Robert Burns Hotel, on Collingwood's Smith Street, is dishing out authentic Spanish cuisine, and doing one hell of a job. In a nod to their inspiration and home country they are running monthly dinners, each focusing on a different region in Spain. While Catalunya saw lobster and chicken married beautifully, their next stopover is in Aragon, which is known for meat — especially lamb and pork. Think cured hams, chorizo sausage and juicy pieces of lamb. Sheep's milk cheeses and pastries are also loved there, so we will keep our fingers crossed that they too make an appearance. While you chow down on Spain's best, the crew will take you on your own tour of the region and teach you a thing or two you won't find in Lonely Planet. Complete with a thick authentic accent, making it just that little bit better. Go hungry, and thirsty, as the sommelier will match wines to the courses, keeping them as close to the region as he can. If you can't make it to Aragon, don't fret, because the tour doesn't stop there — there are two more regions to come.
BUS Projects' next exhibitions are two shows that propose to take you away from a gallery frame of mind. Entertaining the Environment is the third Drift Agency show to own to that name, after an experimental first incarnation at Deakin Uni and a second just finished up in Bendigo. The exhibition aims to make literal art for art's sake — art that entertains itself — though there doesn’t seem to be any objection to entertaining you along the way. Keira Brew Kurec’s Myself as an Island runs alongside, trapping viewers in the vertiginous centre of two opposing screens. Each shows a friendly New York City island receding, dropping you in a moment of infinite regress. BUS Projects is open Wednesday to Saturday, 12-6. Still from Kiera Brew Kurec's Myself, as an Island.
It begins with an ad in the classifieds: "Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. Safety not guaranteed." Anyone who's ever seen Craigslist knows that's pretty much par for the course, but for sleazy magazine writer Jeff (Jake M. Johnson), it throws up two irresistible opportunities: an amusing puff piece during an otherwise slow news week, and a chance to hook up with an old flame living in the same town from where it was placed. He selects two interns, the dour Darius (Aubrey Plaza) and studious Arnau (Karan Soni), and together they head off to the beachside community of Ocean View to track down the advert's mysterious author. That man turns out to be Kenneth Calloway (Mark Duplass): an awkward loner and paranoid grocery story clerk who's convinced he's cracked the secret of quantum-mechanical travel. When Jeff's cynicism sees him immediately rejected as a possible partner, it falls to Darius to befriend the man based on her boss's logic that since they're both weird, perhaps they'll get along. And as it turns out, eccentric outsiders do attract just as powerfully as opposites. Darius quickly warms to Kenneth's tender idiosyncrasies, even as questions over his mental stability linger, and by the time the film builds to its inevitable climax in which Kenneth's time machine has its moment of truth, you come to realise you no longer even care if it works. Like 2012's other sci-fi hit Looper, this is a time-travel movie where the time travel is entirely incidental to the storyline and characters. Just as Looper explored the 'what' of the concept (what consequences might time travel bring, intended or otherwise?), Safety Not Guaranteed asks 'why?'. Why would you go back, assuming you could, and why yearn for second chances when new and possibly better opportunities keep showing up right in front of you? Regret, of course, is the answer, and it's what drives each of the film's four principals, from Kenneth's literal time travel to Jeff's symbolic one — seeking out his high school sweetheart in the hope of recapturing faded former glories. It's a film of excellent performances all round, but Plaza offers the standout. Her disillusioned 20-something shtick initially plays like a cut-and-paste job from Parks and Recreation; however, she imbues Darius with an unexpected depth and warmth that utterly enchants. Duplass is also fantastic, making Kenneth feel somehow terribly familiar for a person we've almost certainly never met. Soni and Johnson provide fine supporting performances, and all four characters develop wonderfully over the 85 minutes in a testament to the actors and screenwriter alike. Safety Not Guaranteed is an inspired and heartwarming tale that's almost certainly the surprise indie hit of the year. https://youtube.com/watch?v=73jSnAs7mq8
We're not guaranteeing that attempts at a dougie will be more McKayla Maroney than Jenna Bush, but if anything is going to make you pull off at least one d-floor gyration you didn't know you were capable of it's THEESatisfaction. The Seattle-based duo of big hair and bigger rhythms will be touching down on our shores to play Melbourne Festival this October, and will be bringing their immutably groovy live show to Melbourne for one gig at the Hi-Fi. Fusing psychedelic femme funk with the time-tested energy of black jazz and soul then folding in a generous serve of smooth rap verses, each of Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-White's addictive tracks is like a rich, spongy trifle for both your ears and limbs. Get a taste of it from their (self-released) 2012 debut awE NaturalE, then wallow in a big fat slice at the Hi-Fi. https://youtube.com/watch?v=qGWFBt_IPOg
After experiencing a whirlwind success with their debut EP Woodland, indie folk five-piece The Paper Kites are celebrating their shiny new offering Young North with a series of captivating shows. In the past The Paper Kites have toured with the likes of Boy & Bear and Josh Pyke. The new EP sees The Paper Kites retaining the qualities that brought them the love and admiration of their fans. With earthy-sounding instruments that serve as a perfect backdrop for their harmonic, strong and sensual voices, The Paper Kites maintain a romantic and whimsical vibe to their tracks and a raw energy to their live performances. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y8A_8rbakgg
It's not often that you are able to get an inside look at a living legend's life and career. Paul Kelly – Stories of Me is a film about the Australian icon himself, directed by Ian Darling. The much loved singer-songwriter has provided the soundtrack to many Australian's lives with classics such as 'To Her Door' and 'Before Too Long'. Now, he has opened the doors to his private life and speaks candidly about his music and interesting life. This feature length film is running for one night only, and features live performances, interviews and never-before-seen footage. As an added treat, the man himself and Darling will make a special appearance after the film is screened. Don't miss this opportunity to get up close and personal with one of Australia's music legends.
