Having established itself as a summer favourite in Adelaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne over the last few years, The Royal Croquet Club is finally gearing up for its Sydney debut. After a false start last year — in which the event was cancelled at the last minute — the outdoor festival is set to take over Bondi Beach next month. Gracing the shoreline from November 24 to December 4, the ten-day event promises all the fun and flavour of its interstate incarnations, offering up a buffet of live entertainment, experiential arts, food, drink, and — of course — more than a few games of croquet. The al fresco festival will see revellers of all ages and skill levels hitting the central croquet pitch, with some of Sydney's best food on hand for refuelling in between games. And the fun continues away from the mallets too, with a lineup of local and international artists dishing up live tunes, and an assortment of unique pop-up food stalls and bars for further indulging in that summertime spirit. While there's no word yet on who exactly will be feeding us at this year's event, previous festivals have seen Gelato Messina serve up ice cream creations in Campbell's Soup-like tins — so we've got pretty high expectations. Fashion stalls, markets, and an array of health and wellness events will round out the RCC experience, which is expected to pull a 60,000-strong crowd for its first Sydney stint. The Royal Croquet Club Sydney will come to Bondi Beach from Thursday, November 24 to Sunday, December 4. For more information as they announce it, check back here or visit royalcroquetclub.com.au.
You know that thing you've been thinking about doing for ages, but never had the guts to pursue? Those wild, seemingly unrealistic ideas we all have are what a brave few have used to shape their entire careers. And Jack Smyth and John Dawson from the team at Mindshare want to bring you an invaluable insight into how this can all come true. With a diverse panel of speakers, from scientists to reality TV producers, this Vivid Ideas event focuses on how creativity serves as one of the most valuable resources in today's modern economy. Feeling like you're stuck in a rut? This one's sure to fix that. This is one of our top picks for Vivid Ideas events. Read the whole list and reboot your brain.
Fair is foul and foul is fair, and both words can be applied to the harrowing new film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Foul in that Australian director Justin Kurzel evokes the pervasive bleakness and epic tragedy of the source material in a manner that few other screen adaptations have ever managed. And fair in that the film's hypnotic aesthetic, along with the incredible work of its cast, ensures that it will be remembered as one of the most awe-inspiring movies of the year. Fans of local cinema may remember Kurzel's name from his debut feature, Snowtown, which hit cinemas back in 2011. Based on a notorious South Australian murder case, the film's immaculate craftsmanship is matched only by its repellent content — it's the kind of movie critics appreciate and admire but find almost impossible to recommend. Either way, it could hardly have been a better audition piece for a director looking to tackle what is arguably one of Shakespeare's grimmest plays. Plenty of talented filmmakers — including Orson Welles, Roman Polanski and Akira Kurosawa — have made adaptations of the Scottish play, but rarely has the dialogue sounded darker or more enthralling. It helps that Kurzel has recruited two of the greatest actors alive in his quest to bring literature's ultimate power couple to life. Michael Fassbender is magnetic as the eponymous Scottish thane, a good man brought low by his own overleaping ambition. His whispered delivery in the film's early scenes brings the audience in on his character's moral misgivings. Yet it is his work in the second half, as Macbeth descends rapidly into cruel, paranoid madness, that will stick with viewers for days. Marion Cotillard, meanwhile, is steely-eyed and silver-tongued as Macbeth's conniving lady wife — and like Fassbender, she saves her best work for the back end. Kurzel shoots Lady Macbeth's famous "Out, damned spot!" scene in a single unbroken close-up, and it proves to be a very smart choice. Think Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables. Minus the singing. But while Macbeth contains no shortage of great acting moments in which the cast get to bear their soul for the camera, there is nothing remotely stagey about Kurzel's adaptation. From the opening frame to the close, his stylistic fingerprints are all over this film, and the results are absolutely magnificent. The selective employment of slow motion and evocative use of colour — along with the imposing images of the Scottish landscape captured by cinematographer Adam Arkapaw, and the haunting score of droning strings by Kurzel's brother Jed — make this unquestionably one of the most cinematic Shakespeare adaptations ever put to screen. It's as compelling in its moments without dialogue as it is when the characters are speaking. So heavy is the atmosphere that the film feels almost like a nightmare; one in which you're slowly being smothered and from which you cannot seem to wake. Now you may not think all this sounds like a particularly pleasant viewing experience, and to be honest you'd be right. Kurzel, to his credit as an artist, never attempts to make the film more palatable for a mainstream audience. Despite the period setting, the grizzly violence and the power plays, this is not Game of Thrones. It's a hard watch. A gruelling watch. But it's also an intensely rewarding one. All hail Macbeth.
Anita Sarkeesian is one of the world’s bravest women. One of the key players taking aim at misogyny in the world of video games, Sarkeesian has been both applauded and attacked worldwide for her outspokenness about the gaming industry — she even explained #Gamergate to Stephen Colbert. Her blog Feminist Frequency and video series' Tropes vs. Women and Tropes vs. Women in Video Games have seen anti-feminist trolls sending serious threats her way — Sarkeesian even had to cancel a speaking appearance at Utah State University after terrorist threats. But haters be damned, the feminist critic at the forefront of gaming debates is finally coming to Sydney, one of All About Women’s most important speakers. Returning to the Sydney Opera House as part of the Ideas at the House program, All About Women returns for its third year in 2015 for one day of panels, readings and talks, celebrating, discussing and analysing women and their stories. Ideas at the House have attracted the likes of Tavi Gevinson, Yoko Ono and Alice Waters to the SOH stage over the years, and this year's AAW is one of their most ambitious programs yet. Most fittingly this year, AAW lands smack bang on International Women's Day, March 8, joining a global high-five to women worldwide. Joining Sarkeesian for this year’s festival is a powerhouse of a lineup over 19 sessions. Sarkeesian will join the ever formidable Germaine Greer — wouldn’t be AAW without her — for a panel called How to Be a Feminist, alongside ever outspoken novelist Tara Moss, feminist pop culture writer Clementine Ford, The Atlantic contributing editor Kate Bolick and kickass author, editor and English professor Roxane Gay. Ever the provocative writer, Gay will lead her own talk, Bad Feminist, focused around her controversial book of the same name which debates, “We don’t all have to believe in the same feminism.” Gay loves Sweet Valley High and blasting rap with degrading lyrics, can she still identify as a feminist? National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence and modern day Steve Zissou, 79-year-old Sylvia Earle, will teach us How to Save The Planet, while Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert picks up where her straight-up killer TED talk left off (that one with the cheeky nine million views) reflecting on the handicaps of creative ‘genius’. Amazingly, Gilbert’s hairdresser is also a boss writer; Syrian-born, US-raised Rayya Elias talks ‘80s New York City, drug addiction, homelessness and the punk/performance scene. Contributing editor for The Atlantic and author of one of their most successful cover stories, 'All the Single Ladies' (with over one million readers), Kate Bolick will unpack the idea of singleness ahead of her 2015 book release, Spinster, while Washington Post staff writer and New York Times bestselling author Brigid Schulte delves into her book Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has The Time. The ever convivial Annabel Crabb will unpack her book, Breaking the Wife Drought, Judith Lucy discusses her new ABC show All Woman, while author of Hideous Kinky, Esther Freud (yep, of those Freuds), talks about her own childhood — imagine growing up a Freud. Greer brings in her Emeritus Professorship in English Literature to team up with her contemporary John Bell for the talk Shakespeare’s Women, then returning after two sold-out years at AAW, the Baulkham Hills African Ladies Troupe tell stories of survival, human resilience and joy. Being a woman in 2015 has never been more discussed, with Emma Watson carving up the UN, Beyonce flashing the F word in our faces, Jennifer Lawrence sticking it to the perves and Malala Yousafzai showing us all what true bravery looks like. Let's rep it on the home front shall we? All About Women comes to Sydney Opera House on March 8, 2015. Check out the full program and the AAW festival calendar at sydneyoperahouse.com/aaw. Tickets from $25, on sale 9am Monday 15 December through SOH or 02 9250 7777. Top image: Alex Lazara.
Aussies are usually hard-pressed persuading overseas visitors to sample anything more than a smidgen of our beloved Vegemite. But that's far from the case with Heston Blumenthal and Dinner by Heston group executive chef Ashley Palmer-Watts, two Brits who are so taken by the iconic yeasty spread that they've made it the star of their latest ambitious dessert, a dinky di-ce cream which will launch this Australia Day. Dinner by Heston's 15-month-old Melbourne outpost has seen the chef duo spending significant time on Australian soil and, with both fascinated by the cult product, a Vegemite dessert was always on the cards. "I had never really eaten Vegemite until I came to Australia," explains Palmer-Watts. "Heston was intrigued by the flavour immediately and pretty insistent for some time that we explore a dessert dish based on the spread." Blumenthal and Palmer-Watts have been in development mode these past six months, exploring the spread's unique (and polarising) flavours and translating them into a sweet concoction that's both worthy of the Dinner by Heston menu and respectful of Vegemite's long heritage. And it seems they've hit the nail on the head, the dessert already passing muster with the brand's Category Manager, Tania Trapla. "To have their innovative take on our famous Australian spread was truly remarkable," she says. "They've managed to take Vegemite to another dimension." While the dessert's being dubbed 'Vegemite Ice Cream', it's not exactly what it sounds like, instead featuring a riot of textures and tastes — teaming sourdough crumble base, verjuice curd, and barley chocolate ganache, with the ice cream element perched right in the middle. There'll even be a drizzle of decadent caramel sauce, poured from a Vegemite jar at the table. Now that's 'Modern Australian' cuisine. The dish will be unveiled as part of Palmer-Watts' special Australia Day lunch on January 26, alongside a raft of other innovative, Australian-inspired bites and cocktails. Read our review of Dinner by Heston.
