You might have one that needs a bit more attention than you have time to give. Or maybe a flowerpot on your apartment balcony could be the best you can muster. Either way, there’s something about gardens that continues to appeal, and not just to those with green thumbs. For decades, centuries and even longer, people have found making order out of nature soothing, whether trying to tame a patch of land or nurture a plant to grow. As have artists in committing images of gardens onto canvas. QUT Art Museum’s latest exhibition tracks this tendancy from the 16th century onwards, while trying to understand the allure of enforcing humanity’s will over nature. The result is a collection of new and old work that ties cultivating greenery to the meaning of life — and perhaps proves that looking at a picture of a garden is as therapeutic as walking around one.
When the first Reds, Whites, Blues and Brews took place in August, it was supposed to be the inaugural outing of an annual event. Less than three months later, it's all happening again. It seems that Brisbane just can't wait for another combined beer garden, music festival and wine showcase. Not that you can blame us; who doesn't want to enjoy a taste of South Australia at South Bank, as well as an afternoon of drinking, listening to bluesy tunes and devouring tasty meals from the city's best food trucks? The timing is right, too. Who isn't in desperate need of an alternative to the usual pre-Christmas chaos? Beverages from Greg Cooley Wines, Pikes and The Clare Valley Brewing Company will help you cast the silly season far from your mind, while King of the Wings, Pizzantica, Vira Lata and The Bun Mobile will distract your tastebuds. That just leaves Harry Hookey, Fiona Boyes, Luke Dickens, Matt Ross, Mitch King, David De Vito and Tarscha Waddington to provide the soundtrack — and with that lineup, you know that they'll deliver.
Did you spend your childhood wishing that Jurassic Park wasn't just a movie (or a book that spawned a movie and box office-smashing sequels)? Us too. While that dream is yet to become a reality, Queensland University of Technology has created the next best thing. Welcome... to the digital Dino Zoo. It's exactly what it sounds like: a two-storey installation that lets hyper-realistic, full-sized versions of prehistoric creatures roam wild, with the floor-to-ceiling screens acting like a glass enclosure. It's also much, much more than that. Dino Zoo doesn't just offer the world's first ever opportunity to interact with ten dinosaurs — including the largest flying reptile ever to live, and Australian critters with names like Muttaburrasaurus and Australovenator — but combines video game wizardry with scientific knowledge. What does that mean? Well, these dinos not only look the part, but act it as well. They've been designed to simulate real creatures, with each species vested with artificial intelligence. Watch Stegosaurus and Triceratops make their own decisions about moving, hunting, grazing and resting — and, if you're lucky, recreating parts of your favourite film. We can't promise that you'll be fleeing from a Tyrannosaurus Rex, but we can promise that you can pretend to. With data gleaned from real-life fossils instrumental in the project, Dino Zoo also features a digital dig pit that lets audiences uncover prehistoric bones, an interactive Earth timeline that visualises tectonic plate movement throughout history, and an 'Earth mass extinction simulator' — eek. Basically, it's all the virtual dino fun aficionados could ask for — and everyone loves dinosaurs, after all. Yes, yes they do. Just ask all the folks that flocked to see Jurassic World, which mightn't have been the sequel fans of the original were hoping for, but it still made more than $52 million at the local box office. Image: Erika Fish, QUT.
When it comes to movie genres at their best when viewed on the big screen, few can challenge the western. The wide-open vistas, the golden colours, the frenetic gunfights, the galloping horses and rolling wagons — they've all help define the concept of true cinematic majesty. Everyone at the Gallery of Modern Art's Australian Cinémathèque clearly feels the same way, as their latest program proves. For two months, they're opening their doors to a ride through the exploits of cowboys, lawmen, wanderers and villains. Everything from classics such The Searchers and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, iconic efforts The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and El Topo, plus more recent fare like Mystery Road and Django Unchained fits the bill, as well as the twists on the genre seen in Seven Samurai and Mad Max 2 too. As always, the lineup also features music and movie presentations, including live sound effects in a unique performance event session of Buster Keaton's Go West. Now that's something to saddle up for and canter towards. Image: Production still from Django Unchained, 2012 / Director: Quentin Tarantino / Image courtesy: Sony Pictures.
Drinking a beverage and watching a band ranks among life's simplest pleasures. Enjoying one of 130 craft beers and ciders from 32 independent brewers, while being entertained by British India, Busby Marou and more — now that's how you take something great and make it even better. Ensuring a good time is had by all is part of the aim of the Beer InCider Experience in its 2015 iteration. Well, that and showcasing the best in brews and music, plus throwing in some delicious food and fun entertainment options. To line the stomach, at least nine local food trucks such as will do their bit, offering up everything from pizza to tacos. Those looking for something a bit different might want to try the gourmet tasting lunch, or perhaps Gelateria Cremona and Rocks Brewing Co beer gelato. Then, work it all off with a bout of Berlin-style ping pong or putt putt, or stand around and chill to the sights of roving burlesque performers. Yes, this truly is the ultimate in drinks-focused music festivals.
You've heard about the seven deadly sins, and you can probably name them. You've also likely watched the David Fincher film — aka the movie that knocked Gwyneth Paltrow's head off. We're guessing that what you haven't done, though, is seen lust, pride, envy, wrath, gluttony, greed and sloth explored through dance. Well, now you can, because Natalie Weir and Expressions want to change that. The internationally acclaimed choreographer and the Australian dance company have joined forces to unleash ancient sins on the modern world. In their hands, the fleet of foot will demonstrate our darkest desires and delve into the recesses of the human condition through breathtaking movement. Think age-old immoralities combined with contemporary choreography to spotlight the inherent frailty and imperfections that exist within us all. Think a world first, too, with this edgy, spicy production unveiling its wicked charms for the first-time ever in Brisbane.
