Located in the Gas Works Theatre, part of a multipurpose arts park in Albert Park, The Lounge: A Circus Cabaret was a performance directed and performed by Lumiere Acrobatics. It was the creation of Glen Birchall, also director and a performer in the show. The show includes aerial elements, dance acrobatics, themed dances and contortion.

Run by two hosts competing for the top position, it is a friendly, competitive cabaret show. The inclusion of the many different acts, builds up to a spectacular finale, involving a dazzling acrobatic display with a mirror ball, what the group calls the aerosphere, a first due to its unique engineering and design.

The characters had just the right amount of cheesy, in other arenas perhaps a little much, but spot on for the style and type of show, especially given the vintage theme. The two hosts and their troops added an unexpected layer to the show, giving the otherwise circus show a theatrical element. The performers, themselves, showed great skill and aptitude for their craft, skillfully mixing lighthearted comic elements with high focus displays of physical ability.

While the staging at first appeared somewhat lacking, this soon changed, with the introduction of more elaborate props, music and lighting as the show went on. The stage itself is at ground level, with the audience seated in raised stands. This gave the show an inclusive feeling, as the audience, even in the back row was close to the action, providing an intimate performance.

The use of different music styles and languages from smooth Spanish tunes to strong Edith Piaf during a beautiful aerial piece gave the show variety, but also meant there was something for everyone, whilst giving the whole performance depth. The final prop, the previously mentioned mirror ball deserves further mention, giving the two performers a shimmering base for their athletic and graceful display.

The show was a great evening out and demonstrated both an eye for detail in the aerial and contortion acts, along with a sense of performance in the portrayal of the lighter acts. A couple of moments in the dance acts seemed a little lack lustre, but this was quickly made up for and the show was other wise a great display of talent. The short time frame, of only an hour, possibly due to it being primarily a circus show, meant that it was short and sweet, a fantastic prelude to dinner. At the same time, a little longer may have been good, as when you’re really starting to get into it the show finishes. Otherwise, it was a fantastic performance, transporting the viewer to a simpler time of personable cabaret entertainment.

The Lounge: A Circus Cabaret is an intriguing show, providing laughs, amazement and a general good time. It is suitable and would appeal to all ages, in different ways from little children to big children and beyond. It is a great night out and well worth viewing.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets to show.

Set across two Melbourne sites, Transpondence is a multi-faceted group exhibition displaying student works from Melbourne’s very own Victorian College of the Arts (VCA). Curated by Salazar Quas, included artists are: Hannah Bertram & Dave Evans, Tara Cook, Eric Demetriou, Kerry Leonard, Youjia Lu, Rebecca Monaghan, Stephen Palmer, Salazar Quas and Hannah Smith.

The selection of works include examples of digital art, media art, kinetic art, sound art and installations. They range from physical works, objects that are present in time and space, to those of the digital sphere, challenging the concept of time and space. Certain works are interactive, involving the viewer in the process and concurrently challenging what it means to be a viewer of an artwork in itself.

Exploring concepts of spatial context, the exhibition strips back the usually associated context in place in a non-deliberately manipulated environment, enabling the viewer to re-imagine both themselves and the space around them. It divulges into explorations of information transfer across time and space but, moreover, the bilateral transfer of information between viewer and artwork. It is challenged as to whether context can be eliminated in its entirety, the viewer in essence always bringing personal context with them.

The exhibition also explores the viewer’s response and interaction within a space.  It encourages acknowledgment of the person and the thing, how the self and thing both relate to a presence in time and space, the context imperative to meaning and even sense of being. The elimination of associated context ensures a re-evaluation and subsequently re-interpretation by the viewer of what constitutes an object and a person, what they are thought to be and where their value is seen to lay. Therefore, taking into account how prescribed meaning effects the value and thoughts of something; one is led to a possible new order and way of associating with ones surrounds.

Connecting the artist’s works over two sites furthers interpretation, however, whilst seeing both sites enables a deeper understanding of certain works one does not need to see both to take value or meaning. This heightens the separateness of each work, but demonstrates the influence of increased knowledge from the corresponding artists piece upon interpretation of the other, again displaying the effect of prior knowledge on the establishment of meaning.

The locations in themselves influence perception, and correspond to the pieces shown in them. The Goodtime Studio location (a practicing artists workshop) shows developmental pieces as well as finished works. The order one sees the two locations, or viewing only one, therefore also influences ones interpretation.

The exhibition breaks from typical gallery hangings, creating a vanguard of experimental displays, including displaying works on the floor, on metal pillars which are part of the building itself and across wall corners, reminiscent of early twentieth radical hangings, helping to establish the exhibitions contemporaneity. Utilising two distinct spaces increases the experience and possibility for interpretation. The spaces are thought provoking, both tangible and conceptual.

Being able to see such a diverse range of works by a variety of artists, all exploring their own concepts, yet relating to the broader theme of transpondence, is a great opportunity. It demonstrates local talents, letting you explore the works of some Melbourne based artists, while viewing a show which, albeit small, explores universal concepts.

Click here for more information about the show and to purchase tickets.