Just when you thought you'd kicked back on every secluded beach in Sydney and plunged into every unusual swimming hole, another beach appears, just like that. Its name is MacKenzies and it's one of the teeniest-tiniest strips of sand in Australia, if not the world. In fact, it's so small that sometimes it's not there at all. Confused? Well, here's the lowdown. MacKenzies is a tucked away bay in the Eastern Suburbs, found about 100 metres north of Tamarama. Most of the time, its shoreline is made up of rocks and nothing but rocks. But, every now and again, enough sand washes up that it qualifies as a beach. And that's just what's happened over the past day or two. The bay goes from this... ...to this: If you get yourself down there for a bit of an explore, do take care. Underwater is laced with jagged rocks and the surf is rough and rippy. Swimming isn't particularly recommended. Images: Dave Keeshan.
When predicting what trends would dominate food and drink this year, eateries going vegan was on our list. After all, within Newtown alone, 2015 saw the opening of new joints Superfood Sushi and Bliss ‘n’ Chips, as well as the vegan-ification of Gigi Pizzeria. Now, Potts Point is taking on the animal-friendly mantle. Yellow has announced it’s going 100 percent vegetarian. That’s right, next time you drop by for brunch or a degustation, you won’t find any flesh on the menu. Yellow frequenters will know already that the restaurant has always had a big focus on vegetables. Owners Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt, who also run Bentley and Monopole, have long had a reputation for taking care of their vego diners, in all venues, with loads of options. Savage said, “I’ve always loved cooking with vegetables and having a solely vegetable driven menu gives me the opportunity to focus on interesting and heirloom varietals, grown by local suppliers. By treating vegetables with the same consideration as protein we hope to show that vegetarian dishes are just as delicious as any other menu item." Yellow’s menu will keep its share-ability, but veggies will get more love and creative treatment than ever before. Dishes to look forward to include yellow beans, pickled brassica and maple; raw radish, Japanese turnips and fennel butter; kohlrabi, fermented apple and enoki mushroom; salted carrot, quinoa and kale; and parsnip pappardelle with yolk and pine mushrooms. On the dessert list, you’ll find fennel pollen ice cream and plum broth, as well as citrus curd, carrot sorbet and brown butter. And you can rest assured that cruelty to fruit and veggies is being kept to a minimum. Rather than going through long, arduous flights or truck rides, they’re being grown and picked as close to diners’ plates as possible. Savage has close relationships with several local producers, including First Farm Organics in the Blue Mountains, who supply brassica leaves, turnips and squash, as well as Champion Organics, who take care of while beetroots, herbs and mustard flowers. Meanwhile, Zavaglia Produce is delivering all the Mexican cucumbers, heirloom zucchini and padron peppers, and Epicurean Harvest is responsible for the almighty radishes. There is one proviso on the all-vegetarian move — the brunch menu will remain the same with grilled licorice bread and poached eggs with charred corn and ham hock consommé still on the menu. You can get your vegetarian on at Yellow seven nights a week and from 8am on weekends. You’ll find it at 57-59 Macleay Street, Potts Point.
Cybershaming and cybersexism, drug addiction and neurology, the 'extreme centre' of politics, climate change and capitalism, robots and unemployment, and sugar. They're all on the programme for the seventh incarnation of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas. Coming to the Sydney Opera House over September 5–6, this year's event will be bringing us a stack of Damn the Man activists, provocative authors and controversial intellectuals from all over the world, including Jon Ronson, Naomi Klein, Peter Greste, Tariq Ali, Dr Marc Lewis, Gabriella Coleman, Sarai Walker and AC Grayling. And that's just a smattering. September's a while away, you still have plenty of time to arm yourself with knowledge. Many of FODI's 2015 guests have launched some pretty brave, important and confrontational books during the past few years. Get through these between now and the end of August and you'll be racing to the mic with your questions. SO YOU'VE BEEN PUBLICLY SHAMED BY JON RONSON Another day, another weird or ill-informed or not-clearly-ironic-enough or plain-stupid tweet, another social media frenzy, another sacking, another life in tatters. Welsh journo, author, filmmaker and radio presenter Jon Ronson has delved into the phenomenon of cybershaming and come up with the insightful, honest, hilarious yet frightening book, So You've Been Publicly Shamed. He travels around the world, interviewing high-profile shamees, and exploring the dangers of the democratisation of judgement and justice. FODI TALK: Jon Ronson's 'Shame Culture' is on September 5 at 3.30pm. THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING: CAPITALISM VERSUS THE CLIMATE BY NAOMI KLEIN Reckon you've heard everything there is to know about climate change? Let's face it, it's not until Naomi Klein has put her pen to a topic that we can really say it's had a thorough going-over. In 1999, she gave globalisation a serious shake-up with No Logo, and in 2007, challenged the so-called success of the 'free market' with The Shock Doctrine. In This Changes Everything, Klein argues that climate change isn't so much about carbon as it is about capitalism. If we're planning on the market saving us, we'd better make new plans quicksmart. FODI TALK: Naomi Klein's 'Capitalism and the Climate' is on September 5 at 11.30am. THE EXTREME CENTRE: A WARNING BY TARIQ ALI If the similarity of major political parties has been disillusioning your faith in the political system, Tariq Ali's your man. In his latest book, The Extreme Centre: A Warning, Ali argues that, in way too many countries, politics have been same-same since 1989; with world leaders continually promoting the market's needs at the cost of all else. He examines corruption in Westminster, the EU, NATO and the dominance of the American empire. But it's not all doom and gloom — Ali finds hope in the formation of new, visionary parties in Scotland, Greece and Spain, and in Latin America's Bolivarian Revolutions. FODI TALK: Tariq Ali's 'The Twilight of Democracy' is on September 5 at 12.30pm. DIETLAND BY SARAI WALKER Once you've made your way through all this heavy nonfiction here, you may well be ready for a little escape. You'll find it in Sarai Walker's debut novel, Dietland. That said, this imaginative, funny book doesn't come without a message. It tells the story of Plum Kettle, a girl who tries her hardest to be invisible, because she believes that the fact that she's 'too fat' means that any attention is bad attention. Then, one day, she falls down a rabbit hole, into an underground community of women, where everyone approaches their own body — and their life — on their own terms. FODI TALK: Sarai Walker's 'Radical Fat Acceptance' is on September 6 at 2pm. UNSPEAKABLE THINGS: SEX, LIES AND REVOLUTION BY LAURIE PENNY Laurie Penny is just 28, but her CV reads like that of someone much older. Right now, she's working as a contributing editor at The New Statesman, writing an Orwell Prize shortlisted blog and touring the world talking about her fourth book, Unspeakable Things: Sex, Lies and Revolution. In it, Penny defends her version of feminism, which is fundamentally about everyone's freedom to choose. In the process, she traverses poverty, prejudice, online dating, eating disorders and riots. FODI TALK: Laurie Penny's 'Lost Boys' is on September 6 at 3.30pm. HACKER, HOAXER, WHISTLEBLOWER, SPY: THE MANY FACES OF ANONYMOUS BY GABRIELLA COLEMAN Anthropologist Gabriella Coleman has spent six years delving into the deep, dark world of Anonymous. Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy is the product of her adventures and an incredibly detailed look at the world of hackers, pranksters and digital activists. Coleman reveals her chats with numerous of the subculture's best-known figures, from Topiary to Tflow to Jeremy Hammond, while recounting their roles in major events, including Occupy Wall Street, the Arab Spring and WikiLeaks. FODI TALK: Gabriella Coleman's 'Inside Anonymous' is on September 5 at 12pm. WITHOUT YOU, THERE IS NO US BY SUKI KIM Since 2002, Seoul-born, New York-living writer Suki Kim has travelled back and forth to North Korea, returning with essays and articles covering major events — from Kim Jong-il's 60th birthday party, to his death in 2011 at the age of 69. During that year, she spent six months teaching English to the sons of the North Korean elite at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST). In Without You, There Is No Us, she gives us a detailed, intimate account of her experiences, providing a window into the education system of a nation we know so little about. FODI TALK: Suki Kim joins Michael Kirby and Anna Broinowski for the 'Inside North Korea' panel on September 6 at 2pm. COMMAND AND CONTROL: NUCLEAR WEAPONS, THE DAMASCUS INCIDENT AND THE ILLUSION OF SAFETY BY ERIC SCHLOSSER Eric Schlosser, author of 2000's Fast Food Nation, has turned his legendary investigative journalism skills to nuclear weapons. Like its predecessor, Command Control aims to make us feel very, very uncomfortable. We're not as safe as we like to think we are. Two plot lines drive the book's structure — the first is the 70-year history of America's nuclear arsenal. The second is the story of the 1980 Titan II missile explosion in Damascus, Arkansas — a 'mishap' that could well have led to a detonation. According to Schlosser, far too many of these types of incidents occur and it's only good luck, really, that's keeping us from a disaster. FODI TALK: Eric Schlosser's 'Nuclear Delusions' is on September 5 at 3pm. MEMOIRS OF AN ADDICTED BRAIN BY DR MARC LEWIS Neuroscientist Dr Marc Lewis first sought escape through drugs as a lonely, bullied boarding school student in New England. Starting with cough medicine, booze and pot, he made his way through the works; taking LSD, speed and heroin in California, nitrous oxide in Malaysia and opium in Calcutta. However, unlike many drug-addicted people, he eventually quit, and went on to become a neuroscientist and developmental psychologist. In Memoirs of an Addicted Brain, Dr Lewis recounts his experiences, focalising his drug-taking through its impact on his neurology. FODI TALK: Marc Lewis's 'Learning Addiction' is on September 6 at 2pm. RISE OF THE ROBOTS: TECHNOLOGY AND THE THREAT OF A JOBLESS FUTURE BY MARTIN FORD Fancy yourself as indispensable to your employer? Believe that, even if your job becomes obsolete, you'll be able to side step into another? Martin Ford thinks you should think again. The robots are coming. And they're going to be cleverer than most of us imagine. In his second book, Rise of the Robots, Ford argues that, unlike other technological developments, the advancement of artificial intelligence promises to leave numerous of us completely, utterly jobless, thereby causing a massive leap in economic inequality. FODI TALK: Martin Ford's 'Hello Robots' is happening on September 5 at 3pm. Learn more about this year's Festival of Dangerous Ideas program, running September 5-6 at the Sydney Opera House, over here. Top image: Dollar Photo Club.
