Encounter contemporary art and stories, global music and dance at the three-day festival from 13 -15 September. Artists manifest the power of the moon at EDGE Ashfield across three days of celebrations for the Moon Festival marking the end of the mid-Autumn Harvest.
From intriguing art installations, productions, workshops and two music festivals; EDGE Ashfield presents a diverse contemporary program that engages local communities and creatives.
TV host, actor and three-time Australian Champion Martial Artist Andy Trieu will MC the opening events at Ashfield Plaza before displaying his dao– a Chinese sword primarily used for slashing and chopping; considered as one of the four traditional Chinese weapons alongside the gùn(stick or staff), qiang (spear) and the jian (double-edged sword).
Local storybombing group Spineless Wonders present community workshops and projects for Ashfield Sound Bites as part of EDGE; which pairs illustrators with selected writers’ texts through the Inner West Council Arts and Cultural Grants program. Attendees can also try their luck at becoming a ‘beat thespian’ at the spoken word karaoke stage by selecting a story to recite through a 1970s karaoke system or join the Free Artist Talk in Library – Writing , off the page and on the street. Bookings – https://ashfieldedge.eventbrite.com.au.
Art installations, murals, audio visual, decals and works in progress will moon-light the way from Ashfield Train Station to the Town Hall and shopping centre. Students from Dulwich Hill School of Visual Art and Design and Fort Street High will showcase their high-tech sARTorial fashion show including the futuristic take on clothing featuring self-coded LED lighting elements while Dulwich Hill Primary students and artist Michelle Kistima-Menser present a colourful installation highlighting waste within the clothing industry.
Moon-dance all Saturday with a free dance extravaganza through EDGE Ashfield with a series of free workshops in traditional music and dance from nations of the world including Balkan, Uyghur and Tao. The afternoon culminates in a massive intercultural dance circle from across the globe and an epic Hip Hop 4×4 dance battle hosted by Destructive Steps.
Special ticketed events on the weekend include the Moon Festival on Friday and Universal Rhythm concert on Sunday as part of Sydney Sacred Music Festival, featuring some of Australia’s finest global musicians.The mid-Autumn festival is an East Asian harvest festival celebrated on the 15thday of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, where the full moon at harvest moon is traditionally believed to be the brightest of the year.