Culture

Huge Marvel And Sherlock Holmes Exhibitions Are Hitting Nerd Town (FKA Australia) This Week

YES.

by Chris Woods  30 May 2017
Marvel

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Ah 2017, home of the nerd! In a year with every Netflix adaptation imaginable, the now standard seven superhero films, and sequels/prequels/whatever-els to Alien, Transformers and goddamn Blade Runner, Australia is still somehow managing to punch above its tiny little weight with not one but two massive exhibitions just for us, the Lord’s people, the geeks.

Now, this week is bringing even bigger wins for those of us living in Brisbane and Sydney:

Brisbane: Superhero Takeover

First up, the Humid City gets another superhero win with Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe opening at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art this Friday.

Along with some beautiful goddamn sets from the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok, the exhibition includes roughly half a billion Iron-Man suits, blank models of the Avengers (including one very bored looking Scarlett Witch), and everyone’s favourite, “Groot The Tree-Man”.

The exhibit is the result of 12 months worth of collaboration between Marvel and local curator Amanda Slack-Smith, and includes an interactive element from the Queensland University of Technology. The weekend preview opening also ran with talks from Slack-Smith, comic artists, and prop and weapon experts, along with a tonne of historic Marvel comic books.

We also get a sneak peak at Gladiator Hulk’s honest-to-Odin (sorry) skull bed from the upcoming Thor film. No, I never thought I’d ever write those words in that order either.

The exhibition follows shooting for the incredible-looking Ragnarok in Brisbane’s CBD late last year. We get it, Palaszczuk, Queensland has somehow become the movie state, you win.

Sydney: The Foot Is A Game! Wait No

Next up is an Australian-first, interactive, and fully-comprehensive Sherlock Holmes exhibition in Sydney, because yeah I guess Melbourne is just scum all of a sudden?

Opening this Saturday at the Powerhouse Museum, The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes is a touring collection of original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle memorabilia, film and TV collectables, and science-driven murder mystery challenges.

Similar to the Marvel exhibit, this exhibition will include a night with experts at MAASive Lates: Sherlock Holmes, this Thursday June 1.

The list of activities sounds legitimately amazing, with investigative experts such as criminologists, forensic scientists, coroners, police officers, corrections officers and psychologists offered alongside games of ‘Guess Who’, Bartitsu lessons, and recitals of queer Sherlock fan fiction.

As well as those interactive challenges, the exhibition itself is set to include a replica of Doyle’s study, original manuscripts and first editions, as well as costumes, props and behind the scenes equipment from CBS’ Elementary, BBC’s Sherlock, and Warner Bros’ recent Sherlock Holmes movies.

How much of it will focus on Sherlock/Watson/Moriarty/Mycroft slash fiction? Not nearly enough, is this fearless reporter’s angry guess.

Just kiss already you stupid, pretty idiots!!

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Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe runs at GOMA until September 3, and International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes is at MAAS until October 8.