After the success of their earlier event — and to celebrate what has become known as Mean Girls day — the Brightside is throwing another film-focused party. Yes, not being there would be social suicide. Yes, revisiting the correct usages of 'fetch', 'grool' and 'ESPN' is just part of the fun, as is channelling your inner queen bee and donning your best pink outfit — even on a Saturday. The movie will be playing on repeat, but watching and rewatching its blistering take on teenage life isn't the only way you can indulge your Mean Girls love. You can drink buckets of Glen Coco and enjoy candy grams. You can dance just like it's the Spring Fling to party and punk tunes from the Brighty DJs. And you can prove your devotion by battling it out in a Man vs Bear-hosted trivia quiz. Everyone gets a mathletes or plastics badge at the door, of course.
The idea of utopia is one that has always entranced artists and policy makers alike. Vincent Harding first used the phrase ‘a land that does not yet exist’ to describe utopia in his essay Is America Possible?, an examination of the idealisation of America and how it differed from reality, particularly for African Americans (the line itself was paraphrased from Langston Hughes’ poem “Let America Be America Again”). The political, physical and personal space between utopia and reality is also explored in art collective Reframed’s annual group exhibition, A Land That Does Not Yet Exist. Eighteen artists have approached the theme from their own politics and frames of thought, interpreting the metaphor of idealism through their diverse artistic practices. The artworks encompass a wide range of mediums, including painting, drawing, photography and sculpture. A Land That Does Not Yet Exist exhibits at White Canvas Gallery from 30 September to 10 October, with an opening night event on 1 October. Image: Bound Narrative 1 by ErynMark.
It's not often that something currently exciting crowds at London's famed National Theatre also starts its run in Brisbane. Throw in the fact that the performance in question is based on a Broadway hit that starred Chris Rock, and to say the production is a rare treat is stating the obvious. The Motherf***er with the Hat is show in the spotlight, making its local premiere at the Brisbane Powerhouse thanks to the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts. If its pedigree hasn't already piqued your interest — and its blending of New York and Brisbane subcultures, or its description as a mix of "Trainspotting, The Birdcage and Bangarra Dance Theatre" — then perhaps its plot will. Amid more than occasional coarse language, the award-winning play by 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winner Stephen Adly Guirgis charts the escapades that eventuate when a piece of misplaced headwear causes relationship intrigue. Expect tough circumstances and tender feelings to combine. Expect the performance to be as heartbreaking as it is hilarious, too.
It's not very often that a taste of Bollywood comes to Brisbane, but that's what's happening for one night only. The Queensland Symphony Orchestra takes inspiration from India's movie industry — as well a certain Oscar-winning effort set in the subcontinent — for the world premiere of their latest work. That'd be the specially commissioned Sitar Concerto by Shahid Parvez Khan, which combines movements from Ravi Shankar’s Symphony No.1 with excerpts from film favourites. Yes, the applauded score by A.R. Rahman’s from Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire is among them. As the mix ancient Indian traditions with new musical styles provides a feast for your ears, colour and movement from Brisbane's Dance Masala Bollywood Dance Company will do the same for your eyes. This won't just bring a thriving film style to the City Hall stage — it might just be the closest you'll get to being in a Bollywood movie.
Fireworks Gallery's Up Close brings together three generations of Australian photographers and their intimate, powerful and poignant work. Juno Gemes has been capturing some of Australia's most important moments for over 40 years, and has used her art to advocate, recognise and push respect for Aboriginal Australians. From the 1970s to now, she has captured the generational shifts and historical moments that have played part in Australia's indigenous history. Michael Aird has worked in the area of Aboriginal arts and history for over 30 years, predominantly in archival and curatorial work, and in seeking to counteract the mainstream media's negative depictions of Aboriginal people. Jo-Anne Driessens is a photographer who was adopted into a non-Indigenous family, and through her practice documents her search and connection to her cultural roots. Her primary focus is on Aboriginal women. Up Close amasses their efforts, showcasing some of this country's most important and story-filled works from three of our most renowned contemporary artists. This exhibition runs until December 24.
Colder weather might be months away, particularly with Brisbane's summery sunshine showing no signs of stopping — but that doesn't mean you can't try to escape the heat by pretending things are much, much cooler. Indeed, Saké is getting positively chilly during February. Well, they are throwing an Ice Festival, after all. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like: a celebration of the frostier side of life, ranging from specialty cocktails to a winter wonderland ice party. While the former are available every night of the week until February 29, the latter freshens up the Eagle Street Pier eatery — complete with a handcrafted ice sculpture, snow covered bar and live DJ — on February 26. A restaurant doesn't need a reason to turn the temperature down, of course; however if you're wondering what has inspired this icy event, rest assured that there's a reason for the chilled shenanigans. The Sapporo Snow Festival took place in Japan earlier this month, and this is Saké's way of joining in the fun. Sounds pretty cool to us.
Dangerous Liaisons, Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's 1782 novel, has been brought to life many times over the years. In the 1980s it made its way to the stage as a play starring Alan Rickman, and to the screen as a film featuring John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer. And then there's Cruel Intentions, the teen-focused, Sarah Michelle Gellar-starring effort you mightn't have realised was an adaptation. Now, for MELT Festival 2015, it's a decadent theatre production — one that's been inspired by Charles Ludlam’s Ridiculous Theater Company, director Derek Jarman's work, Rococo fashions and the period pieces of Peter Greenaway. Basically, Little Ones Theatre's production is exactly what a morally ambiguous tale of sex, betrayal and bad behaviour should be when given the high camp treatment.
