Event: Dark MOFO Rises Again
With Tasmania’s premier winter festival at our doorstep, Chloe Mayne trawls through the bucket of gems to pick our highlights:
Every six months the art monolith of Hobart, the Museum of Old and New Art (otherwise known as MONA, but I’ll bet you already knew that), offers worshippers from both this island and those neighbouring to kneel at its hearth and frenzy at a feast of the senses. After a roaring summer edition, the winter instalment turns the lights down low and lights a fire in its belly that will warm the cockles of Australia’s coldest and darkest capital for two weekends beginning Friday, June 12.
Dark Park on Macquarie Point will be the hub of the activity, a hedonistic playground of terror and joy in a gravel wasteland featuring a flamethrowing organ, a ring of subwoofers inside a giant freezer and a mysterious ship of the night that’ll make your knees tremble with its foghorn and catch you in its spotlight. The nights contain the enigmatic afterparty Blacklist; locations and performers remain a tight-lipped secret, but pleasure is a given.
From there the festivities spread to all fingers of Hobart’s palm; from music to performance art to getting naked and throwing yourself into the river, here are just a few of the delights in store:
Marina Abramović
This one’s a no-brainer. Things really kick off in style on Saturday evening (the 13th) as boatloads of creatures ferry up the river to MONA for the grand opening of legendary performance artist Marina Abramović’s Private Archaeology. The artist herself will be present (no pun intended) to gorge and guzzle with us until nightfall.
Gareth Liddiard
On the music side of things, we’re excited about seeing The Drones‘ frontman play a stripped-back acoustic set (though are secretly hoping he’ll bust a few of these old numbers out).
EYE: CIRCOM
This thriller of a show (presented by Red Bull Music Academy) features Japanese noise maestro Yamantake Eye and the premiere of his new project, in which he’ll conduct six laptop-wielding disciples to create a writhing mass of sonica. One of the support slots is filled by My Disco, which ain’t half bad either. Friday, June 19.
Nude Solstice Swim
What better way to wrap up the celebrations than to all take our clothes off together and run into the freezing (no, really) Derwent River? Past swims have included the bums of our Lord Mayor, your old neighbour and every little body in between. It’s going to be a hoot! See you there bright and early, Monday June 22.
Tickets, programs and other instruments for fulfilling your Dark MOFO dream can be found on their website.
Words by Chloe Mayne.