Deck the halls and unpack the plastic tree — the festive season is well and truly upon us. And while that whole Christmas tradition stuff is nice, we're not going to deny what we're most excited about: a whole stocking-load of new films. Along with the cricket and stampeding through shopping centres, going to the movies is one of our favourite Boxing Day traditions. After all, what better place to recover from your post-Christmas food coma than in a nice, dark, air-conditioned cinema? Of course, not all of the end-of-year titles measure up. That's why we're reporting in with our annual Boxing Day Battle Royale, to ensure that you get maximum bang for your Kris Kringle gift voucher buck. Or you could just go see the new Star Wars movie for the third time. That's also a totally valid option. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDMf9m7FXd4 LA LA LAND We give it: 4 stars A surefire contender at this year's Academy Awards, Damien Chazelle's follow-up to the critically acclaimed Whiplash is a bittersweet love letter to music, movies and the old school sense of romance we associate with both. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are at their charming best as a pair of dreamers who fall madly in love against the backdrop of Los Angeles, only for their creative ambitions to get in the way. The film is beautifully shot, and its toe-tapping song and dance numbers will leave you with a gigantic smile on your face. Also: tears. Oh boy, will there be tears. – Tom Clift https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKFuXETZUsI MOANA We give it: 4 stars The latest film from the Disney animation juggernaut, Moana hits all the right marks. Indeed, it's a cocktail of all of the best elements of the Disney princess genre – a desperate quest, a charismatic supporting cast, catchy tunes and an animal sidekick – but with one subtle but important difference. Unlike most Disney princesses, Moana doesn't need a training montage to become a boss bitch, because she already is one. She's a beautiful role model, maybe the best Disney princess ever. And the score, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina, and Opetaia Foa'i, is the music she deserves. Prepare your ears to hear the main refrain 'How Far I'll Go' more than that damn 'Let It Go' song from Frozen. We ain't mad, though, because it's the perfect summer jam. – Imogen Baker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX5vI4osR50 A UNITED KINGDOM We give it: 4 stars As far as rousing romances based on real-life stories go, Amma Asante's A United Kingdom hits the jackpot. Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo star as typist Ruth Williams and future president of Botswana Seretse Khama, whose romance in the years following WWII challenged racial divisions and provoked widespread international attention. The film provides an example of solid emotional storytelling from start to finish. Complications keep forcing the star-crossed lovers in opposite directions, but they never lose sight of what's important. Nor does Asante or writer Guy Hibbert, who are at their best when swapping easy sentiment for quiet fortitude. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl3sTpmEKIs RED DOG: TRUE BLUE We give it: 3.5 stars Five years ago, a little local film with a lot of heart scampered its way into cinemas — and into the country's box office records. Given the tail-wagging success of Red Dog, a follow-up was all but inevitable. Still, while there's much that's familiar about Red Dog: True Blue, it still earns every bit of emotion that oozes from this second trip into family-friendly territory. This time around, the eponymous pooch gets an origin story starting in 1968, and a lonely boy (Pan's Levi Miller) gets a new best friend. For their part of the bargain, viewers get a broad, crowd-pleasing, affectionate effort that's certain to make everyone fall in love with the red-coloured canine all over again. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qksQSt8K830 WHY HIM? We give it: 3 stars "Produced by Ben Stiller. Story by Jonah Hill. Starring James Franco." Put those things together and you already know what you'll get: fart jokes, dick jokes, poo jokes, semon jokes, stoners, swearing and sex. And yet, true to form, you also get laughs. Not as many as you might have hoped for given the involvement of Bryan Cranston, Megan Mullally and Keegan-Michael Key, but maybe just enough to keep you entertained. In this modern day riff on Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, Cranston's daughter invites her family out to Silicon Valley to meet her eccentric tech millionaire boyfriend Laird, whereupon daddy decides to go to war with the very idea of their relationship. Too often the film turns to the loud and the wacky for easy laughs, when all the best material comes in the gentler, well-directed barbs at San Fran startup culture. Franco steals the show, forging Laird into a genuinely endearing character whose vulnerabilities lie bare like the tattoos adorning his torso. – Tom Glasson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlp94-C31cY ALLIED We give it: 3 stars Partially styled after and sharing its initial setting with classic World War II romance Casablanca, Allied poses an age-old question in a specific context: how well does anyone actually know each other, particularly married couples who've started a family together while the planet battles it out around them. Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard mightn't boast overwhelmingly convincing chemistry together, but each turn in fine performances as a Canadian intelligence officer and French resistance fighter, respectively, whose pairing on an undercover mission soon leads to a genuine connection. Obviously pitched at an older crowd, Allied is an elegant affair that seems like a response to the complaint that they just don't make them like they used to. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrWjjOOYxhI SING We give it: 3 stars On paper, animal karaoke caper Sing sounds like reality television turned into a star-studded cartoon – albeit in a form that aims to make viewers feel warm and fuzzy rather than inducing a serious case of cringe. On screen, the latest film from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Son of Rambow director Garth Jennings plays out just as you'd expect, though it thankfully remains fun enough despite its obvious formula. Think bright colours, a bouncy pace, recognisable songs a plenty, Matthew McConaughey voicing a theatre-owning koala, and the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon and Eddie the Eagle's Taron Egerton among the cast. If you're looking for a film to keep youngsters distracted, this animated effort should do nicely. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_3CL12eNaE ROSALIE BUM We give it: 2.5 stars While Rosalie Blum bears the name of Noémie Lvovsky's protagonist— a middle-aged corner store-owner saddened by past pain – the intertwined fates of three individuals sit at the centre of this light and breezy effort. Adapted from a series of graphic novels, the film – a hit at this year's Alliance Francaise French Film Festival – explores the story not just of Rosalie, but also the hairdresser who starts following her every move, and the college student (and Rosalie's niece) who starts shadowing him in turn. Coincidence and contrivance rear their head, though so does a genuine understanding of the interplay between unhappiness and escapism. The result is a well-acted but often a tad too convenient movie about coping with life's ups and downs. – Sarah Ward If you're looking to steer well clear of cinemas on Boxing Day, why not check out one of our favourite films from throughout the year instead. Words by Imogen Baker, Tom Clift, Tom Glasson and Sarah Ward.
Banaras Backs, the newest exhibition at Darlinghurst photography Black Eye Gallery, offers a unique glimpse into contemporary Indian life. The work of Aussie photographer Terry Burrows, this new show features photos of people sitting on the steps of the river Ganges. A riff on classic portraiture, each of the photos is taken from behind, with the viewer unable to see any of the subjects' faces. At once intimate and distant, this intriguing series invites you to spend long moments in front of each image, admiring the composition or, for more creative types, inventing stories about the photos' anonymous subjects. Copies of Burrows' publication, The Banaras Back Book — a whopping collection of 1008 photos from which the Black Eye Gallery exhibit is curated — will be available for sale during the exhibition. Black Eye Gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am–6pm. Images courtesy the artist/Black Eye Gallery.
While Australia is still a ways off legal weed yet, our friends in California appear to be living in a stoner's paradise. One of the more laissez-faire places when it comes to marijuana – it's legal for medicinal use, while possession will cop you a $100 fine at most – the state already caters to smokers with dispensaries and delivery services. So really, a cannabis social club was the next logical step. Located in downtown Los Angeles, Nexus Social Lounge is an endeavour of Nexus Glass, a company that specialises in pipes and other glassware, and provides a welcoming place for patrons to, uh, medicate. The bar is decked out with a full blown arcade, complete with retro games and pinball machines. Elite Daily went along to the venue earlier this week and caught a performance by Waka Flocka Flame – who also spent some time interacting with patrons from behind the bar. Who want some Flockaveli OG ???? Coming soon to dispensary near you. @wakaflocka A photo posted by Nexus Social lounge (@nexussociallounge) on Feb 5, 2016 at 9:48am PST @wakaflocka at the dab bar A photo posted by Nexus Glass (@nexusglass710) on Feb 4, 2016 at 6:34pm PST Recap | 2015 NYE Party A photo posted by Nexus Social lounge (@nexussociallounge) on Jan 13, 2016 at 11:23pm PST Recap | NYE Party @808mafiaboss @westcoastcure A photo posted by Nexus Social lounge (@nexussociallounge) on Jan 13, 2016 at 11:05pm PST Tag someone who you'd go head to head with. #highscore #110 #nexussociallounge A photo posted by Nexus Social lounge (@nexussociallounge) on Nov 26, 2015 at 6:26pm PST We offer exclusive parties in collaboration with some of the industries finest to provide a unique experience like no other, our private member-only lounge cannot be matched. #nexussociallounge @nexussociallounge A photo posted by Nexus Glass (@nexusglass710) on Nov 25, 2015 at 2:07pm PST On a semi-related note, Victoria recently became the first state in Australia to take steps towards legalising medicinal marijuana, with the Andrews government tabling a report in parliament by the Victorian Law Reform Commission that recommended legalising the drug for the treatment of serious illnesses. Baby steps, people. Via Elite Daily.
Myer and eBay have joined forces to take online shopping to the next level with their creation of the world's first Virtual Reality Department Store. Available today, their cardboard 'shoptical' device allows users to browse, personalise, and purchase over 12,500 Myer products just with your face. The best part — they're giving out 15,000 of them for free. For our sceptical readers who didn't automatically click away at the word free, here's the deal. The 'shoptical' device seems pretty simple — you download the eBay VR Department Store app on your smart phone and insert the phone into the cardboard shoptical — very, very similar to Google Cardboard's design. You can then browse, research and eventually purchase any item in the catalogue by holding your gaze on a product. The VR store is continually personalised while you use it and will suggest products based on what it knows about you. Creepy? Yes. Convenient? Also yes. While the new VR Store doesn't quite diminish the age old online shopping problem of ordering without trying on, the shopticals do give an unprecedented, up close and personal view of products – think 3D images that take you inside the jumper you're looking at. The product range, pricing and stock information will also be updated in real time, which is a brand new feat for virtual reality experiences. For those looking to try before they buy, you can trial the VR Department Store by booking your place at a special exhibition on Thursday, May 19 and Friday, May 20 at The Harbourside Room, Level 6, 140 George Street in Sydney. While this device may not be for the old school shoppers out there, it's definitely a huge leap forward for online converts. If you made it this far and still think this sounds bloody brilliant, we just want to repeat that they're really giving out 15,000 for free.
Despite claims by the University of Technology Sydney that some people actually like the UTS Tower, it's known to haters citywide as one of the ugliest buildings in Sydney. But this serious eyesore is finally getting proper attention from the powers that be, with new multi-million dollar plans for an attached 'student hub' announced this morning — though not quite as much attention as we think it needs. Broadway's soulless tower of concrete will not be demolished — for reasons we still don't understand. Instead, Building 2 of the tower will get a complete makeover and act as a shiny new distraction from the structure allegedly designed so students couldn't meet each other, form groups and protest (it's a myth but we love it). The team from Tattoo Nightmares probably would have done a better cover up job, but unfortunately they don't do 1960s abominations. The 16-level, glass-sheathed student hub will replace Building 2 on the corner of Broadway and Jones Street. The project, titled UTS Central, is said to start this year and finish in 2019, costing a whopping $278 million. You'd think for that amount of dollarydoos they'd be able to get rid of the UTS Tower once and for all, but someone up at the top must really, really want to keep it around. The new development does sound pretty swank, though — there are plans to include a library with a twisting tri-level reading room, research areas, teaching spaces, a student centre, the student union, and a dining hall. Top it all off with an outdoor terrace and rooftop garden and the futuristic glass structure will at least be keeping students happy. UTS Central is the next in the campus revamps, following the recent $180 million Frank Gehry-designed business school that has also received mixed reviews. Via Sydney Morning Herald. Image: NSW Department of Planning.
Mead is making a comeback as of late, though most people still have no idea what the fuck it is. Stone Dog Meadery will give guests all of the answers (and tasters) of one of the world's oldest alcoholic beverages while Yulli's serves up their top-notch vegetarian dishes. Even the know-it-alls in the craft beer world will learn something, and love something, at this Sydney Craft Beer Week event.