Surveying the best the inner city has to offer, the Spring Hill Alive Festival is bringing revelry back to the CBD’s outskirts. Markets, food trucks and more will see Boundary Street erupt into an seven-hour feast for all ages. That means you'll be eating, drinking, shopping and just generally feeling merry, as you should be at all good festivals. Fuel up at food stalls and vans, or at the area's local eateries. When it comes to entertainment, a packed roster of local talent will be on hand to keep Spring Hill pumping, featuring sets by Karl S Williams, Electrik Lemonade, The Reversals, Quintissential Doll, Jake Whittaker and Deena. Yes, we know what you're thinking. Here, you really can dance in the street.
The term ‘numinous’ is used to describe something that has a spiritual or religious quality, reflecting the presence of divinity. In Numinous-i, artists David Howard and Darryl Rogers explore spirituality in its duality with the material, with an approach that sees divinity in quantum theory as much as religion. Darryl Rogers evokes mystery and the universal longing for an alternate reality in his work Sehnsucht, a four-channel video installation that acts as a grounding centerpiece to the exhibition space. Rogers’ holograms and projections are like ghosts of other possibilities — a haunting reminder of the impermanence of our existence. David Howard’s painting series Apostasy encircles Rogers’ work in a temple-like formation, questioning how today’s world of digital connectivity results in a disconnection of the spirit, body and mind. Numinous-i opens at Jugglers Art Space on 9 October, continuing to 21 October.
Welcome to the future of theatre. Don't expect robots, hoverboards and other sci-fi-like technology, though. Do expect the next wave of performers and other practitioners. They're all on display at the Festival of Australian Student Theatre, which brings high school students, tertiary students, recent graduates, emerging artists and independent companies together to showcase their work. Pretend you're at a house party, tap into your primal instincts, witness fairy tales come to life and take another look at Disney's murderesses— and that's just a taste of the program's 30 offerings. Over the long weekend, you can revel in all this and more, with the latter part of the equation including Q&A sessions, forums and hanging out at the festival hub. For those passionate about live performance and keen to get a glimpse of the stage shows to come, it's better than gazing into a crystal ball. It's also the only way to spend the long weekend immersed in your chosen art form. Image via Alex Jamieson.
If Malala Yousafzai's name sounds familiar, that's because she hasn't strayed far from the headlines in recent years. The Pakistani teenager turned best-selling author dared to speak out about life under Taliban rule, and to campaign for something they oppose: the education of women. In 2012, she was shot in the head aboard her school bus. However an assassination attempt didn't dampen her drive, and in 2014 she became the youngest-ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Filmed over an 18-month period and featuring interviews with Malala and her family, as well as a routine assembly of media clips, recreations and animation, He Named Me Malala tells her story. As even a brief run-through of her life and achievements indicate, hers is quite the tale. Malala hasn't just triumphed over adversity; she has refused to be terrorised into abandoning her ideals, and turned a traumatic experience into a platform for advocacy. Alas, in the hands of An Inconvenient Truth director Davis Guggenheim, an extraordinary person inspires a merely average film . His feature finds its power in its subject, whose status and strong beliefs always remain evident. Yet even though the movie tries to peer behind everything that has already been reported, attempting to get to know Malala as a person rather than a symbol, the portrait it paints stays in standard biographical doc territory. Accordingly, He Named Me Malala seesaws from the somewhat illuminating to the already known and oft repeated (even within the documentary itself). Much is made of her father's influence over her determined mindset and her love of learning — but while behind this impassioned crusader stands a parent who has nurtured and encouraged her, Malala is, of course, the real point of interest. She charms as much with her confident speeches to the United Nations as she does when she's explaining why she can't just go on a date. Those charms only grow over the film's 88 minutes — again, through her presence, energy and focus, rather than through Guggenheim's filmmaking skills. He recognises the need to keep her front and centre, yet his film also plays it safe, keeping its distance and never wavering from its adoring position. And as much as the documentary might aim to show the real Malala, the most candid it ever gets is in glimpsing her looking at pictures of attractive male sportsmen. As a result, as a fleshed-out account of a remarkable young woman, He Named Me Malala feels like it barely scratches the surface. As a functional portrait of a crucial campaign and its self-appointed spokeswoman, it fares better. Either way, one thing is certain: this won't be the last time Malala's accomplishments are memorialised and celebrated on film.
Two words immediately spring to mind while taking a detour through Learning to Drive: modest pleasures. They’re what the film's characters seek, whether they're sitting behind the wheel or walking along the footpath. They’re what the amiable, affectionate and earnest movie does as well. A later-in-life attempt to hit the road gets the feature gently motoring along, with Wendy (Patricia Clarkson) the initially unlicensed party in question. The Manhattan-dwelling literary critic hadn’t previously had a reason to join the commuting masses; however, separating from her adulterous husband (Jake Weber) and seeking to visit her college-age daughter (Grace Gummer) inspires her to reassess her priorities — you're never too late to try something new, and all that. Enter the kindly Darwan (Ben Kingsley), an Indian Sikh working as both a taxi driver and a driving instructor. He has his own personal problems, including his desire for matrimonial happiness with his arranged bride (Sarita Choudhury), as well his efforts to avoid the prejudice that follows his every move. Of course, he's also the wise teacher Wendy needs, even if she doesn't yet know it. That this odd couple will cross paths isn’t a surprise in this introspective effort, nor is the friendship that reluctantly but eventually springs. Wendy and Darwan find commonality despite their differences, learn some obvious life lessons from each other and gain an appreciation of the little things that make their days worth enduring. In fact, everything about Learning to Drive screams standard — and yet it's warm, sweet but never too saccharine too. Director Isabel Coixet, who has worked with both her leads before on the 2008 film Elegy, enjoys spending time in predictable yet thoughtful territory while contemplating well-fleshed-out characters. There's a reason she has enlisted Clarkson and Kingsley again for this task, as based on an autobiographical New Yorker article by essayist Katha Pollitt. As often proves the case in most things either pops up in (witness this year's Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials and Self/Less, for example), they're a pleasure to watch. The former is gifted a role with more shades of complexity than the latter, but both offer rounded portrayals that span well beyond their alternatingly tentative and playful banter. Though plenty of their dialogue serves up road references that cheesily double as nuggets of general life advice — reading the signs, taking in everything around you, and so on — their performances help brighten up a film that's largely confined within a car (and as visually constrained as that sounds). The scenery isn't the point, but the people looking at it. Yes, that's just another of Learning to Drive's modest pleasures.
