Darwin Festival 2009
The Festival Programme for 2009 was launched in the Cathedral Precinct last night with great fanfare. The programme is packed with performances, exhibitions and events for people of every age and taste. And with the much of the Festival happening right in our backyard, the Cathedral is set to be involved like never before.
We are hosting two major events as part of this year’s Festival.
First is the “Legal Walls” project and exhibition: With some graffiti art selling for almost a quarter of a million dollars and appearing in national gallery collections the world over, it’s impossible to deny one of civilization’s oldest and most enduring art forms. Resulting from a series of workshops for young people, Legal Walls presents graffiti as a responsible and legitimate means of cultural exchange, showing the work of a new generation of talented, responsible and creative people.
Given that some of the oldest surviving Christian iconography and symbolism was graffiti there are some important statements to be made by the Cathedral hosting this exhibition.
The Second event hosted directly by the Cathedral is the “African Gospel Choir”: singing traditional songs and hymns from Liberia, Ghana and the Ivory Coast with powerful, confident voices. Clarity, simplicity and exceptional harmonies are the resounding features of this collective of men and women who come together to share their faith, energy and passion for songs from their faraway lands.