Got a birthday coming up? Feeling like truly treating yourself on a Wednesday? Then get yourself a handcrafted cake courtesy of one of Sydney’s most decadent dessert chefs. After a successful run as the pâtissier at Hartsyard in Newtown, Andrew Bowden is setting out on his own with a bespoke online cake shop that already has us drooling. After teasing the move via his heavily frequented Instagram, Bowden has officially launched his new venture, known simply as Andy Bowdy Pastry. You can visit his website now, although he’s currently only taking orders for August and beyond. Do you like eating your cake and drinking a stubbie too? Www.andybowdypastry.com, where all your deep dark g-rated cake related fantasies can come true. Orders being taken for August and beyond. Malted milk cookie, pistachio cake, malted vanilla mousse, fresh strawberry, salted caramel, lemon jam and an avalanche of torched meringue. #andybowdypastry #bespokecakesbyandybowdy #cakes #cake #desserts #weddingcake #weddingcakes #wedding #cakespo A photo posted by Andrew Bowden (@andybowdy) on Jul 2, 2015 at 1:10am PDT Anyone familiar with Bowden’s tooth-rotting work over at Hartsyard can probably hazard a guess as to the kind of insanity he’s got planned for his new customers. Options listed on his website include a chocolate fudge cake with Milo mousse, Maltesers and torched meringue; a banana cake with peanut butter, salted caramel, passionfruit and caramelised popcorn; and a vanilla sponge with strawberry mousse, vanilla cream, salted caramel and lemon. He also offers custom flavours and of course, wedding cakes on request. On top of all that, you can look for Bowden at a number of events over the coming months, including dessert pop-ups at Artificer Specialty Coffee Bar in Surry Hills, and as one of a number of culinary guests at the Underbelly Arts Festival. He’s also part of the massive line-up at the Sweet Street Dessert Festival happening tonight at the Shangri-La Hotel — although unfortunately for most of us, it’s already well and truly sold-out. To order your own sugar coma-inducing Andy Bowdy cake, visit www.andybowdypastry.com Via The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry. Image: Andy Bowdy.
When Moonlight Cinema returns for its 2019–20 season, hitting Sydney's Centennial Park from Thursday, November 28 until Sunday, March 29, the annual feast of outdoor movies will give film fans exactly what we all want. Sure, we're all keen to roll out our picnic blankets, sit under the stars and stare up at the big screen — but, given that this openair cinema launches at the end of each and every year, we also want Christmas movies. In the week leading up to the big festive day, Moonlight will screen Last Christmas, Die Hard, Home Alone, Love Actually and Elf. Yep, all the basics are covered. They're not the only highlights on the bill, but they sure do twinkle brightly among a heap of other movie standouts. If you're wondering what else will tempt your inner cinephile, it's a lengthy list. With recently or newly released movies a big part of Moonlight's lineup, expect to watch Rocketman, Hustlers, Joker, Ford v Ferrari, Knives Out, Cats, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker and Charlie's Angels. Moonlight also showcases advanced screenings of upcoming films, so add the Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron and Margot Robbie-starring Bombshell and Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood to your must-see pile. Going retro, the outdoor cinema will revisit last year's A Star Is Born and 90s perennial favourite 10 Things I Hate About You. Dirty Dancing is also on the bill, like every year — it wouldn't be a Moonlight without it. As always, Moonlight will also boast its usual food truck and licensed bar offering, and its reserved bean beds. You can also bring your dog and BYO food and booze. Moonlight Cinema has now dropped its March program, which'll take the openair cinema through until the end of its 2019–20 season on Sunday, March 29. Highlights include Oscar-winner Parasite, the creepy new version of The Invisible Man and a couple of chances to see Margot Robbie unleash mayhem in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). You can also enjoy a blast from the past with The Dark Knight and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. CORRECTION: FEBRUARY 18, 2020 — This article previously stated that you cannot BYO, but this is incorrect. You are welcome to BYO food and drinks (including alcohol) to all Moonlight Cinema Sydney sessions.
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". Images: Roger Ballen, still from 'I Fink U Freeky' video, Die Antwoord 2012; Caged, 2011; Mirrored, 2012; Bewitched, 2012. Images courtesy of the artist.
Sleeping under the stars on holiday is a romantic notion of old, taking us back to the days of our ancestors and bringing us closer to nature — that is, until nature finds its way into your campsite and rummages through all of your Tim Tams. Hotels and resorts around the world are finding creative ways to bring the open-air to you in style, allowing guests to embrace their surroundings in pure luxury. If you love glamping, you're going to go nuts for these five-starry retreats. [caption id="attachment_582573" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Atelier für Sonderaufgaben.[/caption] THE ONLY STAR IS YOU WHERE IN THE WORLD: Swiss Alps, Switzerland WHAT IT WILL COST: $310AUD per night Making headlines for the last couple of weeks, this brand new hotel in the Swiss Alps lets travellers experience a roofless, door-less and even wall-less night's stay — the luxury double bed is all that makes up this hotel 'room'. Be prepared to really immerse yourself in your surroundings, since the great outdoors will act as your bathroom and shower. This project comes as the antithesis to Null Stern Hotels' 2008 project, Zero Star Hotel, which was built in a nuclear bunker. THE LOISABA STARBEDS WHERE IN THE WORLD: Loisaba Conservancy, Kenya WHAT IT WILL COST: $300AUD per night Among Loisaba Conservancy's 56,000 acres of wildlife lies their Starbeds — handcrafted, four-poster beds which are wheeled onto raised wooden platforms. These are built into the rock face and offer unrestricted views of the African night sky, as well as the illusion of being suspended in mid-air. The communal area includes brass-fitted bathrooms, wooden decks and dining rooms, all overlooking the Kiboko Waterhole which is frequented by hippos and other wildlife. AMANGIRI WHERE IN THE WORLD: Canyon Point, Utah WHAT IT WILL COST: $3000AUD per night Open-air hotels don't get more glamorous, or pricier, than Amangiri. The 600-acres of protected desert is approximately two hours from the Grand Canyon. The resort is built into the rock-face for maximum exclusivity, with each suite offering indoor and outdoor sleeping arrangements. Travelling with friends? The four-bedroom mesa home includes a 15-metre private pool, fireplace, underfloor heating and personal bar, and will cost you a cool $12K per night. CABRIOLET ROOM WHERE IN THE WORLD: L'Albereta Resort, Italy WHAT IT WILL COST: $550 AUD per night If you're looking for romantic star gazing, nothing beats the Cabriolet room at L'Albereta, where a push of a button reveals a retractable roof and the gorgeous Italian night sky beyond. The plush canopy bed is only out-luxed by the marble-clad bathroom, which includes a hydro-massage tub. The views aren't limited to the stars, either — the balcony faces the resort's vineyards, as well as Lake Iseo. VIEW WITH A ROOM WHERE IN THE WORLD: Bangkok, Thailand WHAT IT WILL COST: $285 per night Bangkok Tree House is an eco-conscious, 12-room boutique located on the island of Bang Krachao, just outside the smog of Bangkok. The hotel takes us back to the basics, allowing visitors to sleep in a seven-metre-high, bamboo floored treehouse which is open to both the sky and surrounding mangroves. The showers are heated by the sun, and free homemade fruit ice cream is available 24/7. In this case, living out your childhood will also do some good — the hotel removes one kilogram of rubbish from the nearby Chao Phraya River with every booking made, having removed over 3000 kilograms of trash to date.
The team at Doughnut Time have been absolutely killing it. In the year since cutting the ribbon on their first permanent store in Brisbane, the hand-dipped artisan doughnut chain has become one of our favourite spots to indulge our overdeveloped sweet tooth. They've opened a dozen additional locations across Queensland, Sydney and Melbourne, and in the past week alone have launched both a vegan variety and collaborated on a glazed doughnut burger (no, really) with Brisbane burger joint Ze Pickle. But that's nothing compared to their latest announcement. Brace yourself. Doughnut Time now offer home delivery. If you're anything like us, you probably just fell out of your chair, spent the next few minutes twitching and drooling on the ground, before finally regaining enough motor function to type the words "want doughnut time now" into Google. Assuming that's the case, you'll now know that, at the time of this writing, the Doughnut Time online delivery page is currently down due to an excess in demand. Which, let's be honest, isn't really all that surprising. Sorry to get your hopes up. This has been a real roller coaster of doughnut-related emotion, hasn't it? Once they've replenished their stocks, Doughnut Time will offer delivery in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and The Gold Coast via Sherpa Couriers. For more information and to order a batch of your own, head to this link and just keep hitting refresh.
By now you've probably heard the news that this morning we awoke to a world a little less wondrous. After a long battle with a form of Alzheimer’s disease, beloved fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett has passed away at the age of 66. Best known for his ever-popular Discworld series, Pratchett published more than 70 books over the course of his lifetime, and won countless fans with his irreverent writing style and limitless imagination. With so much writing under his belt, there's a Pratchett line for seemingly any situation. In tribute to the well-lived author, we’ve collected some of our favourite Pratchett advice. ON OPTIMISM "There are those who, when presented with a glass that is exactly half full, say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" – The Truth ON SEX “He'd noticed that sex bore some resemblance to cookery: it fascinated people, they sometimes bought books full of complicated recipes and interesting pictures, and sometimes when they were really hungry they created vast banquets in their imagination - but at the end of the day they'd settle quite happily for egg and chips.” – The Fifth Elephant. ON GENDER RELATIONS ON MARRIAGE “A marriage is always made up of two people who are prepared to swear that only the other one snores.” – The Fifth Elephant ON AMERICANS “A European says: ‘I can't understand this, what's wrong with me?’ An American says: ‘I can't understand this, what's wrong with him?’” ON DRINKING “Death: "THERE ARE BETTER THINGS IN THE WORLD THAN ALCOHOL, ALBERT." Albert: "Oh, yes, sir. But alcohol sort of compensates for not getting them.” – Death’s Domain ON FOOD “Sham Harga had run a successful eatery for many years by always smiling, never extending credit, and realizing that most of his customers wanted meals properly balanced between the four food groups: sugar, starch, grease and burnt crunchy bits.” – Men at Arms ON STYLE ON EDUCATION “Getting an education was a bit like a communicable sexual disease. It made you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and then you had the urge to pass it on.” – The Hogfather ON EXAMS “It is very important to be sober when you take an exam. Many worthwhile careers in the street- cleansing, fruit-picking and subway-guitar-playing industries have been founded on a lack of understanding of this simple fact.” – Moving Pictures ON HARD WORK “If you trust in yourself…. and believe in your dreams…. and follow your star… you’ll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren’t so lazy.” — The Wee Free Men ON GOD “God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of his own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players, to being involved in an obscure and complex version of poker in a pitch dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time.” – Good Omens ON EVIL “Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.” – I Shall Wear Midnight ON DIFFERENCE ON LOVE “‘And what would humans be without love?’ ‘RARE’, said Death.” – Sourcery ON CREATIVITY "Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one." ON GETTING OLD “Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened.” – Moving Pictures ON DEATH “It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living.” Image: Dementia Friends.
Like most famous (and insane) writers, Ernest Hemingway enjoyed a good drink. He was so fond of Bacardi daiquiris, in fact, that he frequented the El Floridita in Havana for his fix. One of the swankiest cocktail bars in Cuba, their infamous head bartender brought the frozen daiquiris out of the mining towns and into the well groomed hands of the elite. Hemingway’s version, the Papa Doble, took the beverage to the next level: no sugar, but double the rum. What better time to celebrate this great man’s daiquiri legacy than on his birthday, which just happens to fall during Bacardi Rum Month. These four Hemingway-inspired cocktails do him justice, so raise a glass in tribute to the man himself. To the bar! SHANGRI-LA'S ALTITUDE With one of the most beautiful views of the city coupled with an impossibly classy restaurant and bar, any trip to Altitude is certainly a treat. And suffice it to say, when it comes to Hemingway's favourite cocktail, there's no pink slush here. A mix of Bacardi, grapefruit juice, lemon and sugar syrup, their “Cucumber Cooler” is a truly refreshing take on the daiquiri. Topped with ginger beer and garnished with mint and a slice of cucumber, this delicate drink will have you sipping pinky out. Level 36, Shangri-La Hotel, 176 Cumberland Street, Sydney O BAR AND DINING The chefs at O Bar just got this season’s first box of blood oranges, and so the idea for this beverage was born. Dubbed the Hemingway or the Highway, it's a cocktail comprised of Bacardi 8, maraschino liqueur, fresh blood orange juice and hopped grapefruit bitters. The tart citrus and hoppy bitters marks a unique departure from the traditional daiquiri. Sit back, take a sip and enjoy that 360 degree view of Sydney. Level 47, Australia Square/264 George Street, Sydney CROOKED TAILOR The bartenders at Crooked Tailor love an excuse to celebrate – and having recently opened, they’ll take any excuse they can get. Their fresh take on the classic Papa Doble is the rumtastic Cuba Calling #3. The addition of sherry and smoked maraschino to the Bacardi Carta Blanca, plus a splash of sparkling wine, really makes this a standout take on tradition. This cocktail, and the bar itself, now make two good reasons to head out to Castle Hill. 250 Old Northern Road, Castle Hill LOBO PLANTATION Lobo emulates old Cuba in every sense, so it's only natural that it would celebrate a man who so championed Cuban culture. Their limited edition, “secret cocktail” uses Bacardi Carta Blanca, spiced pineapple syrup and pink grapefruit. Finished off with fresh lime juice and a spray of floral essence, the Lobo bartenders are pulling out all the stops for this birthday bash. We like to think this no ego joint would have gained the writer’s approval. 209 Clarence Street, Sydney Top image: Cocktailmarler - Wikimedia Commons.
