Following last month’s confirmation that Norwegian genre-spanners Ulver will be performing in the fifth annual Dark Mofo festival, the lineup for the elusive festival has been released today.
Running over 14 days all across Hobart and ending on the night of the winter solstice, Dark Mofo is a festival requiring more than a few sentences to explain. A creation from Hobart’s MONA – the Museum of Old and New Art – Dark Mofo is an artistic exploration of the ritualistic, the sacred, the religious and an array of such dichotomous concepts as humanity and nature, darkness and light, birth and death. The timing of Dark Mofo is important in this conceptual exploration, given the ritualistic and religious importance of the solstice across numerous cultures worldwide.
Dark Mofo seeks to highlight the culture of Tasmania and to display Tasmania’s connections to the rest of the world. It does this by presenting curated experiences in spaces across Hobart, by collaborating with a number of Tasmanian institutions aside from MONA and by drawing from local and international artistic and musical talent.
Dark Mofo 2017 is packed with a diverse array of acts, but some of the stand-outs are Mogwai, Ulver, Einstürzende Neubauten, Anaal Nathrakh, Xiu Xiu and A.B. Original. In addition to the musical, artists like Hermann Nitsch, Mike Parr and Chris Levine will be adding to the creative offerings of Dark Mofo.
Dark Mofo does not lack the interactive, either. Crossing involves a 200km pilgrimage to 6 churches between Launceston and Hobart, replete with light and sound to create an involving atmosphere, the Winter Feast allows for gastronomical delights and the bravest of attendees can partake in the annual Nude Solstice Swim to mark the end of the festival.
In previous years, Dark Mofo has drawn up to 270,000 attendees to Tasmania during its darkest days of the year, and Dark Mofo 2017 should be equally huge. At its heart, Dark Mofo is looking to bring individuals and communities together and to present attendees with new experiences. There is such a diverse range of creative expression that there is bound to be something to enjoy for every attendee – though it may not be what they expect.
Dark Mofo takes place between Thursday July 8 and Wednesday July 21 in venues and spaces all across Hobart. Head to the Dark Mofo website for more information. Tickets will be available from the website from Tuesday April 11.
Via Beat Magazine, written by Samuel Gaffney.
