Carriageworks Unveils Its Ambitious 2019 Program

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An installation inspired by drones; a theatrical exploration of mass food production, automation and human rights; and an opera based on Peter Carey's novel Oscar and Lucinda are just the beginning of Carriageworks' program for 2019. Unveiled on Monday, December 3, the program also includes several world premieres, across contemporary art, dance, performance, music, food and ideas.

Oscar and Lucinda: The Opera will be premiered by Sydney Chamber Opera and directed by Patrick Nolan. Nolan transports to the stage the story of Oscar Hopkins and Lucinda Leplastrier, who after meeting on an English ship bound for Australia, discover a shared gambling addiction. Meanwhile, Back to Back Theatre will travel from Geelong to bring you The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes. If you've been questioning the impact of artificial intelligence, automation and/or mass food production, this is the show to see.

As always, much of the program challenges audiences to consider new viewpoints. Sydney-based performance artist Mike Parr will blur the line between architecture and sculpture in The Eternal Opening. Samoan-New Zealander choreographer Lemi Ponifasio and Arabic poet Adonis will explore multiple perspectives of the much-contested city of Jerusalem in سدــــقلا Jerusalem. And the colossal Until, by American artist Nick Cave, will remain at Carriageworks until March, dazzling visitors with its monumental crystal cloudscape and fantastical world of found objects.

If you've been troubled by the increasingly frequent buzz of drones, immerse yourself in A Drone Opera by New York-based artist and filmmaker Matthew Sleeth (Guilty: The Final 72 Hours of Bali-9's Myuran Sukumara). Played through three video channels and soundtracked by opera, this installation is a poetic expression of flight, surveillance and technology, loosely based on the Greek myth of Icarus, who, despite his father's warning, flew too close to the sun, melted his wings, tumbled out of the sky and drowned in the sea.

Come January 9-27, Carriageworks will turn into a bustling hub when Sydney Festival 2019 takes over town. Look out for a crew of talented, fearless women, including singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry armed with new album Broken Politics; dancer-turned-playwright Henrietta Baird with the world premiere of her one-woman show, The Weekend; and Canadian violinist Jessica Moss (Thee Silver Mt. Zion) performing Dust while surrounded by Dancenorth's magical troupe and Liminal Spaces' architect-designed set.

During all this art and culture, you'll want to make sure you stay fuelled, so hit up the weekly Carriageworks farmers markets. The markets run every Saturday morning from 8am to 1pm and bring fresh, seasonal produce to the heart of the city. Also, along with the weekly market, summer and winter will see the always popular night markets return, where you can surely expect some of Sydney's top chefs dishing out the goods.

In February, get ready to party at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Carriageworks will host the second edition of the Sissy Ball, a Vogue championship inspired by New York's ballroom scene, as well as Koori Gras, a cornucopia of performances, workshops and talks presented by Moogahlin Performing Arts Company, among several other happenings.

You'll hardly have time to catch your breath before The National 2019 storms in. Running March 29–June 23, this epic exhibition dedicated to new Australian art is a collaboration between Carriageworks, the Art Gallery of NSW and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) and takes place over three biennial editions (2017, 2019 and 2021). Carriageworks will present pieces by 18 artists, including Tony Albert, Sam Cranstoun, Cherine Fahd, Tara Marynowsky, Mish Meijers & Tricky Walsh, Eugenia Raskopoulos, Luke Roberts, Thom Roberts and Melanie Jame Wolf.

Keep an eye out for stacks of other major events in 2019, including the Sydney Writers' Festival, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, Semi-Permanent, South East Aboriginal Arts Market, Liveworks, Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, Pacific Runway, NAISDA and Sydney Dance Company's New Breed.

Top image: Eric Bridgeman: Kuman Painting Workshop. Image courtesy of Eric Bridgeman and Yuriyal Artist.