Fans of a certain time-travelling film trilogy are probably more than a little excited this week. Anyone who has watched Back to the Future Part II (and the first and third movies as well, of course) would know that October 21, 2015 holds special significance, because that's the date Marty McFly zoomed forward to in Doc Brown's flying DeLorean. Of course there's an event to honour such a historic pop culture moment, and of course it's being held by the brewery with the best name for it. That'd be Bacchus Brewing Co, and we can even forgive them for throwing their Bacchus to the Future Party two days late because it means the shenanigans are of the weekend rather than mid-week variety. You'll likely need some time to recover from imbibing their 14 themed beers, particularly given that they come with names such as Biff’s Ruddy Bitter, Hops Capacitor Pale Ale, Marty McRye, Doc Brown's Some Serious S**t and Johnny Be Gose. And yes, Back to the Future will be playing on Bacchus' big screen. Now you just need to use a time machine to score yourself the afternoon off work, because the fun starts at midday on Friday.
Despite the tiny area of its two main islands, New Zealand is a nation of dramatically diverse geographical features and landscapes — so much so that it was able to serve as both the pleasantly rural The Shire and barren, rocky Mordor in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Travelling across its volcanic surfaces, snow-covered alps and glassy lakes quickly becomes a series of moments where you can’t help but pause and take in the epic scale of the country. Over four years, photographer and self-described “purist and admirer” Honza captured these moments on 35mm film, collating them into an exhibition that conveys all the energy and mystery of both the North and South Islands. In a seismically active country, where earthquakes rupture the ground, snow falls and melts and glaciers rise and crack, the act of photography freezes an ever-changing landscape in a moment in time, allowing the audience to experience that moment through the photographer’s eyes. In Between Moments exhibits at Maud Creative from October 21 to November 14, with an opening night event taking place on October 23.
'Tis the season for lousy Christmas parties, and while your own at Strike Bowling might be an enticing offer, there’s one we think might deliver far more cheer. Fans Group’s Christmas Party is taking over Brightside this Sunday night and promises an exciting evening of music, drinks and mistletoe, minus the schmoozing. Fans Group know their music, so the band lineup offers the cream of Brisbane’s live music crop. Members of John Steel Singers, Rolls Bayce, Major Leagues, Yves Klein Blue, Love Signs and a couple of other Brissie bands will be collaborating to make one massive, festive ‘Super Christmas Asshole Band’. They’ll be playing all your favourite Christmas hits (read: Mariah Carey’s 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' repeated in as many different octaves as the set takes). Best of all, this Christmas Party is absolutely free! And ain’t that the best present of all?
It feels like only yesterday we were pinching Trainspotters' cheeks and cooing over their adorable lineups. It’s hard to imagine it’s been two years since the Central Hotel decided to dedicate every Saturday to showing off Brisbane’s best music and giving local audiences a dance floor to boot. Now, in honour of the two-year mark, they’re throwing together a massive party with an even bigger lineup — there’s a hell of a lot to celebrate after all. It wouldn’t be a killer birthday bash without some great tunes, and Trainspotters have collaborated with Smack Face Records to go above and beyond with the stereo. They’re importing TONSTARTSSBANDHT from the States (Mac Demarco’s guitarist, very big deal) and local favourites Morning Harvey, Tempura Nights, and Twin Haus will be partying right along by their side. Drinks will be flowing and the music will be inducing moves that would have Prince in pure awe. Grab your tickets, and don’t stress too much about the present — it’s a party!
Like your creative endeavours with a splash of political commentary? Then Brutal Truths is for you. As the name indicates, there's nothing nice or easy about the works on display. They're designed not only to make a statement, but to provoke discussion. Vernon Ah Kee, the late Gordon Bennett, and collaborators Destiny Deacon and Virginia Fraser are no strangers to encouraging debate, of course. Here, Ah Kee's brutalities series interrogates racism, Bennett's Performance with Object for the Expiation of Guilt (Apple Premiere Mix) from 1995 sees the artist take on the role of the oppressor, and Deacon and Fraser’s Snap out of it focuses on floor-to-ceiling images of towering public housing flats in Melbourne. All three major installations delve into the topic of Australia’s indigenous history, as dissected by of some of the most prominent voices in the nation's contemporary art scene. And while local circumstances provided the inspiration for each piece, they also link in to displacement and oppression in a global context. Image: Vernon Ah Kee, Brutalities, Milani Gallery.
Earlier in the year, Brooklyn Standard made the Eagle Street side of the CBD fun again by throwing a fortnightly series of end-of-week laneway parties. Trust them to do it all over again — but on a grander scale — to celebrate the end of 2015. At their NYE15 Block Party, you can get funky on the pavement to the live sounds of LS Philosophy and Pocketlove, or show your fancy footwork in the basement with some '70s disco tunes spun by Kieron C and DJ Katch. You can also enjoy a meal from Pizzantica and Red Hook, along with a beer, cocktail, basic spirit or sparkling wine. Yes, that's all included in the price of the ticket.
