Currently Working On (Part 1)

I thought I'd share a little insight as to what I am currently working on.

People often ask me " so, what exactly do you do?" and it is such a hard question to answer.  Work in Arts Administration is so varied , and I also do a lot of creative work which confuses the issue even further.
 I'm going to try and shed a little light on some of  what I do 9 to 5 (and sometimes 10 till 3 am!)

I have two major  projects occurring simultaneously at the moment. The first is a corporate internship with Australia's largest arts company in Sydney, and the second is a costume design gig with an independent ariel artist who is preparing to mount a show at the Perth fringe festival in February. 

I'll start with the internship.

 I've been based  in Sydney for the past month,  working with Opera Australia. From 9 to 5 I am working with the corporate development and special events team to help mount Opera in the Domain. 

Every year around 20, 000 people (nope, I didn't accidentally add an extra zero. Twenty thousand) flock to the domain in the heart of the city to watch a free mini-version of an Opera from the companies repitoire. This year  it is 'The Pearlfishers'. 

Its a beautiful lesser known opera, set in an abandoned hindu temple. 

My job with the company this month has mostly pertained to the design, set up and function of the VIP tent.

That is;  a 20 x 20 marquee erected in the middle of the site that houses all of the important sponsors and patrons of the Australian arts industry that attend the event.  Every year the VIP tent is extravagantly themed to match the set design and main theme of the Opera. From the interior, to the bathrooms, right down to the canapé menu. 

I have driven all over Sydney, sourcing and picking out hand carved balinese furniture as well as jasmine garlands; making sure that what I source is within the confines of the style and colour guides provided to me by the special events managers.   

(colourful part of the job; various garlands I sourced from shops and markets last week) 

I've sat in on meetings with florists to work out floral designs for inside the tent that lend themselves to the theme, but that don't distract from the sponsors placement of products (see, it is corporate work! This is probably the most delicate and important part of the job - you've got to keep your sponsors happy in the arts - money is rare and partnerships are highly valued and need to be mutually beneficial).

Aside from all the fun and pretty aspects associated with designing a VIP event, I've also dealt with the slightly less glamorous side of such a large scale event ; organising volunteer mail outs, packing first aid  and touring kits for site, sorting out access passes.  I've also pulled some hours with the Sydney Opera House company office, attending open dress rehearsals for other shows as well as assisting in running auditions for upcoming productions.

I'll arrive on site at 8 am on the day of the event, and I won't leave until approximately 3 am the following morning. Granted, a few of those hours will be spent drinking champagne  and devouring canapés in the tent I helped create , but mostly they'll be spent helping execute the interior decoration process,  primping and priming the set up throughout the night, escorting camera crews around site  and helping oversee the smooth running of the VIP  and PR activities.

I was going to write about my second project (costume design) in this post, but it took so many words just to explain this job, that I think I will save that for a separate post.
Stay tuned for part  2!