Ever driven across the Story Bridge and thought, "Wouldn't it be great to go to a market here?" We know, that might not have crossed your mind exactly. But it must've popped into the heads of the folks behind Hamilton's Eat Street Markets, because that's exactly what they're about to do. On July 5, the Brisbane landmark will be doing more than just linking Kangaroo Point and Fortitude Valley. In fact, cars will have to find an alternate route across the river, because a food market is taking over the entire bridge. Around 50 vendors have been invited to sell their delicious, delicious wares, so there'll be plenty of tasty treats on offer. A whopping 20,000 people are allowed on the bridge at a time, which sounds like a lot — but what Brisbanite would miss out on checking out this historic, ultra-novelty event? Indeed, given that everyone in Brisbane has already seen the bridge covered in fireworks many, many times, there's probably no better way to celebrate the 75th birthday of the heritage-listed icon. The bridge officially opened for business back on July 6, 1940 after five years of construction, and now sees an average of 97,000 cars zoom across it each day. While gathering for a bite to eat on the bridge might be something new, spending money there isn't. It was originally a toll road, with charges removed in 1947. Since 2005, people have been paying to scale its heights as part of the Story Bridge Adventure Climb experience. Now, for one night only, you can snack, browse and devour delicious local food with the best view in town. Brisbane's Story Bridge will closed to traffic for the food market for one night on July 5. Via Brisbane Times. Image: andzzz, judyvannorman and Tim Williams — Flickr via Wikimedia Commons and Eat Street Markets. View all Brisbane Events.
To make the most of your Friday night, it's imperative to slip into weekend mode as soon as possible. And to do that, you need a place that's geographically close, yet feels a long way away. In other words, you need The Rocks. With its lantern-lit laneways and sandstone squares, it could be a place out of another century — or even another country — yet it's just a short walk from the CBD. Here are five places that will banish your workday week within seconds — whether you're looking for fancy dinners, happy hours dedicated to craft beer or relaxed courtyards. HIT UP THE ROCKS FRIDAY FOODIE MARKET Nothing screams weekend quite like a market, so why wait till Saturday morning? Get in on the game early — in other words, Friday lunch time — at The Rocks Foodie Market. Take your time wandering through Jack Mundey Place and the adjacent laneways, where you can sample handmade, dried, baked, whipped and roasted products from all over the city and further afield. You name it, you’ll get your hands on it – from BBQ skewers to cupcakes, gozleme and handmade chocolates. Jack Mundey Place HAPPY HOUR AT HARTS PUB Hurry into the weekend the most patriotic way possible — by sampling Harts Pub’s all-Australian craft beer menu. Harts was one of the first drinking establishments in Sydney to champion small-batch brews and has served nothing but local drops since 2009. With 12 taps on constant rotation, there’s always an adventure to be had. Plus the food menu is made for beer matching. Get there between 4.30pm and 6.30pm for happy hour, when $7.50 will buy you a pint and $7 a house wine. Corner Essex and Gloucester Streets COURTYARD BEERS AT PHILLIP’S FOOTE Phillip’s Foote’s leafy, laidback courtyard will transport you into the weekend quicker than you can say, "A pint, please". When it’s too cold for outdoor shenanigans, get cosy inside, in the heritage-listed Sydney Cove or Phillip rooms. Wherever you are, you can expect warm, friendly, old-fashioned service and, if you’re there for dinner, a decent feast. About $30 buys you your choice of meat, bread, potatoes and access to the fresh salad bar. The all-Australian wine list covers every corner of the country — from Tassie’s Pipers River to Great Southern, Western Australia. 101 George Street EAT FANCY AT SCARLETT RESTAURANT + ERIC’S BAR To segue into Saturday in style, book a table at Scarlett Restaurant for a spot of fine dining. Dishes include miso-glazed salmon with eggplant, chilli prawns and sesame crumb, and blue eye trevalla with watercress veloute, seared scallops and avruga caviar. Scarlett, which is named after the madam who once worked out of the neighbouring terrace houses, is hidden away on Nurses Walk, one of The Rocks’ most tranquil laneways. Pre- and post-dinner drinks can be had at the attached Eric’s Bar, which forms the ground level of The Harbour Rocks Hotel. 34 Harrington Street FEAST ON MEATS AT PONY LOUNGE & DINING If woodfired grilled meats or a selection of ultra-fresh seafood sounds like your ticket to a good weekend, here’s your go-to. Nestled on the corner of historic Kendall Lane, Pony's been serving up sumptuous small plates for years, focusing on Australian produce for their Argentinian woodfire grill. Pairing a carefully-crafted boutique selection of wines (alongside a playful cocktail list) with their fine cuts of Australian meat, Pony boasts one of the best grills in the city. Pony's $38 lunch menu is a pretty damn sweet deal; choose a starter and main, or main and dessert with a glass of red or white wine (available daily from 12pm to 3pm). So pull up a pew at the 50 metre dining table outdoors, or snuggle in the lounge and feast on them meats. Corner of Kendall Lane and Argyle Street
Get read for sensory overload — Chinese New Year is here. Time to fill the streets with fireworks and dancing lions while you alternate between inhaling incredible Asian cuisine and watching feats of strength at the Darling Harbour dragon boat races. For the Year of the Monkey (a sign of playfulness, curiosity, mischievousness, and cleverness), the festival will be connecting you with the best of the Chinese creative world, including lunar markets, high-flying karaoke sessions, k-pop parties, contemporary Chinese cinema, and feasting, feasting, feasting. With so much to do and see, here are a few highlights from Sydney's Chinese New Year Festival you shouldn't miss.
In a year that saw Sydney's cultural ecosystem and the legislative shackling of certain elements of it become a more polarising subject than ever before, the city's most innovative, forward-thinking residents have made outstanding lemonade. With new events abounding, Sydney is more vibrant, playful and fun than it ever has been. Not necessarily answering to the same restrictions as permanent venue owners, Sydney's event producers have found new ways to celebrate Sydney life, reinvigorating dwindling or hidden spaces, taking the idea of 'immersive' happenings to another level, and taking us on wild adventures in our own home. At Concrete Playground we encourage exploration and showcase innovation in our city every day, so we thought it fitting to reward those most talented whippersnappers pushing Sydney to be a better, braver city. And so, these six events, launched in 2016, have been nominated for Best New Event in Concrete Playground's Best of 2016 Awards. Vote for your favourite.
Palace, a Newcastle-based creator of house and techno shindigs, is teaming up with producer Roland Tings and light artists Underground Arts, to bring you a massive night of music and light at the Imperial Hotel. Happening as part of Vivid, the event will be the second edition of Painting With Light. The first, to be held a week before on Saturday, June 10, will feature Cosmo's Midnight and Sounds Like A Nice Time. At Painting With Light 2, Underground Arts will immerse the room in projections, holograms, UV and black lighting, infinity boxes and fog. Into this, Roland Tings will bring his synthscapes, laced with techno and pop. Tings has just toured the nation on the back of his EP Each Moment a Diamond. Also on the bill are Sydney's Dro Carey and Kato, as well as Elijah Something from the Central Coast. Meanwhile, upstairs OWT DJ's will be running an intimate disco experience with the help of Nine Yards and Russel Feathers.
They may have been invented in England, but let’s face it, fish and chips are best enjoyed by the beach on a sunny day, preferably washed down with a beer. And when it comes to sea and sun, well, we all know the Brits aren't winning that game. So with that extra seasoning of sunshine, sit down to one of Sydney's finest portions of fish and chips. Whether it’s battered or crumbed, in a fancy restaurant or a humble takeaway shop (and let’s not get into the potato scallop vs potato cake debate), we've got something to suit pretty much every taste. DOYLES ON THE WHARF The name Doyles is basically synonymous with seafood in Sydney. They’ve got branches spread out across the city, but you can’t beat the takeaway shop at Watsons Bay — fresh, expertly cooked seafood without the hefty price tag. The fish and chips here are $13.80, less than half the cost at the nearby restaurant but just as good quality. Find a seat outside or on the grass and take in some of the best views in Sydney. Marine Parade, Watsons Bay THE FISH SHOP The Fish Shop has the same mix of kitschy decor, big-name chef (Jeremy Strode of Bistrode) and fun atmosphere that’s made fellow Merivale venues El Loco and Ms G’s so successful. The menu is a combination of classic chip shop fare and more high-end seafood mains, so it works for sit-down dinners as well as casual snacks with drinks. They've got a regularly changing list of market fish, but you can't go wrong with the fish ‘n’ chips ($22.50). It comes as fingers so it works as a starter, or you can eat it on your own if you're feeling shellfish (sorry, couldn't resist). 22 Challis Avenue, Potts Point BONDI'S BEST Fish and chip shops may be a dime a dozen on Campbell Parade, but Bondi’s Best lives up to its name. The brainchild of chefs Joel Best and Ross Wilson, Bondi’s Best combines a casual beachside takeaway vibe with high-quality seafood beautifully cooked. The fish and chips ($12.90) are lightly battered pieces of hoki served with hand-cut chips and tartare sauce. If you’re after something a little lighter, they also have an excellent selection of sushi and sashimi. It can be tough getting a seat, but everyone knows seafood just tastes better on the beach, right? 39-53 Campbell Parade North Bondi BOTTOM OF THE HARBOUR These guys have been serving up fish and chips since the 80s, so it's fair to say they know what they're doing. The menu is simple, no-fuss and reasonably priced- the standard battered fish and chips is $11.50, but you can opt for some market-fresh fish like barramundi or snapper as well. The beach is directly across the road, so you can take your food over while it's still hot and enjoy some seriously Instagram-worthy views, #nofilterneeded. 21 The Esplanade, Balmoral. Image: Clarissa's Kitchen A FISH CALLED COOGEE The charming thing about this place is the amount of choice they give you. You get to pick out your own fish as well as your own marinade (they have fun ones like Balinese and Brazilian) and tell them how you want it cooked, and they cook it right then and there, charging by the weight. They’ve also got plenty of healthy sides if you’re not in the mood for chips. The grilled corn is highly recommended. 229 Coogee Bay Road, Coogee NORTH BONDI FISH They may have envisaged it as a six-month pop-up, but North Bondi Fish is here to stay. It’s not surprising considering who’s at the helm — Matt Moran and Peter Sullivan are among the hatted Sydney chefs trying their hand at a more laidback venue. The fish and chips ($29) come nestled in fake newspaper, a cute allusion to more rustic takeaways. The batter's relatively light, and the fish varies depending on the season. Get a seat by the bar if you can for those trademark views of the beach while you eat. 120 Ramsgate Avenue, North Bondi FLYING FISH AND CHIPS When one of Sydney’s best seafood restaurants decides to branch out into casual fish and chips, you know it’s going to be good. Located in the food court at The Star underneath a big artsy-looking fish skeleton sculpture, Flying Fish and Chips does not disappoint. The classic fish and chips ($14.90) comes with beer battered fish and the very accurately described 'fat chips' — no shoestring fries for these guys. They've got an online ordering system on their website if your keen to skip past the line. The Star, Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont THE TRADITIONAL CHIP SHOP It’s common to see a line of people trailing out the door of this humble takeaway on the quiet end of Bronte Road. They’re all about ‘authentic’ British-style fish and chips: North Atlantic cod and haddock encased in dense, crispy batter that’s almost a meal in itself, served with soft, chunky chips and bundled up in white butcher’s paper. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can add some curry sauce, wallies (gherkins to us non-Brits) or haggis on the side. This place is not for health nuts, though; the closest thing to a salad on their menu is probably the mushy peas. 78 Bronte Road, Bondi Junction THE BOATHOUSE PALM BEACH The Boathouse is casual yet classy beachside dining at its best, made for those weekends when you need a break from all the inner-city action but you're too broke for a holiday. Located in a refurbished Barrenjoey Boathouse, it might give you a sense of deja vu on approach. That's because it's the location of Home and Away's iconic diner, where Summer Bay locals have been eating since 1988 (you know, in between the love triangles and natural disasters). There’s plenty of great non-seafood options (the breakfast and the coffee alone merit a return visit), but really, you're here for the fish and chips ($22.50): two thick fingers of battered flathead and dark, crunchy chips with a slice of lemon and some house-made tartare sauce. It even comes in its own wooden box wrapped in wax paper, like an edible golden-brown present to yourself. Governor Phillip Park, Palm Beach Top image: Fish Face Double Bay. View all Sydney Restaurants.