People of the gluten-free world, do we have some news for you. Nutie, Sydney's much-loved maker of GF doughnuts, has moved into Surry Hills. But, instead of focusing solely on baked goods, it's doing breakfast and lunch as well — meaning that there's a whole menu of sweet and savoury gluten-free goodness to get into. Nutie opened its first shop in Balmain in 2017 and, since May this year, has been running a pop-up cafe on Pitt Street in the CBD. These venues have been super popular but can only do coffee and an array of baked goods due to the kitchen size. The new Holt Street has a full-service kitchen to produce a breakfast and lunch menu that is entirely free of any trace of gluten. This includes porridge, Scandinavian-style topped toast and vegan sans-egg 'huevos rancheros'. While this is particularly good news for coeliacs, it's also a win for vegans. Many of Nutie's goods are dairy-free and vegan, including the cakes, brownies, tarts, cookies and — of course — a selection of doughnuts. Look out for the lamingtons, lemon meringue pies and s'more cookie sandwiches.
Go dotty about the world, and it'll go dotty about you: that's the Yayoi Kusama story. For seven decades, the Japanese artist has thrust polka dots to the centre of her paintings, collages and installations, making her a contemporary art favourite — and all of those years of circular creativity are now coming to Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art. From 4 November 2017 to 11 February 2018, GOMA will host Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow, a major showcase of her lengthy and prolific career since the 1950s. Co-curated with the National Gallery Singapore, where the exhibition is currently on display until September, it will boast than 70 of her pieces — featuring 24 works from her recent My Eternal Soul series, which has been ongoing since 2009, and currently comprises 500 canvases in total. Kusama's early painterly experiments, a multi-decade presentation of her 'net' paintings, soft-sculpture and assemblage will also grace the gallery's spaces, as will performance documents and large-scale installations. With the celebrated artist no stranger to the Queensland Art Gallery and GOMA, a number of her iconic pieces will be making a return. Two artworks commissioned for the gallery's 2002 Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art will feature, including Narcissus garden in the QAG Watermall. Of course, the beloved interactive experience that is The Obliteration Room will also be brightening up GOMA's Children's Art Centre for the first time since summer 2014-2015. Fans of plastering a white room full of coloured dot-shaped stickers, rejoice. Fans of Kusama's bright riot of dots and hues, rejoice as well. Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow exhibits at Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art from 4 November 2017 to 11 February 2018. For more information, head to the gallery website. Image: Yayoi Kusama in front of Life is the Heart of a Rainbow (2017) ©YAYOI KUSAMA, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore, Victoria Miro, London, David Zwirner, New York
A 3D printed house? Ten years ago, we would have thought this a mere pipe dream. But since we're printing everything from office blocks to bikes tailored to your body these days, this shouldn't come as a shock. Chicago-based architecture firm WATG has unveiled solid plans to turn this lofty idea into reality, proposing the world's first freeform, 3D printed house. Winning first prize in the Freeform Home Design Challenge, a competition sponsored by Branch Technology, the WATG design, entitled 'Curve Appeal', consists of two structural components: an interior core and an exterior skin. The living spaces are all open and include a kitchen, bath, living area and one bedroom. Stunning 360-degree glass walls are meant to give the sense of being directly connected to the natural surroundings of the house — so you might want to keep some distance between you and your neighbours. The whole futuristic, spaceship-like envelope is connected with carefully calculated archways that are said to "establish an organic presence" — whatever that means. The design, while clearly pushing the envelope of possibility, also uses economical methods for building — as well as sustainable, with solar panels hidden within the design. This world-first house is not only unconventional, but has previously been wholly inconceivable. This type of work from WATG is no surprise — the firm is internationally renowned for their innovation, with previous designs including a few Four Seasons, a Saudi Arabian city called 'King Abdullah Economic City' and a SkyPark in the Gulf. All of their designs look like structures from an incredibly well-funded sci-fi film, not buildings that will, and do, actually exist. Construction on 'Curve Appeal' is expected to start as soon as 2017 and Bonnaroo Festival-goers will be happy to hear the first site is in Chattanooga, Tennessee. While the public has been given no indication of how much the house will cost to build, we can only imagine how epic this would be if future iterations are made affordable to the masses. With 3D printing becoming more accessible by the day, this future may not be too far from reality. Via Design Boom. Images: Daniel Caven, WATG.
Rock 'n' roll and burgers are the most likely of bedfellows, an age-old combination that runs Bondi's casual neighbourhood eatery — Bonditony's. Run by longtime Bondi local and music industry pro Tony Gosden, this Glenayr Avenue burger joint mixes rock and burgers better than Elvis Presley ever did (sorry Elvis). Godsen used to work in the Australian music industry, so has named every last one of Bonditony's burgers after bands he's managed, promoted or toured — Classic Cog, Trippin' Seahorse, Just a Jezabel, Johnny Collide. Using grass-fed, free-range produce, these burgs team with Bondi's ethically-sound food philosophy. All the beef, bacon, eggs and chicken are supplied by Bondi's own Field to Fork — you'll find them right beside Harris Farm and Da Orazio. Drinks-wise, you've got music lovers Young Henrys on tap (they also did the sicko street art design on the joint's exterior), handpicked wines, hectic thickshakes and cocktails — try the BT's Bloody Mary on for size. Wash it all down with '70s rock on the speakers and you've got yourself a solid Saturday night at Bonditony's. Images: Bonditonys/Handsome Devils Co. Appears in: Where to Find the Best Burgers in Sydney for 2023
If you're still mourning the extinction of Jurassic Lounge at the Australian Museum, time to stop your weeping; the brand new Tequila Sunsets is riding in on a white horse to rescue your summer nights. The Australian Museum will be bringing back the booze, the music and the general good times every Thursday night until the end of January for Tequila Sunsets - Aztecs After Dark. In keeping with the current Aztecs exhibition, which follows the blood-drenched rise and fall of the empire, the after-work crowd can enjoy the likes of Mexican food, Latin DJs and a "pinata installation" by Mexican visual artist Sergio Plata (who you may have seen at the museum decorating skulls earlier in the year). "The tremendous success of Jurassic Lounge has shown us that people enjoy coming to the museum to socialise after hours," says Tequila Sunsets program manager Sophie Masters. "Everyone is time poor ... Opening up the museum after hours gives everyone a chance to catch up with friends after work, enjoy a drink and explore the galleries and exhibitions at their leisure." Both the name and program suggest Tequila Sunsets is a more chilled take on the after-hours museum event. One absolutely mouthwatering highlight will come on December 11 when — in honour of the blessed fact that Aztecs introduced the world to chocolate — there will be a chocolate and beer tasting session, with beers provided by 4 Pines Brewing Company and acclaimed food scientist Galit Segev discussing the complex appreciation of both vital foodstuffs. Other talks in the program include discussions of ritual sacrifice in Aztec culture, Aztec astronomy and a feminist critique of the indigenous life before and after the empire's fall. Even after Tequila Sunsets wraps up, Masters says the Australian Museum is dedicated to the kind of community engagement that's enabled your nights of dancing next to dinosaurs. "At this stage [Tequila Sunsets] is being offered for a limited time only, as our Aztecs exhibition must close 1 February, but we may look at other after-hours programming in 2015 — so stay tuned for more." Tequila Sunsets is on every Thursday from December 4 until January 29, except for Boxing Day and New Year's Day. For more information and to book tickets, head to the Australian Museum website. Admission to the Aztecs exhibition will be two-for-one during Tequila Sunsets, so $12 if you go with a friend.
The end of the year is upon us, which means you've only got a few more weeks to get your art fix before 2018 rolls around. Stand out new exhibition will offer gallery-goers a look at the work of pioneering Australian female artists from the first part of last century, emerging photographers from the Australian Centre for Photography's student community and one Victoria-based artist who specalises in crochet. Plus, there's a couple of big summer blockbusters that launched in November you should try and see before 2018 is out. Below, we've put together a list of ten must-see exhibitions in Sydney this month.
Hey there, lovers of ballet and regular folks who like to feel gloriously inflexible — it's World Ballet Day, a whole day of dedicated to some of the most iconic ballet troupes in history, and it's being streamed live for you to enjoy. Sure, watching the fittest people on earth prance about in achtivewear with the elegance of swans while you're sitting on the couch inhaling Doritos may make you feel slightly inadequate. But where else will you be able to see behind the scenes footage and rehearsals of the Bolshoi Ballet, Australian Ballet, The Royal Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada and the San Francisco ballet streamed over 20 hours? Not every day, that's when. It's a rare treat, take full advantage. Go on. Log on and watch the beautiful people twirl. Image: Kate Longley.
If you think Sydney Contemporary — a biennial international art fair held at Carriageworks — is only for art lovers with Chanel suits and investors with hedge funds, think again. Sure, 75 respected galleries from all over the world will be exhibiting (and selling) some of the best contemporary art money can buy, but you will also find an entire program of more affordable (and just as impressive) art on offer. It's made even more accessible by the presence of Art Money, an art loans program for works priced between $750 and $20,000. And if you want to leave commerce out of it entirely, look to addendum program Sydney Art Week, which is scattering art happenings throughout Carriageworks and its surrounding suburbs. Here are seven things you can do at Sydney Contemporary as well as browse the artwork. EAT YOUR WAY THROUGH LOCAL PALETTE What do Young Henrys, Mary’s, Bloodwood, Food Rascal, 212 Blu and Gelato Messina all have in common? They are all delicious highlights from Sydney’s home-grown food and beverage scene? Well yes, but here’s another fun fact. These local favourites are all coming together to create Local Palette, a pop-up bar and restaurant in the Elston Room at Carriageworks for the duration of Sydney Contemporary. And while you’re at it, why not try some art that you can actually eat? As part of the broader Sydney Art Week program, Art and Dine brings Sydney establishments like The Apollo, Longrain, Cho Cho San and Riley St Garage into the mix with special offers. Wash them down with an artist-designed cocktail — 2014 Archibald winning artist Fiona Lowry has paired with a mixologist to create Pink Frost, a sumptuous cocktail being served at Sydney Contemporary’s favourite bars and restaurants across the city. LISTEN TO THE SOUND OF PLANTS GROWING The grand cavernous spaces at Carriageworks inspire and demand so much more than art in its traditional two-dimensional form. That’s why Sydney Contemporary also includes 18 immersive, interactive and site-specific installation art works by Australian and international artists for you to discover as part of their Installation Contemporary program. From the monumental to the elusive, Sydney Contemporary will basically be an art playground for adults. You won’t be able to miss towering large-scale works by Callum Morton and Gregor Kregar, but also be sure not to miss the almost invisible work by Mylyn Nguyen – a painstakingly rendered troop of insects that quietly inhabits a spot below the ground. Conversation with Plants will get you interacting. Created collaboratively by ceramic artist Simon Reece, music producer Darren Seltmann and artist Vicky Browne, the work invites participants to stand under a huge suspended pod as ceramics and electronics surround you to capture and amplify sounds made by nature, giving you a sensory experience that transforms perceptions of self and space. BAR CRAWL THROUGH REDFERN The official Opening Night on Thursday, September 10, transforms the fair into an immersive, all-encompassing night of art, music and food. It's the place to catch Alaska Orchestra's 'cuckoo clock' performance, listen to the smooth sounds of Sarsha Simone and have Jake Meadows serenade you with his harp, while performance artists take you on an eye-opening journey through the fair. Tickets are $50, include a complimentary drink and can be booked in advance or bought at the door. If you can’t make it to the Sydney Contemporary opening night celebration on Thursday, September 10, never fear. A whole program of events and parties will continue during Sydney Contemporary, spilling out into iconic Redfern locales The Dock, The Bearded Tit, Arcadia and 107 Projects after the official fair closes its doors each evening. This is your after-hours art party mecca. Don’t miss Trailblazers. Curated by Emma Price and Connie Anthes, it's a performance art trail that starts at Sydney Contemporary from 8.30pm on Thursday, September 10, and continues along a string of local sites, featuring artists Latai Taumoepeau, Alex Chapman and Penelope Benton, Erica Englert and Bhenji Ra. And if you like your rooftop parties with a healthy dose of zzzzs, then don’t miss Sleep. In partnership with 107 Projects, artist, musician and general legend Megan Alice Clune has curated a selection of performances about sleeping. The night will feature Pendant (formerly Nakagin), video works by Eugene Choi, Adam Guzowski (Golden Blonde, Alaska Orchestra) performing an improvised piece around a binaural drone and DJ Megan Alice Clune. GET CONTEMPLATIVE WITH ADRIANO ZUMBO For the critically curious among you, get inspired with a series of free (with entry) talks. You can join actor and philanthropist Rachel Griffiths as she discusses whether or not gender matters in contemporary art alongside Artspace director Alexie Glass-Kantor, artist Liam Benson, artist and curator Emma Price and MONA curator Jarrod Rawlins. Adriano Zumbo is also in the mix, talking about creative processes with architect Sam Marshall, broadcaster James Valentine, artist Michael Zavros and actor Claudia Karvan. If you’re interested in the intersections between fashion and art, then get along to The Fashion Forum, presented by Vogue deputy editor Sophie Tedmanson and featuring Romance Was Born designers Luke Sales and Anna Plunkett, as well as writer and curator Alison Kubler. Even though the talks are free, bookings are essential given limited spaces. TAKE IN SOME BITE-SIZED CINEMA Contemporary art meets film with two exciting short film screenings included in the price of your entry ticket. Acclaimed Australian artist Tracey Moffatt will premiere her new short film and comedic montage, The Art, and created with experimental filmmaker and music video producer Gary Hillberg. Sydney Contemporary also presents The Nightingale and the Rose, Del Kathryn Barton's take on the Oscar Wilde short story. It will be followed by a conversation between the film's co-director Brendan Fletcher and composer Sarah Blasko. TRAWL THE MARKET STALLS AT URBAN NIGHTS On the first Friday of every month, Redfern comes (even more) to life with the Redfern Night Market at Redfern Community Centre. In collaboration with Sydney Contemporary and Sydney Art week, a special one-off edition of the markets called Urban Nights will take place on Friday, September 11. This is your chance to check out some local culture and craft in an evening of art, performance and food. VOTE TO SEND YOUR FAVOURITE ARTIST TO POSSIBLY THE BEST RESIDENCY EVER Here's your chance to help send one artist to a place that is sure to stoke their creative fires. Sydney Contemporary has launched an artists in residency competition in partnership with Glenfiddich whiskey. That’s right, one lucky artist will get to live and work for three months at the Glenfiddich distillery in Dufftown, Scotland. The even better news? You could also win a trip for two to the Glenfiddich distillery. And unlike the poor talented souls who have slaved away to make brilliant art, which will be assessed by a panel of formidable judges, all you have to do to go in the draw is head to the Glenfiddich pop-up bar at Carriageworks and vote on your favourite artwork. Sydney Contemporary is on from September 10–13 at Carriageworks. For the full program and to book tickets, see the event website.
