My thoughts on MONA FOMA and the Mona opening are up on the Tasmanian Times now.
There are four very different perspectives, mine is the final one.
Thanks to Lindsay Tuffin for publishing it for me.
Author: Veronica
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MONA opening. Also, say yes to parties thrown by millionaires.
Trying to find the words to write about the Mona opening is like stammering adjectives and spluttering lots. I’m a writer, but I’m having trouble articulating what the entire experience was like. Surreal comes to mind – and I know surreal is a word overused, but surreal is about all I can drum up.
Thanks to ABC radio and our titles of ‘Micro Critic’ we got tickets to the VIP opening, the giant party thrown by millionaire David Walsh. I was already a bit stunned by the socialite dresses and name dropping going on around me, so I shouldn’t have been shocked to see upwards of 80 lobster tails on a rotisserie as I headed down to the tennis courts and museum entrance. Glasses of champagne were handed out as we walked past and I, for the first time in a long time, had a drink as we walked.
Once inside the museum, we collected our O Device (an iPod touch, uploaded with Mona software) and walked down three stories of stairs into the depths of the museum. Open rock faces had been left exposed and I was stupidly pleased about that. There is something about the beauty of sandstone walls that makes me happy.
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but a giant party in the foyer area probably wasn’t it. Maybe trays of hors d’oeuvres and a glass of wine before we walked around, but the scale of the catering left me a bit shocked.
I have expensive tastes, on a bread and butter budget. Even this was beyond what I’d expected. Tables filled with wine glasses waiting to be filled. An open bar with every conceivable drink you could want. A table piled high with nothing but fresh bread and a table next to it with cheeses. Salads served in paper cones, dished up from giant silver bowls. Prosciutto sliced in front of you. A giant blue fin tuna, just sitting on ice – an accompaniment to the finest sashimi. Hundreds of oysters on ice. Russian caviar worth $200 for 25g, being handed out on spoons and washed down with good vodka shots (that I declined).
Like I said, astounding. Really, for me, a once in a lifetime experience.
The museum is indescribable. Sex and death combine with art to create something that is offensive, shocking, breathtaking and brilliant. I wasn’t offended, but the wall of vaginas appeared to upset some of the men. 151 vaginas were modeled, while a master carver carved them (we think in wax, but it’s a bit unclear) and then cast them to display. The effect is astounding, as you walk down a hallway with a line of vulvas looking at you.
Personally, that was one of my favourite exhibits and something that every teenage girl should see. The range of normal is beautiful and not something we get to see often. I think it does however need a companion work of 151 penises, but that’s my bias coming through.
I loved it. The whole experience was something I doubt I’ll get to repeat ever again and I am intensely excited at the thought of showing it all to Nathan, who is staunchly anti-artwank and who is looking forward to seeing it.
Even more than that, I am really interested to see what this does for Tasmania as a whole. We’ve now got one of the best private museums in the world and I couldn’t be more proud.
I ended up getting to chat to some very interesting people, care of introductions from Stephen Estcourt. The very lovely Lindsay Tuffin and Richard Flanagan for starters. Both incredibly interesting men that I’d look forward to talking with again. I’m a fan of both of their work, Lindsay’s website is excellent and Richard’s writing, well. Brilliant comes to mind. I also met Leo Schofield and his wife, who are both lovely.
I also talked to Kylie Kwong for a bit too and did an excellent job of not fangirling at her.
It’s going to take a while to be able to fall back into real life after this. We’re on the radio again on Monday – 8.40am, live as far as I know. You can listen to that live streaming with this link.
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Grinderman. Also, how awesome has my week been? #936mofo
Backstory for what I’ve been doing this week.
From being deafened by the Red Rivals, to discovering Lincoln LeFevre, to spectacular classical composed piano playing from Phillip Glass, to rocking out with The Break and Grinderman, I think I’ve just had a week that can’t be beaten.
I haven’t researched any of the bands before I saw them, which meant that nearly every band has surprised me in some way. I wanted to go into every performance with an open mind, and I’ve managed that all right.
Mona Foma continues and last night was The Break and Grinderman.
It was. Well. I don’t think there are enough adjectives to describe how amazing it was.
The Break – Ex-Midnight Oil, minus Peter Garrett and plus Brian Ritchie was heaps beachier than I expected, but psychedelic surf music is what they do and the crowd wasn’t disappointed. They were brilliant and I’m fairly sure Brian Ritchie just brought yellow pants back into fashion.
Nick Cave with Grinderman was the headline event and you could feel it in the room as the start time got closer. I pushed my way to the front and somehow, eventually, ended up 2 rows from the front, albeit to the side rather a lot.
His stage presence is phenomenal, my GOD that man has some energy. He fed off the crowd and the crowd, in return, fed off him.
We haven’t seem much interaction with the crowd so far and really, it’s been the only thing missing. Nick Cave stood on the barriers, using the fans hands to steady himself. He leapt, he danced, he sung. It was, so so brilliant. Absolutely unmissable.
If you’re a fan of Cave and you get a chance to see Grinderman, DO IT. You won’t regret it for a moment.
