While visiting a rainy Brissy I thought I'd take the opportunity to visit the Gallery of Modern Art (aka GoMA)to check out the current exhibition 21st Century: Art in the First Decade.
I tell you if you have a spare couple of hours if you happen to visit the QLD capital it's well worth your while swinging by. The exhibition is one of the most amazing I've ever seen with some extremely impressive works. It's kid friendly with lots of activities for all ages, and best of all it's free!
The collection is broad with pieces gathered from all over the globe. They are beautiful, mind boggling, reflective, fun and interactive.
My standouts include:
- Celeste Boursier - Mougenot's From here to ear which includes real finches!
- Olafur Eliasson's The cubic structural evolution project, I managed to catch this one at the MCA in Sydney but it's still fun to play with white lego while surrounded by impressive structures
- Leando Erlich's Swimming Pool, you figure this one out!
- Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaina's Lightning for Neda. A beautiful and intricate piece
- Damien Hirst, For the love of God, laugh. Wow!
- Carsten Holler's Left/Right Slide, a fun alternative to the lifts and stairs. Fun? Who thought a gallery could be fun!
- Bharti Kher's The skin speaks a language not its own
- Yayoi Kusama's Soul under the Moon. Another amazing piece in which you walk into a black cube and you truly feel like you're in space.
Hopefully this bite size of the collection has given you a taste to check it out! It's on till April 2011.
In conjunction with the exhibition are screenings of sci - fi films from over the last century. A retrospective on our various imaginings of the future (utopian and dystopian). Here's the link for all you cinefiles out there
Monday, January 10, 2011
Sunset Sounds (without sunsets)
After Field Day I prepared myself for the next festival – Sunset Sounds set in the Brisbane Botanical Gardens. Spread over two days the festival is a lot more relaxed than others that are one jam packed day. After having an amazing time at last Sunset Sounds I was looking forward to heading north once again to enjoy music amongst the trees.
As people excitedly began waiting in line it became apparent that it would take A LOT longer for those who bought their tickets through Moshtix compared to Ticketmaster. Luckily I was with the latter and got in straight away, my friends were not so fortunate and missed the highly anticipated performance by Cloud Control.
Despite having seen Cloud Control many times at various venues this was probably their best gig. Their performance led by the frontman Alister Wright was fresh and energetic, and as usual the impeccably dressed Heidi Lenffer was mesmerising as the sole female of the band. The highlight of the set was no doubt Gold Canary with a bit of improv thrown in.
Perhaps Cloud Control really do possess some magical spirits with their music as after their set wrapped up the heavens opened and it continued to rain the entire festival. Luckily I brought my poncho which I purchased two yes ago (yes I’ve been lucky enough to attend sunny festivals during that time). Here I am in my cool poncho!
It was great to finally see Hot Hot Heat live as I have admired this band from afar for the last couple of years, and they did not disappoint. I also swear that the guitarist was checkin me out (he totally was!).
After a bit of Ladyhawke we schlepped it over to the River stage for Tame Impala, who have really tightened up their festival performances. Pretty much every song they played went down a treat.
It was tricky to decide between The National and Public Enemy, but with the weather starting to put a dampener on our festival spirits we opted for Public Enemy as after their Field Day efforts we were guaranteed a good show. They didn’t disappoint and I think it was even better with the rain. Flavor Flav gave the same sermon again rousing the crowd.
While waiting for Interpol to don the stage dj Baio played music to keep the crowd interest. By this stage everyone poncho and sans poncho were soaked and it was really starting to get chilly.
Even thought Interpol were mesmerising with their music we had to call it a night halfway through the set as it was just too wet for us. Lucky for me a kind young man carried me across the small river that had appeared at the exit making it rather difficult for us to cross.
On day two after praying to the gods for some relief of the rain, these wishes clearly went unanswered as it continued to bucket down the entire day. Thus we postponed our trek to the festival which unfortunately meant that we missed out on a few bands such as Children Collide.