Winner of Concrete Playground's Best New Product of 2015. Gym classes in Sydney — what a gamble. You'll fork over your hard-earned cash for a big chain membership, only to be sorely disappointed with their 'yoga' offering. Or even worse, you'll learn the subtle art that is making every excuse to miss class week after week, because burpies and Bondi Junction's aggressive Body Attack ladies. But imagine if you could handpick your own gym program from Sydney's best, most novelty and most fun classes, without committing to one gym? Bodypass is a new Australian all-encompassing gym pass launched in Sydney that lets you attend unlimited gym classes at Sydney's best studios — from Shannon Dooley's Retrosweat to Mermaid Swim Academy at Bondi Icebergs to classes at Madonna's Hard Candy — with one $99-per-month membership. Similar to the City of Sydney's 360 gym pass and US program Classpass, you can book yourself into thousands of indoor and outdoor activities like hip hop dance, spin, yoga, pilates, strength training, martial arts, Barre, HIIT, stand-up paddle boarding and more at some of Australia's best fitness studios — all with one card, and no long-term commitment (you can cancel anytime without charge). Exercise scientist Georgia van Tiel and yoga teacher and health food cook Carla McMillan created the program with a need to break the whole 'gym culture' stigma associated with fitness and take exercise back to being an accessible, dare we say it, fun part of life. "When some people think of fitness and exercise, they immediately conjure a vision of the ‘dread-mill’ or hitting the gym which can be perceived as boring, repetitive and simply, not very fun,” says Van Tiel. Focusing on Sydney's fitness studios to start with, Van Tiel and McMillan took it upon themselves to personally try and test every studio currently included in the handpicked program — Sydney's Bodypass partners include Hard Candy, Retrosweat '80s Aerobics, Mermaid Swim Academy at Bondi Icebergs, F45 training, XtendBarre, Peak Altitude Training, P.E. Dept. Potts Point, Jazzercise, Physicore, Sky-Lab, RollerFit, Bonza Bike Tours, Centred Meditation, Dance Central, House of Yoga Redfern, One Wave, Power Living and plenty of Sydney's park-based fitness classes (to name a few). You can only visit the same studio up to three times per monthly cycle, but otherwise, go nuts. Bodypass is available in Sydney currently and will shortly broaden its network to Melbourne, with a national program planned. For more info, visit www.bodypass.com.
We're accustomed to the idea that every slice of pizza worth its weight in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles requires decent lashings of mozzarella. Which is why the news that famed Newtown pizzeria Gigi is going vegan might come as a shock to Sydney pizza fans. According to owner Marco Matino, the tradition of the Neapolitan woodfired pizza “is an art form which will always be relevant no matter how times change”. With that in mind, they’ve decided to kick their double smoked ham and stringy mozzarella to the curb in favour of a new plant-based menu that is both sustainable and ethical, with fresh, locally grown produce and key ingredients imported from Italy. The menu has been totally reinvented. Aside from the dairy-free blue cheese that adorns the Funghi e Radicchio ($22), the entire menu is completely cheese free. We’ll give you a moment to digest that. "Marinara pizzas [with just tomato, garlic and oil] were the first served in Naples for over forty years before the Margherita was introduced,” says Marco. Though that may be the case, we can safely say that, ever since some genius put some cheese on one of those saucy bases, we’ve never looked back. The pizza pros at Gigi have maintained the integrity of their quality woodfired dough with its slightly crispy, slightly chewy bite, but for a cheese pizza devotee like me, unfortunately, the creations feel like they're missing some vital ingredients. I’m sure we’ve all had those times when, a little too keen to become one with a hot slice, we have in our first bite inadvertently pulled off all the cheese and then been left with a bland, saucy base. Welcome to the new Marinara Tradizionale pizza ($17) — a chewy base laden with tomato puree, a few basil leaves and nothing else. However, some of the more innovative combos do manage to take your mind off cheese. The Cavolo ($22), for instance, is a beguiling combination of cauliflower puree, artichokes, pinenuts, capers, currants, garlic, parsley and extra virgin olive oil. The Ripieno Zucca e Spinaci ($24) sports pumpkin cream, sauteed pumpkin, spinach, swiss brown mushrooms, onion, roasted cherry tomatoes, thyme, rosemary and extra virgin olive oil, while classic numbers like the Patate ($24) — with thinly sliced potato seasoned with garlic and rosemary — work really well, especially with the additional of black truffle pate. It’s going to be interesting to see whether this new, invigorated menu draws the same hungry masses that once considered Gigi their pizza mecca, or whether they’ll seek out new pizzerias where they can have their cheese and eat it too. But the owners can be optimistic, given the popularity of Newtown eateries like Sadhana and Lentil as Anything, that a whole new crowd will seek out the taste of a more ethical and sustainable Gigi.
Lovers of outdoor sculpture, you no longer have to wait till October for your waterfront fix. That's because last year, the good folks at Sculpture by the Sea have teamed up with the Barangaroo Delivery Authority for an epic annual exhibition, Sculpture at Barangaroo. Returning on Saturday, August 5, the event will feature 14 spectacular outdoor works, created by nine Australian artists. Five of the pieces are brand new, while the other nine are existent, but have been handpicked for their suitability to the site. Established and emerging artists are represented, including Michael Le Grand, Richard Tipping, Nicole Monks, Cave Urban, Andrew Rogers, Adam King from the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative, Tereasa Trevor, Christopher Langton and Elyssa Sykes-Smith.
Spectrum Now Festival is back. And this time, they’re creating an undercover, vintage circus themed venue right in the middle of the city – and have hired some of the best curators in town to sort out the music program: Paul Piticco and Jessica Ducrou of Secret Sounds (Splendour, Falls). Headlining the 11-day gig extravaganza, which is happening between March 3 and 13, and will be taking place in a 2500-capacity Big Top in The Domain, are Scottish post-punk legends The Jesus and Mary Chain. They’ll be playing their seminal debut album Psychocandy in full on Saturday, March 5 as part of a ‘festival-within-the-festival’ called Divine Times, presented by Popfrenzy in collaboration with Yours and Owls. Also on the bill are Seekae, lo-fi poppers U.S. Girls (US), Canada’s Alvvays and Sydney’s favourite multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Boulet. Just announced, Aussie legends Something for Kate will be playing a greatest hits show on March 12 for the festival. Another one to get your tix-buying mitts on is Perth’s Birds of Tokyo, scheduled for Friday, March 11. They’ve been busy working towards their new album, but will take an evening off recording to deliver some of their classics, including ‘Lanterns’, ‘Anchor’ and more recent hit, ‘I Go With You Anywhere’. Plus, Missy Higgins is playing Closing Night in the Big Top in the Domain following her hugely popular sold-out shows at Twilight at Taronga. Meanwhile, on Sunday, March 6, jetting in from the US are Arizona-based rockers Calexico, who’ll be supported by Augie March. The day following, Monday, March 7, catch Canada’s post-rockers Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Then, on Thursday, March 10, watch RocKwiz Live, featuring a slew of talent and personality, including Julia Zemiro and Brian Nankervis, RocKwiz Orkestra, James Black (Mondo Rock), Peter Luscombe (Paul Kelly), Mark Ferrie (Models), Ashley Naylor (Even) and Vika and Linda Bull. And if a dance party is more your scene, you'll want to catch Hot Dub Time Machine back from his world tour and bringing you decades of hits on March 4. For those who want to make the music themselves, head to the Marie's Crisis festival bar for a good ol' fashioned New York City-style musical theatre singalong. What good is sitting alone in your room? Line yourself up for tickets at the Spectrum Now site.
Whether you missed out on a Splendour ticket or are gearing up to see your fave acts twice, you'd better be quick if you want to get your mitts on some sideshow tix. Splendour's official sideshows have almost sold out, but there's a bunch with a skerrick of tickets remaining. Jump on them. Jump on them now. All up, eleven official shows are planned, mainly in Sydney and Melbourne (but there are a few locked in for Adelaide and Perth too). You'll be able to catch James Blake, who exploded onto global stages at the wee age of 22 with his debut EP CMYK and is now working on his third album, Radio Silence. You might well want to spend some time at the arenas (Sydney Olympic Park and Hisense Arena) finding out why The 1975 is one of the world's most sought after acts. There's Jake Bugg, who became the youngest ever bloke to enter the UK charts at number one back in 2012 when he was just 18. And you'll want your whistling skills handy for this next one. Peter, Bjorn and John (they're a Swedish trio, if you hadn't guessed), are responsible for one of 2006's catchiest tunes, 'Young Folks'. Without further ado, here are the Splendour sideshows you should be slinging your dollars towards. NOTE: This is all very 'at the time of writing' so if something sells out in the meantime, we're sorry for getting any hopes up. By Jasmine Crittenden with Matt Abotomey.
Rolling around for another year, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week hits Sydney in 2016 with a twist. Pushing the event back to a start date of May 15 (instead of its usual early April slot), this is the first fashion week worldwide to present the resort season exclusively. For designers, MBFW16 provides the opportunity to reach retailers and industry leaders at a global scale. For you, it means five days of killer fashion from 55 of the best local and international brands around. Style-conscious crowds are set to hit Eveleigh's Carriageworks from Sunday for this week-long festival of runway shows, presentations and key industry events. Opening with an evening showcase of Maticevski's chic feminine frocks, this year's lineup includes the likes of Dion Lee, TOME, Emma Mulholland, Aje, DI$COUNT UNIVERSE and — the big one — Oscar de la Renta (just to name a few). From Monday to Wednesday there will be a focus on ready-to-wear pieces, before moving on to Thursday's swim and activewear showcase. Wrapping up with some of the best emerging designers on Friday, MBFW16 brings Sydneysiders a banging schedule of unmissable fashion. So Fashion Week can be a little hard to get into. Luckily there's a Weekend Edition for the public, jam-packed with exclusive runway shows, masterclasses, panels and Champagne brunching. Image: Maticevski show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Resort 17 Collections at The Cutaway, Barangaroo Reserve. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.
There have been countless retellings of the New Testament across all forms of art, but it's unlikely any of them have been classified as "trashstep-dubpunk" before. Triple Threat is an outrageously transgressive show that's said to be as side-splitting as it is sacrilegious. It's sexually explicit, it's unapologetically trashy and it's uproariously absurd, so probably not the kind of thing you want to take your steadfastly church-going friend to see. Or maybe they'll love it! It's been hugely popular in London and arrives in Australia for the first time in January. Just don't say we didn't warn you. Spoiler alert: over 18s only. Image: The Other Richard.
Spring is in the air, and we all know what that means: it's time to kick back with some friends and a nice bottle of vino and enjoy a movie under the stars. We've been spoiled for choice when it comes to outdoor cinemas in recent years, and now The Greens in North Sydney is getting in on the action. Flicks at the Greens is your latest destination for classic, cult and new release cinema with a little bit of lawn bowling thrown in. The film program runs Wednesday to Sundays for four weeks across late September and early October, beginning with OTT action comedy Kingsman: The Secret Service. Other recent titles include Ant Man, Trainwreck and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, while those of you looking for a dose of nostalgia can enjoy the likes of Mean Girls, Dirty Dancing and Howl's Moving Castle. The movies start at sundown, but there'll be plenty to keep you occupied until then. The recently refurbished Greens Kitchen will be open for pre-film feasts, with a lot more than just stale popcorn on offer. Nothing like slow-cooked lamb or a thick rib-eye steak to put you in the mood for a screening of Jurassic World — although we can't imagine Indominus Rex would bother with the herb and garlic butter. They'll also be operating bars of both the candy and alcohol varieties, so there's no danger of you running out of things to eat or drink. Screenings on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays will be preceded by live music acts — and if you want to get really fancy, you can grab yourself a VIP Crown Class ticket which gets you a bean bed in the reserved area along with a complimentary box of popcorn. Every two VIP tickets purchased come with a bottle of Taltarni wine. Tickets to Flicks at the Greens are $15 for GA and $32 for Crown Class from Moshtix, but thanks to The Greens, we have two double Crown Class passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter and then email win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei: both superstar artists, both groundbreaking Damn The Man-ers, both crazy cat ladies (really). And now, in one of the best team-ups we've seen in ages, they're both the focus of the National Gallery of Victoria's next epic summer exhibition, Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei. This is going to be quite the retrospective. Two of the most significant artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, Warhol and Weiwei have left their mark on global modernity, whether flipping the bird to American art or dropping a Han vase on Chinese tradition. The NGV will present over 200 of Warhol's most celebrated works — including the Campbell’s Soup Cans, Three Marilyns, Mao, Elvis, Flowers, Electric Chairs, Skulls and Myths series and sculptures like Brillo Boxes , Heinz Tomato Ketchup Boxes and Silver Clouds. If you've got a spare eight hours, kick back and watch Warhol's wildly influential films Empire, Blow job and Screen Tests and pore over early commercial drawings and '50s advertising illustrations. There's even going to be over 500 Polaroids documenting Warhol’s friends, colleagues, and artistic and social milieux. Now, Weiwei. The famously controversial Chinese artist has had his fair share of Warhol influence, having lived in the US from 1981 to 1993 — and taken a photographic self-portrait in front of Warhol's multiple self-portrait. The first book he bought in NYC? The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B & Back Again). “I believe this is a very interesting and important exhibition and an honour for me to have the opportunity to be exhibited alongside Andy Warhol," said Weiwei. "This is a great privilege for me as an artist.” For the NGV exhibition, Weiwei will premiere new major commissions, including an installation from the Forever Bicycles series and a monumental addition to Chandelier. Of course, glimpses of Weiwei's colossal catalogue will also be on display — from his early 1970s drawings to 1980s readymades, and provocative painting, photography, film and social media of the last four decades. If you're wondering why we called two of the greatest artists in history 'crazy cat ladies', it's because it's true. According to the NGV, Warhol apparently lived with a herd of Siamese cats in the '50s, all of whom, except for one, were named Sam. He photographed and ink blotted them often. Weiwei's studio is home to over 30 cats, who have free reign and constantly pop up in the artist's social media. There's going to be a special part of the exhibition dedicated to this shared feline love, a bit of trivia we won't get over for quite a while. Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei comes to the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne from December 11 to April 24, in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh. For info and tickets, head to the NGV website.