The word 'squelch' is not usually one I'd use to summarise something in a complimentary way, but Andrea Arnold's adaptation of Wuthering Heights definitely squelches, and does so wonderfully. This latest version of Emily Brontë's doomy frustrated romance presents the obsessive relationship between Cathy (Kaya Scodelario) and Heathcliff (James Howson) in disturbing intensity, removing the framing device of the traveller to observe the story directly and with a greater focus on the traumatic childhood through which the two bonded. Allowing the viewer to actually see how they ended up the way they did is a powerful choice that brings a psychological believability to the story that hasn't always been evident in other versions, and the representation of the physical setting of the story conveys how integral it is to the events taking place within it, as well as being cinematically beautiful. It's fairly generally accepted now that Wuthering Heights is not really a very romantic story, that it is cruel and strange and its central lovers are neither of them particularly nice people. What gets less play, though, is that the landscape which forms such a part of the story and characters is as crazy as they are: it's very easy to take all the talk of the moors and isolation and even wild storms as romantic, but this film manages to convey the inconvenience and discomfort of the severity of the conditions as well as the grandeur and beauty of all that howling space. We see and — courtesy of wonderfully evocative sound design by Nicolas Becker — hear rain falling relentlessly and mud gripping at footsteps. That's one kind of squelch, where the land is holding onto the characters and making it hard for them to move forward. Another squelch is the sickening and distressingly regular sound of someone being hurt: If the landscape is as crazy as its inhabitants, its population is as violent as the weather. Heathcliff, particularly, comes in for horrible brutality and the depiction of the abuse is unflinching, with crunches and squishes prefiguring contusions. The physical violence and the violence of the landscape are given a corollary in the violence of will that seems to be the thematic driver of the film, from the rigid Christianity of Mr Earnshaw (Paul Hilton) to the sullen resentment of Hindley (Lee Shaw) to the contrasting malleability and thus weakness of Edgar (James Northcote) and Isabella Linton (Nichola Burley). This is a hard film to watch but one that is hard not to admire, where you don't really like anyone but have sympathy for them all, and the horrible and the beautiful are of the same materials. https://youtube.com/watch?v=kUWOCd894-Q
The Iranian Film Festival Australia has returned for its second year to The Brisbane Powerhouse and aims to showcase the best in modern Iranian cinema. This years feature film, Ali Mosaffa's The Last Step ponders the heartbreak of lost love. Other stunning films that will be showcased include the award-winning, Facing Mirrors, a movie about challenging social expectations as it tells the story of transgender Adinah who crosses paths with Rana, a young mother working as a taxi driver while her husband is in jail. The Iranian Film Festival also offers discussions, seminars as well as a long list of films that span the genres, such as comedies and drama. The films are directed and feature actors who are both fresh to the film industry and established professionals. Immerse yourself in Iranian film and culture for this three day festival.
Home-grown indie-punk outfit Last Dinosaurs are taking The Satellites Tour to Alhambra Lounge for an Under 18 show. They’ve returned from their first European adventure, having unleashed their unrelenting sound on a host of boutique festivals; their debut album In A Million Years has gained momentous attention both locally and abroad. Ticket holders will be given the opportunity to purchase an exclusive EP of remixes, as well as their album at a discounted price. Along for the ride will be fellow Brisbanites, The Jungle Giants. This foursome have been making strides with their infectious pop sound, demanding to be noticed for all the right reasons. While this show is sold out, their 18+ show at the Hi-Fi on October 19 still has tickets available. This is one act you do not want to miss!
In support of their new release, Chasing Ghosts, The Amity Affliction will burn a path across Australia with what is shaping up to be a blistering parade of infernal jams. After the success of their previous release, Youngbloods, some incredible shows at the Big Day Out festival earlier this year and a massive headline tour a few months after, the band are taking 2012 by storm. Performing with The Amity Affliction on all their dates will be a collection of international acts that revel in a similar style of chaotic music. California’s The Ghost Inside, Brighton’s Architects and local rockers Buried In Verona will all be on hand to rev the audience up.
For almost two decades, Regurgitator have been entertaining and exciting audiences, and now they’re back with a new string of shows, this time playing their albums ‘Unit’ and 'Tu Plang’ back to back. It will be a must-see for longtime fans, with previous shows having been described as “feeling like your head is trapped inside a stereo”. The retrospective shows are set to have a new twist but will maintain the high-energy of classic ‘Gurge. Along for the ride will be Indonesian duo act SENYAWA, affixing the traditional within a contemporary framework of “experimental music practices”, as they have done at the Melbourne Jazz Festival among other prestigious events. An extra performance has been added to the bill for September 27 - get in quick.
Each year, at the turn of winter to spring, Hindus celebrate Holi, a festival exalting colour that leaves participants saturated in bright hues. Holi serves as the inspiration behind the Color Run, a unique 5k race that has taken the U.S. by storm and is now headed to Australia. Runners are invited to join the "3.1 miles of color madness" that comprise the untimed Color Run purely for the sake of a good time. The only race requirements are that all participants wear a white t-shirt and be willing to be greeted with a blast of coloured pigment upon completing every leg of the race. The pigment, made of 100% natural food-grade cornstarch, is colour-specific for each portion of the race. After the first kilometre, runners are splattered with yellow; after the second, they are doused in blue. And so it continues until the end of the 5 kilometres, when each runner is covered head-to-toe in a brilliant mish-mash of every hue imaginable. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZWsfHC-0d6A
Melbourne may be the world's most liveable city, but according to travel website Babble, it doesn't even make the top ten when it comes to sustainability. The City of Melbourne Council is keen to change that, though. They're aiming to make Melbourne one of the world's most sustainable cities by 2020, and this exhibition might just give them some inspiration. The Liveable and Sustainable exhibition will feature artworks by University of Melbourne students and photojournalist Andrew Brownbill that were all inspired by the question, how would you depict a sustainable and liveable city and lifestyle? The artworks will consist of a range of photos, paintings, sculpture and mixed media works, and two winners will be selected by a panel of judges. There'll be cash prizes for the winners, and their works will be displayed at one of the galleries in Federation Square.
