(lost toy story)

What | When | Where | Festival Activities | Want to get involved? | Creative team

Imagine...
“It’s Thursday night in Hurstville and crowds are coming home from work or racing to late nite shopping at Westfields. Scattered down the footpath are giant nightlights – fluorescent super sized caterpillars, glowing ‘big dolls’ with gleaming blonde hair, a massive magic fish grinning in neon pink and royal blue. Young performers emerge from the street – breaking from the crowd and staring into the air – spinning off – forming a mob that chants for victory, weeps for the loss, grins and plays with toys once lost and forgotten. Other young people film the chaos on their phones, beaming it live to the Shopfront.org.au website and Youtube. Others stop shoppers at random, asking for stories about lost toys, taking polaroids, writing the memory down on the back, recording short snatches of the interview for a touring exhibition in regional centres and further a field in national festivals and events. On the street, people old and young are connected by stories of how easy it is to lose the things most precious to us.”

WHAT: (lost toy story) is a free multi-media interactive arts festival on the streets of Hurstville in late August 2008. Part installation, part sculpture, part art exhibition and part public celebration, (lost toy story) explores the real stories of lost toys, lost hopes, lost friends and lost fears across generations and cultures in the very public forum of the Hurstville CBD.

(lost toy story) is an unique and timely event in the heart of Hurstville CBD, it follows hot on the success of last year's massive and award winning: A City of Shadows and Ice in Kogarah Town Square. Over a thousand people attended this event in the two days it was performed and its anticipated even more will attend (lost toy story) over the three day span.

WHEN: 

WHERE: (lost toy story) will take place on the streets of Hurstville.

Specific areas include:

• Memorial Square (West end), Forest road: on the grass
• Memorial Square (East end), Forest road: on the cement
  
• Awnings in and around Memorial Square – and where possible, through
  
• Hurstville
  
• Palm Court Car park, Forest rd (East) and nearby benches
  
• Supa centre, car park above Memorial Square *
  
• Diment Way, between Forest Road and Cross Street
  
• Under the ramp, corner of Cross Street and Croft’s Ave
  
• Woodville lane, between Forest Road and Woodville Street
  
• Benches near Sandwich shop, North Woodville Lane
  
• Side walk / garden island, corner of Forest Road and McMahon (south west) *
  
• Post Office Benches and Trees, corner of Forest and McMahon (North east)
  
• McMahon Street, Flagpole circle outside Council Chambers

• physical theatre / movement pieces integrating multi-media and sculptures
  
• a sound installation investigating the various sounds toys make
  
• a roaming installation of real life 'Transformers' who convert into trucks and machines and come to life again as humans
  
• roaming young people interviewing passers by about lost toys - taking polaroids of audience with the nightlight sculptures - writing the stories on the back of polaroids for future exhibition
  
• a band stage featuring local and Sydney wide young musicians performing songs about lost toys and lost things - sourced through a song submission on fbi radio, 2SER and youth print music media

CALLING OUT ALL YOUNG EMERGING ARTISTS AND PERFORMERS

Are you a young artist and want to be a part of this amazing, not to be missed event?

You have got two options:

1. Sign up ASAP in the (lost toy story)workshop program where you will be generating some beautiful (performance) installations, soundscapes, songs and physical theatre pieces. This is a great opportunity to work with other young and professional artists/ makers/ directors.
   
2. Artists that want their work to get out there can also participate in the festival with their existing work which can be incorporated in the festival- street theatre, site specific performances, installations, industrial/graphic designers.