In August of last year, something amazing happened in Tasmania. Tasmania is like that distant cousin you never paid much attention to, but then, when you hit your mid-twenties, you take a second and realise that, hey, they're actually pretty cool. Yep, that's Tassie. While you might not have appreciated your 1999 family holiday to Hobart, now they've got that whole rugged landscape, quality art and bar scene thing going on and, all of a sudden, everyone's totally into it. And to blow your mind that little bit more, the island state did something really, really awesome. They passed in-principle support for marriage equality in the Parliament of Tasmania and, in turn, skyrocketed itself up the ladder of people everywhere to become Australia's coolest state. Both houses passed theoretical support for same-sex marriage (the Lower House passed the motion seventeen months ago) with a vote of 8-5 — which is big deal as Tasmania has traditionally had a pretty conservative government. Tasmania's display of support further erodes the notion that the (super exxy) plebiscite was never a good idea (may the marriage equality plebiscite rest in peace and never, ever rise again as a zombie). Each state has a varied history on support of same-sex marriage, but let's just remember that in March of this year, an Essential Media poll found that 64 percent of respondents agreed that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. Ultimately, it's up to the Federal Parliament to make the call — not the states. The Coalition have proposed a potential plebiscite on the issue, which would have cost Aussie taxpayers anywhere between $158 million and half a billion, was smacked down in the Senate. However, if all states show their support for same-sex marriage, it could have a lot of influence on what happens at a Federal level. Tassie's shown their support, but where's the mainland at on the issue? In partnership with SKYY Vodka, which showed its support for marriage equality throughout March by donating $1.00 from every product purchased in Australia to just.equal, we take a look at where everyone's sitting at the moment. [caption id="attachment_584233" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Parliament of NSW[/caption] NSW In June of 2015, the NSW Parliament passed a conscience vote (unanimously, mind you), calling on the Federal Government to pass the Marriage Equality Bill 2015, showing their support of the issue. In 2013, they nearly passed a bill to legalise same-sex marriage but it fell through at 21 votes no to 19 votes yes. Close, but no cigar. And in 2014 they finally abolished the gay panic defence (pretty late to the game though). The state is generally moving in the right direction and seems to support same-sex marriage, but hasn't been able to coax the Federal Government to do the same. VICTORIA Victoria has just has passed the Relationships Amendments Act 2016 (which came into effect on October 1 2016) that allows immediate recognition of domestic partnerships, de facto relationships and international same-sex marriages and acknowledges civil unions on death certifications (hooray, now you can be yourself in the afterlife too!). While Victoria's government has been generally more liberal than other states, they haven't made huge headway on the marriage equality issue — but they've made a lot of noise about it. According to Australian Marriage Equality, 73 percent of the Victorian House of Reps support gay marriage and 50 percent of the Senate too. Since September 1 2016, Victoria has allowed same sex adoption as well, thanks to the Adoption Amendment Act 2015, a bill that was several years in the making. The Victorian Government introduced a bill in February of 2016 that aimed to crack down on 'gay conversion' therapist. Why on earth, in this state, gay conversion therapists are rampant enough to require a crack down, we'll never know. But from February 1 2017, a new commission has been set up to execute permanent bans on health providers peddling 'gay conversion'. QUEENSLAND In Queensland same-sex activity was considered illegal until 1990, which is disturbingly recent. Further to that, Queensland laws don't allow convictions to be expunged, meaning there are people alive today with a criminal record for being gay (come the heck on, Queensland). But the state has traditionally been incredibly politically conservative, and that's reflected in their stance on gay marriage. One little win of note, however, is the recent abolition of the gay panic defence on March 21 2017. About goddamn time. It only took a petition with 289,000 signatures and the support of Stephen Fry. So, heads up to the terrible people of the world – an 'unwanted sexual advance' from someone of the same sex as you is no longer grounds for self-defence murder. ACT Canberra is the dark horse in the running competition for Australia's best state. The capital briefly passed a marriage equality bill in December of 2013, but it was quickly returned to the earth by the High Court, who deemed it inconsistent with the Federal Marriage Act and hence unconstitutional (boo hiss boo). Since then, they've been pretty quiet on the gay marriage front. WESTERN AUSTRALIA In September of 2015, Western Australia (like NSW) passed a conscience vote calling for the Federal Government to pass the Marriage Amendment Bill 2015, which would grant full marriage rights to same-sex partners. The Feds didn't pass it, but snaps for Western Australia. The recent Labor victory in Western Australia s also a positive sign for the progression of LGTBQI rights. As the incoming party ran on a platform that promised to fully fund the Safe School program, expunge criminal records of consensual homosexual acts, and potentially legislating for civil unions. Let's hope they make good on their promises. NORTHERN TERRITORY Although the NT came to the party on legalising homosexuality pretty early, unfortunately they're pretty backwards when it comes to recognising same-sex marriage. Unlike all other Australian states, the NT government doesn't offer relationship registration or domestic partnerships to same-sex folk, but classifies them as 'de facto unions'. This grants them some of the same financial benefits as married couples but is not equal in any sense of the word. No snaps for the NT. Particularly since in November of 2016 they banned same-sex couples from adopting, while the rest of Australia legalised it. Absolute baloney, NT. SOUTH AUSTRALIA For a southern state with such a banging music scene, South Australia is pretty backwards on gay marriage and gay rights in general. They've shut down several attempts in parliament to consider same-sex civil unions and, despite support from some members of parliament, they still don't even recognise overseas same-sex marriages. And SA is the only to retain the gay panic defence within common-law. Very sad. However, they've made some strides recently. The Relationship Register bill was passed, meaning gay couples can register their relationship all official like (although, let's note that ABS don't count these registered relationships as marriages when totting up the number, boooo). And the bill also allows same-sex couples access to altruistic surrogacy and IVF treatment for the gals. And they've amended their adoption laws to allow adoption for same-sex couples, which went into effect on February 17 of this year. Better. Still not good. But definitely better. So some states are doing well to put pressure on the Federal Government to change same-sex marriage laws, but it's in no way unanimous yet. Ultimately, it's up to the Federal Government to decide if they introduce a marriage equality bill into the House of Reps like every other piece of legislation. If you want to make some noise on the issue, you can go visit just.equal to find out how to best take action. Show some SKYY Vodka support for marriage equality by taking a selfie and tagging it with #CheerstoEquality and #AusPol. Top image: Azhar J via Flickr.
Living in the big smoke has more perks than just an abundance of all-night convenience stores. But what makes a liveable, smart city? This year, the fifth international Media Architecture Biennale wants to focus on just how cities like Sydney will evolve in years to come, focused on the theme 'Digital Placemaking'. Hosted at The Concourse in Chatswood, MAB16 is a four-day lineup of conferences, workshops and even an award ceremony, presenting the best future ideas in architecture, media and design. Exploring everything from the role of urban screens to local media interventions in cities, global industry leaders will open your eyes to potential of what's to come in these bustling metropolitan spaces. This is one of our top picks for Vivid Ideas events. Read the whole list and reboot your brain.
Board rooms are so done. Stockholm-based artist duo Bigert and Bergström have built a modal, stainless golden steel, reflective, egg-shaped sauna with a heart-shaped wood burning stove, named the 'Solar Egg'. Why? Commissioned by Swedish economic and real estate association Riksbyggen, the egg is a "social sculpture" according to the artists, providing a communal space for the residents of Kiruna to discuss their town's problems. Kiruna is the northernmost town in Sweden with a population of just under 20,000. In 2003, they realised that due to adjacent iron ore mining activity (activity which provides thousands of jobs for locals), the ground beneath the town was becoming unstable. The solution? Move the whole town three kilometres away. The relocation has been underway ever since and will continue to trudge along, piece by piece, for many more decades supported by the government and the mining company responsible. So, the residents of Kiruna have a lot to talk about while enjoying a sauna together. And, like the town itself, the golden egg can be disassembled and relocated. As far as interactive art installations go, it's both acutely beautiful and functional, with stainless golden mirror sheeting reflecting the fragmented, changing scenery of the surround mountains and tundra. Inside, the sauna's interior is made of pine wood panelling and decks, and aspen benches, with an iron and stone stove in the centre. Temperature varies between 75 and 85 degrees Celsius in the egg. Images: Riksbyggen and Futurniture.
Extinction isn’t permanent, apparently. Sydney’s Night at the Museum-like party, Jurassic Lounge is being resurrected for a one-off after-hours event to celebrate Halloween. Returning to the Australian Museum for one night only, following their last Halloween Dia de los Muertos event and highly successful Mardi Gras party, The Festivalists’ beloved after-hours event will once again take over the entire museum on Friday, October 30. Creating a playground for grown-ups in the hallowed museum halls, Jurassic Lounge’s Halloween edition plans to transform the Australian Museum into the freaky, freaky establishment we always knew it could be. The one-night-only resurrection of Jurassic Lounge is most excellent news from The Festivalists, the Sydney-based, non-profit company who just took over Madame Tussauds again with their after-hours night, Hijinks. On Halloween night, there'll be plenty of creepy critters scuttling around the Australian Museum, with live taxidermy (oh god), big old bats at the specimen table, live reptiles, and Creepy Crawlies micro-talks by Australian Museum scientists. Between beers, avoid zombies in the Surviving Australia gallery, curse your enemies at the Misfortune Cookie crafts table, DIY gashes and wounds with The Makeup Wardrobe, watch comedians recreate cult horror films from memory, then learn how to actually do the Monster Mash with Diesel Darling's giant dance lesson. Of course, the ever-popular Jurassic Lounge staple Silent Disco will be there for all your scarily quiet shuffling. But in true Festivalists style, there’s sure to be plenty of happenings and Easter Eggs planned for the night. Just be careful if you're thinking of unlocking the secret Trick or Treat room. Be warned. Jurassic Lounge returns to the Australian Museum on College Street on Friday, October 30 from 6.30 to 9.30pm. Tickets are $19 presale or $22 on the door — although last Halloween tickets sold out weeks in advance, so get in early. Find more information and tickets here. Dress-ups encouraged.
We thought it was Photoshopped. Twitter thought it was Photoshopped. The whole damn town thought, nay, could this be true? Hath Cadbury gone truly mad? Creating what could potentially be the most horrific melding of worldly flavours imaginable this side of ox tongue gelato (it's a thing)? Alas, it's true. Cadbury Australia have created a Dairy Milk chocolate variation, which adds a little caramel and a whole lot of Vegemite. That's right. Vegemite. BuzzFeed confirmed the terrible union this afternoon after noticing a sneaky snap on a Reddit feed in April. Cadbury itself confirmed the fusion on Twitter with this dramatic video. Behold. The Vegemite chocolate will be unleashed on the Australian public from June 1 (or sooner, as the Cadbury has mysteriously hinted in the video). Expect "Dairy Milk milk chocolate with smooth flowing caramel and VEGEMITE." Why Cadbury? Why? Was Pineapple Snack not enough tomfoolery for an age? Ah. We'll probably try it. Via BuzzFeed. Image: Reddit.
Southern Sydneysiders need no longer trek into the CBD for sweet, sweet winter jacket action. Zara has launched its very first store in Sydney's south, taking over two glorious floors and 1400 square metres of the $435 million redeveloped Westfield Miranda. Opening today with its autumn/winter collections instore, Zara's newest chapter will see threads from the Zara Women, Men and Kids lines; arriving just in time for 'change of season' to act as your splurging excuse. Opening today with its autumn/winter collections instore, Zara's newest chapter will see threads from the Zara Women, Men and Kids lines; arriving just in time for 'change of season' to act as your splurging excuse. The fifth store for Zara in NSW, the new Miranda instalment follows openings at Pitt Street Mall's Westfield Sydney, Westfield Bondi Junction, Westfield Chatswood and Ryde's Macquarie Centre; joining the total of 14 Australian Zara stores dotted around the country. Seems we can't get enough Zaraphenalia in our lives, with the launch of Zara Home's Sydney flagship looming in the next few months (Melbourne's already basking in Australia's first Zara Home store). Find Zara over Levels 2 and 3 of Westfield Miranda, 600 Kingsway, Miranda. Via Ragtrader. Images: Zara.