Not going overseas this winter? Luckily, you'll still have the chance to take a bite out of some Big Apple arts and culture, as Melbourne's National Gallery of Victoria plays host to an exclusive exhibition showcasing works from New York's prestigious Museum of Modern Art. Debuting today and set to run until October 7, MoMA at NGV: 130 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art will feature over 200 modern and contemporary masterpieces, many on their first ever visit to Australia. Taking over the entire ground floor of NGV International, it's certifiably huge. The exhibition will present pieces from all six of MoMA's curatorial departments, meaning the works will span Photography, Film, Architecture and Design, Painting and Sculpture, Drawings and Prints, and Media and Performance Art. You'll catch works from all of the big names of the 19th and 20th century art world, including Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Frida Kahlo, Jackson Pollock, Georgia O'Keeffe, Diane Arbus and Andy Warhol. Capturing the spirit of more recent times, will be pieces from the likes of Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, Kara Walker, Olafur Eliasson, Rineke Dijkstra and Camille Henrot. Examining over 130 years of innovation, MoMA at NGV sets out to explore all the major art movements, with the exhibition spread across eight themed sections. Here are a few of the big-name works on display. [caption id="attachment_672010" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roy Lichtenstein: Drowning girl (1963)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_672008" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andy Warhol: Marilyn Munroe (1967)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_672011" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Frida Kahlo: Self portrait with cropped hair (1940)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_672012" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Salvador Dali: The persistence of memory (1931)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_672013" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kara Walker: Gone: An historical romance of a civil war as it occurred b'tween the dusky thighs of a one young negress and her heart (1994)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_672014" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Shigetaka Kurita et al.: Emoji (1998–99)[/caption] Needless to say, the partnership with MoMa is a pretty huge coup for both the NGV and Australian art lovers. "The collaboration with the National Gallery of Victoria provides a unique opportunity to see extremely important works from nearly every area of our collection in an exhibition that simultaneously explores The Museum of Modern Art's history as well as the history of modern and contemporary art in general," said MoMA Director Glenn D. Lowry. As an added bonus, NGV members who are hitting New York while the exhibition is running will score free admission to MoMA, and vice versa. MoMA at NGV runs from June 9 until October 7, at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Grab tickets here. Images: NGV/Tom Ross.
After taking a big chunk out of the hotel business, Airbnb are finally getting into… the hotel business. The online marketplace has just launched Samara, an urban planning and design studio that recently put the finishing touches on its inaugural design project — a cedar wood guest house soon to open in the small town of Yoshino, Japan. Designed in conjunction with local architect Go Hasegawa, the dwelling features multiple bedrooms, a communal living area and a 16-foot-long dining table. It's currently on display in Tokyo as part of the House Vision exhibition, but will be transported to Yoshino in October, where it will function as a community centre that doubles as visitor accommodation. "Imagine it's lunch time and you're eating and at the end of the table there's a community meeting taking place," Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia told Fast Company Design. "I picture Western guests walking up, stepping inside, and you're interacting with the community from the minute you arrive. If you want to tour the sake factory, or the chopstick factory, or take a hike, the locals are right there." Apparently the whole idea was inspired by an elderly woman in Tsuyama Okayama, who created a mini tourism boom in town after listing her home on Airbnb. The hope is that the Yoshino house generates similar interest. Of course, that's assuming that locals actually want an influx of Western visitors — although the town did donate the land for the project, so presumably they're on board. "If this works, there are a lot of villages in Japan that could benefit," said Gebbia. Indeed, the plan seems to be to expand the project globally, with Gebbia mentioning that the company had received calls from people in places such as the UK, China, Korea, Spain, France, and Italy. Via Fast Company Design.
All you need for a beautiful day on the beach is yourself, some togs and a few hours of unburdened, gloriously free time. But wouldn't it be an even better day if you had these movie-set perfect beach and pool accessories with you? Yes. Yes, it would. Read on and cast your mind forward to a time when your aqueous outing is framed by the style, ingenuity and inflatable Pegasus-ry here collected. THE BEACH MAT: BEACHILL SMART MATTRESS Barely out of development, the Beachill can be a tough product to get your hands on — at the moment, the company's Facebook page asks that you get in touch via email to order. Nevertheless, the bubblegum-bright beach mat is so good that it's already moderately internet-famous. That's because it actually solves three common beach trip dilemmas: how to support your back (i.e. the usual beach mat mandate), how to keep your drink cool and how to charge your dwindling phone battery. It accomplishes the latter by way of a 7 watt solar panel on the back of the cushion. High five, Beachill. Price on enquiry from the Beachill Facebook page. THE BEACH TOWEL: THE BEACH PEOPLE ROUNDIE Throw away your old rectangular towel (read: leave it in the linen cabinet for a bit), because this season everyone's drying off with a whole new shape. That shape? The circle. Luxe and oversize, this new breed of towel is an extravagance, but one you'll be thankful for when you're wrapped in its embrace from head to fringe-tickled toe. Byron Bay company The Beach People do them best, in bold, monotone prints inspired by beach cultures from all over the world. $110 from The Beach People. THE BEACH SUNGLASSES: KREWE DU OPTIC ST LOUIS What's going on on that nose bridge there? Well, that would be a brushed metal architectural detail inspired by New Orleans' French Quarter's iconic 1800s cast iron balconies. Swoon. Krewe Du Optic are a brand you want to get in on — started in 2013, they handcraft all their frames using premium acetate, lenses and hinges. The sunset-hued mirrored pair above is a 'Bengal', but the St Louis style alone comes in 11 different colourways, each more fetching than the last. Just look. US$195–255 ($270–354) from Krewe du Optic. THE BEACH BALL: SUNNYLIFE INFLATABLE WATERMELON BALL If you're anything less than impressed right now, it's only because the full significance of Sunnylife's inflatable watermelon ball is yet to hit you. This ball is not just a toy to be tossed; it is a trompe l'oeil that will turn heads in wonder at your ability to keep a half-watermelon aloft with a few blasé taps. Not only that, but have you played with any beach ball lately? The things run away from you at the slightest suggestion from the wind. Hours of active fun right there. $18.95 from Sunnylife. THE INFLATABLE: FUNBOY PEGASUS POOL FLOAT The game of inflatable animal one-upmanship has gone so far it's crossed into mythical creature territory. Following summer after summer of the swan, the flamingo and the toucan, we now have in our midst the Pegasus, from LA brand Funboy. You know you want it. Though it's definitely not for open ocean beaches, take along Peggy to a pool, harbour beach or lake as desired. US$99 ($137) from Funboy. THE BEACH GAME: MEN'S SOCIETY ALOHA PADDLE BEACH BALL GAME SET What's with all the dude-centric brand names in the beach toy industry? Remedy this, someone. But for now let's plough ahead and appreciate this neat paddle tennis set anyway. It's designy, but not too designy. You could probably leave it unattended while you went for a swim and nobody would steal it. Note the colour palette; it seems to invoke the Pacific islands, the Rene Lacoste days of tennis and your primary school athletics uniform all at once. A real achievement. £29 from Men's Society. THE BEACH BAG: THE SHAKE TOTE The Shake Tote is okay-looking, but where it wows is on its bottom. Open the flap and all the sand that's inevitably made it into your bag during a day at the beach will just fall straight through the mesh lining and out of your life. Whataworld. The Shake range also comes in a small backpack and clutch, in two different colourways. US$80–90 ($111–124) from Amazon. THE BEST SUN PROTECTION: INVISIBLE ZINC 4HR WATER RESISTANT SPF50+ What's this guy doing here? Well, if your best accessory is the skin you're in (and let's say it is), then you're going to want to take care of it. Invisible Zinc makes it into our beach bags year after year because it's super effective at reflecting UVAs and UVBs, low irritant, Australian owned and a real leader in the physical sunscreen game, with a natural Zinc Oxide formula that rubs in nearly as well as chemical sunscreens. The latest addition to their product line is 50+ and 4 hours water resistant. $21.99 from Priceline.
Apple's first wearable computer, the Apple Watch, is almost here. After months of furious pub debates, Android-loving naysaying and know-it-all speculation, Apple finally announced the release date for its next 'must-have' device at its 'Spring Forward' event in San Francisco — and the price tag for its sold gold version. Starting at AU$499 and running all the way up to AU$14,000 for their ultra-hard 18-karat gold version, the shrunken, wearable computer fits into a watch body and runs a modified version of iOS — the system running your iPhone and iPad right now. Available in two sizes (38 and 42mm height) the Apple Watch comes in three different 'collections' including the Apple Watch Sport Collection — with 60 percent stronger anodised aluminium case, though not completely waterproof — and the pretty, pretty AppleWatch Edition made from 18-carat yellow or rose gold, sapphire crystal glass (and costing that cheeky $10K). Not as baller as these watches, but a good first model. Preorders for the Apple Watch start April 10, available in the US, UK, China, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Hong Kong. The watch will be available from April 24, but if you wander into a Genius bar you'll be able to try one on from the 10th. Analysts are predicting Apple could up to 60 million shipments within a year of its release — perhaps not if Pebble Time has anything to do with it. So, how does the Apple Watch work? Behold, the 'digital crown' controls all The primary joystick of the whole device, you can go all James Bond by using the rotating dial on the side of the watch to navigate (something many smartwatches leave out for aesthetics). Even so, the display is also used as a touch screen classic smartthing style. For all you constant screencrackers out there, that face is made from a super hard-as-nails single line sapphire material. Your watch can tell you to run faster Using four sapphire lenses on the back of the watch and the mighty, custom-designed S1 chip, the watch can detect your pulse rate (along with an epic amount of other info). Combine this with the accelerometer measuring body movement and the GPS tracking your distance, the watch can figure out how hard you're exercising and suggests fitness goals. What a beneficial jerk. 'Glance' at your most important info The Glances feature is where you make the watch all about you. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and your custom-selected screen of notifications pops up. Weather, dirty messages, calendars of events you're avoiding; it's all on your wrist. You can charge wirelessly No winding here. To charge up, the Apple Watch fuses MagSafe and inductive charging — you just hold the back of the watch near the charging connector and let the magnets pull everything together. Apparently the battery lasts 'all day', which could be anywhere from a probably 18 hours to 72 hours in Power Reserve mode. Siri runs the show Because the Apple Watch is so mini in screen size, Siri comes into play for a significant amount of commands. Yep, you'll feel like a spy. An awesome, awesome spy. You can send doodles to your mates Using the newly revealed app Digital Touch, watch wearers can create little animated drawings and send them to other watcheroos. Cute. App developers will be able to create Apple Watch versions, we're thinking Snapchat is particularly made for this. You need an iPhone for it to work And there's the catch. The Apple Watch needs an iPhone 5 or 6 nearby in order to function, feeding from the web or GPS info to work. Music, photos and contacts come across, sure, but this makes the device one of Apple's most you-need-that-to-get-this products ever, even the iPad stood on its own little stand. The Apple Watch will be available for purchase in Australia from April 24, pre-orders open from April 10. Via Mashable, TIME and PC Advisor.
Want your Uber ride to be even cheaper? Don’t mind sharing a ride with strangers and making awkward small talk? UberPOOL might just be your perfect service. As reported by The Guardian, it’s rolling out in London today and allows Uber users to opt into a carpooling option with a very attractive 25 percent discount on the standard Uber fare. Sharing is caring. It’s not guaranteed there’ll be another user opting into UberPOOL in the vicinity, but if you don’t get matched you still keep that tasty discount. So basically, you get rewarded for being a chill and environmentally conscious Uber user, even if you don’t even right share (it’s the thought that counts). As well as making Uber even cheaper for anyone willing to share, UberPOOL also environmental benefits — more seats on bums and more cars making full use of their capacity means less cars on the road and less pollution. The option has been rolled out in a few cities and even accounts for half of all rides taken in San Francisco (half!), so it’s not exactly a new concept but it’s certainly taking off. We’re still waiting for word of when it will hit our shores but you can guarantee it's likely to. Gizmodo's Luke Hopewell wrote an interesting account of his experience in an UberPOOL and pointed out the one major flaw in the plan: as well as being hella awkward to ride with a complete stranger, if you hop our first, that complete stranger knows where you're going or where you live. The app doesn't give you the name of your riding buddy, but that's no guarantee you won't be Ubering home with a weirdo. While we wait to see how it all plays out, let’s just scroll through #yourtaxis and giggle gleefully over terrible PR ideas. Via The Guardian.
