Erika Dicker, who usually blogs over here , and I have joined forces to give you a new post called “What’s in the workshop”. We both walk by the workshop several times a day and it constantly changes and can be quite amusing. So here is the first post by Erika.
This morning was just like every other morning. Arrive at work, stumble down to get coffee, attempt to wake up, walk back past the workshop to get to my desk, cast eye down to the woodworking machines, tools, saws, welders, giant liquorice shoe…
What? GIANT LIQUORICE SHOE! on a tricycle no less! And I thought the prawn bike couldn’t be topped.
Investigation tells me that this liquorice allsorts shoe/tricycle is in need of a few minor repairs before hitting the Museum floor later this year for the “Odditorium” (keep an ear out for this one…well worth coming to see). It’s from the Sydney Olympic Games Collection and was used in the huge party that was the Closing Ceremony. It was ridden by one of the 62 drag queens to the dulcet tones of Kylie Minogue’s “On a Night Like This”.
It is definitely adding a bit of ‘bling’ to the workshop and is one of my new favourite objects. I wish it could stay, but alas it is off to a more prestigious location.
Photography by Paula Bray
© All rights reserved
Post by Erika Dicker, Curator
The Odditoreum opens in the school holidays and it looks like there will be some even more wild stuff in there!
Love it. Love it! LOVE IT!
Do you think it could tour? Imagine it being ridden down the Hume Highway to Melbourne…
Yes its constantly intriguing to see things materialise in the workshop. One of my favourites recently has been the shape-changing Gryphon – a six foot tall metal monster which seems to occasionally have transmuted into an energy efficient car and then back again… very odd!
:L
I’m… jealous. Not only do you have a workshop (omg!), amazing staff, and a great collections online site, you have A GIANT LICORICE SHOE RIDDEN BY DRAG QUEENS!!!
Our collection has nothin’ on yours. Best weird thing we can come up with is a dehydrated bagel Christmas ornament and maybe the 70 year old dessicated cake in a box.
Now if it were a dessicated cake once eaten by a drag queen, it might have been different…
I’m so glad everyone is enjoying this post!
@Luke stay tuned
@Perian- a cake 70yrs past its ‘used by’ date is awesome!!
Thank you for the great response
I just walked past the workshop and the ‘GIANT LICORICE SHOE’ is being worked on right now.
So which bike is the fastest? My money is on the Prawn.
I was clearing out a cupboard last year and found some maraschino cherries which were 18 years past their Use By Date… I knew I should have kept them.
This is an awesome blog! Love seeing these random bits and pieces. Looking forward to more of the same.
So the real question… Have you snuck a ride on the giant shoe yet?
Bob- I think they will be finding maraschino cherries in 500 years time, still in edible condition! you have robbed Perian of an aquisition to their collection.
Paul- Hmmmm maybe Paula and I could race them and see if Jemima was right about the Prawn winning.
(Disclaimer- Paula and I would never race Museum objects, and if we wanted to touch them we would use gloves at all times)
Pretty funky all round.
Personal favourite is the licorice shoe. I’d love to hire that for an anniversary date – I notice it seats two. Who needs a limo?
Onto a winner!
If this awesome thing was made for the Olympics what do you think may emerge for the 2009 World Masters games in Sydney? Maybe Candy walking sticks, or dragon gophers??? They may need bikes with training wheels for the now aging drag queens.
We all love the blogs and you are all keeping us entertained. Compulsive viewing. No wonder the Powerhouse is No 1.
Hey Jemima Key
I rode both the Licorice and Prawn bikes before they were aquired by PHM. The Licorice shoe bike is by far the superior machine!
(PS I’m not a drag queen!)
My son Edward wants to talk about this shoe during our Talks After Noon presentation tomorrow at 2pm.