Art & About Sydney calls on creatives from around the world to pitch ideas for 2014 festival

The City of Sydney is calling for expressions of interest from artists, architects, curators, collectives and arts organisations from around the world for this year’s Art & About Sydney festival, which will brighten the city from 19 September to 19 October.

When it comes to something out of the ordinary, Art & About Sydney takes the cake for captivating, creative artworks.

Last year, it was Snailovation by international artistic collective Cracking Art Group – large neon garden pests that popped up around the city – that captured the public’s imagination.

Other spectacular works have included a typical suburban home that rained on the inside (I Wish You Hadn’t Asked by James Dive and the Glue Society, 2012) and the colourful re-imagining of some of the city’s statues (Sydney Statues by Michelle McCosker and the Occasional Collective, 2011).

Says lord mayor Clover Moore: “Sydney is a place of ideas and creativity, and each year Art & About attracts hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors to enjoy its funny, moving and quirky events.

“Over the past 12 years, Art & About has grown from a small community festival to an internationally-renowned celebration that attracts artists and collaborators of the highest calibre from all corners of the globe.

“This vibrant festival gives creative people the chance to show their work in some highly unusual places and is a rare opportunity to creatively rethink the way our city works.

“Every street, laneway, building site, park and square is a potential location for creativity and storytelling.”

Venues that can be used for this year’s festival include Martin Place, Hyde Park, Paddington Reservoir Gardens, Customs House Square, Sydney Park and Wynyard Park.

Expressions of interest for Art & About Sydney 2014 are open until Monday 3 March, with funding from $10,000 to $80,000 available for individual installations and projects.

Shortlisting of selected projects will be finalised in March and successful artists will be notified in April.

For more information, visit artandabout.com.au.

For more information, contact City of Sydney senior media adviser Keeley Irvin via phone on 0448 005 718 or email kirvin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au.

For lord mayor Clover Moore, contact Jonathon Larkin via phone 0477 310 149 or email jlarkin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au.