Locked in to return to all three levels at Manning Bar in the University of Sydney, the boutique music festival cooked up by Sydney touring and management agency Astral People and record label Yes Please returns for its fourth instalment on Saturday, September 26. Forecast to sell out like its previous events, OutsideIn will spread its super solid lineup over three stages. Enough chatskies, who's on the bill? Headlining the bunch, Philadelphia's neo-soul gem and Common/Dilla/Kendrick Lamar collaborator Bilal will bring a full eight-piece band to the main stage. Then you'll be getting a big ol' dose of Southern rap with Big K.R.I.T and Devin The Dude, while Manchester producer Star Slinger brings new EP goodness to the table. Vancouver multi-instrumentalist producer Pomo will be there, alongside Mood Hut co-founders and progressive jazz soul beatsmiths Pender Street Steppers, while Sydney's own twin duo Cosmo's Midnight make their live set debut. The local love doesn't stop there, with dance-inducing crew Total Giovanni, Perth's electro-pop enigma KU KA and Melbourne's Harvey Sutherland cranking out an improvised show dubbed "equal parts 808 rattle and double disco". There's still over 20 international and local artists still to be announced, but just roll around in this first release for now. OUTSIDE IN 2015 LINEUP (FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT): Bilal Big K.R.I.T Devin The Dude Cosmo’s Midnight Star Slinger Pomo Total Giovanni Pender Street Steppers KU KA Harvey Sutherland OutsideIn 2015 will be held at Manning House, Sydney on Saturday, September 26, 2015. Early bird tickets have sold out. General admission tickets available from first announce at $85 +bf. Tickets over here.
The inner west's long-dreamed-about Greenway — a 5.8 kilometre, car-free path linking the Cooks River and Iron Cove, following the light rail's route — is finally set to become a reality. Last month, federal Labor promised $7.5 million to the project, in the event of being elected. And, it appears the NSW Government has responded to the pressure by pledging $7 million of its own. Convenient timing, before a federal election. Just sayin'. This money will be matched by another $7 million from the newly created (and highly controversial) Inner West Council — an amalgamation of Leichhardt, Ashfield and Marrickville Councils. Over three years, the $14 million will go towards mending the Greenway's eleven 'missing links' – spots where the path is broken by obstacles, like bridges and tunnels. "The great advantage of doing this is that it does get cyclists off roadways and onto the type of infrastructure that they deserve to have. The cycling community is only going to increasingly grow," said transport minister Andrew Constance. Honestly, this is pretty transparent timing. Local MPs, councillors and residents have been hassling the State Government for help for years. However, in 2011, then transport minister Gladys Berejiklian rejected the plans. Since then, local councils have built bits and pieces of the Greenway with their own money — its current length is now 2.6 kilometres. "It is very much a priority for this council. We have been seeking the finalisation of a funding commitment from the state government for some time so it will be well received," said Inner West Council administrator Richard Pearson. Via SMH.
Earlier this year, some of Australia's best bar teams went head-to-head to nab mad bragging rights, an epic photo shoot and a huge trip to Glasgow for Auchentoshan Whisky's national Distilled Different competition. Bar teams across Australia created an Auchentoshan American Oak cocktail for the competition, and twelve were then paired with an up-and-coming Australian photographer who worked with them to create a photographic masterpiece to reflect the team's personality. On Tuesday October 18, the winner of the cocktail competition was crowned. Sydney bar team Eau De Vie won for the originality of their cocktail and portrait, which was snapped by Brendan Fitzpatrick in a fully-styled photo shoot that judges agreed captured the essence of their bar. Eau De Vie and Fitzpatrick were chosen as the winning team by a panel of industry professionals, including our very own managing editor Shannon Connellan. The team from Eau De Vie will be jet-setting off to Glasgow as part of their prize. Glasgow is the home of Auchentoshan — the only triple distilled Scottish single malt whisky in the world. Triple distilled, people. The winners will of course get to visit the Auchentoshan distillery while they're there. The team at Ramblin' Rascal Tavern were also chosen on the night as the winners of the People's Choice Award. Take a look at what went down on the night.
From award-winning Australian novel to sold-out mainstage production, Jasper Jones is now getting the long-awaited big screen treatment it deserves. Madman Entertainment has today released the trailer for the anticipated film version of Craig Silvey's lauded novel, a revisualisation directed by Rachel Perkins (Bran Nue Dae, Radiance, One Night the Moon) and produced by Vincent Sheehan (Animal Kingdom, The Hunter) and David Jowsey (Mystery Road, Goldstone). Jasper Jones follows the classic story of 14-year-old Charlie Bucktin, a wide-eyed, book-loving kid living in small-town Western Australia in the summer of 1969. When local mixed-race outcast Jasper Jones wakes him up in the middle of the night, one heck of a mystery starts for the pair (and the town). Who's in the cast? Oh, just Australian royalty Toni Collette and Hugo Weaving, alongside Levi Miller (Pan, upcoming Red Dog: True Blue), Angourie Rice (These Final Hours, The Nice Guys), Dan Wyllie (Offspring, Muriel's Wedding), Matt Nable (Riddick, Son of a Gun) and Aaron McGrath (GLITCH). Get your eyes all over the trailer, it comes with a new song from Sydney lad Dustin Tebbutt, 'Atlas in Your Eyes'. Jasper Jones will be released in cinemas on March 2, 2017.
What can you achieve in 5 minutes? Devise an uber-witty 'Gram caption? Shoot a spectacular Snapchat story? Consume an obscene quantity of tacos? Respondents with the latter, it's your time to shine. Redfern's local landmark The Norfolk is celebrating its fourth birthday by dishing up some killer Mexican delicacies, ready to be inhaled by the eager participants in this year's 'Annual World Famous Taco Eating Competition'. The night is set to include an array of mouth-watering options for competitors and spectators alike. Those brave enough to tackle the almighty taco challenge will have five minutes to gulp down as many of the spicy little suckers as they can manage. Everyone else can leisurely nibble on the special birthday burger on the menu for the event. Wash down the gluttonous feast with $10 Lageritas, coconuts slushies or any one of the beers from the Norfolk's impressive selection while recovering from your post-comp food coma in the pub's spacious outdoor courtyard. Get in quick if you want to compete, as spots are strictly limited. Email mark@thenorfolk.co to register.
After one humdinger of a debut year, Young Henrys are bringing back their highly successful celebrating of all things inner west Sydney: Small World Festival. Pairing their beloved craft beer with some of Sydney's best live bands and the inner west's most beloved food joints. Young Henrys have turned it to 11 this year, announcing the 2015 lineup this morning. Locked in for Saturday, September 19, at a new location at Sydney Park, Alexandria, Small Worlds will see Australian rock royalty The Church headline one heck of an Aussie bill. Formed in the inner west some 35 years ago, The Church will be burling out everything from 'Under the Milky Way' to new album gems. They'll be joined by Brisbane's face-melting lads DZ Deathrays, Sydney's long-labouring electronic barons PVT (celebrating ten years since releasing debut album Make Me Love You), Sydney supergroup Jack Ladder and the Dreamlanders (Jack Ladder, Kirin J. Callinan, Laurence Pike and Donny Benet), beloved wailers PALMS, haunting foursome All Our Exes Live In Texas, a SPOD-fronted Bon Scott era ACDC cover band called Bon Voyage and more. Plus, monthly artist showcasers VISIONS will kick things off with a mystery happening. Making sure you fill your belly between sets, the inner west's leading culinary crews are bringing their nosh to Small World: Mary’s, Bloodwood, Porteño and Black Betty. And of course, Young Henrys will keep punters well quenched on the day with their celebrated brews. SMALL WORLD FESTIVAL 2015 LINEUP: Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders All Our Exes Live In Texas The Church DZ Deathrays PVT PALMS Bon Voyage Summer Flake Green Buzzard The Lulu Raes Local Artist Showcase (presented by Visions) Young Henrys Small World Festival is happening on Saturday, September 19 at Sydney Park, off Euston Road, Alexandria. Tickets are $69+BF, on sale Thursday, July 9 at 9am from the Small World website.
Kicking off with a light-hearted caper, ending with happy tears — that's what we look for in an Italian jaunt. And even if you're not heading over to Europe anytime soon, sitting in a cinema this September might be the next best thing, in the form of the 2017 Italian Film Festival. Marking its 18th year, Australia's annual celebration of Italy's filmmaking finest will kick off with screwball effort Let Yourself Go!, which won the 2017 Italian Golden Globe for best comedy, stars The Great Beauty's Toni Servillo, and follows a tightly wound psychoanalyst's dalliance with an upbeat personal trainer. Bookending the festival is a 20th anniversary screening of Roberto Benigni's bittersweet Life Is Beautiful, an Academy Award winner for best foreign language film. One of the more popular film events in Australia, IFF's 28-film, six-week national tour features brand new highlights, excursions off the beaten track, jaunts all over the country and an ode to coffee. Yes, there really is a film called Coffee in the program, which intertwines three tales about everyone's favourite caffeinated brew, and was inspired by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's 2006 Oscar-winner Babel. As for the rest of the fest, highlights include the tender portrait of conjoined twin sisters that is Indivisible (the festival's centrepiece), to Sea Girls Dreaming, a documentary about carefree grandmothers living in the tiny Italian mountain village of Daone. Plus, Italian movie buffs can also enjoy romantic comedy Emma, which comes to Australia straight from the Venice Film Festival, and the based-on-a-true-tale Sicilian Ghost Story, about the disappeared teenage son of a Mafia informant. There's more where they came from, including Roman ex-cons attempting to start a new life, broad Christmas comedies and topical accounts of ex-terrorists fleeing extradition — and a special guest and a new initiative. This year's festival will welcome Australian-Italian actor Greta Scacchi, who'll attend screenings of her latest effort Tenderness, and sit on IFF's first jury. The Looking for Alibrandi star will help pick the festival's best from a six-film competition, with help from The Space Between's Ruth Borgobello, actor Daniela Farinacci, actor Damian Walshe-Howling and Radio National's Jason di Rosso. The 2017 Italian Film Festival tours Australia between September 12 and October 25, screening at Sydney's Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona and Chauvel Cinemas from September 12 to October 8; Melbourne's Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Kino Cinemas and The Astor Theatre from September 14 to October 8; and Brisbane's Palace Barracks and Palace Centro from September 20 to October 8. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the festival website.
There's a brand new eatery in Cronulla by the name of Blackwood Pantry. Opening last week, the cafe-restaurant is the domain of chef Rob Lechowicz, a local lad who's spent the last few years honing his skills in Michelin-starred establishments in London and Paris. Now he's taking everything he learnt abroad and bringing it back home. In the food department, expect an all-day menu made up of some seriously appetising dishes. The vegetarian Buddha Bowl is made with fried eggs, quinoa, kale, roasted cauliflower, picked red cabbage, toasted almonds, lemon and buttermilk dressing; while the 'Miss Piggy' consists of crispy pork belly, roasted peaches, chimichurri and goat's cheese on toasted ciabatta. You can also grab a range of gluten-free salads, including a roast beetroot number made with yellow beans, pickled onions, goat's cheese and toasted pistachio. Those of you with a sweet tooth can indulge in their daily pastry offerings, or even grab a fresh fruit paddle pop. Okay so technically that last item is on the kids menu, but we're sure they'll let you order one for yourself if you ask them nicely. Drink options include coffee, tea and a variety of fresh squeezed juices, plus a cookies and cream milkshake we can't wait to try for ourselves. If you're looking for something a little stronger, they've also got beer, wine and cocktails, as well as white sangria with peaches by the jug. Blackwood Pantry is located at 5/33 Surf Lane, Cronulla. For more information including operating hours visit www.blackwoodpantry.com.au. Via Good Food.
