Now that December is here, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas — and, between Sunday, December 8–Tuesday, December 10, that includes down by the Yarra. In the Docklands spot that'll soon be known as the Seafarers waterfront precinct (aka opposite Seafarers Bridge), a supremely festive event will line the river bank with real miniature Christmas trees. 'Tis the season, after all. 'Tis the place that was recently filled with tulips by Joost Bakker, too. The potted eco-friendly Xmas trees are part of the three-day Seafarers Christmas Pop-Up, and they'll be available for sale for between $40–75 — with the cost depending on just how tiny a tree you pick. The Plant Society will also be onsite, selling a variety of other plants and pots for that green thumb in your life (or, if you're treating yo'self, as a pressie for yourself). While the pop-up runs from 10am–4pm on Sunday, and then again from 11am–4pm on Monday and Tuesday, heading by on opening day is recommended. That's when St Ali Coffee will be in the vicinity to add some caffeine to your morning and, from 10am–12pm, The Plant Society will also be hosting a ticketed (for $45) wreath-making class.
Melbourne Music Week's 2017 edition made quite the sonic splash when it saw St. Paul's Cathedral reimagined as a grand gig space, heroing that T.C Lewis pipe organ. This year, Melbourne music lovers are in for a similar treat when the building again plays host to a groundbreaking night of performance, this time starring the sounds of renowned local artist Sarah Mary Chadwick. On Tuesday, November 19, Chadwick will take to the cathedral's famed 147-year-old instrument to play tunes from her acclaimed work The Queen Who Stole the Sky. The album was commissioned by the City of Melbourne and recorded live on the grand organ at Melbourne Town Hall. Prepare to be swept away by the booming tones and emotionally charged soundtrack, soaring through the church's lofty interiors and giving you all the feels.
Beer garden and food truck park The Ascot Lot knows a thing or two about market stalls and festive entertainment. The colourful space regularly plays host to an always changing lineup of Melbourne food vendors, plus parties and events dedicated to dogs and drinks. So, it's safe to say you can trust The Ascot Lot to host a banging Twilight Christmas Market. This one's an after-work affair, running from 5–10pm on Tuesday, December 10. There'll be live acoustic performances, plenty of Christmas tunes, festive cocktails across two bars and gift wrapping services. When it comes to market stalls, you'll be able to browse wares from Fresh Sock Co, Love By Candlelight, Kitchen Language (who sell "cheeky tea towels not for the faint hearted") and The Plant Runner. Obviously, you'll also find a killer food truck lineup, too, including Burrito Bae, The Bearded Jaffle, The Pickle & The Patty and OMG Decadent Donuts. Oh, and dogs are very welcome.
Christmas shopping can be a fair amount of work, between finding gifts for your partner, siblings, your sibling's kids, parents, friends and the work colleague you've never really spoken to but whose name you drew their name out for the office secret santa. What you need is to get it all done in one night. Thankfully, the Mermaid Sorority is hosting its annual Christmas Makers Market at Bunjil Place this weekend. From 4–9pm on Saturday, November 30, the market will feature more than 60 brands covering everything from homewares and art, to fashion, wellness and health products. Pick up some reusable homewares for your environmentally conscious sibling from Wakatobi Eco Supplies, some incredibly cute gingerbread from Love Eat Cake by Lisa, eco-friendly Tyoub swimmers for your niece and nephew, and pieces of art and jewellery to suit any style. There'll also be live music, entertainment, food trucks and coffee to keep you going. Kids will be entertained by craft activities, wreath building and face painting, and everyone will get into the festive spirit with the lighting of Bunjil Place Plaza's Christmas tree on the night. Just remember to bring your own shopping bags to help reduce waste.
There are few pleasures more simple or satisfying in this life than a great meal with great company. It's with that fact in mind that we again find comedians Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan bouncing from one tantalising meal to the next in the third installment of Michael Winterbottom's gastro-comedy series The Trip. Beginning in 2010, the original Trip was a 'best of' that drew from Winterbottom's six-part series for the BBC in which Brydon and Coogan travelled the UK's Lake District 'reviewing' restaurants for their respective publishers. It featured a threadbare fictional storyline that served only to place these two astoundingly witty and sardonic impressionists opposite one another – verbal sparring partners forever determined to fell the other with a devastating barb. The result was a delightful laugh-out-loud comedy that never once threatened to veer towards the gross-out or foul-mouthed gags so common in contemporary Hollywood comedies. The first film's success spawned a sequel, The Trip to Italy, four years later. Now we're greeted with the third course in The Trip to Spain. It's all very much business as usual, with close-ups of mouth-watering food porn breaking up the otherwise largely static shots of Coogan and Brydon facing off against one another, backed by breathtaking scenery and captivating architecture. There's a little history thrown in throughout the film, as well as the occasional food review, but at its heart The Trip to Spain knows where the gold lies and it rarely strays far from the path. Some of you may already be familiar with the common personality quiz question that asks what two people you'd most like to have over for a dinner party. If nothing else, you'd be hard pressed to find a better return on investment than Brydon and Coogan, given how effortlessly the two become 20. Many of the same impersonations from the first two movies return here, including Al Pacino, Michael Caine and Roger Moore. But it's the new entries – David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Sir Anthony Hopkins – that earn the biggest laughs. That these impressions are so often inspired by real life encounters or precious personal moments with their subjects gives what might otherwise feel like a tired parlour trick a critical grounding in tenderness – especially in the case of the Bowie exchange. If there's a complaint to be made this time round, it's that the fictional storyline brings the film to a close on a note that's both abrupt and rather bizarre. The likelihood of another follow-up seems assured given the left-field cliffhanger, but it's so at odds with the class and character of the series that one almost wishes the fictional narrative could be dispensed with entirely. Either that, or shift away from the episodic format of television and become an out-and-out film series. We'll just have to wait and see. For now, at least, we've got some more sumptuous comedy to enjoy, along with course after course of delicious food to match. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTvy8ab1NSo
In our fast paced times, this new exhibition at Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA) considers how technology is impacting sculptural art practice, and how sculptural works produced today might be received by those in the future. With artists from nine countries represented, Future Eaters offers a worldly perspective on contemporary sculptural practice and explores how materials, forms and artists have responded to this technological age. Considering how sculpture has the potential to outlive its creators and become "residues of our existence", Future Eaters abandons the typical gallery format, instead taking place in a highly architectural 'infinite grid' designed by artist Damiano Bertoli. In addition, MUMA has also commissioned several new artworks and installations by Bertoli and other Australian artists Benjamin Armstrong, Marley Dawson, Lewis Fidock and Joshua Petherick and Mira Gojak. Future Eaters takes place at MUMA and is on now until Saturday, September 23.