Sitting on my couch is a soft toy called Little Friend, made by the very brilliant late artist Mike Kelley. He's a blue, furry abject creature the size of a pillow with big googly eyes and pale pink appendages. When you smack his bottom, he says things like "don't play with your genitals, play with me" and "when you do naughty things, I see you". My favourite phrase, however, is emitted in a low, needy whisper, "hug me... foreverevereverever...". A similarly creepy breathiness is intoned throughout the latest film from Harmony Korine (Gummo, Trash Humpers), Spring Breakers. "Spring Break foreevvvveerrr" over the top of gratuitous bare breasts jiggling, "spring break foreevvvveerrr" in the dorm room, on the beach, on a murderous rampage. Whereas Little Friend is confined to the living room, the sirens of Spring Breakers are not terribly interested in staying put. There's nothing subtle about this film. Three bored, blonde college girls who may as well be nameless (Vanessa Hudgens, Rachel Korine and Ashley Benson as Candy, Cotty and Brit respectively) put the pressure on their tamer brunette Christian pal Faith (Selena Gomez) to ditch deadsville and head to the beach for a change of hedonistic pace. When Faith can't cough up enough money, the remaining trio hastily rob a chicken restaurant and they're all on their way. PARTAY! Once there, it's everything they ever hoped it could be and perhaps nothing they really wanted. A drug bust at a party gets them all landed in jail — in their bikinis — until they're bailed out by a limply horrifying bruiser named Alien (James Franco nailing it in cornrows and grills). Hilarity actually does ensue, surprisingly, but so does that sickening feeling that will make you want to stop off for a quick washbasin shower in the cinema bathroom when it ends. So that's the plot, but who really cares. Spring Breakers is about the delusion of the American dream, excess (Alien will tell you all about that one) and objectification with a hazy outlook on racial divisions (cue: Gucci Mane). Yes, the women in the film hardly ever wear clothes but they do possess a kind of unrealistic power we don't see very often on film. There are scenes of compromising sexual situations, but Korine doesn't err on that most vile of cliches, rape fetishisation — in fact it's flipped. The body shots are gratuitous — as they should be, given the vile Girls Gone Wild subject matter — but they're also tempered by Korine’s idiosyncratic beauty-out-of-garbarge long shots. It's of note that the cinematographer is Benoît Debie, most famous for his work on Gaspar Noé’s extreme Irreversible. After repeated viewings, my mind's still not made up on its complexity. That world is so ripe for a truly subversive, artistic reading and I would have liked Spring Breakers to be a bit more radical than it is. With an R rating already in place though, it's a morally obscure fever dream that is worth seeing on a big screen. Especially if you like Britney Spears. Image Spring Breakers
British singer/producer Ghostpoet, aka Obaro Ejimiwe, is coming Down Under to tour his latest record Some Say I So I Say Light. A record that mystifies listeners with its post-genre electronic production featuring loose and stretched out raps (in his sunken British accent). He captures a dark moodiness that brews amongst contagious hip hop beats. It's a treat to listen to, and hard to compare to anything else, really. Ejimiwe has a way of creating forward-thinking music. His distinct and uncategorised style puts him on his own pedestal. The unique artistry present in his latest record follows on from his debut Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam, which received a Mercury Music Prize nomination in 2011. He'll be bringing all these sounds and more as he takes a spin around Australia in September. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ABkQ96dh0eQ
When a marquee theatre company attempts to reimagine a classic, fireworks are expected to ensue. It needs to be fresh and it needs to take the play in some sort of unexpected direction. And, furthermore, it tends to need a superstar's name to put up on the billboard. As superstars go, they don't come more much more super than Hollywood heavyweight David Wenham. Wenham takes on the iconic and notoriously difficult role of John Proctor, the morally conflicted farmer facing a world of damning accusations, in the Melbourne Theatre Company's much-anticipated production of The Crucible. While Wenham has some fairly sizeable boots to fill (and in terms of acting chops there are perhaps no larger boots than Daniel Day-Lewis's), his versatility in such critically and commercially acclaimed films as The Lord of the Rings, The Proposition and Oranges and Sunshine, emphatically prove Wenham as amongst Australia's finest thespians. Directed by Sam Strong, MTC's take on Arthur Miller's allegorical critique of the McCarthy-era witch hunts looks set to be one for the history books for Melbourne's premiere theatre company. Head to their website to get your hands on the hottest theatre tickets available this winter.
Pixar certainly has a formula, and much like Coca-Cola, they won't share what it is. Nevertheless, whatever creative ingredients they are putting into their delicious movie soda is working — with their 13 major features to date averaging 89 percent approval on Rotten Tomatoes. The company continues to make creative, moving and visually stunning family-friendly films that allow us to unashamedly enjoy a children's movie. The animation entrepreneurs have recently come under scrutiny, though, from critics who argue that the tried and tested formula is beginning to tire. They point to Pixar's production of sequels such as the Toy Story franchise, Cars 2 and the announcement of Finding Dory to contend that the company is no longer reaching for infinity and beyond. What they are neglecting, though, is that the magic of Pixar derives from their great storytelling that children and adults across the globe can relate to. And the newest addition to this Pixarpedia is Monsters University, the company's first foray into the prequel world, and this brilliant film will silence whoever wants to argue that this is an example of filmmaking fatigue. It tells the tale of how Monsters Inc. stars Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman) became friends and went on to be employed together at Monsters Incorporated. Whilst audiences who saw the original may know the final outcome, the getting there certainly serves up some unexpected and enjoyable twists right up until film's end. The focus is on some typically university-centred life lessons, such as defining oneself and sustaining friendships in the face of unforeseen roadblocks. They've sidestepped the other, more adult content of college life; this is a clever, G-rated version. Then again, who needs alcohol when you have friendship, right? Of course, being a Pixar movie, it is largely about the aesthetics and Monsters University expertly showcases the company's stellar attention to detail. From the monstrous architecture of the campus buildings to the fang zips on students' backpacks, no stone is left unturned. There is also an incredible variety of monsters — with the visual standout being Art — and this vast populous ensures that the film never stagnates as new monsters appear throughout as well as some excellent cameos from the original. As the old saying goes, if it ain't broke don't fix it, and there is certainly nothing broken at Pixar. If they continue making visually beautiful, surprising and compelling stories like Monsters University then I will happily see robot Billy Crystal voicing Monsters Retirement Home in 100 years time. Also, stick around until the cinema lights come on for the most entertaining post-credits scene in Pixar history.
Tequila gets a bad wrap; there is no denying that. TOMA Tequila from the Australian owned tequila brand Tromba Tequila is here to teach us a little bit about just how it's made and how we should be drinking it — no lick, sip, suck in sight. 'Toma tequila' means drink tequila, and that is all these sessions are really about. And learning a thing or two along the way. Spend two hours at Little Blood on Brunswick Street, tasting a range of tequilas and chasers made to highlight their qualities as well as making some cocktails while you're at it. The team at Kodiak downstairs will whip up some Mexican snacks, and you've made a night of it. There is no hard sell here either, folks; Tromba won't even be available to purchase after the sessions. It's purely about tasting and enjoying one spirit that people often don't know how to handle. From May, TOMA sessions will run on the last Thursday of each month
Jello Biafra, the voice that defied the Reagan era as frontman of Dead Kennedys, is bringing his chaotic punk back to Australia. Inspired by The Stooges' performance at Iggy's 60th birthday bash, Jello set about immediately recording the first album with his new accompaniment. Audacity of Hype was well-received by new and old fans alike, enabling the production of two follow-up EPs and sophomore album White People and the Damage Done, the content of which dominates their setlist. Whilst his new musical troupe is not as confronting as DK were, fans can still expect to experience layers of guitar accompanied by the obligatory crashing of drums and impassioned vocals in Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine. Like true punks they do not hold back, tackling corruption, foreign policy and scandals through blunt lyrics punctuated by explosive rock. The rage of their lyrical content personifies itself in Biafra's onstage flailing and intensity. Catch them in Melbourne for two stick-it-to-the-man nights only this May 11 and 12.
