Month: April 2006

Last week at the 8 hour day celebration at the University of Melbourne, I became aware of a new production by the Melbourne Workers Theatre; ‘We Built This City’. I wasn’t sure at first, but a song I’d heard at the celebration was brilliant and I just wanted to hear more.

Once I’d found the details, the reason for the quality of the music became apparent: composed by Mark Seymour, booked the tickets very painlessly through EasyTix (no booking fee, take note Ticketmaster!). When we saw a double page spread review in the Sunday Age, and realised that Mark Seymour was also performing the music, we knew we were onto something special.

I won’t go into rapturous detail about the staging and effects, the inspirational music (songs about the MUA, The Westgate Bridge disaster), the inspired choice of venue (the old Pumping Station at Scienceworks, just a 5 minute walk from the aforementioned bridge), the gargantuan props (100 ton crane!), the gritty reality (real arc welding and metalworkers provided the pyrotechnics)… etc! … but I will say: If you are in Melbourne and you can get along to this in the next week. DO IT!

It hardly rates as a bicycle commute – only 6.5k and even while I was taking photos, only 20 minutes, but in response to a mild challenge from thingoid, I hereby offer my very modest commute.

One of the most public icons of the Commonwealth Games were the fish on the Yarra. Each night of the games they were lit up and squirted water in a spectacular display. A bit kitsch, but a real crowd pleaser – hundreds of thousands must have watched it. There’s now a bit of a debate as to whether the fish should be saved from the trash, perhaps mounted on a wall as public artwork somewhere like a swimming pool.

Well, I can tell you, it’s probably not going to happen. Just by chance yesterday, I was wandering past some warehouses and I spotted a familiar shape in the shadows – a fish tail. Yes, I had found the fish, in storage, away from the glamour, lights and colour, demounted from their pontoons and support frames (which were being broken up outside). I asked, and was granted permission to have a look around and take some photos. They are truly magical – really excellent, accurate representations of the species, but they are made of the lightest, most temporary material – several had eyes made of vegetable steamers! brilliant!!

They were designed for a good time, not a long time – the party is over, it’s time to let go!