We’ve scoured this year’s Dark Mofo program to cherry pick the most thrilling, ground breaking, boundary busting experiences on offer in this year’s line-up. Make sure you add these to your diary and strap in for another season of shocks, surprises and sensations.
Siren Song
Created by Byron J Scullin & Supple Fox, this sonic installation is transforming the entire city of Hobart into a powerful collective experience, connecting visitors and locals alike with an evocation of the ancient through a medium of the now. At sunrise and sunset, the beginning and end of each day will be heralded with “feminine incantations” from featured artists including Australia’s own Carolyn Connors, played through 550 sirens. Whether you view it as a radical subversion of the patriarchal or authoritarian, as a clever, soothing inversion of the warning alarm, or an ephemeral affirmation of unity and spirit, this work aims to challenge as much as it enlightens.
When & Where: 8 – 18 Jun, sunrise and sunset, across Hobart
Winter Feast
If music and art are food for the soul, then it’s got to be a bonus when savouring some awesome tunes and breathtaking artworks to get some actual food to boot. The Winter Feast is a proud, mouth-watering tradition at Dark Mofo. Taking up residence at the Princes Wharf precinct on Hobart’s historic waterfront, you can find all manner of delicious delights across seven nights and two weekends. In true Dark Mofo style, this not a mere buffet. Channelling the spirit of a medieval harvest celebration – of course, with a thoroughly contemporary vibe – the Feast is the perfect pit stop for everyone from dedicated gourmands to peckish gallery goers.
When & Where: dates from 9 – 18 June, Princes Wharf 1
Nude Solstice Swim
What happens at Dark Mofo, stays at Dark Mofo! Don’t be shy and get ready to unleash your inner-nudist at this Dark Mofo rite of passage. Join hundreds of fearless festival attendees as they drop their jocks and head for the surf to make contact with the ritual power of the past and the daring defiance of the present, perfectly timed to coincide with the winter solstice. Leave your inhibitions at home.
When & Where: 21 Jun, sunrise, Long Beach, Sandy Bay
ulver
Norwegian experimental icons Ulver hit Dark Mofo with symphonic pop as an Australian exclusive.
Established in 1993, Ulver have outgrown their black-metal roots to become a wide-ranging, ever-changing musical beast.
The trio is joined on-stage by a five-strong roster of live musicians, including drummers Lars Pedersen and Anders Møller, theremin wielder Pamelia Kurstin, multi-instrumentalist Daniel O'Sullivan, and electronics whiz Ole Aleksander Halstensgård.
When & Where: 15 June, Odeon Theatre
Transliminal
When an event is described as an “industrial-scale transcendental rave” it really doesn’t take much convincing to include it in our list. Immerse yourself in an experience like no other as you stalk the Hobart City Hall, surrounded by the mesmeric, future-forward, laser-driven light installations of iconic visual and sound artist (and MONA discovery) Robin Fox. Add to that one of the finest selections of gritty, uncompromising, and downright indecent electro anyway on the planet, handpicked by the likes of DJ Harvey (the so called “Keith Richards of dance music”), Dutch techno virtuoso Legowelt, New York-based artist, DJ and model Juliana Huxtable, and underground master of electro-fusion Maurice Fulton, and you’ve got one hell of a night on your hands.
When & Where: 9 & 10, 16 & 17 Jun, Hobart City Hall
Dark Park
At the ultimate industrial art playground, you can let loose at Hobart’s docklands and explore an array of interactive installations that place you firmly at the centre of some of the most innovative art works on Dark Mofo’s bill. Expect lasers, fires, thrills… and beyond that, well, we wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise. This is an event for those who thrive on discovery, those who don’t care what’s around the next corner, and those who want bragging rights on going toe to toe with the most fresh-to-death creations this side of the equator. And best of all, it’s totally free.
When & Where: 9 – 11 and 15 – 18 Jun, Macquarie Point.
pussy riot
Added to the bill earlier today, Russian feminist punk collective Pussy Riot visit Dark Mofo for a screening of Evgeny Mitta’s 2015 documentary Act and Punishment, which follows the band’s widely broadcasted incarceration. The screening on June 14 will be accompanied by a Q&A with Maria "Masha" Vladimirovna Alyokhina, Alexandra "Sasha" Lukyanova Bogino, and Alexander Cheparukhin. They’ll also appear at participatory art party Welcome Stranger (more info below) for a DJ set, playing songs that inspire them.
welcome stranger
The multi-venue late-night offering sees a number of number of private clubs, hotel rooms and closed venues transform into pop-up parties. They’ll be sets from New York City rapper and producer Le1f, San Franciscan funk maverick Doug Hream Blunt, New Age ambient maestro Laraaji and so many more from 15 – 17 June.
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