Dark MOFO Fire Organ

Art installation at Dark MOFO
Bastiaan Maas Artist
Hobart
Felicetti provided Structural Engineering Design, Certification and Supervision

Commissioned especially for Dark Mofo, this musical beast breathes columns of fire and hammers out an ear-punching beat that sounds like an orchestra of backfiring jalopies. The boisterous Fire Organ will take pride of place in Dark Park – aka the Macquarie Point precinct – creating a booming soundscape that is as much felt as heard and seen. The mechanical, pyrotechnic sound machine will be played by Dutch artist Bastiaan Maris by way of a keyboard. Dark Mofo executive producer Kate Gould explained how the “auditory experience” worked. “Gas is pumped through the pipes and they’re lit ,so you see fire jets coming out the top and then this mad Dutchman actually plays them like an organ,” she said. “He manipulates the volume of gas through the pipes.”