In light of the devastation caused by this season's bushfires and the ongoing long-term drought felt throughout the state, the Taronga Conservation Society Australia invites you to take a moment to reflect and focus on what's to come at a guided group meditation. Mindful Mornings at Taronga will be a chance for the community to gather and support Taronga Zoo's ongoing response to the bushfire crisis, with proceeds from the events going towards the Taronga Wildlife Crisis Appeal. Plus, you'll get to hear more about what the zoo is doing to help the thousands of injured Australian animals. Over three mornings — on Friday, March 6; Sunday, March 8; and Sunday, March 29 — Nicho Plowman will lead you through a 25-minute meditation aimed at calming minds. Plowman is a vedic meditation teacher and co-founder of the app Insight Timer. The meditation will then be followed by a talk with a keeper about Taronga's commitment to supporting wildlife. Tickets are $55 per person and include all-day zoo entry so you can make a day of it with a visit to meet the koalas, elephants, tree kangaroos and more. CORRECTION: FEBRUARY 18, 2020 — This article previously stated that the meditation session would run for 90 minutes, but this is incorrect. It will run for 25 minutes and will be followed by a talk with a Taronga keeper. The above copy has been updated to reflect this.
Contemporary art fans are in for a treat this March. Sydney Art Month is returning for another year with a stellar line-up of talks, tours, and exhibitions across the city. The fun doesn't end when the sun goes down — quite the opposite, actually. Art at Night gives you after-dark access to the city's premier galleries and creative spaces for free, followed by some epic after-parties. So, clear your calendar, grab your mates, download an Art Month precinct map, and get ready for some artsy adventuring. The Art at Night program takes over three precincts throughout Sydney for one night only. It kicks off in Redfern and Chippendale on March 1, then it moves on to East Sydney on March 8 and finishes up in Paddington and Woollahra on March 15. In Paddington and Woollahra, one of the city's original art precincts, you can expect massive sculptures from Sri Lankan-born, Sydney-based artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran. These explicitly political works explore issues of gender, religion, and sex in a unique and enticing format. As well, look out for artist Rosie Deacon — she'll be constructing a large, site-specific work that plays with kitsch, colour and spectacle of obsession. Galleries on the trail include COMA, Sabia Gallery, and Wagner Contemporary. End the night with music and drinks at the Cake Wines after-party (that takes place at the Paddington Uniting Church). The Art at Night Paddington/Woollahra trail will run from 6-8pm, followed by the Cake Wines Art Bar at the UNSW Art + Design Building on Greens Rd, Paddington, from 7.30-10.30pm.
This stirring piece by famed Indonesian choreographer Eko Supriyanto explores the diverse roles women play in the country's society. With choreography inspired by traditional Indonesian martial arts, and performed by five young female dancers from the remote coastal town of Jailolo, Balabala will pull at your heartstrings and challenge your perceptions. Balabala will be performed at Carriageworks from January 7-10. This is a world premiere show at Sydney Festival 2017. Check out more world firsts coming to the festival over here.
Feel like greening up your life with and giving a little back to your city while you're at it? Good news. The City of Sydney is giving away one thousand trees next month, with the aim of increasing the size of the city’s urban canopy while promoting green action— all while helping you tick something off your bucket list. To nab your free tree, be at Sydney Park Road car park in St Peters on Saturday, March 12 from 10am. Like all good community weekend events, there'll be a tasty, tasty barbecue and experts on hand to give you planting, fertilising and nurturing tips. There'll be small or medium trees in native, exotic, evergreen and deciduous varieties, to ensure you find your perfect match. The free tree giveaway is only available to people living in Alexandria, Annandale, Barangaroo, Beaconsfield, Camperdown, Centennial Park, Chippendale, Darlinghurst, Darlington, Dawes Point, Elizabeth Bay, Erskineville, Eveleigh, Forest Lodge, Glebe, Haymarket, Millers Point, Moore Park, Newtown, Paddington, Potts Point, Pyrmont, Redfern, Rosebery, Rushcutters Bay, St Peters, Surry Hills, Sydney, The Rocks, Ultimo, Waterloo, Woolloomooloo and Zetland. Make sure you bring along proof of residence, like a bank statement or driver's licence. The City of Sydney's Tree Giveaway is happening on Saturday, March 12 from 10am at the Sydney Park Road car park. For more information, go here.
Gourmet providores Salt Meats Cheese may soon be forced to add another food group to their name, with the upcoming launch of a brand new patisserie at their site in Alexandria. Set to open on August 1, the new concept store and bakery will supply freshly made breads, cakes and pastries to SMC venues around Sydney, while also selling directly to the public. Just imagine all the ways they'll be able to incorporate Nutella. Located at 21 Fountain Street, the patisserie will be headed by chef Laurence Pagano, who spent eight years training under the legendary Adriano Zumbo before managing the patisserie at Mercato and Cucina. "This is a new chapter in my career and I'm excited to be joining the vibrant team at Salt Meats Cheese to create a signature range of cakes and sweets that's on a whole new level," said Pagano. In addition to functioning as a patisserie during the day, Salt Meats Cheese Alexandria will be available as an event space, and will play host to cooking classes on weekday evenings and on the weekend. According to SMC co-director Stefano De Blasi, "the shop will be open every day for walk-ins to buy the freshly baked cakes and pastries and this new venue will enable us to host three times the number of guests and cooking classes per week to meet demand." Last but not least, the venue will be the home of The Chef's Table Restaurant, a new Italian offering featuring an ever-changing seasonal menu. Find Salt Meats Cheese Patisserie at 21 Fountain Street, Alexandria. For more information stay tuned to their Facebook or visit www.saltmeatscheese.com.au.
"I always quote Einstein, who said that if an idea is not at first absurd, then there's no hope for it," says artist Konstantin Dimopoulos. "I guess what Einstein meant was that normal ideas don't go anywhere." Einstein may very well have been onto something. As a general rule, human beings tend to be attracted to things outside of the ordinary, and are more likely to consider big ideas if they're delivered in a way that grabs our attention. It's for this reason that Dimopolous, intent on generating discussion about deforestation, is colouring the trees in Pyrmont's leafy Pirrara Park a radioactive shade of blue. Part of this year's Art and About program in Sydney, The Blue Trees is actually an ongoing project, with Melbourne-based Dimopoulos having previously tampered with the foliage in a number of global cities including London, Vancouver and Seattle. Ahead of its debut in Sydney, we spoke with the artist about what he hopes audiences will make of his endeavour, and the importance of public artwork in shaping the way people think. Where did the idea for The Blue Trees come from? "I moved from New Zealand to Australia in 2003, and what we don't have in Wellington is a lot of trees, because it's so windy. So the first thing I saw was the amazing trees. Then I got to talk to people from [Melbourne community-based activist organisation] Friends of the Earth. One person who'd just come back from South East Asia showed me images of huge deforestation. I remember his comment was 'I wish we could get it on the front page of the newspapers instead of just a postscript.' "I've always had in the back of my mind the idea of social art. And it comes from people like Joseph Beuys, the German artist. It's using art to highlight issues that happen outside of that arena. We're highlighting, through colour and through art, a hugely serious issue of global deforestation." So once you've decided to make art about deforestation, how do you settle on colouring trees blue? "That is a question that I really don't have an answer to. I was walking by the MCG, and the way they set the trees, they're on both sides of the road, and they almost create this church-like canopy over the top of you, and the trunks are like the pillars. And I saw that and for some reason I had this idea of blue trees. I don’t know what it was. "It's such a bizarre colour for a tree, and that was the idea. You colour something completely different from what people expect. I've said to people that if I coloured them brown, nobody would care. It's about creating something that has a magical quality that makes people stop. And it's not just a blue, but an electric blue. When people see it on my website they think it's been photoshopped. It almost looks like it's glowing, or like it's some form of radiation." It really does look quite unnatural. "That's exactly it. It looks unnatural. But what we're trying to say is that the real unnaturalness is when you have human beings destroying huge amounts of forest without any thought that we're changing the environment and the ecosystem. And once that habitat goes, [animals] disappear. We don't think about that. We tend to think that we're the top dog. "There are statistics, which I won't go too much in to, but there was one recently from a guy called Matt Hansen, a professor at the University of Maryland, who said that we lose 50 football fields of forest every minute... These forests have no voices. What I'm trying to do is raise a voice." What has the reaction to the work been like in other cities? "Often you can put the most non-toxic of artwork out there, and there'll be someone who dislikes it. People don't have any opinions on life and death, but they have opinions on public sculpture. So whenever you create a public work, there's always someone asking why we've spent money on it. But art is where ideas come from. It's an artistic process. Whether it's Steve Jobs or Picasso, ideas come from that point of wanting to create something. It'd be much cheaper if we removed all the architecture, and all the sculpture, and all the landscape from a community, and just concreted everything. But the people who change the world love theatre, love music, love architecture, love public art. "I'll give you a quote from Warren Buffett, who said 'I don't know the secret to success, but the secret to failure is trying to please everyone.' Public art isn't going to do that, and The Blue Trees isn't going to do that. But what it does is raise awareness. And it isn't possible for me not to do something when you hear the statistics about global deforestation. As an artist, I'd rather be in the ring throwing the punches than be one of the observers sitting and booing." The Blue Trees will be coloured by the community from 10am – 4pm on Saturday March 5. More details over here. Images: Nikki To.
Sydney mega-restaurateur and MasterChef hanger-on Matt Moran is taking over ownership of the Abercrombie Hotel. Located on the corner of Abercrombie Street and Broadway, the iconic Chippendale venue, officially known as The Australian Hotel, was renowned for its sticky floors and raucous club nights, but ceased operation in 2014. A resurrection has been on the cards for a while now, with Moran's company Solotel Hospitality Group inking the deal this week. Just don't expect the return of S.A.S.H. or Purple Sneakers. "Our refurbishment of The Australian Hotel will see the pub restored to its original art-deco glory including its rear courtyard beer garden," said Solotel co-owner Bruce Solomon. "Solotel will deliver a contemporary expression within the original heritage character of the pub reminiscent of this bygone era whilst ensuring its seamless integration into the broader Central Park precinct." In addition to the main building, Moran and Solomon have acquired the three adjacent terrace houses facing Abercrombie Street, with an eye to opening a European-style wine bar. With work on final Central Park plans still ongoing, however, neither venue is expected to begin trading before 2018. Moran is but the latest in a string of high-profile chefs to dip his toes into the publican game this year. Iceberg's Maurice Terzini recently took over The Dolphin in Surry Hills, while Guillaume Brahimi is revamping the dining room at Paddington's The Four in Hand.
If you haven't heard of Shenanigans Brewing Company, this Sydney Craft Beer Week event should be at the top of your list. If you have heard of them, then we're sure it's already at the top of your list. Combine one of our personal favourite Sydney brewers with The Hive Bar, one of the best small bars in the city, and you've got yourself one serious Sunday session. The event will include a special SCBW beer launch, along with specially paired dishes and beer-inspired cocktails.