Like cakes? Don't like animal products? Baked treat-eating vegans of Melbourne, rejoice — the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale is upon us. The initiative takes place around the globe over the second half of April, and come the 22nd of the month, it's your turn. From 10am, Fitzroy's The Cruelty Free Shop will be selling an array of vegan cakes, cupcakes and just generally tasty baked goodies out the front of their Johnson Street store. All proceeds will go to Animal Liberation Victoria. Yes, indulging your sweet tooth will help animals in need. If you needed any extra motivation, you've got it. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own container with them so that they can take their wares home, and you're encouraged to arrive early too — while the sale is due to run until 6pm, it'll close before then if all of those mouth-watering morsels have sold out.
Make the most of the autumnal Melbourne weather this Saturday night with a twilight visit to the Heide Museum of Modern Art. Giving you an extra opportunity to explore Charles Blackman's Schoolgirls exhibition, the gallery is extending its opening hours until 9pm and hosting a laidback shindig after sundown. From 5pm, visitors will be able to scope out the exhibition, wander through Heide's beloved sculpture park, and enjoy beats by 3RRR's John Bailey and Kate Kingsmill. There'll also be food and wine available to purchase, because no jaunt through a gallery is truly complete with a glass of bubbly in hand. That's just a straight-up fact. Entry in Art by Twilight starts at $12 for Heide members, $14 for concession holders and $18 for adults. Image: Jeremy Weihrauch.
If there's one area in which Melbourne reigns supreme, it's breakfast. From the sweet to the savoury, from the classic to the clever, mid-morning munching is our jam. So, on Sunday, April 2 at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival's House of Food and Wine, The Breakfast Club will assemble some of the city's finest purveyors of pre-noon fare for the ultimate brunch feast. Brunch legends like Magic Mountain Saloon, Top Paddock, and Higher Ground will be serving up a diverse array of signature breakfast snacks and exclusive creations, alongside sweet treats courtesy of dessert bar Om Nom. There'll be coffee and tea to wash it down, though with a wine and sherry list by MoVida, and specially created breakfast cocktails from the renowned Romeo Lane, a boozy brunch is looking very tempting indeed.
Some of the best young comedians of the American stand-up circuit make up the docket on this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival Headliners stream. In fact, the lineup is so jam-packed that they've split it into two separate streams. From March 30 to April 9, ticketholders will enjoy the comedy stylings of Emily Heller, Jak Knight, Liza Treyger and Ryan Hamilton. Then from April 10 until April 23, they'll be replaced by Fortune Feimster, Janelle James, Joe DeRosa and Orlando Baxter. Between them, these guys have appeared in everything from Inside Amy Schumer to Horace and Pete to Late Night with Seth Meyers. USA!
With the horrors of war never far from cinema screens, audiences could be forgiven for thinking they've seen every combat tale there is to tell. Thankfully, while that might feel true when it comes to the emotional journey at the heart of Land of Mine, the film's real-life details evoke plenty of intrigue. Come for the usual mix of cruelty, camaraderie and emotional revelations. Stay for something you probably haven't come across before: a literally explosive story of post-World War II efforts to clear landmines from Denmark's coast. Indeed, when the global conflict came to an end in 1945, life didn't just go back to normal. Not in a country recovering from Nazi occupation, with a landscape still peppered with more than 1.5 million buried bombs. Under the supervision of Danish Sergeant Carl Rasmussen (Roland Møller), it's left to a group of German POWs to rifle through the sand. Most are little more than teenagers — including twin brothers Ernst and Werner (Emil and Oskar Belton), as well as the gang's self-appointed leader Sebastian (Louis Hofmann). But the fiery Rasmussen shows them little sympathy, despite their difficult and dangerous task. It's not hard to guess that Rasmussen will eventually warm to his charges. However, even when Land of Mine charts a predictable path, it remains gripping from start to finish. If there's one thing that the best foreign-language Oscar-nominated film perfects, it's the tension and suspense surrounding the scouring, searching and defusing of the deadly explosives at the centre of its story. Every time a character handles a mine, the fear that they're feeling oozes from the screen. And when tragedy occurs, as you know it inevitably will, it's delivered with quiet devastation. Along with the underlying historical reality, part of the reason that the film's atmosphere of unease hits home so strongly is just how picturesque everything appears. Even when they're littered with weapons capable of killing thousands, beaches tend to catch the eye, a fact that sets up many of the movie's thematic contrasts. Something that appears beautiful soon proves otherwise, just as people who act one way can harbour hidden depths. It's not Land of Mine's most subtle comparison, but courtesy of Camilla Hjelm's lingering cinematography, it works. Directing only his third feature film, writer-director Martin Zandvliet also wins big with his cast. If the quietly ominous terrain that fills the film's frames stresses the impact of war, then the growing creases on the actors' faces help convey the personal costs. It's Møller who has the trickiest role and provides Land of Mine's standout performance as a result. It's one thing to predict ahead of time what's going to happen with his character. It's quite another to believe it when it happens. Thanks first and foremost to his phenomenal work, you'll find yourself captivated by everything Land of Mine has to offer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWnwiqIWI0I
War, what is it good for? That's a question Britain's Ministry of Information was tasked with answering in the 1940s. As English soldiers battled the Nazis across Europe, and the Germans dropped bombs on London during the Blitz, selling the merits of the Second World War to the broader public became increasingly difficult. When lives are being lost en masse and buildings are crumbling around you, the slogan "keep calm and carry on" — which was coined by the British government in 1939 — starts to seem a little less reassuring. In Their Finest, Ministry filmmakers aren't just concerned with making rousing cinema. They're also keen to ensure that plausible dialogue comes out of the mouths of their female characters. This inspires them to hire Catrin Cole (Gemma Arterton) as a low-paid writer. Though keen, industrious and excellent at her job from the outset, she comes in particularly handy when bureaucrat Roger Swain (Richard E Grant), producer Gabriel Baker (Henry Goodman) and head writer Tom Buckley (Sam Claflin) set their sights on adapting a true tale about two sea-faring sisters. The ladies in question took their dad's boat to help with the Dunkirk rescue efforts, or so the story goes. But when Catrin has a chat with the heroic twins, she discovers that reality is a little less exciting. Still, you know the old adage: you can't let the facts get in the way of a good story. Propaganda filmmaking mightn't seem a likely candidate for a poignant exploration of the power of movies, a tender account of people trying to get by in tough times, and a romantic drama all rolled into one. Nevertheless, audiences who stick with Their Finest's initially awkward-seeming concept will be justly reward. There's plenty of sweetness, satire and insight inside — and a gentle yet clear rallying cry against sexism as well. Indeed, director Lone Scherfig (An Education) and screenwriter Gaby Chiappe understand full well that pleasing the cinema-going crowds and smartly championing the power of women in the workforce aren't mutually exclusive goals. In adapting Lissa Evans' 2009 novel Their Finest Hour and a Half, they take the obvious approach, but do so with handsome period flair, an ample amount of heart, and an ability to seamlessly jump between comedic to serious moments. Take Bill Nighy's involvement, for instance. The veteran actor plays just that, although his character is convinced he should be seen as a young romantic lead rather than older uncle. He's initially rolled out for laughs, but the movie doesn't treat him as a joke. Delving deeper into what its motley crew is facing as the war rages on around them sits at the very heart of this surprisingly nuanced film. And while Nighy doesn't ever steal the spotlight from the spirited Arterton, he provides a warm, witty and winning example of the kind of multi-layered movie the pair both find themselves making. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmRzbnnToiw
While chairs are often overlooked as ordinary objects in our homes, Creating the Contemporary Chair argues the chair is a focal point for the evolution of design vernacular — and that it even symbolises an object's ability to express ideas. Having fixated designers for decades, this Melbourne Design Week exhibition will present 35 provocative designs from 1980 to 2016. The exhibition has been in development for two years and includes several prominent international designers such as Jacopo Foggini, Helen Kontouris, gt2p and Porky Hefer, who designed the above killer whale piece. It will be on show at NGV International from Friday, March 17. Image: Fiona Blackfish (2015), Porky Hefer.
