AUSTRALIAN EVENT AWARDS 2023
PRODUCTION COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Overview
Frida Kahlo – Life of an Icon, was a high-tech, visually extravagant biographical exhibition created by Stagekings in The Cutaway, at Sydney’s Barangaroo in early 2023.
Taking visitors on a journey through the life of one of the most influential artists of all time as part of the Sydney Festival, the exhibition was a co-creation of the Frida Kahlo Corporation and the Spanish digital arts company, Layers of Reality. The exhibition was a multi-sensory, colourful immersion in nine transformational spaces, featuring 360-degree projections and virtual reality experiences throughout.
Benefit
Stagekings has worked as part of the Sydney Festival since 2015 and enjoys a strong, trusted relationship with this client through our clear understanding of the goals of these exhibitions and our ability to work together to create artistic experiences that resonate with the public. Sydney Festival organisers benefitted from our in depth knowledge or their requirements and willingness to meet and exceed their expectations for such a high profile event.
Of further benefit and to achieve Sydney Festival’s budget for the exhibition, Stagekings provided in-kind sponsorship to get their budget across the line, including a discounted project fee in return for marketing from the Festival.
FRIDA KAHLO - THE LIFE OF AN ICON
Challenges and innovation
Contracted to create a range of structures and finishes, Stagekings installed the exhibition during three weeks in December 2022 before disassembling the structures in April after the exhibition’s extension to end of March.
Stagekings’ reputation for innovation was integral to creating exactly the kind of magical journey that allowed visitors to enter Kahlo’s artistic world. Stagekings built the structures to house the moving, immersive video projections. The truss grid structures house all the video hand projectors. There were nine such rooms of varying sizes and technical specifications as part of the Cutaway’s full gallery. In the Cutaway at Barangaroo,
Installation of the wall system that was up to 8m H x 6m W involved many challenges. While the system was well designed and maximised speed of installation, it was still a challenge for Stagekings to deliver 1.5km of precision-finished walls within the Cutaway in just three weeks. Because the well-finished room wall panels were constructed offsite they didn’t require any re-work onsite, minimising disruption and expediting installation. Each wall consisted of ‘sandwich’ panels with horizontal joins to minimise the visual impact on the video projections.
The small, constrained site, with limited truck access made it difficult to deliver the panels and equipment in such large volumes in a short period of time. We worked concurrently with other contractors, including a Technical Direction Company, who provided the LED screens and projectors and related equipment as well as the touring artists. Effective, flexible collaboration was key to ensuring that work went smoothly despite the site’s size and access constraints.
Sydney Festival again was very happy with the workmanship, speed of delivery and ability to ensure the flawless execution of the technical aspects of this complex exhibition. Achieving the required quality of finish was also paramount to the many touring artists who also expressed their high satisfaction with the high standard of presentation. Such quality workmanship also allowed for the on-time, seamless installation of the technical and artistic components of the exhibition.
“From the minute we approached the team at Stagekings they were excited by the event and keen to contribute. It is hard to imagine another local company who could have realised this event with such finesse under the conditions. My favourite moment was the original creative team stopping in their tracks when they arrived around the corner into the Cutaway. The scale and the finish, they said, far exceeded any other Frida Kahlo: Life of an Icon installations worldwide. Stagekings were the whole package; a company with an excellent culture backed by world class skills and a can-do attitude” - John Bayley, Head of Production, Sydney Festival
The Frida Kahlo – Life of an Icon exhibition was a sellout with an extended run, and a highlight of the 2022 Sydney Festival. The exhibition further promoted the creative potential of the unique Cutaway gallery and exhibition space in the Rocks and was a testament to Stagekings’ ability to work effectively and creatively with artists, technical contractors.