When it comes to spending time with someone you're fond of, dinner and drinks is an old favourite for a reason. There's nothing quite as simple yet special as great food, a tasty tipple, lively conversation and locking eyes across the table — particularly with the right person at the right restaurant. This Valentine's Day, Vintaged Bar + Grill has the latter part of the equation covered, and the delicious meal and accompanying beverage as well. That just leaves you to usher your date up to level six of the Hilton Brisbane, enjoy a three-course dinner and a glass of Veuve Clicquot champagne upon arrival, and soak up the romantic mood. Plus, Vintaged is sharing the affection when it comes to marking the most amorous occasion of the year, because love refuses to be contained to a single 24-hour period. Their Valentine's special is available on February 13 and well as the day itself. Just remember to make your reservation in advance, with full pre-payment required at the time of booking. Want to make the whole night into a little staycation? Hilton Brisbane is also offering 10 percent off accommodation rates, with a buffet breakfast for two included. To make a booking, head to the Hilton website.
Every year since 2013, QPAC has spent a week celebrating the cultural practices of the world’s first inhabitants. Via a lineup of performances, workshops and conversations, Clancestry delves into traditional and contemporary creative endeavours, with a particular focus on the works of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Whether you’re keen to appreciate art or analyse issues, the 2015 festival promises another diverse lineup of free events. Indeed, the bulk of the program does both. Discussions about identity, activism and sovereignty are a highlight, as is an installation that provides a visual and oral history of the South Brisbane area, as well as a screen showcase highlighting Australian indigenous tales and filmmakers. To sample a little bit of everything that Clancestry has to offer, stopping by on community day on December 5 is recommended. That's when you can enjoy performances from choirs, dance groups, musicians and poets, browse the markets for art, craft and design, and take part in activities and workshops — aka become truly immersed in indigenous culture.
So, you're looking for love — and you've tried hanging out in bars, swiping through online apps and enduring awkward set-ups, all to no avail. We're betting that you haven't taken your search to a muddy obstacle course. Yes, sparks really can fly in the unlikeliest of places. At Tough Mudder's first ever singles start wave, the globally renowned 18-20 kilometre trek won't just be testing your teamwork, strength and mental grit. The May 7 outing will also challenge you to connect with other singles — helping each other through the ordeal, and then hopefully hanging out afterwards. Given that the event has previously seen a few engagements and even a wedding take place on its muddy fields, perhaps this different twist on speed dating isn't that much of a stretch after all. Finding a like-minded companion in one of the most unusual of ways isn't the only attraction at Tough Mudder's south-east Queensland outing for 2016, however, with the event also introducing two new obstacles. The Block Ness Monster involves water, of course, while the Pyramid Scheme is all about scrambling up a slippery incline. Doesn't that sound romantic?
It’s film festival time in Brisbane, and yes, a busy calendar of cultural-orientated movie offerings means that could be true on any given weekend; however the period spanning November 19 to 29 stands out. It belongs to the city’s major cinema celebration — and while the Brisbane International Film Festival is no more, the replacement that is the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival has been trying to pick up some of the slack since 2014, at least when it comes to movies from its area of interest. In its second year, the 11-day event presents an 83-feature program from a lineup of 102 films in total, complete with 33 Australian premieres and 23 Queensland premieres. Highlighting the movie-making prowess of the Asia Pacific region is its focus, covering 42 countries and showcasing 34 movies that have earned nominations at the forthcoming Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Indeed, from festival circuit hits to retrospective screenings of restored classics feature — and including a program of virtual reality shorts, too — BAPFF's 2015 selection serves up a bustling bunch of screen fare for cinema fans. As always, the most difficult part isn't rushing between the event's five venues (Palace Barracks, GOMA, New Farm Cinemas, Griffith Film School and The Courier-Mail Piazza), or fighting film festival fatigue when you're in the thick of BAPFF craziness, but trying to pick which flicks to go along to.
Reimagining fairy tales: in film and on television, everybody’s doing it. You can be excused for thinking every conceivable variation has been done before; however, ImproMafia is set to prove you wrong. Combining the art of improvisation with the bedtime stories you know and love, Grimm twists familiar tales in directions even the players on stage can’t anticipate. Every show and every night, anything can happen — and as an audience member, your suggestions could be incorporated into the performance. After wowing audiences at the Brisbane Fringe Festival, Grimm returns to swing once more from the grisly to the absurd. Grimm is part of Wonderland at the Powerhouse. Check out our top five picks of the festival.
Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and a panther circle around a film, and each other. Who will come out alive? That’s the crux of Serena, a romantic melodrama tantalisingly bleak, though too beholden to its too-obvious symbolism. It strives for the emotional complexity of times and films long since passed, but can only offer a shaky — albeit pretty — approximation. Starting in North Carolina’s golden-hued Smoky Mountains in 1929, a wilful woman and a wild cat enter the life of a Depression-era logger; of course, for all their sleek allure, they’re both omens of worsening times. She is the titular Serena, determined to become involved in a waning timber empire beyond the bounds normally expected of her gender. He is George Pemberton, in love not only with his new wife but with making as much money from his woodland as he can. The feline threatens their livelihood, but no more so than their own vices. Adapting Ron Rash’s 2008 novel of the same name, Serena charts the troubles and tragedies that spring in their wake: feuds, premonitions, medical emergencies and illegitimate children among them. Tangled up in the drama are a jealous business partner (David Dencik), interfering sheriff (Toby Jones), single mother (Ana Ularu), and loyal enforcer (Rhys Ifans). If that sounds over the top and outlandish, that’s because it is. A host of problems and people test the lovers’ fates well into the realm of contrivance and convenience. Serena aims to hark back to features of the Golden Age, where spirited femmes headlined tales of moral corruption as fully realised figures. Here, as the catalyst for drama, the central sultry dame is only ever painted as brash or unhinged. As a love interest, she is only ever idolised or maligned. Starkly absent is the nuance needed to render the film a throwback in anything more than superficial terms — and the insistence upon linking Serena’s untamed nature with the creature stalking through the trees certainly doesn’t help matters. With 2010 foreign-language Oscar winner In a Better World among her output, director Susanne Bier is no stranger to heightened circumstances and the quandaries that arise as a result, though her pedigree amounts for little. A clumsy script proves her undoing, alongside an approach favouring slow reveals at the expense of tension. Plot machinations aplenty aren’t the same as a genuinely involving narrative. Reunited after Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, both Lawrence and Cooper are effective, suffering as they are from the same over-stretched material. Too often, they are reduced to smouldering separately or sliding through a series of sex scenes, always looking the part but never really fitting in. Alas, that’s the attractively shot and staged Serena from start to finish, lumbering along and constantly felling any source of interest. As everything builds towards the inevitable finale, audiences will strain to care just who lasts the length of the feature’s running time.