If you love movies and the magic that goes into making them, it's easy to get spirited away when you head to the cinema. Come late August, however, that will definitely prove the case, because Studio Ghibli's moving castles, cat buses and cute balls of fluff are taking over screens across Melbourne. From August 24, the acclaimed and adored Japanese animation house will be floating across movie theatres thanks to a month-long Celebrate Studio Ghibli showcase. The jam-packed program spans all 22 of their gorgeous flicks plus a behind-the-scenes documentary. Yes, that means devouring everything from Hayao Miyazaki's early efforts such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Laputa: Castle in the Sky, to perennial crowd-pleasers My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away, to later efforts like Ponyo and The Wind Rises. Of course, while Miyazaki might've become synonymous with the studio he helped build, he's not their only filmmaking force — as doco The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness demonstrates. Ghibli's other stars also get their time to shine, with the likes of Isao Takahata' Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, Tomomi Mochizuki's Ocean Waves, Hiroyuki Morita's The Cat Returns, and Gorō Miyazaki's Tales from Earthsea and From Up on Poppy Hill also on the bill. Basically, whichever Ghibli movie is your favourite, you'll get the chance to revisit it on the big screen. Plus, Melburnian Ghibli fans can also catch 15 titles on 35mm during the showcase's stint at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, doing justice to their eye-catching artistry.
From medieval guilds all the way forward to Wikipedia, sharing knowledge has always been a boon for humanity. We thrive on it. And Melbourne's hospitality symposium GROW is built around the idea that information is better served up than hoarded. The collective's event GROW Assembly is back for a second year, with its consortium of hospo professionals again coming together to collectively season the new generation of chefs, sommeliers, bakers, cocktail artisans, food journos and FOH firecrackers with the juice squeezed from their collective experience. The 2017 event is a full-day seminar on Sunday, July 16 in Melbourne with 11 industry speakers spitting knowledge left, right and centre. The lineup reads like a Wiki entry of Melbourne's food community, including Tim Williams (coffee company Bureaux Collective), David Blackmore (Blackmore Wagyu), Robert Walters (wine buyer of Bibendum Wine Co), Michael Ryan (Beechworth's Provenance Restaurant) and Astrid McCormack (Brunswick Heads' Fleet), among others. Phew. The team who are putting the whole shebang together — Michael Bascetta, Banjo Harris Plane, Meira Harel and Vicky Symington — also have an impressive joint resume; together they count stints at Attica, The Town Mouse and Bar Liberty in their experience. It's a long list, but you get the jist — these are the people you want to be the hospitality Yoda to your Skywalker. If you're looking to bring that novelty hybrid food idea into fruition or give us your spin on fried chicken this event is the perfect way to get a foot in the door. Tickets are $130 and include lunch, coffee and booze.
On Saturday, September 2, Green Door Events is launching its Bakers United market at Yarraville Masonic Hall. Similar to their previous ventures, such as the Indoor Design Market and the Annual Children's Market, Bakers United will showcase seasoned and fresh Melbourne talent. There's one difference, however — this one-day event is strictly for baked goods only. Starting from 9am, lovers of all things sweet and baked can stroll their way through a variety of stalls offering an assortment of freshly baked goods ready to be devoured on the spot or taken home for sharing. Delicious fare from Butter Mafia, Sprinkles Spiced and Everything Iced, Shortstop, By Josephine, Love Eat Cake by Lisa, Take the Biscuit, Mum's Baklava and Flavour Station will be on the menu, meaning cakes, cupcakes, doughnuts, cronuts, biscuits, brownies and slices aplenty. It's no wonder they're predicted to be popular, or that further dates have been announced for the rest of the year. Prepare to browse and devour more baked goodies on October 7 and December 2.
If, like us, you've found yourself stumbling drunkenly through the doors of Hakata Gensuke late on a Friday or Saturday night and weeping with joy into a steaming bowl of tonkotsu, you'll be delighted to hear they're celebrating their birthday with a ramen giveaway. Hakata Gensuke's Russell Street store is turning three on the weekend of August 19 to 20, and they're gifting free signature ramen to the first 50 diners through the door — and taking 50% off grub served all weekend as well — to mark the occasion. You can also expect lucky draw prizes including a Super VIP card, which entitles the winner to a year of free ramen. And if you're one of the first 30 people in line at 10:00pm on Friday, you'll go in the draw to win a Late Night Ramen VIP card which comes with free late night ramen for a year. Yes please. Look, we don't really need an excuse to smash a hefty bowl of ramen, but we're just glad the late-night ramen trade is booming. Some terms and conditions apply so check out the deals on their website.
Grub Food Van is teaming up with some of the sweetest folks in town for a series of extravagant high teas, curated by the legends behind Flour Market. Sweet Set will see punters treated to an eight course tasting menu in the Grub greenhouse throughout August and September, with weekly Sunday sittings from 2pm. Each week will include four savoury creations and four sweet, plus a cocktail and your choice of tea or coffee. Tickets start at $65, or $85 if you'd also like a prosecco spritz, which obviously you would. Among the dessert masters on the roster are Citizen Cacao's Georgie Castle, All Are Welcome's Boris Portnoy and Cobb Lane's Matt Forbes, along with the teams from Bibelot and LuxBite. The first Sunday session on August 6 will see the pastry royalty duo that is Pierre Roelofs and Philippa Sibley team up for the first time in an exploration of 'light and dark' — with contrasting flavours like rose, geranium and mandarin paired with chocolate, caramel and nuts. We promise not to tell your dentist if you promise not to tell ours.
