Sunday, 19 April 2009

Colour Creates Light Love and Joy

It was a funny old Autumn day last Saturday in Sydney - the skies were grey but the mood was bright and my wardrobe was all about pink. I packed a bag in StarLand the day before in preparation for the Colour Parade with the usual time keeper tapping on one shoulder and the fashion police prodding the other. The intuitive wand said step beyond what's passed before which meant a few favourites and some random bits of yet to be tested bling. Mental note - don't leave home without safety pins ever again! They are essential items that keep such randomness together.

So as I threw on the ensemble of cosmic choice, I battled with the idea of taking Tina out for yet another ride. She had been doing the rounds lately and to be honest, as much as I love Party Tina, we had been spending WAY too much time together already and just the smell of her was making me... twitch. But the Scorpion insisted, despite my protests in favour of the turban (wrong shade of pink apparently) so I succumbed to the pressure with the knowing that Tina did indeed take me to another dimension and dabbed on a little extra essential oil.

The Scorpion and I set out on our pre-parade route - a hoop video driveby to Chatswood, parking mission in the city, stop-in @ the supermarket for safety pins and oops forgot Day 28 equipment - PriceLine to the rescue. Both of us NEEDED those safety pins and we were counting on the Colour Kids to be fashionably late like they are to install the pins into THE LOOK but as we made our way to Town Hall half an hour or more past the designated hour I saw a flash of the Colour moving and then they were gone. We powered faster up George Street with hoops and camera equipment ready to go... we were so on the mission to make it - the outfits would just have to behave! A guy with long hair and big camera ran past us shouting out the lowdown - The Parade had begun and was snaking through the QVB spraying colour and good vibes throughout. My dress needed pinning! but time had slid... into the spiral. Rok ON.

As we broke on into the parade mid QVB I was hit with an awe that doesn't come by all that often in life. The Colour Kids were in full swing and in finer form than ever before. The ability to outdo the self within a collective has been mastered over and over again by the Colour babes. The way they continue to re-invent with character-fuelled outfits, makeup, props, positive vibes and joyful presence all in the name of Colour and the Celebration of Life is such a special experience to witness and be part of. It's pure love and creativity at its best. It's like 1969 distilled and put into a bottle... with a little something special at the bottom. Put that into your Party Tina Survival Kit.

"Evolve Already" sprung out amidst it all on a placard. Casi(O) in his white wedding dress and matching balloon sashaying through the streets. Anto DONE like never before - that makeup! always a masterpiece, video camera firmly in hand. Alex Moonage with her wizard like presence waving the signature giant flower, a bouquet this time. Matt Glowman skating up a storm with a jetpack of balloons attached to his back. The Hare Krishna chinging along and chanting away - a new favourite. The whistles, the whoots, the skipping through Martin place, COLOUR driveby of Myer's makeup department (um turn around Colour Kids you are going the WRONG way!) and a lovely interlude @ the Museum of Contemporary Art for a viewing of Yayoi Kusama. That's when THAT BOY that I keep seeing popped up in all his very own Pinkness... Regrette... there are none.




It was all too much... I had to leave Yayoi for another day as the hoops were calling and my flow was ON so the spin went well into a vortex all of its own while the Colour crew lapped up the art. More awesome pix by Talen

The Scorpion and I were called back to StarLand on ethereal business - we left the Colour Kids to continue their jaunt in the Botanic Gardens feeling blessed to have been part of such beauty. The inspiration and joy that flowed that day I will remember foreva - thank you to the Colour Parade for creating such a living work of art!

The Carnival of Electric Illusions club night, hosted by the Colour Kids, is on this coming Saturday 25th April @ The Abercrombie on Broadway - check it out!

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