There should be a name — or at the very laziest, a portmanteau — for the kind of the film that instills a sense of dread in its audience from the outset and just lets it sit, collecting in the base of one's stomach until the very final moments. Thomas Vinterberg's new film, The Hunt, would then appear at the top of a wiki entry for that term, alongside keywords: intense, powerful and great-bone-structure. Mads Mikkelsen plays Lucas, a resolute divorcee with a strong jaw (keyword) who's rebuilding his life in a small Danish township, trying to win back some time with his somewhat estranged teenage son while working as a kindergarten aide. Lucas is that classic infants teacher — equal parts stern disciplinarian and schoolyard fool. When his best friend's young daughter, his student Klara, makes an offhanded remark suggesting he's been sexually inappropriate towards her, his good community standing is suddenly upended, no good against the chilling fear of innocence lost. From the outset, the case is handled appallingly by Lucas's colleagues. Klara is provoked with leading questions and when she tries to recant, her uneasiness is taken for truthful shame. As the lie spreads through the school and then the town and beyond, Lucas becomes resolutely calm towards the situation, outraged to the point of passivity. As his friends, family and lover question his integrity, he doesn't directly deny the charge, though you wish, agonisingly, that he would. Instead he poses the question back to the accuser, leaving open a small window of hope as a gust of hysteria blows right on through. There's violence, fear and a deep sense of dread as Lucas's community all but takes to him with a pitchfork. This is Vinterberg's best since his dogme 95 blazer Festen (1998) which also touched on some of the same issues of abuse and family, though with a more sickeningly farcical touch. Much of The Hunt's success lies in Mikkelsen's stoic performance, which rightfully won him the Best Actor gong at Cannes in 2012. The Hunt is a taut, unpleasantly bristling drama and one of the best and most precisely directed films we'll see this year. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0KwzEQPMppI
The City of Melbourne’s CultureLAB is a creative development program that offers emerging (and already well-hatched) artists a chance to work through a structured development program of ongoing collaboration and mentorship within the historic Arts House venues. This weekend CultureLAB welcomes the curious with UNDONE, an open day showcasing participants' works-in-progress at the Arts House Meat Market and North Melbourne Town Hall. Featuring dance, movement, theatre and puppetry by an array of artists including I'm Trying to Kiss You, Mish Grigor and Collaborators, Natalie Abbott and Angus Cerini, attendees have the chance to observe open rehearsals and hear from the artists themselves in a panel discussion and Q&A. It’s a great opportunity to get a look at the raw materials before they’re all polished up and ready for public consumption — our hypothesis is that they will be just as intriguing at this early test tube stage. No arty function is complete without a drink or two, so stick around after 6pm for a schmooze 'n' booze with the CultureLAB folk and if you’re an artist, don’t forget to pick their brains about next year’s intake. Image: Aphids' Game Show
Dig It Up!, the Hoodoo Gurus' second invitational concert in as many years, is an afternoon of world firsts: the Hoodoos' first live performance of their sophomore album, Mars Needs Guitars, in its entirety; Blue Oyster Cult's first Australian tour; and the Flamin' Groovies' first live appearance (since 1981) in its original Cyril Jordan/Chris Wilson/George Alexander line-up. The event, which includes an extravaganza at the Enmore Theatre as well as multi-stage/multi-band performances in many of Australia's capital cities, marks the 31 years that have passed since the Hoodoo Gurus recorded their debut single, 'Leilani'. According to lead singer Dave Faulkner, the main problem with programming was ensuring the gig matched up to last year's standard, that being "rock 'n' roll perfection". However, he has decided that "Dig It Up! 2013 will be the gig of the year THIS year." Other acts on the bill include the Buzzcocks, Peter Case (and band), the Stems, the Lime Spiders, the Moodists, Deniz Tek (ex-Radio Birdman) and Ray Ahn (the Hard Ons' bassist).
‘There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening’, reads the opening line of Anthony Burgess’s scandalous novel, A Clockwork Orange. How ringleader Alex and his band of teenage delinquents do eventually spend their night — on a rampage of brutal assault and rape which ends in the murder of an elderly lady — propels the audience of Action to the Word theatre’s contemporary reimagining of Burgess’s seminal text, directed by Alexandra Spencer-Jones, into an exploration of testosterone fuelled boredom gone awry. Those who may have attempted the novel but baulked at its unfamiliar, somewhat jarring ‘Nadsat’ dialect (an English and Russian hybrid language invented entirely by Burgess and later, in a case of life imitating art, employed by real life gangs following the success of the text) will be grateful for the physicality of the dynamic, all male cast. Where it may be easy to verbally miss what it means to ‘tolchock a chelloveck in the kishkas’, the actualisation of Alex (Martin McCreadie) senselessly brutalising those unfortunate enough to fall under his malicious gaze when he’s looking to break up the monotony of it all cannot be lost in translation. Although a fascination with violence is inherent to the performance, a stylistic emphasis on dynamic dance sequences, accompanied by a modern, high-energy soundtrack, allows some of the more shocking portrayals to remain implied, rather than descend into self-serving vulgarity. This is no coincidence — unlikely Stanley Kubrick’s highly graphic film adaptation, Action to the Word’s stage performance has auctorial integrity, having been developed in association with Burgess, who sought to rectify misconceptions of the text as being designed as an invitation to the disillusioned youth of the world to mirror the rage of his fictional droogs. Unlike the originally published and widely circulated American version of the novel, Spencer-Jones’s stage adaptation remains true to Burgess’s original ending. By privileging the author’s intended sequence of closure, a protagonist whose behavior is undeniably animalistic and barbaric throughout the performance is ultimately humanised — it turns out it was all a case of ‘boys will be boys’ and what Alex really wants is the wife, kid and white picket fence, just like the rest of us. Where Burgess may have intended this to suggest an innate potential for goodness in even the most seemingly depraved members of society, it simultaneously highlights the audience's ability to feel empathy for, and identify with, a violent murderer. When played by the achingly charismatic McCreadie, despite his propensity for kicking heads in and pillaging innocent women, Alex is strangely mesmerising and even appealing — what might be most interesting is what that implies about our own attitude towards aggression, manhood and ‘that old ultra violence’. Just what that wider societal attitude might be remains unclear, although just shy of two years on from the London riots, audiences of A Clockwork Orange will feel that its depictions of the human propensity for violence, aggression and brutality remain as scandalously relevant today they were when first published as a text 50 years ago. While it may leave you unsure of whether whether to take up adult dance classes, attempt (probably feebly) to kick down a street sign or run for cover from the mad, bad world outside, A Clockwork Orange is an immersive triumph of modern theatre that will confront, then refuse to neatly providing answers to all of the terror it raises — real horror show, in all senses of the term.
