Deathfest 2.0: A Duel with Death
Talk about a to-die-for festival.
Overview
Brisbane's most morbid festival is back, and it has a slightly different name: Deathfest 2.0: A Duel with Death. First staged in 2016 and now returning for its second biennial run, this event is all about confronting a topic that no one usually wants to think or talk about. You know, the end that awaits us all.
Running from October 15 to November 4 at Metro Arts, Flowstate and the Ferryman's Hut in Teneriffe, Deathfest features art, film, circus, visual art, discussions and social events — but, given the central theme, none of it is your usual festival fare. Fancy inhabiting the underworld for a one-night shindig filled with roving performers and beverages? Keen to explore the space that separates life from what comes next, in a piece that's part installation and part dance? Eager to see the concept of blood donation turned into art? They're all on the agenda.
The festival also boasts plenty of chatter. Another installation involves interviews about death practises in different cultures and religions, while free Wine n Die sessions focus on chats about meeting your maker over a few beverages. Then there's Death in Detail, featuring folks with knowledge of the subject — such as Queensland Ambulance Service medical director Stephen Rashford and suicide survivor Donna Thistlethwaite — discussing their experiences.
Attendees can also lie under the trees and hear an audio work about the body after death, watch a circus show about life and memories, and view a textile piece about impermanence. Prefer scary movies instead? Helping wrap up Deathfest is an All Night Film Fest that's filled with flicks about the subject at hand.
Image: Paul Blakemore.
