Latest news with #Quasi
The Advertiser
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Coffin rides help bring Dark Mofo festival back to life
The Dark Mofo festival is roaring back to life, offering brave punters a chance to lie in a coffin. Artist Simon Zoric's Coffin Rides performance piece in Hobart resulted from the realisation that humans spend more time lying in these six-foot boxes after death than they do being alive. "I find it strange that you would spend all this time in a coffin but never know what it felt like," Zoric said. Early figures show Dark Mofo has already welcomed 210,000 visitors, an improvement of some 30,000 on the first week of the festival's last full-scale program in 2023. The event took a little lie down itself in 2024 to contend with a massive hike in production costs, but the first few days of the 2025 festival show Hobart's main winter attraction is back at full force. "I do think interest this year is very strong, and perhaps last year had something to do with that," Dark Mofo executive director Melissa Edwards said. Attendance peaked at more than 16,000 people Saturday evening, and artistic director Chris Twite says the feedback so far has been great. "I get a chance to talk to people on the street and see the city alive and full," he said at a media event on Thursday. "I think a lot of people are really excited - locals and businesses and tourists." The excitement is happening under the eyes of an unmissable five-metre-high giant hand/face sculpture affixed to the roof of a hotel on the Hobart waterfront. Ronnie Van Hout's sculpture Quasi was controversial during its original installation in Christchurch - it looks a little bit like Donald Trump, or possibly Elon Musk - and it is yet to be seen whether the artwork will meet with the general approval of Hobartians. An exhibition at MONA by artist Arcangelo Sassolino has attracted more than 11,000 people across four days to see liquid steel - heated to 1500C - showering from the ceiling of a darkened gallery. The festival's second week features DIIV and The Horrors at Hobart's Odeon Theatre, and Methyl Ethel at the Princess Theatre in Launceston. Also still to come are the traditional winter feast and Ogoh Ogoh procession, during which a giant model Maugean skate is set on fire, followed by the Nude Solstice Swim on June 21. The Dark Mofo festival is roaring back to life, offering brave punters a chance to lie in a coffin. Artist Simon Zoric's Coffin Rides performance piece in Hobart resulted from the realisation that humans spend more time lying in these six-foot boxes after death than they do being alive. "I find it strange that you would spend all this time in a coffin but never know what it felt like," Zoric said. Early figures show Dark Mofo has already welcomed 210,000 visitors, an improvement of some 30,000 on the first week of the festival's last full-scale program in 2023. The event took a little lie down itself in 2024 to contend with a massive hike in production costs, but the first few days of the 2025 festival show Hobart's main winter attraction is back at full force. "I do think interest this year is very strong, and perhaps last year had something to do with that," Dark Mofo executive director Melissa Edwards said. Attendance peaked at more than 16,000 people Saturday evening, and artistic director Chris Twite says the feedback so far has been great. "I get a chance to talk to people on the street and see the city alive and full," he said at a media event on Thursday. "I think a lot of people are really excited - locals and businesses and tourists." The excitement is happening under the eyes of an unmissable five-metre-high giant hand/face sculpture affixed to the roof of a hotel on the Hobart waterfront. Ronnie Van Hout's sculpture Quasi was controversial during its original installation in Christchurch - it looks a little bit like Donald Trump, or possibly Elon Musk - and it is yet to be seen whether the artwork will meet with the general approval of Hobartians. An exhibition at MONA by artist Arcangelo Sassolino has attracted more than 11,000 people across four days to see liquid steel - heated to 1500C - showering from the ceiling of a darkened gallery. The festival's second week features DIIV and The Horrors at Hobart's Odeon Theatre, and Methyl Ethel at the Princess Theatre in Launceston. Also still to come are the traditional winter feast and Ogoh Ogoh procession, during which a giant model Maugean skate is set on fire, followed by the Nude Solstice Swim on June 21. The Dark Mofo festival is roaring back to life, offering brave punters a chance to lie in a coffin. Artist Simon Zoric's Coffin Rides performance piece in Hobart resulted from the realisation that humans spend more time lying in these six-foot boxes after death than they do being alive. "I find it strange that you would spend all this time in a coffin but never know what it felt like," Zoric said. Early figures show Dark Mofo has already welcomed 210,000 visitors, an improvement of some 30,000 on the first week of the festival's last full-scale program in 2023. The event took a little lie down itself in 2024 to contend with a massive hike in production costs, but the first few days of the 2025 festival show Hobart's main winter attraction is back at full force. "I do think interest this year is very strong, and perhaps last year had something to do with that," Dark Mofo executive director Melissa Edwards said. Attendance peaked at more than 16,000 people Saturday evening, and artistic director Chris Twite says the feedback so far has been great. "I get a chance to talk to people on the street and see the city alive and full," he said at a media event on Thursday. "I think a lot of people are really excited - locals and businesses and tourists." The excitement is happening