Music curators A Love Supreme, have done it again, and brought to a Brisbane stage an international act we’ve long been hungry to hear. From the Jazzy Sport crew out of Tokyo, DJ Mitsu the Beats is an ex-hip hop battle DJ, studio savant and one of the world’s most praised beat makers. He’s had years to fine tune his sound, and is known for a technique that filters through the best beats and plays them with symphony perfection. If you want a real taste for his sound, and have some time up your sleeve, check out his Boiler Room performance. For the first time, A Love Supreme will take place at the newly opened Ben's Burgers in Winn Lane. You can catch the soulful beats of DJ Mitsu, pair it with a tasty burger, and ride the afternoon out in a super cruisey, musically-happening atmosphere. Tickets are $15 and you can grab them in store at Apartment in the city, or online here.
Uni sucks. But if you add the suffix palooza to it, it doesn’t suck at all. In fact, it kind of rocks. Here’s a Simpsons clip to explain why. Here are some words to explain why even further: Trainspotter’s – you know, the guys who host one of the best weekly nights of gigs and ferociously fun bands in the city – are stretching their fingertips and curating a week of rock at QUT Gardens Point, with some roll at Kelvin Grove. It’s Unipalooza! The Good Sports and Babaganouj (pictured) will be doing some silly things on stage – if you enjoy your music silly. And Hound and the Bacchanales will also be there, doing some guitar stuff. There will also be free fairy bread – linger on that for a moment. Fairy bread! Doesn’t matter if you don’t go to QUT, or if you have diabetes, or if you find rock music the audible aphrodisiac of the devil – it’s a party, and you’d be a real narc not to go.
Some of the greatest – and most dance worthy - songs of our time, and the times before us, are about dreaming. From Mac Demarco to Fleetwood Mac, the best musical minds take dreamscapes over landscapes in a heartbeat, and run wild with it like they’ve never been to sleep. Brisbane’s newest musical adventure, Daydream Festival, can’t be anything short of high flying and free then – because life is the best in dreams after all. The day kicks off with a buffet of drinks from 3pm to 5pm plus market stalls, fresh food and even fresher music pumping the day along. The line up of music is just as fabulous, with Young Franco ( and his seemingly amazing resemblance to James), Little Casino, Brat Camp and about a dozen more – all of equal talent, taking the stage through various parts of the evening. There’s a strict dress code for Daydream Festival – white t-shirt that you could throw out in a heartbeat, and stretchy shorts because you’ll be doing a lot of dancing and twice as much Dreaming.
If you’re kind of skeptical about an event that’s title is succeeded with expo, then don’t feel alone. With years of Sex Expo advertising divulging our billboards, and the even worse Psychic Expo commercial causing manic anxiety to anyone who watched 5 seconds of it, the term 'expo' doesn’t come along with the nicest of connotations - unless it’s the expo in Travel Expo! No matter where your long or short term plans lie, you’re bound to be travelling in the near future, and the Travel Expo has everything to make it all just a little bit easier, and twice as exciting. There will be stalls from all the big travel names, and even the smaller ones, if you’d prefer the cosy hospitality that comes with ‘boutique’. Have a peruse, or jump right in and book into something out of this world – I hear Chad is great this time of the year. Because let’s face it, going to the Gold Coast or Bali isn’t really travelling – let the Travel Expo show you what is!
As far as print publishing goes, zines are always going to be the rage. They’re the one stop, budget preserving method of getting work into circulation, and heaps cool at the same time. So whether you’re an artist, writer or just love using a stapler, you should be making zines like there’s no tomorrow – and Southside Tea Room can help. With the help of Lovecraft and Nancy Zine, they’re hosting a 1.5 hour workshop on zine making. You’ll learn to design, write and produce your own zine, as well as picking up on the tricks of the trade. Everyone who rocks on up and has a go will also receive a free copy of Nancy Zine – one of the best zines on Brisbane streets. It’s only $5, so pop along with your craziest ideas and have them put into print. Check out our list of Brisbane's best zine's here.
The View is a series of conceptual paintings by Sydneysider Sebastian Moody. It focuses on the two-way process of perspective. At the core of this exhibition is “thinking about looking” and “looking at thinking”. Moody is originally from Sydney, but completed his Bachelor of Visual Arts at the Queensland University of Technology and a Master of Museum Studies at The University of Queensland. So obviously, Brisbane has claimed him as one of our own. He has a diverse range of artistic skills and his text pieces have been featured in everything from swimming pools to kitchen splashbacks and hang gliders. Moody has had his pieces featured in spaces including Splendour in the Grass, Queensland Art Gallery, The Goodwill Bridge and Southbank Parklands. You have probably seen some of Moody's artwork just by wandering around the city. Visit k.o.m.a before 23 February to catch The View. You'll view the process of gaining perspective in a whole different light.
