We have recently been in Adelaide for the Adelaide Arts Festival, the Fringe, Writers Week and finally WOMAD. It’s our annual holiday, Art pilgrimage and music fest binge. A really engaging, thoughtful and enjoyable couple of weeks. Womad was the best that it has ever been. There was a really captivating event staged each evening over the stage 1 area involving ‘angles’ working on high-wires high above the crowd, dropping feathers as they went about their angelic business. First, a single angel with white umbrella casting a few feathers to the crowd.

Appearing one at a time, the ‘angels’ floated across the dark sky, initially dropping hands-full of feathers, then more of them, one with a suitcase dropping fists-full. As the performance progressed, there were several angels some with huge barrels full of feathers that they set free in the spot light and the breeze.

The performance progressed, with a giant inflatable ‘Putti’ angel dancing with them in the sky. More and more angels appeared on multiple high wires and distributed ever more feathers to the audience below, so that by the time the one-hour performance was coming to an end, the entire sky was filled with angels, beautifully performing their ‘angelus’, distributing their feathery messages to us on the ground in our eathly domain. Their delicate messages slowly fluttering effortlessly to the ground.

On the ground, the ‘angels’ danced and cavorted amongst the crowd in a haze of floating feathers while the putti hovered above.

Finally as the music slowed, the angels stood up on some elevated platforms and each took a bow.

It was a really delightful surprise, totally engaging and truly spectacular, as I had no idea what was going to happen, I just went with it. I think that it was the best one-hour performance that I have experienced there. Funnily, It wasn’t as surprising or spectacular the 2nd time around, but I still enjoyed it.

I did wonder who was going to clean up the many cubic metres of feathers from the park.

In total contrast to this spectacular and very loud musical event. We also went to see Kirsten Coelho’s show at the Jam Factory, as part of the 2018 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art. In almost total darkness and absolute quiet we arrived early in an empty room to view this very beautiful installation. From furious activity to quiet contemplation.

Beautiful.