BRISVEGAS

When our daughter visited a few weeks ago we went to GoMA. (The Gallery of Modern Art) A favourite place of Carol and David's. However we didn't get far before we were confronted with this sign in the forecourt of the gallery. It didn't make a lot of sense to me as there is no motel here it is near the entrance of GoMA. Then Carol called over her shoulder, as she rushed towards it to take a photo, "Its a sculpture!"

"The High/Perpetual Xmas/ No Abstractions" sculpture by Gold Coast artist Scott Redford

The sculpture with the silly name was inspired by Scott Redford's association with the neon signs of the 50's and 60's on the Gold Coast. The form was copied from a motel, now demolished, in Yukon, Oklahoma. It was created in 2009. The wording has changed since the original.

Live from "Brisvegas" is quite comical when you know the origins of the word "Brisvegas".

It is a tongue in cheek nickname for Brisbane based on an ironic resemblance of Brisbane to Las Vegas. Traditionally Brisbane was perceived as dull in the context of tourism and liveability and the complete opposite to Las Vegas. The term was coined by journalists from the bigger cities of Sydney and Melbourne in response to attempts by Brisbane City Council to attract business and tourists to the city by presenting it as an EXCITING destination. 

"The term Brisvegas first appeared in print in Time Off Magazine - a Brisbane Street Press publication in the early 90's. The Editor of the time used the term after having heard his then-partner and her friend use it. In the late 80's the girls had studied at the university in Toowoomba, a town in the ranges west of Brisbane, and used to travel to Brisbane on weekends to escape what was considered a dull environment. The song they would play (on their tape deck) was 'Viva Las Vegas' and the girls substituted 'Las' for 'Bris'. Anything bigger than Toowoomba was a 'bright light city' from Yahoo Answers.

Since the population explosion in the last ten years, where thousands of people have left the big cities of Sydney and Melbourne in their droves to come to live in our "dull" city, the term Brisvegas has been adopted by locals as an affectionate nickname for their city. 

We are used to being the brunt of jokes by the southerners but they still keep coming to live here. We have the best climate of all the capital cities in Australia. We are close to the best beaches in Australia and we are catching up in the entertainment and culture scene. GoMA has been reported as the best modern art gallery in the country.(This paragraph could be biased) 

I grew up in Sydney. It is the most beautiful city in Oz but now it is full millions of crazy people living in the fast lane. Melbourne is great for theatre and shopping but the weather is inconsistent. We have a saying, "If you don't like the weather in Melbourne wait 15 mins and it will change." I have visited Las Vegas and just quietly I would prefer to live here in BRISVEGAS.

More on the inside of the gallery in the next post.