Gertrude Street Projection Festival

Lighting up the buildings, laneways and footpaths of Gertrude Street, Fitzroy from July 15 to 24, the Gertrude Street Projection Festival is an ideal way to light up a mid-winter night in one of the most happening streets of Melbourne. Local shop fronts and tree trunks will also get a bright makeover, adding some tasteful bling to what is Melbourne’s largest, most visible free arts festival. For its ninth year, the already ‘arty’ street will be basically transformed into a huge, illuminated outdoor art gallery.

Across ten nights, 38 sites on and around Gertrude Street will be creatively transformed with curated projections, whether through lighting, videos or ingenious colourscapes. An exciting first for the 2016 GSPF, three new site-specific projects will also explore the use of projection through live performance, sculpture and holographic techniques. 

Hosted by the Gertrude Project Association, a not for profit, volunteer group dedicated to exhibiting contemporary new media, the festival features a diverse arts program that showcases the creative talents of emerging and established artists. It also gives them an opportunity to work in collaboration with local community members, businesses and volunteers. While celebrating and connecting a diverse, close-knit community, the festival gives the wider public an opportunity to see familiar spaces and buildings in new, inspired and perhaps illuminated ways.

There will also be plenty of good cheer at the festival hub, The Catfish Bar, which will host a range of live performances and projection artworks. In a precinct renowned for its eclectic cafes and restaurants, whether cheap and cheerful or hip and trending, it’s also a great opportunity to either dine out or chill out at a local hotspot. For further information on the festival, see www.gspf.com.au and, if you like to check out what’s happening on the local dining scene, see www.fitzroyrestaurants.com.au