under the eyes of an unmissable five-metre-high giant hand/face sculpture affixed to the roof of a hotel on the Hobart waterfront. Ronnie Van Hout's sculpture Quasi was controversial during its original installation in Christchurch - it looks a little bit like Donald Trump, or possibly Elon Musk - and it is yet to be seen whether the artwork will meet with the general approval of Hobartians. An exhibition at MONA by artist Arcangelo Sassolino has attracted more than 11,000 people across four days to see liquid steel - heated to 1500C - showering from the ceiling of a darkened gallery. The festival's second week features DIIV and The Horrors at Hobart's Odeon Theatre, and Methyl Ethel at the Princess Theatre in Launceston. Also still to come are the traditional winter feast and Ogoh Ogoh procession, during which a giant model Maugean skate is set on fire, followed by the Nude Solstice Swim on June 21. The Dark Mofo festival is roaring back to life, offering brave punters a chance to lie in a coffin. Artist Simon Zoric's Coffin Rides performance piece in Hobart resulted from the realisation that humans spend more time lying in these six-foot boxes after death than they do being alive. "I find it strange that you would spend all this time in a coffin but never know what it felt like," Zoric said. Early figures show Dark Mofo has already welcomed 210,000 visitors, an improvement of some 30,000 on the first week of the festival's last full-scale program in 2023. The event took a little lie down itself in 2024 to contend with a massive hike in production costs, but the first few days of the 2025 festival show Hobart's main winter attraction is back at full force. "I do think interest this year is very strong, and perhaps last year had something to do with that," Dark Mofo executive director Melissa Edwards said. Attendance peaked at more than 16,000 people Saturday evening, and artistic director Chris Twite says the feedback so far has been great. "I get a chance to talk to people on the street and see the city alive and full," he said at a media event on Thursday. "I think a lot of people are really excited - locals and businesses and tourists." The excitement is happening under the eyes of an unmissable five-metre-high giant hand/face sculpture affixed to the roof of a hotel on the Hobart waterfront. Ronnie Van Hout's sculpture Quasi was controversial during its original installation in Christchurch - it looks a little bit like Donald Trump, or possibly Elon Musk - and it is yet to be seen whether the artwork will meet with the general approval of Hobartians. An exhibition at MONA by artist Arcangelo Sassolino has attracted more than 11,000 people across four days to see liquid steel - heated to 1500C - showering from the ceiling of a darkened gallery. The festival's second week features DIIV and The Horrors at Hobart's Odeon Theatre, and Methyl Ethel at the Princess Theatre in Launceston. Also still to come are the traditional winter feast and Ogoh Ogoh procession, during which a giant model Maugean skate is set on fire, followed by the Nude Solstice Swim on June 21.
Canberra Times
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Canberra Times
Coffin rides help bring Dark Mofo festival back to life
Ronnie Van Hout's sculpture Quasi was controversial during its original installation in Christchurch - it looks a little bit like Donald Trump, or possibly Elon Musk - and it is yet to be seen whether the artwork will meet with the general approval of Hobartians.
West Australian
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Coffin rides help bring Dark Mofo festival back to life
The Dark Mofo festival is roaring back to life, offering brave punters a chance to lie in a coffin. Artist Simon Zoric's Coffin Rides performance piece in Hobart resulted from the realisation that humans spend more time lying in these six-foot boxes after death than they do being alive. "I find it strange that you would spend all this time in a coffin but never know what it felt like," Zoric said. Early figures show Dark Mofo has already welcomed 210,000 visitors, an improvement of some 30,000 on the first week of the festival's last full-scale program in 2023. The event took a little lie down itself in 2024 to contend with a massive hike in production costs, but the first few days of the 2025 festival show Hobart's main winter attraction is back at full force. "I do think interest this year is very strong, and perhaps last year had something to do with that," Dark Mofo executive director Melissa Edwards said. Attendance peaked at more than 16,000 people Saturday evening, and artistic director Chris Twite says the feedback so far has been great. "I get a chance to talk to people on the street and see the city alive and full," he said at a media event on Thursday. "I think a lot of people are really excited - locals and businesses and tourists." The excitement is happening under the eyes of an unmissable five-metre-high giant hand/face sculpture affixed to the roof of a hotel on the Hobart waterfront. Ronnie Van Hout's sculpture Quasi was controversial during its original installation in Christchurch - it looks a little bit like Donald Trump, or possibly Elon Musk - and it is yet to be seen whether the artwork will meet with the general approval of Hobartians. An exhibition at MONA by artist Arcangelo Sassolino has attracted more than 11,000 people across four days to see liquid steel - heated to 1500C - showering from the ceiling of a darkened gallery. The festival's second week features DIIV and The Horrors at Hobart's Odeon Theatre, and Methyl Ethel at the Princess Theatre in Launceston. Also still to come are the traditional winter feast and Ogoh Ogoh procession, during which a giant model Maugean skate is set on fire, followed by the Nude Solstice Swim on June 21.
