RISING- Golden Square and Ancestral Memory

RISING is a new winter arts festival in Melbourne that has taken the place of the Melbourne International Arts Festival and White Night. It has a mix of ticketed and free events around the city. Tonight alongside a total lunar eclipse and rare super blood moon was the opening night. RISING has done a lot to make the festival COVID-safe with many events occurring outdoors, but unfortunately a potential snap lockdown is looming in the next couple days due to a new cluster of cases from a hotel quarantine breach in Adelaide.

 

Ebony and I met up with her friends Jenni and Tony in Chinatown and started our evening at the Golden Square car park. The works at this location were curated by Grace Herbert under the theme Inland Tides. We climbed up to the roof of the car park where we could watch projections on neighboring buildings, and then saw the different works on each level as we walked back down to street level. Some of my favorite pieces were Reko Rennie's short film Initiation OA_RR, Lu Yang's inflated head Power of will - final shooting, and Monira Al Qadiri's floating hamburger The End.

Also part of Golden Square but projected onto a neighboring car park wall was Atong Atem's short film Banksia, which tells the stories of Australia's first African settlers.

After grabbing some dinner in Chinatown we said farewell to Jenni and then headed down to Hamer Hall for the light projection piece Ancestral Memory by Maree Clarke and Mitch Mahoney. It showed the metaphor of the Spirit Eel, which connects time and place for the peoples of the Kulin Nation.

RISING runs until 6 June 2021.

RONE In Geelong

Ebony and I drove down to Geelong today for the final weekend of the RONE in Geelong exhibition at the Geelong Gallery. This is the first comprehensive showing of RONE's career, fittingly held in his hometown. The exhibition spans from his early stencil work to street art and major installations in abandoned spaces, which feature those haunting portraits of female faces. There are physical samples and photos of his works, along with a few short films showing the creation of different projects and installations.

 

RONE did a few installations within the gallery space itself, two of which were specifically for this exhibition and carried on from the work he did for Empire at Burnham Beeches. Ebony and I were amused to watch people walking around and through the two installations, closely inspecting the aged furniture instead of standing back to see and appreciate the full scale of the work.

The Green Room (Omega Project)

Without Darkness There Is No Light (Dark) (RONE In Geelong)

Without Darkness There Is No Light (Light) (RONE In Geelong)

RONE In Geelong runs until 16 May 2021

Ema

The Chilean film Ema by Pablo Larraín is currently playing as part of the Moro Spanish Film Festival (it also was the closing film of MIFF in 2020). Ash and I headed to the Kino Cinema this evening after dinner to watch it. The film stars Mariana Di Girolamo as Ema, a young dancer and teacher who is married to the director of her contemporary dance company, Gastón (Gael García Bernal). The couple end up bringing their adopted 12-year-old son, Polo, back to the orphanage after he set fire to their house, injuring Ema's sister.

 

This decision impacts the couple's relationship as Ema regrets the decision and goes on a secretive mission to get Polo back. The film is a mix of pyromania as Ema wanders around town with a flamethrower lighting things on fire, contemporary and reggaetón dance sequences with her friends, and romantic affairs with different people. The film is a wild ride and while you may not know what's going on plotwise at some points, it is entertaining.

The Gospel According To Paul

Paul Keating was Prime Minister of Australia and leader of the Labor Party from 1991 to 1996, and is a huge figure in Australian politics. The Gospel According to Paul is a one man show about his life written and performed by actor/comedian Jonathan Biggins. Belinda won tickets, so we attended opening night tonight at the Arts Centre Melbourne Playhouse.

 

Set in a large study, Biggins uses a photo slide show to tell stories about key moments and people throughout Keating's life. The performance got off to a bit of a rough start as the slide carousel wasn't working, but Biggins improvised while the tech crew fixed it. I think to fully appreciate the show you need a strong knowledge of Australian political history and Keating's behavior and personality. For someone not from Australia I didn't know about some of the people and events that were being referenced, which made it a bit hard to follow or understand some of the jokes at points. Biggins does bring some light and shade to his portrayal of Keating and you do learn some things you many not have known about the man.

The Gospel According to Paul runs until 23 May 2021.