If you haven't brushed up on your Shakespeare since reading Romeo and Juliet in high school, you may be a tad skeptical about buying tickets to watch one of his plays. But NSW-based award-winning repertory theatre company Sport for Jove is on a mission to make you appreciate Shakespeare again. Now in its eight year, their acclaimed outdoor Summer Shakespeare Season presents the great playwright's works in an accessible, enthralling, and contemporary way. This year, watch Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra performed from the female perspective— radical cross-gender casting means the traditionally male roles are played by a stellar cast of Australian female artists. Directed by Damien Ryan and Michael Pigott, this is Shakespeare for the modern era. SPORT FOR JOVE DATES: Shakespeare in the Park, Bella Vista Farm, Dec 17–Jan 7 Leura Shakespeare Festival, Everglades Gardens, Jan 14–29
Whether by chance or the greatest promotional tie-in for a movie release in recent history, a glorious full moon shone over the First Man premiere in Sydney. An impressive enough sight going in to the cinema, it held a near-magical allure on the way back out. Even now, some 50 years since the first manned lunar landing and a lifetime of technological advancements beyond, to look up and consider the deed still feels unreal; an impossibility requiring far too much luck, daring and genius for anyone to even consider it. And yet…the Eagle did land. Directed by Damien Chazelle (La La Land), First Man is at once the story of mankind's greatest ever technological accomplishment and the enormous sacrifices required to achieve it. Set against the backdrop of extreme US/Soviet tensions, First Man chronicles the NASA side of the infamous space race and highlights the extraordinary challenges precipitated by such a Herculean task. How, for example, do you come up with a list of requirements for something that's never been done before? Who is the right person for the job when your greatest understanding of what that job is is little more than a guess? This was precisely the challenge facing the newly established space agency in 1958 as it set out to find seven willing, qualified and extraordinarily capable candidates to undertake the first ever manned flights into space. One of those individuals was, of course, Neil Armstrong, whose portrayal in First Man by Ryan Gosling conveys an introverted and emotionally repressed family man possessed of unyielding skill and determination. Inevitably, films based on real world events at once benefit from, and are challenged by, an audience's knowledge of what ultimately happens. The inevitability of catastrophe in disaster films, for example, contributes to a powerful and compounding tension that can become almost unbearable. The key to maintaining drama in these films is to focus on the human stories at their core and shine a light on the details lesser known. How, though, do you find an unknown detail in perhaps the best-known story of the last century? That humans landed on the moon is far from a surprise twist, and that the first man to do it was Armstrong is such a given it's used as the title of the film. And so First Man, penned by Josh Singer (Spotlight), spans the eight physically and emotionally gruelling years of Armstrong's life prior to his iconic small step, beginning with an excruciatingly tense and near-fatal solo test flight into the earth's upper atmosphere. Singer's screenplay is tantalisingly layered, offering little by way of dialogue yet enormous scope for nuanced performances in the hands of an accomplished ensemble. Chazelle's direction is likewise sublime, especially during the film's more kinetic scenes where you feel just as drained and challenged as those on screen. The claustrophobia of the tiny capsules, the relentless g-forces of an out-of-control gyroscope, and the deafening silence of space, combine to assault the senses in the best possible way, aided by a level of sound design that will surely prove the frontrunner come awards season. On the performance front, The Crown's Claire Foy grounds the tale (as much literally as symbolically) as Armstrong's wife Janet, reminding us of the significant sacrifices made on all sides of this story. Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll and Ciarán Hinds round out the impressive troupe, with Stoll's performance in particular painting Armstrong's eventual co-pilot Buzz Aldrin in a surprisingly blunt and unlikeable light. Gosling's scenes with Clarke, too, prove some of the film's best; a meaningful friendship borne of fierce competition, and a closeness that permitted acknowledgements of extreme grief, fear and uncertainty without ever giving voice to the words. In the end First Man is, despite its scale and subject matter, an intimate character portrait rather than a history lesson. It eschews the traditional pomp and grandeur of NASA control room scenes for dimly lit kitchens and moonlit walks, yet remains every bit the space odyssey such a tale commands. Filmed for IMAX, it should be seen the same way – an honest, tense and compelling picture that reminds us exactly why we love going to the movies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSoRx87OO6k
The 2013 recording that Rolling Stone called "the best album Arcade Fire have ever made" is now the subject of The Reflektor Tapes. The highly anticipated documentary follows the creation of the critically acclaimed album. Directed by 2013 Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Short Films winner Kahlil Joseph, it's 90 minutes of previously unseen footage, including interviews and moments captured by the band themselves. See what inspires Arcade Fire and their recording process. The Ritz Cinema will be hosting a one-off screening of the doco. They'll also give you the chance to hear a special unreleased track from Arcade Fire. This is the only cinema screening of The Reflektor Tapes planned in NSW. Thanks to the Ritz Cinema, we have two double passes to give away to the event on October 1. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter and then email win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
The future of museums is a bit William Gibson. As in, "the future is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed yet." One place with a pretty uneven head start — bringing the future to now — is the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York City. A branch of the Smithsonian settled in a former mansion of the late magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Its head start comes from being closed for renovations for three years. This gave it the chance to completely reinvent a lot of the things it did from scratch. Not least that whole internet, digital thing. For its Sydney-raised director of digital and emerging media, Seb Chan, that was the appeal. Chan had been in a similar role at the Powerhouse Museum (now the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences) and was very much attracted to "a chance to reboot" a whole museum and think "what could this be?" JUST A PEN The Cooper Hewitt answers this question mostly with some pens. Visitors get handed a special black, rubber pen. Its smartphone-friendly tip lets you draw on interactive tables. The button on the other end lets it save the stuff you like. That's about it. "There's no screen. There's nothing to learn," Chan says. You can click the eraser end against little information cards and use the pen to bring up more info on the tables. When you leave, you look up a web address on your ticket and all the things you looked at are collected for you. 8KB FUN Seb hands me one he has with him. It feels good. "The pen itself is a capacitive stylus, with an NFC antenna and some memory. A small amount of memory: 8KB of memory. It doesn't have to be a lot." It is nicely weighted and well built. "It's a bookmark" he continues, "you're bookmarking the museum. That's all it is." That's not what you notice when you hold it. You want to point with it and you want to click. It feels built to just the right size. The idea is to make the physical and the digital sides to the museum mix effortlessly. "We're at a moment where, just like the internet in your pocket, digital is not something special." The museum is following suit, trying to "embed digital within the fabric of the museum visit [in a way] that normalises it. That naturalises it. And makes it feel like it should be there." By the time people reach the second floor, they've stopped being amazed by the pens, by the interactive tables. They just use them: "That's success." YOUR PUNY SCREENS The pen gets all the attention at the Cooper Hewitt, but its not the only direction that museums are heading in. The smartphone is one of the fundamental shifts museums are just beginning to get their heads around. Why wouldn't people just look things up on their phone at home instead of coming in to see your stuff? Like a cinema's giant screen to your puny big screen, museums are moving on to experiences that you can't get at home. Some of that is tech. Chan tells me about an exhibition he took his daughter to at New York's Museum of the Moving Image, Sensory Stories. The exhibition showcased 12 immersive, 3D documentaries using a virtual reality headset, the Oculus Rift. And then there's room-sized, "remote sensing" setups. These spaces let you explore sites not safe to visit in person. I suggest to Chan that Palmyra might be that sort of site. "Or a world heritage site that's too fragile to visit. Or maybe the international space station. Or maybe the surface of Mars," he says. Some of these not-at-home experiences are social. "That's one of the big shifts, I guess, in museums, is that they're now social venues." Most of these fixes are low-tech, like fixing the quality of coffee in the cafe. And the tech follows along. While the new Cooper Hewitt's interactive tables are 84", 4K high-definition screens, it's also important that they're big: "You can have as many as 12 people gathered around them. And when there are 12 people gathered around, you can bet they're talking." CHEAP JEANS AND CENTRIFUGES Where does this take us over the next ten years? Chan seems excited about the future of virtual reality, but sanguine. "VR is always an interesting piece with museums. And every ten years, there seems to be a new peak around this, and then it drops off again, and comes back again." Then there's the issue of what to collect. Chan wonders. "What should we be collecting from now that's gonna be as important as, you know, the cuneiform tablets?" He's interested in software and code. Maybe financial code, "collecting the algorithms — the quants used — that triggered crashes [from high frequency trading]" or even Stuxnet. How to do Stuxnet: The source code? A copy of the virus? "Ideally, what you would want to collect is one of the Iranian centrifuges that was knocked out by it." He points to Britain's Victoria & Albert Museum, whose experiments in "rapid response collecting" have seen it display a smashed Guardian laptop to talk about Edward Snowden or Primark cargo pants as a response to the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh. YOUR DATA IS HERE, NOW There's also a long game here. Museums have new tools in the shape of analysing visitor movements from new tech like Cooper Hewitt's pens or even just free museum Wi-Fi. How does ten years of that add up? "Ten years of understanding it." Though Chan adds, "The challenge with analytics is that you're often collecting the wrong information. What I would hope is that it's ten years of people realising that we need to be thinking about how people behave and coming up with ways of understanding it." Seb Chan is in Sydney to talk at REMIX Summit, where he'll be giving Wednesday's keynote 'No Boundaries - The Museum of the Future.' Concrete Playground is a partner of REMIX Sydney.