Celebrating the launch of the new Preston-based Gertrude Contemporary following the gallery's move after 32-years in Fitzroy, Forever Transformed represents the 17th edition of the gallery's flagship annual Octopus exhibition. Curated by artist and writer Georgie Meagher, as uncertainty and disruption grows in many people's lives, Forever Transformed delves into the concept of 'resilience' and what it means to adapt or change to survive, and whether bouncing back is always a good thing. Meagher has brought together artists such as Tony Albert, Rushdi Anwar, Sophie Cassar, Tabita Rezaire and Liz Linden to explore these ideas, with each artist providing their own interpretation of resilience and exploring alternative ideas such as perseverance, subversion and optimism. Each year the Octopus program invites a guest curator to explore new forms of curatorial practice, providing an exciting opportunity to see what's happening at the cusp of art thought today. Octopus 17: Forever Transformed takes place at the new Gertrude Contemporary in Preston from Friday, July 28 until Saturday, September 9. Image: Optimism #2 (2008), Tony Albert.
Interested in tight-knit rural communities and how ritual plays an important part in our daily lives, Melbourne-based portrait and documentary photographer Lynette Letic brings a new exhibition to Junior Space. Having been raised in Brisbane suburbia, throughout 2015 Letic journeyed to numerous regional communities where she approached strangers to photograph their community events, social gatherings, dances and fairs. Culminating in the Let's Get Together exhibition, through her photographs, Letic began to realise the importance of coming together and the deeper role these events have in small-town life. Inspired by renowned photographers such as Rineke Dijkstra, Alec Soth, Diane Arbus and Walker Evans, Letic takes a similar documentarian approach with Let's Get Together, revealing the idiosyncrasies of small town communities and uncovering how distinct events and people can share unmistakable similarities. Let's Get Together is on display at Junior Space from Thursday, July 13 until Wednesday, July 26.
Reservoir Dogs. Donnie Darko. The Blair Witch Project. Get Out. Some of the most influential movies of the past few decades have had their world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Now, the iconic event is making the journey from Utah to Melbourne with a carefully curated program of shorts at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. Screening just three times at ACMI from July 8 through July 16, this stellar program consists of seven short films that each played at the Utah festival back in January. Standouts include Night Shift, the story of a Los Angeles bathroom attendant played by TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe; 5 Films About Technology, a satirical anthology shot in an insta-inspired 1:1 frame; and Come Swim, which marks the directorial debut of Kristen Stewart. The films offer a nice mix of comedic, reflective and more avant-garde projects that showcase up-and-coming independent filmmakers and give the audience a taste of what Sundance is all about.
How many events dedicated to truffles does one city need? The answer: as many as possible. With the Truffle Melbourne Festival jumping on over to the Queen Victoria Market this year, Prahran Market are upping the ante. Behold their Truffle & Charcuterie Celebration. Mark July 9 in your diaries, as that's the day that delicious funghi and cured meat take over for six hours of eating fun. It's a match made and heaven — and, if you don't think that now, you will once you see just what's in store. Truffles with French Champagne, the world's best ham, hot truffled canapes, cooking demonstrations... with Sweet Greek, Maker & Monger, Naheda's Choice and Cleo's Deli just some of the places serving up bits and bites, the list goes on. At a pop-up truffle market within the market, there'll be everything from truffled risotto with sauteed garlic thyme mushrooms to warm truffle-infused honey baclava to truffled goats cheese, plus a ticketed charcuterie experience that comes with a free glass of wine. And, there'll also be truffled chocolate waffle doughnuts, truffle brioche toasties, truffle mac 'n' cheese and winter black truffle ice-cream. Yep, it's going to be truffle-tastic.
Who knew that a simple zoom out could be so heartbreaking? Iranian-Kurdish journalist and Manus Island detainee Behrouz Boochani, that's who. Secretly recording his indefinite detention in Papua New Guinea's controversial facility for asylum seekers, it's a filmmaking flourish he uses several times throughout Chauka, Please Tell Us the Time. Shooting his restrained surroundings on a mobile phone, his camera captures images both scenic and ordinary — a beach and a communal space, for example — only to then lurch backwards to reveal bars obscuring the view. The statement Boochani makes with this stylistic choice might be obvious, but it's important. For the incarcerated, freedom and normality is so close and yet so far. That applies not only to peering beyond their fenced-in confines, but trying to flee oppression in search of a better life. They're ostensibly right next door to their ideal destination, Australia, and yet the place they're forced to inhabit couldn't be further from their dreams. Indeed, as they struggle with their imprisonment, endure a climate of violence, and make calls to their families back home, their situation more closely resembles a nightmare. Of course, this has all been splashed across countless news headlines already; the documentary is being released in the same week that the Australian government settled a $70 million lawsuit with Manus Island detainees. But as Chasing Asylum demonstrated last year, there's a difference between hearing about the harsh conditions Boochani and company suffer through, and seeing them first-hand; just as there's a difference between seeing asylum seekers as a faceless mass, and getting to know their individual stories. A collaboration with Iranian-Dutch filmmaker Arash Kamali Sarvestani, who produced, edited and composed the suitably emotive score, the movie is less an interview-filled expose, and more a moody portrait of the daily reality of life on Manus Island. Men share tales of bleak incidents within the facility, and try to speak to wives, children and mothers left behind. In between, the camera roams — sometimes over bunk beds no one would want their worst enemy to sleep in, sometimes finding a kitten fenced in behind the wire. Poetic in its depiction of the banality of detainment while offering an impassioned polemic on a punitive regime, Chauka, Please Tell Us the Time is a film of juxtapositions — its subjects yearn for beauty while experiencing abject horror. It's no wonder, then, that Boochani and Sarvestani have chosen to name their feature after a term with a significant double meaning. 'Chauka' refers to both a local bird known for emitting noises at specific times, and the solitary confinement facility within the camp. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwaVMPYEzrA
You have to hand it to the Lido cinema: when it comes their latest retrospective, they couldn't have chosen a better moniker. John Hughes turned teenage dreams into some of the best movies of the '80s, and then inspired many a youthful daydream in turn. Whether you lived through his heyday, watched his flicks over and over again on VHS, DVD or streaming, or both, it's likely your adolescent years wouldn't have been the same without him. At Teen Dream: John Hughes Retrospective, four of the filmmaker's films will grace the Lido's big screen as part of month-long showcase of his ace work. Learn what it's like to be Pretty in Pink, catch the brightly burning excitement of Sixteen Candles, hang out with The Breakfast Club and discover Some Kind of Wonderful. Each film screens on Sunday afternoon at 2pm. Prepare for killer '80s soundtracks and killer fashions as well. Dressing up to match is up to you.
