This weekend, soak up the sunshine with the Tiny Summer program at the Adelaide Botanic Garden, or head to Port Lincoln for the Tunarama festival.

Words Elisabeth Marie

Tiny gardens

Until Sunday, January 29, a tiny model of the Adelaide Botanic Garden will be on show at the State Herbarium. The model depicts a scene from the late 1800s when a hot air balloon took flight and a pair of trapeze artists performed tricks for cheering crowds in the Adelaide Botanic Garden. Alongside shrunken-down trees, flowers and shrubs are tiny picnickers, fountains and a moving hot air balloon bringing the garden to life in tiny stature.

Tuna-riffic time

South Australia’s largest regional festival, Tunarama will be held in Port Lincoln from January 26 to 28. Participate in the world-famous Tuna Toss – or the Prawn Toss, for the little ones – then spend the afternoon getting involved in the other events including a sandcastle making competition and browsing local market stalls. There will be plenty of fresh seafood and other delicious Eyre Peninsula produce to indulge in alongside local wines and craft beers.

Past, present and future

Currently showing at the Art Gallery of South Australia, the second iteration of the Guildhouse Fellowship features works by South Australian artist Sera Waters in the exhibition Future Traditions. In this exhibition, Waters imagines a new future for us all – one where ancient textile traditions can craft hope in the face of climate change. Future Traditions includes experiments, artefacts, texts, events, workshops and works of art that express how the past paves the way for a new future and how by reclaiming the traditions our ancestors performed we can move towards an alternative, liveable future.

A fiery tale

Celebrate the Lunar New Year with the Tale of the Fire Phoenix performed at the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Space Theatre on January 28. Performed by the School of Chinese Music & Arts, Tale of the Fire Phoenix is the musical storytelling of a phoenix in a forest that faces drought, and whose journey leads them to wish for rain despite water being perilous for the phoenix. A story about caring for community, Tale of the Fire Phoenix is a brilliant story for the whole family to enjoy.

Aquatic arts

Exhibiting at the Santos Museum of Economic Botany in the Adelaide Botanic Garden until Sunday, January 29, Seaweeding is a vibrant art installation that takes a deep dive into marine plants and organisms. Created by South Australian artist Chris De Rosa, Seaweeding consists of large-scale sculptural forms, screen prints, etchings and digital prints inspired by spongia, aquatic plants and algae. The exhibition was inspired by Chris’s local environment, as well as the century-old collection of ocean specimens gathered and collaborated by Port Elliot woman, Jessie Hussey.

For more of what’s on around South Australia this month, pick up the January issue of SALIFE, which is on sale now.