Arts
MOFO 2014: Ready for Take-Off
It’s on. It is so very on.
Tuesday 14 January 2014
What: Fire up your jet-packs, space cadets, because the Museum of Old and New Art’s summer Festival of Music and Art (MONA FOMA) blasts off on Wednesday 15 January 2014 with five days of music and art – this year in a new Hobart location.
Where: MOFO 2014 has taken flight from Princes Wharf across the Port of Hobart to its new home at the MAC Precinct, Macquarie Wharf on Hunter Street.
The MAC Festival Precinct includes MAC1 (art and performance) MAC2 and MAC2 Backspace (music and performance) and the MAC Forecourt (food and entertainment), while MOFO satellite venues include the Theatre Royal, Hobart Town Hall, Baha’i Centre, Contemporary Art Tasmania, Derwent Entertainment Centre, Rosny Barn, St. David’s Cathedral, MONA, and Spring Bay Mill, Triabunna.
Beginning Wednesday 15 January, MOFO kicks up the dust around Hobart with performances by MOFO artists at Morning Meditation (Baha’i Centre), Australian Art Orchestra (Theatre Royal), Ansgar Wallenhorst (St. David’s Cathedral), Melanie Herbert (Contemporary Art Tasmania) Mzaza (Rosny Barn), and Faux Mo – the festival nightclub infamous for its mind-bending installation spaces, environments and performance artists (this time it’s at the Huon Quays. It’s got two big stages, a space shuttle cinema, a laundry disco with entry via a slide, numerous intimate performance spaces and way, way, way too many mirror balls. Also, on opening night it’s free entry 9pm-10pm, no pass-outs, once only. It’s open from 10pm on Thurs, Fri & Sat nights).
From Thursday 16 January, the MAC festival precinct fires up its engines at 5pm, with commandeering performances from Sun Ra Arkestra, Mick Harvey and friends, Astronautalis, Slave Pianos and Punkasila in MAC2 and its Backspace, plus a Conrad Shawcross performance-installation in MAC1. There will be performance blacksmiths and noise artists, food and wine demos, installation artworks and performances, container bars and food vans, constellations of beanbags and a whole galaxy of musical diversity every day, continuing until and including Sunday 19 January.
MOFO Curator Brian Ritchie said: “The goal of MOFO 2014 is to expose great upcoming and veteran artists to the greatest crowd in the world. That’s the people who inhabit Hobart every January. The adventurousness of the Tassie crowd has become a trademark of MOFO. The performers span the widest range of music and art imaginable. Put them together and everyone can share a musical adventure unparalleled anywhere.”
Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings said: “The Tasmanian Government is a proud supporter of MONA FOMA and its winter sister Dark Mofo, both of which have demonstrated a remarkable capacity to challenge and inspire Tasmanians and attract interstate and overseas visitors to our great state. MOFO creates a buzz of excitement and discovery that is infectious and has contributed to Tasmania’s growing reputation as a must-visit destination. I would encourage all Tasmanians to be a part of it.”
Why: Since the first MONA FOMA in 2009, the five-day Hobart summer party has grown to become Tasmania’s largest – and what some consider Australia’s best – contemporary music festival (Helpmann Awards 2012), showcasing a broad range of art forms, including sound, noise, dance, theatre, visual art, performance and new media.
MOFO 2014: My god, it’s full of stars.
TICKETS
+ MOFO Festival Ticket: entry to the MAC precinct (festival hub) and more, on Thursday Jan 16, Friday Jan 17 Saturday Jan 18 and Sunday Jan 19. Adult $99 / concession (or parent with child under 12) $85, from www.mofo.net.au
+ Faux Mo nightclub ticket: available from the gate every night, Wednesday Jan 15 – Saturday Jan 18, $30 full / $20 concession or with a Festival Ticket, per night. NOTE: Wednesday night 9pm – 10pm is free entry; once only, no pass-outs.
+ Australian Art Orchestra: $35 – $65
+ ACO Quartet: $40 – $55
+ TSO Pixar: $39 – $89
Info online www.mofo.net.au
LINEUP
ANSGAR WALLENHORST | ASTRONAUTALIS | AUSTRALIAN ART ORCHESTRA with NGAIIRE | AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA QUARTET | BLACKSMITHS & NICK SMITHIES | CAMERON ROBBINS | CHRIS THILE | CLIENT LIAISON | COLIN STETSON | CONRAD SHAWCROSS: THE ADA PROJECT | DASH | DRINK DEMO: MYSTERIES OF THE MOUTH | FAUX MO | FOOD DEMO: MAGIC GARDEN | HOBART IMPROV COLLECTIVE | HINTERLANDT | HUBERT DUPRAT | JAM: JAZZ AT MONA | JOHN GRANT | MATMOS | MELANIE HERBERT | MICK HARVEY DOES SERGE GAINSBOURG | MOMA MARKET | MORNING MEDITATIONS | MURAL & KJELL BJØRGEENGEN | MZAZA | NGAIIRE | ORQUESTA TÍPICA FERNÁNDEZ FIERRO | PERCH CREEK FAMILY JUG BAND | PIXAR IN CONCERT WITH TASMANIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | PSYCROPTIC | ROBIN FOX | ROGER BALLEN | ROLAND TINGS | RUSSELL HASWELL | SLAVE PIANOS & PUNKASILA with MICHAEL KIERAN HARVEY & RACHEL SARASWATI | STRIBORG | SUN RA ARKESTRA | THE BOMBAY ROYALE | THE JULIE RUIN | THE ORB | THE RED QUEEN | THE RIVER DERWENT HEAVY METALS PROJECT | TYONDAI BRAXTON: HIVE
Rebecca Fitzgibbon Events Media Manager Museum of Old and New Art