Limelight — May 2017

http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au MAY 2017LIMELIGHT 93

PANORAMA O

that’s been done prior gets pulled into the

nextiterationofthatcharacter–they’reusing

themonsetorasreferencematerialsorin

rehearsals – so these are not things that just

sitonashelfandgatherdust.”

This has meant working with the

Marvel team to make sure that GOMA had

uninterruptedaccesstotheobjects.“For

threemonthsfilmmakerscan’tcomeinand

snatchonefromme,”Slack-Smithsays.“They

havetoleavetheminsituintheexhibition.”

Forthecurator,itwasthelevelof

craftsmanshipinvolvedinthepropsand

costumesthatwastherealsurprise.“Igot

toseesomeearlyDrStrangecostumes

andwhatstruckmewashowbeautifulthe

construction of these costumes were, how

muchworkanddetailwentintothem,”she

said. “We’ve got this amazinghaute couture

gown,whichwasliterallyonsetfor30

seconds,butit’sstunning!Thebeadwork

andhandstitching–thattookmeaback.”

“We’ve got some sculptural busts in the

show–oneofGrootandoneofThanos–and

they’re beautifully sculpted,” she says.

Thebustsdon’tappearinthefilm,but

theyareusedonsettocheckthelighting

so that when the 3D generated character is

added, they look realistic. “But the Groot

busthasmossonitandbarktexture,”Slack-

Smithexplains.“Iwassuperimpressedwith

the quality and care and love and passion

that went into everything on set.”

Theexhibitionwillalsoofferasneakpeak

intotheupcomingMarvelfilmThor Ragnarok.

“We have some pretty amazing set elements

fromThor Ragnarok,whicharecomingto

theshowfromthefilmingdownattheGold

Coast.Theyarebreathtakingandamazingand

I’m really excited to be able to share them,”

Slack-Smith says. “Thor Ragnarokdoesn’t

open until three months after our show closes,

so to actually be able to share some of these

things with audiences pre the film coming out

is pretty exciting,” she said. “I think people

willgetveryexcited–particularlythefans.”

Conveying the essence of the films and the

work that went into them behind the scenes

wasapriorityasSlack-Smithputtogether

theexhibition.“Theshowformewasabout

capturing the cinematic,” she says.

GOMAhastwocinemasonsitewiththe

gallery,whichwillplayanimportantrolefor

visitors experiencing the exhibition. “You

haveaveryimmersivecinematicexperiencein

the first gallery space,” Slack-Smith explains.

“The second gallery space breaks down more

of the narrative, and then the third gallery

spaceisalookbehindthescenes.”

“Ihaveatheatrebackground,soI’malways

keentoseebehindthecurtain,andtobeableto

show people all of that craftsmanship,” Slack-

Smith says. “I’m hoping that when they come

outofitthey’llhaveasenseofgrandeur,but

alsomaybeabitofaninsightintojusthowthat

happened. The craftsmanship is worth coming

tosee,evenifyouarenotmuchofacinema

goer,therearesomereallybeautifulobjectsthat

are worth your time.”Angus McPherson

Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universeis at

Queensland’s GOMA May 27 – September 3

NEWS IN BRIEF

HUNG,DRAWNATSARDI’S

theatre While making their

BroadwaydebutinSydneyTheatre

Company’sThe Present, Cate Blanchett

and Richard Roxburgh scored another

classic showbiz nod when they were

sketchedforSardi’s–therestaurantin

NewYork’stheatredistrict,whichis

famous for the hundreds of caricatures of

legendary performers that line its walls.

Andifyoucanmakeitthere,astheysay...

Fellow Australian performer Tony Sheldon

was similarly honoured in 2012 while

performing in the Broadway production

ofPriscilla, Queen of the Desert.

SDC’SCOOLUSTOUR

DANCE Despite freezing temperatures,

Sydney Dance Company has scored a major

successonitslatestinternationaltourofthe

USEastCoast.Thecompanypresentedthree

of its recent hits – SDC Artistic Director

Rafael Bonachela’sFrame of Mind, Jacopo

Godani’sRaw Modelsand Gabrielle

Nankivell’sWildebeest–inNewYork,Boston,

Swarthmore and Amherst. The audience

response was excellent with many Australian

ex-pats turning up. Retired ballerina Darcey

Bussell,aformerSDCboardmemberand

Patron, flew from London especially.

FRENCH CHICKEN MAN

VISUAL ARTS French performance

artistAbrahamPoinchevalwill“becomea

chicken”inhislatestperformancestunt,

entitledOeuf(Egg). The 44-year-old artist

willincubateteneggswithhisownbody

heat while on display to visitors inside a

glassvivariumatParis’sPalaisdeTokyo

museum. Wrapped in an insulating

blanket, he will sit on a specially designed

chairthatholdstheeggsinacontainer

undertheseat.Duringtheincubation

period,Poinchevalwillonlybeableto

leave his eggs for 30 minutes a day.

The Avengers, 2012

Ryan Meinerding / Keyframe for The Avengers © 2012 MARVEL