Did you just hear that? Yep, that was January whizzing by…
For me it’s always a quieter month, which is very welcome after a massive end to 2025. That said, I still managed to capture a few great productions.
I spent time at Riverside Live at PHIVE photographing Garden of Sound and Undercurrent, both part of the Sydney Festival program. The Guild also put on their January panto, Old Macdonald Had a Gullywump. I was lucky to be part of an Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony, capturing some genuinely proud moments, and the first portrait and publicity shoot for the year was with Miranda Musical Theatre Company — always a fun way to kick things off.
In amongst all of that, we also managed a photography trip into the High Plains area of Kosciuszko National Park, capturing the stunning Clarke Gorge. I’ll share more on that shortly, but first… Garden of Sound.
Stepping into the brand-new Riverside Live at PHIVE for the first time to photograph Dag and Dug in Garden of Sound was awesome. The space is impressive, the production was mesmerising, and while capturing images is always first and foremost, sometimes you just have to stop, watch and in this case ‘listen’ it was epic! The technology behind this show is very cool, and it’s easy to see why audiences — kids and adults alike — absolutely loved it. Check out some of the pics captured below.
Garden of Sound is an interactive show built around gesture and sound, which I’m not even going to try and explain properly — I’ll leave that to the experts but What I will say is that Dag and Dug were brilliant. I’m not entirely sure who was Dag or who was Dug, but it didn’t really matter… both were great. (I did work this out after reading the synopsis below)
Synopsis
Garden of Sound follows the story of two loyal gardeners, Dag and Dug, who are trying to bring their garden of sound back to its lush and symphonic potential. Dag loves chaos. Dug loves control. They’re at a standoff and need the help of Young People to rediscover the sounds of the garden before they’re lost forever.
The show is an innovative performance for children and their families. Using motion capture and a game engine (software used for video games), the show creates an interactive and open world sound environment of a garden. Following the performance, performers become facilitators, and all audiences are welcome to play in the garden. Garden of Sound magically blends story and interaction. Using bodies and motion, the Gardeners make a symphony as they explore the invisible trees.
Garden of Sound is presented as part of Sydney Festival and has been supported by City of Parramatta, Create NSW and Creative Australia.
For more information about the development and production of Garden of Sound visit Voxstep
Huge thanks to @voxstep_org and @formdanceprojects for having me, and to the wonderful team behind the production:
Director – @tickatkins
Choreographer & Performer – @rena_comm
Actor – @alangflower
Composer – Daniel Herten
Creative Technologist – @thesallycoleman
Production & Stage Manager – @tylzfitzpatrick
Designer – Melanie Liertz
Design Associate – @rubytues.day
Lighting Designer – @futuregayathlete
Producer (Voxstep) – @lilyhayman
Producer (FORM) – @naomihib
Riverside Live at PHIVE is going to be something pretty special, so give them a follow and check out their 2026 schedule. I’ve no doubt Voxstep and FORM Dance Projects will also be creating great things in 2026 — so get cracking, shout yourself a night out, and support the brilliant arts scene we have right here.
#sydney_festival
#riversideparra
#phive.ps
#voxstep_org
#formdanceprojects
#canonaustralia
So thats my first 2026 Blog - I have to knuckle down and and do more of these - note to self, try harder and just do it!
Grant Leslie - A photographer, always learning and wanting to share my experiences — capturing moments and finding new compositions along the way. You can see more on my site right here or check me out on Instagram or Facebook.
I’d really love to hear from you — drop a comment below or ask a question. Let’s start a conversation.