Sunday Selections #317

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
 
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.
 
Like River I usually run with a theme.  This week?  A sneak preview of Enlighten 2017.  This festival has become a must see event since we first went a few years ago.  The program changes so we usually try and go twice.  Himself's sister will arrive next week and we will take her, but we also went to the opening night on Friday.

As always lots of photos (too many?) follow and will embiggen if clicked on. We arrived early (to get a convenient park) and wandered to the far end of the Parliamentary Triangle.   I will save the illuminated buildings for the final Enlighten post, but there was lots more to see.

This drummer was having an amazing workout.  He had an admirable back and butt to show for it too.

I smiled at the lucky accident which put this young woman 'in' a schooner of beer.

I wasn't entirely comfortable with this pseudo-religious exhibit.  The tallest cleric was dangling a basket (containing paper and pens) on a rod and wire to the assembled crowd.  We were exorted to 'gather wishes in it' or alternatively to write it down and let it go.  The religious link was unnecessary I thought - but that is from my perspective.  I didn't hear any murmurs of dissent from the crowd.

The next one, and the last I will show for today, I loved.  Coloured butterflies.  A sea of them.

  
Do you wonder it has become a 'must see' event?  There are other paid events around town, but the free ones give us more than enough to marvel at... 

Enlighten 2015

Canberra, my city, is widely regarded as making ditch water seem positively scintillating by comparison.  Arguable, but never mind.  So when the Enlighten festival started last week we had to go.

We first went last year and loved it.  The facades of buildings in the Parliamentary Triangle were illuminated, bathed in colour and in some instance animated scenes danced across them.  It was always a given that we would front up this year as well.

There was music, there was food (even if we didn't get any), there were happy crowds.  And some of the buildings (like the Art Gallery and the National Library) stayed open for much longer than usual.

Please come with me - and settle in for a looooong ride with a lot of photos.  As always photos will embiggen when clicked upon.

We started at the National Gallery.  Where I was severely disappointed.  The image changed every few minutes it is true, but the only change was in colour.  Not a patch on last year's effort.

This year:

Fairly dull - and it certainly doesn't compare with last years effort which looked like this:

I would score this year's effort as a fail.

I was concerned that a precedent had been set and wore my sulkpot Ben Nag Nag hat as we headed towards the  National Portrait Gallery.  Less than twenty metres further on  I threw the grumpy hat away.

Trees along the walk way between the Gallery and the Portrait Gallery were spotlighted with changing colours.

And then to the Portrait Gallery.

Next was Questacon - our interactive Science Museum.

And then to the National Library.

The lights on Old Parliament House failed just before we got there.  We waited twenty minutes or so and essentially said 'sod that for a game'  and headed home.  There are a couple of events scheduled for this weekend we would like to see, and with luck the Parliament House lights will be back on.

On balance I liked last year's festival better, but I am not sorry we went this year as well.  And we will line up next year too.