Local News: Sugar Mountain

Visitors to Southbank have already been enjoying the many events of the outdoor Summersalt festival which launched its program in October.

As January approaches, so does the lead up to one of the biggest events, the Sugar Mountain Festival.

Held on January 24, Sugar Mountain is a one-day event at the Victorian College of the Arts and will showcase the best of contemporary music, visual arts and new media.

Curators of the event aim to inspire and amaze visitors with interactive arts spaces and a stellar line up of local and well-known musicians such as hip-hop artist Nas.

Artist Ghostpatrol is one of many visual artists that will be creating a display for the festival, and says he hopes for something untraditional.

“This work that we will be doing with Sugar Mountain will be quite new and different. It is always a risk trying to do something different but that’s the fun of it as well,” he said.

Ghostpatrol will be collaborating with artist Sean Morris to create a 3D installation, hoping to have movement as a main element.

Originating in Hobart and travelling for months at a time throughout the year, Ghostpatrol resides in Melbourne.

“I knew so many great artists here and it was inevitable that I would come back to Melbourne. I haven’t found anywhere else that I would rather be based. It is a good spot to travel from as well,” he said.

Drawing every day as a kid, Ghostpatrol’s illustrations are influenced by his travels to Japan, early-80s cartoons and nature.

“It’s a good thing for me to roll it all up together and dig into my imagination, and I like that it is a really positive thing to share with other people. I like it when other people tell me a story about what they think an image is all about; it is really amazing,” he said.

“My designs are an evolution of just doodling and meditating on your own thoughts. It’s kind of the way that I almost keep a diary, you know some people are better with words I am better with drawing.”

As well as creating his artistic space for the event, Ghostpatrol is looking forward to the festivities in his hometown with friends, particularly excited to see a personal favourite Nas perform his Illimatic set.

“It is a bit on an honour to be a part of Sugar Mountain Festival this year. It is really nice to be alongside some really big name artists,” he said.

Amongst the decorated line up of musical talent on show at Sugar Mountain will be one of Melbourne’s best new exports Rat & Co, who have made a name for their unique electronic sounds.

The group’s main songwriter and producer Josh Delaney described their style as being based less on music and more on sound.

“Most of the time we will just be making weird sounds in the studio and working it into a melodic instrument basically,” he said.

Fresh off their second album Binary and a nationwide tour supporting Chet Faker, Josh the group couldn’t be more excited to feature at Sugar Mountain.

“I’ve always wanted to play it for so long but was just never right for the line up but this time I think we suit it perfectly so I’m really excited for it.”