If you’ve been missing the Festivalists’ best-known night about town, Jurassic Lounge, it’s been a long time between drinks. Their pioneering play-plus-edification mainstay at the Australian Museum slipped into indefinite hiatus with its extinction events late last year, leaving Festivalist fans to explore the film festivals, festival hub and Mayhem that make up part of their wider repertoire. This September, though, they’re adding more museum to their CV with a Lounge-like excursion to Darling Harbour: Hijinks. Hijinks sees the Festivalists take over the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium for three separate nights across September, October and November. And this time they’re going with the nautical theme. On arrival, attendees will be handed a treasure map which will help them to find a treasure chest over the course of the night. But to get to it you’ll need to complete a series of challenges. Says Festivalist director Matt Ravier, “The challenges take the form of riddles and photo challenges that you might complete by taking a photo with your phone, for example.” Helping you work out what to do will be a series of actors, performers and actual scientists scattered around the building. These challenges are optional. There’ll still be plenty of scope in the evening for just a drink and a bit of hanging out. But the treasure map is all about making good with this new space, after switching from a space like the Australian Museum’s interlocking rooms to the Aquarium’s path-like layout. The Festivalists try to look at each new venue with fresh eyes. When you first scope one out, Ravier says, you try to “leave all preconceived ideas and expectations at the door, and you’ll re-experience the venue almost as a child.” So, for Hijinks guests, “rather than just have a party, which we can do pretty much anywhere, they’ll be interacting with improv comedians, performers, artists, but also marine biologists throughout their journey through the Aquarium and getting clues from them that will lead them to the treasure chest, with a chance, of course, to win its contents.” This time, says Ravier, “the whole experience is designed as a journey, rather than a free-for-all invitation to disperse and be at a certain place at a certain time.” Which also means it’s laid out a bit like one-way system. “Although people who come regularly will start discovering short cuts and secret passages that allow them to move more freely than they thought they could.” And it won’t just be the people; the point of getting to explore at the Aquarium is to get a better look at that marine life on show. “I guess, with Hijinks, we’re bringing the party to the wildlife," says Ravier. "So, it’ll be an interesting kind of meeting, audiences and marine biology.” Is it hard to plan around fish? They’ve planned around the animals, but Ravier’s not too concerned about the prospect of mixing people with fish tanks. “It’s actually quite easy, because the space has already been designed with that in mind. The tanks etcetera have been built in such a way as to protect the animals from external noise and stimuli. It simply means that we won’t have loud music in certain spaces, that we have to be careful about bass and vibrations from the bass if we have a DJ playing.” Opening night, Thursday, September 11, sees a pirate theme. Highlights will include Tom Christophersen's radio-transmitted storytelling, puppet cabaret from Defy and tattoo-drawing lessons from tattooist Jimmy Memento. Not to mention the chance to hear divers at the Aquarium talk about rescuing grey nurse sharks in the wild, a little underwater art and maybe some extra underwater activities. “I think what underpins pretty much everything that we do is access," says Ravier. "So the idea of providing access to culture, or to collections, or to artistically or culturally valuable experiences.” And like most people he asked, Ravier says that for him, before Hijinks, the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium had been a place he mainly just took overseas visitors. But now he thinks Hijinks “could be a chance to almost reappropriate the aquarium for Sydney locals as a fantastic space that’s right on our doorstep.” Hijinks, Sydney’s only underwater party, has announced a triumphant return to Sea Life Sydney Aquarium for a series of exciting new monthly events for 2015, kicking off on January 29. Try the blind date ticket and get your group of singles matched with another.
Ah, the tinnie. The refuge of the second-rate beer, right? Wrong. With improved technology obliterating the old argument that cans damage the taste of beer, more and more craft brewers are moving to the once humble can. Sometimes favoured for their retro feel, cans actually boast both a lower carbon footprint and longer shelf life than their bottled counterparts, making it likely their booming popularity will only continue rising. For many craft beer makers, the tinnie is actually an essential part of their craft; the makers of acclaimed Heady Topper urge their customers not to pour their beer into a glass, lest it lose the carefully cultivated hop aromas the can preserves. Here are ten of the best canned wonders. JAMES SQUIRE ONE FIFTY LASHES PALE ALE Named after a convict rapscallion who is believed to have created Australia’s first commercial brewery, Sydney-based James Squire produces a distinctly Australian range which has become synonymous with local craft beers. Newly available in cans, this is an approachable variety which makes an inspired addition to your next beach hang or spring picnic. With a light citrus burst and faint notes of passionfruit hitting the palate first, and the malted wheat giving it a silky smooth finish, it’s an ideal session beer. MOUNTAIN GOAT SUMMER ALE One of the first Australian craft beer makers to stock their product in cans, Victorian microbrewers Mountain Goat initially thought of doing a limited one-off run of these tinnies, but were soon overwhelmed with the response and turned it into a permanent fixture. A gold-hued ale perfect for sneaking into your picnic baskets, this offers inviting citrus and tropical aromas. With no hint of acidity, it’s an easy drinking delight and an ideal choice for the newer craft beer drinker or seasoned hop head alike. BREWDOG PUNK IPA Back in 2007, James Watt and Martin Dickie were two 24-year-olds with “scary bank loans” and a passion project selling their craft beer out of the back of a battered van. Today, they are the kingpins of a Scottish craft beer success story, overseeing more than 350 employees pumping out their abrasively flavoured brews to great acclaim. The Punk Indian Pale Ale is a must, a great introduction to their in-your-face style. Also look out for the mightily bitter Jackhammer, which is about as subtle as its name. HEADY TOPPER Ranked number 2 among all the world’s beers on the encyclopaedic Beer Advocate, Heady Topper is less a beer than a phenomenon. Initially considered unlikely to have widespread appeal, Heady Topper actually became so popular that the Vermont brewery which made it regularly had people cuing for hours and had to limit hordes of customers to one case each. It’s a complex beer with notes ranging from grapefruit to pine and spice and just about the quintessential craft beer tinnie. Image: Carter Brown. SIERRA NEVADA PALE ALE With its instantly recognisable pastoral artwork, Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale has long been warmly regarded as one of the classic craft beers. The pioneering brewery now produces over 50 varieties, but the pale ale accounts for more than half their sales. Famously using only whole cone hops, they have a commitment to quality ingredients that has produced a consistently good and almost universally liked beer. Heavy on the hops, it’s a beer that pairs well with some spicy Mexican. YO-HO TOKYO BLACK PORTER Japan is a relatively new player in the world of craft beers, having effectively legislated against microbreweries until the mid '90s. Now some 200 microbreweries have moved into a once stagnant market. One of the first breweries to spring up when the laws changed were Yoho, who have since been named Japan’s best craft beer brewery. Based in the snowy mountains of Nagano, they produce a nice variety of beers, including this rich black number which draws you in with its treacly aroma, roasty character and a head like foamy coffee. YOUNG HENRYS REAL ALE While the range of craft beers available in cans was quite limited just a few years ago, today there’s an abundance of options and this is a great example of a local take on the traditional British bitter. Made with both Australian and British malts, it’s light but flavoursome and took Young Henrys all the way from their inner west base to the International Real Ale Festival, where this bad boy picked up a gold medal. EVIL TWIN HIPSTER ALE An American Pale ale hailing from (where else?) Brooklyn, Evil Twin market this colourfully packaged beer as a homage to anyone who “feel(s) excluded because you’re hip but your city is not”. Even for those in a cutting-edge hip city, this is a very drinkable ale with some complexity to keep you interested. The colour is like a light honey, and you’ll get notes of everything from biscuits, toffee and caramel to more zesty citrus. FERAL BREWING HOP HOG IPA Credit Feral Brewing company with putting beer on the map in the fabled Swan Valley wine district. This is their most famous product, an American-style Indian pale ale with hops added both during the boil and late in the fermenting. It’s proven a hit both with the craft beer-loving public and the critics who raved about its balance and drinkability and made it the number 1 pick in their Australia’s Best Beers annual roundup. SIX STRING DARK RED IPA Like many craft brewers, Six String began as a couple of friends with a love of beer and a desire to make something better than the mass-marketed product. After lengthy battles with bureaucratic red tape, Chris Benson and Adam Klasterka were able to enlist the support of their community and set up a boutique brewery in the Central Coast. Their beers proved worth the wait. Among their staples is a dark red IPA. It’s full-bodied, really dark and really good. Top illustration by Barry Patenaude.
It's no secret that few things get us as excited as food and booze. But one place in particular is getting us really, really excited: Brix. Now open in Surry Hills, the distillery and bar not only serves booze — it makes it on-site. And it's the first craft distillery dedicated to rum in Sydney's inner city in a long time. Rum? Yes, rum. It used to be distilled at the old Pyrmont CSR factory from the 30s till the 80s, but — apart from a limited release batch of Archie Rose virgin cane spirit — isn't something that's made widely made locally. We're all pretty up to speed and pumped about locally distilled gin, thanks to the likes of (the game-changing and continually impressive) Archie Rose Distillery and Poor Toms, but rum, generally speaking, is yet to infiltrate our collective craft spirit radar. Brix is a working distillery, shop, barrelling room and bar. The three passionate guys behind the whole thing are James Christopher, Damien Barrow and Siddharth Soin, and they're justifiably enthused about seeing their vision — which has been over three years in the making — come to life. The co-founders are old friends (and are also partners in Cammeray's popular local restaurant Public) and together they want to change the people's attitude to rum. Part of their job is to educate the public about the diversity of the spirit, which runs from a clear rum in a mojito to a syrupy spiced rum. The venue features a fully working distillery with an Australian-made 1200-litre still, which is overseen by head distiller Shane Casey (previously at Archie Rose). The team has launched with a core range of rums: Brix White, Gold and Spiced, which are, for now, only available at the Surry Hills distillery. As well as its own haul, Brix has a 'rum wall' with over 150 varieties from around the world, and a selection of Australian wines, local spirits and craft beer also available. A cocktail list, designed by bar manager Doug Laming, includes rum heavy-favourites, such as mojitos, piña coladas and daiquiris, and more inventive creations like the Bitter & Twisted, with grapefruit-infused rum and Antica, and the Pash the Distiller, with rhubarb bitters, tepache and Brix Gold. If you're keen to dive deeper in rum (not literally, we don't recommend jumping into the still) order one of the seven rum flights available at the bar — or hail the rum trolley. Roaming the bar every night on the hour, it gives guests a chance to sample different rums and chat to the in-house 'rum guru'. The grand space, which has been designed by interior design firm Amber Road, includes an intimate mezzanine barrelling room, overlooking the still, and an open kitchen with counter dining and banquette seating fitting 70 people on the ground level. It features lots of greys with copper details and wall art by local street artist Nico Nicoson. Brix isn't a restaurant, but food is still a central part of the distillery and bar. A compact menu, designed by Ivan Sanchez — who previously worked at Bodega and Porteño — features South American-inflected dishes, such as crisp tostadas topped with ceviche and pink grapefruit, pickled tongue with capers, jerk pork belly and a lineup of arepas (stuffed corn flatbreads). As for the name, 'brix' is a measurement of sugar in a liquid and is actually part of the rum making process. "At some point the distiller has to measure the brix of the liquid he's about to throw yeast into," Christopher explains. So what is the rum making process, in short? "Rum is made from sugar cane juice or molasses that is fermented, then yeast is added to produce alcohol. "It's then boiled at a temperature below boiling water, which makes the alcohol evaporate, leaving water behind, the alcohol goes into the column of the still as a gas, which is re-condensed, turning back into the clear liquid," he says. It can then be aged, spiced, mixed and blended at the hand of a distiller, and as Barrow says, "it's science up to a certain point, when it comes out of the still, and then it's an art — that's when the craft element comes in". And if you skimmed over all the sciencey part of that explanation, fear not — things will make a lot more sense at the distillery. AMENDMENT: AUGUST 22, 2018 — This article previously stated that Brix was the first inner city rum distillery to open in 200 years. This wasn't quite right, and we've amended this article to reflect Sydney's boozy history with the sugar cane spirit. Brix Distillers is now open at 352 Bourke Street, Surry Hills. Its regular opening hours at 12pm–midnight Monday–Saturday, and 12pm–10pm Sunday. Images: Dave Wheeler.
Every so often I find myself staring at my rug and thinking of Lebowski. Rugs really do tie a room together, and their absence can very easily render something like a living room nothing more than a collection of 'things' with no real connective tissue. In The Big Lebowski, of course, Jeff Bridges was that rug: a slovenly yet cohesive force of White Russian-fuelled lethargy who kept an otherwise sprawling and surreal piece of cinema from descending into incoherent nonsense. Central characters are always important, yes, but in specifically psychedelic cinema where style is often in equal or greater measures than substance, a well-defined, well-performed protagonist can be the single determinative factor between success and failure. Inherent Vice — the seventh film by Paul Thomas Anderson — is one such example. Based on the Thomas Pynchon novel, it is confusing and bewildering cinema at its absolute best, guided through the haze courtesy of Anderson's deft hand and another exceptional performance by Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix plays Larry 'Doc' Sportello, a perennially stoned private investigator in 1970 California who's hired by his ex-girlfriend Shasta (Katherine Waterston) to track down her missing lover (Eric Roberts). In principle it seems largely straightforward, but the set-up alone contains so many twists, double crosses and tawdry affairs that within five minutes of the opening titles there's a sense of being overwhelmed in a manner that doesn't improve over the remaining 147 minutes. Though Doc shares your confusion, he never shows it. Instead, he cruises unflappably through every conversation and encounter, pausing only occasionally to jot down irrelevant one word notes in his flipbook. Imagine the Dude, only without the hobby or mantra to guide him: an underestimated sleuth combining the substance abuse of The Rum Diary's Paul Kemp with the quirky intuition of Columbo. Surrounding him, the list of cameos is both enormous and divergent, contributing in no small way to the film's labyrinthine plot. There's the strait-laced assistant DA with a secret, Penny Kimble (Reese Witherspoon); the tell-all nurse's secretary, Penny Leeway (Maya Rudolph); the drug-addicted dentist Dr Rudy Blatnoyd (an entirely lecherous Martin Short); Doc's mysterious lawyer, Sauncho Smilax (Benicio Del Toro); and Owen Wilson's Coy Harligen — a musician/heroin addict/missing person/cult spokesperson/political renegade. Even he doesn't quite know who he is. Finally, there's Josh Brolin as Lt. Detective Christian F. 'Bigfoot' Bjornsen — a hard-nosed, hippie-hating cop sporting a Dragnet crew cut and a penchant for sucking down chocolate-covered bananas on a stick. He and Phoenix put in the film's best performances, and it's their shared scenes that boast the most engaging screen time. "A hidden defect (or the very nature of a good or property) which of itself is the cause of (or contributes to) its deterioration, damage or wastage". That's the legal definition of 'Inherent Vice', and for Pynchon it represented the uncomfortable truth about America's decline. In the wake of the Charles Manson killings, the failings of the American Dream were to be found within the dream itself: corrupt, flawed and prey to the darker nature of man. That's what's at the core of this film (however difficult it might be locating it), and while it won't be to everyone's taste, Inherent Vice is an impressive piece of filmmaking that warrants your time and attention.