If, for the last 20 years or so, you've been hanging out for your acceptance letter to Hogwarts, well, sorry to say: it's not coming. But that's okay because The Colonial Hotel is determined to make it up to you by way of Wizard Fest. There won't be: George Weasley, flying brooms. There will be: fortune telling, wand selling and magic. Head into The Colonial on Friday, July 28 in your finest witch or wizard get-up (don't be a muggle, now – there's a best dressed prize) for the fest, and you can live out all your Hogwarty dreams for a night. There'll apparently be a DJ Snape spinning "cauldrons" all evening as well as a free photo booth. Look, Harry Potter may have been made for kids but, no, we're still not over it. As such, this is an 18+ event so don't bring your younger siblings (or your cats or toads) and there will be firey whisky and buttery brews on offer.
What's your favourite thing about Twin Peaks? Other than the fact that it's back and just as damn fine as ever, of course. We know, we know, there's just too much to choose from. Any list would have to include Kyle MacLachlan as Agent Dale Cooper, cherry pie and coffee, and David Lynch's inimitable approach on screen and off — as well as the haunting music. From those first distinctive notes of composer Angelo Badalamenti's theme tune, to the ethereal sounds of Julee Cruise's Falling — a number one hit in Australia at the time — the show's soundtrack keeps echoing through our minds. That's not going to change for the next four months, or ever. In fact, Xiu Xiu will ensure the series' score gets permanently lodged in your brain when they return to Australia. As The Giant would say, it is happening again. After wowing Brisbane crowds back in 2015 during the gallery's mind-bending, once-in-a-lifetime David Lynch: Between Two Worlds exhibition, the American experimental group are back and heading to Melbourne to once again interpret the iconic music through their mix of post punk and synth pop for a final time. Prepare to amazed, delighted and even a little disturbed by this new take on Twin Peaks' chaos, drama, fear, noise, sidelong leering glances, arms turned into trees, mysterious glass boxes and Mr Jackpots. Performing live at The Substation on June 22 and 23, Xiu Xiu's shows also come with a serious warning: BOB (or is it Cooper?) will be conducting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rrK6UvAkLs
As Good Beer Week offerings go, they don't get much more glamorous than this one-off big ticket dinner at high-end speakeasy Eau de Vie. Presented in partnership with the Stockade Brewing Company, this five-course degustation on Wednesday, May 17 will feature food specially matched to Eau de Vie cocktails incorporating Stockade Beers. Expect creative taste combinations and a little bit of theatre. At $175 per person the event certainly isn't cheap, so if your significant other owes you a favour it might be time to cash it in.
The National Geographic publishes images of animals all the time, but the ones photographed for their Photo Ark project are a little different. Led by Nat Geo photographer Joel Sartore, Photo Ark aims to document every living species currently living in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries around the world. As well as acting as an archive of biodiversity, Photo Ark is also a travelling exhibition — and it will be coming to Melbourne Zoo for three months from July 1. It's a huge project, and one that Sartore has been working on for a decade now. So far the photographer has visited 250 institutions in 40 countries and captured images of over 6000 species. Many of the animals photographed — including the orange-bellied parrot above — live at Melbourne Zoo or Healesville Sanctuary, which is the reason why this exhibition is coming to our shores. Having travelled around zoos in the US, this will be the first time the works will be seen in the southern hemisphere. Many of the animals featured are critically threatened or endangered, and Photo Ark aims to bring attention to these species and urge humans to help protect these animals for future generations. While Melbourne Zoo is the only confirmed Australian stop for the exhibition, additional venues may be announced at a later date. Image: Orange-bellied parrot shot at Healesville Sanctuary by Joel Sartore.
You can never have too many occasions to eat cheese; however Melbourne's newest celebration of everyone's favourite dairy product isn't just keen to shower cheese fiends with creamy goodness. A collaboration between Bottle Shop Concepts and Bruny Island Cheese Co. cheesemaker Nick Haddow, Mould: A Cheese Festival wants dairy-lovers to explore and devour the mild, hard and soft bites that Australia's best cheese wizards have to offer. Corralling 20 local producers together, and showcasing more than 80 different varieties, the festival with paint North Melbourne's Meat Market yellow on September 2. Yes, it'll make everyone discover just how many times they can say the word cheese before it starts to sound strange — but, it'll also feature flavoursome fare from Yarra Valley Dairy, Holy Goat Cheese, Woodside Cheese Wrights, Pyengana Dairy Company, Shaw River Buffalo Cheese, That's Amore, Grandvewe and more. Think of it as a cheese tasting trip around Australia without leaving Blackwood Street. Of course, snacking on samples and purchasing slices and slabs to take home with you are just two ways to enjoy cheese. Don't worry, Mould: A Cheese Festival has other cheesy fun in store as well. In fact, the fest will boast cooking demonstrations and masterclasses so you'll know just how to make the best cheese wonders, as well as everything from grilled cheese sandwiches and 'flaming Reubens' to raclette and cheese-flavoured gelato. You can thank Maker & Monger, Harper & Blohm and Pidapipó for all of that, with Tivoli Road Bakery joining in to serve up that cheese-accompanying staple: bread aplenty. It wouldn't be a cheese festival without beverages to wash it all down with, so expect a bar serving Aussie tipples such as Patrick Sullivan and Pennyweight wines, Starward whisky, Stone & Wood beer and Napoleone cider — and expect to spend plenty of time trying to pair your cheeses and your pints oh-so-perfectly. Tickets cost $45, which includes tastings, classes, one free glass of vino and a PLUMM wine glass to keep (and cheese dreams later, obviously). UPDATE AUGUST 23, 2017: Because you all love cheese so much and booked out the first session, Mould has added an evening session, which will run from 6–9pm. Nab tickets while they're still available.