Despite legislative appearances, Sydney's seeing plenty of new restaurants, cafes and bars actually open of late. Seems every week we're ranting and raving about the next newbie, bringing its own proposed offering/theming/novelty viral food item to this fine city of ours. But it's the centre of the city that's hogging the spotlight lately. Sydney's CBD has seen more than its usual share of interesting, creative and insanely hyped up openings this year, with basement restaurants, vista bars and reincarnations of longtime Sydney icons making headlines every other week. Here's a useful little list for you to get excited about, in case you're despondent over having eaten at Every Sydney CBD Venue Ever. Take heart, there's plenty more where that came from.
On the second Sunday of each month, the Burton Street Tunnel in Milsons Point becomes a shopper's dream. If you're on the hunt for original artwork, handmade homewares or vintage fashion, look no further than this charming neighbourhood market. Once you've worked up an appetite, head for one of the diverse food stalls where you can get your hands on anything from Turkish to Thai. Happen to be coming from the southern part of the city? We recommend making like a tourist and crossing the Harbour Bridge on foot for a vivid reminder of how utterly gorgeous this city is.
On September 10, Sydney will be the stage for a huge public rally through the city streets, flying rainbow flags to demand marriage equality, campaign for a 'Yes' vote and support all LGBTI+ Australians. Get in there. The date marks the first weekend after the High Court decides to either implement the government's (unnecessary, expensive and undeniably hurtful) postal plebiscite, or send the decision back to parliament. Support group Community Action Against Homophobia is running the rally, urging Australians to campaign for a 'Yes' vote, either by postal or parliamentary vote. With the majority of Australians (a whopping two-thirds) supporting marriage equality, the rally should be stacked. Wear rainbow. Be loud.
Sydney's biggest celebration of First Nations culture is back this weekend as Homeground 2017 gets into gear. Like previous years, the music and dance line-up is packed. Headlining the free two-day festival is Yothu Yindi & The Treaty Project, performing an electronic collaboration to mark the 25th anniversary of 'Treaty'. Electric duo Electric Fields, Tibetan musician Tenzin Choegyal, soul singer Radical Son and The Medics lead singer, Kahl Wallis are also performing. On the movement front, Dance Rites, Australia's national Indigenous dance competition, will see dance troupes from across the country competing across the two days. Homeground is also running a host of workshops and tours to give festivalgoers a chance to learn about First Nations culture. Introductory classes for all ages in weaving and dance will run over both days, with tours of the harbourside giving a glimpse into the Indigenous history of Bennelong. An interactive workshop, Moving Lab, incorporating images, songs, chants and a walk through nature will take you on a journey through Gadigal lands. The Arts Market will also run again, with a multitude of stalls popping up on the Opera House's picturesque forecourt. There'll be art, accessories and bush food from Indigenous artists and growers. Hungry after all that shopping? There'll be food and beverage pop-ups, too, all using Australian native ingredients. Homeground is free, but the activity bookings suggest things are likely to get crazy. This is definitely an early bird situation. Images: Prudence Upton, Joseph Mayers and Daniel Boud.
When it gets to July, it seems like everyone you know is planning a European holiday — and the Greek islands are on many a traveller's summer itinerary. Most flock to islands like Santorini, Mykonos or Ios — but, really, that's just skimming the surface. While most people can count, say, six islands confidently, there are actually 6000 all up — 227 have people living on them, and the rest you can kayak or sail to for the day. So while we don't want to downplay the beauty of the well-travelled tourist islands, we're putting in a good word for the more underrated parts of Greece, which are extremely — if not more — worthy of your holiday time. Plus, these eight islands are nowhere near as crowded in European summer. So, as you make Europe summer plans, consider these alternative Greek jewels as a setting for snacking, finding serenity or smashing plates — what you decide to do there is up to you. [caption id="attachment_627543" align="alignnone" width="1920"] John Karakatsanis via Flickr.[/caption] SKOPELOS Waltzing around Skopelos may induce flashbacks of Pierce Brosnan's lack of singing ability, as a large portion of 2008's Mamma Mia was shot on the island. More fondly, you may recognise Agios Ioannis, the tiny little church perched on an 100-metre-high rock that hosted Meryl Streep's impassioned The Winner Takes it All solo. Skopelos' idyllic beaches are aplenty, but stray away from Kastani beach — also featured in the film — as its shores are one of the few spots on the island that gets crowded. Try Limnonari or Glysteri instead. If you hire a car to drive around, you'll notice how much this island differs from others in terms of terrain and vegetation, which is due to its northern situation. When springtime comes around, Skopelos is carpeted in wild flowers such as poppies and irises, camomile starts to pop up in June, and plums and almonds emerge as September nears. [caption id="attachment_627546" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Livadaki beach, esther via Flickr.[/caption] FOLEGANDROS Clinging to the southern edge of the Cyclades group of islands is Folegandros, an island which travellers don't usually reach as they choose to halt their journey on Ios or Mykonos. But to venture a little further is a very wise choice; travellers are still greeted with the same, mesmeric turquoise waters and can enjoy them in more tranquil surrounds. Angali, Agios Nikolaos and Livadaki are notable beaches to unwind at. Folegandros is tiny — a 12-kilometre run will get you from one end of the island to the other — and there is no airport, so to get there you need to take a ferry from Athens, which only adds to the odyssey. After you dock and drop off your luggage, hire a quad bike and zoom your way through some seriously fresh air. [caption id="attachment_627461" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rachel Docherty via Flickr.[/caption] KOS The sunset at Kos' Agios Theologos beach gives Santorini's a run for its money. Feast on fresh octopus at the beach's only restaurant and watch the sun turn the sky into a hypnotic fuchsia as it disappears into the Aegean. In the morning, take a swim to church. At the western head of the island you'll find the village Kefalos, which literally translates as 'head'. Kefalos' relentlessly cold beach Agios Stefanos hosts a little church, sitting on microscopic island about 200 metres from shore. Adventurers can take a swim through the waters, above the sea life to reach it. Kos also has a rich historical past, filled with ruins and sites that honour Hippocrates. You'll find most of them the capital Kos Town (the island proves to be quite literal in its naming approach). From Kos Town's port, it's a measly 20-minute ferry ride to Bodrum on Turkey's southwest coast. So, if you're continuing on into Turkey, Kos is a wise place to wrap up your Greece trip. [caption id="attachment_627452" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Blue Cave, Tatsushi Okamoto via Flickr.[/caption] KASTELORIZO Instead of white villages and blue motifs, Kastelorizo's houses are boldly colourful and expressive. Its aesthetic significantly differs from other islands which may have to do with the island's far-flung geographical positioning — it just clutches onto the eastern edge of the Aegean Sea. You'll find neoclassical mansions, rocky fortresses, miniature seaside churches and one of the most insanely well-kept secrets in Greece: the Blue Cave. A truly majestic spot to swim, the cave has stalactites that overlook deep blue waters that are slightly lit up by the reflection of sun rays that manage to creep in. If you seek total seclusion and serenity, head to Kastelorizo — we doubt the population of 490 will disturb you. [caption id="attachment_627549" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mandraki, Karelj via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] NISYROS Nisyros is very much a calm island, undisturbed by tourists. What we're hoping stays calm is the volcano, which is one of the only active ones in the country. Nonetheless, you can get up close with fumaroles that hiss as you get close. And when you're not exploring Nisyros' terrain, try and delve into some local produce. Those looking for a drink must track down some koukouzina, a distillation of grapes and figs with a taste similar to raki. And it's no revelation that cheese and wine are a glorious combination but trigas takes it to the next level — it's a hard goats' cheese cooked in wine. Enjoy these delicacies in the capital village Mandraki, which rests right on the water. Its roads are made up of intricate pebble patterns, streets are peppered with flowers and cats can be seen on the locals' doorsteps. [caption id="attachment_627462" align="alignnone" width="1920"] View from St John Monastery, Tomisti via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] PATMOS Rich in historical and religious past, Patmos is where Saint John is said to have written the Book of Revelation, and the Cave of the Apocalypse has been spectacularly transformed into a church. The island continues to draw religious tourists and pilgrims from all corners of the world. Near the cave you'll find the old hilltop town of Chora, which is crowned by what at first glance looks like a castle, but, is actually the UNESCO-listed Monastery of St John, built in the 11th century. It solidifies Patmos' position of being a place of religious knowledge and learning in Greece. Plus, the view — which overlooks the entire island — is insane. Worth a visit whether you're religious or not. [caption id="attachment_627548" align="alignnone" width="1920"] t_y_l via Flickr.[/caption] IKARIA Ikaria is heralded as the island of longevity. Dementia is relatively absent, thanks to good diet, incredible produce and a pretty stress-free quality of life. Feast on fresh goats' cheese, fish straight from the sea and tomatoes so flavoursome you won't know what hit you. The local panigiri (that is, festivals) are something you'll want to get in on. Pull up a chair with the locals (after asking if it's okay that you do so), grab some food and then dance it off, Greek style. Ikaria is an inspiring speck of land in the North Aegean Sea, lush and green, separating it from other islands that suffer from dryness. [caption id="attachment_627550" align="alignnone" width="1920"] heipei via Flickr.[/caption] KALAMATA While Kalamata is not an island — it's located on the Peloponnese peninsula in the south — if you do wish to visit an actual city in Greece, this is the one to go for. A lot of Greek Australians emigrated from the Peloponnese city, and many will tell you how much they miss it. We can understand why. The city has endured its fair share of Spartan domination and battles, but, nowadays, you can party it up in Kalamata's abundance of clubs and bars. The next day, rejuvenate in the contemplation of the warm Mediterranean sun — just like the Greeks.
