No, that is not the title of some dark novel The Australien is currently working on; nor are we talking about the bestselling mystery-thriller novel written by American author, Dan Brown, who also penned the blockbuster, The Da Vinci Code.
And no, we haven’t taken leave of our senses and decided to ‘goth’ things up here. It’s nothing quite as sinister as all that; we’re only talking about the Angels and Demons parade that kicked off the Melbourne Festival running from October 6 to 22.
Touted as one of Australia’s flagship international arts festivals, Melbourne Festival promises to entertain with an unparalleled smorgasbord of dance, theatre, music, visual arts, multimedia and outdoor events from renowned and upcoming artists from around the world.
And what better way to kick off one of the major multi-arts festivals of the world, than to throw in a little bit of shock factor to arrest your senses!
The fact that Swanston Street and St Kilda Road have been taken over by these seven six-metre Angels and Demons sculptures is no mean feat. Hailing all the way from Russia, courtesy of Moscow art collective AES+F, these behemoth babies are nothing small to contend with. First introduced into the world in Lille in 2009, and made from fibreglass and covered in resin, these creatures warrant an impressive reaction.
You can’t help but do a double-take – is it an angel or a demon? Weighing in at about 500kg each, these babies are not hard to miss! Sporting reptilian tails and bat-like wings, even horns and spikes, these sculptures are almost mischievous looking except for the fact that they also have the almost ethereal and childish expressions across their jet-black features.
And the juxtaposition of good and evil continues in the way they almost reach out to you in little infantile gestures, from mid-toddle to arms outstretched, as if asking for a lift. And you can’t help but think they’re cute; that is, until you spot the devilish features.
My favourite is the one standing, as if ready to pounce and take over the world – such determination in its not-so-little stance!
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