The title SONG kind of sells local group Ranters Theatre's latest work short. A collaboration between Brazilian visual artist Laura Lima, songwriter and performer James Tyson, production and lighting designer Stephen Hennessy and grand-scale perfumer George Kara, the hour-long piece is an immersive experience which leaves no sense forgotten. The audience are invited into an entirely created version of the natural world, one in which everything from the smell of the ocean to the colour of sunset at day's end is experienced at a heightened level. The experience of the individual is both privileged and forgotten, as one moves between moments of hyper sensory awareness and the joy of being completely lost in the moment throughout the piece. Got a short attention span or prone to mid-show popcorn cravings? The audience is free to come and go as they please and the Astroturf lounge setting means no awkward jostling past raised knees to do so. Image credit Sarah Walker
It’s that time of the year where, across Australia, fans of all ages and Cosplay persuasions come together and raise their Vulcan salutes in respect to the artists who make their world that much richer. So what do people actually do at Supanova? Flip through rare and back issues of comic greats such as Watchmen, Uncanny X-Men and even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while chatting to the illustrators and writers in the Artist’s Alley, to start. Or, if it’s words in place of pictures that get your palms sweaty with excitement, perhaps you can ask Hugh Howey what inspired him to come up with his dystopian, silo-spotted future. The one that kept you up until the grey hours. There are also a number of Supa-headliners such as The Hoff, Rose McGowan and expert nose-scruncher Barbara Eden! It’s important to note that you may need to get more than just a basic $30 day pass to sit in on these forums and reach a little deeper in to that back pocket for a picture or an autograph with said Supa-idol (an investment). Look here for more information. Image by Jamie Hanson
When you first step into the gallery at West Space, a ringing sound will signify your entrance. Don't let it inflate your ego — tracking movements within the space and it's surrounding environments, the bell is also set off by the sun setting, a window opening or someone going to the toilet. The kinetic installation is Nick Selenitsch and Arlo Mountford’s Timing (or: What is the secret to good comedy?), one of four new exhibitions at West Space. The sculptural machines in the middle of the room — 10 in total, one for each finger — are hooked up to a series of sensors that aurally trace the everyday movements of the gallery and the city outside. The familiar and the mundane create a rhythmic composition. You are consciously aware of this tracking of movement as you move into the next exhibition, Vivian Cooper Smith’s Year of the Savage. Although unsure of what gory details this year entailed, it becomes clear that Smith himself is the savage — his distorted photographic self-portraits cry out with a sense of confusion and lack of identity. The portraits are fragmented, a Nietzschean jigsaw of himself. This is embodied in the floor-based ‘Timeless’ and the way he superimposes fragments of his own face onto famous Film Noir portraits in an attempt to connect with something or someone. Screen Insight is the latest project from artist Tim Woodward. As with his previous work, which is concerned with cultural objects and their uses in society, Woodward explores the mechanics of television and cinema. Set up like a television studio ready for an interview, the 90s-era TV flickers through excerpts of film and in-depth commentary from Australian actor Damien Cassidy. Hiding behind a busted-in paper doorway (that you may have to duck to get through), is the fourth exhibition on the gallery, Oscar Perry’s Home Honey, I’m High. While at first it may seem as though you’ve stumbled into an unkempt art studio, once your eyes adjust you begin to see that Perry’s abstract paintings and sculptures represent drunken method and intoxicated mimicry. His collection of work explores the traditional Chinese martial arts technique Zui Quan, a style of fighting that finds unlikely strength and power in intoxicated movement. Not your average display of sloshed unco-ordination, the techniques are highly aerobic, considered and precise. Where earthy abstract pieces with protruding logs and a spanner suspended from the roof may seem simply thrown together, they are in fact the result of Perry’s careful consideration and allow for an intricate depiction of the drunkard scene, reinterpreted. From savages to drunks each of these four exhibitions at West Space are diverse, yet all deal with the same sense of hyper self-awareness of an individual within a city of others. Image Vivian Cooper Smith
To launch her highly anticipated debut album Nightswim, Owl Eyes recently embarked on a national tour, the last show of which falls this Saturday night. Otherwise known as Brooke Addamo, Owl Eyes is no stranger to the stage, having supported the likes of The Wombats in the early years of her career, which began on the sixth season of Australian Idol. Standing in stark contrast to the cookie cutter style that often results when reality TV meets music, Addamo's mature and definitive sound has won her a strong allegiance of fans, with songs like ‘Raiders’, ‘It Can Wait’ (with Illy) and a cover of ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ by Foster the People widely celebrated. Sure to be a slice of homemade, synth-pop heaven, Owl Eyes will be joined on stage by Collarbones and Mammals.
If you met a young man with the MTV logo emblazoned across his neck, there are a few assumptions you would probably make. 'This chap is a fan of music television', you might say. Or, 'Surely, at some point in the past, this man had too many drinks too close to a tattoo parlour after reminiscing on highlights of the '90s. What you probably wouldn't deduce is that the character before you runs a YouTube music account with almost 40 million views, that he was a key inspiration for James Franco's latest role as Alien in the Harmony Korine film Spring Breakers or that his mixtapes have garnered applause from Pitchfork, Stereogum and Complex. You definitely wouldn't guess that his soon-to-be-released major label debut, Neon Icon, will feature the likes of Wiz Khalifia, Mac Miller, Drake, A$AP Rocky and Snoop Dogg(/Lion), just to name a few. In fact, instead of gawking, it might be more appropriate to salute respectfully because the young man you've just been introduced to is none other than eccentric Texan rapper RiFF RAFF. Currently on his first Australian tour, the electrifying performer brings his notorious live show to Melbourne this Wednesday. Featuring the overblown bling, intelligent rhymes and hilarious antics that have gained him worldwide acclaim, this will be a night for the hip-hop fan with an ear for the weird. RiFF RAFF's only show will be supported by Fletch, Carlos Turner and Swick. Tickets are on sale now via Moshtix. https://youtube.com/watch?v=NlydTf5bJdo
Earlwolf is the amalgam of Odd Future (or Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, or OFWGKTA) alumni Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt, two of the most talked about hip hop artists of the decade. Whilst that talk is often based around the controversy they create, with Tyler's most recent artistic foray into commercial curation causing heated debate, there is no denying that when it comes to music the two are innovative virtuosos changing the sound of the genre with their subversive aural experiments. Their Australian tour is their first visit to our shores since Tyler's most recent release, Wolf, and with 19-year-old Earl's follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut, Earl, to be released so soon — and with it promising to be very tidy indeed if his new single 'Whoa' is anything to go by — there is no better time to catch the two most prestigious talents of Odd Future. Be aware, though, that whilst the two are excellent at what they do, this is probably not for you if you are offended easily. The hip hop duo are bringing their explosive sound to Melbourne on June 7, so get in quick and witness the future of hip hop.
Beer and food, these two things have always gone well together. But how do we feel about beer in food? Chef Andrew McConnell (Cumulus Inc, Cutler and Co., Golden Fields) and Nova Radio National Drive presenter Tim Blackwell have had a chance to create a food and beer match like no other when 4 Pines Brewing Company gave them the keys to the brewery with the challenge to create a beer based on their favourite foods. McConnell has gone a little left of centre, creating an ale with HP sauce in his McConnell’s Signature Relish Ale, while sweets lover Blackwell has gone sweet with a lager-style beer infused with cherry, vanilla, cocoa and cinnamon in his Tim’s Cherry Pie. On Wednesday May 22, both brews will be unveiled to the public at The Builders Arms Hotel as part of Good Beer Week. The everyday beer lover can head along, taste the new beers and decide, does food really go with beer?
