Sunday, April 30, 2023

Goddess: Power. Glamour. Rebellion

 The Exhibition: Goddess: Power, Glamour Rebellion

Where: Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square

Until: October 1

She's sitting on my fridge now. She spoke to me yesterday. 


And it's not the pout or the sadness behind her eyes, or the fact that she looks tired and a little unkempt. I love this shot for its unpredictability. You don't know where she's going to go, or what she's going to do.

She is a woman to be celebrated - like all women. And this is what I loved about this exhibition. It's a celebration of women in their power on screen. 

Was this what I was expecting? No. Did I enjoy the exhibition. Yes. 

I joined my friend Elle and her wonderful daughter Haylee for the afternoon. Haylee's eight-years-old and a little dynamo. Sweet, cheeky and the best of what eight-year-old girls can be - and it was wonderful to see the exhibition through her eyes as well. 

This well curated exhibition looks at the"... characters and moments from over 120 years of moving image history, Goddess celebrates the women and gender-transcending superstars who shaped their own roles, took creative control and fought a system that tried to exploit them."

There's a lot to see and think about. The Marilyn Monroe story looks at how she took on studio executives in various acts of defiance. She was a gutsy woman. Stories like this, from icons like Josephine Baker, Mae West, Joan Crawford just a name a few. Through the display of costumes, photos, film clips and other artifacts, you're taken on a ride with a plethora of strong, powerful and defiant women. It's amazing who's represented in this exhibition. I was mesmerised by some of the film clips showing on the big screens. 

Even better, on entering the complex, we were issued with a disc. At each information point you can tap the disc to download the information you're seeing. No need to take photos of everything, you can download the exhibits onto your own device. 

We spent about an hour and a half meandering through this wonderful exhibit, time we spent. Haylee was kept occupied looking at the number of interactive displays. Elle and I took in the incredible costumes on display - Marilyn Monroe's dress from Some Like it Hot and Mae West's shoes were standouts for me. 

Another thing I liked about this exhibition was that it wasn't too busy, nor too noisy. It's early in this exhibition's run. It's also a must for lovers of good film. 

A testament to women's empowerment, tenacity and audiacity, Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion is worth a look. 

Today's song:

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