MONA FOMA festival brings eclectic music smorgasbord to Hobart
From hip hop to alpine horns, hundreds of artists have performed at a range of venues including on staircases and in a goods lift at this year's MONA FOMA festival in Hobart.
[It is] nothing like anything I've seen before... I really want to join the cult of [MONA founder] David Walsh.
While Violent Femmes bass guitarist and festival curator Brian Ritchie was playing a seashell on the main stage, a troop of alpine horn players could be heard just metres away.
The eclectic duel is just an indication of the 'anything goes' attitude at the festival of music and art.
"There's a lot of freedom in the music we do there's a lot of improvising [and] collaborations," Ritchie said.
"It's a little bit more than just a bunch of touring acts doing their usual routine."
More than 300 performers are taking part in this year's five day line up of music, art and other offerings.
"We have massage, we have primal scream therapy," Ritchie said.
"It's eclectic, hopefully it's not mindlessly eclectic, hopefully it's got some sort of theme running through it."
Organisers are expecting 30,000 attendees, in line with previous years.
First time festival-goer Karla Willis, from Townsville, said the event was a stand out.
"[It is] nothing like anything I've seen before... I really want to join the cult of David Walsh," she said, referring to the founder of the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA).
Unlike previous years, MONA is the backdrop for most of the festival.
Every space is being used, including galleries and a staircase where the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Choir performed.
"We have venues ranging from one audience member which we're using one of the goods lifts for all the way through to over 3,000 people on the lawn last night," Walsh said.
The festival spills out to other venues including the Brooke Street Pier in Hobart, where Norwegian guitarist Kim Myhr played.
Myhr said he was pleased to perform at a variety of spaces
"A lot of musicians who are here they come from very far it's good to actually use them while they are here and we are very happy to work," he said.
Despite the success of the festival, Ritchie said it would be different again next year.
"We will not get into a formula it's always going to be changing and evolving," he said.