Eight Reasons for Rugging Up and Leaving the House This Weekend

Yeah, yeah it's chilly. We know. We get it. Polar bears get it. Uniqlo gets it. Layer up, ditch that scummy polar fleece rug and get out of the house this weekend. Hardcore weekenders could line up for the Game of Thrones exhibition, while the less queue-enthusiastic should hit up one of these sweet things happening aroundaboutown. At the very least you'll have 'grammable material for your friends still wallowing at home.

Justene Williams @ Artspace

The Curtain Breathed Deeply is Justene Williams’ most ambitious venture to date. It is an elaborate ecosystem bursting with found objects and messy edges. Flanking the ute-and-genitals centrepiece, there are two tarpaulin curtains embellished with all kinds of materials. There’s some duct tape crosshatching, crinkly gold wrapping paper and plastic discs that look like road reflectors. Behind these mixed media murals are a series of video installations. Put simply, there's a large red room, a blue room and a few other nooks tucked in and around. Williams' brand is a theatre of excess with a taste for the exotic. And The Curtain Breathed Deeply is an immersive sensory experience to say the least. Full of joyous and psychotic energies, it's like being inside the artist's head. It’s a fairly nonsensical universe. But it’s a fun one.

When: Thursday, 26 June - Sunday, 10 August
Where: Artspace , 43-51 Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011
How much: FREE

#FOMO

#FOMO is a group art show that seeks to answer the age-old question: why can’t we just stay at home on a Saturday night watching reruns of Friends with our simple, earthly possessions and without the pangs of social unease?Artereal Gallery have taken it upon themselves to appropriate the social ill and, in #FOMO, have extended the phenomenon past the fear of missing out on social events, to missing out on owning and consuming artwork. Curator Rhianna Walcott has chosen four emerging and established artists from Sydney to exhibit their FOMO-related art, including performance artist Liam Benson, Criena Court, Tully Arnot and Louise Zhang. Not to be missed. Seriously.

When: Thursday, 3 July - Saturday, 2 August
Where: Artereal , 747 Darling Street Rozelle NSW 2039
How much: FREE

Tiny Ruins

If ever your heart could be hugged by a live show, Tiny Ruins will leave yours well and truly cuddled. Following the release of their enchanting folk release Brightly Painted One, the native New Zealanders will head to Australia to crank out their softly spoken repertoire in a national tour. As well as giving their newest album a big ol' run around, Tiny Ruins will revisit tunes from their 2010 release Some Were Meant for Sea as well as their 2013 EP Haunts. Tiny Ruins are no stage hogs, inviting their buds Shining Bird along for the ride this time.

When: Friday, 4 July - 8:00pm
Where: Good God Small Club , 53 - 55 Liverpool St Sydney
How much: $28.60

Poepke’s Archives

When it comes to short-lived pop-up outlets, they're aren't really any official rules. Yet it seems that Poepke must be breaking a few with their Archives pop-up this winter. The Paddington boutique is hosting a temporary vendor within the four walls of their existing store. During May, you could submit items for consideration (dry cleaned, of course), from labels Peopke has carried or is currently carrying. Now they're selling them on a consignment basis, and you'll pocket the cash. It's like a giant community garage sale, but instead of scoffing neighbours pretending they're from Antiques Roadshow, they'll just be other Poepke fans hungry for that silk shawl you snapped up last winter. It's part op-shop, part stocktake sale, part elusive event. Whatever it actually is, you'll be able to turn up and nab both unworn and pre-loved clothes, shoes and accessories.

When: Saturday, 28 June - Monday, 28 July
Where: Poepke , 47 William St, Paddington 2021
How much: FREE

My Name is Truda Vitz

Staging the stories of holocaust survivors can be tricky business, particularly when pivoting between multiple generations. But theatre can also be a therapeutic means of exorcising the demons of history and finding glimmers of optimism. Written and performed by Olivia Satchell, My Name is Truda Vitz at the TAP Gallery, is a musical and semibiographical play that manages to strike the right levels of light and shade. Directed by Pierce Wilcox, it is a profoundly personal tale that sees a modern-day Sydneysider step into the shoes of the grandmother she never met.

When: Wednesday, 25 June - Sunday, 6 July
Where: TAP Gallery , 278 Palmer Street, Darlinghurst
How much: $20 - $25

Tim's Vermeer

Watching a man painstakingly recreate an oil painting doesn't exactly sound like the basis for a winning documentary. Yet in the hands of popular TV double act Penn and Teller, that's exactly what it turns out to be. Told in clear, accessible terms that laymen can understand, Tim's Vermeer is a lively, intriguing look at the line between artist and inventor, one that challenges the very notion that the distinction should be made at all.

When: Thursday, 3 July - Wednesday, 30 July
Where: Selected Cinemas
How much: $15 - $25

The Bourbon's Fourth of July Party

Given the American food craze that swept through Sydney last year shows no sign of slowing, it's more than appropriate that one of our top US-inspired venues is throwing a Fourth of July party to celebrate those iconic stars and stripes. Independence Day at The Bourbon — the King Cross landmark with the shady past and shiny, New Orleans-style makeover — will be led by the soulful tunes of Chicago native Doug Williams. James Metcalfe (formerly of Becasse and Charlie & Co) as its head chef will front up a 13-strong canape selection. Southern-inspired Cajun shrimp will be served alongside mini chilli dogs, New York bagels and waffles with chocolate sauce — plus, you can expect a cocktail on arrival, popcorn, fairy floss, cheerleaders, foosball tables and photo booths.

When: Friday, 4 July - 6:00pm
Where: The Bourbon , 22 Darlinghurst Road Potts Point 2011
How much: $52.79

Bacon and Egg Rolls

If any sandwich were to receive an Order of Australia medal, it would be the bacon and egg roll. Artfully combining everyone’s favourite breakfast combo (bacon and eggs) with everyone’s favourite carbohydrate vehicle (bread), this humble sandwich attracts widespread adoration. You can get one for a few coins at a barbecue outside your local Bunnings or for the hefty fee of $16 at Bronte’s chef-hatted cafe Three Blue Ducks. The Bacon and Egg Roll Project blog — run by Concrete Playground reviewer Kara Jensen-Mackinnon and her colleague at The Roast Evan Williams — is dedicated to rigorous B&E taste testing in order to ultimately crown one bacon and egg roll to rule them all. Check out this smorgasbord of their most telling B&E experiences so far.

When: Whenever you're feeling the need for crispy, runny goodness
Where: These juicy joints
How much: $1-16 depending on your level of indulgence