Australia: day two

Today was our “cultural immersion” day (really another chance to readjust body clocks). We were to spend the morning at museums, and the afternoon at a “footy” game (Australian rules football). The morning was wonderful, as I went through the Australian Center for the Moving Image. There were several amazing pieces there. My favorites were a short film, “Viagem,” originally made for the Portugal exposition that celebrated the 500 year anniversary of the Da Gama voyage, and another installation (hold: vessel 1) that used projected images of sea creatures that you “caught” in your hands by holding opaque glass bowls. There was also an exhibition that I think the kids — especially Nathaniel — would have loved, which showcased the decades-long development of the Sonic Hedgehog video game.

By the afternoon it was too cold and rainy to sit outside in a football game, so we ended up going to the NGV, a national museum of art. It was interesting to see the progression of Australian landscape painting, but what most fascinated me were the additional plaques several of the paintings had (underneath the plaques that noted the painter, the medium, etc.), in which children shared their perceptions of the artwork. They were profound and often poetic, and it made me realize that I haven't made enough opportunities for our kids to visit the rich variety of local art museums in the Cities.

I also found myself thinking about how much museum going really remains a unique experience one must travel for, because there is no other way to experience these paintings in their fullness. Just like seeing original Hundertwassers in the KunstHausWien makes every other representation seem dull, so, too, seeing these paintings -- many of which were oils done in multiple layers -- was something that can only be done here in Melbourne. A unique experience, which gave me an inkling of why museum going is often a key element of travel.