Cat cafes around the country are in for some adorable competition, with a new animal-themed eatery set to open in Melbourne's northern suburbs. Rabbit-lovers David Johnson and Helen Hu are currently asking for donations for what they hope will becomes Australia's first ever bunny cafe. Frankly, if the words 'bunny' and 'cafe' aren't enough to make you donate on the spot, then we just don't know that there's anything we can do for you. The couple, who previously owned and operated a handmade accessories shop in Olinda, are currently looking for $20,000 to secure a location in or around Fitzroy. Anyone who wants to see this happen can donate via the cafe's website. Alternatively, you can check out their Facebook page, where they've been auctioning off rabbit-themed merchandise including rings and mugs, and posting many, many, painfully cute bunny videos such as this one. No news yet on what food the cafe will be serving, although they have unveiled a coffee menu with beverages named after the beloved pets of generous donors, including the 'Flopsy' Cappuccino, the 'Ruffles' Hot Chocolate and the 'Bunzor' Espresso. (Bunzor? Seriously?) As for their fluffy tenants, they'll come courtesy of Victoria's first and only no-kill rabbit shelter, the Rabbit Run-Away Orphanage – and unlike many cat cafes, the plan is to make all the animals in the cafe available for adoption. To make a donation to Bunny Cafe Melbourne, visit their website at www.bunnycafemelbourne.com.au Via The Northsider. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
The woodfired breads at Cherry Moon are so good, the bakery regularly sells out. But inner west locals don't just flock to the venue for its doughy goods, the cafe and general store also has impressive house-made ferments, pickles and tasty brunch fare. The 20-seat venue is run by long-time hospitality vet and pastry chef Kimmy Gastmeier (Rockpool, Tetsuya's and The Porteño Group) and her friend Aimee Graham, with a little help from Aimee's husband Kenny Graham (Mary's Underground, The Lansdowne and The Unicorn) and the rest of the Mary's Group. Fed up with the Sydney hospo scene, Gastmeier left for the Blue Mountains some years ago, where she started the Cherry Moon brand by baking her goods out of hired kitchens. But now, Cherry Moon finally has a permanent home — and Gastmeier and Graham are doing things the old-school way. "I'm interested in artisanal food, woodfiring and staying true to the traditions of whole foods," says Gastmeier, who purchased a traditional scotch oven from an old Ballarat bakery (made way back in 1869) for the shop and rebuilt it with a master oven builder. "A lot of people were coming in and thinking we're a regular cafe," says Gastmeier. "But we're more of a bakery and the menu really showcases the oven." All of the bread is made using ancient grains like emmer and spelt, along with stone-ground flour from Gunnedah's Wholegrain Milling Company. The team also roasts whole pumpkins in the fire embers and smokes potatoes in whey, which is leftover from the house-made ricotta (served wrapped in fig leaf) and cultured butter. Apart from all the bread, Cherry Moon is also baking pastries, galettes, fruit tarts and seasonal tarte tatin, along with Italian-style cream puffs. Portuguese custard tarts are cooked in the woodfired oven, too, as are sourdough pizzas. A small cafe menu is also up for grabs and includes the likes of sourdough topped with avocado, tomato, basil and finger lime; and plates of woodfired cauliflower served with burrata, harissa, fermented zucchini and cashew and chickpea cream. Charcuterie and ploughman's lunches are also on the docket for the near future. On the general store shelves, you'll find Aimee Graham's fermented goods, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, keffir and tonics. Other drinks include coffee by Newtown's 212 Blu, a house chai blend and cold-pressed orange and green juices. And, to round out this already impressive offering, Cherry Moon is also scooping ice cream made in-house using all native and foraged ingredients — at the moment, there are fig leaf and saffron, wattle seed, plum and fennel pollen, and peach melba varieties. "I want it to feel like you're stepping back in time to grandma's kitchen," says Gastmeier. "So everything is served on beautiful old crockery, plates and silverware, and there's a lot of 1960s bric-a-brac." Speaking of grandmothers, it was Gastmeier's grandma who put her through chef's school at the age of 16, and the Cherry Moon logo is in her handwriting. Images: Kitti Gould Appears in: The Best Bakeries in Sydney for 2023
Charging your smartphone will soon be as foolproof as placing it on your coffee table. Taking already existing technology and fusing it into your own home, Swedish retail giants and regular media-baiting happening creators Ikea have jumped on wireless power capabilities to release built-in wireless charging furniture. According to the Wall Street Journal, this will be the first time built-in wireless chargers are available to consumers from a mass-market furniture retailer. Ikea made the big announcement on Sunday at Barcelona's Mobile World Congress. They've recruited the likes of Qi for the collection, a wireless power standard from the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). Alongside two other standards, this is one of the companies responsible for the wireless charging technology you would have already seen in airports, cafes and hotels and generally lost your shit over a few years ago. But until now, major furniture stores haven't taken advantage of the downright convenience of the technology, or the logic in embedding the charging capability in surfaces you already rest your smartphone on during charge times. So how does it work? Qi does away with all those dastardly cables and the annoyance of choosing between model connections, as the furniture itself is the one plugged in. When switched on, the lamp base, coffee table or side table's energy or bookshelf transfers to your smartphone or tablet (yep, maaaaagic), depending whether or not it supports Qi charging — there's 81 Qi-compatible types of smartphone, but iPhones aren't one of them, sorry Apple fans. Apparently the wireless charging-capable furniture will cost a mere $22 more than regular furniture from Ikea, proving the Swedish homeware giants truly have money to burn and credibility to gain. If all goes well with the embedded furniture line, you could be able to buy a wireless charging kit to fit to your existing, beloved dining table soon for about $34, which is a lot cheaper than replacing all those lost, broken chargers of yours. The wireless-charging furniture collection will hit Ikea shelves in Europe and the US on April, 15, followed by a global roll-out, so keep 'em crossed. Via Wall Street Journal.
A bookstore may have sadly departed the neighbourhood, but in its place is something equally as appreciated. Brewtown Newtown is keeping the literary mourners happy by serving up some quality food and drink. The handiwork is indebted to Charles Cameron and Simon Triggs, who met when working at Toby's Estate. Since then, they've had respective stints at Single Origin and Gnome Espresso, so it's no wonder Brewtown is shaping up to be a success. Fashioned from what used to be Berkelouw Books, the warehouse-type space is simplistic in its raw fit-out: industrialised green lamps hang from steel beams above and exposed brick walls run the length of the cafe. An extended counter showcases the baristas at work and there is ample space for wooden tables and chairs at which to sit. A sizeable staircase leads to a second level where pop-up shops showcase an eclectic mix of local designers and artisan goods. Downstairs, as the name suggests, coffee takes centrestage. The far end of the counter is home to the designated brew bar where the 'steampunk mod' replicates a variety of brewing methods — such as aeropress or pour over — via a computer. The fancy-looking gizmo effectively saves time without compromising on quality. Another impressive gadget set-up alongside is the cold-brew tap that pours out an invigorating cold-pressed coffee ($6). Steeped in cold water for 12 hours, it's the perfect caffeine hit for a summer's day. If none of these elaborate brews are your thing, the espresso machine to the right is pumping out a robust latte otherwise ($3.50). Food wise, the menu does not fail to impress. Designed around quality produce-driven dishes, breakfast includes sumptuous offerings such as a mini egg benedict brioche roll ($8.50); baked polenta with mushrooms, grilled asparagus, poached egg and parmesan ($15); or beetroot cured ocean trout with avocado smash on rye ($16.50) — all of which satisfy that rumbling morning stomach. If you've visited in-between meals, try something sweet to have with your coffee. Pastries are made in-house and we hear that Brewtown's cronuts are building quite the reputation. Lunch dishes are equally as notable, with sophisticated options at reasonable prices. Duck ravioli with porcini and wild mushroom ($16.50) appears to be a popular choice, so too does a poached chicken salad with quinoa ($14). But it's not all fancy-pants at Brewtown: sandwich lovers unite, the quintessential Reuben ($14) makes an appearance and ye' old chicken and mayo stops in for a visit too ($10). It might be a simplistic inclusion on the menu, but it's a smart strategy from this engaged team. And engaged they all are: the troops manning the floor are all incredibly with-it, and service is faultless, even on a busy Saturday morning. Newtown has a healthy storm brewing here and despite the upsetting departure of yet another bookstore, we're most pleased to have Brewtown in the 'hood.
