From Wednesday, July 25 to Sunday, August 4, there's one surefire way to work up an appetite — just head to South Bank's Cultural Forecourt, peruse the hawker-style array of stalls slinging all manner of food and listen to your stomach grumble. Yes, the Night Noodle Markets are back for a fifth annual round of culinary deliciousness, all as part of this year's Good Food Month. Yes, they're guaranteed to make you hungry. In 2019, there will be 25 stalls to choose from, plus heaps of pop-up bars and the kind of bustling vibe that comes with a massive food gathering. As for what you'll be feasting on, expect tasty treats from the likes of Chu the Phat, Hoy Pinoy, Waffleland, Puffle, Donburi Station, Bangkok Street Food, Bao Brothers, Little Kyoto, Okonomiyaking, Gelato Messina and more. While Messina is busting out a Filipino-inspired menu, other highlights across the board include Malaysian and Indian-style paella, Japanese octopus dumplings, Korean barbecue tacos, cheeseburger puffles, and waffle sticks with peanut butter, ice cream, bananas, pretzels and caramel. Make sure to work up an appetite beforehand and be prepared to roll yourself on home.
Disney's latest live-action remake will have you believing that elephants can fly — and, if the just-dropped trailer is anything to go by, it'll have you turning on the waterworks as well. The words "from the imagination of Tim Burton" mightn't elicit as much excitement as they once used to; however Dumbo could just be the film to change that. Based on the 1941 animated effort — which was only Disney's fourth-ever feature — the movie once again tells the tale of a pachyderm who is ridiculed for his oversized ears, but can also use them as makeshift wings. Expanding upon the original story, which was itself based on a tale written for a toy book, Dumbo follows circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito), as well as his former star Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins). The Farrier family care for the young elephant — but, after entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) takes an interest, they discover the darker side of life in the arena. Eva Green also features as a French trapeze artist and Alan Arkin as a tycoon, although the real star looks to be the movie's CGI. With Disney enthusiastically adapting their animated hits to live-action versions, Dumbo follows in the footsteps of Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book, with The Lion King and Aladdin also on the way. Prepare to get teary over the gorgeous trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NiYVoqBt-8 Dumbo releases in Australian cinemas on March 28, 2019.
As the Australian Government increases its efforts to contain COVID-19, Aussies are getting rather accustomed to spending time at home. Non-essential mass events have been banned, indoor gatherings are restricted, anyone arriving from overseas is required to self-isolate for 14 days, and the country's borders have closed to non-citizens and non-residents. As a result, festivals and gigs are cancelling and postponing in swathes, cultural institutions are shutting down and moving their activities online, restaurants and bars are transitioning to takeaway options, and Aussie airlines are suspending all international flights. So far, few limitations on domestic travel have been put in place; however that's now beginning to change, too. The Federal Government has already banned non-essential travel to 76 remote Indigenous communities, while both Tasmania and the Northern Territory have effectively closed their state borders by mandating 14-day self-isolation requirements for anyone arriving from interstate. Now, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is advising that all non-essential travel anywhere — not just overseas but interstate — should be cancelled. The recommendation came as part of the Prime Minister's latest press conference about the coronavirus, held on Sunday, March 22. It isn't a ban at this stage, but advice that the Federal Government is asking Australians to take seriously. And, with school holidays arriving soon, this recommendation is particularly timely. "Those holidays you might've been planning to take interstate over the school holidays — cancel them," Morrison said bluntly. The Prime Minister also advised that "more severe measures are coming", with local lockdowns under discussion — a topic that's also timely after Aussies have been seen flouting mass-gathering restrictions and flocking to popular beaches. However, such measures will only be made in line with medical advice. Also, what might work for one area of Australia at any given time may not work for another area of the country at the same time. With that in mind, when they next meet tonight, the national coronavirus cabinet will consider shutting down particular places to enforce social distancing tactics. "What may be necessary in a part of Sydney may not be necessary at all in rural NSW or in Perth or other parts of the country," the Prime Minister noted, also stating that a consistent set of measures and tools for the entirety of Australia are currently being worked on. After the national coronavirus cabinet convenes tonight, expect more updates tomorrow morning — with developments in Australia's response to COVID-19 happening not just daily, but hourly and even by the minute. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Maxim 75 via Wikimedia Commons.
Possibly the world's most beautifully located bookstore, can now be found in the form of Buenos Aires' El Ateneo Grand Splendid, a shop housed inside what was once one of Argentina's premier theatres. The theatre was originally built in 1919 by an Italian architect and used as a theatre for tango concerts and the like, before being converted into a cinema. Things began to get a bit tough, but instead of letting the beautiful building languish into disrepair, it was leased in 2000 by a publishing house and found new life in the form of a bookstore. Now over a million people come through it's doors every year. The private, velvet-upholstered boxes are now the reading rooms, the stage is an in-store cafe, and the shelves cleave perfectly to the theatre's original shape. Plus you have to admire a building that's calling itself both grand and splendid. I mean, what's not to like? In the wake of bookstores like Borders and Angus & Robertson going bust, and the threats to independent bookshops across the country from cheaper online books and other recession-related woes, places like the Ateneo might point towards a more sustainable future for the industry. By repurposing something beautiful and creating a space people actively seek out and genuinely want to be in, instead of somewhere beige, plastic and muzak-filtered, you can save not just books but the architecture that might otherwise go to waste.
Motoi Yamamoto’s sculpture is bringing a new meaning to ‘living in the moment’. The supremely disciplined artist from Hiroshima creates installations out of grains of salt. Using intricate techniques that involve layering, shaking, sweeping and infinite amounts of patience, he has made a labyrinth, a set of steps, a ‘corridor to remembrance’ and a series of complex patterns that imitate biological systems. When the works have run their course, he sends them back to the sea. Yamamoto’s engagement with salt as a form started eighteen years ago, when he lost his sister to brain cancer. She was just 24, and struggling to cope with the loss, Yamamoto sought a way to recall his memories through his art. His very first piece was a bed comprised of bricks and the second, a three-dimensional representation of the human brain. In Japan, salt symbolises the processes of cleansing and mourning. Its use forms an important part of funeral rituals. Restaurateurs and small business owners often place salt at their doors, in the belief that it deters evil spirits and magnetises forces for good. “I can’t tell if my feelings of death have been changed by the passage of time or by the process of creating my work,” Yamamoto told the Daily Serving in June last year. “I don’t have any way to compare to the two alternatives because I’ve only experienced this through my work, not through a more conventional mourning process. I would like to think that it altered my thoughts on loss gradually, but I don’t know.” Yamamoto’s salt installations have been exhibited in galleries all over the world, from the Ierimonti Gallery in Milan to the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in Charleston, USA. Last month, they were on show at the Mint Museum in Charlotte.
As anyone who loves caffeinated beverages knows, not all cuppas are created equal. Indeed, there's a reason there is an entire type of beans called speciality coffee, which are grown in microclimates to create full flavours and unique tastes. And whether you can always tell the difference or your brew-loving tastebuds are now salivating at the thought of better coffee, Brisbane's newest festival is dedicated to them. Hosted by Wolff Coffee Roasters, aka a bean-loving roaster and supplier focused on providing specialty coffee to everyday coffee drinkers, the Speciality Coffee Festival promises an entire day of celebrating the very best beans and brews. Taking place at Wolff's Hendra warehouse on September 2, the free fest will showcase everything from cupping to roasting, offer up tours of the facilities, and serve up coffee in various forms. Highlights include classes and chats with Costa Rican coffee producer Alejo Castro of Volcán Azul, plenty of caffeinated goodness at the fest's specialty laneway, and food trucks galore, including That Greek Truck, Mr Burger, Wild Rissole and the coffee ice cream selling Queen of Pops. Anyone eager to get roasting themselves can pay for a two-hour roasting experience (although at $295 per person, it isn't cheap), while those keen on watching coffee experts do their best can check out the AeroPress Championships for $10, which includes free beverages and a dance off. More details are set to be announced; however it's shaping up to be the coffee fiend's equivalent of Christmas in September. The Specialty Coffee Festival also helps cap off what's proving to be a great time for firsts in Brisbane, and an ace time for devouring deliciousness as well, coming hot on the heels of Brisbane's maiden espresso martini festival and Japanese festival. The Specialty Coffee Festival takes place at Wolff Coffee Roasters, 140 Gerler Road, Hendra on September 2. Check out the fest's website for further details.
Birds of Tokyo are that rare breed of band. You know, the type that can get played on Nova and B105 yet still maintain their indie credibility enough to stay on Triple J without being mocked by the general listeners. I’d say it has something to do with the genius of the band members themselves, as their current tour sounds like a pretty homegrown - as well as super awesome - idea. Birds of Tokyo: Closer is an attempt for the band to hark back to their days of yore when they were just starting out. Personal, sweaty shows where the audience is close enough to touch the band and really be a part of the experience. Front man Mr Kenny also wants to see “the whites of their eyes”, which sounds a little creepy to me. But hey, each to their own! The Brisbane leg of this tour will be happening at The Hi-Fi, which is a pretty good choice for an up-close and special gig. However fans should act quick as this looks certain to sell out. It will also be your last chance to see the band for a little while, as they are planning to hibernate all through summer within the cooler confines of a recording studio.
When Banksy opened a hotel back in 2017, the famously elusive British artist did so with a purpose, satirising the industry while drawing attention to the political situation on the West Bank border between Palestine and Israel. Before that, when Banksy unveiled depressing theme park Dismaland in 2015, the artist also made a statement — as you'd expect in a place that featured dodgem cars run by the Grim Reaper, and a model boat pond filled with dead bodies and overcrowded asylum-seeker vessels. This time around, the well-known graffiti figure has launched an online art and homewares store, where customers can buy legitimate Banksy items straight from the source. It wouldn't be a Banksy venture without not only pressing a whole heap of topical points, but adding a few twists, of course. And yes, Gross Domestic Product delivers in both areas. Firstly, while there are currently 22 different items on the store's virtual shelves, you can't just click on everything you want, add them to your cart, type in your card details and wait for a delivery. As the site's opening statement explains, there's a registration system and a limit. Each customer (and each household) can only select one item in total — and before your purchase will even be considered, you'll need to answer a question: "Why does art matter?" Fans have until 11.59pm UK time on Monday, October 28 (9.59am AEDT / 8.59 AEST on Tuesday, October 28) to make their selection and come up with their response. Then, entrants will be selected at random and offered the opportunity to buy their chosen object. Your answer can't be more than 50 words, and it "must not be discriminatory or hateful" according to the terms and conditions. And, there'll be a judge — someone who is "impartial and independent, and a professional stand up comedian". https://www.instagram.com/p/B3ryrXJHbmy/ Yes, you're basically entering a competition to win the chance to buy Banksy pieces, which are "produced by a handful of people using recycled material wherever possible in a workplace culture of daytime drinking," the site explains. If you're still keen, each item has a fixed-price rate that Banksy deems to be well below market value — and wealthy art collectors are strongly encouraged not to apply. Everything comes with a certificate of authenticity and, as for what you can purchase, items range from the stab- and bullet-proof vest that Stormzy wore at Glastonbury, a Girl with Balloon t-shirt that comes pre-shredded, an ordinary wall clock from an office supplies store featuring a Banksy rat, and a home entertainment lighting system made from an old police riot helmet and around 650 small mirrors. With prices ranging from £10–750, perhaps you'd prefer a painted mug, a clutch bag made out of a brick, a TV with a painted Banksy piece over the screen (which "does substantially impair viewing quality", the sale description notes), soft toys caught in real beach debris and thenwall-mounted, a goldfish or a tombstone. As well as discouraging rich art folks from snapping up these goods — and noting that Gross Domestic Product reserves the right to cancel purchases if items are put up for re-sale on other sites — the store also links through to a venture called BBay. It's not up and running yet, but it describes itself as "the approved use Banksy dealership" and "your first choice destination to trade in secondhand art by a third-rate artist", so it might just be a new go-to to buy authentic Banksy pieces. Or, given how much the artist loves to rally against the unhealthy intersection of commerce and art (see last year's remote shredding prank, for example), the store and the site could just be Banksy's latest stunt. GDP does come with a disclaimer, after all: "You are advised that GDP may prove to be a disappointing retail experience — especially if you're successful in making a purchase." Image: The Art of Banksy, Olga Rozenbajgier.
President Obama just appeared on Zach Galifianakis's cult web series Between Two Ferns and it was everything you want it to be and so much more. If the slow jams, the college 'fro, and the fact he's best friends with Jay-Z didn't already seal the deal, Barack Obama officially just took out the title of Coolest President in History (and someone in his media department is quite clearly a genius). The five-minute clip which is currently exploding on Funny or Die naturally starts with Zach on the back foot. “When I heard that people actually watch the show, I was pretty surprised," says Obama. He then goes on to land the obligatory Galifianakis fat joke: "[In 2014] we’ll probably pardon another turkey. Was that depressing to you? Seeing a turkey taken out of circulation that you couldn't eat?" Up against past guests like Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Justin Bieber, President Obama stood his ground well. After all, the show works best when the guest is famous enough for the outrage to seem novel, but good-humoured enough to take it in stride; and Obama is well-known for being a good sport. Because of this, Galifianakis may be the only man to ever 'shh' the President or call him a nerd. Other favourite bits include Zach asking what the president was going to do about "North Ikea" and Obama taking a jab at The Hangover: "If I ran [for president] a third time, that'd kind of be like doing a third Hangover movie. That didn't work out very well, did it?" Obama's appearance was actually in an effort to plug his latest healthcare initiative to young Americans and, while it's a good cause, we don't mind either way. Anything that brings out this beautiful sassy face is well worth the time and effort.
