Posts about Melbourne (RSS, JSON)

8PM — Who would have thought. An entertaining game of football in front of a big, raucous crowd on Australian soil. It was a pulsating match between the two Melbourne clubs, chances on both sides, more on Victory’s side; both teams equally wasteful in front of the goal, Victory almost comically bad at times.

City had the better start, playing the better, more direct football and deservedly scoring early in the game. Victory grew more confident with every passing minute but lacking the conviction for the final pass. It took until deep into the second half for them to create real chances and a commotion after a corner to equalise.

8AM — Connection, the multi-media exhibition at Lume showcasing aboriginal art from all over Australia has ended on the weekend. On Lume’s own event website, the exhibition was announced with the usual fanfare:

Connection was born from an idea to celebrate First Peoples’ art and music and give back to their artist communities. Within the brushstrokes and melodies of their art and music, this landmark experience tells the story of our country’s rich and enduring cultural history.

And that’s what it is: An experience with all its negative connotations.

Two small rooms that feature actual art. One is a collection of paintings hung side by side without apprarant curation. The other is Emily’s Wall, an admittedly impressive mural that is expanded by mirrors mounted on the room’s ceiling and floor giving the impression of an boundless artwork. Emily’s Wall should be the centre piece of the exhibition.

The most room, however, is taken up by the main hall, both in space and in Lume’s marketing. A humongous area broken up by canvases hanging from the ceiling. A continuous reel of animated art is playing, underlined by music and the occasional sound piece, each segment no more than a minute long. It creates a colourful atmosphere, the ideal scenery to gather photographic evidence that you were there. And so, few people are taking in the projections, many more are taking photos of themselves to post said evidence on Instagram.

All grandeur aside, Connection is no more than aboriginal art and culture repackaged in short videos and soundbites, optimised for the consumerist mind of the TikTok generation.

2PM — I never followed tennis. After all, it’s just two, sometimes four, humans whacking a yellow fur ball back and forth. But seeing it in person, close to the court, with the players playing the ball at up to 200km/h, that’s different. The game is much faster than on TV. If I tried to return one serve, the ball would smack the racquet out of my hand.

Equally impressive are the ball-kid squads. You don’t realise on TV how much they work during a game. The groups function like a machine; collecting balls, and getting them across to the other end of the court so the ball can be handed out to players. All without speaking a single word, they just look at each other and nod.

12PM — Both sides didn’t have the best start to the season, losing their first two games. Somewhat surprising then, the quality of this match was much better than the previous ones I’ve attended on Australian soil. Both teams created plenty of chances, playing with pace and precision. Still, this isn’t the Premier League, but it’s a start.

It was Melbourne City who were in control most of the game, pushing Sydney into their own half and putting pressure on the goal. Sydney FC had chances to take the lead in the opening minutes, to get one back after going down 2:0 or even equalise late in the game. But their lack of composure and precision in front of the goal were astonishing. As these things go in football, City scored late in the first half and early in the second, and that was that.

The attendance was disappointing. Just over 5,000 people saw the game. I’ve been to Division 4 games in Germany that attracted a bigger audience.

7PM

The location (an empty parking garage), the lights (many, flashy, arranged to form a grid), the music (loud, electronic)—Mandylights’ Plexus is like a random techno club in Berlin and just as disappointing. But it works as a reminder for how much of the clubbing experience hinges on drugs and alcohol and the people around you, and how little it has to do with lights, music and location.

3PM — This was one of the strangest games of football I’ve seen. The game wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad either. Australia scored early and then focussed on defending. Ecuador was the better team, with better individual players; they created many chances and either missed the goal or were denied by Gauci, Australia’s promising keeper.

The game took place at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, a modern and soul-less arena built primarily for Cricket and AFL games. A football pitch is much smaller than one for Cricket, so anywhere in the stadium, you’re at least 30 meters away from the action. The stadium was only half full and the roof was closed to reduce noise outside the ground. It felt like you’re sitting in the main hall of a big convention centre on a Friday of a big conference when half of the attendees are already on their way home. The atmosphere was eerie, disconnected from the game; most people were chatting to their friends instead of watching.

7PM — A child throws their cap, branded with the home team’s colours, to the ground and stamps on it. Heated discussions on the train—it was the bowling; no, it was the fielding. Who said cricket fans weren’t emotional?

After scoring 173 runs in their innings, Melbourne Stars lost the BBL match to the Sydney Sixes by six wickets with only one ball to spare. It could have gone either way, but a couple of boundaries (a home run for you Americans) put Sydney within reach of winning.

In the last over, Sydney needed another eleven runs. Scoring three runs from the first two balls, then six from the third, it looked like Sydney would swing it home. But a questionable wicket (that’s a strikeout if you’re American) added some late drama to the game. But Dan Christian stepped up and wacked it away for four.

Who said cricket was a boring sport?

2PM — No cricket was played last night at the Melbourne Cricket Ground after two days of torrential downpours. They could have and should have played, though, said the gentleman sitting behind me in the stands about 100 meters away from the wicket. According to his expert opinion, the pitch was good to go.

12PM — Football in Australia is slower than in Europe, less precise, and the game depends on coincidence more often than on plan and skill. I took the photo below just seconds before the second goal. Valon Berisha (#14) manages to curl the ball onto the far post from that position. The ball bounces back into play, and a Victory defender can’t help himself but put the ball into his own goal. I miss the Premier League.

Despite the run of play, the home crowd was surprisingly raucous. However, I missed that one guy that you’ll find in any football stadium, the guy who loses his composure throughout the game, constantly commenting on everything happening on the pitch, convinced it wouldn’t happen if he’d played himself.

And yes, it’s “football,” not “soccer.” I’ll die on that hill.