REALITY CHECK

Mitchell Butel as Cardano in the Opera, Biographica. Jan 6th Sydney Festival 2017               

The New Year began, as it does every year so far, with the world still turning and with us still walking on it knowing that the universe has no end but of course, we do.

Reality is strange and thrilling and can only be matched by art. The picture above is from an Opera by Mary Finsterer with libretto by Tom Wright. We were fortunate enough to photograph and contributed to this stunning event for Sydney Chamber Opera when it premiered just a few weeks ago during the Sydney Festival.

In a pivotal, dramatic moment of the narration by the main character, Geralamo Cardano (performed perfectly by Mitchell Butel) he turns to the audience with the rebuke:

“…think you, sweating, pissing, desiring, dying…think you, little human, that YOU are greater than the stars?”

It's quite a refreshing way to start the year being awakened and humbled by the words of a Renaissance polymath.