UNDERBELLY ARTS FESTIVAL

Don’t get it confused with the execrable TV series of the same name. Underbelly Arts Festival is less likely to gratuitously flash boobs at you, but will be just as visually titillating (with some smarts thrown on top). The concept is simple: a group of handpicked local artists get together for a 10-day intensive ‘lab’ development, which people are welcome to witness. It’s a rare chance to lift the curtains on art in the making. After this, there is a Festival day showcasing the completed installations, performative pieces, interactive elements and visual creations, this year to be housed at the historic former naval yard and imperial prison, Cockatoo Island. With hidden robots, an army of skydancers riding the thermals, a mysterious meeting with a woman named J. Dark, a Triassic-period theatrical mish-mash starring a Lizard King and some curious scientists, upcycled household appliances, a tiny piece of Parramatta Rd uprooted and plonked on the island, and a dance of the penguins, Underbelly might end up being stranger than non-fiction … and infinitely more worth the effort. (AB)

Until Jul 12 (the Lab), Festival Jul 16, 12-10pm, Cockatoo Island, $15, underbellyarts.com.au