During the working week, time away from your desk is a rare and precious commodity. We're all guilty of killing time mindlessly trawling the web, but as excellent as cat GIFs may be there's far more exciting things we could be doing on our coffee break. Make even the shortest of respites count and carve out time in your day for a bit of adventure, whether it's a morning mission or an after-work moment to blow off steam. Take the break you, as a hardworking human being, deserve. [caption id="attachment_537982" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Barangaroo Delivery Authority.[/caption] TAKE A WALK ALONG BARANGAROO RESERVE If you work in the city and are looking to step out and clear your head, go check out Barangaroo Reserve. Starting at Circular Quay, if you keep up a brisk pace you should have time to explore some of the finger wharfs and the foreshore at Barangaroo. Once a concrete slab, the area now boasts tiered lawns sectioned off by 6500 sandstone blocks — and of course a harbour backdrop. If you've got the time, it's a transformation worth checking out. And, from January 7-29, a giant ball pit will be set up at The Cutaway as part of Sydney Festival for you to jump into. [caption id="attachment_531698" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Centred Meditation.[/caption] MEDITATE We've all experienced those work days where it feels like you're devoting more energy to keeping your rage at bay than you are to the task at hand. On those days, more than any other, you need to take a break. If you're in dire need of a bit of zen, Centred Meditation offers 30-minute meditation classes in the centre of the city. And if you're struggling to achieve inner calm, don't stress, you can always squeeze in a quick nap before heading back to the office. If it will stop you from having a rage blackout, it's $16 well spent. [caption id="attachment_583596" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Endota Spa.[/caption] GET A MORNING MASSAGE It may be decadent, but it's hard to think of a better way to break up your morning than with a quick massage. Endota spas are located across Sydney and offer 30-minute massages for around $65. But if you want to achieve peak relaxation in a short amount of time, Nature's Energy's Bath House in Balmain is where it's at. Don't let the unassuming shopfront fool you, hidden out the back is a hot and cold spa, a sauna and a steam room. Only $28 for 30 minutes, you'll be on cloud nine for the rest of the day. LISTEN TO A PODCAST Walking the streets of Sydney these days you need to keep your wits about you or risk running into someone blindly trying to catch them all. Along with the added benefit of making it through your break injury-free, listening to a podcast means you can also enjoy your surrounds. Find your nearest park, or better yet a local dog park — pup time and podcasts, the ultimate combo — and simply sit and listen. Our picks are Girls creator Lena Dunham's series Women of the Hour, Dinner Party Download and Conversations with Richard Fidler, a podcast devoted to telling the stories of interesting people, famous or otherwise. TAKE A GUILT-FREE SNACK BREAK Anything you eat from Gratia in Surry Hills is by definition guilt-free. Gratia donates 100 percent of their profits to charity — 50 percent to a charity nominated by their customers and 50 percent to a long-standing charity of their choosing. So, when the mid-morning hunger pangs strike — or you're simply looking for an excuse to get away from your desk — do the right thing, don't resist the call of the protein pancakes topped with rhubarb, ginger honey and goats cheese ($16). Once you're fed, head upstairs to Folonomo Gallery, where 100 percent of the profits go to a charity of the exhibiting artist's choosing.
Australian dance theatre company Force Majeure creates theatrical movement-based storytelling that really is unforgettable. We're still recovering from the tour de force of 2018's You Animal, You, programmed as part of Sydney Festival, and its latest show has us just as hyped. Inspired by the themes of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, the world premiere production prods questions about human survival, ageing and environmental destruction — so, just the little things. And performers Pamela Rabe, Paul Capsis and Olwen Fouéré will be joined by 13 young performers to tussle with those intergenerational questions.
After nearly five decades roaming the globe and shooting images, American photographer and icon Roger Ballen is finally coming to Sydney to hold a major solo exhibition at the Sydney College of the Arts. His show, which coincides with the 20th Biennale of Sydney, is a retrospective of 75 works from the last two decades and has been carefully curated by SCA Dean at the University of Sydney, Colin Rhodes. Aptly titled Roger Ballen’s Theatre of the Mind, the show will feature new work inspired by the SCA site’s history as a mental asylum. The new work will be on show in the underground cells so bring your best scream and a spooky ghost preparedness kit too. Although Ballen has spent five decades pursuing photography and travelling extensively through South Africa, he’s best known by the younger generation for the Die Antwoord video clip for 'I Fink U Freaky'. Ballen collaborated with Die Antwoord to produce a clip that brings his still-life photography work to life and references elements of his unique, bleak and uncanny imagery. The clip has been viewed in excess of 76 million times, pushing Ballen into favour with digital natives and Die Antwoord fans everywhere. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Uee_mcxvrw[/embed] But outside of this wildly successful contemporary collab, Ballen is an old-school film photographer and possibly the last of his kind. His work is shot in black and white because he believes it to be an abstraction on the way we naturally perceive the world (that is, in colour). Often photographers have an affinity for reflecting the world around them, turning the lens outward and sometimes hiding behind the lens. Interestingly, Ballen has frequently noted that the motivation for his work is a journey of self-discovery, a "fundamentally… psychological and existential journey". Roger Ballen's Theatre of the Mind descends upon Sydney College of the Arts from March 16 to April 30 at Sydney College of the Arts, Callan Park, Rozelle. Images: Roger Ballen, still from 'I Fink U Freeky' video, Die Antwoord 2012; Caged, 2011; Mirrored, 2012; Bewitched, 2012. Images courtesy of the artist.
The solar battery industry is still very much in its infancy, but already there's an Aussie upstart taking the challenge to a major brand. The Brisbane-based, Indigenous-owned AllGrid Energy is currently offering its ten kilowatt-hour home battery at a rate significantly cheaper than Tesla's much-touted Powerwall, which is due to enter the local market next year. Like the Powerwall, the AllGrid GridWatt system stores power collected by solar panels, and according to the company can reduce your reliance on the national power grid by up to 75 percent. The system costs $12,000, which they say comes in at about 30 per cent less than the Tesla option – although due to its reliance on old lead acid gel batteries, the system must be installed outside. AllGrid currently services Queensland and South Australia, and sees remote indigenous communities as a potential area for growth. "Obviously as an Indigenous company working with Indigenous communities, it’s a really big area of traction for us," AllGrid marketing manager Deborah Oberon told The Guardian. The company plans to train Indigenous electricians to help install the units, with the hope that they could be used to replace costly diesel generators. "Once Tesla's system is available in February, that will be the moment that the game really starts to change...with the coverage and publicity that a company like Tesla get, we’re really confident the market will heat up," said Oberon, further predicting that 2016 would be "the year that storage really starts to kick off in Australia." For more information about AllGrid, visit their website. Via The Guardian. Image via Dollar Photo Club.
A supermarket in Denmark has committed to fighting food wastage by only selling produce past its use-by date. Located in Copenhagen, the recently opened Wefood has been set up by not-for-profit organisation Folkekirkens Nødhjælp, selling expired food at a discounted rate with the hope of reducing the 700,000 tonnes of food that goes to waste in Denmark each year. "Wefood is the first supermarket of its kind in Denmark and perhaps the world as it is not just aimed at low-income shoppers but anyone who is concerned about the amount of food waste produced in this country," spokesperson Per Bjerre told The Independent. The supermarket came into being on the back of a successful crowdfunding campaign, which raised one million Danish kroner, or just over $200,000. The supermarket is staffed by volunteers, with profits being used to help fund Folkekirkens Nødhjælp's work in some of the poorest countries in the world. The supermarket also has the support of local government officials. "It's ridiculous that food is just thrown out or goes to waste," said Eva Kjer Hansen, Danish Minister for Food and the Environment. "A supermarket like Wefood makes so much sense and is an important step in the battle to combat food waste." According to the United Nations, human beings throw away around 1.3 billion tonnes of food each year. Given that one in nine people around the world don't have enough to eat, that's a fairly depressing statistic. In Australia alone we waste more than four million tonnes a year, although organisations like Second Bite and OzHarvest are doing their best to reduce that number. Perhaps we could use a Wefood of our own? Via The Independent.
Been sailing the internet seas and plundering its illegal film bounties, movie pirates? Yarrr, well you just might find yourself at the centre of a new round of legal action. Australian film company Village Roadshow has revealed that their attempts to stamp out copyright theft will soon extend to suing individual infringers. If you've downloaded one of their flicks, yes, that could mean you. No, this isn't another Dallas Buyers Club situation exactly, however if you're the swashbuckling type, you might receive a letter in the mail. Village Roadshow's new tactics involve going after repeat culprits and asking for a fee of around $300. "Not for a king's ransom but akin to the penalty for parking a car in a loading zone. If the price of an act of thievery is set at say $300, we believe most people will think twice," said Village Roadshow co-chief executive Graham Burke. Deterrence, rather than punishment, is the aim here — and continuing to try to convince everyone that they should bite the bullet and pay to watch Game of Thrones. "Any revenue derived from this proposed legal program will be devoted to positive education on piracy," Burke continued. "I should also point out that it is our intent with this strategy that, should anyone be caught in the net who has dire health or difficult circumstances, we would waive the action providing they undertake not to infringe again." Just when the lawsuits will start wasn't announced, though Village Roadshow have a history of being active in the area, with the company initiating court action against movie streaming website SolarMovie earlier this year. Burke also holds the role of Creative Content Australia chair — aka the head of the film industry's anti-piracy arm — and advised that, once the precedent for blocking websites has been clearly established under Australia's current site-blocking legislation, "We will be ready to immediately bring another court action requesting the blocking of an additional 100 criminal sites." The plan was revealed as part of a speech entitled 'The Piracy Plague', which was delivered at the Australian International Movie Convention on the Gold Coast this week. And no, the link between the Goldie and that other form of piracy wasn't lost on anyone. In fact, it was even mentioned. You can thank Johnny Depp, his dogs and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales for that, obviously.
Sure, we love winter's hot mugs of mulled things, snuggly wardrobe options and tendency to coincide with national film festivals, but the season calls for a well-earned weekend away every now and again. Perhaps you'd like to completely ditch the city's chilly winds for a stylish Californian-style beach motel with an ex-Noma chef. Or maybe you're one to embrace winter like a woolly jumper-loving fiend. How about a private mountain villa with your own in-room, temperature-controlled swimming pool? We've teamed up with Mr & Mrs Smith to give you five ideas for winter weekend getaways from their collection of pretty, pretty accommodation options. Pick a date, pack your bags and get outta town. DRIFT HOUSE, PORT FAIRY Breakfast hampers, salvaged timber, Japanese tiles — Drift House is all about the details. It's a pretty little beach boutique in Port Fairy, the Great Ocean Road's charming fishing village. Rooms are designed for dining in, because Drift House knows what's up. You'll have little reason to venture out into the chill with your own 'maxibar' at home, stocked with baked beans, pasta, parmesan, pasta sauces, organic crisps, popcorn and other nibbles, alongside a stash of locally sourced Basalt Vineyard red and white wine. ARKABA Escape the wind tunnels of the city and set yourself up in an elegant 1850s homestead in the Flinders Ranges. A heritage-style property, Arkaba channels a good ol' Australian vibe from its wool sack-wrapped bedside tables to sheepskin hot-water bottles. It's also a private wildlife sanctuary, so expect a few kangaroos and emus to stop by. Your dining is all-inclusive (and features some of the world's best wines), and if you're keen to get a little more adventurous, Arkaba does a swag-camp glamping trek. HALCYON HOUSE No better way to beat the cold than escaping to a faded Californian-style surf motel. Fusing elements of Long Island nauticalia and Mediterranean pool chic, it's the kind of place that looks made for surfwear magazine fashion shoots. Located right on Cabarita Beach near Tweed Heads, Halcyon is a beach holiday haven with all the trimmings — and an ex-Noma chef. Ben Devlin, 2014's Queensland Chef of the Year, runs the delightfully artful Paper Daisy restaurant, where you'll be inhaling fresh crumpets, locally-grown coffee and honey roasted fruit. That's before you while the afternoon away on the poolside deck, sipping wines picked by sommelier Peter Marchant. CAPELLA LODGE Feel like a Bond villain in a high-flying tropical paradise retreat at Capella Lodge, a stunning nine-suite hideaway on Lord Howe Island. Surrounded by turquoise lagoons, coral reefs and rare tropical birds, the lodge is a glorious natural oasis from a wintry city — but with every last modern creature comfort. Infinity pools, outdoor stone baths, sprawling seaside verandahs. The place even has its own spa. Hire a lagoon kayak and snorkelling gear and explore the area — you'll forget its cold anywhere else. O&O WOLGAN VALLEY If you're one to relish in wintry weather as a means to get amongst misty mountains, head for O&O Wolgan Valley. This Blue Mountains gem sees 40 villas, including two- and three-bedroom retreats, over 7000 acres of rolling hills and pristine wilderness. It's Australia's first conservation-based luxury resort and is accredited by international group CarboNZero. There's a world-class spa, a big wine cellar, mountain bikes for you to use, and a killer restaurant, bar and eatery showcasing seasonal, local, organic produce. Best bit? Each Federation-style bungalow comes with an in-room, temperature-controlled, private swimming pool. Keen to get going? Concrete Playground readers special treatment from Mr & Mrs Smith, with exclusive discount offers at hotels from Bali to Brisbane. You can save 25 percent or more if you book any of these retreats by 30 July (and you can stay any time until 30 September, 2016). Details here.