When we think of dance performances, we usually think of watching a cast on stage from the comfort of a theatre seat. Action/Reaction, a part of Dance Massive Festival 2013, is breaking that mould and taking dance to the streets of North Melbourne — Errol Street to be exact. Over two nights, 20 artists will come together to create a series of dynamic performances that will explore interaction, conversation and the act of collaborative experience. Dance will be coupled with visual arts and sound while taking inspiration from the words of writers Ramona Koval and Chris Johnston. Curator Hannah Mathews explores movement and presents common everyday actions in a new and contemplative manner. Errol Street will become a playground for action, with something unexpected taking shape at every turn. Image by Laresa Kosloff
Cities are brilliant. They facilitate things like coffee, sex and conversation. You can get a pizza at two in the morning, you can stumble into washed-up models at the pub, and you can ask your local drag queen where they got their fabulous dress while you stand in line for an ATM. But for all of that, our cities have problems, and increasingly we are realising that the spaces we live in have an unparalleled impact on human health and happiness. There are 7 billion people alive today. By the end of this century there will be 10 billion. And it's estimated that 80 percent of those people will live in cities. "We have to deal with a doubling of urban dwellers in the next forty years. How are we going to make life in these places sustainable?" This is the question asked by Danish filmmaker Andreas Dalsgaard, whose documentary The Human Scale made its Australian premiere at the Sydney Film Festival last week and will screen at Melbourne's ACMI in June and July. Read our interview with Andreas Dalsgaard about the movement to build cities for people.
Lily Mae Martin is an artist, mother of a two-year old and writer who has moved from Berlin to Wales to Melbourne to Berlin and back again: all within the last four years. Phew. She keeps two amazing blogs, one to update her online art portfolio, and the other to document the surprising beauty found in everyday domesticity. In Berlin Domestic, Lily actively observes her life as a mother and artist, and uploads sketches of household objects like laundry baskets, stacked dishes, crockery cupboards and rumpled tablecloths. On July 20, she will be presenting a one-off workshop for would-be artists at the PopUp School in Abbotsford Convent. Participants will learn drawing basics, different techniques from perspective to composition, and the trick to finding inspiration in a cup of tea or cracked vase of flowers. Don't miss out on developing your artsy skills and watching the unbelievably talented Lily in action. Book now — all materials are supplied.
Texan rockers The Black Angels are bringing their psychedelic music Down Under, fresh off the back of releasing their fourth album, Indigo Meadow. The band that was instrumental in raising the profile of the genre along with heavyweights such as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club were here for Harvest Festival last year, and their fans have demanded a solo show, a cry The Black Angels somehow heard over their pulsating guitars and driving drums. The Velvet Underground inspired band will be gracing the Palace Theatre on June 14 with their cathartic style and will be supported by Australian rockers The Laurels and The Murlocs. If you are unfamiliar with the band, then take a listen to their most recent single, 'Don’t Play with Guns', which encapsulates their sound. It will be a kaleidoscopic evening that harks back to the much-hyped sound of a decade ago.
One of the most strenuous undertakings of summer is deciding how best to allocate your funds to Melbourne's music festival onslaught. This year doing so has proved especially draining to both brain and bank balance what with all the excellent new boutique festivals cropping up alongside the circuit mainstays, but hopefully you've made appropriate arrangements for the fact that Laneway appears a little later on the calendar. This year Laneway returns to the Footscray Community Arts Centre with an indie-dense doozy of a line-up. Headliners Bat for Lashes, Yeasayer and Nicolas Jaar comprise the exciting international contingent, alongside plenty of budding artists you'll have heard a lot of already over the last few months (ahem, Flume). In alphabetical order, the St Jerome's Laneway Festival 2013 Lineup: ALI BARTER ALPINE ALT-J BAT FOR LASHES CHET FAKER CLOUD NOTHINGS DIVINE FITS EL-P FLUME HENRY WAGONS & THE UNWELCOME COMPANY HIGH HIGHS HOLY OTHER JAPANDROIDS JESSIE WARE JULIA HOLTER KINGS OF CONVENIENCE MS MR NICOLAS JAAR NITE JEWEL OF MONSTERS AND MEN PATAPHYSICS PERFUME GENIUS POLICA POND REAL ESTATE SHLOHMO SNAKADAKTAL THE MEN THE NEIGHBOURS THE RUBENS TWERPS YEASAYER Strangely, there are some tickets still for sale. Get yours here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=iqkLWlZx7A4
The School of Life, brainchild of modern philosopher Alain de Botton, offers students a different kind of learning. Having started in London in 2008, de Botton's unconventional classrooms have recently opened their doors here in Melbourne, kicking off for a summer term. This isn’t your usual curriculum. Here you’ll learn things like how to think more about sex, have better conversations, and find a job you love. According to de Botton, work and love create the most problems for people in everyday life, thus the school aims to offer new and insightful tools to help students overcome these problems and better their worlds. On top of classes, the school is set to host a number of events and talks. Craig Sherborne takes a Sunday sermon on being ordinary, you can feast on both food and heated discussion at dinner with Simone de Beauvoir, and the Breakfast Club will serve up philosophical ideas over your morning pastry. Forget the textbooks, just take an open mind. Image by David Michael.
