Pop-Up Performances Vanessa Tomlinson

Vanessa Tomlinson / Photograph: Josef Ruckli

Vanessa Tomlinson / Photograph: Josef Ruckli / View full image

When

11.45 am – 12.00 pm, 12.45 – 1.00 pm, & 1.45 – 2.00 pm
,
Sat 6 Dec 2025
View Calendar

Where

Gallery of Modern Art, Gallery 1.1 (The Fairfax Gallery) & Gallery 1.3 (Eric and Marion Taylor Gallery)

Accessibility

  • Wheelchair Accessible

What to expect

Admission

  • Adult

    $33.00

  • Member

    $27.00

  • Concession

    $29.00

  • Youth 13-25

    $24.00

  • Child 5-12

    $14.00

  • Companion Card Holder

    $29.00

  • Multi Pass Adult (5-visit pass)

    $99.00

  • Multi Pass Concession (5-visit pass)

    $87.00

  • Multi Pass Member (5-visit pass)

    $81.00

  • Multi Pass Youth (5-visit pass) 13-25

    $72.00

  • Multi Pass Child (5-visit pass) 5-12

    $42.00

  • Child 0-4

    Free
Buy Tickets

About

Awaken your ears and immerse yourself in sound composed and performed by multi-award winning percussionist and composer Vanessa Tomlinson, within ‘Olafur Eliasson: Presence‘.

Inspired by Olafur Eliasson’s artwork and her own deep engagement with ecological sound, Vanessa’s performance is a shared listening experience, a moment to reflect on our connection to the environment, one another, and the present moment.

A valid ‘Olafur Eliasson: Presence‘ exhibition ticket is required to attend this event – book your timed entry ticket. To experience a performance, please purchase any timed entry exhibition ticket that allows you to be inside the exhibition when the performance begins.

Pop-up performances are scheduled for 11.45am, 12.45pm and 1.45pm on Sat 6 Dec.

Vanessa Tomlinson / Photograph: Josef Ruckli

Vanessa Tomlinson / Photograph: Josef Ruckli / View full image

Vanessa Tomlinson

Vanessa Tomlinson is a percussionist-composer-pianist with a focus on exploratory, ecological sound practices. She makes bold sonic events that propose new futures for 21st century music whether on a rockface, in the bush, building an inhabitable acoustic guitar, or towing a piano along flooded river systems. Central to all her work is listening - opening our ears to paying attention to the world around us as we consider space and place, the human and the more-than-human. Driven by the unknown, her speculative text-based compositions, object-based re-purposing, and deep sonic gatherings stimulate our imagination as we listen in a climate-transforming world. Vanessa is Professor of Music, Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University and incoming Director, Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University.

Olafur Eliasson, Denmark b.1967 / Beauty 1993 (installation view, Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, Italy, 2022) / Spotlight, water, nozzles, wood, hose, pump / Purchased 2025. The Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Charitable Trust. Collection: The Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Charitable Trust, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © 1993 Olafur Eliasson / Photograph: Ela Bialkowska, OKNOstudio

Olafur Eliasson, Denmark b.1967 / Beauty 1993 (installation view, Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, Italy, 2022) / Spotlight, water, nozzles, wood, hose, pump / Purchased 2025. The Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Charitable Trust. Collection: The Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Charitable Trust, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © 1993 Olafur Eliasson / Photograph: Ela Bialkowska, OKNOstudio / View full image

Olafur Eliasson: Presence

About the exhibition
APT11 Valentine’s Day event/ February, 2024 / Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane / Photograph: C. Saunders © QAGOMA

APT11 Valentine’s Day event/ February, 2024 / Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane / Photograph: C. Saunders © QAGOMA / View full image

Not a Member?

Become a QAGOMA Member to access discounts, exclusive events, benefits + more.

Join today

What to expect

Here’s what to expect at this event.

Everyone is welcome! Please contact events.plus@qagoma.qld.gov.au in advance of the program if you have any accessibility needs or queries about the event. Find out more about Accessibility at QAGOMA and planning your visit.

Participation and content

  • You are welcome to come with a friend or by yourself. Many people attend the Gallery solo.
  • This pop-up performance is designed to complement your experience of the ‘Olafur Eliasson: Presence’ exhibition. You can watch the performance in full, or simply listen as you explore the exhibition at your own pace.
  • We ask all attendees to be kind, respectful, and courteous to all participants, speakers and staff at this event. This program will be monitored by QAGOMA staff to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our attendees, speakers and staff.

Sensory aspects

  • Different areas of the event and exhibition will be dimly or brightly lit (you may choose to wear sunglasses).
  • We try our best to minimise sound in the surrounding space, but sometimes there might be low level noise from a nearby artwork or the sounds of the Gallery.
  • Capacity is limited in the space. We suggest arriving early to avoid disappointment.
  • Portable stools without backs will be available upon request.
  • The Gallery air conditioning is set to 21°C to conserve the artworks.
  • This event will be photographed by QAGOMA staff. If you do not wish to be photographed, please advise a QAGOMA staff member on arrival.
  • The Pop-up performances at 11.45am and 12.45pm will take place in the ‘Olafur Eliasson: Presence’ exhibition next to the artwork Riverbed2014 (Gallery 1.3), which has a rocky walking surface. This performance will feature the amplified sound of water splashing and rocks rubbing together. There is a limited capacity viewing platform with reserved space for attendees with mobility requirements. Please ask a staff member to direct you to this space if you require it.
  • The Pop-up performance at 1.45pm will take place in the ‘Olafur Eliasson: Presence’ exhibition next to the artwork Presence 2025 (Gallery 1.1), which features a dark room with a bright artwork. Sound amplification will not be utilised during the performance, however, the performance includes percussion which at times may be loud.
  • If the event becomes overwhelming or stressful, earmuffs and sensory kits are available. Each kit contains a number of resources for self-regulation and calming. Please speak to a staff member for assistance. These kits can also be requested in advance by emailing events.plus@qagoma.qld.gov.au