In 2024, Doja Cat topped the Triple J Hottest 100 of songs from 2023 and added Coachella headliner to her list of achievements. This year, she's notching up a first touring-wise: the superstar's debut arena gigs in Australia. Come December 2025, the 'Say So', 'Kiss Me More' and 'Vegas' talent will hit Brisbane, playing on Saturday, November 29 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Her Aussie (and NZ) shows are part of the rapper's Ma Vie world tour, which also has international stints in Manila, Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Bangkok and Kaohsiung locked in for December. The run of dates takes its name from Doja Cat's upcoming fifth album Vie. Expect to hear Jack Antonoff- and Y2K-produced single 'Jealous Type' as part of her set, with new tune first debuted live at San Francisco's Outside Lands Music Festival at the beginning of August. [caption id="attachment_1018453" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dana Jacobs/WireImage[/caption] Vie follows 2018's Amala, 2019's Hot Pink, Planet Her from 2021 and 2023's Scarlet on the Grammy-winner's discography. It's the latter that delivered 'Paint the Town Red' — 2023's Hottest 100 number one, which marked the first time that a female rapper and woman of colour topped the poll.The tune also sat at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks, was the first rap song to reach those heights in 2023 and topped the Billboard Global 200 chart for four weeks in a row, too. [caption id="attachment_1018452" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jacob Webster[/caption] Top image: Raph_PH via Flickr.
When Jetstar launched a big domestic flight sale in mid-June, it sold 70,000 seats in just five hours. Today, July 3, the airline has just kicked off another one — so get your clickers ready. The Friday Fare Frenzy sale kicks of at 12pm today and runs until 8pm — if it doesn't sell out prior. In the sale, you'll find cheap flights on a heap of routes from destinations across NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia. But, before you book, we suggest you check in on when interstate borders are opening. NSW and ACT borders are both open to everyone except those from the 36 Victorian hotspots suburbs. Residents of those suburbs are currently under stay-at-home orders until at least Wednesday, July 29. Similarly, Victoria is open — but you can't visit the aforementioned suburbs. Queensland is reopening to everyone (except those from the hotspots) on Friday, July 10, as is the Northern Territory on Friday, July 17. Tasmania is working towards a July 24 reopening date (but this has not yet been confirmed) and WA has yet to announce anything. SA is open to those from Queensland, NT, Tasmania and WA, but has postponed its July 20 reopening for the rest of the country because of the spike in Victoria. A new date has not yet been announced. [caption id="attachment_774386" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bannisters in Port Stephens by Destination NSW[/caption] Now you know where you can and can't go, here are the deals: Sydneysiders can snag tickets to the Sunshine Coast for $49, Cairns for $79 and Uluru from $99, as well as to the picturesque Whitsunday Coast from $69. Queenslanders, with their (almost) newfound freedom, can hop on a plan to Port Stephens for $45 or Hobart for $79 (and cross your fingers). Flights to and from Melbourne, because of the current situation, are not included in the sale. Tickets in the sale are for trips between July 28 and September 23, 2020. So, if you're keen to get away, book some now and start planning. Jetstar's Friday Fare Frenzy runs from 12–8pm (or until sold out) on Friday, July 3.
Fast forward to the end of December and we all know we're going to be committing to staying fit come 2021 for our New Year's resolution. We may not follow through, but a fresh sportswear outfit can be some good motivation. If you're looking to get in early, LSKD is lending a helping hand by taking up to 70 percent off its sportswear in its huge Black Friday sale. Formed in 2007, LSKD (pronounced loose kid) is an Australian-owned and operated clothing company specialising in sportswear, streetwear and accessories. The company produces high-quality, stylish clothes for both men and women ready for a trip to the beach, gym or a night out. From 6pm Tuesday, November 24 until Thursday, December 3, LSKD will be offering a heap of its threads wildly low prices, from women's tights, tanks and sports bras to men's tees, hoodies and shorts. This is the brand's only sale of the year so check out the store and maybe save a few bucks. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Every year, one of Australia's favourite lit events undergoes a slight, temporary rebranding, simply by dropping their first syllable. Yep, Women of Letters becomes Men of Letters, bringing to The Zoo stage a huge selection of Brisbane's — hell Australia's — best male talent as they rediscover the lost art of letter writing. Included on this year's jam-packed lineup are a wealth of the titular men-folk, including comedian Paul Livingston, aka Flacco, plus Cleverman creator Ryan Griffen. They'll be demonstrating their winning ways with words, and they're not alone. Also having a hand in the day's letter writing are musos Eddie Ayres and Danny Widdicombe, former parliamentarian Andrew Bartlett, journo and record label owner Andrew Stafford, surf culture author Tim Baker, actor Victor Parascos, playwright David Burton and 2017 Oodgeroo Noonuccal Poetry Prize winning poet Sachem Parkin-Owens. Each will be penning and reading a letter to 'The Woman Who Changed My Life'. Doors open at 3pm, and wine, cheese, stamps and envelopes are provided. Grab your finest quill and head along.
Songstress Katie Noonan returns to the Powerhouse with classical guitarist Karin Shaupp, for what will inevitably be an evening of delicate, emotive sound. Having finished a nation-wide tour last year, Noonan and Shaupp will be serving up a feast for music lovers, which will include classical, folk, jazz and pop songs from the Finn Brothers, Nick Cave, Bic Runga, The Easybeats and Gotye. Noonan is a nation-wide accalaimed artist with four Arias and six platinum sales to her credit. Her counterpart, Karin Schaupp, is a German-born Australian classical guitarist, described as one of the best in the world. The combination of her faultless music and Noonan's powerful yet haunting voice is an enigma not to be missed. Performing for two nights only at the Powerhouse Theatre, this night promises a shared experience between the two musicians, allowing both to present their love and talent for music together.
You shouldn't really need an excuse to celebrate Australia's vibrant music scene, but it's nice to have one. Enter Woolly Mammoth and 4ZZZ. They're bringing together local and national musicians with their annual, boutique, one-night music festival, Happyfest. Since 2012, 4ZZZ's Happyfest has sported a collection of up-and-comers who've since gone on to conquer international music circuits — namely Blank Realm, Lost Animals, Kirin J Callinan and Bitch Prefect. This year they've snagged Sydney rockers Tees, plus locals Girlsuck, Bad Bangers, Low Dive, Sex Drive, Bloodletter, Madboots and Teva. And if you're a fan of the latter, it'll be his last Brissie show before he moves down south. Happyfest kicks off at 7.30pm on November 12, with $15 entry for the general public and $10 for 4ZZZ members. Image: Jeff Andersen Jnr.
You might have thought King George Square looked pretty fine during the day, and maybe a tad finer at night, but it's at twilight City Hall really shows off its colours. And what better backdrop to shop the evening away with around Christmas time, especially when the King George is filled with some of Brisbane's best designers and makers — and a sleigh full of decorations The Brisbane Christmas Markets are the festive offshoot of the Brisbane Twilight Market, showing off a hefty array of stalls staffed by some pretty nifty and talented artists. There will be an eclectic selection of goods on offer, all of the 100% locally handmade variety. Plus, this market is all about sound, smell and sales — live music will provide the soundtrack to the evening, food vendors will take care of your hunger, and expect to be hit with that spring flowerbed smell that always lingers when there's a soap stall around. The markets run on December 9 from 9am to 3pm. Take along some cash and stock up on all things crafty. Plus, there'll be an on-site Christmas craft workshop if all that shopping leaves you inspired.
Since its establishment in 1989, community hospital The Mae Tao Clinic has been helping Burmese refugees receive the very basic of healthcare needs, along with a refreshing sense of hope for a safe future in light of their desperate circumstances. In a time of government instability, this clinic situated in Mai Sot, on the Thai-Burma border, has been a provider of the essential medical treatment patients are denied elsewhere. To raise funds for such a deserving cause, The Zoo has compiled a showcase of stellar bands for what will be a night of raging entertainment. Howling blues and roots notables, The Jimmy Watts Band and sci-fi soul masters, Astrid and the Asteroids, will be leading the night, along with Peter B and the Homeless Souls and Swoon. As a charity that relies almost completely on donations, The Mae Tao Clinic is a praiseworthy cause to raise The Zoo roof, and at the same time much needed funds.
If Neil Buchanan taught us anything on Art Attack it was that a toilet paper roll can be used to design an array of artistic works. Whilst the word 'intricate' may never be used to describe the toilet roll castles he helped us build, it perfectly describes the artworks created by artist Anastassia Elias using only toilet rolls and a scalpel. Since 2009, the French artist has sculpted 67 works from these rolls, with each as spectacular and beautiful as the next. She carves the detail of each scene from other rolls and then delicately inserts them through a slit cut into the roll that frames each individual piece. Her works include dancing ballerinas, a busy construction site, an incredibly detailed science laboratory and an amusement park spanning two toilet rolls. Rouleaux, the title of the series and the accompanying book, is available here. In the meantime, you can check out our favourites below. Via Huffington Post.
At two locations in Victoria, and over in New Zealand as well, the Peninsula Hot Springs crew have made bathing in relaxing warm water reason enough to book a holiday. Now, the team wants travellers to think about hitting the outback Queensland town of Cunnamulla in the same way. The spot has just become home to Cunnamulla Hot Springs, which the local Paroo Shire owns but Peninsula Hot Springs Group is running. If your idea of bliss is a lengthy soak in a stunning location, you have a new getaway spot to pop on your agenda, then. Perched right by Warrego River for the ultimate in scenic surroundings, Cunnamulla Hot Springs boasts seven geothermic pools. First announced in 2023, it launched at the beginning of February 2024. The $11.7-million, five-star site — which came to fruition with contributions from both the federal and Queensland state governments — is the largest-funded project that the Paroo Shire Council has ever undertaken. Getting Peninsula Hot Springs Group to look after day-to-day operations means capitalising upon its expertise honed elsewhere, however. As well as Peninsula Hot Springs, of course, it has Metung Hot Springs in East Gippsland to its name, plus Aotearoa's Maruia Hot Springs. In Cunnamulla, bathers slip into pools surrounded by native trees, and featuring mineral- and vitamin-rich water taken from and heated naturally by the artesian basin underneath. Learning about the latter around your soak is also part of the experience — calming your body and feeding your mind at the same time. Each of Cunnamulla Hot Springs's bathing spots sport different temperatures, so you can get steamy, opt for a stint in the chilled plunge pool or both. One has been specifically built to be shallow, so that folks sitting in it can gaze at the stars in the most immersive way possible. In the state-of-the-art complex, a sauna and a steam room is also part of the setup, as is an area for salt scrubs and clay masks. Fancy taking a dip by sunrise or sunset? That's on offer as well, to make the most of day's cooler temperatures. Dawn bathing starts at 6am, while a twilight soak is on offer from 5–9pm on weekdays. Patrons aren't merely surrounded by Cunnamulla's landscape as they sit; everything about Cunnamulla Hot Springs has taken its cues from its environment, with Cox Architects on design duties. Think: earthy colours, and using stone and ironbark timber among other natural materials — plus the thermal waters, of course. When it was announced last year, Cunnamulla Hot Springs was named as a highlight on the Outback Queensland Traveller's Guide, which is filled with things to do inland in the Sunshine State. Queensland isn't just about beaches, rainforests and the tropics, even if that's what it's best known for. So, the bathing venue joins everything from starlight river cruises in Longreach and Winton's Australia Age of Dinosaurs Museum through to the Southwest Queensland Indigenous Cultural Trail and a heap of national parks (and other outback spas and baths, including in Julia Creek, Bedourie, Quilpie, Mitchell and Yowah). If you're now planning a trip to Cunnamulla, it's around a nine-hour drive west from Brisbane, with flights via Rex, and also boasts an outback river lights festival; the Artesian Time Tunnel, which explores the Artesian Basin's history; and safari-style glamping — among other attractions. Find Cunnamulla Hot Springs at Lot 5 Ivan Street, Cunnamulla, Queensland — head to the venue's website for bookings and further information. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
UPDATE, Friday, December 1: Talk to Me is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. An embalmed hand can't click its fingers, not even when it's the spirit-conducing appendage at the heart of Talk to Me. This is an absolute finger snap of a horror film, however, and a fist pump of a debut by Australian twins Danny and Michael Philippou. As RackaRacka, the Adelaide-born pair have racked up six-million-plus subscribers on YouTube via viral comedy, horror and action combos. As feature filmmakers, they're just as energetic, eager and assured, not to mention intense about giving their all. Talk to Me opens with a party that's soon blighted by both a stabbing and a suicide. It segues swiftly into a Sia sing-along, then the violent loss of one half of the Aussie coat of arms. A breakout hit at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it sparked a distribution bidding war won by indie favourite A24, it's constantly clicking, snapping and ensuring that viewers are paying attention — with terror-inducing imagery, a savvy sense of humour, both nerve and the keenness to unnerve, and a helluva scary-movie premise that's exceptionally well-executed. The picture's outstretched mitt is the Philippous' Ouija board. That withered and scribbled-on paw is also a wildly unconventional way to get high. In a screenplay penned by Danny with fellow first-timer Bill Hinzman, but based on Bluey and Content executive producer Daley Pearson's short-film concept — yes, that Bluey — shaking hands with the distinctive meat hook is a party trick and dare as well. When the living are palm to palm with this dead duke, in flows a conjuring. A candle is lit, "talk to me" must be uttered, then "I let you in". Once heads are kicking back and the voices start, no one should grasp on for more than 90 seconds. Those are the rules as told by Hayley (Zoe Terakes, Nine Perfect Strangers) and Joss (Chris Alosio, Millie Lies Low), who've been getting the ultimate buzz by letting supernatural interlopers take over their bodies, and are also passing that sensation around to their mates at gatherings. When Mia (Sophie Wilde, The Portable Door) learns about Talk to Me's urban legend-esque possession parties, it's via internet videos. On the anniversary of the worst day of her life — her mother's death, seemingly self-inflicted — she's already fled the silence that lingers with her father Max (Marcus Johnson, Irreverent) for her best friend Jade's (Alexandra Jensen, Joe vs Carole) family, and she's equally up for escaping further. Jade's no-nonsense mum Sue (Miranda Otto, The Clearing) knows that Jade and Mia are sneaking out. What she doesn't glean is that they're taking Jade's younger brother Riley (Joe Bird, First Day) with them, or that they're headed to a haunted hoedown. Here, being consumed by sinister spirits, not consuming booze, is the main thrill. That, and filming whatever twisted chaos happens when they connect with the otherworldly. It isn't all fun and frights and games, though; when 14-year-old Riley takes part, traumatic consequences spring. There's a touch of Flatliners to Talk to Me, but the Philippous summon up something far more eerie, powerful and engaging than that average 90s effort and its terrible 2017 sequel/remake. Both perturbing and entertaining to watch, their séances understand why that exact blend — unsettling yet absorbing — appeals to Mia and her friends, and why they're so speedily addicted. These altercations with the beyond aren't just a way to push the limits. They're a rush for both the possessed and their pals, who laugh hysterically while bearing witness, record every moment, share it all instantly and, when it's their go, try to one-up every prior spooky visit. As RackaRacka, the Philippous have captured plenty of eyeballs with raucous vids; now they ponder what the next step is for today's teens who've already seen everything online, are used to living their lives and setting their reputations digitally, and are as desperate for a jolt out of their daily routine as everyone in adolescence. Even better: sharing directing credits, and benefiting from lively cinematography by Aaron McLisky (Mr Inbetween) and sharp editing by Geoff Lamb (another The Clearing alum), Danny and Michael know how to convey that try-anything-once response to teen malaise. Talk to Me starts with a bang — with banging on a locked door, then a freakout, then a gutwrenching turn — but its feverish montage of possessions is one of its best and most immersive moments. Mia and company, even including Jade's pious boyfriend Daniel (Otis Dhanji, June Again), are spirited off on a trip, and the Philippous stage and shoot it as such. No one watching will've gotten deliriously blitzed by giving some skin to the creepiest limb you'll ever see (with the biggest of kudos to the production design team), then becoming a vessel for ghosts, but Talk to Me perfects the feeling of being young, partying, reckless, thinking you're invincible and being up for giving something absurd a shot. Playing those devil-may-care/devil-may-flow-through teens, but also always playing recognisably messy and relatable Aussie high schoolers, is quite the committed cast. Everyone gives their physical all to the hauntings — getting taken over by ghouls isn't just a unique experience, but a corporeally demanding one — as aided by pitch-perfect practical effects, including the canny use of dark contacts to turn each actors' eyes black. But thanks to Mia's backstory and the grappling with grief that comes with it, Wilde wades through the most emotionally complex territory. The more that her character keeps taking the hand's portal to limbo, the more that the paranormal bleeds into Mia's daily life, and the weightier that Wilde's performance gets. Talk to Me battles survivors' guilt, carting around baggage and internal demons alongside its shadowy forces, with Wilde consistently thoughtful at the heart of it all. When Riley joins the party antics despite Jade's protests, Bird is just as crucial. Ghouls gnaw, and so does Talk to Me. The Philippous swirl unease, angst and ominousness together with every tool at their disposal — including Cornel Wilczek's (Clickbait) menacing score — then let the end result chomp on their viewers. As deranged sights scamper and shock, and Mia's complicated feelings with them, Talk to Me gets its alarm, panic and distress burrowing deep, yet never stops having warped fun. The film's finale couldn't better embody that tricky mix: it's smart and satisfying to the point of inspiring clapping, and it's as disquieting as everything that precedes it. This won't be the end for the movie's directors, of course, or likely for Talk to Me's world. Indeed, this instant cult-classic flick might too leap into reality: once you've taken this horror ride, people clutching a hand and freaking themselves out with the next Ouija-style board game feels destined to cross over.
