Creative Paddington

The past and present of Paddington’s artistic identity will be celebrated March 7 with Creative Paddington. A day-long series of exhibits, interactive art, an art market and a panel discussion, “Art in the Digital World.” Organised by Metro Screen, the Australian Centre for Photography (ACP) and UNSW Art & Design (formerly COFA), all local institutions hovering at the 40-year mark, the event is distinctly forward-looking.

Encompassing activities for locals and the wider community, the day will be “open, free and really relaxed,” explains Katrina Tucker of Metro Screen. Designed not only to showcase those long-standing institutions but also other small-to-medium enterprises, “It’s all about creativity,” says Tucker. She adds that the event will allow locals and visitors alike to learn more about the day-to-day activities of artists who might otherwise be off-radar. “Paddington has a large number of people doing really incredible things”.

Part of Art Month 2015, and supported by the City of Sydney, highlights of Creative Paddington include Metro Screen’s pop-up cinema program, featuring shorts and documentaries on a continuous loop, ACP’s Camera Obscura, inviting the public to shoot and develop photos to create a portrait of the day’s passage, and UNSW’s retrospective of Shaun Gladwell works.

A key aspect of Creative Paddington, and well suited to the area and its institutions, is education and highlighting how once-emerging artists from the past fare now, as well as their thoughts regarding the evolution of art in the digital age. A number of professional writers, photographers and film and television insiders will explore the future of art in the panel discussion. Aspiring artists, take heed. Paddington’s rich tradition of cultural creativity is in no way middle-aged: Forty is the new now.

Creative Paddington is on Saturday 7 March from 10 am to 5 pm. All events are free. For a full schedule, visit metroscreenorg.au.

(OA)