Now or Never festival underway in Melbourne

Melbourne’s newest major festival, ‘Now or Never’, commences today following a phenomenal debut last year. Over ten days, more than 250 local and international creatives, musicians, artists and thought leaders will take over the city’s most iconic venues – presenting immersive digital art experiences, cutting-edge performances, groundbreaking music and thought-provoking talks. 

Set to attract 200,000 visitors to the city, Now or Never will deliver a vibrant program of over 100 free and ticketed events and sessions exploring art, ideas, sound and technology – offering electric experiences for people of all ages and calibres.  

Among the event’s highlights is the work from French artist Joanie Lemercier from Studio Lemercier who will present Constellations (pictured above) – a large-scale celestial formation which will hover above its own shimmering reflection on the Yarra River’s surface along Southbank after dark.

This year’s festival theme ‘Look through the image’ invites audiences to interrogate what’s in front of them – to explore deeper meanings and contemplate the layers of symbolism and hidden messages within.

Now or Never is presented by the City of Melbourne in partnership with foundation partners, Moon Dog Craft Brewery and Museums Victoria, event partners NantStudios and Rydges Melbourne, and media partners Beat, Broadsheet, Concrete Playground and RRR.

Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece shared “How to describe Now or Never? Mind-blowing. It's a uniquely Melbourne experience that truly embraces our city’s vibe.

“The program of more than 100 free and ticketed events and sessions will attract tens of thousands of audience members to the city, boosting business for local traders during the quieter months.

"I'm really looking forward to being engulfed by DESASTRES at the world-leading NantStudios, as well as the monumental musical line-up coming to the Royal Exhibition Building."

City Activation portfolio lead Councillor Roshena Campbell added “In its first year, Now or Never attracted huge crowds – significantly bolstering Melbourne’s arts sector by creating 1,500 jobs and injecting around $14 million into the local economy.

“Its success proves Melbourne means business – and we look forward to seeing festival-goers also enjoy our endless retail and hospitality options for the full Melbourne experience.”

Now or Never runs until Saturday 31st August. For tickets and to explore the full program, visit Now or Never. 

Now or Never 2024 program highlights also include: 

•A return to the Royal Exhibition Building (REB) – featuring large-scale live music and audio-visual projection works across four nights. The stellar lineup includes multi-instrumentalist, composer and vocalist, Eartheater, techno pioneers Sandwell District, Portuguese-born Danish singer, songwriter and record producer Erika De Casier, an Australian debut from COUCOU CHLOE, New York based musician and DJ Veronica Vasicka, renowned Australian-born musician Ben Frost, electronic artist and First Nations Wiradjuri woman Naretha Williams and prominent British electronic musician Clark. Globally celebrated Italian techno DJ Donato Dozzy will also headline a night co-hosted by Untitled Group.

•An Australian debut from artist Marco Fusinato, presenting DESASTRES, which premiered at the Venice Biennale 2022. This is a radical, live noise-guitar solo performance installation, synchronising sound with image. Fusinato is set to perform this momentous work at NantStudios in Docklands cinema studios, home to the largest LED volume screen for virtual production in the world.

•A world-premiere dance performance Plagiary, from multi-award-winning dance technologist and choreographer Alisdair Macindoe, with AI video by acclaimed media artist Sam Mcgilp. Plagiary is an entirely new show created every night before audiences' eyes – featuring ten exceptional contemporary dancers improvising each performance live, as it’s dictated to them by a computer presence.

•A Narrm debut from cutting-edge arts collective SOFT CENTRE in collaboration with SUPERMODEL. This is a three-day program of performances, deep-dive keynotes, screenings and workshops at Trades Hall with Mckenzie Wark, Pseudo, Alexander Powers, Marcus Whale, Tomomi Adachi, Lolina, DeForrest Brown, Jr. and more.

•London-based art practice United Visual Artists (UVA) will present two large scale works, Silent Symphony and Present Shock II, plus an audio-visual piece as part of the REB music program. Silent Symphony features a sonic interpretation of celestial patterns with composition and sound design by composer Ben Frost, while Present Shock II collapses real-time information about the world into ‘post-truths’ and ‘alternative facts’. (pictured above)

•Commissioned by Now or Never in a world-exclusive, iconic Melbourne act HTRK and British electronic musician Actress will come together to perform at the Melbourne Recital Centre for an incredible one-night-only collaboration.

•One-night-only talk from bestselling author, professor and renowned opinion writer for The New York Times Roxane Gay, discussing her latest celebrated book Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business.

•A Victorian premiere of Wuigada – Gagada (To Sing – Loud) – celebrating the work of prolific First Nations songman and proud Mutti Mutti, Yorta Yorta and Nari Nari man Kutcha Edwards. Fronted by Kutcha’s soulful vocals and gregarious nature, the collaborative reimagination of this work with the Australian Art Orchestra creates space for experimentation by some of Australia’s most creative jazz and improvisation artists.

•The Australian premiere of Peder Bjurman’s Slow Walker, a fascinating augmented reality experience which allows users to see an ordinarily microscopic Tardigrade – an enduring organism also known as a ‘water bear’ – transformed into a colossal being hovering and interacting with its surrounds above the Melbourne Museum Plaza.

•In a Victorian premiere, UK electronic musician Clark and award-winning choreographer Melanie Lane will present MOUNTAIN, an evocative contemporary dance performance with breathtaking costumes by designer Akira Isogawa.

•World-renowned mycologist and author of Entangled Life, Merlin Sheldrake, joins Now or Never audiences live on-screen at Melbourne Museum for Fungi Futures – A Web of Wonder, an in-depth discussion hosted by multi-award-winning ABC journalist and presenter Natasha Mitchell.

•World premiere of kajoo yannaga (come on let’s walk together) – an interactive virtual gamified walk on Country guided by First Nations knowledge by Wiradjuri-Scottish artist, April Phillips at ACMI.

•Queer Powerpoint from creators Xanthe Dobbie and Harriet Gillies – an experimental performance series bringing together queer artists to explore and share an idea, current obsession or ongoing fascination using the most ubiquitous of programming tools, PowerPoint.

Images from top: Now or Never Constellations Credit Studio Joanie Lemercier LLUM Barcelona; Now or Never artists in front of Royal Exhibition Building; Now or Never MUSIC REB; and Now or Never23