Pizza-on-wheels food truck Happy as Larry has found a permanent park in Sydney's CBD. The team will now be slinging their wood-fired favourites from their new flagship shop in the MetCentre. The casual Italian eatery is a laidback lunch affair with a main bar feature made from sheets of recycled shipping container — a thoughtful nod to the brand's food truck roots. The team behind this venture includes Happy as Larry co-owners/childhood friends Anthony Severino (head pizzaiolo), Chris Lu (Bondi Hardware) and Adam Choker (The Grounds of Alexandria), the latter of whom also co-own Flower Child Chatswood and recently opened a Warringah outpost. The made-to-order cafe menu, is focused on pizzas and pastas. Severino spent the last few months perfecting his own dough recipe and, as with the truck, his pizzas pay homage to the Neapolitan classic while being noticeably lighter, crispier and topped with non-traditional ingredients — there's the lobster ($26), topped with black truffle pate, oyster mushroom and sea salt, or the lasagne ($18), topped with ricotta, beef and pork ragu. Traditional pies also make the cut, like the margherita ($15) and diavola ($18), while their ever-popular (though blasphemous to Italians) speck and pineapple ($17) stands loud and proud. For mains, the Tasmanian crispy skin salmon on squid ink lasagna comes with chilli jam and cauliflower puree ($24). For the city crowd, they're also serving up a pretty standard yet tasty-sounding brekkie menu, featuring house-baked granola, acai bowls and eggs benny. The real morning draw will be for the coffee — sourced from The Grounds — and the pastries, which are made daily in-house and include their beloved Nutella doughnuts. They're also offering up shakes, smoothies and homemade sodas, with an alcohol license not far away. While the truck will no longer be rolling around town, it is still available for private functions and epic house parties. Happy as Larry is now open at the MetCentre, Shop MG14, 23 Jamison, Sydney. Open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday from 7am to 4pm and delivery from 10am-9pm.
Sydney's due for a new blockbuster exhibition, having farewelled Tatsuo Miyajima and Nude weeks ago. Weeks. We're a little demanding. Things have been a little too quiet on the large-scale institutional exhibition front. But we're ready for some solid gallery hopping, and considering this is an off-Biennale year, we're lucky an ambitious new citywide exhibition has just landed in Sydney. The Art Gallery of NSW, Carriageworks and the MCA have joined forces to bring you a new, whizzbang multi-space exhibition. Titled The National: New Australian Art, it showcases works by 48 contemporary Australian artists who range from emerging to mid-career to established. The first edition opens on March 30, with the second and third to follow in 2019 and 2021. Prepare to meet installations, performances, sculptures, videos, paintings and drawings that express perspectives on Australia you probably haven't considered before. Here, we take a look at ten highlights. [caption id="attachment_615634" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, The Cave (2016-17). Installation view, The National 2017, Carriageworks. Photograph: Zan Wimberley.[/caption] THE CAVE BY RAMESH MARIO NITHIYENDRAN, CARRIAGEWORKS Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran's The Cave is not for the faint-hearted. Like all caves, it promises magic and mystery and, in this case, prepare to be greeted by a giant, glowing phallus. It's the backdrop for sculptures made of all kinds of weird and wonderful materials — from chicken wire and painted polystyrene to Indian human hair, dentures, rubber snakes, rubber horses and shells. The experience might have you running away and sleeping overnight in a cave of your own. [caption id="attachment_615649" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rose Nolan, Big Words – To keep going, breathing helps (circle work) (2016–17). Installation view, The National 2017: New Australian Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney. Image courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery © the artist. Photograph: Ken Leanfore.[/caption] BIG WORDS — TO KEEP GOING, BREATHING HELPS BY ROSE NOLAN, MCA Most artists are a bit obsessed with space. If it's not the space within their work they're worrying about, it's the space outside — whether the piece is headed for a gallery or a non-traditional spot. Rose Nolan's Big Words - To keep going, breathing helps, a massive curtain made of red and white hessian discs and arranged in a spiral, invites you in. Walk around it, walk through it, walk forwards, walk backwards — from every angle you'll a new perspective. [caption id="attachment_615621" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yhonnie Scarce, Death Zephyr (2017). Courtesy the artist, Melbourne and THIS IS NO FANTASY + dianne tanzer gallery, Melbourne © Yhonnie Scarce.[/caption] DEATH ZEPHYR BY YHONNIE SCARCE, AGNSW This dramatic installation immerses you in a dispersing atomic cloud, made up of hundreds of hand-blown glass tear drops. These are the work of Yhonnie Scarce, a Woomera-born, Melbourne-based artist of Kokatha and Nukunu heritage, whose art explores the impacts of politics and events on Indigenous communities. Death Zephyr is a response to the British nuclear testing that devastated Maralinga and nearby areas in the '50s and '60s. [caption id="attachment_615640" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Khadim Ali, The Arrival of Demons (2017). Installation view, The National 2017: New Australian Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2016, supported by Veolia Environmental Services. Image courtesy the artist and Milani Gallery © the artist. Phototograph: Ken Leanfore.[/caption] THE ARRIVAL OF DEMONS BY KHADIM ALI, MCA You can't miss The Arrival of Demons. Seriously, its 15 x 7 metres of demonic gloriousness have taken over the entire wall of the multi-levelled MCA foyer. Pakistan-born, Sydney-based artist Khadim Ali is preoccupied with demons and this particular bunch is from a Shahnama/The Book of Kings, a 10th-century epic poem, which Ali's grandfather read to him when he was a kid. The mural is a reference to the waiting process endured by asylum seekers who arrive in Australia. [caption id="attachment_615635" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Archie Moore, United Neytions (2014-17). Installation view, The National 2017, Carriageworks. Image: Zan Wimberley.[/caption] UNITED NEYTIONS BY ARCHIE MOORE, CARRIAGEWORKS This uplifting collection of artworks masquerading as flags fills the entrance to Carriageworks' branch of The National with colour and vibrancy. With it, Archie Moore, a man of Kamilaroi heritage, defies the colonial idea that Australia's Aboriginal people were 'nomads' without any attachment to land or place. The flags represent 28 Aboriginal nations, as laid out in an important yet flawed map, by anthropologist R.H. Mathews. Each design is inspired by local flora and fauna. [caption id="attachment_615623" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gordon Bennett, artworks from Home Decor (after M. Preston) (2012), © Gordon Bennett.[/caption] HOME DECOR (AFTER M. PRESTON) #14, GORDON BENNETT, MCA When Gordon Bennett died in 2014, Australia lost one of its most important artists. This series of bold, abstract paintings, completed in 2012, was his final work. It challenges Margaret Preston's appropriation of Aboriginal designs for home decor in the 1920s, through the reappropriation and transformation of them into stunning, formalist art. Bennett was committed to exploring the postcolonial experience and confronting racist stereotypes at all levels of culture and society. [caption id="attachment_615644" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gunybi Ganambarr, Coastline of Grindall Bay (2016). Image courtesy the artist and Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre © the artist.[/caption] BUYKU AND GAPU BY GUNYBI GANAMBARR, AGNSW Walking among Gunybi Ganambarr's pieces, you experience a powerful sense of his Country — northeast Arnhem Land, where he works in the tiny community of Gängan. The centrepiece is a series of larrakitj (memorial poles), featuring miny'tji (sacred clan patterns). Their timber, earthy colours and natural textures contrast with the surrounding pieces, which are made of bits and pieces salvaged from mining and construction sites. One, titled Gapu, which is based on rubber from a conveyor belt but marked with miny'tji, is a symbol of conflicts over land rights. [caption id="attachment_615622" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Taloi Havini, Habitat, still, detail (2017). Image courtesy the artist and Andrew Baker Art Dealer © the artist. Image: Nicole Foreshew.[/caption] HABITAT BY TALOI HAVINI, AGNSW For ten minutes and 40 seconds, this mesmerising video installation carries you to Papua New Guinea's Panguna copper mine. Opened in 1972 by Bougainville Copper Limited, a subsidiary of Aussie company Conzinc Rio Tinto, the mine triggered a decade-long civil war between land owners and the PNG Defence Force, leaving 20,000 dead. Taloi Havini contrasts bird's eye views of poisoned waterways with those of healthy, tropical vegetation, and brings you close-up shots of the locals' experience: prospecting for gold and cooking in a toxic environment. [caption id="attachment_615633" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Richard Lewer, Never Shall Be Forgotten — A Mother's Story (still, detail) 2017. Image courtesy the artist, Sullivan+Strumpf and Hugo Michell Gallery © the artist.[/caption] NEVER SHALL BE FORGOTTEN — A MOTHER'S STORY BY RICHARD LEWER, CARRIAGEWORKS In 1983, John Pat, a 16-year-old Yindjabarndi man, died in police custody in Roebourne, Western Australia. He had been caught in a brawl outside the Victoria Hotel involving five off-duty officers and, despite the autopsy revealing that John had received ten blows to the head, the officers were acquitted three weeks later by an all-white jury. In this moving video installation, New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based artist Richard Lewer tells John's story through the eyes of his mother, Mavis Pat, drawing on a combination of hand-drawn animation, high-definition video and stereo sound. [caption id="attachment_615643" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ronnie van Hout, I know everything (detail) (2017). Installation view, The National 2017: New Australian Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney. Image courtesy the artist, Darren Knight Gallery and STATION Gallery © the artist. Photograph: Felicity Jenkins.[/caption] I KNOW EVERYTHING BY RONNIE VAN HOUT, MCA When you first walk into I Know Everything, you feel like you're entering a fun day care centre. After all, you're surrounded by life like, 3D sculptures of kids playing. But, look closer and you'll notice that their faces are too old for their bodies. And they all resemble one person: artist Ronnie Van Hout. This dynamic, unsettling work challenges traditional notions of self-portraiture. The National is showing at Art Gallery of NSW from 30 March-16 July, at Carriageworks from 30 March-25 June and at the MCA from 30 March-18 June. Starting with Carriageworks? Don't miss these five things to see there alone. Top image: Khadim Ali, standing in front of his work, The Arrival of Demons (2017). Installation view, The National 2017: New Australian Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2016, supported by Veolia Environmental Services. Image courtesy the artist and Milani Gallery © the artist. Phototograph: Ken Leanfore.
