Feminist Mini-Golf: Swingers & Rising Festival Review
Experience “Swingers” at Melbourne’s Rising Festival: a revolutionary mini-golf exhibition that marries art with playful competition. this immersive experience, set in the Flinders Street Ballroom, reimagines the sport with nine unique holes designed by female artists, celebrating mini-golf’s feminist origins. Explore courses featuring the works of Kaylene Whiskey, Natasha Tontey, and miranda July, where skill and chance intertwine amidst vibrant installations. Discover the subversive history of the game, from its 1867 beginnings born from the exclusion of women from conventional golf. News Directory 3 highlights this innovative event, showcasing the playful blend of art, weirdness, and feminist ideals. Will “Swingers” tour to new venues? Find out, and discover what’s next.
Melbourne’s Rising Festival Puts a Feminist Spin on mini-Golf
Updated June 7, 2025
The Rising festival in Melbourne is offering a unique take on mini-golf with “Swingers,” an interactive exhibition that combines art and playful competition. The exhibition, held in the Flinders Street Ballroom, features nine holes designed by female artists, each paying tribute to the sport’s surprising feminist history.
Curator Grace Herbert noted the subversive history of mini-golf, originating in 1867 when women were excluded from customary golf at St Andrews. The Flinders Street Ballroom, a once-dormant space within the train station, provides an appropriately quirky backdrop for the event.
Navigating the course involves a blend of skill and chance. Rules include a 10-stroke limit and penalties for out-of-bounds balls. Though, keeping score frequently enough takes a backseat to enjoying the immersive artistic environments.
Kaylene Whiskey’s hole, a vibrant homage to her childhood and pop culture icons, offers an initial straightforward challenge. Though, Natasha Tontey’s design quickly complicates matters, requiring players to navigate a Devo hat and ricocheting balls.
other artists contribute equally eccentric designs. Pat Brassington presents a carnival-inspired creepy course, while Delaine Le Bas offers a humorous take on the “square peg in a round hole” concept. Soda Jerk’s unsettling work leaves a lasting impression, and Nabilah Nordin’s bread house adds a slippery challenge.
tokyo artist Saeborg’s contribution involves donning latex ears and tails, turning players into makeshift golfers. Bktherula’s hole encourages players to create sounds by hitting obstacles rather than aiming directly for the goal.
The final hole, designed by Miranda July, dispenses life advice via a maze of paths. while some may find the advice trite, it adds a sweet and earnest conclusion to the experience.
“We think of [mini-golf] as silly, childlike and infantilising – but it has a subversive history.”
Grace Herbert, curator
What’s next
Following its run at the rising festival, organizers hope to tour “Swingers” to other venues, bringing its blend of art, feminist history, and interactive mini-golf to a wider audience.