Sisters Maia and Serena have joined together to pay tribute to the iconic personalities that have influenced and inspired them. The exhibition Abstract The Realest is a series of 19 portraits that walk the line between the real and the hyperreal. The accurate yet interpretive artworks feature identities from music and art, individuals from the streets and friends of the pair. The aim is to not only make the subject identifiable but represent their general aura, their “vibe”. Multicoloured impressionistic linear marks dive in and around the subject, bringing their inside inspiration to the fore. Head along to this special event to experience the startling talents of the pair, plus the sonic talents of artists/musicians 8M?N and New Klear Sounds.
After a critically-acclaimed debut album, a hugely successful tour on home soil and overseas with Cut Copy and Bloc Party and an appearance at Meredith Music Festival, World’s End Press are ready to explode in 2014, and are kicking things off with a sweet set at Brisbane’s Black Bear Lodge. Their self-titled debut release has been described as “anthemic” and “ambitious”, making unprecedented strides with their indie-electro goodness. Catch these mega-talented lads before they busy themselves with their supporting slot for Phoenix next month; World’s End Press will be joined by special guests Young Franco and Palindromes for this headlining show of their own right. Now is your chance to see what has been making serious ripples in the Australian talent pool. Black Bear Lodge is a beautiful venue for live music, but also for making your night out complete. Catch their infamous “hunting hour” between 5-7, then the resident DJs after the live show until late.
The Operatives have teamed up with Earth Frequency Festival, Silo Arts, DRTY SHDWS PRJKT and Dank Morass to present their rad Espionage Series in Brisbane. Comprising of DJ's, producers, singers, songwriters, audio engineers, writers, photographers and more, The Operatives consist of basically anyone involved in the music scene who is doing cool things and is immensely talented. The team are right behind Australian music and to have their famed Espionage Series stop in at The Hi-Fi is a pretty big deal. The night will include sets by the headline act Flying Lotus along with Om unit, Operatives JPS and Silent Jay. Californian music producer and rapper, Steven Ellison, is the man behind Flying Lotus. Over the past few years he has developed a loyal following especially in the wake of his successful and downright epic audio-visual gig, Layer 3. He has performed Layer 3 across Australia at venues including the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne's Forum. Now it's out turn to see (and hear) what all of the fuss is about! Get amongst it or regret missing out!
Caroline Mudge has made her very unique stamp on the art world, and now her one-of-a-kind pieces are visiting Brisbane. Caroline takes a pre-loved or otherwise-intended surface, such as an old painting or a road sign, and makes it into a work of art. Her palette of pastels - cutesy colours of candy, distinctly beautiful and delicate - create overlays to cover drab or industrial intent. The result is a juxtaposition of imagery, a new perspective of both intention and result. The images Carolyn has carefully and masterfully hand-painted onto the makeshift canvas are highlighted by the lacklustre of the background, and perhaps given a more individual meaning by design. Head along to Poly Gone Cowboy for the opening night of Caroline’s exhibition to celebrate the artistry of her works on Friday, July 18th from 5pm; otherwise the exhibition runs until August 15th. Don’t miss out!
You are invited to step inside a mysterious world created by artists Glen Skien and Tachika Yokota. Held at The Hold Artspace, Ash, needle, pencil, match is a creative exhibition that explores the process of hand-made objects. Skien and Yokota have focused on the artistic process of creating and transforming every day objects into something special. Each artist has retained the history that is wrapped up within familiar household objects as they breathe new life into their meaning and form. Both Skien and Yokota use a variety of media to express their artistic vision. Both artists have impressive resumes. Skien is an associate lecturer in printmaking at Griffith University Queensland College of Art where he is also competing his Doctorate in Visual Arts. Yokota has recently returned to Australia after travelling Europe for six months. Before she set off on her adventures, she completed her Honours Degree in Photography. The opening evening will be held on Friday 8 August from 6-9pm.
The selections for your BIGSOUND eve will leave you spoilt for choice - as will the line up for this banger of a pre-conference shindig! Title Track are kicking things off in raucous fashion with a party to end all parties (not literally, hopefully). Brisbane wildcats and groove-makers Velociraptor lead the charge, alongside pop-rock gems Deep Sea Arcade; they’re joined by The Love Junkies, Moses Gunn Collective, Babaganoüj and Peter Bibby for what’s sure to be an all-out riot, carrying you through to the annual mid-week double-date party that is BIGSOUND. This event is brought into your life and heart by Bris PR wow group Title Track, at the new hub of alternative tunes, The Brightside. An unbeatable combination, presenting an unbelievable show. Like all good things in life, this bad boy of a show is free. Like all GREAT things in life, this is also a high-in-demand event, so be sure to rock up unfashionably early to secure your place inside the mad house.
Talented Australian artists from varying background have joined forced to create Platform 2014. Held at the Metro Arts Gallery, Platform 2014 features artists such as Stephen Hart, Michael Doolan, Merete Megarrity and Gabrielle Courtenay. Each diverse artist adopts a unique style to create extraordinary pieces. Stephen Hart uses art to explore the complex relationship between humans and the built environment through the use of sculpture and photography. Another Brisbane based artist, Merete Megarrity, is a master of sculpture and employs interesting textures and materials such as wood, wire, rubber, felt and organic found objects to create gorgeous works. Michael Doolan brings fairy-tales to life with his use of ceramic and enamel sculptures and intriguing interpretations. The final artist included in Platform 2014, Gabrielle Courtney, creates acrylic paintings and pumice stone scultpures on a large-scale. Opening night is on 14 August but you will be able to view the artwork until 30 August.