Don't sweat it. Just don't. That's a great sentiment, but putting it into action isn't always so easy. Humanity has long wanted to care less about all of the things that really don't matter, including since before self-help was a book genre — and since before there were books. Nothing else has quite summed up that concept quite like The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, though, even just in its title. It sits among a seemingly endless array of texts about living your best life and forgetting pointless strife, but Mark Manson's 2016 hit perfectly captured the idea that we should all devote less attention to matters that simply aren't worth it. First came the book. Then came the film version of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. Since Manson's famous tome hit shelves, he's also popped up to chat about it and offer his brutally honest self-help advice — and he's returning Down Under in November 2024 to do exactly that again. Consider heading along to this The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck live tour as the next step in pursuing the ultimate goal: giving less fucks. More than 20-million copies of the book have been sold, so you're probably familiar with Manson's take on living more contented and grounded lives already, but there's something to be said about hearing about it in person. Couldn't be arsed reading the text? Then this is another way to soak in its contents. Of course, Manson's spin isn't about never giving a fuck. Rather, he knows that it's wise to choose where to direct our fucks, what to give a crap about and what genuinely bloody matters. The book's chapter titles are as telling as its overall moniker, boasting names such as 'Don't Try', 'Happiness is a problem', 'You are not special', 'You are wrong about everything (But so am I)', 'The importance of saying no' and 'And then you die'. Also the author of Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope, Manson will be onstage exploring this train of thought on a seven-stop trip around Australia and New Zealand, including in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and Auckland. Attendees can expect a deeper dive into the principles stepped through in his book, plus practical tips and stories from real life. This is an event to give a fuck about, clearly. Here's the trailer for the film, too, if you haven't yet seen it: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Live with Mark Manson Dates: Monday, November 4 — Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, Sydney Wednesday, November 6 — Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne Thursday, November 7 — QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane Saturday, November 9 — Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra Sunday, November 10 — Festival Theatre, Adelaide Monday, November 11 — Perth Concert Hall, Perth Friday, November 15 — Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Auckland Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Live tour hits Australia and New Zealand in November 2024, with ticket presales from 10am local time on Wednesday, July 17 — except in Melbourne, where ticket sales start at 11am local time on Monday, July 22. Head to the tour website for more details.
Perhaps you have great memories of rides, sideshows and taking home a goldfish. Maybe even just mentioning Bertie Beetles and strawberry sundaes gets you thinking about all those Wednesdays, year after year, spent away from school and at the Ekka. Whichever fits, every Brisbanite has had their Ekka moment — and we're all glad that the show is back in 2022. Still, that doesn't mean that we all head along each year. Can't make it this time? Don't have a day to spare? Avoiding crowds? Every Brisbanite has been through that, too, and thankfully a number of events around town are spreading the Ekka love if you're not actually hitting up the Ekka. Here are our five picks — and yes, strawberries feature heavily. Of course they do.
Scattered throughout suburban Brisbane are plenty of top-notch cafes, sitting pretty between Queenslanders, somewhat of a local secret. Thanks to the power of the internet, and websites like this one, these locals-only caffeination depots are arguably becoming as popular as favourite inner-city cafes. One such place worth both selfishly keeping a secret and shouting about from the rooftops is Dovetail on Overend. The tiny galley of a cafe in Norman Park offers a small but enticing menu, stocks a delicious selection of cakes (including the incredible Nodo doughnuts) and has a very strong coffee game. Avo on sourdough, gluten-free muesli and baked eggs all make an appearance, but the real winner here is the Bangalow Babe ($11.90) — a sourdough toasted sandwich stacked with Bangalow ham, gruyere cheese and tarragon mustard. Our hot tip: add avocado for $3. You'll never need another toasted sandwich again. Just don't ask how much butter is used. Pumping out cups of Uncle Joe's, coffee is serious business here — to the point that they claim to have bought and tested every almond milk available, and the result is a creamy latte rather than nut foam hiding a long black below. Staff are friendly, knowledgeable and warm — the way they should be at any suburban cafe. You want to feel at home here, and the coffee must be better than your DIY efforts. Dovetail excels on both fronts. Tip: Seating is all outside on the pavement under a wide veranda, not ideal for very hot days but fine most of the times.
Have you ever seen Nick Cave smile before? It's a shocking thing. For the generations of Australians — and there are many of them — who have grown up with Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds at the centre of musical life, it is startling to realise that amongst the darkness and the tales of addiction, Cave's face can crease itself not into a grimace or a tormented frown but an expression of unguarded joy. Cave's sudden smile is not the only first for the quasi-documentary 20,000 Days on Earth. Filmmakers Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth have made a documentary that plays like a narrative but feels like a video clip. Unlike its obvious fictional music-doco predecessor This Is Spinal Tap, the duo's film is not a stealthy takedown: they're playing for real. Partly this is because the filmmaking team are artists with a 20-year partnership of making work together. Without any of the film world's preconceived ideas of what constitutes a documentary, their artistic training has allowed them to craft something out of elements that others would see as disparate and incompatible. And partly it's because Nick Cave's life and music necessitates a different approach to making documentaries. An artist as unconventional as Cave requires the defiance of filmmaking conventions. After opening Sydney Film Festival in June, 20,000 Days is now in art-house cinemas for everyone — including two very special sessions at Melbourne's Astor where Cave will be appearing in person for a Q&A. We spoke to Pollard and Forsyth about what it means to make a hybrid music documentary, the process behind the beauty and what Nick Cave is really all about. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ap0_y5EGttk This is a documentary that blurs some serious lines between genres and fiction and what we think we know as documentary. What exactly was scripted and what flowed organically? Cave himself is credited as a writer. Pollard: No dialogue was scripted at all. Apart from one line [preceding Cave's meeting with a therapist, Darian Leader], the psychoanalyst's assistant says, "Darian will see you now." The things that Nick wrote were all the voiceovers, with that particular tone. Some of those things came pre-written, we found them in his notebooks, like the first quote we used: "At the end of the twentieth century, I work, I write, I eat…" — that was a lyric from his notebooks. Then we we asked him to expand on those notes. We sent him about twenty, thirty topics for the voiceovers, and when he was on tour he'd write a paragraph and send it back. And if we thought it was worth recording, we'd get him to record it on his iPhone and just try it in different places in the film. I understand you didn't actually set out to make a doco about Nick Cave. How did this project start and evolve? Pollard: We'd filmed the scenes of Nick and Warren [Ellis] writing and demoing the album, and then the band in the studios. And we'd filmed all of that before we knew what it was we were going to make this into. The big scene in the film is them playing live from the album 'Push Back the Sky'. At that point we knew we had something that deserved to be carried in something much bigger than the scope of a contemporary music film or a promo that would end up on YouTube and sync very quickly. We wanted to make something bigger that would be more meaningful and stand the test of time, and that's when Iain and I wrote an action script. We knew we had two things we wanted to do, we had the cycle of the album, and then more specifically the individual song — that's the first thing you hear, the song 'Jubilee Street', and then the performance on the Sydney Opera House stage. So we had that cycle as one parallel for the storyline. The other cycle came from finding the film's title in Nick's notebook - it was a discarded song, and he'd done this calculation of how long he'd been on earth. We loved the phrase 'twenty thousand days on earth' and it gave us a very simple conceit to strap the rest of the film onto. So we thought, okay, let's make the film one day on earth. And then we can make whatever we want happen on that day. Everything that happened in that day was something we decided. We wrote the parameters of it, and Nick worked with us. He'd say, 'I'm not so sure about waking up in bed with my wife; I'll give it a go, but I might not be happy with that.' He kinda just cast his eye over what we wrote and said 'I'll give it a shot'. For us, that's where we decided to start. Cave talks a lot about the intersection of living in a story and telling a story. I really can't tell where the boundaries are with your film. Where did you guys draw these boundaries? Pollard: We set ourselves certain parameters. One rule was, we'd never ask Nick to do something twice. Even if he said something and it was great, but we didn't catch it or the camera wasn't on, we wouldn't ask him to do it again. He never had to flip from that headspace of being in the moment, to suddenly remembering the act of what we were doing which was making a film. And with Darian, we met him a few times, we gave him a set of topics, he read books and novels, and we gave him some structure. He had an idea of the sorts of things we were looking for. And then it became an endurance thing that we filmed for ten hours. There's a disorientating thing for both Darian and Nick, talking and not knowing what we would use. Forsyth: With Darian, the psychoanalyst, it was a totally artificial location. Darian is a professional psychoanalyst, that's what he does. Our cameras were out of Nick's sightline, all the technical side of filmmaking was hidden, so as much as possible, it would feel like a genuinely intimate conversation. They met for the first time on set. How do you negotiate these funny blurred lines in hybrid documentaries like this? How do you ensure you create something that's real and true and still semi-scripted? Pollard: It's a very simple thing: if we can physiologically feel an emotional truth in a scene, then that's the truth we're interested in. Whether it's factual or autobiographical, you still need to feel an emotional truth. [Had we only taken a strictly observational approach], it's a narrow road to take your story down, because suddenly it becomes tied and tent-pegged by things that are outside of it, outside its control and parameters and you'll inevitably have to break those parameters, as every reality program does. Everything we see that presents itself as factual or observational is flawed in the truth that it's telling, the actual truth that it's telling. I think the audience is sophisticated enough to get it. I just never doubt that an audience is going to stay with us. In your film, Cave talks a lot about his fear of being forgotten. As someone who's gone to art school and knows a lot of people who also have this fear, I'm not sure how I feel about it. Do you think it's intrinsically egotistical to want artistic immortality? Or is it a natural inclination for an artist? Pollard: I think anybody who has, as their job, put themselves into performing and creating something bigger than themselves, something that is about being remarkable and being on show and being a spectacle … to be a spectacle but not to be remembered? That's a tough dichotomy. His reason for existence is to be remarkable, to be the centre of something, to be spectacular and to entertain. Forsyth: If the question was, 'are you concerned about not making a difference?', that would be completely agreeable. As an artist, as a filmmaker, you want to be impactful. 20,000 Days on Earth is in select cinemas nationally, and also showing at some special screenings. The most special of these is probably Friday, December 19, at Melbourne's Astor Theatre, when Nick Cave will appear in person for a Q&A. More info and tickets on the Astor website.