A home-grown exhibition rolling out in 2017, 2019 and 2021 (all off-Biennale of Sydney years), The National: New Australian Art is will feature a coordinated exhibition across the city's major institutions: the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Carriageworks and the Museum of Contemporary Art. It's some of the best news the contemporary Aussie art scene has had in years. Artists across the three venues have been curated thematically and, obviously and wonderfully, they're all Australian. The AGNSW is focusing on art developed from field research or archival footage, grounded in history and featuring many Indigenous artists. Carriageworks is taking a more introspective view, curating their exhibition around self and relationships, with a focus on collaborative work. And the MCA is zooming in further still for its contribution, exploring iterative issues through time and their motifs. They've released an artist list but at this stage it's not clear where each artist will be exhibiting, only that the lineup is packed with potential. Exhibiting artists for 2017 include: Khadim Ali, Zanny Begg, Richard Bell, Gordon Bennett, Chris Bond and Wes Thorne, Matthew Bradley, Gary Carsley, Erin Coates, Megan Cop,e Karla Dickens, Atlanta Eke, Emily Floyd ,Heath Franco, Marco Fusinato, Gunybi Ganambarr, Alex Gawronski, Ghenoa Gela, Agatha Gothe-Snape, Julie Gough Alan Griffiths, Dale Harding, Taloi Havini, Gordon Hookey, Ronnie van Hout, Helen Johnson, Jess Johnson, Richard Lewer, Peter Maloney, Nicholas Mangan, Karen Mills, Archie Moore, Claudia Nicholson, Tom Nicholson, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Nell, Rose Nolan, Raquel Ormella, Alex Martinis Roe, Stieg Persson, Elizabeth Pulie, Khaled Sabsabi, Yhonnie Scarce, Keg de Souza, Simon Ward, Justene Williams, Jemima Wyman and Tiger Yaltangki. The National: New Australian Art will hit the Art Gallery of New South Wales from March 30 – July 16 2017, Carriageworks from March 30 – June 25 2017, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia from March 30 – June 18 2017. Entry is free to all exhibitions. Image: Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, The Cave (2016-17). Installation view, The National 2017, Carriageworks. Photograph: Zan Wimberley.
Over the past twelve months, Concrete Playground's film critics have watched a truly obscene number of movies. Blockbusters, indie titles and arthouse flicks from around the globe, if it's been projected onto a screen anywhere in this country we've gobbled it up – along with approximately ten truckloads full of popcorn. And while there are certain films we'd much rather forget (looking at you Fantastic Four), there have also been plenty of great ones. Presented in alphabetical order, here are our ten favourite movies of the year. AMY Amy, by director Asif Kapadia, is an overwhelmingly tragic and absorbing portrait of the life (and death) of famed jazz singer Amy Winehouse; a documentary steeped in disquiet because, just as it was with Kapadia's previous film Senna, you know it ends in a crash. With its remarkable catalogue of personal videos, voicemails and recording sessions, Kapadia has crafted an extraordinarily moving tribute to a prodigious talent whose life seemed somehow unavoidably foredoomed. - Tom Glasson Read our full review. BIRDMAN Filmed like a play but choreographed like a dance, Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Birdman is a cinematic ballet, one where the way the story is presented is just as critical as the story itself. Narratively, its chronicle of redemption is a simple one, but like all good tales the simplicity of plot is offset by characters possessed of deep complexity. This is a film that almost commands repeat viewings, if only to marvel at its mechanics – and yet Birdman offers so much more than form. Darkly comedic, intellectually challenging and emotionally confronting, it’s a tantalisingly original piece of cinema that rightfully garnered multiple Oscars, including the top gong, at this year's Academy Awards. - TG Read our full review. EDEN If you're thinking about French electronic music, then you're probably thinking about Daft Punk. Writer-director Mia Hansen-Løve understands this, and doesn't shy away from their success in her portrait of the scene during the early 1990s. In fact, they're the counterpoint to the struggles endured by Eden's main character, Paul (Félix de Givry), as he chases the same dream over the course of two decades. Suffice it to say, he doesn't quite enjoy the same trajectory as his helmet-wearing friends. The film does, however, offer an astute account of trying and not quite succeeding that's equally hopeful and realistic. - Sarah Ward Read our full review. EX MACHINA Before Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson found themselves on opposite sides of the good-versus-evil divide in Star Wars: Episode VII, they battled over something else in the sci-fi realm. In Ex Machina, artificial intelligence and a humanoid robot named Ava (Alicia Vikander) spark a clash between Isaac's tech company CEO and Gleeson's computer programmer, after the former invites the latter to help test his newest creation. One of the best modern appropriations of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein ever made, Alex Garland's directorial debut is precise and probing in its themes, visuals and mood. - SW Read our full review. INSIDE OUT Pixar gets back to the top of their game with this wonderfully inventive tale set inside the human mind. Like all the studio's best movies, Inside Out can be enjoyed by just about anyone, with plenty of cerebral grown-up gags mixed in with the animated slapstick. It also features some of the most gorgeous visuals they've ever put up on the screen. But it's the film's emotional intelligence that earns it a spot in the Pixar pantheon alongside Up and Toy Story 3. Not content simply to make us cry, director Pete Docter instead examines why we cry, delivering a poignant life lesson that applies no matter how old you may be. - Tom Clift Read our full review. LOVE It's two and a half hours long, full of graphic sex and the whole thing is shot in 3D. In case you couldn't guess, Gaspar Noe's Love won't appeal to every taste. But even those who hate it would be hard pressed to deny that it's one of the most daring movies released in quite some time. Say what you will about his apparent predilections, but Noe is clearly a master of his craft. And if nothing else, Love is worth seeing just so you can argue about it. Is it a scathing critique of misogyny and male insecurity, or is it guilty of those very issues itself? Ultimately, you need to see it to decide. - TC Read our full review. MACBETH Few filmmakers can take something as distinctive as Shakespeare and turn it into a creation that feels wholly like their own. Justin Kurzel might follow in the footsteps of fellow Australian Baz Luhrmann in achieving this feat, although his Macbeth has little else in common with everyone's favourite version of Romeo + Juliet. In the Snowtown helmer's hands, the tale of an ambitious soldier willing to do whatever it takes to become king is stripped down to its most bleak and brutal elements. Yes, it rages with sound and fury. Yes, it's moody and brooding, both in emotion and in its aesthetic. Yes, Michael Fassbender steals the show in the title role, though Marion Cotillard threatens to do the same in every scene she's in. - SW Read our full review. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD In an era when most blockbusters follow the same predictable path, Mad Max: Fury Road charts a course in a very different direction. A barebones narrative forms the basis for the film, essentially a two-hour car chase through a bizarre desert wasteland, where warlords rule with an iron fist and flamethrowers double as guitars. Director George Miller makes fantastic use of practical effects, crafting action that is both bombastic and possesses a genuine sense of danger – something that films loaded with CGI often struggle to achieve. And that's to say nothing of the movies' unexpected feminist streak, with Charlize Theron's Imperator Furiosa stealing the whole film right out from under Max's feet. - TC Read our full review. SICARIO Since the beginning of the Mexican Drug War in 2006, it’s estimated more than 100,000 people have been killed in cartel-related violence. Sicario (Spanish for ‘hitman’) is a gritty, confronting and appropriately brutal examination of the US’s complicated and often deleterious engagement with this conflict. While its doleful theme of ‘this is just how things are’ doesn't deliver anything particularly new on the topic, Sicario showcases two powerhouse performances from its leads — Emily Blunt and Benicio del Toro — and delivers a relentlessly tense, immaculately constructed piece of cinema from start to finish. - TG Read our full review. THE LOBSTER If you were going to get turned into an animal, which one would you choose? This line of thought pops up in The Lobster, although it's actually one of the least interesting things about the English-language debut of Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. The writer-director behind Dogtooth and Alps, Lanthimos uses a light sci-fi premise and a high-profile cast to ponder society's obsession with pairing people off, maintaining monogamous relationships and adhering to an amorous status quo. The result is a savagely funny yet heartbreakingly tender film that also features what might be the most memorable use of Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue's 'Where the Wild Roses Grow' we've ever seen. - SW Read our full review. Honourable Mentions: A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, Magic Mike XXL, Mommy, Tehran Taxi.
There is a theatre work so famous in New York City that it has inspired plots on both Law & Order: SVU and Gossip Girl. It's not a Broadway show full of catchy songs and film stars. In fact, it's pretty experimental. The work, Sleep No More, is the most well known example of a medium known as immersive theatre, and it's been running in a disused warehouse in Chelsea for three-and-a-half solid sold-out years. Immersive theatre is having a moment in the world's cultural capitals, but we've seen little of it in Sydney (or Australia, for that matter). Out to change that is Mongrel Mouth, a production company whose second show, The Age of Entitlement, is taking over a 166-year-old mansion in The Rocks. It will be the most ambitious and whole immersive work in this city to date; a show about love, growing up and political corruption that audiences explore and influence through their own actions. "I've worked in festivals and things for quite a while as well as theatre, and what always excited me is the way that people move freely throughout a festival," says Mongrel Mouth director Duncan Maurice. "They go to this tent and that tent, and though they have a program, which you don't have in our show, it's up to you. It's your responsibility to see, to walk out, to leave whenever you want." But for Maurice and his collaborators, there's more to the form than just injecting some fun and spontaneity into your night. It's about speaking up, if that's what you want to do, or choosing another part of the performance to watch, or Instagramming that irresistible slice of mise en scene. It's about not sitting passively, in the theatre or otherwise. "Metaphorically what it says is we are not bystanders in our life," he says. "That's why I want to make theatre where the audience is in control, to a certain extent. Essentially [proscenium arch theatre] is a really tyrannical form. You're told when to sit, you're told when to clap, you're told when to laugh, and I think that the way that we make entertainment now is much more dynamic than that." As well as taking inspiration from the active and interactive spirit of social media, Maurice is driven to immersive theatre by something quite different: the participatory theatre culture of Latin America. Having spent years working in Peru and Argentina documenting the biographies of political refugees and dissidents, he saw that theatre there was integral to people's lives, forwarding public discourse and dealing with trauma. "The art is in the street, the protest is the celebration, it is the fiesta," he says. "It's very different." Australia is not lacking for trauma — just perhaps the will to talk about it. Maurice and The Age of Entitlement writer Saman Shad, who when she's not writing plays is a columnist for the Guardian and SBS, were united by the desire to put politics front and centre. They do it through the character of Lara, a 20-year-old, left-wing activist who's also a 40-year-old conservative party leader with good intentions that have fallen by the wayside. The 19-member cast acts out Lara's journey across two levels of the historic mansion. It's a space that has become deeply ingrained in the work following the team's three-month residency. "There's a dark energy there I think, in terms of if you look at what was going on in Australia when that was built [in 1848]," says Maurice. "The house represents a time when white people weren't doing such great things in this country, and I think that has informed our work." Mongrel Mouth's last work, The Silence Came, which told the inter-connected stories of the residents in an other-worldly apartment building, was set across several floors of atmospheric Darlinghurst bar The Commons. It sold out almost before the season had even started — sure evidence of the appetite for this kind of unusual theatre experience in Sydney (several nights of The Age of Entitlement are also fully booked). Immersive theatre already has its committed fans (we at Concrete Playground among them), but Maurice has his eyes on the newcomers. "I think the ideal [experience] would be to know very little about the content, to be dragged along by a friend," he says. "Maybe your friend's read something about it, and you just turn up at this address that you've never even known about before, and you find a doorway that's got some lights in it, and you allow yourself to not fully understand everything." So having read all this information, you know your duty: bring along an unsuspecting friend and pull them down the rabbit hole. The Age of Entitlement is on from December 5-20 at Merchants House, 43-45 George Street, The Rocks, as part of a partnership with The Rocks Pop-up and The Rocks Village Bizarre. Performances commence at 8pm, Wednesday-Saturday, and tickets are $25/30 via mongrelmouth.com.
Want to pick up a casual Neil Perry lunch without forking out an Eleven Bridge restaurant bill? Australia's renowned restaurateur, chef, TV presenter and all-round multitasker has just launched his own menu for Japanese-inspired eatery Saké Jr. Perry is working his magic across Saké Jr's Sydney and Melbourne venues, bringing his passion for sustainably sourced, fresh, local produce to each of his carefully curated dishes. "As with all our endeavours, we are community and sustainability minded," he says. "Our ethos is simple: source responsibly, act respectfully, cook beautifully, live well." New lunchtime items include on-trend poke bowls and grab and go protein salads, with various meat, seafood or vegetarian staples featuring accompaniments like pickled bamboo, edamame and soy and mirin dressing. You can mix and match, so the endless options are bound to revolutionise your once-boring lunch hour. Come 4pm, Jr by Night kicks into gear at Sydney's Grosvenor Place and Bourke Street in Melbourne. Perry will be offering up creative takes on Tokyo street food favourites, like Japanese fried chicken (JFC) with the choice of chilli oil, gochujang or sesame yuzu sauce. Alternatively, build your own ramen bowl or bao bun and wash it all down with a house-brewed iced tea or a cheeky glass or two of saké. Whatever your selection, you can expect each mouthful to reflect Perry's meticulous attention to detail. Find Sake Jr at Grosvenor Place, 255 George Street and inside Westfield Pitt Street in Sydney, and at 555 Bourke Street and St Collins Lane in Melbourne.
