Last year, the Institute of Modern Art teamed up with James Street to present Zac Langdon-Pole’s monumental sculpture, ‘Chimera’ (2024) at the annual James Street and Food and Wine Trail.

Exhibited as part of Art on James, for one day only, the bronze Camarasaurus skull hung from a spider crane above the crowds, standing as a hybrid monument to deep time and industrial ‘progress’.

Last month, the IMA returned to James Street Food and Wine Trail with a mesmerising performance by ecological sound artist, Vanessa Tomlinson curated by Lawrence English of Room 40.

The performance, ‘Copper Glow’, saw Tomlinson suspended above the crowds at the intersection of James, Robertson, and Doggett Street. At the chime of 10am, 12pm, and 2pm, Tomlinson ascended a scaffold stage to unleash the raw power of the tam-tam. Mesmerising, visceral, and intimate, in her hands the tam-tam transformed into a meditative resonating portal. Her intense live performance awakened dormant resonances, unlocking a secret universe of sound that rippled through James Street and the surrounds.

Presented as part of James Street Food and Wine Trail 2025 by Art on James and the Institute of Modern Art.

Written by Eva Bunker