Why are French films so good even when they’re so bad? How does a mainstream drama masquerade as a classy arthouse film? Since the unlikely plot machinations of Gone Girl, there’s been much talk of preposterous thrillers; what Samba gives us is a preposterous romance. Charlotte Gainsbourg is an impossibly stylish yet under-confident social worker who falls in love with one of her clients, Senegalese immigrant Samba Cisse (Omar Sy), who’s in a detention centre and legal limbo despite ten years of work and life in France. A ridiculous scenario! So why do we buy it? And how exactly do the French do middlebrow cinema so well? Samba is co-written and directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, the team behind the 2011 feel-good hit The Intouchables that introduced the world to French-Senegalese actor Sy. I’d be surprised if Nakache and Toledano ever let him go — Sy is a super charisma bomb and genuine movie star. Gainsbourg is typically lovely and captivating, but really, it’s all about Sy. The film’s comedic beats are sprinkled evenly, the intelligent and photogenic romantic leads dance awkwardly and endearingly around each other as expected, all the loose ends are tied — and every stereotype of a French film is fulfilled. It's all pleasingly predictable. An Australian or British filmmaker might play Samba as gritty social-realist cinema, but in French hands it's closer to a rom-com with a dash of humanitarian consciousness, with a perilously close move to melodrama in the third act. The opening scene lays out the film’s more serious themes beautifully. We open on a group of Gatsby-era dancers on stage, glittering and red-lipped, a swing remix playing, and as the camera pulls back indulgently, a giddy bride and groom in punch-drunk love cut a huge cake. We follow as the cake is whisked out of the ballroom, through swinging service doors and into the sweaty, stressful kitchen, to be cut, plated and served. Across that threshold, the Luhrmann-style extravaganza immediately gives way to a hospitality class of invisible, non-white, super-stressed labourers. This one long take gives us a perfect, efficient view of how racial segregation continues in contemporary democracies — that the luxuries of the upper classes are fuelled by the sweat of migrants who renounce many basic rights for the 'privilege’ of living in the developed world. A film about the immigrant’s struggle might seem overly dry, but Samba is drenched in that amazing French cinema slickness. It’s an easy date film, a stay-in-on-Friday-with-pizza-and-wine film, the type of socially acceptable, trashy indulgence you don’t have to feel humiliated about (the anti-Fifty Shades of Grey). It’s the filmic equivalent of Cafe del Mar easy listening: it’s watchable. The direction and music and cinematography are so seamlessly invisible, and the lead performances so natural, the film appears to be directed on autopilot. Most of all, Samba is neither a good nor bad film; it’s a disturbingly competent one. Still, it’s a minor victory every time a film for grown ups that's not part of a Marvel-ised 'story world' makes it to theatres. And you get to spend a couple of hours with Charlotte Gainsbourg and Omar Sy.
This summer, the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre is hosting a sales event of most peculiar stock. Strange things they are, full of pages, rampant with words and with covers of the most beautiful colours. You can't charge them, they don't run out of battery, their brightness is unalterable, and they won't smash when you drop them. Lifeline Bookfest is coming back for another round of vintage bargains between Saturday, January 13–Sunday, January 21, 2024. It's where you'll find everything from Australian Women's Weekly cookbooks to a bit of cheeky erotica, as well as games, DVDs and puzzles. If you've been before, you'll know there are warehouse quantities of books for sale – your grade five diary is probably hidden under a copy of Shantaram, and you'll come across at least three copies of Cooking with Days of Our Lives. In fact, over this year's nine-day summer run, more than one million items will be up for grabs. Prices range from $2.50 to the big bucks, and you'll have plenty to choose from. Whenever Bookfest hits Brisbane, it always brings hundreds of crates of reading materials with it. This big return will also bring back its Comicfest section, which unsurprisingly keeps proving popular — this time with 25,000-plus comics and video games, as well as more than 5000 collectable items. You'll want to bring a trolley and your glasses, obviously, and to clear some space on your shelves at home. And, you'll want to bring your cards, because this Bookfest is cashless. Also, you'll need your own bags, as books won't be wrapped for you this time around. Head along from 7.30am–6pm on Saturday, January 13 and 8.30am–6pm between Sunday, January 14–Sunday, January 21. Images: Bookfest.
It's the yearly exhibition that leaves us with jaws on the floor; the 59th annual World Press Photo exhibition is coming to Australia for another year. Back for its 59th edition, the yearly photographic collection regularly leaves us gaping at the mouth — and this year is no exception. Right at the top with 2015 Photo of the Year is Australia's own Warren Richardson, with his poignant picture of a man passing his baby through a fence at the Hungarian-Serbian border. He beat 82,951 submissions by 5775 photographers from 128 countries for the top prize, while also taking out first prize in the Spot News category. The World Press Photo exhibition can be seen at Brisbane Powerhouse from July 29 to August 21. Before the exhibition makes its way to Queensland, take a look through some of the landmark images that caught the eye of the WPP judges; from a Tibetan Buddhist ceremony in rural China to a 16-year-old Islamic State fighter being treated for burns in Syria, to one of those epics #sydneystorms rolling over Bondi. With many of the photographs documenting the more saddening news headlines, they're often not easy images to look at, but it's the work of these photojournalists that wakes up an otherwise ignorant world. Image: Bliss Dharma Assembly, Kevin Frayer (Sichuan, China).
When you can't venture to an art gallery, let the exhibition come to you. It's been a challenging year for artists and art institutions across the nation, but one of the good things to come out of this global pandemic has been the number of ways Australians have been able to access art without leaving their homes. Whether it's through online talks, tours or filmed performances, galleries have found alternative ways to share art with us. One of the institutions leading the way is the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), which is the host of 2020's Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards exhibition. For the first time this year, the gallery in Darwin is accessible no matter where you live, as you can explore all 65 artworks on display via its virtual gallery. To give you a taste of what you can expect, we've picked out five artworks that drew our attention — and some of the stories behind them. [caption id="attachment_782787" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Charlie Bliss[/caption] 'NGALYOD AND KOLNG (PALM TREE)' BY PAUL NAMARINJMAK NABULUMO One of the first works you'll see when you enter the virtual gallery is a hollow log burial pole painted with the image of a serpent. That's Ngalyod, the Rainbow Serpent, who is an important ancestral being for the Kuninjku people. Northern Territory painter and sculptor Paul Namarinjmak Nabulumo, who lives and works in Yikkarrakkal Outstation, created 'Ngalyod and kolng (palm tree)' in 2020. He only paints depictions of his ancestral country, as, he says if he painted other people's "it would kill us". The 49 year old is the son of acclaimed artist Mick Kubarrku (who passed away in 2008), and Nabulumo says his father's art practice had a huge influence on his work. In this artwork, you can see Nabulumo's fine, elegant rarrk (cross-hatching) work and the Rainbow Serpent emerging from a palm tree (kolng) at an important site called Dilebang. It's believed that Ngalyod supports the growth of water lilies, vines and palms that grow around freshwater sources. 'MUM BETTY' BY BESSIE DAYLIGHT In the same gallery space, point your cursor to a picture on the wall of a woman with angel wings. Western Australian artist Bessie Daylight has adorned a digital print of her mother Betty Carrington (also an artist) with a halo and wings to show just how precious our mothers are. "She worked all her life supporting us children," says the 53-year-old artist from Warmun Aboriginal Community. "Mothers are angels in disguise and we don't appreciate what our mothers do." Daylight says she painted Joonba dots on her mother's face as when Bessie was growing up, Betty was always singing and speaking in language. She grew up with traditional lore and culture and, along with other senior women, taught Daylight how to collect, grind and paint with natural ochre. "She is a mother, a grandmother, a friend. She is a councillor, a support person to many who come in contact with her, and she's an artist in her own right," says Daylight. [caption id="attachment_782271" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lynnette Griffiths & Erub Arts[/caption] 'EUM NORR (DYING REEF)' BY JIMMY K THAIDAY Digital metres away from 'Mum Betty' is a display unit, on top of which is Torres Strait Islander artist Jimmy K Thaiday's work 'Eum Noor (Dying reef)'. Thaiday has used clay and reclaimed ocean rope to make a statement about our ongoing environmental impact on the Great Barrier Reef. The 32-year-old artist says the balls represent the isolated bleaching incidents on the coral reef as the sea temperatures rise. They "bloom like flowers". The artwork is a timely reminder of the importance to care for our planet, and especially our waters. For the artist, whose clan is Peiudu, one of four tribes on Erub (Darnley Island), the waterways and the reef play a vital part in his daily life and culture. "We do not want to see our reefs suffer the fate of other coral reefs," he says. The netting used in his art has drifted into the water where he lives. "I feel that by combining clay with reclaimed rope, I can highlight an important message: look after the sea and the sea will look after you." 'BATJBARRA' BY MARY DHAPALANY Click through to the second exhibition room to find Mary Dhapalany's 'Batjbarra' (2019), seemingly suspended from the gallery ceiling. The Northern Territory artist and Mandhalpuy woman has been a practicing artist for four decades, and her weaving artwork is representative of traditional craft passed down through generations of women weavers in her family. The 70-year-old artist uses natural dyes, extracted from earth pigment or plant roots, to colour the pandanus leaf (gunga) used in her work. Batjbarra is the name of a scooping object that's used to gather water chestnuts (rarrgi/rakayi), and the artist has honoured the traditional object with her choices of colour, size and perspective. You can take a 360-degree view of the work in the virtual gallery. 'MY STORIES FROM ERNABELLA MISSION' BY NYURPAYA KAIKA BURTON Found in the far exhibition room, to the right of 'Batjbarra', is a photographic work by South Australian multidisciplinary artist Nyurpaya Kaika Burton. Three black and white photos printed on Belgium linen are covered in writing, in Pitjantjatjara language. Burton, who is a longstanding director of Tjala Arts in Amata Community and chairwoman of the APY Art Centre Collective, wants to share the stories of her time growing up at Ernabella Mission. The now published author, singer, weaver and former teacher, says she started going to school there without any clothes. The 71 year old says, "We lived the traditional way, in a wiltja (shelter), no house with no clothes, a long way from the mission." Burton says she walked to school every day, hungry to learn. "We'd get water from the hose to shower, and after the shower we'd wait for the bell to ring and we'd line up ready to go in." Burton's images are of her and her brother on a donkey's back looking for wild figs, of children and teachers playing games, and of teenagers sitting in front of a teacher's house. "I loved learning to read and write and still do today." Discover more artworks in the Telstra NATSIAA exhibition, here. Top image: Charlie Bliss
The #OccupyWallStreet movement has really ignited the spirit of the disenfranchised in America. Anecdotes from ordinary people describing their economic plights has seen anger directed towards the 1% that continue to control the economic agenda in the USA. Through extensive use of Twitter and other social media tools, the increasingly large and angry mob are attempting to convey their message across the internet to gain support for their cause. But as thousands rally against social and economic inequality, corporate greed and the increasingly close relationships between politicians and financial institutions, this message is getting lost in seas of online rhetoric. According to the movement's own mission statement, 'Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%.' Without a clear purpose and no set goals, though, the message is becoming murkier. Most Australians have little idea about the extent of problems facing youths in America. With rising unemployment, little to no health care and increasing student debt, young graduates are increasingly anxious about their futures. And rightly so. According to a NY Times report, the jobless rate for college graduates in the U.S.A under the age of 25 has averaged 9.6% over the past year. For high school graduates, the average is 21.6%. Whilst the actual demands by the group remain a little unclear, a poll conducted by David Maris for Forbes has outlined a tentative set of demands or issues that are really aggravating the protestors. With many stating that the American Dream has now turned into a nightmare, the protests are continuing to spread like wildfire throughout the U.S. And whilst a rumoured Radiohead appearance at Liberty Square was later confirmed by the band to be a hoax, the movement has been getting increased backing from influential supporters. With Slavoj Zizek speaking at the rallies, Anti-Flag playing a set in Liberty Square, and Kanye West dropping in to say hello (without removing his gold chains) this protest doesn't seem to be quietening down any time soon. With an evolving approach to their demands, the 'We are the 99%' catchcry has now started to take a hold across the world, not just in New York. The movement has now spread to cities such as Chicago and Seattle, and there are also calls for global demonstrations, with planned protests as far afield as Italy, Spain and the London Stock Exchange. https://youtube.com/watch?v=r3ptmm8lAMM
Since Australia started easing out of COVID-19 lockdown, the country's internal border restrictions have earned plenty of attention. With tactics to stop the spread of the coronavirus implemented at a state-by-state level — and case numbers in each state varying — different parts of the country have navigated the situation in different ways when it comes to letting non-residents visit. In Western Australia, that has meant a hard border and strict quarantine requirements. For folks who don't normally reside in WA, you could only visit the state if you're classified as an exempt traveller, applied for a G2G Pass and, if approved, then went into self-isolation for 14 days. If you didn't have somewhere appropriate to do the latter, you had to go into a mandatory state quarantine facility for 14 days, too. As initially announced at the end of October — and confirmed by WA Premier Mark McGowan yesterday, Friday, November 13, just before changes came into effect at 12.01am on Saturday, November 14 — the state has started to relax its border restrictions. Moving to a system it has dubbed a 'controlled interstate border', it's now allowing travellers from very low-risk states and territories to enter under eased conditions — people from places that haven't had any community transmission of COVID-19 for 28 days, who can now head to WA without isolating. https://twitter.com/MarkMcGowanMP/status/1327112476857548800 At present, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory fall into that category. So, residents from those states and territories can now venture west. You do still have to complete a G2G Pass declaration, and you'll undergo a temperature test and health screening upon arrival — and you're advised to be prepared to take a COVID-19 test if necessary as well. If you live in New South Wales or Victoria, you're in a state that WA deems low risk. Stats-wise, that means there have been less than five community cases per day on a 14-day rolling average. For travellers, it means still self-quarantining for 14 days, and taking a COVID-19 test on the 11th day. And, this is likely to remain the case until those states have had 28 days without community cases, which is what WA requires to be considered very low-risk. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Western Australia, and the state's corresponding restrictions, visit its online COVID-19 hub. Top image: Tourism WA
You know it, we know it, everyone knows it: even the biggest Scrooge and Grinch has a soft spot for at least one Christmas carol. Whether the traditional tracks are your jam, or you like pop star and celebrity festive tunes, maybe Lefty's Old Time Music Hall will play them. That's what happens at a singalong, after all — a heap of songs dance through your ears, and a heap of folks try to carry a tune along with them. Andy "Orville" McDonell will look after the music, and you can join in as you like from 7pm to 10pm on Christmas Eve. So far, so standard? Given this is a Lefty's shindig, think again. They're promising to cover all of your favourite Christmas songs, which might just be the most intriguing statement they could offer. You just know that more than "Jingle Bells" will be getting the whiskey joint rocking.
