The kids and I spent the whole day together on Saturday. I don't give them an itinerary because I like to wander and see what strikes me as interesting. Cole knows this, so when he knows I am in charge of their care and entertainment he starts asking leading questions: "Are there jungles in Australia?" "Can we ride the ferry?" "Where can we see a blue tongued lizard?" It is a good tactic because I usually bite but this time I had my own ambitions.We started out at GOMA (the Gallery of Modern Art), then walked around the city for a while and ended up at the at the Queensland Art Gallery. I have written about these buildings before, so I will try to contain myself, but I thought I would expand on my previous post.
The inside of the main hall of the art gallery is this concrete box with precast concrete panels in the ceiling which are shaped like a sideways 'V'. It allows for indirect light to come into the room and reflect off the massive pool of water.
Above , you can see the kids in their natural state--when the camera comes out, Cole will instantly face me and pose like a soldier and Cora will casually look back as she continues playing in any water she can access. I have hundreds of photos like this.Below, you can see the same room from the opposite side. The light isn't reflecting off this side of the ceiling panels, so you can actually see their shape.
Both GOMA and the Queensland Art Gallery have kid's spaces where they can scribble on paper with markers but I always think that is missing the point of going to the building. It is like telling the kids that they can't appreciate the adult art. Occasionally, they will bring a kid's exhibit into the main space and make the experience more interactive.In one of the gallery rooms, they have a little mouse house tucked into the base of the wall which the kids can find and look inside. Occasionally they will move it, so I never know where it is located.
I was going to write more and discuss why I think the toys in McDonald's happy meals are a secret plot by China to torture and subdue western civilization, but I will save that for another time. 