With paedophilia now the throwaway punchline of every joke involving Catholic priests, Alex Gibney's Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God is a sobering reminder of the personal impacts of child sex abuse within an interminably sacrosanct organisation. Gibney has a way with scandal, having previously explored the USA's policy on torture in Taxi to the Dark Side and big business cover-ups in Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. His assured, forthright documentary style is at its best in Mea Maxima Culpa, following both personal accounts of victims and the much larger problem at work. Much of the film's focus rests on a group of vulnerable young boys under the care of Father Lawrence Murphy at a school for the deaf in Milwaukee in the '60s. Deliberately using their disability and disconnectedness from their families, Murphy regularly molested the boys in secrecy. One victim describes Murphy as a "ravenous wolf", often singling out children whose parents could not sign, thus minimising any chance of speaking out. It would take decades before they were able to. Father Murphy, who died in 1998 defended his actions with the sickening reasoning of nobly taking their sins upon himself to disrupt their "rampant homosexuality". Though eventually removed from the school, Murphy was largely protected by the church, which prompts the film to investigate this as not a distressing one-off incident, but as a widespread, hushed-up problem. According to Vatican correspondent Marco Politi, the first documentation dates back 1700 years ago, although the state refuses to make their archives public. Interviews with victims, lawyers, progressive clergymen and journalists mixed with archival footage supports Gibney's thesis of a conspiratorial protection offered by the Vatican — to the perpetrators, rather than the victims. The lucidity and openness of the subjects are only slightly let down by a few unnecessary re-enactments early on in the film. The defiant interviews with the men who have dedicated their adult lives to take their uncomfortable truths not just to their local archdiocese but all the way to the Vatican is what will stay with you. Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God is an incredibly gripping report of a papacy that remains largely above the law. With the recent election of Pope Francis, it couldn't have come at a better time. https://youtube.com/watch?v=lLZDLp7lx28
This is one of those performances that makes you wonder why you can’t seductively spin that many hula hoops around your body dressed in a sexy lycra glitter suit, or dangle yourself from the ceiling with a single hand without raising a sweat. Or maybe it’s shows like this that make you realise why you can’t and shouldn’t ever attempt to do so. Empire has been produced by Spiegelworld and is all about the Spiegeltent experience with circus-y, burlesque-y goings on inside. Think round seating in velvet booths, tons of mirrors, and a show that’s as intimate as you can get without becoming a part of the performance. If you've been to the Spiegeltent you know what you're in for. There's also a carnival-style bar for those of us who simply cannot go without a glass of wine in our hands during a show, as you watch magicians, singers, extreme rollerskating, banana tricks, performers dangling in balls, slapstick and a few others showing off what their muscles can do.
It's time to shake your arts and help launch Next Wave's newest initiative, Next Wave Collective, at the ultimate summer soiree on Saturday at the Northcote Town Hall. Hobnob with artists and soak up the sunshine in the courtyard with an ice-cold bevy from Mountain Goat or Raw Wines from 2-8pm to celebrate the initiative, which will give artists, art lovers, volunteers, collectors, philanthropists, and local businesses an oppurtunity to get involved. There will be roving outdoor performances and pop-up galleries from Next Wave artists, while White Guy Cooks Thai, Mr Burger, and Yogurddication will keep the grub coming all day. The social is set to get sexy after dark, when Melbourne band's The Harpoons and Playwrite will take centrestage. Special performances by the artists who make up Next Wave’s Kickstart 2013 program and tonnes of prizes to be won will round out the fiesta. Woopa!
Roman Polanski's story is an extraordinary one. His life has been marked by tragedies, victories, and traumas of filmic proportions, from his survival of Nazi occupation in his native Poland to the cult murder of his pregnant movie star wife Sharon Tate and his Oscar win for The Pianist in 2003. Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir is an extended conversation between the auteur and his longtime friend Andrew Braunsberg, who produced several Polanski films. The interview took place while Polanski was under house arrest in Switzerland in 2010, following his second trial for drugging and raping a thirteen-year-old girl in 1977. The production itself is pretty undergraduate — shoddy sound, unimaginative camerawork, and cheap iMovie-style effects. It turns out the director, Laurent Bouzereau, makes his living producing 'making of' documentaries for movies like Jaws and Back to the Future, and he's clearly riding on Polanski's incredible story. Polanski, who trained as an actor, is a gifted storyteller and his earlier hardships in the Krakow ghetto during World War II are truly amazing. His retelling is cut with footage from The Pianist to show how his formative experiences manifested in his movies, and this is where the film is strongest. But the biggest problem, and one which I can't overlook, is the treatment of Polanski's 1977 crime. The word 'rape' is never mentioned. Instead, the filmmakers focus on corruption in the justice system and offer an argument that goes along the lines of 'well, hasn't Roman been punished enough already?' It's a blatantly dishonest approach considering the enormity of the crime and Polanski's guilty plea. That Braunsberg, the key interviewer, is a close confidant and associate of Polanski's means that there is no veil of anything close to objectivity or distance, which is especially troubling given the film's already creepy mandate of setting the record straight, of advocating for a convicted rapist. There's no doubt Polanski is a major artist, and his fans will probably get a lot out of his recollections of his childhood and early career, but don't expect any keen insights or rigorous attention to the ethics of documentary-making. Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir is a personal exercise in public atonement. Quite frankly, I left the cinema feeling infected.
Tucked away above a dusty fabric shop on Sydney road, Brunswick, lies the Mr Kitly shop and gallery. Catering to the artful homemaker, the space is serene and full of natural light — a quiet haven in the midst of surrounding chaos. From February 8, Mr Kitly plays host to the work of a group of Japanese masters of design — the TORAFU Architects. The exhibition features designs by Koichi Suzuno and Shinya Kamuro, who offer up an assortment of furniture, block and magnet sets, and the intriguing air vase. The TORAFU designs are minimalist and playful at once, with their use of clean lines, basic shapes, and bright colours working to inspire one's inner child. This is the first time these designs have been displayed in Australia, and they will remain so only until February 24. Catch them while you can.
As part of a nationwide tour, Sarah Blasko will join Orchestra Victoria onstage to perform her boundary-obliterating fourth album, I Awake. Blasko has never been one to rest on her creative laurels and her new LP is no exception. Last year, she travelled to Sweden and Bulgaria, where she hooked up with the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra to record twelve tracks. Featuring rich string arrangements and a vocal performance that producer/musician Robert Cranny has described as her recorded “best”, I Awake has been inspiring four and five star reviews from the critics.
It has proven to be a massive year for Big Scary, who have released their highly anticipated follow-up record to 2011's debut, Vacation, and now have a freshly announced national tour that will see the Melbourne duo popping into every corner of Australia. Not Art, the band's second record, saw Tom Iansek and Jo Syme shift into a new direction in terms of sound and production. Though they're primarily known for their alt-rock aesthetic, Iansek has this time sought out new influences from the likes of Kanye West and has thus produced a record that dips into hip hop whilst still maintaining elements of their signature pop sensibilities. On tour, the duo will expand into a four-piece live band — something they've never tried before — in order to fulfil the complex and lush textures heard throughout their record, most prominent in lead singles 'Luck Now' and 'Phil Collins'. Kicking off the proceedings will be Melbourne singer/songwriter Courtney Barnett, whose latest musical adventure and stellar songwriting can be heard in the form of her new single, 'Avant Gardener'. https://youtube.com/watch?v=K_EjSuYWzxA
The Bookwallah exhibition is a bit like a portable library, an art/design installation and a writers festival all in one. In November last year, six Australian and Indian writers went on a 2000km train ride across India with some pretty unique luggage: custom-made, kangaroo-skin suitcases filled with a variety of Australian literature. They had dinner and conversations with some of India's key writers and thinkers, visited some Indian literary festivals, and shared all the sights and adventures along the way on Facebook and Twitter. Now they're about to embark on an Australian tour, and the first stop is Melbourne. It's a chance for Australian readers to hear some of their stories from the journey, as well as see their luggage — which is much more interesting than it sounds. The suitcases, which were created by Australian and Indian designers Georgia Hutchison and Soumitri Varadarajan, fold out into bookcases and seats when they're opened, allowing visitors to browse and read in comfort.