Positioned in the heart of New Zealand's North Island, Mt Ruapehu is best known for its pristine developed ski fields. On the southwestern Turoa slopes it features natural pipes, steep chutes and a vertical drop of 722 metres, while the Whakapapa village leads to breathtaking snow-capped landscapes and the largest ski area in the nation. And that's only what happens in winter. Many people don't think of the mountain as a summer destination, but in the warmer months it comes to life with the country's largest high-speed gondola, panoramic views across a dual world heritage site and a range of dining options in the clouds. And while it may be summer, there's still a chance you'll spot some of the cold white stuff. [caption id="attachment_757146" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism New Zealand.[/caption] RIDE NEW ZEALAND'S NEWEST, LONGEST AND FASTEST GONDOLA Riding Mt Ruapehu's newly opened Sky Waka will take you on a journey into the clouds. Called New Zealand's largest and most technically advanced gondola, the high-speed Sky Waka travels 1.8 kilometres in just five minutes above the rugged terrain of Whakapapa. From the Top of the Bruce base station you'll traverse over waterfalls and ancient lava flows and catch a glimpse of Ruapehu and its neighbouring volcanoes, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, through the floor to ceiling windows. Touch down will bring you to the award-winning Knoll Ridge Chalet where a selection of dining options await. DINE AT NEW ZEALAND'S HIGHEST RESTAURANT Sitting pretty at 2020 metres above sea level, Mt Ruapehu's The Pinnacles (Ngā Tohu) restaurant puts the sky-high eateries of Auckland to shame. The highest restaurant in New Zealand allows guests to enjoy their meal alongside breathtaking views of the valley below. The menu offers a rotating selection of locally sourced meats, from Awhi Farms marinated sirloin to Waihi Pukawa roast rolled lamb and venison from the Central Plateau below. Pair that with roasted carrots by way of Ohakune and a cheese and pastry selection sure to rival anything back on earth. The restaurant is open in summer for buffet lunch, afternoon tea, plus dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings. Also on offer in the Knoll Ridge Chalet is classic New Zealand cafe-style cuisine. VISIT A DUAL UNESCO HERITAGE SITE While shredding powder is sure to get your blood pumping, a visit to Mt Ruapehu in the summer is enough to prompt a few jaw-dropping moments. The mountain just happens to sit within Tongariro National Park, New Zealand's oldest national park and a dual UNESCO World Heritage site. The status recognises the park's important Maori cultural as well as geological significance. Visitors to Ruapehu and the surrounding region can expect to see some of the most rugged terrain in the North Island, including panoramic views across the Central Plateau and as far as the perfectly formed stratovolcano, Mt Taranaki. VISIT FAMOUS SCENES FROM THE 'LORD OF THE RINGS' At Mt Ruapehu you can visit the spectacular scenery of J.R.R Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-Earth without tackling the great writhing tangled brambles or bypassing the lair of the giant spider. Several key scenes of the trilogy were filmed in Tongariro National Park, and varied levels of trails will have you positioned in Ithilien where Gollum caught a fish, at the very location Isildur cuts off Sauron's finger and standing in the spot where Frodo and Sam met the Gates of Mordor. New Zealand's Department of Conservation has kindly done all the legwork and put together a list of coordinates for a self-guided Lord of the Rings tour. See where the magic was made while experiencing some of the most beautiful short hikes in the country.
Two Spanish couples on holiday, the tale of a real-life Barcelona bus driver and a crime thriller set in the Basque Country: if you're looking to swap Australia's winter for Euro vibes from your cinema seat, they're some of the highlights in store. When the middle of the year hits Down Under each year, the Spanish Film Festival brightens up Aussie picture palaces with a lineup of movies from its namesake country. Exploring the breadth of Spanish-language cinema, it also showcases flicks from Latin America. Thirty films are on the fest's just-announced program for 2025, which is touring across Australia in June and July. Across various dates between Wednesday, June 11–Wednesday, July 9, audiences in Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Ballarat, Sydney, Byron Bay and Ballina can enjoy a roster of picks that includes a Sliding Doors-style opener, this year's two Goya Best Film winners and a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Nine Queens. Among the films mentioned above, Samana Sunrise is kicking of the festival with 20-year pals on a beachside getaway to the Dominican Republic when what might've been becomes the focus. Then, both El 47 and Undercover have prime slots fresh from their shared victory at Spain's version of the Oscars. The first heads back to the 70s to tell of bus driver Eduard Fernández's peaceful act of dissidence, while the second also unfurls a true tale, this time about the only police officer in Spain's history that has worked their way into terrorist organisation ETA. If you've been watching Ricardo Darín in recent Netflix hit The Eternaut, then you'll want to head back a quarter-century to see the Argentinian star's stellar work in heist flick Nine Queens — or revisit it if you're already a fan. It's closing out this year's Spanish Film Festival, screening in 4K. Other highlights across the program include The Quiet Maid, which was completely funded by NFTs, boasts Steven Soderbergh (Presence, Black Bag) as an executive producer, and follows a Colombian maid who discovers how to enjoy her summer while working on the Costa Brava; Ocho, charting a relationship over 90 years; the page-to-screen The Goldsmith's Secret; and Spanish box-office hit Wolfgang, a comedy a nine-year-old boy being set to live with his father. Or, there's Argentinian crime-thriller A Silent Death, which heads Patagonia in the 80s; El Jockey, with Money Heist and The Day of the Jackal's Úrsula Corberó among the Buenos Aires-set film's cast; and Peru's Through Rocks and Clouds, where an eight-year-old alpaca herder gets excited about the World Cup. With Marco, The Invented Truth, another slice of reality graces the lineup, this time honing in on the man who acted as the speaker of the Spanish association of Holocaust victims. The same is the case with I Am Nevenka, Nevenka Fernández's report of harassment by her employer in the 90s. Two documentaries also demonstrate how fact is frequently more fascinating than fiction, with Mugaritz. No Bread, No Dessert all about its eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant and The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés celebrating a rising star of its titular genre. From there, audiences can also catch the Canary Islands-set Babies Don't Come with Instructions, dive into mother-daughter relationships with Little Loves, follow three three Mexican American sisters retracing their grandmother's footsteps in Las Tres Sisters, Miguel Gila tribute May I Speak with the Enemy and queer drama Baby — and plenty more. Spanish Film Festival 2025 Dates Wednesday, June 11–Wednesday, July 2 — Palace Electric Cinema, Canberra Wednesday, June 11–Wednesday, July 2 — Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas and Palace Prospect Cinemas, Adelaide Wednesday, June 11–Wednesday, July 2 — Palace James Street and Palace Barracks, Brisbane Thursday, June 12–Wednesday, July 2 — Palace Raine Square Cinemas, Luna Leederville and Luna on SX, Perth Friday, June 13–Wednesday, July 2 — The Astor Theatre, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Penny Lane, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Palace Balwyn and Pentridge Cinema, Melbourne Friday, June 13–Wednesday, July 2 — Palace Regent Theatre, Ballarat Thursday, June 19–Wednesday, July 9 — Palace Norton Street, Palace Moore Park, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinema, Sydney Thursday, June 19–Wednesday, July 9 — Palace Byron Bay, Byron Bay Thursday, June 19–Wednesday, July 9 — Ballina Fair Cinemas, Ballina The 2025 Spanish Film Festival tours Australia in June and July. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the festival's website.
In Mexico, muralists are rewarded with prominence in government buildings and sinking institutes of the arts. Here, we give them furtive street corners, the trendier offices and pride of place in our cafes. Illustrator and artist, Brad Robson, has had a turn a lot of these locations and is looking expand his range, while answering the question "What do Erskineville's Hive Bar, SBS' World Movies office and your own home have in common?" If you're lucky, it could be one of his murals. In an exclusive collaboration with Concrete Playground, Robson is looking to come over and spend a day or two bringing art to a wall of your choosing (and that you can legally paint, naturally) up to 4 x 2 metres large with one of his own signature designs. Robson's recent show at Platform 72 showed off his gleanings from a New York residency, and his Sydney skyline finishes up its run in the window this week (although his show inside keeps on 'til the month is out). What strange vistas will emerge at your locale? For your chance to get Brad to come and paint a wall of your choosing, just make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground, then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au by 5pm on Monday, May 28, 2012. The winner will be notified by email soon after. Pictured, Robson's multi-wall spanning work from his New York residency.
It's the ultimate in work-life balance, an antidote to non-stop after-hours emails and Slack messages, and a guaranteed way to ensure what happens at work stays at work. In Apple TV+'s mind-bending new thriller series Severance — which plays like Black Mirror meets the Charlie Kaufman-penned Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, with Wes Anderson's aesthetic if he designed soulless office complexes, plus sprinklings of everything from George Orwell to also-excellent 2020 TV effort Devs — switching off when clocking off at Lumon Industries is easy. There's a brain implant for exactly that, and it's a condition of employment on "severed" floors. Accordingly, when quittin' time comes for Macrodata Refinement division employee Mark (Adam Scott, Big Little Lies), he physically steps into a tiny, shiny elevator to descend back into his after-hours life — but the version of him that works for Lumon won't recall anything beyond the company's walls. The instant that the one-person lift plummets at the end of the day, it goes back up for Mark's "innie", as his office-bound consciousness is dubbed. Voila, it's clocking-on time once more. For Mark's "outie", as the rest of his brain is labelled, the reverse occurs. Each day, he enters an elevator, hops out immediately, then drives to the suburban estate he calls home and repeats the process the next morning. Mourning the death of his wife, he's consciously chosen to separate his work and home selves in the most drastic of ways, giving him an eight-hour-a-day reprieve from his grief. But while it may sound like a dream escape — from Mark's pain, and for any employee eager to reclaim mental real estate from their job — this dark, twisty and instantly gripping series is firmly dystopian. Severance's attention-grabbing premise springs from creator Dan Erickson, a TV first-timer, and understands how most folks feel about office life. The show is knowing in its lead casting, too, given that Scott is best recognised for two workplace comedies: the joyous hug that is Parks and Recreation, as well as the acerbic, astute and soon-to-return Party Down. But as savvily and evocatively directed by Ben Stiller in its first three season-one episodes (and again in its last three, with Kissing Candice filmmaker Aoife McArdle helming three in the middle), Scott's new series dwells in 'be careful what you wish for' territory. For the part of Mark's brain that blanks out work, Severance initially seems like heaven. For the half that only knows the office, it's hell. The series begins with Mark two years into his time at Lumon, and newly installed as a division head after Petey (Yul Vazquez, The Outsider), his workplace BFF, leaves suddenly. One of his first tasks: onboarding Helly (Britt Lower, Future Man), who awakes in innie form for the first time sprawled atop a conference table. The camera gazes down, the eerie tone resembles leaping out of a nightmare but being unable to pick if you're still dreaming, and she hears Mark asking questions. Helly has queries herself, including: "am I livestock?". The severance process is jarring for newcomers, but they're expected to adjust swiftly. Innie Helly hasn't gotten that memo, however — and no, Party Down fans, neither her nor Mark are having fun yet. He grapples with his new role and the sudden loss of Petey, with his cold, unsevered boss Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette, The Act) and her omnipresent, also-unsevered assistant Mr Milchick (Tramell Tillman, Hunters) scrutinising every move, and his fellow severed MDR employees Irving (John Turturro, The Plot Against America) and Dylan (Zach Cherry, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) handling Lumon life by being controlling and competitive, respectively. As for Helly's innie, she starts waging war on the new world order she definitely didn't sign up for, including writing briskly denied resignation requests to her outie. From The Truman Show and The Matrix to The Office and Office Space, Severance's list of influences is lengthy. It's Kafkaesque and Lynchian, too, and wandering its labyrinthine hallways — corridors designed like a maze to keep Lumon departments apart — is like being trapped in a surreal workplace version of Twin Peaks' red room. Indeed, every production design and cinematography choice enhances the feeling of being trapped in an off-kilter and deeply unnerving corporate purgatory. It's there in the 70s- and 80s-style technology, the green-and-white colour scheme, and the camera placement that flits between claustrophobic and cooly expansive. Lumon's innies don't have the choice, but Severance is also a series to willingly get lost in. Apple TV+ is dropping episodes week to week, following a two-instalment premiere, but the compulsion to lap up more of its unsettling mysteries springs quickly. Just like other standout shows of the past few months, such as Yellowjackets and Station Eleven, the desperation to piece together Severance's puzzles echoes strongly while watching — but this meticulously made head-trip is in no rush to unveil its answers. Given the wealth of wonders to be found within its frames — and the allure of its slow-drip secrets, including exactly what MDR is doing as its workers sort through screens of "happy" and "scary" numbers — it's hardly surprising that Severance isn't in a rush. It also boasts Christopher Walken (Percy vs Goliath) putting his distinctive on-screen presence to great use as another of Lumon's severed wager-earners, and is home to stellar performances across the board, including Scott's latest everyman turn, Turturro playing the office pedant with aplomb, a compellingly icy Arquette and the mesmerising Tillman. And, crucially, equally calling out, questioning and satirising today's ideas about work is always on the show's agenda. With a wry sense of humour, Severance sees the nine-to-five grind as the hellscape it can be, probes the control we've relinquished for paycheques and pokes fun at everything that's become normalised about the modern workplace. The hold our jobs have over our lives, the cult-like worship that large companies demand from underlings, the awkward office exceptions and social conventions, and these always clocked-on times in general: none of them escape this perceptive and addictive series' attention. Not so fond of the corporate treadmill? As it immerses, engages and intrigues, Severance truly understands. Check out the trailer for Severance below: The first three episodes of Severance's first season are available to stream via Apple TV+, with new episodes dropping weekly.
