Fed Square is turning into a dystopian, surveillance-themed rave venue this winter with a 10-metre tall installation and free DJ sets from the likes of John Course and YO! MAFIA
Fed Square will brighten up Melbourne’s wintery days with a dedicated program of free art, dining experiences, winter masterpieces, dystopian dance parties and more. Their winter program, Anything But Square: Under Surveillance, will run for five weeks (1 July – 7 August) and be accented by an eccentric art installation called The Eyes. Playing with the idea of how we gaze on each other through channels like social media, in a tongue in cheek way, The Eyes is a 10 metre-tall inflatable head featuring hyper colourful, abstract eyes darting in every direction of Fed Square.
The Eyes is created by artists Cool Shit, who are known for making giant, playful and immersive pop culture installations. The UK-based, Australian art collective has found great success internationally, having works showcased at major festivals and art fairs like Coachella and Art Basel. As well as ogling at The Eyes, visitors to Fed Square will be able to plug back in by sharing a video or snap of themselves wearing “The Eyes Fed Square” filter of googly, animated eyes.
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Themes of gazing will ooze into other things to do at Fed Square during Anything But Square, including the outdoor Surveillance Film Festival, broadcast free on Fed Square’s big screen throughout July, an ‘Eye Spy Mission’ for kids to spot objects in the precinct and crafty eye-themed workshops.
At night, the Fed Live Dance Dystopia series will see the likes of YO! MAFIA and DJ John Course take to the iconic Fed Square live stage each Friday night, dropping high-energy, dance and disco tunes.
“Winter is an exciting time at Fed Square. The precinct is buzzing with experiences for all types of people, and it’s also a time to invite curiosity into the Square. This year’s program will spark curiosity and encourage the community to explore Fed Square’s kaleidoscope of experiences. We’ll see Australian-first experiences that reimagine what you expect to see at Fed Square,” said Fed Square’s chief experience officer, Suzana Bishop.
Outside of Fed Square’s Anything But Square program will be community, dining, sport and art experiences throughout winter including events from the inaugural RISING festival, the highly anticipated opening of new restaurant Victoria by Farmer’s Daughters and ACMI’s Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition Light: Work’s from Tate’s Collection.
Fed Square’s full winter events program
What: Barring – Nganjin: our path our journey
When: 26 May – 28 August
Where: Koorie Heritage Trust, Fed Square
Ticketing: Free
Barring – Nganjin: our path our journey is an exhibition from Stolen Generations survivors. This is storytelling at its finest, with artists telling their stories of grief, loss and resilience. It is also truth telling at its most heartbreaking. But it also demonstrates, hope, resilience and triumph.
What: RISING, The Invisible Opera
When: 10 June – 11 June
Where: Fed Square
Ticketing: Booking required via rising.melbourne
Presented with Metro Tunnel Creative Program and Fed Square, The Invisible Opera is an invisible theatre of surveillance, private enterprise and city activation in Fed Square created by Australian multidisciplinary performer Sophia Brous in collaboration with Lara Thoms, Samara Hersch and Faye Driscoll.
What: Zurich Walk to the ‘G
When: Monday 13 June
Where: Fed Square
Ticketing: Free
The Zurich Walk to the ‘G takes place each year on Queen’s Birthday. Walk with thousands of supporters from Fed Square to the ‘G ahead of the Big Freeze event, where celebrities make a splash to raise both funds and awareness for FightMND. Following the icy antics, Melbourne and Collingwood will do battle in Round 13 of the 2022 AFL premiership season.
What: Light: Works from Tate’s Collection
When: 16 June – 13 Nov
Where: ACMI, Fed Square
Ticketing: Booking required via acmi.net.au
Curated by Tate in the UK and drawn from their prestigious collection, Light: Works from Tate’s Collection celebrates groundbreaking moments from over 200 years of art history, and the artists who harnessed this elemental force through painting, photography, sculpture, drawing, installation and the moving image.
What: Anything But Square: Under Surveillance
When: 1 July – 7 Aug
Where: Fed Square
Ticketing: Free and ticketed events
This winter at Fed Square, we make the invisible, visible! Curated by Fed Square and with Major Partner Nebula, the 2022 Anything But Square program offers fun and memorable experiences in the heart of the city including a major art installation The Eyes, an outdoor film festival, free dance parties, workshops and specialty foods.
What: 2022 K-Pop World Festival (Preliminary Round)
When: 1 July
Where: The Edge, Fed Square
Ticketing: Free
The K-Pop World Festival is an annual vocal and dance cover competition for people around the world with passion for K-Pop. The winner of the Melbourne Preliminary Round will move on to compete internationally for the chance to perform at the final round in Korea alongside K-Pop celebrities. Get together with your friends and dominate the stage or come by to support the amazing talent that represent the city of Melbourne.
What: Cartoonito Play Zone
When: 5 – 7 July
Where: Swanston St Forecourt, Fed Square
Ticketing: Free
Cartoonito is a brand new preschool channel launching on the Cartoon Network from July 4, and it’s bringing plenty of family fun to Fed Square during the school holidays. Young builders can work together in the Bugs Bunny Builders construction zone, get creative with arts and crafts and enjoy brand-new shows on Cartoonito such as Lucas The Spider, Monchhichi and Mush-Mush and the Mushables on Fed Square’s Big Screen.
What: NAIDOC in the City
When: 10 July
Where: Fed Square
Ticketing: Free
Celebrate NAIDOC Week and those who’ve driven and led change in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders communities over the generations, by heading to Fed Square for NAIDOC in the City. NAIDOC in the City features live performances from leading Aboriginal musicians and entertainers, and activities for the whole family including story-telling by Aboriginal Elders, arts and crafts, and food tasting from First Nations-owned restaurants.
What: Truffle Dinner
When: 13 July
Where: Taxi Kitchen, Fed Square
Ticketing: Booking required via transporthotel.com.au/truffle-dinner
Celebrate the launch of the 2022 truffle season with an exclusive dinner event at Taxi Kitchen. The dinner will include a seasonal five-course menu by Executive Head Chef Tony Twitchett and matched wines we know you’ll dig (that’s a truffle joke!).
What: MIFF
When: 4 August – 21 August
Where: The Edge, Fed Square
Ticketing: Booking required via miff.com.au
MIFF returns to Fed Square with a celebration of world-class cinema including two ‘In Conversation’ events as part of MIFF’s Talks program. Discussing and expanding on themes of the festival, the In Conversation events will feature exciting filmmaker talent, with the full program announced on 12 July.
For further information on events and experiences, visit Fed Square’s website.