BLOG: JURASSIC LOUNGE
Review By Duncan McLeod
When: April 12/19 2011
Synopsis: Every Tuesday night this summer, the Australian Museum opens its doors for after-hour sessions featuring art, live music, drinks + new ideas. Discover Sydney’s hottest new artists, performers + DJs. Drink in hand, have a wander + check out amazing live acts + exhibitions against a spectacular backdrop of dinosaur skeletons, precious gemstones + native animals. It’s the Australian Museum as you’ve never seen it!
Review: JURASSIC LOUNGE is where dinosaurs, DJs and those in search of something a little different come together. People come to sample a slice of cultural pie and the ability to connect to the past and immerse themselves in the now all at once.
The idea of live music and a bar in a museum is definitely an attraction for those who wouldn’t normally venture inside such an establishment. For those that would gladly go during the daylight hours the ambiance just adds to the enjoyment.
In The Skeletons Room the mood is relaxed, cushions on the floor and wine in hand, people stand about the room taking in the sounds. Bossa Baby takes to the stage and woos the audience with an ambience that creates a felling of comfortable warmth. They perform songs we’re all familiar with. The highlight of their set for this reviewer was a Bossa nova version of AC/DC’s ‘Long Way to the Top’.
Silent Discos are becoming all the rage, and it seems fitting that in a place that evokes such tranquillity, that tonight they feature one here. The concept was good however this reviewer thought the retro-classic music chosen for the disco was the wrong choice for the event and the particular exhibition that it accompanied.
Things weren’t all static though. Short films were on display in the Dinosaurs room. The work of Sydney-based KINO COLLECTIVE was a visual treat. A talk on Biodiversity (with free drink replenishment) and the opportunity to meet Paul Flemons (an expert in the art of specimen handling) were also moments of great interest and appeal for this reviewer.
For those who like a little bit of magic, your tastes are also catered for in the Atrium. The main attraction here though is FIRST BLOOD. This is where a gentleman went on display having his body tattooed live for all to see. This otherwise personal event made for a crowd gathering spectacle on more than one occasion as those of us without ink became more than tempted and those of us who are inked up, poured over potential new designs.
There was so much on offer that it was impossible to take it all in. One of the exhibit highlights was a display of Possum fur which showed how many of their skins had been made into a jacket. The aboriginal artwork is always nice to see and for a few hours you get the feeling that this night at the museum might actually come alive. We can only hope.
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