As far as Victorian cities go, Melbourne's long held the food capital crown with its laneway bars, innovative cafes and Chef's Table-starring suburban restaurants alike consistently offering up some of the best coffee, cocktails and chow this side of the equator. But now, the culinary throne is being strongly contested by in recent years by a wildcard entrant: Geelong. We've said it before and we'll say it again: Geelong is the place to go for unique, high quality grub. Some of the best chefs, brewers and baristas in Australia are joining the ranks of the Geelong foodie community, not only for the fresh produce (and cheaper rent), but because of the underlying, undeniable buzz about the place. Chomp your way through this handy guide to some of the tastiest destinations in Australia's newest foodie hub of Geelong. GEELONG CELLAR DOOR Sitting pretty on Little Malop Street, Geelong Cellar Door is relatively new in town (they only opened couple of months ago) but this slick little bar has already amassed a loyal following. And it's no wonder — the place is a g-darn delight. The interior is warmly-lit, intimate and cosy, with a working fireplace, plenty of seating and an impressive catalogue of wine showcasing the region's talented wineries and breweries. Their vast wine selection lines the walls like the booziest library in the world, for all tastes and budgets. You can choose to drink by the glass or buy from their retail list and pay a reasonable corkage. Feeling peckish? Vino is served alongside a tight menu of charcuterie boards piled with fresh fruit, creamy cheeses and quality deli meats. Sit yourself at the bar with your new favourite varietal and a cheeky cheese plate — they say the 'Le Grande' platter is for sharing, but we'll happily miss the memo. 97-99 Little Malop Street, Geelong WHITE RABBIT BREWERY The holy source of one of our favourite breweries, White Rabbit, lives in Geelong and you'd be a fool to miss it while you're in town. While the crew originally set up shop in Healesville, they've since gravitated to Geelong, opening a highly impressive brewery and Barrel Hall — open to the public. As well as learning about the brewing process and sampling White Rabbit's Belgian-inspired ales fresh from the brewery, you can also enjoy a rich, seasonal menu perfectly paired with a complementary brews. Trust us, on a winter's day, there's nothing more hearty than a beef bourguignon ($19) matched with White Rabbit Dark Ale and followed up with a cheeky raspberry and choc tartlet ($3.5) by the brewery's crackling fire. Because beer, meat and cheese are naturally delicious bedfellows, White Rabbit specialise in the humble, age old crowdpleaser, the Ploughman's Board. You can build your own plate with handpicked cheeses and meats from across Australia, served up in an Instagram-worthy heap with baguettes, waters, condiments and pickled vegetables. Want to take something home? Visit the on-site providore, stocked with local delights (and, of course, ale). 221 Swanston Street, South Geelong THE HOT CHICKEN PROJECT When you settle into a cosy table at the Hot Chicken Project on Little Malop Street, prepare to stay a while. Not only will you enjoy the best fried chicken of your life (more on that in a minute) but the venue has a great atmosphere on a Saturday night — in fact it's one of the best spots in town. But on to the food. The project belongs to Aaron Turner, the legend who conceptualised Melbourne's Belle's Hot Chicken, and his cooking technique comes from the motherland of fried chicken: the deep American south. Choose between crispy chicken skin (covered in spice and drizzled in honey), spicy chicken tenders, crunchy wings, creamy 'slaw, shoestring fries covered in juicy pickles, flavoursome turnip greens, all dunked in blue cheese or ranch sauce. Or, heck, don't choose and try it all — you won't regret it. As seen with BHC and the sadly now-closed Bar Clarine, this chicken comes paired with wine. The fruity, experimental wine list is designed to pair beautifully with the salty crunch of the fried mains, so don't overthink it (although you can never go wrong with a glass by Domaine Lucci). 84A Little Malop Street, Geelong [caption id="attachment_582798" align="alignnone" width="1280"] @kayceejai[/caption] ARMAGEDDON CAKE There's something oddly comforting about a place that only makes one thing — they know what they're doing and you know you're in for a good time. Armageddon Cake (only a convenient hop, skip and jump away from the Hot Chicken Project) specialises in cake — the kind of warm, gooey, rich cakes that taste homemade because they bloody well were. Hefty cake slices (reminiscent of Bruce Bogtrotter's punishment serving) are served up with cream and your choice of raspberry sauce, butterscotch sauce, lemon curd or chocolate ganache (or a little bit of each). The interior is cosy, eclectically decorated and the perfect spot to decompress after a solid weekend of feasting. Enjoy. Top image: White Rabbit.
Dim sum powerhouse Tim Ho Wan, the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world, has picked Australia as its first ever venture outside South-East Asia. Set to open in Chatswood on Saturday, March 28, Tim Ho Wan is one of the year's most anticipated restaurant openings we've seen in a while. The original Tim Ho Wan eatery in Hong Kong, led by ex-Four Seasons Hong Kong dim sum chef Mak Kwai Pui, has been attracting hordes of local and international visitors ever since it opened in 2009. A star rating by arguably the world’s most prestigious food guide the year after raised the dim sum stakes and a chain of Tim Ho Wan restaurants in the region quickly followed. Now, it’s Australia’s turn to break open a piping hot pork bun and see what all the fuss is about. The dim sum specialists are set to open three stores in Sydney, starting with the Chatswood outlet this weekend. A flagship Sydney store on George Street is scheduled for an October 2015 opening and Burwood's eatery will open in the third quarter of 2015. Melburnians can expect some Tim Ho Wan goodness in late April and a Brisbane store is possibly in the works too. So what's in store for the menu? Of course, Tim Ho Wan's 'Big Four Heavenly Kings' will be making an appearance: think pan-fried carrot cake, baked pork buns, vermicelli rolls stuffed with pig's liver and steamed egg cakes. Including these four signature dishes, Chef Mak Kwai Pui will be teaming up with acting executive chef Eric Koh to create a menu of 25 fresh made-to-order dim sum treats. And how cheap is the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant? A Tim Ho Wan in the Philippines has no menu item over the equivalent of $5.17 so similarly bang-for-your-buck prices can be expected when the chain trickles into the country this year. With an emphasis on freshness and made-to-order everything, Tim Ho Wan is likely to follow in the footsteps of fellow fawned over international imports, Ippudo and Hot Star. For everyone except the Sydneysiders who can make reservations, that means some long queues and serious waits. Anything for cheap, Michelin-starred dim sum though, right? Tim Ho Wan is located at Corner of Victoria Avenue and Railway Street, Chatswood. Open daily from March 28, from 10am to 9pm. For more information head over here.
Award-winning design studio Luchetti Krelle (behind ACME, Banksii) is at it again, further transforming the look and feel of the Sydney hospitality scene with the opening of a new beachfront destination. Manly Greenhouse will open this year in the former Shore Club Hotel space, a prime piece of real estate that has been empty for nearly four years. The duo from the north shore's Sails on Lavender Bay, Greg Anderson and Patricia Nunes, are behind the venture and have smartly entrusted the A-team with the design. The revitalised space will bring the region's lush coast indoors, complete with plentiful greenery by local plant specialists The Plant Room. To pull off the greenhouse feel — which has been widely used of-late, most recently by The Fernery in Mosman — the designers are using steel structures, an abundance of glass and other transparent materials to accompany the plant life. The Nunes have also teamed up with illustrator Beci Orpin, with whom they've commissioned an artwork series of pressed natives flowers and other indigenous flora that will adorn the walls. The three-levels will have room for 400 all-up, starting with a glass-fronted bar at street level with all-day dining, a coffee counter and pizza oven. A charcoal grill-focused restaurant will sit at the middle level and will focus on steak and steafood. The rooftop bar (pictured) will surely be the venue's main draw – boasting an opulent central bar, booth seating, hanging greenery and glass skylights that run the length of the room, along with panoramic ocean views. Of course, just because it's designed by Luchetti Krelle doesn't mean it will be a successful venue, but we're pretty happy to go with the odds. UPDATE: APRIL 24, 2018 — It was originally slated to open in April, but Manly Greenhouse will now open on Friday, June 8 — just in time for the Queen's Birthday long weekend. We'll update you with more details and a look inside when it's closer to opening. Manly Greenhouse will open on Friday, June 8 at 36–38 South Steyne, Manly. For more info, visit manlygreenhouse.com.au.
There are some days in summer where the thought of being sandwiched between a family of whinging kids on one side and teenage girls gossiping loudly about last night's gathering on the other is enough to put you off going to the beach all together. Or maybe you're feeling a little seedy after yet another Christmas party and feel like floating as the waves lift you ever so gently up and down, rather than struggling to leave the ocean with out getting dumped by the annoying shore breakers. An excellent option in these situations is to visit one of Sydney's incredible harbour beaches. Usually far more serene and less populated, with excellent views and (sometimes) more parking, these coves are Sydney's hidden havens in summer. Perfect for a date, a picnic or even some topless baking, here are Concrete Playground's tips to get you away from everything loud and crowded in summer. [caption id="attachment_598328" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Christian Reusch[/caption] CAMP COVE The parking at the easternmost edge of the Eastern Suburbs can be a bit of a drag in Summer, but if you pray to your parking angel you'll find somewhere eventually. It's worth the frustration, as this laid-back beach is big enough to have a social vibe (there always seems to be a lot of good looking people here) and the lack of waves means you can bob in the water and still chat to a friend. There's a little kiosk selling snacks and sorbet in coconut shells too. If you're brave (and skilled) you can do the big jump off the rock on the right. Cliff Street, Watsons Bay [caption id="attachment_598329" align="alignnone" width="1280"] David McKelvey[/caption] LITTLE CONGWONG BEACH If nothing annoys you more than getting a bikini-strap tan line, then head to this pretty beach in Botany Bay for a spot of 'clothing-optional' sunbaking. It's usually pretty quiet so you can avoid seeing people you know, especially your awkward co-worker that will forever avoid you at the water cooler. If the thought of getting your togs off makes you blanch, just next door is Congwong Beach, where you won't be the odd one out if you're a strictly clothes-on type of person. Henry Head Lane, La Perouse [caption id="attachment_598331" align="alignnone" width="1280"] jbreiti[/caption] BALMORAL BEACH Balmoral is Manly's little sister; smaller and more romantic. It has a lovely sleepy vibe despite it's popularity. Have a long lunch at the Public Dining Room and float it off in the cooler hours of the afternoon. The Esplanade, Mosman MILK BEACH This sandy cove is hidden behind Strickland House at Vaucluse. It's a short, steep walk down the driveway and across the lawn, but the views of Opera House and Harbour Bridge are well worth it. If you've got kids in tow, it's a good choice as it's usually populated by families. 52 Vaucluse Road, Vaucluse [caption id="attachment_538469" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Brian Yap[/caption] CURRAWONG BEACH If the summer traffic is ruining your ability to relax at the beach this summer, escape for the weekend to Currawong beach. It can only be accessed by boat, so jump on the ferry at Palm Beach and prepare for a phone and internet-free 48 hours. There are no shops so bring food and water with you and stay at one of the cottages. You'll be able to deal with the worst Bondi Road traffic jam with a blissful smile on your return. Great Mackerel Beach Reserve LADY MARTIN'S BEACH Lady Martin's is the beachside backyard of Sydney's very, very rich - the surrounding suburb, Point Piper, is one of the most expensive places in the world to live. If you want to pretend you're a millionaire for the day and rub shoulders with Malcolm Turnball and Frank Lowy, then wear your darkest sunglasses and say "dahhling" at the end of every sentence and you'll fit right in on this quiet strip. Entry is via a narrow lane off Wolseley Road that passes by the Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club. Wolseley Road, Point Piper [caption id="attachment_598357" align="alignnone" width="1280"] dfinnecy[/caption] STORE BEACH If you wake up one sunny day with the desire to go kayaking, hire one from Manly Kayaks and paddle around to this little beach (it can only be reached by water) for a picnic. If you're lucky, you'll see some fairy penguins. Collins Beach Road, Manly [caption id="attachment_598333" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Eddy Milfort[/caption] NIELSEN PARK Sydney beaches need not be compared with their foreign counterparts because it's only a slight exaggeration to say we have the best in the world. However, I can't help thinking that Nielsen Park reminds me of the Mediterranean coast. Maybe it's the amazing aqua colour of the water or the stained glass windows of the restaurant. It can get a little noisy with all the kids that are usually there but there is a large, leafy park surrounding the beach which you can escape into to eat your ice cream in peace. Greycliffe Avenue, Vaucluse DAROOK PARK BEACH If you feel like a spot of solo fishing, try Darook Park Beach in the Shire — you might just catch yourself a flathead. There are onsite toilets and picnic shelters, making it perfect for a birthday lunch with friends. Stacey Street, Cronulla [caption id="attachment_570643" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Danny Butler[/caption] LITTLE SIRIUS COVE A small stretch of sand surrounded by bushland, this beach has a unique feature - dogs are allowed. Take Rover down (after grabbing a coffee at Bacino Bar) and enjoy a snag or two on the BBQs provided. Curlew Camp Road, Port Jackson Top image: Eddie Milfort.
No, not The Beatles record, but instead Joan Didion's seminal essay on 1960s American counterculture, taking in everything from the Black Panther movement to the Manson Family and a coterie of key LA musical figures. Award-winning director Lars Jan has adapted Didion's piece for theatre, building a performance where Mia Barron delivers the text as a number of stories of the time unfold around her. Joan Didion's The White Album has been touring American theatres and is an Australian exclusive for Sydney Festival. The performance features 25 audience members on stage acting as witnesses to the juxtaposing social upheaval of the 60s with our present day injustices. It promises to be a treat; as the first line of the essay says: "We tell ourselves stories in order to live."