Melbourne International Film Festival artistic director Michelle Carey admits that she is "especially excited about the MIFF 2013", and we can see why. Three years ago Wentworth Miller's Stoker was voted one of 2010's best unproduced screenplays, and now the rest of us finally have a chance to see what all the fuss is about. The unnerving tale is centred on 18-year-old India, who, fresh from burying her father, meets the mysterious uncle her mother has invited into the family home to fill their void. The cast includes a trifecta of Australian talent, with Nicole Kidman, Jacki Weaver and Mia Wasikowska breathing life into the Stoker family. To add to the hype, it is also the English language debut of celebrated South Korean director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy). Other movies on the radar include the world premiere of Tim Winton's The Turning (starring Cate Blanchett); festival patron Geoffrey Rush's turn as an eccentric art auctioneer in Italian box-office smash The Best Offer; Shane Carruth's highly anticipated follow-up to cult time-travel puzzler Primer, titled Upstream Color; and US gore-fest of a horror flick You're Next. The documentary contingent looks set to more than hold its own this year. The Act of Killing, probably the most original lens on genocide you'll ever see, is one screening not to miss (also not to miss is our interview with director Joshua Oppenheimer). Australia's almost-rock legend Jeremy Oxley's battle with schizophrenia and alcoholism takes centrestage in The Sunnyboy, while UK director Ken Loach looks to the England of old in The Spirit of '45. Loach's exploration of British domestic policy pre- and post-Thatcher is a rallying call to UK politicians to reject austerity and remember that great 20th-century experiment, the welfare state. What would a film festival be without something to call the next Woody Allen? MIFF fills that category with the black-and-white comedy Frances Ha. Star Greta Gerwig (To Rome with Love) co-wrote the film with director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale). It contains dialogue like this: Guy: What do you do? Frances: It's kind of hard to explain. Guy: Why, is what you do really complicated? Frances: Because, I don't really do it. So it looks like they are onto a good thing. An annual event, the MIFF runs from July 25 to August 11. For more information, head to the website and keep an eye out for the full program, which will be released on July 2. Image: Festival patron Geoffrey Rush as Virgil Oldman in The Best Offer
For a man who has dressed Bono in giant, clawed boots; heads the fashion department of Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and once reserved the front row of his show for his extensive toy collection, Walter Van Beirendonck was surprisingly understated as he introduced his fantastical exhibition, Dream the World Awake. Dressed in jeans and a suit jacket with a pair of fluoro Nikes and a single teardrop pearl earring (obviously), Van Beirendonck was notably gracious despite the slew of fashion journalists frothing at the mouth at the incredible edit of his 30-year career surrounding us. After a brief explanation of the layout and structure, Walter turned to one of the technical staff, asking, “Now, can we pump up the music?” and reality was left at the door. Installed within RMIT's spectacular new Design Hub, the building’s inaugural exhibition Dream the World Awake is undoubtedly one of the best fashion exhibitions that Melbourne has had the pleasure of hosting. Originally curated and shown in Antwerp’s MoMu Fashion Museum, Van Beirendonck’s creations are not of this world, belonging to a psychedelic, alternate universe where gender is fluid, colour is law and humour is religion. Wandering through the exhibition is like taking a tour through the interior workings of Van Beirendonck’s mind. A towering, 8-metre-high wall plastered with images and objects of inspiration faces a tiered, rotating display of over 70 pieces, spanning from his grad collection to present. The adjacent space features mesmerising video works of innovative fashion shows (including a particularly amusing video featuring dozens of W< clad male models line dancing) and linking the two rooms is a multi-level display of Walter’s large collection of toys and figurines. It’s the best theme park you ever went to, combined with the weirdest dream you’ve ever had. Undoubtedly, an exhibition of this calibre and conceptual prowess is an incredible feat for RMIT, Melbourne, and even the Australian fashion industry. But putting aside the fact Van Beirendonck is one of the world’s greatest avant-garde designers, or that this is the first time the exhibition has shown outside of Antwerp, perhaps what the most important part of Dream the World Awake is its ability to inspire and excite anybody who passes through it. Through his art and creative practice, Walter Van Beirendonck reminds us that the fashion needn’t be so serious or inaccessible in order to be revered. The exhibition is an invitation to exit what is perhaps a conditioned state of mind, melting boundaries of convention and saturating viewers with a flood of inspiration. Now, can we pump up the music?
Attention all aesthetes, athletes and aspiring Olympians: the annual Tan Ultra is back on August 11. The Tan is a familiar track to most Melbournites, and there will be 100km, 50km, 42km, 30km, 12km and 4km distances in 2013. Still need motivation to lace up your running shoes? It's a trailplus event, which supports Canteen and raises awareness of young people living with cancer. Take a look back at your own carefree childhood and think about how you can contribute to someone else's. The Tan Ultra is a great event to support and every participant will receive a certificate or a medal. Yay! Registrations close on August 6 and you'll probably experience a combination of rain, hail and shine while training, what with Melbourne's crazy weather. Remember, you don't have to bust any records — just keep the 'steady' in between 'ready' and 'go'.
Get ready for some incredible parties and cracking cabaret at this year’s Midsumma festival. Celebrating queer culture for two solid weeks, Midsumma will entertain and amaze with live music, performing and visual arts, community events and sport. Opening night party Confetti, featuring The Presets and World’s End Press, looks to be a smashing start to the festivities. Whether you’re heading to the larger events like Carnival or Miss Gay and Miss Transexual Australia, or checking out individual shows like The Vaudevillians starring Jinkx Monsoon, you’re bound to witness some stellar performances. Check out the full program here, and our top ten picks here.
Straight up: this is not your average electro festival. Let Them Eat Cake has three distinct elements working in their favour which include an exceptional line up of musical talent, visual and performance artists who will bend your mind (and bodies), and last but not least the Food Rave. Melbourne’s finest food and drink establishments such as Ladro, Storm in a Teacup, Captain Melville and Phat Brats will be providing the much needed sustenance to help you recover from the night before, and to keep you going all day long. Get excited for the likes of Julio Bashmore, James Holden, Soul Clap and Bicep as they kick off the first day of 2014 on the right foot.
If Falls seems a little too large for your liking, but you’re still looking for a sweet escape from the city, then NYE on the Hill might be just what you need. Brought to you by the legends behind the equally awesome The Hills Are Alive festival, this boutique NYE experience is small on scale but big on good vibes. 48 hours of freedom never looked so blissful, with the likes of Loon Lake, Wagons, Money for Rope, Playwrite and many more dropping in to help you welcome 2014.