Despite the increasing levels of shopping restrictions currently in effect across Australia, limiting the amount of various products anyone can buy at one time, trying to get your hands on — and covered in — sanitiser is much harder than it should be at present. The liquid disinfectant is on everyone's must-buy list, causing empty supermarket shelves seemingly everywhere. But if you'd like to slather your digits with hand sanitiser made from gin, that'll soon be on the cards. In normal, non-COVID-19 times, north Sydney's Manly Spirits Co makes gin, vodka, whisky and liqueurs. Of course, these aren't normal times, so it's switching part of its focus to making hand sanitiser. The distillery was inspired by its own staff's troubles buying the coveted product, and decided to use some of its high-grade alcohol to whip up its own. Specifically, Manly Spirits Co is re-distilling some of its gin alcohol — so you'll not only be able to disinfect your hands, but make them smell like gin botanicals, too. That's likely to make you thirsty, so the company is making 50ml bottles available for free with every Manly Spirits Co bottle of spirits purchased. To discourage stockpiling, however, there is a limit of one free sanitiser per person. Manly Spirits Hand Sanitiser with Gin Aroma will also be supplied to local community groups, charities and organisations in larger five-litre sizes, to assist with their crucial operations. The hand sanitiser is expected to become available next week — and, for folks outside of Sydney, the distillery's online store delivers Australia-wide. A specific date hasn't been announced, so keep an eye on the company's Facebook and Instagram for updates. Manly Spirits Hand Sanitiser with Gin Aroma will be available with spirits purchases, with one 50ml bottle available for free per person. For further details, visit the distillery's website. Images: Manly Spirits Co.
In many ways, our objects and possessions define us. In choosing to own something, we make a conscious (or perhaps subconscious) decision about its significance to our lives, who we are and, often, who we want to be. But in a time of mass production, excessive consumption and disposal incomes, perhaps it is the very same 'stuff' we choose to define ourselves by that in fact dilutes our true selves. Whether out in the open or organised neatly into cupboards and shelves, does the collective weight of our belongings mentally drag us down? New South Wales-based artist Lottie Consalvo has embarked on a yearlong performance piece that explores the effect our physical items have on us. Her project — Compartmentalise — was conceived after the birth of her first son, a time where Lottie felt she'd lost control over her time, life and home. In an attempt to find some sense of clarity and regain control, Lottie committed to living with minimal possessions — two tops, two pants, one dress, three pairs of underwear, one knife, one fork, etc. — for 12 months. Despite living with her husband and baby boy, working at a gallery, developing her artistic practice and maintaining an active social life, Lottie has remained within the performance since August 7, 2013, documenting her experiences and musings along the way. With three months until the conclusion of Compartmentalise, we spoke to Lottie about the discomforts and satisfactions of her minimal lifestyle, and whether de-cluttering her possessions has led her to find the clarity she so desperately sought. It's really interesting to see your development through the Compartmentalise entries. Do you feel you have become kinder to yourself throughout the process? I went to a talk this week by performance artist Tehching Hsieh who has done one-year performances, and a 13-year performance. One performance he spoke about was Time Clock Piece, where he punched a time clock every hour for the entire year. He said he got a bit lazy half way through the performance, slept through the occasional alarm and was late to punch, but when he only had three months left he focused more again — although you could hardly call his efforts lazy. When you are being so extreme, after time you start to relax a little and become kinder to yourself, as you say. For example, recently when my pyjamas were in the wash and I was freezing in just a t-shirt, I finally got up and put my husband James' clothes on. I also started letting myself accept and buy books and plants. I would never have done that in the first few months of the performance. However, now that I'm reaching the nine-month mark and the end is in sight, I think I'll be harder on myself again, perhaps so the ending feels more satisfying. I didn't foresee having to replace so many items — my dress, shoes (two pairs have broken though have only replaced one pair), belt, pants, sunglasses, cup, my car (the engine of my old one died). I used to feel guilty when I had to replace something as if I had failed the performance, but as time has gone on I have been more forgiving and accepted it as a part of the performance. So yes, I have become kinder to myself as the performance progresses in that respect. You sold off many of your possessions in a garage sale, but buyers were only allowed to purchase if they could justify why the needed/wanted the item. Why was this significant to you? I hoped that it would make people think beyond the satisfaction of their purchase and the satisfaction of the desire driving them to buy. It really stirred something uncomfortable in people beyond what I had hoped for, and I liked that. What has been the most satisfying aspect of Compartmentalise? Finding out how little I need to live and no longer being scared to let go of things in case I need them in the future. And the most difficult? The discomfort. As the performance has progressed I have become greatly uncomfortable. I often have to wear dirty clothes and wet underwear. I also don't have a cosy outfit to put on other than my pyjamas. Even right now my feet are cold as I have no thick socks. What will you retain from Compartmentalise? I hope to always question what I need before buying more, now knowing that everything I bring home will not only fill my home but also my mind. I hope still to live with limited possessions, though a few more than now. I hate the idea of having a full wardrobe, cupboards and cluttered surfaces again — I have a phobia of it now. I want to carry on buying fewer things that I really love and are better quality even if they cost much more money. I will also treat my belongings with much more respect. Come August 7, what do you think will happen when you finish Compartmentalise? Do you feel like it will be difficult to transition back to having (a few) more possessions? I think I will wake up and put different clothes on. I imagine that I will get pleasure out of the feeling of different clothes hugging my skin in different ways and wearing some colour, however the novelty will probably wear off quickly. I don't think it will be difficult. In fact, it would be very easy to fall back into the habit of buying and collecting — but I don't want this. I want to take it very slowly, it will be a slow transition to a more balanced place. You started this project to help you find clarity. So far, do you feel like you've found some? I'm not sure if I have found clarity so much as I have found a sense of weightlessness. When I look at my empty home I feel the clarity, but through the performance I have found that technology (as wonderful as it is) and work are what stop me from continuing this clarity through my days. Perhaps I need to remove technology, and time. Images courtesy of Lottie Consalvo. Follow the remainder of Lottie's performance via her Compartmentalise blog.
It's called the Museum of Old and New Art. As that name makes plain, it fills its walls and halls with examples of pieces that've been around for some time (and then some more) alongside fresh creations. And yet, Tasmania's must-visit Mona hasn't ever hosted an exhibition that only looks backwards — until September 2023 rolls around, that is. Fresh from unleashing another Dark Mofo upon Hobart, complete with an astonishing array of weird and wild wonders, the arts institution has unveiled its big summer plans to see out 2023 and welcome in 2024. Spanning the bulk of spring this year and autumn next year, too — running from Saturday, September 30, 2023–Monday, April 1, 2024 — are three exhibitions: Jean-Luc Moulène and Teams, Heavenly Beings: Icons of the Christian Orthodox World and Hrafntinna (Obsidian). Heading to Australia after showing in a different iteration at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Heavenly Beings: Icons of the Christian Orthodox World is responsible for the venue's debut display of only old art. It'll also be the biggest-ever showcase of jewel-like icons and related treasures that Australia has ever seen. Devotional objects depicting saints, virgins and other Christian holy subjects will be in the spotlight — more than 140 of them — as Mona dives into spiritual and aesthetic traditions covering centuries, what drives human behaviour and our motivations as earthbound beings. "Visitors certainly need not be religious believers to enjoy the sheer beauty and emotional power of these artworks. While painting an icon may begin from an act of piety, the resulting object also lives as a work of art far beyond its original purpose," explains Mona curator Jane Clark. "We can look at the icon as a 'window into heaven', as believers believe, but also as a looking glass, through which we may glimpse the deeper purposes — deeper than awe and transcendence, than culture or a higher power — that are served by human creativity." [caption id="attachment_908036" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Proskynetarion or Pilgrim's Memento of the Holy Sepulchre within the City of Jerusalem. Palestine, c. 1795. Collection Museum of Old and New Art (Mona), Hobart.[/caption] With Jean-Luc Moulène and Teams, Mona will also become a temporary home to French artist Jean-Luc Moulène's debut Australian exhibition. Four newly commissioned sculptural objects will feature, alongside some of Moulène's earlier works. So, get ready for new pieces using wax, metal, Triassic sandstone and timber from Tasmanian underwater forests, plus piles of coloured cans and large-scale video projections. "Jean-Luc Moulène has been described as mercurial, experimental, erudite and poetic. His ideas evolve through a deep and considered engagement with material, form, and process. The resulting objects are at once mysteriously beautiful, and forthright about the means of their making," notes Mona curator Sarah Wallace. [caption id="attachment_908034" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo Credit: Mona/Jesse Hunniford. Image Courtesy MONA Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.[/caption] Completing this trilogy — Mona's second in a row, after opening three showcases simultaneously in 2022, too — is Hrafntinna (Obsidian). Thanks to Sigur Rós vocalist Jónsi, attendees will get a volcano experience inspired by Fagradalsfjall in Iceland, which erupted in 2021 after almost eight centuries of being dormant. This immersive and sensory installation is designed to make visitors feel like they're entering a lava-spewing rupture's depths, using music, sound, smell and almost total darkness. Nearly 200 speakers will vibrate, while a hymn-style composition that takes its cues from Icelandic choral music will play. "Jónsi was compelled by the thought of experiencing this incredibly rare event. He wanted to recreate the phenomenon and capture the essence of what it might feel like to be deep inside the volcano, despite the obstacles of distance and logistics," says Wallace. [caption id="attachment_908031" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hrafntinna (Obsidian), 2021, Jónsi. Installation view, Obsidian, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York, 2021. Photo by Pierre Le Hors. Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles.[/caption] Jean-Luc Moulène and Teams, Heavenly Beings: Icons of the Christian Orthodox World and Hrafntinna (Obsidian) will all display at Mona, 655 Main Road, Berriedale, Hobart, Tasmania, from Saturday, September 30, 2023–Monday, April 1, 2024. Top image: Hrafntinna (Obsidian), 2021, Jónsi. Installation view, Obsidian, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York, 2021. Photo by Pierre Le Hors. Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
It's time you set your sights on the east coast because Aperol is coming to town in style with its Kombi Tour. The vintage, retrofitted 1976 Volkswagen van is back, chasing the sun with a road trip through some of Queensland's idyllic coastal towns — from Cairns to the perpetually stunning Whitsundays. The Kombi has been cruising around the southeastern corner of the state for the last month but is heading north for the rest of its tour, racing the winter chill and bringing the red-hot vibes along, too. There are five more stops on its journey before Aperol has to hang up its spritzes for winter. If you're in the area, chase the summer feeling and grab a delectable spritz while you still can. NORTHERLIES, AIRLIE BEACH The Kombi's next stop is Northerlies Beach Bar & Grill, just outside Airlie Beach. Aperol is stopping in for four weekends at the mellow beachside resort. Enjoy ice-cold Aperol Spritzes and exclusive specials — like the rosemary-infused Rosy Cheeks spritz — while taking in the gorgeous views of the salty waves crashing into the white sandy beaches. June 16–July 11, Northerlies Beach Bar & Grill, Airlie Beach. More information here. SALT HOUSE FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL Get a taste of the tropics at Salt House in Cairns when the Kombi rolls in this winter. The iconic waterfront venue is also hosting a Food & Wine Festival on Saturday, August 5, which will see winemakers, distillers, brewers and producers descend on the locale and share their wares with attendees. Enjoy local produce while sipping on a refreshing Aperol Spritz — direct from the Kombi. Not able to make it on the festival weekend? Well, you're in luck because it will be at Salt House for four weekends. July 28–August 7, Salt House Food & Wine Festival, Cairns. Book tickets here. CAIRNS ITALIAN FESTIVAL The inaugural ten-day Cairns Italian Festival is the next stop for the brightly-hued vehicle — although it won't actually be moving from Salt House. The waterfront spot is one of the many venues taking part in the festival, so the Kombi will sit tight at the venue for the festival's weekend in July. You'll be snacking on traditional Italian plates, woodfired pizzas, gelato and more — all while sipping deliciously bitter Aperol Spritzes. Saturday, July 29, Salt House, Cairns. More information here. TASTE PORT DOUGLAS The next stop on the 2023 Aperol Kombi Tour is the Taste Port Douglas Food and Wine Festival, held at the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort. Experience (and then taste) the rich food culture of Tropical North Queensland as top chefs arrive to dazzle you with their inspiring creations. You know the drill: wash it all down with a perfectly chilled spritz from the Kombi. August 10–13, Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, Port Douglas. More information here. SHERATON, PORT DOUGLAS If five-star luxury eco-certified stays are on your to-go-to list in 2023, take yourself to the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort. This August and September, you'll be on the doorstep of two staggeringly beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest), plus you'll be perfectly placed for the freshest of spritzes when the Kombi hits the digs from Tuesday, August 8 till Monday, September 11. It'll be the ideal way to toast the end of winter and celebrate the coming of spring. August 14–September 5, Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, Port Douglas. More information here. For more information on the Aperol Kombi Tour, and to plan your road trip to one of its pit stops, head to the website.
