As we
hurtle towards the solstice it’s time for Hobbits and Hobartians to venture out
of their holes, cold. dark and scary though it may be. Dark Mofo is on.
Haven’t
seen much of it so far, though thanks to my daughter we did go out to Doctor Sketchy’s Anti -Art School on Wednesday night and last night our lovely neighbours
lured us out into "A Forest” another Dark Mofo event.
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| So what's a Dr. Sketchy Anti Art School? |
I’ll begin
with Dr. Sketchy’s. There are now hundreds of these around the world from Ireland to Antarctica. They were
begun by illustrator and former artist’s model Molly Crabapple and illustrator
A.V. in the Lucky Cat café in Brooklyn in 2005. Tired of the usual still life
exercises involving boring bowls of fruit and static models, they injected some
life into the proceedings by adding flamboyant characters such as burlesque dancers
and freak show performers, not to mention ample glasses of wine and a few art
based games.
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| Tonight's Star - Samora Squid |
At our
session we had gorgeous 'bendy' man Samora Squid who stands about 6’ 4” and can
contort himself in the most amazing ways including slipping his entire body
through a tennis racquet frame.
Unfortunately, I think I was too fascinated with what he was doing to put much on paper, especially as we only had a few
moments to sketch each pose with a feisty corset -clad Dimity Magnus cracking the whip and all the while having to maintain animated conversations, eating and drinking etc. Despite this, some people managed to produce some excellent work and were duly rewarded, though even lesser talent got a Fantale or two.
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| Getting Ready - we only had a couple of minutes for each sketch. You have to go to his website or one of the shows to see what this man is capable of |
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| Industrial Chic - Westend Pumphouse |
Also surprising was how lively the West End - at western end of Murray Street, was at that time of night. During the day it pretends to be a quiet business district with a
late night chemist as its highlight. Now it was all lit up. Maybe it says something about how often I'm allowed out after dark, but The Westend Pump House - the converted
warehouse bar and eatery where Dr. Sketchy's was held, has apparently been open for at least three years. Across the road wine merchant Hop,Vine and Still which was hosting a lively wine tasting has been open for
eighteen months and Urban Greek,
right next door (it must be OK because it was packed out), has also been open for at least
three years.
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| Friendly face at Urban Greek |
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