Perth Now
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Coffin rides help bring Dark Mofo festival back to life
The Dark Mofo festival is roaring back to life, offering brave punters a chance to lie in a coffin. Artist Simon Zoric's Coffin Rides performance piece in Hobart resulted from the realisation that humans spend more time lying in these six-foot boxes after death than they do being alive. "I find it strange that you would spend all this time in a coffin but never know what it felt like," Zoric said. Early figures show Dark Mofo has already welcomed 210,000 visitors, an improvement of some 30,000 on the first week of the festival's last full-scale program in 2023. The event took a little lie down itself in 2024 to contend with a massive hike in production costs, but the first few days of the 2025 festival show Hobart's main winter attraction is back at full force. "I do think interest this year is very strong, and perhaps last year had something to do with that," Dark Mofo executive director Melissa Edwards said. Attendance peaked at more than 16,000 people Saturday evening, and artistic director Chris Twite says the feedback so far has been great. "I get a chance to talk to people on the street and see the city alive and full," he said at a media event on Thursday. "I think a lot of people are really excited - locals and businesses and tourists." The excitement is happening under the eyes of an unmissable five-metre-high giant hand/face sculpture affixed to the roof of a hotel on the Hobart waterfront. Ronnie Van Hout's sculpture Quasi was controversial during its original installation in Christchurch - it looks a little bit like Donald Trump, or possibly Elon Musk - and it is yet to be seen whether the artwork will meet with the general approval of Hobartians. An exhibition at MONA by artist Arcangelo Sassolino has attracted more than 11,000 people across four days to see liquid steel - heated to 1500C - showering from the ceiling of a darkened gallery. The festival's second week features DIIV and The Horrors at Hobart's Odeon Theatre, and Methyl Ethel at the Princess Theatre in Launceston. Also still to come are the traditional winter feast and Ogoh Ogoh procession, during which a giant model Maugean skate is set on fire, followed by the Nude Solstice Swim on June 21.
Sydney Morning Herald
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
A car crash and giant hand that looks like Donald Trump – Dark Mofo is back
Dropping to your knees and screaming at the top of your lungs in public is usually, at best, frowned upon – but here on a drizzly winter night I find myself considering it. Clearly there is something deep within each of us that wants to make our emotions heard by all around – babies and toddlers do it until societal conditioning teaches them to quieten down, to find new channels of expression, to live more interiorly. And so the screaming changes form; perhaps it turns into high blood pressure, into running marathons, into smashing out angry words anonymously on a keyboard. In his artwork Neon Anthem, however, Nicholas Galanin invites all who see his light-up sign to take a step back. 'I've composed a new national anthem,' the bright white words read. 'Take a knee and scream until you can't breathe.' The newest iteration of the work – minus the word 'American' before 'anthem' that has appeared in other versions – is on display as part of this year's Dark Mofo arts festival. The words loom large over a series of mats laid out on the floor, and all around me people are doing as asked; dropping to their knees and making themselves heard. New artistic director Chris Twite has had to wait a little longer than expected to helm his inaugural festival, but after hitting pause in 2024, Dark Mofo is back, with the Hobart-based arts festival bringing together visual art, music, performance and a series of experiences and experiments that don't fit neatly into a category. Perched atop one building is a giant hand with a face on it. 'It looks like Trump,' a friend insisted. 'No, it looks like Elon Musk,' another shot back. Actually, it's neither – Quasi by artist Ronnie van Hout is apparently a self-portrait of sorts. The last time I saw it was on its last day in Wellington, New Zealand – at the time, where the polarising work would be heading to next remained a mystery. 'Oh is that not normally there?' a passer-by says, attention drawn by all the people stopping to take photos. One of the key events of the first weekend of the festival was Crash Body, a work by artist Paula Garcia which saw two cars – one driven by a stunt driver and the other by the artist herself – collide after a series of increasingly tense near misses. To get to the event you needed to walk through Dark Park, a hub of different works including Neon Anthem, down a narrow pathway, past a car suspended by a crane, before trying to find a good vantage point in the crowd. Over the course of about half an hour, the two cars danced and wove around each other, sliding through puddles as the soundtrack amplified the tension. The crash itself came suddenly, much earlier than expected, the windows of both vehicles blowing out. 'Aggh I wasn't filming,' said a voice to the right of me. The voice's owner and the friends they came with left before seeing if Garcia had safely left her vehicle.
