By Jessica Lim, in Sydney

FIRE FLIES Who: Swiss-born Francesco Mariotti Where: Argyle Street What: Using only 75 watts, an amount that is less than the energy needed for making a piece of toast, this installation turns recycled plastic bottles into art.

The inaugural Vivid Sydney launched last month is an arts festival with a clear and unabashed objective that is measured in numbers: to bump up tourist numbers to New South Wales by 2.5 per cent year-on-year and pump A$10 million (S$11.5 million) worth of new money into the region.

It is a partnership between the City of Sydney Council and Events NSW, which was established by the NSW government to market the state.

The hope is to get a positive response internationally for Vivid Sydney and quickly build it into a world-renowned annual festival, says chief executive officer of Events NSW Geoff Parmenter. This year's event is budgeted at A$7.5 million.

A festival such as this has been a long time coming, he says, and it is the first deliberate step made by the city to showcase its creative credentials.

Launched on May 26 and lasting till Sunday, Vivid Sydney is a festival of light and sound which turns the city into a giant canvas. It is centred on The Rocks, the Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay and the Museum of Contemporary Art. There are four main parts:

Smart Light: This is a self-guided walk featuring light art sculptures which use low-energy smart technology.

Luminous: This section, curated by legendary musician Brian Eno, sees him drenching the sails of the iconic Sydney Opera House in colour. His critically acclaimed image and sound installation, 77 Million Paintings, is also featured, together with music performances.

Fire Water: A dramatisation of the 1814 sinking of a convict ship. A replica ship will emerge from the harbour near The Rocks before catching fire and sinking.

Creative Sydney: This is a series of free public events including discussions, workshops and performances involving artists from the creative fields of music, design, architecture, gaming and writing.

Mr Parmenter says: 'In the past, I don't think Sydney has been sufficiently pro-active in demonstrating its creativity. The festival is in line with the changing city and a number of creative aspects that are slowly emerging.'

Indeed, a trek around the city reveals hidden gems. At Chalk Horse, a small gallery in Cooper Street in the inner-city suburb of Surry Hills, Seamus Heidenreich holds up one of his artworks featuring two bright green dragon heads emerging from the back of a mountain.

The 25-year-old started off as a street graffiti artist and now dabbles with ink, acrylic and spray paint on canvas. His first exhibition last December at Chalk Horse, a gallery run by artists, was sold out.

'Since then, I have been getting commissions to do all sorts of artwork,' says the lanky and blond man.

Art spaces such as Chalk Horse, a converted lighting warehouse, are springing up in different areas of the city, says Ms Isobel Johnston, who conducts art tours. Each walking tour is A$50 a person and lasts three hours. Tours can be booked online at www.sydneyarttours.com.au

This particular art enclave is nestled among narrow, tree-lined streets flanked with quaint terraced houses.

It used to be a sketchy place, where vandalism and burglary were regular occurrences. But now, the area is well known for its stylish shops, restaurants and art galleries on every corner.

The tour guide of 15 years reckons there are about eight such suburbs in Sydney that house galleries - usually warehouses and deserted factories leased at low rent - up from just one 10 years ago.

Among them are Waterloo, which is a 20-minute taxi ride from the CBD, Newtown, an inner south-west suburb, and Redfern, 3km south of the CBD.

At these artist-run spaces, some artists hope to get discovered. Others, such as Heidenreich, who manage to earn A$550 to A$2,500 for each painting, are quite comfortable where they are.

This art boom has been an organic one.

An interactive light art installation, allowing visitors to power the artwork through pedalling bikes linked to generators from washing machines.

'Like everywhere else, there are far more artists than opportunities to show. So over the years, artists have come together to create their own opportunities,' Ms Johnston says, adding that it is difficult to get a slot at art museums in Sydney.

'Such artist-run spaces are springing up all around Sydney. Many leave their creative mark and move on.'

Meanwhile, the weekend markets at Glebe, Paddington and Bondi are ideal launch pads for local fashion designers hoping to make it big one day.

At the market in Glebe, amid ranks of second-hand clothing and college students looking for a bargain, Helen Zuker remembers old times.

'The markets have changed,' says Ms Zuker, who started peddling second-hand clothes at Glebe market in 1989. She reckons there are about 200 stores in the market now, up from just three when she first started.

'It used to be full of people selling second-hand clothes to make an extra buck,' she says. 'Now, it is full of young designers testing the market.'

At the same market, Ms Samantha Madrzegewski is one of those hopefuls who wants to open a store in the city.

The 30-year-old thinks up new designs almost daily. A few go into her sketchbook and even fewer make it to the pattern-maker. In the end, about 20 styles are turned into new pieces each year. Business has been good so far, she says, which makes her confident that her new store might be successful.

For designer Fiona Buckingham, who now owns a store on the hip Mary Street in Surry Hills, the markets were the perfect starting point for her.

'I took my things to the market, slowly built up a clientele, then opened my shop,' said the mother of one who created her clothing label, Kyotap, in 1999.

Sydney's Paddington market is a testing ground for budding fashion designers.

These creative spaces, says Sydney's Tourism Minister Jodi McKay, is exactly what Vivid Sydney aims to showcase. The festival, which will take place in May and June for at least the next three years, captures the innovation of Sydney.

'It casts a different light on Sydney,' she says. 'Each year, we will make sure that we have a renowned artist to capture that spirit.'

Vivid Sydney's target market?

'Singaporeans, definitely,' she quips.

limjess@sph.com.sg

Straits Times journalist Jessica Lim travelled courtesy of Tourism NSW and Tourism Australia.

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Sydney locals and visitors are enjoying a dazzling array of light art sculptures at Smart Light Sydney till Sunday.

The free light walk showcases dozens of local and international artists. It stretches from the Sydney Observatory, through The Rocks and Circular Quay, to the Sydney Opera House, and is switched on nightly from 6pm to midnight.

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