Greta Gerwig dances out her angst to David Bowie. Annette Bening learns the difference between Black Flag and Talking Heads. Throw in Elle Fanning reading Judy Blume, and 20th Century Women is filled with fantastic actresses not only interacting with cultural touchstones, but playing characters trying to make sense of their life through art. Inspired by writer-director Mike Mills' own formative years, you could say that that's what he's doing too. A tale of a 15-year-old boy coming of age surrounded by influential females, Mills has called the movie a love letter to the women that raised him. We'll call it a soulful window into three ladies coping with the paths walked, rather than the ones not taken. The year is 1979, the place is Santa Barbara, and that teenage boy in the centre, Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann), doesn't think he needs help growing up — but his single mother Dorothea (Bening) disagrees. Worried about the lack of male guidance in his life, and unable to get him to bond with their handyman lodger (Billy Crudup), she enlists fellow tenant Abbie (Gerwig) and Jamie's best pal Julie (Fanning) to shape the boy's blossoming persona. What follows is less a straightforward narrative and more a series of episodes as several months pass. Jamie embraces his skateboard-riding rebellious side, follows Abbie into punk as she deals with her own maternal issues, and grapples with his crush on the more sexually experienced Julie. This isn't the first movie that the music video director and graphic designer turned feature filmmaker has fashioned from his own experiences. His previous effort, Beginners, won Christopher Plummer an Oscar for a part inspired by Mills' father. 20th Century Women oozes a similar lived-in insight. While the drama depicted mightn't appear to be anything special, his characters and the way they face their situations most definitely are. Mills' Academy Award-nominated screenplay overflows with such authenticity, sensitivity and genuine emotion that it seems like Dorothea, Abbie and company have simply walked out of his memories and onto the screen. Of course, there's another factor at play here: when you want to make a film about remarkable women, you need a remarkable cast. 20th Century Women's lineup is phenomenal — and not just because Gerwig gets another Bowie moment after Frances Ha. She's more assured here than in her work with Noah Baumbach, but still astutely reflects the uncertainty that comes with trying to make your way in the world. But as good as Gerwig, Fanning, Crudup and newcomer Zumann may be, they all stand in the shadow of Bening. Make no mistake: the movie belongs to her as much as it does Mills. That's not to say that 20th Century Women doesn't look and feel every inch like a Mills movie. Switching between narrators, offering up postcard-like summaries of the past, favouring artful montages, and demonstrating an affectionate eye for messy detail, the film couldn't have been made by anybody else. But it also wouldn't work as perfectly with anyone other than Bening. She owns Dorothea's past disappointments, yet ensures she still embraces whatever the future brings — and takes her cues from Mills' mother to the point that she even wears her jewellery. Bening clearly loves her character, as does her director and the entire cast of characters. As, indeed, will you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDa48CnquLU
Freedom Time, the masters of the outdoor dance party, are at it again, with a follow-up to their massive New Year's Day party planned for Saturday, June 3. As with January's event, this shindig is set to take over the Coburg Velodrome, counteracting that wintery Melbourne weather with what promises to be Freedom Time's biggest undercover dance floor yet. Beneath three big top tents, punters will be treated to a swag of visual and musical treats, across an impressive lineup of DJ sets, art projections, installations, and performances. Of course, under the guidance of Freedom Time, Wax'o Paradiso and Crown Ruler, you can expect the tunes to pack a serious punch; the lineup features the likes of LA's DJ Harvey, Kim Ann Foxman, and Melbourne's own utterly dance-worthy CC:DISCO. Image: David Boyd.
Last year Melbourne-based artist Rushdi Anwar returned to his homeland of Kurdistan to work inside Iraqi refugee camps, which more than 1.5 million people currently call home. During this visit, from October 2016 to January 2017, Anwar created The Notion of Place and Displacement, a photo series that explores the daily lives of those living in the camps and reveals the difficulties faced by people suffering from forced displacement and dislocation. Anwar's Kurdish heritage allowed him a unique insight into the lives of those living here — and while his photographs present the upsetting realities for those in the camps, he also portrays their courage and hope and shines a light on the socio-political struggles faced by the region in an effort to evoke compassion. The Notion of Place and Displacement is presented at MARS Gallery in Windsor and can be seen from Thursday, June 8 until Saturday, June 24. Image: Rushdi Anwar, Unprotected (2017).
Forget the idea that Port Fairy is a purely summery destination. The small town on the Princes Highway may be best known for its beach — but thanks to their annual winter festivities there's still plenty to do when it gets chilly. From art exhibitions and photography contests to markets and toy-making workshops — plus the feverishly anticipated Dachshund Dash that last year attracted more than 2000 spectators — Port Fairy Winter Weekends are well worth the drive down the coast. Taking place every second weekend throughout June and July, Winter Weekends will showcase a mix of food, wine, art, culture…and sausage dogs. Did we mention the sausage dogs? They'll be pumping their tiny, adorable legs on Sunday, June 11 — although not before a dog's breakfast and the grand doggo parade. Other standout events include a tasting session at Port Fairy's newest wine and tapas bar, a native food workshop at Tower Hill, 'hot pizza and cold jazz' at the Wishart Gallery, and ghost tours on Saturday nights. Anyone willing to brave the early morning cold can also take part in the Winter Solstice Dawn Swim first thing on Saturday, June 24. Port Fairy Winter Weekends will run on June 9–11, June 23–25, July 7–9 and July 21–23. Image: Loren Tuck.
We've all had them — those moments around midday when your back hurts, your shoulders are up to your earlobes and you find yourself gazing out the window from your desk. Now, we can't technically give you permission to leave work early, but we can tell you where to get free massages on your lunch break. With the arrival of spring, QV Melbourne is launching a series of free 20-minute lunchtime and after-work massage yoga sessions. But what is massage yoga, you ask? Well, a yoga teacher will guide you through a restorative yin yoga class — they'll help you with posture, and massage therapists will make their way around the class providing some soothing massage. Despite being in the middle of the CBD, he whole thing will be quite the relaxing experience, complete with oils, music and expert instruction. But if you don't feel like you can hack work after such an experience, evening classes are also available. Best of all, it's completely free — you'll just have to book via the QV website. MASSAGE YOGA TIMES Thursday, September 21 — 2-4pm and 5-7pm Friday , September 22 —2-4pm and 5-7pm Wednesday, September 27 —2-4pm and 5-7pm Thursday, September 28 —2-4pm and 5-7pm Image: Massage Yoga.
Every Italian will tell you that no one cooks like their nonna — and to prove that claim true, some of Australia's best Italian chefs and their grandmothers are teaming up for a three-day festival of Italian deliciousness. Running from October 8–10, the Festival of Nonna will be a celebration of the traditional matriarchs of the Boot, with a series of three-course dinners at Collingwood's The Craft and Co. Presented by Sandhurst Fine Foods, it will show off the modern interpretation of Italian food coupled with the tried-and-tested traditions that make the cuisine so damn good. Luca Ciano of Milan's two Michelin-starred Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia and Massimo Mele of Woollahra's now-closed La Scala on Jersey, will, along with their mums, deliver hands-on demonstrations that show off the tradition and the techniques of crafting the perfect Italian meal. Tickets for the dinners are $65 a pop, which includes three courses with drinks and a sweet party bag.
American musician, playwright and drag performer Taylor Mac headlines this year's Melbourne Festival with centrepiece event A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, an epic performance covering 240-years of American pop-culture across 24-hours of on-stage spectacle. The Inauguration is Taylor's compressed version, a 90 minute performance that hits the major musical milestones. Accompanied by his five-piece band, Taylor takes the audience on a journey through the chaotic and contested history of the United States. While not quite as epic as the full version, The Inauguration still promises to be a fascinating encounter with one of the world's most acclaimed stage acts.
