Veronika Wild

Just a quickie tonight for my friends at Miss Kitty’s.    Do you love costumes, glamour and a bit of frivolity or are you sad that Dark Mofo is over and are looking for something fun to do? Then go along to The Moonah Arts Centre tomorrow night.   In fact, better still, wear your own sequins, victory rolls and red lipstick and join in the fun. There’s champagne on tap too.  I bet you didn’t know burlesque dancing was a competitive event. I didn’t either until I went along to Burlesque Idol a few months ago. I was worried that it might be a bit sleazy but it was clever, witty and hugely creative. Far from being exploitative, many participants say that it’s also truly empowering. A bit later I’ll write something about the history of burlesque and its recent revival, but that’s all I have time for now. Doors open at 7 pm. Show starts 7.30 and tickets are $20  

Dark arts, sepulchral trees, folk memories ancestral memories, fires and flames “And when you’re out in the woods, be nice and good and don’t stray off the path.” Brothers Grimm “Little Red Cap.” I was wrong about Dark Mofo. It was busier than ever with over 15,000 people attending and many events and performances already booked out.   I didn’t go to the parade or the burning this year, but you can catch the latter on the ABC’s page . I did however, tackle Dark Path which was essentially a four Km  Art Walk with a nod to dark fairy tales, witches and disturbing thoughts.   It’s a pity that it was -3 ° C or I would have stayed around for more of the events, but here are a few glimpses. (Pity help the dawn nude swimmers in the morning!) I followed the torchlight procession struggling uphill over the Domain, a largely grassed area flanked by trees commemorating the war dead. Government House is near the top a long with the old Powd...

The Waterfront seems quieter than usual The crowds were there. The red crosses were there. Businesses were open. The aroma of sizzling steak filled the air, yet it seemed to me that Dark Mofo was neither as big nor as shocking as in previous years. Not that there wasn’t some gratuitous violence or exhibits which made you shudder, but Dark Park remained   dark and the kind of events which usually took place there, were either confined to strictly limited crowds inside the former Forestry building or scattered about across other venues including the Domain and the Botanic Gardens, but more about that later.     For now, a little about “A forest.” Into a forest...... We approached “A forest” with some trepidation. We were issued with earplugs on the way in and were warned about the possibility of experiencing depictions of violence before entering the Virtual Reality segment. With sudden thunderous noise, inexplicable exhibits and frightening ima...

As we hurtle towards the solstice it’s time for Hobbits and Hobartians to venture out of their holes, cold. dark and scary though it may be. Dark Mofo is on. Haven’t seen much of it so far, though thanks to my daughter we did go out to Doctor Sketchy’s Anti -Art School on Wednesday night and last night our lovely neighbours lured us out into "A Forest” another Dark Mofo event.  So what's a Dr. Sketchy Anti Art School?   I’ll begin with Dr. Sketchy’s . There are now hundreds of these around the world from Ireland to Antarctica. They were begun by illustrator and former artist’s model Molly Crabapple and illustrator A.V. in the Lucky Cat café in Brooklyn in 2005. Tired of the usual still life exercises involving boring bowls of fruit and static models, they injected some life into the proceedings by adding flamboyant characters such as burlesque dancers and freak show performers, not to mention ample glasses of wine and a few art based games. ...