Sydney Fringe's 2018 program is ambitious — it features over 400 shows in more than 60 venues across six hubs and 21 postcodes. From the Oxford Street arts precinct — which will host 28 free gigs on opening night — to the Old 505 in Newtown to Friday night music events in Parramatta's CBD, the festival will have you zipping all over the city to cram in as much theatre, comedy, music and partying as possible in between September 1 and 30. There's a lot of ground to cover, but these events should help get you started.
Summer is close, and so is the summer festival season. Now is the time to sit down and have a long hard think about where you're going to allocate the festival money you've been saving up this year. We reccomend the ten below. Whether you're in Victoria over New Years Eve for Beyond the Valley, or taking a trip to Tasmania later in the summer to Party in the Paddock, these festivals tick all the boxes when it comes to camping facilities, scenery, amenities, crowds and of course, music. Just so you know, we're running a competition with Teva where you can win yourself a pair of their Arrowood boots, a tent, water bottle and a whole bunch of camping things that will make your life easier. Pack your tent and your 24-hour deodorant — it's summer festival season. LOST PARADISE December 29-31 Glenworth Valley, New South Wales Lost Paradise, held in the picturesque Glenworth Valley an hour from Sydney, has upheld an image as one of the more wholesome Australian music festivals. This is its third year, and it's set to be a banger. Lost Paradise is renowned for its food line-up, but it's well catered for in the camping department too, with the whole spectrum of outdoor living arrangements available — from super luxe glamping to renting a basic tent, with many stylish options in between. The holistic vibe appears in attractions like yoga, massages, sound baths, and kayaking. We're mostly loving the 2016 lineup though — Flight Facilities, Fat Freddy's Drop and Hot Chip are on it. Kapow. SOUTHBOUND January 8-10 Busselton, Western Australia Western Australia's Southbound is popular with people who like tents. You can bring your own esky and food (not booze unfortunately), you can camp with your car and there are have loads of amenities available to use over the three day event. The festival takes place a few hours drive outside of Perth, make a trip out of it and go wine tasting, surfing and sky-diving. This year's line up has Hermitude, Drapht and Boo Seeka, among many others. PARTY IN THE PADDOCK February 10-12 Burns Creek, Tasmania Party in the Paddock is yet another reason to love Tasmania. The festival takes place in White Hills, which is 25 minutes outside Launceston. The range of artists is huge — there's Sticky Fingers, Sampa the Great and The Bad Dad Orchestra, and then there's a huge number of spots reserved for new and upcoming acts. You'll likely find your new favourite band at PITP. It's known as one of the friendliest festivals going around, and there's free camping with a first in best dressed approach. See also: beer gardens, general stores, bathrooms, food and juice bars a plenty. MEREDITH MUSIC FESTIVAL December 9-11 Meredith, Victoria Starting in 1991, Meredith Music Festival takes place in the country town of Meredith, Victoria. It's one of the longest standing festivals there is, and it is blissfully free of commercial intervention. It's finest feature is the fact that it's BYO. Yes, you may bring your own alcohol. Camping is free and self-allocating. Meredith is a nature-focused festival that marches to its own beat. Its extremely strict "no dickhead policy" should be instated at all festival across Australia. Right on. There are massages, Tai Chi and an 'Arch of Love' at Meredith, as well as an outdoor cinema. Also, Peaches is playing. We're in. BEYOND THE VALLEY December 28 - January 1 Lardner, Victoria Having an energy supply tent area is sure to make your festival popular with campers. Beyond the Valley has one, it's called Electric City, and it certainly makes it a popular place to spend New Years Eve. It's free to camp, and the area has a pretty lovely view of Lardner Park in Victoria. There's the basic camping option, the luxury option, and the bell tent option. This year's lineup is killer — it's got Ladyhawke, Jarryd James, The Delta Riggs and Emma Louise. [caption id="attachment_589321" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Zakarij Kaczmarek.[/caption] SECRET GARDEN February 24-25 Brownlow Hill Farm, New South Wales With a a big emphasis on fancy dress and high detail costumes, Secret Garden is a 48-hour forest disco, and it's one of the most popular festivals going around. For those who like a condensed party full of shiny, colourful characters covered in glitter that look like disco tree fairies — the Garden might be your festival camping pick. Camping is free, tent hire is available and an always joyous list of acts is only announced after the festival sells out. It sells every year. That's confidence. PARADISE MUSIC FESTIVAL November 25-27 Marysville, Victoria Rather than going for the big names, Paradise music festival focuses on getting the smaller acts, so it's one for the music connoisseurs. The three day event is held in Victoria, and has views over the Great Dividing Range. It's a pretty self-sufficient affair for campers — BYO pretty much everything, which is great news for those who like to do camping their own way. There's an emphasis on local and unsigned acts and a strong level of industry alliance at Paradise, it's not to be missed for devotees or those looking to discover their new favourite band. STRAWBERRY FIELDS November 17-20 Tocumwal, New South Wales A celebration of art, sounds and creative expression, Strawberry Fields is an all encompassing sensory experience. A few hours outside of Melbourne, stages, venues and pop ups are like the pirate ship above are design-focused and curated to showcase art and music. There are workshops, experimental sounds, emerging artists and decor displays — this is an artistic-muso-camper's dream. It's one of the few festivals that allow RVs, teepees, tents, and caravans inside. MOUNTAIN SOUNDS February 17-18 Mount Penang Parklands, NSW One of the more boutique music and cultural festivals near the Central Coast in NSW, Mountain Sounds scored RUFUS as headliners this year. Cars and camper vehicles are allowed on the grounds, and tents can be hired for the weekend as well. The amenities are basic, but abundant, and while it doesn't have some of the flashier conveniences of the others, it has a low-key and unpretentious vibe. FALLS MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL New Years Eve New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia The Avalanches are just one of the artists who have just been announced in the full 2016 lineup for Falls Festival this year, alongside Childish Gambino, London Grammar, Grouplove, Broods, Jamie T, Parquet Courts and heaps, heaps more. As always, Falls will be heading to Lorne in Victoria for four nights, and Marion Bay in Tassie and Byron Bay on the NSW coast for three nights over New Year's Eve. They'll also be setting up shop in Fremantle for the first time with Falls Downtown, a two-day city festival slated to take place over the weekend of January 7-8. We're giving away a whole heap of camping gear, in collaboration with Teva. A pair of hiking boots, a tent, water bottle and a whole bunch of extras will come in very handy this festival season. Head here to enter.
You can spend this summer immersed in legendary Japanese artworks at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Its upcoming blockbuster exhibition, dubbed Japan Supernatural, is set to open on November 2 as part of the tenth Sydney International Art Series. Made up of more than 200 works from all over the planet, it's an exploration of the spirit world in Japanese art. Expect an immersive experience involving paintings, sculpture, prints, film, animation, comics and games. Leading the show is a monumental piece by Tokyo-born Takashi Murakami. He's a bit of an international rockstar, renowned for bringing together high and low art — much like Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol. Chances are, you first heard of him in the 1990s, when he launched the inaugural Superflat exhibition. Since then, he's been a prolific creator of paintings, drawings, sculptures and animations, and collaborated extensively with Louis Vuitton. Representing a much earlier era will be Katsushika Hokusai, born in Edo in 1760. His best-known piece is Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, a series of wood block prints that includes the now iconic Great Wave off Kanagawa. While can't reveal, yet, which of his pieces will be travelling to Sydney, we're hoping we get some of the works that were at Melbourne's NGV in 2017. Look out, too, for works by historical artists Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and Kawanabe Kyosai, as well as contemporary pop artist Chiho Aoshima and photographer Miwa Yanagi. The artworks are expected to be announced in early 2019, but, in the meantime, you can check out the ninth Sydney International Art Series, which includes paintings by Monet, Matisse and Picasso and a retrospective of South African photographer David Goldblatt's work. An installation view of the exhibition Japan Supernatural at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, November 2, 2019 until March 8, 2020. Photo: AGNSW/Jenni Carter
Summer is coming to an end, whether Sydneysiders and the recent thirty degree days like it or not. As temperatures cool, the second season of the FCxMCA also draws to a close on Sunday, April 10, and they're going out with their biggest show yet. For lucky ticketholders, the "all star lineup" will remain a secret until Sunday, but with the FC roster including the likes of Flume, Little Dragon, Chet Faker and Classixx, it's sure to be one big bang of a show. Held on the MCAs sculpture terrace, each of the monthly series has sold out for the second year running. This season saw kickass acts like Danish duo Kenton Slash Demon, African poet Sampa The Great and NYC's Anthony Naples. The collaboration between music, contemporary art and just an overall fun night out is a much needed cultural comeback in a locked out Sydney.