In a rare instance of critics and audiences agreeing with each other, Mad Max: Fury Road and The Dressmaker were the two big winners at the 2016 Australian Film Critics Association Awards. Held last night at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Melbourne, the ceremony reflected on the past 12 months of Australian cinema, with the year's two biggest box office takers proving popular with critics as well. Critically acclaimed action blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road took home the award for Best Film, as well as Best Director for George Miller and Best Cinematography for John Seale. The Dressmaker, meanwhile, swept through the acting categories, with Best Actress for Kate Winslet, Best Supporting Actress for Judy Davis and Best Supporting Actor for Hugo Weaving. The film's director and co-writer Jocelyn Moorhouse was present to accept the awards of behalf of her cast, while also taking home the Best Screenplay Award for herself and husband P. J. Hogan. Ryan Corr won Best Actor for his work in Holding the Man. In the international film categories, last year's Oscar winner Birdman took home Best English Language Film, while German drama Phoenix won for Best Foreign Language Film. Amy Winehouse doco Amy won Best Documentary. The association also gave out its annual writing awards, bestowed by a panel of journalists and film industry practitioners. This year's winners were critics Rebecca Harkins-Cross, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Luke Goodsell. You can check out the winners here. To get a head start on the next crop of likely AFCA Award winners, check out our list of the ten Australian films to watch out for in 2016.
Until the Internet becomes a universal, ever-present thing that radiates down from the sky and lets us check Instagram anywhere in the world, we're apparently destined to be stuck with offline maps and or paying through the nose for international roaming when travelling (read: getting lost) overseas. Until that blessed day comes, Google is trying to make life easier for travelling smartphone-wielding folk with their new travel planner app, Google Trips. Earlier this week Google unveiled the new app (which is available on iOS and Android), which is designed to help you plan your trip and help you explore your destination when you get there. It's both a planning tool and a place to store all your important travel docs in one place — and it lets you access that information when you're out and about and without access to 4G or Wi-Fi. So what can you use it for? First off, it will pull all your important travel info like flights, bookings and reservation numbers from your Gmail inbox and organises them into a chronological 'trip'. You can save these to access offline; it's meant to help you avoid that momentary panic where you get off the plane, go to look up the information for your Airbnb and then realise you can't access your emails. The more fun aspect of Trips though are the planning features. The Things to Do feature will give you a list of, well, things to do in the city you're in. These are pulled from what both you and other Google users have searched for in that city, and can be filtered by area of interest. The Day Plans feature gets a little more specific. The app will suggest a whole heap of things to do based on where you're staying and how much time you have — so if you only have an afternoon in a city, it will bring up the best things to do based on what's around you and what's open. You can then create a point-to-point itinerary that will show you where everything is and how to get there. You can save this offline too. Google have called this app "magic", and while we certainly wouldn't go that far (can tech companies stop calling themselves wizards?), it is a very useful tool if you're travelling without access to internet and is a handy way to use Google Maps offline. The planning tool looks like a smoother version of Stay.com, an app we've found useful for pinning places on a map when travelling. You can download the Google Trips app here.
Wiz Khalifa is heading to Sydney's Luna Park in September, as part of Optus RockCorps 2015. The American hip hop star has added the NSW performance to his Australian tour schedule, alongside previously announced shows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth. And the best part? Tickets won't cost you a cent. Instead, fans will be able to earn free entry into the Sydney show by donating their time to charity. Four hours of volunteering will get you into the concert, which will be held in Luna Park's Big Top on Wednesday September 30. Khalifa will headline the event, which will also feature Australian electronic duo Peking Duk. Additional acts will be announced in the coming weeks. Volunteers from outside Sydney can also get involved, and will be rewarded with a $70 Ticketmaster voucher. "I'm excited to be part of the Optus RockCorps Project," said Khalifa. "Giving back to the community is something I’m passionate about and support wherever I can. I can’t wait to play in Sydney and see all the Aussie fans." Now in its third year, Optus RockCorps aims to treat young Australians to unique performances in return for their contribution to their local communities. More than 9500 people have donated over 36,000 volunteer hours over the past two years, and have been rewarded with tickets to shows featuring acts such as American Authors, Guy Sebastian, Rudimental and Empire of the Sun. Anyone keen on volunteering for a RockCorps 2015 project will be able to register their interest starting August 10 via the Optus RockCorps website or by calling 1800 ROCK 800.
Ramen is not an easy dish to make. The broth alone can take a dozen hours to simmer down to flavoursome perfection and recipes are jealously guarded by ramen masters. So when a new ramen joint opens, there's always a collective intake of breath. How will it fare? Will it live up to competition? Please god, let them serve tonkotsu. This drama is also as delicious as the ramen itself which is why we’re so overwhelmingly excited by Surry Hills newest noodle bar, Salaryman which will open its doors next week. Salaryman (A+ name there, guys) is a reference to the punch-in-punch-out hordes of white collar workers that modern day Tokyo is famous for. They’re efficient in everything they do, including smashing down a bowl of ramen at a high bench noodle bar after a 16-hour workday, but somehow we doubt you’ll find anything mass-produced or impersonal here. The venue is the passion project of Stephen Seckold, executive chef of Flying Fish, and his 18 years in the industry and expertise with seafood stands him in good stead to meet our lofty ramen standards. Salaryman will serve seasonal broths, misos fermented in-house and specialty ramen with a focus on crustacea and pork. Alongside the ramen will be a fluid izakaya-style menu with small share dishes like chicken wings stuffed with sea plant butter, smoked albacore with gooseberries and takoyaki (those tasty, tasty batter balls stuffed with octopus and sauced to the hilt). Plus, Salaryman will open as BYO until the liquor licence is finalised in early December. To complete the experience, Salaryman features a cute little takeaway window for taiyaki, which sound similar to takoyaki, but are actually sweet fish-shaped cakes made from pancake or waffle batter and stuffed with custard or red bean paste. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Is it too early to start lining up now? Find Salaryman at 52-54 Albion Street, Surry Hills from next week.
How does chicken salt work? What's the deal with cereal puffing guns? What is the future of meat? If you're into your food and drink in a nerdier way than most, you'd better book yourself a ticket to New York this Halloween. The Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) is about to open in Brooklyn on October 28 — with exhibits you can eat. Food's had its fair share of pop-up museums and major exhibitions worldwide. There's even museums dedicated to individual foods like cheese, chocolate and Spam (yep, The Museum of Spam is opening in 2016). But after furiously fundraising for years, New York's first museum focused on food will find a permanent bricks and mortar space in Brooklyn this year. "Our mission is to change the way people think about food and inspire day-to-day curiosity about what we eat and why," says the MOFAD website. With a series of rotating exhibitions, visitors will be able to see, touch, smell and taste food, while learning about the culture, history, science, production, and commerce of food and drink. Think tastings, live demos, hands-on activities, talks, debates, heated roundtables. It's a whole multisensory, interactive museum experience to get to the bottom of noshing. How did the search for spices drive the age of exploration? What is the socioeconomic role of street food in cities? Where does soil come from, and why does it matter? How is breakfast cereal made? What is the impact of coffee on world trade? The idea is to enable people to make better, more informed food choices for themselves, their communities, and the environment, through kickass museum interactivity, like this cereal puff installation MOFAD did last year. "Why isn't there a museum devoted to food at the same level of something that's like the Natural History Museum or the Smithsonian?" MOFAD president and founder Dave Arnold asked CNN. "If I want to learn about you, I'm going to go to your house and we'll break bread. We'll have dinner. Then I feel like I'll know who you are. And it's that idea that we can experience cultures through what we eat and how we eat and the history of how we eat. That (idea) needs a museum because you can't eat on TV. You can't read about food and have tasted it." MOFAD's first exhibition, according to NPR, will focus on the flavour industry and the modern quest to manufacture smell and taste. You can probably assume it'll touch on ol' wafty Subway. The Museum of Food and Drink will open its permanent site on October 28 in Brooklyn, site yet to be revealed. For more info, check out the website. Via NPR. Images: MOFAD, Dollar Photo Club.
It’s been 22 years since the first Jurassic Park movie aired, which — incidentally — is also how long it’s been since the last good Jurassic Park movie aired. Now, though, we’ve reason to be cautiously optimistic. Earlier today the second full trailer for Jurassic World landed in our news feeds and, after several repeat viewings, we see plenty to be hopeful about. CHRIS PRATT IS THE VELOCIWHISPERER When the first trailer dropped back in November of last year, the internet went into Dennis Nedry-like digital chaos over what looked like Chris Pratt’s character taming some velociraptors. It seemed like a pretty hokey idea, but Trailer #2 seems to have settled that concern somewhat, with his character, Owen Grady, explaining: “It’s not about control, it’s a relationship based on respect,” while he stands eye-to-eye with three of them. That, or he’s doing some extreme tai-chi. Either way, ‘respect’ is the key word here, because it means the raptors haven’t been reduced to domesticated turkeys; they could still kill him at any moment. THE NEW DINO IS A BLOCKBUSTERSAURUS We already knew the ‘villain' in Jurassic World was to be a genetically engineered dino of such scale it would make the T-Rex look like a pug, and now it has a face. Sporting the name ‘Indominus Rex’, it’s got the head of a dragon and the jaw span of a Steven Tyler. Our relief here stems from the fact that it looks entirely plausible. It’s a hybrid dinosaur in the sense that it’s got spliced DNA with other animals, not spliced DNA with lasers or a BMW for some tier 1 brand placement. INDOMINUS HAS A VERY PARTICULAR SET OF SKILLS Let’s start with the smarts. Indominus is crafty. Really crafty. If Jurassic Park’s gamekeeper Robert Muldoon saw Indominus, he'd say, well, nothing, because raptors tore his stomach open and ate him alive back in 1993. But he’d want us to say “clever girl”, because this manmade man-eater tore out his own subcutaneous electronic tracker so that the humans wouldn’t know where it was (aside from being able to spot a giant lizard in the middle of a theme park). The reason we like this is because it takes the franchise to a new place rather than sticking with ‘dinosaur big, dinosaur scary’. Bourne Legacy did the same thing three years ago, realising the only way to stay fresh was to find someone better than Bourne, not just different. NATURAL BORN KILLERS First there’s the smarts, then there’s the disposition, because it seems Indominus isn’t like other dinosaurs. As Grady explains in the trailer, other dinosaurs are thinking: “I’ve got to eat. I’ve got to hunt,” but Indominus, “she's killing for sport”. First the franchise ups the stakes, then it changes the game. What makes both Jaws and The Ghost and the Darkness such compelling tales isn't the ‘killer beast’ plot; it’s the fact that they’re creatures baring the uncomfortable human quality of killing for reasons other than survival. Killing for sport isn’t just unnatural, it’s evil. We can only presume Ricky Gervais is tracking down Indominus’s Twitter handle as we speak. LEMME HEAR YOU SAY GRRRRNNNNNRRRROOOOARRRRR Indominus, aka ‘the D-Rex’ can talk to the animals. Not in a 'Dr Doolittle meets Aaron Sorkin witty repartee' kind of way, but enough to get Pteranodons to help it out in killing tourists. We like this because it adds an alliance feel to the plot, almost as though sides are forming in a prehistoric battle. With the introduction of each new dinosaur, you’ll find yourself wondering: “And whose side are you on?" Jurassic World hits Australian cinemas on June 11, so get ready to hold onto your butts.