¡Viva el cine español! Australia's carnival of Spanish-language cinema is on the verge of adulthood and is celebrating the occasion in style. Commemorating its 17th birthday in 2014, the Spanish Film Festival will once again showcase the best of the Spanish and Latin American film industry, from twisting crime tales to slick ensemble love stories, heart-warming comedies and searing social dramas. This year's festivities will be bookended by two big favourites from Spain's prestigious Goya awards. Opening night features the sixties-set road-trip movie Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed, winner of six statues including Best Picture, Director and Actor. Two-a-half-weeks later, the macabre comic fantasy Witching and Bitching, featuring Best Supporting Actress Terele Pávez, will bring the festival to a close. Other highlights on the 30-film program include The Golden Cage, which won Best Cast at the Cannes Film Festival, and Scorpion in Love, a boxing drama in which Javier Bardem plays a neo-Nazi gang leader. (Not such a heartthrob now, is he ladies?) For the full Spanish Film Festival lineup, visit the festival website Image: Still from Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed. https://youtube.com/watch?v=xAPS2uPFNkY
The art of writing letters is a vintage rarity indeed; as time marches on, the treasures created when pen was put to paper are insights into the past, capsules and moments and memories inscribed in beautiful cursive which leaves any status update or text message in shameful shadow. Women Of Letters is home after it’s international fling abroad, ready for its sixth year of wooing the women of Brisbane with stunning literary performances from some of the nation’s favourite women. It should come as no surprise that the line up is star-studded as it is diverse, with award-winning journalist Madonna King, beloved singer Katie Noonan, winner of the Grant McLennan Fellowship, McKisko, lady of laughs Becky Lucas, radio personality Rhianna Patrick and Eleanor Jackson, poet, performer and arts producer bringing their talents to the fore. For the price of admission you will be dined with wine and cheese plates, while doing your part to support beautiful female talents, with proceeds going towards Edgar’s Mission, the Victorian animal rescue shelter. Consider your next girls’ night out sorted.
Talent-wise we’ve nicked a fair few big names from our off-shore neighbours New Zealand, so one more surely couldn’t hurt. Peter Madden is an Auckland based collage artist who meshes the surreal with the inanimate, to create pieces that a heavily detailed to the very finest of detail. They burst at the seems with colour and content, and combine a light enchantment with objects that are strangely familiar. Think Alice in Wonderland meets Willy Wonka meets Mark Ryden. Now, Madden is jetting over to Brisbane with his work for a month long exhibit at Ryan Renshaw Gallery – From Everywhere Else. Abundant with collages, dimensions, papercut risks, and colour, cramming in a healthy dose of life, death, proliferation of imagery, and decay, this collection of work promises a 3D experience better than Shrek Forever After. The exhibition runs until May 10th, so make sure you jump into Madden’s spirited fantasies, but only touch with your eyes.
Love in all its heart-fluttering delight can easily be turned into a burning hurt of loss and betrayal. Such is the inspiration behind Danse Noir: the story of strangers within an apartment block, each with their own story to tell. Brought to light by the voyeuristic landlord (played by Brian Lucas) who opens the windows to the souls of the residents, full of yearning and lust, broken hearts, and dreams of romantic souls. Choreographer Penelope Mullen is known for her stage works that tug at trodden heartstrings. After the sell-out Blaque Bordelloin2013, she is back with a vengeance, and Brisbane has the luck of seeing the results in person. She has travelled the world with her talents, and may be best recognised by fans of Channel 10’s So You Think You Can Dance, if not from the fortune of having seen one of her performances before. You are welcomed to join mesmerised audiences for this artistic look into the human condition and the way love triumphs and trundles through a single soul.
For ten action-packed days, you can immerse yourself in the Anywhere Theatre Festival and reconnect with your love of the theatrical arts. Rather than calling out to audiences from a stage in a performance hall, these snapshots of theatre will be popping up, as the title explains, pretty much anywhere: a community park, a stranger’s bedroom, the middle of the street, via social media — anywhere. Not only is there a venue to suit practically anyone, there is sure to be a show to tickle your theatrical fancy. You can catch Get Lucky, the tale of a downtrodden twenty-something who has just been flung back onto the dating scene. There’s Holepunch, the cabaret for the water cooler, a circus of the office, bound to add a spring to the step of any office worker. Pick your day, pick your location, and experience theatre like you never have before. Read our top ten picks of the Anywhere Theatre Festival.
Making its debut onto the stage of the 2012 La Boite indie season and winning hearts ever since, A Tribute of Sorts is the play of macabre hilarity that you didn’t realise you were itching for. Teenaged cousins Ivan and Juniper Plank are a little odd, as is the way they like to spend their time. Their latest imbalanced endeavour, however, is particularly heartfelt—they have decided to celebrate the lives of those who don’t get to grow up, those little ones whose time with us is cut short. What they want is to pay tribute to them. Well, sort of. Don’t get them wrong, this isn’t going to be a sombre event, that’s not what the Planks are about. The brightness of the theatre and the stylistics of the stage lend themselves perfectly to the quirks of the cousins, and so what they are left with is a quite unexpected turn of events, a warped telling of misfortunes made devilishly hilarious and intelligent aplenty. It has been likened to the dark humour of Tim Burton, with the aesthetic appeals of a Wes Anderson flick — the perfect balance to showcase the quick wit of director Benjamin Schostakowski.
Wood, with its intricate beauty paired with its dynamic adaptability, is being celebrated by way of an exhibition at the Art Museum of QUT. A house can be constructed, furnished, embellished and decorated with wood. It is as vital to our daily lives as it is enriching though beauty and reliability. Architecture, design, and art across many planes are represented in the exhibition; the ways in which creatives engage with wood itself is a unique relationship, yielding one-of-a-kind creations. Not only are the physical creations on display, but represented are the attitudes and perspectives of the all-encompassing material, how we think about our consumption and production as users and creators. The exhibition is made possible by the collaboration of JamFactory and the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide, both iconic South Australian companies. It is supported by Wood: Naturally Better as well as the Contemporary Touring Initiative.
