MONA FOMA: Day One

Tasmania's MONA FOMA art and music festival consumes the city of Hobart like a SXSW of weird.

From colossal lights in the sky, music legends like Paul Kelly and Mick Harvey, to women mooing in cow hides that drip with fake blood; it's a festival where it's not who is playing but what they might show you.

#ExxopolisSelfie. Pic by Rhys Anderson.

MOFO opens today and already we've been treated to standing inside one of the world's most impressive balloon castles, Exxopolis. The plastic cathedral organised by Architects Of Air, has been set up in the city's waterfront, and the symphony of light and sound is phenomenal. Inside, ambient music loops through speakers as barefoot punters wander through colour-themed geometric rooms to stand under vaulted balloon ceilings. The seams, every single one, are hand glued, painstakingly holding the 3mm thick plastic together. Created in Nottingham by Alan Parkinson, Exxopolis feels like a big space tent.

We don't know what to expect this year as we once again put ourselves in MONA organiser's path and demand they encourage our childlike wonder. What we do know is that Midnight Oil diehard fans will be spending a large part of the festival hanging around inside the giant inflatable cathedral waiting for one of Exxopolis' composers and Midnight Oil founding member Jim Moginie's spontaneous performances.