Those familiar with Terrence Malik's films will be all too aware of his fondness for exploring the human condition through esoteric and cryptic imagery. Acclaimed for pictures such as Badlands, The Thin Red Line and The Tree of Life, Voyage of Time sees Malik delve into his most ambitious subject yet, producing a "scientific chronology of Earth" and documenting the history of the universe. Narrated by Aussie actress Cate Blanchett – and presented alongside the 100-member strong Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Chorus – Voyage of Time explores both the macro and micro aspects of the universe, and tests Malik's filmic imagination to the fullest.
Feel more comfortable behind the camera, than in front? Head to the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery and find out how some of the best portrait photographers go about their business. Now in its tenth year, the National Photographic Portrait Prize is Australia's leading award for portrait photography, with this year's competition attracting more than 3000 entries, which the jury selected 49 exhibiting finalists from. Back in March, prominent Sydney photographer Gary Grealy was announced as this year's winner, offering a sombre portrait of ABC television presenter Richard Morecroft and his partner, and acclaimed painter, Alison Mackay. While many of the images submitted to the National Photographic Portrait Prize are stunning in their technical achievements, the panel of selectors look for images that see the photographer create an atmosphere where the subject 'reveals a glimpse of their inner self'. The finalists' portraits will be showing at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery until Sunday, November 26. Image: The Mirror, Spencer and Lloyd Ha.
Fans of Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar-winning war drama The Hurt Locker will recall that one of the film's most tense and thrilling sequences involved a lone enemy sniper laying waste to a group of US troops and UK mercenaries deep in the Iraqi desert. Pinned down in the blazing heat with little more than rubble for cover, the fear, confusion and discomfort of the men coming under fire was made all the more nail-biting courtesy of a near-silent soundtrack interrupted only by the 'hiss' and 'thwack' of bullets either missing or finding their mark. If that sequence felt somehow rushed or underplayed to you, however, then Doug Liman's latest film The Wall is every bit the fix you're looking for, since it's a movie that stretches that scenario to feature length. The setup is fantastic: six bodies – contractors, engineers and security personnel – all lie dead and scattered around an oil pipeline construction site, whilst way up in the hills a two-man American sniper team (John Cena and Aaron Taylor-Johnson) scans for any sign of the enemy. After 20-something hours of incident-free observation, they declare the site clear and march on down to make the final call in person, whereupon the enemy sniper reveals he's very much still in the picture and cripples both men with a series of sudden and devastating body-shots. As one of the soldiers lies exposed and bleeding, the other scrambles to find cover behind the tiniest, flimsiest shale wall. It's here that the remainder of the movie takes place. Without giving too much away, this is very much Taylor-Johnson's film, for it's he who occupies the vast majority of screen time, turning in an impressively physical and committed performance. You can't help but grit your teeth and squint in sympathy as he endures excruciating pain and the non-stop swirling of dust. Indeed, the immersive nature of the desert setting is one of the film's greatest strengths, evoking such a dry, overbearing heat that you feel compelled to rehydrate throughout. Where The Wall goes awry is when the enemy sniper begins taunting Taylor-Johnson's character over his radio, at which point some hackneyed horror-style lines ("We're not so different, you and I") begin to rear their head. Quoting Robert Frost and Edgar Allan Poe, and pontificating on the hypocrisies of American militarism, the unnamed gunman's dialogue feels like an attempt to bring an unnecessary extra layer of menace to what's already a fine and gripping story. It'd be like taking the shark from The Shallows and having it lecture Blake Lively on the inequities of big game fishing. The threat is already there, you don't need anything more. Even so, like The Shallows, The Wall achieves a lot with very little. Full credit to Liman and company, who have crafted a single-setting, single-actor showcase that proves you don't need a $200 million budget to tell a powerful and engaging war story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyCuUr2_hmA
Just shy of 18, Fitzroy's Polly Bar is no young'un — though it sure knows how to party as if it were. Head along on Saturday, September 16, and witness those youthful moves first-hand, as the Brunswick Street bar trips back in time to the glory days of 1999 in celebration of its milestone birthday. You're invited to don your finest pre-2000 threads and spend an evening kicking it old-school with '90s tunes and retro cocktails at this local legend velvet-clad bar. Get ready to turn back the clock with liquid treats like the tropical Blue Hawaiian, the froth-topped Fluffy Duck, London's famous Fig Bramble, and even the Screaming Orgasm, which Polly bar staff will be serving over a scoop of neapolitan ice cream. The best part? Prices will be turning back to 1999 as well.
Merging creativity and technology this major exhibition by leading media arts organisation Experimenta presents work from 20 local and international contemporary artists, including eight never-before-seen commissions. As part of Melbourne Festival 2017, Experimenta Make Sense: International Triennial of Media Art challenges artists to consider prominent biologist E.O. Wilson's belief that humankind's greatest challenge is our combination of 'Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and god-like technologies'. A light-hearted and expansive exhibition, through a variety of installations you'll get to experience the sensation of being submerged inside a wave, use VR goggles to step into the shoes of a stranger and explore what impact sensory deprivation has on the body. As technology becomes increasingly space age, Experimenta Make Sense will engross your senses in the search for what it means to be human. Experimenta Make Sense: International Triennial of Media Art is on-show from Monday, October 2 until Saturday, November 11 at RMIT Gallery.
Rebels, Revolutionaries and Us is TEDxMelbourne's most daring and event to date. The event will ask the audience to immerse themselves in the ideas of a group of individuals who have taken the path less-travelled, embraced controversy, and challenged themselves to create a better world. Speakers will include Dr James Martin — a specialist in how drug traders are using the dark net — and Deng Adut, former child soldier turned defence lawyer and refugee advocate. Dr Justin Coulson will relay how he raised a family of rebellious girls and world-renowned relationship therapist Jaida Suheyla Simone will explain how relationships should be understood through science and not psychology. Amongst the experienced and wise will be Laura Youngson, the co-founder of Equal Playing Field, an initiative that organised a world record-breaking, all-female football game played on top of Mount Kilimanjaro earlier this year. Joining the agenda of captivating speakers will be a mix of inspiring performers and artists that include African-born, Sydney-based poet and singer-songwriter Sampa The Great, the mesmerising electronic duo Electric Fields and the genre fusing Opal Oceans. Not only will your brain and ears be well fed — your tummy will be too with a star-studded lineup of chefs serving up some top-notch food. Frank Comorra of MoVida will serve up bold Spanish flavours whilst Adam D'Sylvia of Coda will blend Asian and European tastes and techniques. Nicky Reimer of Bellota will showcase flavours that often get lost in modern cooking techniques and Joanne Ward of Om Nom will present the desserts.
