Coinciding with the announcement that Tasmania’s winter solstice festival, Dark Mofo has secured a one-year funding agreement with the State Government, organisers have released the dates for the 2016 festival.
“We are pleased to be able to announce that Dark Mofo will again be held in Hobart in June,” says Creative Director Leigh Carmichael. “The cultural and creative industries are extremely important economically, but maybe above all, they make Tasmania a great place to live and work; they enrich our lives, challenge us and ultimately define who we are.
“We are very honoured with how the community has embraced this festival, and we are striving for it to become a hallmark in the Australian cultural calendar.”
Dark Mofo will run from 10 – 21 June 2016. As in previous years, events will take place across Hobart’s waterfront from Salamanca Place to the industrial art playground Dark Park at Macquarie Point. The popular City of Hobart Dark Mofo Winter Feast will take place at Princes Wharf 1 from 15 – 19 June, and the annual Nude Solstice Swim will embolden hundreds of brave pilgrims to bare all to the rising sun after the longest night, on Tuesday 21 June at 7.42am.
“We applaud and thank the State Government for supporting this event, and in particular the Tourism, Hospitality and Events Minister and Premier Will Hodgman for the unprecedented commitment to cultural activity in this State,” says Carmichael. “It’s also important to acknowledge the commitment shown by the City of Hobart, and our other major partners, whose funding allow the event to happen.”
“We understand the importance of this event to Hobart and the community, and we will endeavour to do everything we can to ensure its success. While the current agreement is for one year, we are working very closely with the State Government, Events Tasmania and Tourism Tasmania on a longer term vision for the festival.”
Dark Mofo has grown exponentially in three years, experiencing 270,000 attendances at events across 10 nights last year, including large-scale public artworks across different festival precincts in the city, a Dark Mofo Films program, a music program ranging from electronica and drone to orchestral art-pop, a modern-day bacchanalia (otherwise known as nightclub), plus exhibitions, installations, and concerts in and around Hobart.
Dark Mofo highlights in the past three years have included Antony and the Johnsons with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Ryoji Ikeda, Diamanda Galás, Sunn O))), Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Patricia Piccinini, David Lynch presents Chrysta Bell, Yin Xiuzhen, Martha Wainwright, Marco Fusinato, Anish Kapoor, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Alfredo Jaar, and many more.
Dark Mofo runs 10 – 21 June 2016. The program will be announced in April. For more information, visit: www.darkmofo.net.au for details.
Image: Dark Mofo Winter Feast – photo by Rémi Chauvin (courtesy of MONA Museum of Old and New Art)