Upon entering through the festival gates we were faced with mud and slush as far as the eye could see. After mocking the people wearing big, heavy wellingtons at the beginning of the festival boy did I feel silly, and dreaming of my starry gumboots sitting neatly in the corner of my room far, far away in another state. At least we had picked up plenty of wet weather supplies with double the poncho! It was like a rainbow of ponchos, with almost everyone utlising the dodgy plastic.
After stocking up on beverages it was time to hit the music scene and first up was the Peaches dj set. This was amazing and exactly what you need when it won’t stop raining at a festival. Playing awesome tunes accompanied by back up dancers in odd outfits certainly got the crowd moving.
After a brief viewing of slightly lacklustre Washington we had to move on to Joan Jett. Washington could certainly take a leaf out of Joan Jett’s live performances as Joan totally brought it. Kicking off with Bad Reputation it just got better with Cherry Bomb, I Love Rock and Roll, Crimson & Clover and Do You Want To Touch Me. Whether it may be down to the recent release of THE RUNAWAYS film or there were a lot of Jett fans it was a highlight of the festival for me. That lady is a show woman through and through and knows how to get a crowd going!
It was then time for the headliners, The Klaxons. They received a huge reception, however the sound was a little disappointing so it was difficult to truly appreciate their performance. After hearing all my fav Klaxon tracks we quickly hopped over to the Yacht Club DJs at the Hibiscus stage. One of my favourite dj duos in the country they had sympathy for the audience who were dancing in the rain and mud, and made it a hell of a lot easier with their outrageous mixes. I love those crazy boys!
Although there may have not been any sunsets at Sunset Sounds this year it was still a good one in which I discovered new music and had fun dancing in the mud. Can’t wait to do it again next year!
And for your musical pleasure I present Ms Joan Jett!!
As people excitedly began waiting in line it became apparent that it would take A LOT longer for those who bought their tickets through Moshtix compared to Ticketmaster. Luckily I was with the latter and got in straight away, my friends were not so fortunate and missed the highly anticipated performance by Cloud Control.
Despite having seen Cloud Control many times at various venues this was probably their best gig. Their performance led by the frontman Alister Wright was fresh and energetic, and as usual the impeccably dressed Heidi Lenffer was mesmerising as the sole female of the band. The highlight of the set was no doubt Gold Canary with a bit of improv thrown in.
Perhaps Cloud Control really do possess some magical spirits with their music as after their set wrapped up the heavens opened and it continued to rain the entire festival. Luckily I brought my poncho which I purchased two yes ago (yes I’ve been lucky enough to attend sunny festivals during that time). Here I am in my cool poncho!
It was great to finally see Hot Hot Heat live as I have admired this band from afar for the last couple of years, and they did not disappoint. I also swear that the guitarist was checkin me out (he totally was!).
After a bit of Ladyhawke we schlepped it over to the River stage for Tame Impala, who have really tightened up their festival performances. Pretty much every song they played went down a treat.
It was tricky to decide between The National and Public Enemy, but with the weather starting to put a dampener on our festival spirits we opted for Public Enemy as after their Field Day efforts we were guaranteed a good show. They didn’t disappoint and I think it was even better with the rain. Flavor Flav gave the same sermon again rousing the crowd.
While waiting for Interpol to don the stage dj Baio played music to keep the crowd interest. By this stage everyone poncho and sans poncho were soaked and it was really starting to get chilly.
Even thought Interpol were mesmerising with their music we had to call it a night halfway through the set as it was just too wet for us. Lucky for me a kind young man carried me across the small river that had appeared at the exit making it rather difficult for us to cross.
On day two after praying to the gods for some relief of the rain, these wishes clearly went unanswered as it continued to bucket down the entire day. Thus we postponed our trek to the festival which unfortunately meant that we missed out on a few bands such as Children Collide.
