Chiaroscuro and VESPER announce their first open-air on Ngunnawal Country

Two of Ngunnawal Country/Canberra’s more exciting independent crews are set to head outdoors together for the first time later this month.

Chiaroscuro and VESPER will host their first-ever collaborative open-air on Saturday, October 24, at a secluded site a short drive from central Canberra.

The groups’ combined efforts bring two different experiences together: Chiaroscuro first found life as a project through interviews and radio, while VESPER focuses on discovering and intervening in underutilised or unexpected urban spaces.

This event sees the crews hoping to realise Chiaroscuro’s namesake, an Italian art term referring to strong contrasts between light and shadow that create the illusion of three dimensions on a flat surface. In practice, that means performances moving from light to dark across three distinct chapters throughout the evening, at the secluded and intentionally intimate location.

The event’s consistent transition is soundtracked by a lineup drawn from its home on Ngunnawal Country, Naarm/Melbourne, and Gadigal Land/Sydney. That includes lauded Sydney DJ Magda Bytnerowicz, LUNA Blessings founder DJ Luv You, co-director of un:send Festival and Temporal Cast head Kasun, and Paper-Cuts and The Space Between Us (TSBU) alumni WTP.

From Ngunnawal Country are a.y.x. and Skunks, both with shows on community station Trust FM, and regular fixtures not only at their city’s various clubs, but also at its more intimate DIY gatherings.

Chiaroscuro x VESPER Open Air is set to run on Saturday, October 24’s afternoon until late, with the location shared with punters on the day.

Outside the collaboration, VESPER has also announced ‘VESPER 004’, set at a vacant warehouse, as the dedicated afterparty for the mini-festival Spring Sessions, run by DIY collective Garden Grooves and taking place the previous Saturday, October 17.

Tickets for both are still available.