Last night Greg, walkingrek and I went to see “Art>Music LIVE”, a performance presented by the MCA and held in The Studio at the Opera House. It was the opening event for “Rock Pop Techno”, an exhibition held at the MCA. First up it was cheap beers in the Green Room (warning: don’t EVER buy a LJ beer, even if it is $1). Then off to the Studio to find a seat – unsuccessfully. This turned out to be fortunate for us, because we decided to sit behind the (opaque) projection screen, where there were plenty of free seats. Being only one or two metres from the screen gave us the Ultra Imax panorama view of the computer-generated visuals and, in combination with the beers, provided an experience that was mesmerising. I don’t think I have felt that musically connected to visuals since early *ahem* “experimental” days at Uni.
Anyway, I kinda didn’t pay much attention to the next few acts (or recognise the distinction between them) as I was a) behind a screen and b) drinking beer. However it was impossible to miss Lee Ranaldo’s performance, if only because it had an instrument. It was very gratifying to learn that, as a 14 year old in my bedroom, I was on the cutting edge of guitar-based art. Had I only the foresight to smash some vinyl and use the pieces as picks, then I would have rocketed to the forefront of musical experimentalism, circa 2001.
Overall, I had a great night out – from the ferry ride in to our hasty retreat. I would class this event as a yuppie version of a Newtown bash.