Summer's not the only time of year Sydneysiders can wander through night markets brimming with freshly cooked local nosh. Carriageworks plans to continue this insanely popular Sydney pastime into the colder months, announcing a brand new winter night market for Vivid today. It's (somewhat straightforwardly) called The Night Market, with over 50 stallholders taking over Carriageworks on two winter evenings: June 4 and June 18. Expect to sample goods from NSW's top tier of restaurants, winemakers, spiritmakers, breweries and providores, including Archie Rose, Cornersmith, Porteno, Billy Kwong, Icebergs, Efendy, Thievery, Young Henrys, Cake Wines, Single Origin Roasters, Pepe Saya and more. Curated by Sydney chef (of the just-opened No. 1 Bent Street) and Carriageworks Farmers Market creative director Mike McEnearney, The Night Market is inspired by the theme 'Cooking with Fire' — and the chefs involved will be doing just that, cooking live over open flames. Each stallholder will be able to clue you into the regional source of their produce — a requirement that could only come from the paddock-to-plate-focused McEnearney. The Night Market marks the second Vivid food-focused project for Carriageworks this year, following the sold-out Sydney Table series announcement. Both ride the success of the recent Carriageworks Christmas Twilight Market, which saw a casual 8000 visitors/late present buyers. THE NIGHT MARKET STALLHOLDER LINEUP: A&W Muscat Archie Rose Ashtons Australian Coffee Billy Kwong Blini Bar Brilliant Food Burrawong Gaian Cake Wines Ce Ce Liqueur Chrissy's Cuts Sausages Cornersmith Country Valley Dairy Dessertmakers Ding the Recipe Efendy Freeman Vineyards Gumnut Chocolates and Biscuits Hand N Hoe Organic Macadamias Icebergs Jollie Gourmet Jonima Flowers Juicing by Colours Kemps Creek Farms Kitchen Green Kurrawong Organics La Bastide Linga Longa Farm Melanda Park Pasture Raised Pork Millamolong Australia Moobi Valley Mountain Goat Naturally Falafel Neo Organic Tea Pasta Emilia Pepe Saya Porteno Prickle Hill Produce Pukara Estate Salads Direct Shepherd's Artisan Bakehouse Single Origin Roasters Slow Wine Co. Sweetness the Patisserie The Herb Store The Pines Kiama Thievery Thirlmere Poultry Vale Creek Wines Watkins Family Farm Willowbrae Chevre Cheese Yalla Foods Young Henrys Brewing Company The Night Market is coming to Carriageworks on June 4 and 18. Entry is free. Image: Andrew Quilty.
“People wrongly assume the council or the government pays for Wendy’s Secret Garden and wrongly assume it is permanent and secure,” says journalist Janet Hawley. “But Wendy has paid for everything, and, alongside her four gardeners, done all the work from day one. And now that she’s 74, she’s worried about the garden’s future.” Thousands of people spend time strolling, picnicking and organising wedding shoots among the sinuous valley and terraced slopes of Wendy’s Secret Garden, on the harbourfront in Lavender Bay. But few realise that it is a guerrilla garden occupying land belonging to NSW RailCorp. Its existence depends on a temporary beautification lease. So, as reported on Australian Story this week, campaigners are calling for the garden to be turned into a public park. “Wendy and those who love the garden fear the lease could be revoked at any time, the land sold off to a developer and the garden bulldozed, to be replaced by high rise buildings,” says Hawley, who spent thirty years as a senior feature writer at Good Weekend. Over the past two years, Hawley has been documenting the garden for her book, Wendy Whiteley and the Secret Garden, published by Penguin and to be launched on September 23. “Wendy's garden has never been properly documented. The book tells the full story of Wendy's 23 years transforming a bleak rubbish dump, covered in noxious weeds, into a unique and magical sanctuary, designed like a living painting. It’s a huge philanthropic gift and provides a wonderful cultural heritage, to join Brett’s legacy.” Richly illustrated with photographs, artworks and maps, Whiteley and the Secret Garden argues that the garden should be “preserved in perpetuity”. “It’s a no-brainer that we should treasure it and keep it forever more. People need to escape from air-conditioned blocks and screens, immerse themselves in nature and fresh air, reset their brains, feel connected with grass, trees, flowers, birds and be reminded of nature's wonders every day.” ????? So beautiful like a painting ? and then you read "please clean up after yourself and your dog" ? #wendyssecretgarden #sydneyharbourbridge #lavenderbay #sydney #australia #travelwithlori A photo posted by @lorilychu on Aug 26, 2015 at 7:14am PDT Janet Hawley and Wendy Whiteley will appear in conversation at venues all over Sydney and further afield during the next few months: September 26 – Kinokuniya Bookshop, 2pm, free bubbles and sweet treats, RSVP essential (promotions-aus@kinokuniya.com) October 7 – Art After Hours, 5.30pm, The Balcony 2, free October 8 – Stanton Library, 12.30pm free October 14 – Centennial Vineyards, Bowral, 10am, $25 with morning tea (organised by Bowral Bookshop) October 20 — MUSE Food, Wine and Books, 7.30pm, East Hotel, Kingston, ACT October 23 — Avalon Community Hall, (organised by Bookoccino Bookshop) November 11 — The Queens Club, Sydney, 10.30am, members and guests of members only November 12 — Member’s Talk, AGNSW Domain Theatre, 10.30am, $15 /$25 , includes refreshments November 24 — Berkelouw Books, 6.30pm, $10, includes $5 credit December 7, 9.30am – Kirribilli Club, includes tour of Wendy’s Garden, organised by Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens, for members and guests of members only
Your workday is about to get a whole lot more bearable, courtesy of the marketing department at Uber. Starting from midday today, the ridesharing service is teaming up with Purina's Pets at Work mission to deliver puppies to offices around Australia. We'll give you a minute to process that information. UberPUPPIES will be available in the Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast CBDs. All you need to do is log into the Uber app at noon, hit the 'puppies' button (squee!), and a four-legged friend will be whisked to your place of work for 15 minutes of quality cuddle time. It'll run you up a bill of $40, so you might want to go in with a few of your co-workers. Either that, or try and convince your boss it'll be good for employee morale. Which, to be fair, it most definitely will be. Money raised will be used to support local animal shelters. Each puppy will also be accompanied by a shelter representative, who'll be all too happy to accept any additional cash donations. And in case you form an extra special connection, all UberPUPPIES are available for permanent adoption. UberPUPPIES is the latest in a string of awesome Uber promotions, with the company having previously delivered everything from kittens to ice cream to backyard cricket umpires. Fair warning though: these things tend to generate a lot of demand, so make sure you're hovering over the Uber app come 11.59am. The puppies will be cruising around town until 4pm.
What’s that in the sky? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, you dunces, this is actually a 26-metre-high aerial playground that’s opening in Adelaide next month. The aptly named Mega Adventure Park (for, you know, mega adventures) is currently being finished on the West Beach foreshore, and while it looks like an alien spacecraft come earthward to take all our women for breeding, it’s actually an extreme jungle gym for adults. So what's on the maxtreme menu for kidults? Scramble nets, rope bridges, beams, swings, log steps, mega bungee trampoline, aerial surfboards and Adelaide wine barrel steps. Boom. There’ll be 54 activity stations for those who want to push themselves to the extremes, viewing platforms for the resters, and a Mega Adventure Kiosk for those who want to kick back with a vino and watch the madness unfold. It’s basically American Ninja Warrior but for people who lack upper arm strength and need to be securely fastened at all times. And if you're way too chill to be jumpin' off of crazy stuff, you can instead head straight to the top and take in some pretty breathtaking views of Adelaide. Find Mega Adventure Park at 4 Hamra Avenue, Adelaide Shores, West Beach. For more info, give 1300 634 269 a buzz. Images: Mega Adventure Park/Facebook.
Fancy yourself a citizen of the world? An ambitious new startup could help you make it so. Roam is a co-living service that gives you access to communal living spaces in countries around the globe. With spaces currently available in Bali and Miami, and with further locations in Madrid, Buenos Aires and London set to open soon, Roam isn't designed for holidaymakers, but rather "location-independent people" looking for a way to combine work and travel, and to find a community in a city that's not their own. You can book for a week (US $500) or a month (US $1800), although residents are encouraged to stay longer in order to promote "better friendships and a stronger community". Once you've signed up, you're free to come and go as you please, and can book into different locations through their online system. "With new opportunities for location-independent work, we can now mix careers and travel in ways that haven't been seen before," reads a statement on the Roam website. "Over time, we want to have our spaces mix and integrate newcomers with the surrounding community and its longstanding local institutions and culture." The properties are large, with 38 rooms available in Miami and 24 in Bali, respectively. Each room is fully furnished, with its own private bathroom along with a queen or king size bed, while residents share communal spaces like living areas and kitchens. [caption id="attachment_571002" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Roam Ubud, Bali[/caption] The whole premise is built around giving people the freedom to live a nomadic lifestyle but still maintain their careers at the same time. Each property has high-speed internet and a co-working space for optimal productivity. Certainly sounds better than working from a hostel bunk bed, battling shitty Wi-Fi just to send an email. For more information about Roam, visit roam.co. Via Co.Exist.
The Alliance Francaise French Film Festival is back for its 26th year and with 49 feature films to be screened at cinemas across eight cities, you'd best prepare yourself for everything from the flirting, whimsy, mishaps and misunderstandings that come with French comedy to the passion, ennui, coming-of-age rebellion, thrilling crime and non-conformist romance that come with French drama. Highlights include: gala opening night feature Gemma Bovery, an endearing comedy starring Gemma Arterton that drops the characters of Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary into a small Normandy town; the Saint Laurent biopic exploring the inspirations and struggles of the acclaimed designer Yves Saint Laurent at the height of his career; and Samba, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and star of The Intouchables Omar Sy in a cross-cultural romance that looks at the hardships faced by French immigrants. See more of our highlights in this list of top five films to see at the French Film Festival. Read our top five picks of the French Film Festival here.
Camping season is about to kick off hard but, as the folks at Simple Pleasures Camping Co. are happy to show, that needn't necessarily mean sandy sleeping bags and dusty bush treks. The luxury camping pros are set to take over Sydney Harbour's North Head, with a seven-week pop-up glampsite that'll see happy campers enjoying the great outdoors in style. Running from December 14 to January 31, the Bedouin on the Beaches pop-up will feature ten plush furnished tents overlooking Manly Beach. These luxe lodgings are about as far from roughing it as you can get, each one tricked out with Persian rugs, cloud-like Hugo Sleep mattresses and linen by IN BED. And, with some local favourites on board, the food situation is also a far cry from that of your childhood camping trips. Each booking includes a lavish breakfast at The Boathouse Shelly Beach (which is just a stroll away), and nearby Papi Chulo has created a special set menu for guests wanting lunch or dinner. There's also the option of arriving at your tent to a chilled bottle of Laurent Perrier and one of the Artisan Cheese Room's tasting boards. Bedouin on the Beaches is just one of Sydney's glamping options — Cockatoo Island has been doing glamping for a while now, and a glamping hotel is set to pop up next year on Clark Island. And if you want to rough it is, take a look at our best camping spots around Sydney and guide to camping along the east coast. Find Bedouin on the Beaches on the grounds of the International College of Management at North Head, Manly from December 14 to January 31. Tent bookings are open now.
