Vogelmorn Photo: Nicholas Kerr
An annual Spooky Disco means Halloween proves the busiest day of the year for a community and arts centre established on the green and surrounding buildings of a former bowling club in the Eastern Hills of Wellington.
Attracting around 700 people (mostly children), particularly legendary is Vogelmorn’s ‘Spooky Tunnel of Thrills’, a lengthy black-out burrow for brave ghoulish participants. Resident DJ Monster, artist Thomas LaHood, plays Nick Cave to the kids, and there’s food from the centre’s restaurant Smoked & Pickled: bat wings (fried chicken).
Vogelmorn Spooky Disco Photo: Jeremy Macey
The Vogelmorn Community Group in Brooklyn runs a shared community space that attracts people from across Wellington. It’s become both a vital social and community hub and an important space for artists developing work. In 2014 the bowling club was bought by a fledgling charitable trust.
Vogelmorn Upstairs Photo: Nicholas Kerr
Vogelmorn has become a living room for Wellingtonians interested in cosy and intimate spaces that still hold authentic retro charm. It’s a hive of activity, with every nook of the bowling club building, neighbouring hall and bowling green in between buzzing. Home to a co-working space, theatre company Barbarian Productions, VBC Cafe, Smoked and Pickled, bar Upstairs, numerous concerts and a broad array of workshops and artist talks.
Smoked & Pickled Launch Party Photo: Nicholas Kerr
It's never short of use: this Sunday afternoon November 5 alone there is a concert from the New Zealand String Quartet and a public book club.
Live music at Vogelmorn Photo: Victor Huang
Run by four permanent employees, a few casuals, the voluntary trustees and an army of helping hands, trustee Phil Clatworthy says it's gone from strength to strength over 10 years .
Barbarian Productions Thomas LaHood Photo: Nicholas Kerr
Maggie Tweedie ventured out to the Spooky Disco for Culture 101 to speak to Clatworthy, Nicoletta Mancuso, Lily Shanks, Isaac Driver, and Alice from Smoked and Pickled to capture the chaos and find out what makes such a dynamic community space sing.
Isaac Driver and their scary tellietubby costume Photo: supplied
