The You're listening to nocturne. I'm Vanessa Lowe. I recently went to a night event at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

I actually went to the museum two days in a row.

The first day, the gallery closed at 5 PM like it normally does.

And I ran out of time to see everything that I wanted to see. It's a beautiful museum, so I came back the next night.

Every Wednesday, the museum is open until 10 p.m.

There's music and drinks and other goings on that don't normally occur during the sedate daytime hours at a museum.

This night turned out to be part of a gay and lesbian Mardi Gras celebration, and it was

raucous and irreverent with drag queens giving tours of the exhibits with their own

raunchy interpretations of the art. It was good fun and in case you're wondering, the levity didn't

diminish the art at all. In fact the party atmosphere allowed for a different connection to the paintings and sculptures, many of which seemed to have let their hair down along with the museum goers.

The reduced formality somehow made the paintings seem more accessible. The nighttime

atmosphere brought out different emotional facets of the art,

a sense that there was more to see and think about than normal.

Lots of renowned museums have regular evening hours or events, often lasting until 8 or 9 p.m.

But I wonder, what do these worlds become in the wee hours when the last visitor has heated the call to leave and the doors are locked?

What transformations take place when no one is watching?

The piece you're about to hear also titled Nocturn. is one of a handful of guest pieces that will be featured here over the next few

months as I collect sounds and interviews around the world for upcoming episodes. In 2009, Kathy Fitchtter and last museum goers had left and the lights had dimmed. What they created is a beautiful

and eerie Sonic window into a hidden nighttime world. This is a visitor announcement.

The gallery closes at 6pm.

Start closing the gallery at 5 minutes to 6.

The National I'm going to Go ahead Michael.

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