, and the Vivid Ideas program will bury you under the cumulative wisdom of 300 speakers.

Vivid Music includes several new initiatives, including a Stephen Pavlovic-curated event, Modulations, at Carriageworks; New Wave club nights at the Seymour Centre and uber-contemporary performances at both The Basement and the Argyle Centre. We're eagerly awaiting the full VividLIVE announcement on March 24, but for now we can tell you that the Opera House will be hosting The Pixies in intimate mode, a groundbreaking ACO-Presets collaboration traversing 42,000 years of music history and 230+ songs, and a DJ-set from Giorgio Moroder (Daft Punk, Donna Summer, Scarface, Top Gun).

Meanwhile, Modulations will feature the Pet Shop Boys' epic multi-sensory ‘Electric’ show, as well as an immersive adventure from Fred Deakin (Lemon Jelly), involving music, light, sculpture and interactive technology.

Lighting the all-important sails this year is creative agency 59 Projections, who count the London Olympics and the spectacular War Horse among recent works. Last year's projection stars Spinifex are working on the MCA, this time collaborating with artist Jess Johnson, while France's Danny Rose is transforming the facade of Customs House into playable instruments. Even the vessels on Sydney Harbour don't escape a cloak of light.

Fifty art installations will grace the hugely popular light walk, including an Aurora Australis; Luke Hespanhol's LOL, beach-ball smiles that laugh with you in Walsh Bay; and one that really appeals to our narcissistic sides, Simon Brockwell's e|MERGEnce in the new Vivid venue of Martin Place. It 3D projection maps your face onto a giant sculpture.

While functioning as an umbrella for some massive creative industries events — such as Semi-Permanent and Good Design — Vivid Ideas is still hogging some star speakers for its own signature program. Before I Die artist Candy Chang, viral strategy secret-keeper Sara Critchfield from Upworthy, Antipodium's Geoffrey J Finch, 4D printing leader Skylar Tibbits, American Apparel's Ryan Holiday and street culture juggernauts Joshy D & Mike Giant all feature.

As usual, the Vivid Ideas Exchange on level six of the MCA will be the place to let all these thoughts meld. The panels and workshops there will be based around eight 'content clusters', including 'The Future of Work', 'UX IRL' and 'DIY & Maker Culture'.

The 18-day festival, named Australia’s Event of the Year in 2013 at the Australian Event Awards, is on from May 23 to June 9. It's kind of staggering how much it's achieved since starting in 2009, last year attracting 800,000-strong crowds and selling 11,000 Vivid-related packages to the international market. Photos of our crazy light shows spread around the world, while Circular Quay restaurants regale with stories of running out of food to serve the swarming masses.

For the full program and ticketing information, see the Vivid Sydney website.

By Rima Sabina Aouf and Jasmine Crittenden.