Talk about bloomin' great events: in autumn in the Scenic Rim, golden petals await at the Kalbar Sunflower Festival. For three days each year, a southeast Queensland farm opens its gates to the public for a weekend filled with yellow hues, florals as far as the eye can see, a sunflower maze and other activities celebrating its chosen plant. In 2025, you'll want to make sure that you're free to head along across Friday, May 2–Sunday, May 4. Located just over an hour outside of Brisbane, the Kalbar Sunflowers farm couldn't be more vibrant when it hosts its fest. It's no wonder that the event has become a much-loved and hugely popular autumn mainstay, with 12,000-plus people attending annually. Tickets are a hot commodity, with 2025's going on sale at the end of March. While the complete program for this year won't drop until Saturday, March 1, those lucky enough to score entry will spy sunflowers all around them at the Jenner family farm no matter what's on the full itinerary. In its early years, more than 200,000 blooms reached up to the sky, which is a hefty number. In 2023, over one million sunflowers were planted across 24 acres — and the same number will bloom in 2025. All of those golden petals also help the fest play host to a highlight to get lost in, literally: the popular sunflower maze. Picking sunflowers is on the agenda, too, costing $2 per stem. As happened in 2024, taking florals home with you will support a supremely worthy cause. To pay tribute to her husband Russell, who battled oesophageal cancer for 18 months and passed away in July 2023, the event's organiser Jenny Jenner is donating the proceeds from flower sales to The Mater Foundation and the Ipswich Hospital Foundation. Attendees can also look forward to the event's first animal petting zoo, a Devonshire tea marquee, the return of the fest's special-event lunches and gala dinner, food trucks serving up other bites, sunflower-themed market stalls and the sensory garden. Two murals will be painted, with the proceeds for taking part in making art going to community organisations. Past years have also featured yoga sessions among the sea of gold, art classes amid the blooms, making flower crowns, helicopter rides over the fields, sound-healing meditation classes among the petals and photo sessions, of course. Fingers crossed that they'll all be back. The Kalbar Sunflower Festival came about after Russell and Jenny changed direction during Queensland's ongoing drought conditions. Previously, they farmed lucerne but, with water levels low, they opted to switch to a crop that doesn't require as much H2O. And, with all those sunflowers then looking rather striking, the couple wanted to let everyone else enjoy their golden petals. The Kalbar Sunflower Festival 2025 takes place from Friday, May 2–Sunday, May 4 at Kalbar in Queensland's Scenic Rim. For further information, plus tickets from March, head to the event's website.
It was a great idea back in 2021, when Brisbane's dining scene was struggling through the early part of the pandemic. Returning for its fourth event in 2024, it's still an ace concept now. Dine BNE City is all about getting folks out and about to eat and drink around town, enticing diners with a month of specials and deals — so mark the entirety of June in your calendar (plus the day before) and prepare to get feasting. The just-dropped lineup is a choose-your-own-adventure affair. You can make plans for every lunchtime, after-work drinks and dinner across the month — or you can pick and choose your favourites, or make a date with the headline events. Whichever works for you, no one in Brisbane can claim not to have dining options in June. Some involve igloos. Others require blindfolds. Some are just about budget-friendly options. Eight big-ticket sessions sit on the 2024 Dine BNE City program, the first of which will kick off the culinary festival on Friday, May 31. That's when you'll be heading along to outdoor dining event Fireside at St Stephen's Cathedral to make the most of the last night of autumn. Also happening before winter officially rolls in, chalets will be back at Customs House from Tuesday, May 14. From there, the rest of Dine BNE City's key events only take place in June, such as Gather Bistro giving its rainforest garden bar a workout, Brisbane Quarter putting on a progressive dinner that'll take you between various restaurants, and Madame Wu doing a wine and cocktail dining experience. Or, there's as Tasmanian wine dinner at Tillerman, Walter's Steakhouse and Wine Bar hosting a Sunday roast special and The Boom Boom Room's International Sushi Day feast. If you're looking to liven up your midday breaks, that's where the Let's Do Lunch program comes in. Some places are doing meals for $25, and others for $35. Some specials include drinks, others don't. At the first price point, Santa Monica has lobster rolls, Riverland Brisbane is doing spanakopita with house wine and The Walnut will give you a southern fried chicken burger with a beer, for starters. And at the second, Frog's Hollow Saloon is pairing toasties and house cocktails, Brisbane Phoenix has a Cantonese roasted lunch on offer, Malt Dining is serving up brisket burgers with fries and a pint, and bento boxes come with a beverage at Bar 1603 — and the list keeps going on. At quittin' time, you can undertake a bar safari — because that's what this part of the lineup is called. Prices vary, but you can go for oysters and mini martinis at Alba Bar & Deli, meze and mimosas at Babylon Brisbane, bug bánh mi and champagne at Cuvee, and bug sliders and beer at Wet Deck. Then, for something more substantial for dinner, Vintaged Bar + Grill has a tomahawk experience for two, Tenya Japanese Restaurant & Bar is doing set menus, there's a salaryman banquet at Harajuku Gyoza in Albert Lane and Settimo is plating up supper menu just for the month. Over at The Lex, evenings are all about steak, salad and sips. Or, hit up Donna Chang for mini banquet featuring the restaurant's signature dishes. Dine BNE City runs from Friday, May 31–Sunday, June 30, 2024. Head to the festival's website for further details.
Forget Valentine's Day, its commercialised take on romance, and all those roses and hearts that pop up everywhere — if there's a mid-February occasion we can all get behind no matter whether you're single or attached, it's National Tim Tam Day. Yes, there really is a day for everything, including pretty much every type of food you can possibly think about, but no one is ever going to complain about having an excuse to eat more chocolate biscuits. In 2022, to celebrate this delicious date, Arnott's doesn't simply want you to eat Tim Tams, although it clearly does still want you to do exactly that. The biscuit brand has also just launched its own short-term Tim Tam gift store, so you can add Tim Tam merchandise to your life. The one item that'll get your tastebuds in a tizzy? Tim Tam perfume. If Victoria Bitter can make a fragrance inspired by beer, and The Louvre can drop perfumes that take their cues from its famous artworks, then dousing yourself in the scent of choccy bikkies really isn't that outlandish. Tim Tam eau de parfum comes in 30-millilitre bottles, and features real cocoa — as well as notes of caramel, bergamot, sandalwood and tonka bean. It's the perfume that'll make you hungry all day, and likely inspire cravings for Tim Tams in everyone you pass — and it's only on sale for a week, as that's how long the Tim Tam gift store will be up and running. So, you've got from Wednesday, February 16–Wednesday, February 23 to order, with Tim Tam eau de parfum costing $90 and slated to be dispatched in March. While you're bathing in the aroma of Tim Tams, you can also pop your feet into Tim Tam natural sheepskin slippers ($60) and sip your beverage of choice — we vote hot chocolate — from a Tim Tam mug ($25). Or, for the choccy bikkie lover who has everything, and might've even stayed in the Tim Tam hotel suite that popped up for 2021's National Tim Tam Day, all three items also come in a $140 gift pack. The Tim Tam gift store is up and running from Wednesday, February 16–Wednesday, February 23.
There ain't no party like a Strut & Fret party, as Brisbane is well-aware. With Blanc de Blanc, LIMBO, FUN HOUSE and LIFE — The Show, the production company has become a River City regular — and at the Queensland capital's annual citywide arts festival in particular. Brisbane Festival 2023 is no different, with Strut & Fret embracing the fact that it knows how to throw a killer shindig right there in its latest event's name. Expect a party at THE PARTY, obviously. Expect a characteristically wild night filled with circus, dance, comedy, music and all-round extravagance at South Bank Piazza as well. Bringing together international talent and an eye-popping set, THE PARTY isn't about holding back. Lavish, decadent, provocative, OTT: they all fit this show. Doing the choreography: Kevin Maher, who has worked with Madonna, Rihanna, Britney Spears and Justin Bieber. And Spencer Novich, who is charge of the comedy direction, has American Horror Story on his resume. While surprises are always part of a Strut & Fret stage soirée, it won't astonish anyone that this is a firmly adults-only, 18+ event. Head along from Friday, September 1–Saturday, September 23. Images: Jacinta Oaten.
Touring to Australia for the first time in more than five years for your first Aussie festival headlining slot since 2011 is one way to celebrate 35 years as a band. The group: Tool. The fest: Good Things. First, Good Things confirmed that it would be back in 2025, and also announced its dates. Then came the next key detail: where the festival is heading this year. Finally, it's now lineup time, starting with Maynard James Keenan and company, and also including Weezer and Garbage among the event's big names. [caption id="attachment_1016515" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Scott Moran[/caption] Get ready to hear 'Sober', 'Forty Six & 2', 'Buddy Holly', 'Island in the Sun', 'Vow' and 'Only Happy When It Rains' like it's the 90s and early-00s again — all on the festival's three annual stops in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The rest of the bill includes All Time Low, Machine Head and The All-American Rejects, as well as Knocked Loose, Lorna Shore, Refused, New Found Glory and Make Them Suffer. And, you can catch Dayseeker, James Reyne, Kublai Khan TX, Cobra Starship, Goldfinger, Tonight Alive and more. In the Victorian capital, Flemington Racecourse is again playing host to Good Things. In the Sunshine State, Brisbane Showgrounds is doing the honours again, too. Sydneysiders are hitting up Sydney Showground in 2025 instead of Centennial Park, in a move made to increase capacity, shelter, transport options and accessibility. As it has in past years, the fest is playing all three cities across one huge weekend. So, mark Friday, December 5 in your diaries for Melbourne, then Saturday, December 6 in the Harbour City and Sunday, December 7 in Brisbane. Good Things 2025 Dates and Venues Friday, December 5 — Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne Saturday, December 6 — Sydney Showground, Sydney Sunday, December 7 — Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane Good Things 2025 Lineup Tool Weezer Garbage All Time Low Machine Head The All-American Rejects Knocked Loose Lorna Shore Refused New Found Glory Make Them Suffer Dayseeker James Reyne Kublai Khan TX Cobra Starship Goldfinger Tonight Alive Bad Nerves Civic Dead Poet Society Fever 333 Gwar High Vis Inertia Palaye Royale Scene Queen South Arcade Wargasm Windwaker Yours Truly Good Things plays Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in December 2025, with pre-sale tickets from 10am AEST on Tuesday, August 19 and general sales from 10am AEST on Thursday, August 21 — head to the festival website for more information. Good Things images: Kane Hibberd.
3D printing technology is a lot to get your head around, especially in regards to the science fiction-esque breakthroughs of the medical world. But in regards to improving your herb garden, 3D printing can lend a hand here as well. Like a family tree for plants, the new 3D Printed Aqueduct Planters have a built in trickle down irrigation system so you only need to soak the top plant in water and the rest will follow. The planter utilizes the connections between each planter as a method of transferring water and saturating the soil from the top planter to the lower plants. This is especially useful for air plants or plants that don’t need a lot of soil. The planter system can be set up in an array of configurations so you can construct your living wall to complement your living space. [via inhabit]
Earlier this week Block Party's Russell Lissack tweeted "Can't stop listening to @lastdinosaurs album, check it out. Best guitar work I've heard in a long time Looking fwd to crossing paths soon ;). The winking smiling face just says it all. Who needs PR workers when you've got Lissack building up your album rep? It worked an absolute treat with subsequent tweeters agreeing and praising Last Dinosaurs for their latest debut, In a Million Years. Roaring back into town this Thursday with the album launch party that's got everyone excited, catch our Brisbane boys at Cobra Kai Club Night with special guests The Jungle Giants. Don't forget to stick around after the show for the Official Neon Indian After Party. Although it didn't receive a tweet fest publicity build up, the after party will be equally as electric. Pre sale tickets have sold out but there are limited door tickets available on the night. Make sure you get in early so you don't miss out!
