The Museum at the End of the World

Wendall -- every other Thursday

The past six weeks have been such a period of highs and lows. I've lost a beloved cousin and a friend of thirty-five years, but was also able to return to Australia for the first time since the pandemic.

As I take some time to grieve for these loved ones, I'll offer some photos from our days in Tasmania, land of the lost thylacine, and particularly, in this post, from MONA, the privately owned Museum of Old and New Art.

The Museum is one of the most extraordinary places James and I have ever visited.  You must book a 25 minute ferry-ride  to get there, and once you do, the bulk of the museum is entirely underground, tunneled out of a sandstone cliff.  Currently, it has three levels, connected by stairs and tunnels and a round, see-through elevator.  I wish I were a better photographer, but here are a few moments and objects from our visit.

The Ferry Ride:

Looking back at Hobart.

Looking back towards the "posh pit," where there's champagne for the 25 minute journey.

A detail from the stairway on the ferry.

ARRIVAL:

We climbed 96 stairs from the ferry to the outside of the Museum.

Another view from the top.

The Museum entrance.

INSIDE SPACES:

Looking into the lowest floor from above. Note the sandstone walls.

Another view from above, looking back towards one of the bars.

Another tunnel.

A view through one of the galleries.

A different view.

 

Three levels at once.

The Faro bar, complete with a James Turrell installation.

This huge architectural space has a deep pool of oil at the bottom, which becomes invisible and reflects everything around it.

The tunnel into the space.

The promontory into the liquid.

Looking at the reflection of the ceiling in the oil.

RANDOM ART:

James and the Giant Statue.

Passage to a crystal temple.

The Grotto.

Looking up towards the elevator.

The obligatory Warhols.

 

 

 

 

 And for the (mystery) writers, these two:

An entire room of empty books. Yikes.

Yep.

THE SOURCE RESTAURANT:

View from our table.

Their "grilled cheese" appetizer.

This was my risotto!

It truly is an extraordinary place, as is all of Tasmania (more on that in my next post), and it's a quick and inexpensive one hour flight from Melbourne, so if you're ever there, Cyd Redondo and I suggest a visit. Book ahead!

Hope everyone had a great time, hotel notwithstanding, at Bouchercon.

--Wendall