If you've found yourself walking, riding or driving past Darling Harbour and Tumbalong Park of late, it would have been impossible to miss Sydney's sparkling, newest development. Set to open in December 2016, the $1.5 billion International Convention Centre Sydney will boast three new theatres, an entertainment precinct, an open-air event deck and more, and has had Sydneysiders talking since the first bulldozer hit the site. So who's behind this colossal new resident? ICC Sydney is being delivered by the New South Wales Government and Darling Harbour Live, part of a larger AU$3.4 billion, 20-hectare transformation of Darling Harbour. It's operated and marketed by AEG Ogden, who manage some of the Asia Pacific region's biggest stadiums and convention centres, from Qudos Bank Arena to Newcastle Entertainment Centre, The Gabba, Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Suncorp Stadium Brisbane Convention Centre and Sydney Exhibition Centre at Glebe Island, among others. A next-level, co-designed project by Hassell + Populous, ICC Sydney aims to function as one of Sydney's go-to venues for conventions, exhibitions and events as "Australia's first fully-integrated entertainment and events quarter", creating thousands of new jobs as a result. So, what can we expect from this spectacular harbourside venue? We took a peek inside the future ICC Sydney. THREE EPIC NEW ENTERTAINMENT VENUES Arts lovers, you'll get more than a kick out of this. ICC Sydney not only boasts a cheeky 35,000sqm of internal exhibition space, the building will also feature not one but three new theatres. The ultra contemporary ICC Sydney Theatre is a tiered venue capable of seating 8000 or holding 9000 with GA standing floor. According to ICC Sydney, the theatre "has been specially designed to host the world's greatest performers and entertainment spectaculars with state-of-the-art technical facilities." Events are already on sale. Meanwhile the Darling Harbour Theatre has 2500 seats tiered and is more intimate, with the furthest seat just 32m from the stage. Last and most snug, the Pyrmont Theatre seats 1000. Entry to the main theatre at ICC Sydney will see you entering underneath a 180-square-metre screen with large scale projections. A NEW PUBLIC DOMAIN FOR OUTDOOR EVENTS Right outside ICC Sydney, Tumbalong Park has long served as a prime outdoor event space for festivals, live music and food events. There's been a massive overhaul of the public domain that surrounds the building, with an outdoor event space for up to 11,000 people planned and improved pedestrian access from Chinatown and Haymarket, Pyrmont, Ultimo and Central Station. AN OPENAIR EVENT DECK Imagine having a cheeky beverage overlooking the Sydney skyline before a concert? Sitting on the roof of the exhibition centre is, a 5000-square-metre event deck, offset with a bar and lounge area and views over Tumbalong Park and the city. Sure to host some pretty damn great parties. AUSTRALIA'S LARGEST BALLROOM You heard us, ICC Sydney will play host to Australia's biggest ballroom. Located on the very top floor of the building, this sure to be spectacular room will boast some of the best views in the city. Set to host 2000 people in banquet mode and over 3500 in cocktail mode, the ballroom will likely host some of Sydney's most bigwig events and award ceremonies — cough ARIAs cough Logies cough. NEXT-LEVEL EVENT FOOD OFFERINGS Aiming to debunk the party pies and sausage rolls realms of convention centres worldwide, ICC Sydney has recruited some significant chefs for the culinary side of the centre. Executive chef Tony Panetta is behind the wheel, with executive sous chef Constantin Kautz (former head chef at Sydney's Intercontinental). They're joined by former chef at the National Gallery of Victoria Jack Astin, chef de cuisine Dylan Sanding and pastry chef Michael Belcher — all overseen by ICC Sydney director of culinary services Lynell Peck. The team has committed to a focus on NSW regional suppliers, and will serve up seasonal, high quality produce and fresh seafood. Visit ICC Sydney to find out more about career opportunities, opening December 2016.
We owe more than a tip of our sombreros to the 2 million square kilometres that make up the nation of Mexico. Just try imagining your youth — or your next beachside holiday — without tequila or the mighty margarita. Then there’s the less obvious stuff. Unless you were listening hard during history lessons, it might have slipped under your radar that Mexico's ancient civilisations played a major role in bringing us chewing gum and chocolate. And since then, we’ve been kindly introduced to Frida Kahlo, Gael Garcia Bernal, Guillermo del Toro and Rodrigo y Gabriela. Here are ten excellent things to thank Mexico for. CHOCOLATE From the ancient evidence uncovered so far, cocoa seeds were first turned into drinkable chocolate by people of the Mokaya cultures, who lived in modern-day Mexico between 1900 and 650 BC. In Chiapas, which lies on the Pacific coast, archaeologists have found vessels containing cocoa residue dating back to 1900 BC. What’s more, it appears that cocoa was used not only for its sweet warmth but also for its intoxicating potential. Even back then, the sugars of the seeds were fermented and turned into alcohol. MODERN CHEWING GUM Humans have been chewing bits and pieces of sticky stuff for thousands of years. But gum, as we know it today, was born in the 1860s, when General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, a former Mexican President, took a substance named chicle to New York. The Aztecs had used it, for both chewing and pasting, and Santa Anna wanted to show it to his secretary, Thomas Adams. Thomas decided chicle was best cut into strips, packeted and sold as Adams New York Chewing Gum. Later on, he joined forces with William Wrigley Jr. NACHOS Nachos were created by accident in Piedras Negras — right near Mexico’s border with Eagle Pass, Texas. On an unknown date in 1943, a bunch of American ladies popped into an eatery there. Tired after a day of shopping, they were ready for a feast. The chef-owner, Ignacio Anaya, was about to shut up shop, so he put together a quick snack with what he had left, which happened to be tortillas, cheese and jalapenos. When the customers asked for the dish’s name, Mr Anaya answered "Nacho’s especiales", nacho being a shortened version of his first name. COLOUR TELEVISION Like that of film, the evolution of colour television involved a number of crucial steps, which happened neck-and-neck in various parts of the world. Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena, a Mexican engineer, was awarded one of the most important relevant patents in 1942 for his invention of the chromoscopic adaptor, which could be attached to a black-and-white television. On August 31, 1946, Camarena facilitated his first colour transmission from his laboratory in Mexico City. CORONA It’s now 90 years since the first bottle of Corona was brewed. Now present in 186 countries, Corona is the number one Mexican beer in the world and still to this day every bottle of Corona is brewed in Mexico. It’s become synonymous with sun, surf and relaxation. Usually enjoyed pulled out of an icy bucket, with a wedge of lime in the top and with good mates in tow, it's your little gustatory holiday to the Mexican coast. CINCO DE MAYO This whizz-bang celebration, which happens mainly in the US and Mexico but has been adopted around the world, is held on May 5 every year. In case you’re wondering, Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for fifth of May. Wherever the party occurs, folk dancing, patriotic songs and feasting take over the streets. For school kids in Mexico, it’s a major score, because all the teachers take a day off. Cinco de Mayo is in honour of Mexico’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862. It’s not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 16. RODRIGO Y GABRIELA Since meeting and falling in love at Mexico City’s Casa de Cultura (House of Culture) back in the late ‘80s — when they were just 15 years old — Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero have become international guitar legends. They bring classical virtuosity to a bunch of genres, from flamenco to rock to heavy metal. After moving to Dublin in 1999 and busking about the place, in 2004 they released their debut album, Rodrigo y Gabriela, which smashed its way straight to the top of the Irish charts. These days, they’re no longer dating, but their musical partnership remains in fine form. FRIDA KAHLO Fierce feminist painter Frida Kahlo is undoubtedly one of Mexico’s major contributions to 20th century art. Her bright colours and striking imagery combine Mexican and Indigenous traditions with surrealist influences; Andre Breton, the French writer and poet, described her work as “a ribbon around a bomb”. At the age of 18, she was injured in a horrific bus crash, which left her in immense, recurring pain for the rest of her life — a significant influence on her intense art works. GUILLERMO DEL TORO This film director, screenwriter, producer and novelist has brought us a plethora of darkly beautiful movies, including the gothic horror creations The Devil’s Backbone (2001) and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and unusual blockbusters Hellboy (2004) and Pacific Rim (2013). Del Toro was born into a Catholic family in Guadalajara, Mexico, and his obsession with filmmaking began when he was just eight. One of his earliest shorts featured a serial killer potato that wanted to take over the world. GAEL GARCIA BERNAL Born in 1978 in the same town as Guillermo del Toro — Guadalajara — Gael Garcia Bernal was a bit of a hit on Mexican TV as a teenager. At 19, he made tracks to London, where he became the first Mexican to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Fast forward to 2000 and he (along with Birdman director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu) caught our attention in Amores Perros, followed closely by Alfonso Cuaron's Y Tu Mama Tambien and Pedro Almodovar's Bad Education. Since then, he’s appeared in Babel, The Science of Sleep, Blindness, No and Rosewater, among numerous other films, while taking on a stack of other projects, from directing documentaries for Amnesty International to founding his own film company, Canana Productions.
Perched on the slopes of Mount Canobolas in Orange's cool-climate wine region, Printhie Wines offers a uniquely elevated experience — literally and figuratively. As one of the few wineries in Australia sitting at such a high altitude (over 10o0 metres), this family-owned gem is known for crafting exceptional wines while pairing sweeping vistas, award-winning sparkling wines, and seasonal dining on Wiradjuri land. Founded by the Swift family in 1996, Printhie Wines has become a must-visit for any oenophile, with its renowned Swift Sparkling range taking centre stage. After being crowned "Best Australian Sparkling" at the 2022 Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships in London and earning the title of Best NSW Sparkling for six years running, Swift Sparkling has become synonymous with world-class quality. Until 2022, wine lovers looking for a tasting at the winery sampled vino at the pop-up cellar door, The Packing Shed, at the base of the mountain. The new cellar door, located on the picturesque Millwood vineyard, offers incredible views of the valley below, with floor-to-ceiling windows making the most of the stunning landscape. Its architectural design brings elements of the outside landscape inside with a natural flow from the cosy dining space to the wide open wine bar with a roaring fireplace (in winter) and al fresco tables with sweeping views of the valley and vines. It's an inviting space for sampling wines and learning about the Swift family's history and connection to the land and the estate's commitment to sustainability and respect for the environment, from sustainable viticulture practices and careful water management. The Printhie wine-tasting experience offers visitors the chance to explore their celebrated portfolio, from the refreshing pinot gris to their bold shiraz. However, the real star of the show is the celebrated Swift Sparkling range. Wine enthusiasts can dive deeper with a Sparkling Masterclass, which includes a private tasting of vintage sparkling wines in the cellar door's wine cave, followed by a decadent four-course lunch at Printhie Dining. Speaking of lunch, Printhie Dining is one of the region's standout culinary destinations, led by head chef Chris Lees. Lees brings a world of culinary expertise to the table. His international resume includes stints at two of Canada's most prestigious restaurants — Relais & Chateaux Langdon Hall and Restaurant Pearl Morissette — as well as Michelin-starred Frantzén and Matias Dahlgren in Stockholm. At Printhie Dining, Chris embraces seasonality and provenance, drawing on the Swift family's agricultural heritage to create a refined, agrarian-inspired menu that reflects the bounty of the Orange region. The restaurant offers a four-course degustation menu that highlights the best of local produce, including produce foraged from the vineyards for unique vinegars, preserves and ferments. For something more immersive, you can opt for 'The Chef's Table', a special culinary journey that invites you behind the scenes to sit in the kitchen and interact with the chef and his team as they craft a truly personalised dining experience. The house specialty is fresh oysters. How does one ensure super fresh oysters in the rolling hills of the Orange region? The team decided to bring the ocean to Orange with its own custom oyster tank, the only restaurant with one. The Sydney Rock Oysters, carefully sourced with the help of a marine biologist and oyster farmer, are cosy in their home away from home as water is shipped up from the Clyde River to ensure the best conditions for them. Enjoy freshly shucked oysters with a glass of Swift Sparkling and dressed with Printhie's signature banksia nectar vinaigrette set against the backdrop of sweeping vineyard views. Whether you're a wine lover, a foodie, or simply looking for a scenic escape, Printhie Wines is a destination that brings together the best of Orange's cool-climate region. With its stunning location, award-winning wines, and commitment to sustainability, it's a must-visit on any journey through NSW's wine country.
When you're celebrating Irish cinema in Australia, there's nothing like a movie made in the former with talent from the latter to connect the two together. And, if it involves one of the stars of beloved Aussie comedy Muriel's Wedding, even better. Last year, Toni Collette was in the spotlight at the Irish Film Festival, but this year it's Rachel Griffiths' turn. She's absolutely compelling in intimate drama Mammal, one of the five features on the eight-film program. Screening at Paddington's Chauvel Cinema from March 30 to April 2 — with a one-night-only stint at Penrith Gaels Club in Western Sydney on March 29 as well — this year's festival boasts everything from a comedy based on a true crime tale (The Young Offenders) to a documentary about the troubles of oil and fishing at the sea narrated by actor Brendan Gleeson (Atlantic), plus plenty in between. That includes a relationship drama that tackles unplanned pregnancy with sensitivity (Twice Shy), plus a heartwarming account of two young people with learning disabilities falling in love (Sanctuary). Plus, for those who missed it at the Mardi Gras Film Festival, the festival kicks off with the charming love and friendship-focused A Date for Mad Mary, complete with a breakout performance from Irish talent Seána Kerslake. Throw in docos about Bobby Sands' famous hunger strike (Bobby Sands: 66 Days) and two friends selling mattresses (Mattress Men), and you've got yourself a short but sweet feast of Ireland's finest filmmaking.
