McMurdo Alternative Art Gallery

Invitation to the MAAG.

The same weekend of the rugby match, the McMurdo Alternative Art Gallery (MAAG) was hosted. The theme was Bureaucracy or Bliss. My invitation to the event came on a Maag: The Gathering card which was a spoof of Magic: The Gathering cards. I thought my brother and Jay would appreciate that. Anyway, some people are wildly talented. The number of amazing things that people can do here makes me feel untalented sometimes.

The entrance to the MAAG was a hallway that was overflowing with paperwork. These people have just exited the hall in the back of the picture.


These lips could be controlled by two big poles from behind the exhibit causing it to eat or speak if you also used the microphone back there.


An overreaction to every company's overreacting.


Sock puppets who just couldn't take it anymore.

I think my favorite exhibit were one page stories written by people down here about their travels that included bliss or bureaucracy. Some were simply treats like meeting a stranger and having a great journey with them. Others were nightmare border crossing. One that sticks out because the story was something Lindsey Paige could have written was a lady who was on a tropical island that had giant hairy spiders whose bodies were bigger than an adult's fist. The hotel owners thought nothing of it because they were safe. The renter disagreed.

Step 1, fill out the form.


Step 2, receive punishment


Neat stuff. So simple, but so neat.

I think my other favorite exhibit was supposed to be a look at what Mother Nature thinks of what we are doing here. It was done by William, a guy from the metal shop. He took some of the lava rock that we walk on daily and heated it up until it melted. Then he took those droplets, let them dry, and put them into an exhibit called Tears of Erebus.

The human puppet.

One of the best pieces to be unveiled at the MAAG was a snow chopper (half motorcycle - half snow machine/mobile) created by the guy riding it and Bob, two MEC mechanics. They only used their own time and discarded parts. Amazing. This test ride out to the rugby match was its first drive in the snow because while it was being made they wanted to keep a secret. Based on how distracted the Kiwis were by this machine, they should have brought it out during the rugby match. We might have won.

Snow chopper and some distracted Kiwis.