Upon entering through the festival gates we were faced with mud and slush as far as the eye could see. After mocking the people wearing big, heavy wellingtons at the beginning of the festival boy did I feel silly, and dreaming of my starry gumboots sitting neatly in the corner of my room far, far away in another state. At least we had picked up plenty of wet weather supplies with double the poncho! It was like a rainbow of ponchos, with almost everyone utlising the dodgy plastic.
After stocking up on beverages it was time to hit the music scene and first up was the Peaches dj set. This was amazing and exactly what you need when it won’t stop raining at a festival. Playing awesome tunes accompanied by back up dancers in odd outfits certainly got the crowd moving.
After a brief viewing of slightly lacklustre Washington we had to move on to Joan Jett. Washington could certainly take a leaf out of Joan Jett’s live performances as Joan totally brought it. Kicking off with Bad Reputation it just got better with Cherry Bomb, I Love Rock and Roll, Crimson & Clover and Do You Want To Touch Me. Whether it may be down to the recent release of THE RUNAWAYS film or there were a lot of Jett fans it was a highlight of the festival for me. That lady is a show woman through and through and knows how to get a crowd going!
It was then time for the headliners, The Klaxons. They received a huge reception, however the sound was a little disappointing so it was difficult to truly appreciate their performance. After hearing all my fav Klaxon tracks we quickly hopped over to the Yacht Club DJs at the Hibiscus stage. One of my favourite dj duos in the country they had sympathy for the audience who were dancing in the rain and mud, and made it a hell of a lot easier with their outrageous mixes. I love those crazy boys!
Although there may have not been any sunsets at Sunset Sounds this year it was still a good one in which I discovered new music and had fun dancing in the mud. Can’t wait to do it again next year!
And for your musical pleasure I present Ms Joan Jett!!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Dancing In The Field
After a nice little post NYE sleep – in I woke to a beautiful sunny day, weather perfect for a festival. Although it was a hot day this did not deter the masses to continue the New Year’s celebrations at the Domain in Sydney for the 10th Field Day festival.
With a broad musical line up including Justice, Trentemoller, Public Enemy, Mystery Jets, and Duck Sauce (think the Barbara Streisand song) there was something for all to get the feet dancing.
After managing to successfully run the gauntlet of security checks (the most thorough I have experienced at any festival) we finally made it into the inner sanctum of beats. Essential to any festival day our group strategised, choosing a meeting spot and listing our must see acts, afterwards scattering our separate ways for the first round of bands. My first pick was the local dj duo Canyons. Although many festival goers were hiding in the shade from the biting sun Canyons still managed to get a few to dance with a decent audience resting on the grass. As always they spun some obscure yet fun disco tunes. Bouncing from Canyons onto the last few songs of Chromeo we were in the thick of it with the people all around us singing along to their songs.
It was now time to take a break from the beating sun and grab some overpriced refreshments. With my mediocre burger and expensive beer in hand I took the opportunity to do a little people watch and check out the festival fashion. This is always a favourite past time of mine as a festival is always an excuse to wear outlandish outfits. Field day seemed to lack the really bizarre costumes with people being more conservative in their wear. The fluoro phase has well and truly been replaced by the early to mid 90s grunge and pop look. The general theme appears to be short denim shorts with miscellaneous top or the flower print jumpsuit (short leg type), these were accompanied by those black sandals with the high ankles. For the boys it was overwhelmingly the shorts and singlets. Luckily there weren’t too many bad fake tans.
After our little rest we planted ourselves at Centre Field waiting in anticipation for The Rapture. Although the band have only released two albums (and not recently either) they attracted a strong following and got the crowd going with their catchy songs. The Rapture were followed by Duck Sauce accompanied by a huge blow up duck on stage. They whipped the crowd into a frenzy with their hit Barbara Streisand, not a body was still!
It was time for another break, while we sat under the shade of the beautiful Morton Bay Figs we enjoyed the refreshing tastes of the cocktails the festival was offering. I opted for the Pimms vs Gin which were so damn tasty!