Whether they're your go-to bite-sized first course or your jam-packed meat and vegetable-filled main meal, everyone loves dim sims and dumplings. And whether you prefer wontons or gyoza, pierogi or mandu, you'll find them at Welcome to Thornbury's Dimmie & Dumpling Feast. On September 16, the Northcote favourite will welcome a lineup of D&D-serving eateries for an afternoon and evening dedicated to doing the same. Join Woking Amazing, The Brunswick Mess Hall, Momore, Pierogi Pierogi, Sunday Bess, Lekker Lekker and Korean Street Food from midday until 10.30pm. Yes, that means you can enjoy momo for lunch, jiaozi for dinner and pirozhki in between. Entry is free, and then it's a buy-what-you-plan-to-eat kind of deal. And while we don't recommend giving human food to dogs, your pet pupper is welcome to come along while you scoff down all of the dimmies and dumplings you can handle.
Every year, photographers across the country vie for attention in the CCP Salon awards. Started 25 years ago to help showcase and encourage Australian photographers, the awards are completely open to all, so you can expect a wide and varied array of exhibitors to turn out each year. This time around, they're handing out over $20,000 worth of prizes (so you can expect some fierce competition). Opening night will be hosted on Thursday, November 23 at the Centre for Contemporary Photography in Fitzroy, which was designed in 2005 by the iconic Sean Godsell. So the warm and inviting function space alone is worth a trip, not to mention the photographic talents set to show.
Coming very, very soon to Theatre Works in St Kilda, Lifetime Guarantee is being billed as "a rock and roll comedy featuring property development, new love, sex tapes, divorce and a '67 Mustang". It's a classic mix of elements, really, and we're here for it 100 percent. Lifetime Guarantee is the latest play from acclaimed local playwright Ross Mueller, who previously won the New York New Dramatists Playwright exchange for his 2009 effort Concussion. In its Australian premiere, this new production will be directed by Theatre Works Creative Director John Sheedy. The season kicks off on Thursday, February 9 and runs until Sunday, February 26. Tickets are $30 for concession holders and $38 for adults.
If you weren't already aware, Asia TOPA (or the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts) is on show citywide across Melbourne, celebrating the best of Asian contemporary arts. As part of the massive program, ACCA is hosting a major neon installation by Chinese artist He An entitled Do You Think You Can Help Her Brother? Working closely with neon signs throughout his extensive career, He An has brought his collection of luminous letters to Melbourne, which have been removed from various Beijing shopfronts. Simultaneously exploring changes to the built environment of the Chinese capital, social media, language and storytelling, He An contends that "in the city, what we say in our little apartment is not important," but rather, "what is important is the words the neon lights project onto us". Installed on the ACCA's northern façade, the work will be on show 24 hours a day until April 23.
Louise Hearman's distinctly cinematic paintings and drawings take on a dreamlike quality as they combine everyday imagery with dark and surrealistic impressions, creating an otherworldly atmosphere. Throughout her 25-year career, Hearman's works have remained nameless, choosing to let her audience attempt to decipher or give their own meanings to the scenes she puts forth. They've repeatedly returned to familiar settings such as the suburbs of Melbourne and the regional countryside, alongside more hallucinatory images of isolated stretches of road, the back of an anonymous heads and the illuminated face of a child floating in the sea. Mostly creating her works with oils on Masonite, Hearman produces her supernatural images on a relatively small-scale. Shown at the stunning TarraWarra Museum of Art in the picturesque surrounds of Healesville and the Yarra Valley, this is the first major review of Hearman's vast collection of works and runs until May 14. Image: Louise Hearman, Untitled #1118 (2005), oil on composition board.
Make the most of your remaining summer nights with a free open air cinema presented by Victoria Harbour. Over three Friday nights in February, Park Cinema will screen family favourites The Wedding Singer, Back to the Future and The Dish in Buluk Park, Docklands. Pack a rug and some snacks, or leave the work to Docklands cafe Saluministi, which will be serving up tasty Italian picnic fare. The event is alcohol-free, but if you're keen for a pre-movie tipple, stop in at Collins Street's Bar Nacional on the way to the park. Just note that there is no reserved seating, so make sure you're on time to score a prime spot on the lawn — gates open at 7pm, with the screening kicking off around 8.30pm as the sun goes down.
If the way to a regular person's heart is through their stomach, then surely the way to a sweet tooth's is via a parade of stunning, handcrafted desserts. So, this Valentine's Day, Proof is in the Pudding is spreading the love with a special four-course dessert degustation, which will take over the Bakers Bench at their new South Yarra store. Owner and head baker Isabelle Bach has crafted a blissful lineup of sweet treats for the event, to be enjoyed by a handful of lucky diners, at $42 a head. Think, oven-warm shortbread cookies made to her Grandmother's original recipe, and a caramelised white couverture chocolate torte, loaded with cinnamon, roasted macadamias, and honeyed cream cheese. If ever there was a reason to skip the dinner reservation and head straight to the final course, this is it. Seats at the intimate affair are limited, so get in touch with the bakery now to reserve your place at the table and, we're sure, a spot in that special someone's heart.
Bartenders are the new rockstars — if their touring habits are anything to go by, anyway. In the past few years, more and more cocktail bars and their helmsmen have joined musicians for fly-in, fly-out visits to Australia — but instead of touring records, they're touring killer drinks lists. Last year saw Asia's best bar 28 Hongkong Street and hidden New York City jaunt Attaboy both do a quick stops in Melbourne and Sydney, while Mace popped up at Sydney's PS40 just the other week and PDT was in town a little while back too. And now another NYC bar is making its way to our shores for a cheeky cocktail pop-up. The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog will come to Australia for three nights only, spreading its shaking skills across the east coast with one night at Melbourne's Black Pearl, one night at Sydney's Baxter Inn and one night at The Gresham in Brisbane. Dead Rabbit will be sending their finest drink makers to work in collaboration with the host bars to create a one-night-only menu that will showcase their skills and signature drinks and food items (like their Scotch egg). Their cocktail menu is pretty extensive, but we're hoping they bring their Hong Kong Phooey with them — it blends rum with Aquavit, grapefruit, pistachio and avocado. Although we've had a few bars pass through our major cities by now, this one's pretty special as Dead Rabbit, which is permanently located in lower Manhattan, took out the top spot on last year's World's 50 Best Bars list. So if you can't get to the Lower East Side anytime soon, this is your next best option. Tickets are a little pricey at $40 (plus booking fee) — that includes a cocktail on arrival and one of Dead Rabbit's signature Scotch eggs. The Melbourne pop-up has already sold out, but we'll cross our fingers they announce a second date.