Whatever lengths you think you'd go to in order to watch your favourite sporting team, the Wellington residents that inspired big-screen comedy Red, White & Brass have you beat. In 2011, New Zealand hosted the Rugby World Cup. As part of the competition's games in the Aotearoa capital, Tonga was set to play France. Understandably, the local Tongan community was thrilled — and, amid painting the town red and white, also determined to go along. The avid fans at one particular Wellington church hit a snag, however: with tickets to attend the match both expensive and popular, they didn't end up with seats. Then, they lucked into a unique opportunity. If they said they were a brass marching band, exaggerating their experience with instruments — which was largely zero — they could perform on the field before kickoff, and sit down to watch their heroes afterwards. It's the kind of story that sounds like a pure Hollywood concoction, but it genuinely happened to Halaifonua (Nua) Finau and his family. Now, it's exactly the tale at the heart of NZ comedy Red, White & Brass. Not only stepping through this wild IRL twist of fate, but celebrating Tongan pride and māfana in the process, the resulting movie is an instantly heartwarming crowd-pleaser. It has also proven a big hit, both at home where it premiered in March, and now that it's both doing the film festival circuit — complete with a stop at the Sydney Film Festival — and opening in general release in Australian cinemas. Nua co-wrote the script, and also produces, with first-time feature director Damon Fepulea'i and on-screen movie debutant John-Paul Foliaki taking on a daunting task. How do you turn someone's real-life experience into a movie with them right by your side? That was Fepulea'i's job as both Red, White & Brass' helmer and co-scribe. How do you play the person that's there on set with you, including with his parents as your character's parents? That was Foliaki's gig as fictionalised on-screen ringleader Maka, in his first-ever acting credit after coming to fame as a NZ Popstars personality. With Red, White & Brass now screening in Australia, Fepulea'i and Foliaki chatted with Concrete Playground about their Red, White & Brass journey, including discovering the true story at the movie's core, working with Nua and his family, making a love letter to the Tongan community and the response so far. ON WORKING WITH A STORY THAT'S SO WILD THAT IT CAN ONLY BE TRUE Damon: "Writer and producer Halaifonua (Nua) Finau, it's basically his story, his family's experience. So he's an actor and a producer, and he's was just sort of telling people the story — and everyone was like, 'oh man bro, this is a really great story, you've gotta turn this into a film'. And him being like the real-life Maka, he basically just shopped the idea around and then ended up getting the film made. So when I was brought on, he told me the story and I was really connected to it as well, and we worked together and wrote the script." JP: "Honestly, when I got the script, when I got that audition — when I got the audition and when we did that first table read — that was something special. That's the first time I'd heard about it properly, and knew the story as based on a true story, and also got an insight to how special the project was going to be." ON TURNING REAL-LIFE EVENTS INTO A MOVIE WITH THE PERSON WHO LIVED IT Damon: "I think Nua and I had a really good chemistry when we were writing, because I think I had more experience as a screenwriter, but Nua is such a natural, gifted storyteller. So he would come in and yeah, lots of stories. Whether they're true or not, who knows?" JP: "Yeah!" Damon: "But actually, he would just tell stories, and we would talk and I'd ask him questions. I have a documentary background as well, so I'm always genuinely interested — and me being non-Tongan, a lot of it was just like 'what makes Tongans Tongan?'. So we explored that during the writing process — and it was actually, looking back, it was really quite a joy because we I think we complemented each other in terms of me being more kind of structure-focused, having experienced writing feature-length films, but also him bringing the truthfulness and the just the funny stories. He just would talk and he wouldn't even know he's being funny. It would just be like 'oh bro, tell this' — he'd go on these long stories and it'd be like 'oh, that's a scene'." JP: "It's like the real-life Maka and Veni from the movie." ON STEPPING INTO NUA'S IRL SHOES WHILE HE WAS THERE WATCHING JP: "I think at first I had a lot of doubts about myself being able to do good job of the role. But I think also just having him on set, yeah, I did feel like 'oh, man, I need to bring my A game'. But it was also super helpful, and he was really supportive — and he was definitely open to Maka being my own interpretation, and to bringing someone to life that I could relate to as well. And also just asking him questions when I wanted to. And his mum and dad in real life played Maka's parents in the film, so they were there and I could ask them lots of questions. We all have that type of cousin. To be honest, I'm that type of cousin to a lot of my cousins — so that was good. I had multiple sources that I could pull from." ON HAVING NUA'S PARENTS PLAYING MAKA'S REAL PARENTS JP: "For me, I think it was the kind of thing that — priceless may be the wrong word, but I think what I'm trying to say is that's the kind of thing that you almost can't cast or you can't wish for. Or, you wouldn't even think that's possible that they're writing the story about this family and the real parents from that family are going come play the parents. You know, no acting experience, Tongan through and through. They are part of the older generation of Tongan parents where they would think that this kind of thing is a joke, and you just do it when you're mucking around, or you do it for Sunday church productions and things like that — but it's nothing too serious. So to have them support their son and his story, and their family story, but also to be on the set, yeah, it meant a lot. It was sometimes really hard because it reminded me a lot about of my parents and my grandparents, and the journey that we took to get there, and all those themes of migration and having limited resources, and reaching an end goal and not worrying about what people say about you. And, that constant battle between church culture and family. Those themes are able to be brought to life — one, because of the cast, but also because the parents from the real story were there actually on set as well." Damon: "Yeah, they brought that authenticity that you just couldn't get from actors, I think. I don't know if there was actually that much acting going on — it's just them being themselves. Sometimes, in terms of directing, it'd just be like 'oh, what would you say to Nua? And how would you say it?'. And they just do it. It's just how they how they'd say things. It was an amazing blessing to have them." JP: "I was so proud of them, too. Because I'd see them highlighting their lines, learning their lines — and one of them forgets their lines, and the other one is trying to correct them. And they're talking to each other on Tongan on set, and it's so funny. They did such a good job." ON MAKING A LOVE LETTER TO THE TONGAN COMMUNITY Damon: "It was always meant to be a feel-good film right from the start. The game plan was always to capture that Tongan energy and the extraness. And the film explores what it means to be Tongan — and the way that Tongans go to these great lengths in showing the amount of pride that they have for their country and for their family. It's really about capturing that and the energy to go with it." JP: "A love letter to the community — that's such a good way to put it. I think when you think about being Tongan and and all the things that you love about being Tongan, a lot of that is displayed through the film. And not even just the things you love about being Tongan, but also the many challenges that we go through being New Zealand-born Tongans, or Tongans that, obviously, a lot of us have migrated to Australia, New Zealand, America and beyond. So all those challenges that we face, it was so cool to be like 'man, regardless of where we've moved overseas, we all share this and have this shared experience, and we can make a good movie out of it'." ON THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT COMES WITH SUCH A STRONG ODE TO TONGAN CULTURE Damon: "It was really important for us right from the start that we wanted to tell the story as authentically as possible, and also to represent Pacific culture as real as possible, and to not make it feel like it was like we were pandering to an audience, or taking out things just to make it easier to watch for non-Tongans. We always wanted to make sure the Tongan language was in there, and it was realistic, and that all the details from the costumes to the props were also all there. We really wanted to make sure that we got it right — and for me being a non-Tongan, I wanted to make sure that what I was doing represented Tonga in a good way as well." JP: "I think from an artist perspective or performance-wise, Tongans, we support 100-percent over and above — and we let it be known to the whole world that something is Tongan or something's happening that has to do Tonga. But when they don't like something, they also come out in full force as well. So I was very nervous about that. It was my first official acting role and I really just wanted to do the role justice, and make my family and my country proud, because I could see after our first reading and getting the script that it truly was going to be something special. And you don't know until you see the final cut, so I'm really happy that translated well and that we were able to do that." ON THE FILM'S SUCCESS — AND THE RESPONSE FROM TONGAN VIEWERS Damon: "It's been surreal, I have to say. We had the world premiere in Wellington, and that was in the Embassy Theatre, which is Peter Jackson's theatre. It was pretty much just full of Tongans, and they were waving flags— and it was probably the best screening experience I've ever had. It was just so much fun. It feels like we've just been on this whirlwind since then as well — it's been kind of surreal as well. It's sometimes hard to believe like 'oh, we made a film' and 'oh, people are watching it'. So yeah, it's still a lot of 'pinch me' moments." JP: "It's been incredible. I think a lot of people have shown a lot of love, and I think it's the whole idea of being able to see themselves on-screen and carrying out the themes that we know so well as Tongans, and the life that we live in our churches and our communities and our families. And having so many different versions of our cousins on the screen, but then also having universal messages and themes throughout the film. So Tongans have been very supportive — but honestly a lot of people, regardless of their ethnicity, have shown a lot of love." Red, White & Brass is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review.
“Your nose like a delicious slope of cream / And your ears like cream flaps / And your teeth like hard shiny pegs of cream.” Diner en Blanc — like Howard Moon's poem — will have you in all white. But sorry, Booshers: the fourth edition of this Brisbane event is just for the sophisticated. Now on five continents, the Diner en Blanc began in Paris 27 years ago thanks to François Pasquier and friends. This year, 2000+ of Brisbane's creme de la creme will once again dress in all white on Saturday, October 17, for the event held at a predictably stunning location that remains secret until the very last moment (for the last two years, it was the beautiful banks of the Brisbane River at Portside and Roma St. Parklands). Following an evening of elegance, fine dining and live music, the foodies then pack up their crystal, dinnerware, tables and litter. Like ghosts (white 'n' all), they leave behind no sign of their rendezvous (but don't get any ideas, a white sheet thrown over your figure will not do for an outfit). Diner en Blanc guests must either be invited by a member from the previous year, or get on the waiting list for a ticket. Here's what happened last year:
This article is part of our series on the diverse highlights of NZ's Canterbury region, from city to snow. To book your Christchurch trip, visit the 100% Pure New Zealand website. Serving beer out of a bus sounds like a next-level food truck about to hit the streets of Melbourne (and, honestly, a great business idea, liquor licensing laws aside), but Smash Palace is a bit more complicated than that. The bus doesn't move per se — it mostly stays parked in a vacant lot — but, as is the beauty of having a bar on wheels, it can be moved at any time. Welcome to Christchurch: where bars are mobile and most things are temporary. "We ... knew that a lot of Christchurch was, and still is, empty land," says Smash Palace owner Johnny Moore. "So we wanted to find a way to occupy that empty land." Like all good purchases, the bus was bought late one night on the internet. Finding a place to put it wasn't quite so easy. The site that was eventually found — an empty block on a busy corner of the CBD border — was disused. The bus bar forms the centrepiece of the lot, serving beer and burgers, with the addition of mulled wine and hot water bottles over winter. Circus-like coloured lights hang around the outdoor tables and undercover areas, making it more like a beer garden or a market than a booze bus. Originally designed to be temporary and provide Christchurch with a pub-like place to meet, drink and start conversations, Smash Palace has now been open for just over two years. People just really bought into the concept and what it gave to the community, says Johnny. "I think it’s the spirit of the place, making do with what you’ve got." As is the transitory nature of Christchurch at the moment, pop-up bars, shops and institutions make up a large percentage of the city. It's an exciting time for small business owners and those wanting to start something in Christchurch. "Anyone who's here wants to be here," says Johnny. "For younger people it's the land of opportunity. Whatever you can dream can happen at the moment."
When podcasting grasped onto IRL mysteries and the world listened, it started a 21st-century circle of true crime obsessions. First, the audio format dived into the genre. Next, screens big and small gave it renewed attention, not that either ever shirked reality's bleakest details. Now, movies and TV shows are known to spin stories around folks investigating such cases to make podcasts, turning detective as they press record. And, as Only Murders in the Building did, sometimes there's also a podcast venturing behind the scenes of a fictional affair about podcasters sleuthing a case. While Bodkin, which arrived via Netflix on Thursday, May 9, mightn't come with an accompanying digital audio series stepping into its minutiae, it does take murder-mystery comedy Only Murders in the Building's lead otherwise. Swaps are made — West Cork is in, New York is out; deaths pile up in an Irish village, not an apartment building; three chalk-and-cheese neighbours give way to a trio of mismatched journalists — but the shared format is as plain to see as blood splatter. Call that part of the 21st-century circle of true crime obsessions, too, as one hit inspires more. Bodkin is easy to get hooked on as Only Murders in the Building as well, even if it's not as guaranteed to return for additional seasons. Siobhán Cullen (The Dry), Will Forte (Strays) and Robyn Cara (Mixtape) give this seven-part series its investigating threesome: Irishwoman-in-London Dove Maloney, a hard-nosed reporter who just lost a source on a big story; American Gilbert Power, who capitalised upon his wife's cancer for his first podcast hit; and enthusiastic researcher Emmy Sizergh, who wants to be Dove and, much to her idol's dismay, is fine with following Gilbert's lead to get there. They're thrown together in the show's titular town not by Dove's choice, but because she's bundled off by her editor when the whistleblower behind an article about England's National Health Service is found dead. Gilbert and Emmy are well-aware that she's not there willingly — Dove isn't the type to hide her disdain for anything, especially her latest assignment, Gilbert's medium of choice and his approach, and Emmy's eagerness. Bodkin beckons courtesy of a cold case from a quarter-century back when the village gathered for its then-annual Samhain festival (an influence upon Halloween). The last time that the event was held in the scenic coastal spot, three people disappeared, which Gilbert is certain is a killer hook for the next big hit he desperately needs for the sake of both his reputation and his finances. He also has Irish heritage, another angle that he's sure will add audience-courting flavour to the podcast. But the trio have barely arrived, with local twentysomething Seán (Chris Walley, The Young Offenders) as their driver and the eccentric Mrs O'Shea (Pom Boyd, also The Dry) their B&B host, when Dove is adamant that there's much more going on in Bodkin than the narrative that Gilbert has already decided to tell. Through the acerbic and cynical Dove — someone who responds to being considered a role model by telling Emmy to fuck off repeatedly — Bodkin gets its licks in about podcasting's tropes, formula and current oversaturation. Through Gilbert, too, including via his stock-standard and cliche-riddled opening voiceovers that could've been lifted from real-life audio, it also satirises the format that the show puts at its centre. Making his first series after penning four shorts between 2011–2018, creator Jez Scharf largely keeps the show in darkly humorous mode, though, and lets the whodunnit angle play out like a comic-leaning thriller (season two of The Tourist also comes to mind). Although that might seem a tricky tonal balance, it works not just in his hands, but with Nash Edgerton (brother of Joel, and director of Mr Inbetween, Gringo and The Square), Bronwen Hughes (Shantaram), Johnny Allan (The Devil's Hour) and Paddy Breathnach (another The Dry alum) helming. At one point, whether Gilbert, Dove and Emmy's project will be "a podcast that pretends to be about one thing but is really about something else" is raised — a fair comment in general, as regular listeners know. That's also an observation that applies to Bodkin itself, but knowingly. This is indeed a series about podcasters investigating a case, a parody of exactly that and an unpacking of the voyeurism behind the form in its true-crime guise. In addition, it's an exploration of the truth that little neatly boils down to the formula podcasts are chasing. It's a portrait of being caught between tradition and the future as well, which applies in a range of ways — and, especially of Dove, it's a character study. Bodkin is populated by everyone from singing blacksmiths (Ger Kelly, King Frankie) to entrepreneurs trying to set up a server farm (Charlie Kelly, Dublin Murders), and also an island of nuns and a camp of hippies. As becomes apparent early, at the core of much that's occurring usually sits fisherman Seamus Gallagher (David Wilmot, The Wonder). Scharf and his fellow writers have fleshed out their setting Parks and Recreation- and The Simpsons-style with an array of colourful characters that comprise any community, and have let comedy guide some of their choices. When it examines what drives Dove, Gilbert and Emmy as they get immersed deeper and deeper into a mystery that sees them witnessing yoga in a convent one day and hearing about the Good Friday agreement another, however, it is at its strongest. As Dove, Cullen turns in a multifaceted performance to build a series around. Given her raw, thoughtful and caustically amusing work, it's no surprise that that's where Bodkin heads. Forte starts off the show like he's wandered in from The Last Man of Earth, complete with goofy charm and bumbling certainty that Gilbert is on the right path, but is given room to lay bare the character's layers. Cara, too, gets the space to make Emmy much more than a sidekick. Among the supporting players, both Walley and Wilmot leave a considerable imprint. So does the show overall, despite taking its time to settle into a groove — and as a jump into scripted TV by Higher Ground, the production company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama (which also had a hand in 2023 movies Rustin and Leave the World Behind), it's an effective and quick-to-binge first leap. Check out the trailer for Bodkin below: Bodkin streams via Netflix. Images: Enda Bowe/Netflix © 2024.
