I found out about Jurassic Lounge several weeks before it opened, and started marking the days off on my calendar until opening night. Then a never-ending series of work and home commitments chewed up my entire February, and I thought that I’d missed my chance with the end of Summer. How happy I was to discover that I was wrong, and that I had until 19th April. Winning!
Finally this Tuesday night came around, and with it my chance to get along to Jurassic Lounge.
I was determined to see and do as much as I could in the one evening, but what first? Drink! With a glass of smooth Innocent Bystander white in hand, I started with a tarot card reading from Diana up in the Chapman Mineral Gallery (atmosphere courtesy of VJ Jerronimo). My cards – Focus, Communication and Abundance – set the tone for my evening.
From there it was off to the Skeletons for a bit of hip-hop from Billy B. It’s here, with the music pumping and the coloured lights swimming across the walls that that I really came to grips with the fact that this wasn’t any ordinary visit to the museum. Instead of hushed voices and quiet contemplation, here we were lounging on floor cushions eating beef and rice (scrummy!). Inspired by the chance to see familiar things from unfamiliar angles, I was off again in search of more adventures…
Heading upstairs, we grabbed a torch at the entry and headed into the Surviving Australia gallery. The taxidermied animals seem to almost come to life when seen by torchlight. More than once, I jumped when spying something out of the corner of my eye – you could swear the Museum was really coming to life.
One of the helpers swapped our torches and empty glasses for headphones as we headed into the Dinosaurs. Silent disco time! DJ PIRI’s lounge-y grooves made it difficult to move on to explore further (especially with the promise of glowsticks for the best dancers), but I could see a bearded nun projected on the wall at the other end of the Dinosaur hall and had to investigate. After swapping one set of headphones for another, I caught a couple of Kino Sydney’s shorts. McKillop (yes, Australia’s only saint as a bearded detective) was fabulously irreverent and laugh-out-loud funny.
Downstairs in the cavernous main foyer we discovered Creon working his magic with paint and board (not to mention hair dryer), as well as some live reptilian friends for a bit of a cold-blooded cuddle.
It being International Women’s Day, I wanted to be sure to catch the short documentary Eight Ladies by Dena Curtis. It provided a wonderfully still, quiet moment in the midst of so much colour and movement.
The highlight of the evening for me was the Twitter-based #FINDIT treasure hunt. The Jlounge team tweeted a cryptic picture of one of the Museum’s exhibits, and then it was up to us to find it and reply with the correct name. I was lucky (or determined) enough to find the first one – Weedy Sea Dragon! – winning a movie ticket into the bargain.
It was great to see so many people there last night. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this means Jurassic Lounge is here to stay (at least in the Daylight Savings months). It’s a unique and altogether wonderful addition to Sydney’s nightlife – I can’t wait to come back soon with a horde of friends. You hurry in too – only six more weeks left to this season!
Jurassic Lounge
5:30pm – 9:30pm Tuesday nights until 19th April
Australian Museum
6 College Street, Sydney
Sydneyfile 