Wrapping up our drinks break the group headed over the Left Field to catch Mystery Jets. Although I was only familiar with a couple of their songs I quickly became a fan with their catchy choruses and their onstage charisma.
It was then time to make the difficult decision between seeing Art vs Science and Aeroplane. In the end Aeroplane won out as I had seen Art vs Science several times during the year. By all accounts it was the right choice as Aeroplane spun some awesome tunes and from Daft Punk to Sebastian Teller to The Cardigans.
To round up the day it was time for the headliners Justice who made the crowd go wild. After dancing our feet off we made a quick visit to Public Enemy and as Chuck D said it’s not the size of the stage but what you do with it and that certainly applied to Chuck D, Flavor Flav, DJ Lord and their entourage. Although not being familiar with too much of their discography they certainly were a highlight with their energy and attitude. Flavor Flav wrapped up the set with a rousing speech on power. So remember people fuck racism and separatism. Peace and togetherness equals power! Thanks Flavor Flav!
These words stayed with us as we wandered home after a good festival.
With a broad musical line up including Justice, Trentemoller, Public Enemy, Mystery Jets, and Duck Sauce (think the Barbara Streisand song) there was something for all to get the feet dancing.
After managing to successfully run the gauntlet of security checks (the most thorough I have experienced at any festival) we finally made it into the inner sanctum of beats. Essential to any festival day our group strategised, choosing a meeting spot and listing our must see acts, afterwards scattering our separate ways for the first round of bands. My first pick was the local dj duo Canyons. Although many festival goers were hiding in the shade from the biting sun Canyons still managed to get a few to dance with a decent audience resting on the grass. As always they spun some obscure yet fun disco tunes. Bouncing from Canyons onto the last few songs of Chromeo we were in the thick of it with the people all around us singing along to their songs.
It was now time to take a break from the beating sun and grab some overpriced refreshments. With my mediocre burger and expensive beer in hand I took the opportunity to do a little people watch and check out the festival fashion. This is always a favourite past time of mine as a festival is always an excuse to wear outlandish outfits. Field day seemed to lack the really bizarre costumes with people being more conservative in their wear. The fluoro phase has well and truly been replaced by the early to mid 90s grunge and pop look. The general theme appears to be short denim shorts with miscellaneous top or the flower print jumpsuit (short leg type), these were accompanied by those black sandals with the high ankles. For the boys it was overwhelmingly the shorts and singlets. Luckily there weren’t too many bad fake tans.
After our little rest we planted ourselves at Centre Field waiting in anticipation for The Rapture. Although the band have only released two albums (and not recently either) they attracted a strong following and got the crowd going with their catchy songs. The Rapture were followed by Duck Sauce accompanied by a huge blow up duck on stage. They whipped the crowd into a frenzy with their hit Barbara Streisand, not a body was still!
It was time for another break, while we sat under the shade of the beautiful Morton Bay Figs we enjoyed the refreshing tastes of the cocktails the festival was offering. I opted for the Pimms vs Gin which were so damn tasty!
Wrapping up our drinks break the group headed over the Left Field to catch Mystery Jets. Although I was only familiar with a couple of their songs I quickly became a fan with their catchy choruses and their onstage charisma.
It was then time to make the difficult decision between seeing Art vs Science and Aeroplane. In the end Aeroplane won out as I had seen Art vs Science several times during the year. By all accounts it was the right choice as Aeroplane spun some awesome tunes and from Daft Punk to Sebastian Teller to The Cardigans.
To round up the day it was time for the headliners Justice who made the crowd go wild. After dancing our feet off we made a quick visit to Public Enemy and as Chuck D said it’s not the size of the stage but what you do with it and that certainly applied to Chuck D, Flavor Flav, DJ Lord and their entourage. Although not being familiar with too much of their discography they certainly were a highlight with their energy and attitude. Flavor Flav wrapped up the set with a rousing speech on power. So remember people fuck racism and separatism. Peace and togetherness equals power! Thanks Flavor Flav!
These words stayed with us as we wandered home after a good festival.
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