I did have a small awkward moment during the encore performances, with a group of older middle aged women, stroking my hair and telling me how beautiful I was. Okay, they were very drunk, but still. Weird.
And my award for tweets that probably shouldn’t have been read aloud on the Radio goes to this one:
It was true though. No wonder the women were all screaming during the songs.
Or maybe it had something to do with the buttons Cave was undoing the hotter he got. Either either.
Big shout out to his roadies, who were complete professionals. A can of beer was thrown and Cave flicked it away with his hand, spilling beer everywhere. The roadies and their energy had it cleaned up before most people had realised what had gone on. The darted all around the stage, retrieving thrown microphones and percussion instruments. They also did a great job of dealing with the one very drunk guy who jumped on stage and played air guitar along with the band. He was allowed a minute or two and then whipped backstage and then back out into the crowd with a small shove.
It was an absolutely spectacular night, even if my hearing hasn’t quite recovered this morning.
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MONA FOMA, with photos of @neilhimself and @amandapalmer
I spent the entire day yesterday down at MONA FOMA, listening to bands, helping collect money for the QLD Flood Relief and wandering around getting sunburned. The line-up for the evening was what I was most interested in, Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentleman, then Neil Gaiman, then Amanda Palmer.
The moment the doors opened to let us into the main stage area, the atmosphere was electric.
Unfortunately, there was no seating available, so we had to suffer through, sitting on a thin mat on top of concrete. It wasn’t ideal and I have the bruises and sore hips to prove it.
Mikelangelo was excellent. Funny too – his voice is like melted honey and you just want to listen to him sing for hours. They were consummate performers and the crowd adored them.
Then there was, of course, Neil Gaiman and his cult following. I love his books and I was looking forward to this.
I’d bailed out of sitting on the floor and headed up to where frogpondsrock and my brother were sitting, up in the tiered seating, we had an excellent view of the stage and during Mikelangelo, excellent sound.
That wasn’t the case with Neil Gaiman. Something happened with the PA system and when he started to speak, we could hear barely anything and what we did catch sounded blurry. I caught every 3rd word, which is a shame, as hearing him read was what I was most looking forward to. I could hear the sound of Neil’s voice and it sounds like it would have been brilliant too.
Instead I took photos, enjoyed the atmosphere and wished that the seating and sound were better.
As Neil finished, the roadies started setting up for Amanda Palmer and the crowd flocked in. Because she was singing, we were hopeful that the sound would be better, and it was, a bit.
Can I just say, that Amanda Palmer is brilliant? Her voice, her stage presence, all brilliant. I adored what I got to see.
Digression: My body is broken. It doesn’t work as well as I’d like and I get to do fun things like dislocate joints, or spend hours throwing up for no reason. This makes things interesting and my body has crappy timing, generally.
I was enjoying the show, and taking photos at the same time, right up until the lady in front of me sprayed perfume and I had a minor body rebellion. I figured it wouldn’t be polite of me to throw up down her back, so I bailed out.
I spent the rest of the gig listening from the flood relief tables and chatting to the lovely Stephen and his wife Mary. I would have loved to have seen the rest, because like I said, she is brilliant. Absolutely fucking fantastic.
So, that is what I did last night. What have you been up to?
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Oh and can I just shout out to Nathan – who is spending the days at home with the kids alone while I attend all these gigs and review them on twitter. Thankyou honey. I rather love you. xx
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So excited, MONA FOMA and I’m going to be a very busy girl
A few weeks ago, I applied to 93.6 ABC Radio for a chance to be a micro-critic at the upcoming festival of art and music – MONA FOMA (Mueseum of Old and New Art, Festival of Music and Art).
I’d thought about it and figured that it wouldn’t hurt to apply, I was incredibly interested in a lot of what they were doing and already had plans to see Grinderman and Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer.
I got a phone call this morning – I was selected to be one of the micro-critics. I get free tickets to the ticketed events and to attend as much as possible of the free stuff and then tell everyone what I think on twitter.
You guys, I am so excited. I’ve got to head down and give an interview on the radio with the other micro-critics later this week, my tweets will be getting read out on the radio during the festival and it’s all just very cool.
There are some amazing people coming to Tassie for it and I can’t wait.
I’m going to be so busy for the week of the festival and I’m planning on dragging Frogpondsrock around to as much as possible (helps that she is my driver), while Nat stays home with the children.
I’m so excited that even falling on an electric fence, while standing in a puddle with wet shoes couldn’t make me grumpy. A perpetually breaking hose pipe didn’t bother me. Even scrubbing water troughs and baths filled with algae didn’t upset me (although, totally not my favourite job – can I run a competition to allow someone else to scrub the duck water out for me?).
Thankyou to ABC Radio for offering this chance too. I’m getting to work with some pretty cool people (I can’t name the other micro-critics until everyone has confirmed, but I have been cleared to say I’ve been chosen) that I like a lot.
And thanks even more to Stephen Estcourt, because without his gift of an iPhone, I wouldn’t have been able to apply!
Now ‘scuse me, I’m off to continue dancing around the house.
I’m staying well away from electric fences however.
