I hope you survived the Multicultural Festival because Canberra is gearing up for another big outdoor experience. The Art, Not Apart festival will fill NewActon with artistic installation, performances, food and other events with an inclusive attitude that aims to stretch the boundaries of art. Canberra is getting creative this year on Saturday 14 March.

This festival is all about bringing people and art together and this is personified at A Baker. Alta Papercraft aim to construct paper into three-dimensional artworks warping perception and using geometry to sculpt the medium, utilising shape, colour and light… and they want you to help! Patrons can participate in workshops building paper sculptures and adding to the growing installation.

The festival’s performances aim to open your eyes. Lingua Franca Dance Theatre uses a combination of image, movement and sound, making specific use of location in their performance to explore issues of our world. In this piece they ask questions about work and the hold that it has over our lives: Are you working too hard? Lingua Franca and their collaborators will open your eyes to the world around you.

Weird and wonderful pieces are growing out of the pavement as if they were planted there. Shining in the basement of A Baker, an artificial light tree highlights the difference between nature and the city, contemplative triangles exploring personal stories with geometry colour Westside and a shipping container filled with things that may be considered rubbish, will poke holes into your daily routine

Spanning NewActon, Acton Beach, the newly erected Westside shipping container village and Lake Burley Griffin, Art, Not Apart’s creative onslaught also has street food and music amongst the art. Catering to each of the five senses, the ears will delight in the sounds of Wanderlust and their flugelhorn. There will also be an electro speaker face off fuelled by acoustic instruments and, after dark, Westside hosts electronic beats devoted entirely to dancing.

Other things are popping up in the NewActon area as part of Art, Not Apart. Bonty’s market stall sells jewellery from contemporary independent designers, providing an opportunity to buy a little piece of the festival to take home with you. Harris Jean will be making jewellery live at the festival, creating innovative pieces from silver, copper and gold.

These are just some of the people and works you can expect to find in the city next month, Art, Not Apart is a day to celebrate creativity and see the work going on in the capital. Join in on the fun and create something beautiful!

To see more of Art, Not Apart, click here to visit the official website.