Dark Mofo 2019: new extension Siloam at Mona revealed

Mona’s new extension, Siloam, is the latest in the popular museum’s development ahead of future plans for a hotel.

Museum of Old and New Art has opened its new extension Siloam. Photo: JESSE HUNNIFORD

IN a landmark day in the evolution of the Mona museum, a new extension aims to create new ways to get lost and create fear.

The $27 million extension known as Siloam was unveiled for the first time on Saturday.

Years in the making, it is a new network of underground tunnels and gallery spaces which connect up other parts of the museum and that are filled with new artworks by Alfredo Jaar, Ai Weiwei, Oliver Beer, and Christopher Townend.

Mona owner David Walsh said the original Siloam was one of the first tunnels to be constructed from both ends.

“We dug our version of Siloam to connect two existing areas of the museum, filled it with art and made it greater than the sum of its parts,” he said.

“I liked the idea of approaching heaven from below and forcing our visitors to be part of a procession by traversing a tunnel to nowhere.”

DARK MOFO 2019: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE

Mona curator Jarrod Rawlins said Siloam’s network would create “at least two or three new ways to get lost in Mona.”

Mona co-chief executive officer Mark Wilsdon said the new extension was part of ongoing development at the Berriedale site, which aimed to put it at the forefront of cultural tourism in Tasmania and Australia.

The centrepiece of Siloam is the Divine Comedy by Chilean-born artist Alfredo Jaar, which is a 40 minute experience featuring the re-creation of heaven, hell and purgatory as imagined in the 14th century poem of the same name by Dante.

Mr Jaar said patrons should feel a number of emotions during the experience.

“People should feel fear, remorse for what we have done to our planet, and they should feel happy and privileged that they are alive and we’re human beings that have a heart that beats,” he said.

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He said the work was made to be accessible to a large audience.

“That doesn’t mean I’ve gone down to the lowest common denominator — the work is still incredibly complex and multi-layered, but there’s points of entry for everyone.”

The next stage for Mona will be the $400m hotel and convention centre development, which Mr Wilsdon said was currently before the Glenorchy City Council.

“We’d hope to see that development application advertised in the second half of the year and we’ll continue to get our funding package together,” he said.

During the federal election campaign, Labor had committed $50 million towards the hotel development if they formed government.

Following the ALP’s loss, Mr Wilsdon said there may be some delay to the project, but the plan at this stage was to go ahead with the development in full if possible.

“David won’t compromise on design — it might be a little delayed and parts of it may not happened, but we’re working feverishly to get that underway,” he said.

“We’re still in negotiations and discussions with the State Government around a bank guarantee and that’s ongoing.

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“I think it’s critical for Tasmania and the ongoing cultural development here. We’re now contributing $135m per year into the Tasmanian economy and employing over 400 people and that’s going to grow exponentially as we do this development.

“We’re wanting to position ourselves to be a true leader in the industry and to delivered a high quality cultural tourism attraction.”

During Dark Mofo today [Sunday], on the final day of the Dark and Dangerous Thoughts program, Canberra-based journalist Ginger Gorman will explore the topic of online trolls.

Following her first-hand experience of online hate she recently published the book Troll Hunting.

“The Australia Institute’s nationally representative survey of 1500 people undertaken in 2018 for the purposes of my book found 44 per cent of Australian women and 34 per cent of men have experienced one or more forms of online harassment,” Ms Gorman will tell the audience this morning.

“I went to meet and interview trolls. The worst of these trolls were far more dangerous than I had imagined.”

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TODAY’S PICKS:

*Dark and Dangerous Thoughts, 9.30am, Odeon Theatre

*Patrick Hall, If They Should Accidentally Fall, 10am — 6pm, Narryna Heritage Museum

*Lonnie Holley, Studio, 12—4pm, Altar

*Elizabeth, Gauci, California Girls, Captain Fighting Machine, 5pm — 12am (doors open 4.30pm), Altar

*Sharon Van Etten, 7—9pm (doors open 6pm), Odeon Theatre