Hold onto your doughnuts and prepare to say ay, caramba! more than once, because the Sydney Opera House has a huuuuge headliner for this year's GRAPHIC festival: Matt Groening. The comedic cartoonist genius responsible for The Simpsons and Futurama will make his way to Australia for the very first time to speak at the two-day festival this November, which celebrates pop culture and graphic storytelling, animation and music. Considering most of us probably acquired the large majority of our pre-Internet knowledge on global popular culture from Groening's work (well, when we could wrangle watching The Simpsons instead of the 6pm news), it seems like a brilliant full circle that we're now able to see him speak IRL as adults. He will deliver a talk titled Secrets of The Simpsons, and a Couple of Milhouse Fun Facts, which will delve into the making of the show, include hardly-seen clips and apparently even some full-frontal cartoon nudity. He will also join a session with his friend and fellow cartoonist Lynda Barry. Other highlights from the GRAPHIC 2016 program include a screening of George Lucas' 1971 sci-fi epic THX 1138, which will be re-scored live by Asian Dub Foundation. There will be a heap of free talks from cartoonists including Leunig and First Dog on the Moon, as well as two film premieres from Neil Gaiman, who has previously called the festival "the smartest, wisest, most cutting-edge festival and celebration of narrative literature and its intersection with culture in the world".
Our city's biggest summer celebration of local and international talent has finally arrived – and you've managed to bag tickets! Good start, compadre. But as any regular arts-goer knows, finding pre- or post-show eats is a tricky business. That's why we've chosen our top places near the main Sydney Festival venues, so whether you're heading to the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent and see some cheeky cabaret, to Carriageworks for Nick Cave's immersive Until exhibition, Barangaroo to visit the giant Always sculpture or one of the many lunar exhibitions or Riverside Theatre for a 30s-inspire Shanghai circus, we've got your nosh needs covered. [caption id="attachment_643114" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jamie Williams[/caption] IF YOU'RE HEADING TO... MAGIC MIRRORS SPIEGELTENT OR CITY RECITAL HALL LONG CHIM RESTAURANT HUBERT INDU Seeing a show in Angel Place? Take a turn before China Lane. From here, head through a small door, and follow your nose down a few flights of dimly lit stairs. Indu, which takes its inspiration from the southern coastal regions of India, is owned by doctor, philanthropist and all-round hero Sam Prince. Indu's menu is refreshing, totally innovative and surprisingly light — a far cry from the heavy Indian curries that characterise most Indian restaurants in the city. MERCADO Previously head chef at the acclaimed Nomad and co-creator of ice creamery Good Times, Nathan Sasi blends fine dining finesse with a love of the rustic and a real hands-on approach at Mercado (nominated for Concrete Playground's Best New Restaurant in 2016). The laneway establishment does all their pickling, curing and smoking on-site and combines fresh produce with a modern, agreeably loose take on Moorish and Spanish food. IF YOU'RE HEADING TO... THE OPERA HOUSE OR ROSLYN PACKER THEATRE OPERA BAR D'uh. Pop by this revamped icon, given brand new life by Matt Moran last year. Equip yourself with a refreshing pomegranate and mint Sydney Sling ($18) and head outside to the sun-drenched deck where you and 699 other people can now find a seat. BENNELONG Peter Gilmore has ditched the fancy, fiddly techniques he's famous for (see: Snow Egg) and created an informal menu with approachable prices at the opera house. Bennelong has five different dining options to choose from. There's The Bar and The Circle for drinks and nibbles; Cured and Cultured, the casual dining option; The Restaurant, the main event; and The Kitchen, six VIP seats in the kitchen for a behind-the-scenes experience. Try the theatre dining option. GATEWAY SYDNEY If you've spent one too many nights wandering hungry around Circular Quay, dodging dodgy fish and chips and bad pizza, you'll welcome this place. This new $60 million precinct has been transformed by Woods Bagot Architects from a very average walk-past-worthy food court into a slick new dining area. The ground floor features Gelato Messina's first CBD store (sorry Gelatissimo), Four Frogs Creperie (ham and cheese galettes for brekkie, yes please) and a new outlet for Adriano Zumbo's pastries. Also featured is Roll'd, Workshop Espresso, The Gozleme Co. and health food outlet Urban Orchard, among a slew of others. WALSH BAY KITCHEN Walsh Bay Kitchen, within the Roslyn Packer Theatre, sits on the burgeoning food strip of Hickson Road. The space is slick with off-Broadway style: think parquetry floors and leather banquettes. The recessed lightboxes seem a nod to stage lights, casting dress circle moodiness. If mirth and merriment bars a thousand harms and lengthens life, there isn't a better reason to catch an end-of-season show and dig in here. Check out their Festival Feast. HOTEL PALISADE & HENRY DEANE Standing proud in Millers Point, the Hotel Palisade forms a unique and improbable part of Sydney's foreshore history; when it was built a century ago, it was the city's highest building. Now been revived with a smart new maritime design by Sibella Court, Hotel Palisade serves up pub food that avoids the familiar schnitzels and steak sandwiches and opts instead for snacks like creamy chicken liver pate with a sweet Young Henrys cider jelly ($12) or a beef brisket sanga ($18) with a mug of salt and vinegar chips. Venture upstairs for the swanky Henry Deane rooftop bar, with some of the best views in the whole city. THE GLENMORE The much loved local's-style pub remains on ground level, but as you head up the stairs towards the first level and rooftop terrace, you can see just how much this oldie has been spruced up. It has one of the best views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, along with some great pub food. IF YOU'RE HEADING TO... CARRIAGEWORKS RON'S UPSTAIRS REDFERN CONTINENTAL Redfern's day-to-night European diner is just a short walk from Carriageworks. Birthed by the guys who brought you Arcadia Liquors (just across the road on Regent), Redfern Continental really is a little bit of everything: the perfect neighbour in a suburb fast becoming an eclectic hub of food and drink in Sydney. RISING SUN WORKSHOP Tinker on your motorbike and slurp your way through bowel of ramen on the same premises at Rising Sun Workshop's permanent Newtown digs. For the uninitiated, Rising Sun is a social enterprise that serves two purposes. On one hand, it provides its motor-revving members with a communal space for repairing and polishing up their bikes. On the other, it's a café, serving coffee, cookies and seriously killer ramen. LEADBELLY Want more after the show? The space that once housed the infamous and much-loved Vanguard has been quickly revamped as Leadbelly. While the bar and restaurant is a new concept, it has fully embraced the building's history by offering live gigs Thursday through Sunday — for free. Leadbelly is a restaurant too, after all. The Southern US-style food menu is essentially a round-up of perfect gig snacks — think popcorn shrimp and smoked brisket po' boys. IF YOU'RE HEADING TO... PARRAMATTA/RIVERSIDE THEATRES EL-PHOENICIAN There may be cheaper Lebanese options along Parramatta's Church Street, but you're unlikely to find better quality than at El-Phoenician. Known for its generous servings and loud groups, this local institution is offering festivalgoers a Festival Feast menu of all your favourites. But if you'd like a little theatre with your tabouli, make sure you lock in a ticket to Hakawati, a performance set in the restaurant itself. THE EMPORIUM This bustling, dual-level food and wine mecca from the guys behind the Coffee Emporium franchise opened in January 2015, and still promises great things for festivalgoers and Parramatta locals alike. With a Mediterranean-inspired menu designed by chef Leon Volk and an international wine list, The Emporium has raised the bar for the area's main eats street. Don't go past the Festival Feast menu. SABU This contemporary Japanese restaurant and sake bar sports a sleek fitout and a prime position in the Eat Street district of Parramatta. The menu ranges from sushi, sashimi to robata, with cocktails, sake and sake flights on offer. Sabu is known to exhibit local artists and often surprises guests with live performances, so if you're looking for a culture-infused dinner spot to relax in ahead of your SydFest adventures, this is your go-to. NICK AND NORA'S If you're heading further along the line to Blacktown for Urban Theatre Projects' outstanding immersive show Home Country, do not eat dinner. Just saying. IF YOU'RE HEADING TO... BARANGAROO AND DARLING HARBOUR PIZZA DA MARIO POP-UP Over in the Cutaway, after you've finished soaking up the fake surf and sun of The Beach at Barangaroo, grab a next-level sausage sandwich from Newtown's Sausage Queen Chrissy Flanagan, or continue the nautical theme with a visit to Pizza da Mario Pop-Up, a Da Mario-run pizzeria disguised as a shipping container. Apparently this is for mobility purposes, but the novelty alone makes it worth a visit (there's a three-tonne pizza oven inside). BANKSII Sydney's first vermouth bar and bistro opened late last year at Barangaroo. Named after botanist Sir Joseph Banks, Banksii comes from the couple behind Asian fusion favourite Bar H in Surry Hills, chef Hamish Ingham and sommelier Rebecca Lines. They're bringing a slew of aperitifs and a mod Oz bent to the waterfront space — and we're loving it. The Barangaroo development itself is a bit sterile, but design firm Luchetti Krelle has done a good job warming the place up with soft coral and turquoise tones, cream and worn blue linen coverings and orange dangly lights. ANASON Turkish eatery Anason was the first permanent restaurant to open its sleek navy doors in the Barangaroo precinct. Nestled neatly in an unassuming alcove, Anason is immediately warm and inviting inside and out; the indoor area is largely dedicated to an open plan kitchen and wine storage so most diners eat outside in the open-air terrace. The innovative menu is stridently Turkish, showcasing authentic mezze plates characterised by bold flavours and even bolder colour palettes. LOTUS Dumpling masters Lotus Dining have officially joined Barangaroo's waterfront promenade. Now open in The Streets of Barangaroo, the restaurant is Lotus's third Sydney edition and, with 160 seats, its second largest. On the menu is a stack of established favourites as well as a bunch of new, Shanghai-influenced creations, dashed with Australian native ingredients. BELLE'S HOT CHICKEN Belles has made things permanent with Sydney, opening the doors on a 130-seat eatery in South Barangaroo. Seemingly all grown up (sorta), Belles operates as a restaurant now instead of a canteen counter, developed by OLA Architects (responsible for Melbourne's Bomba) and co-owners Morgan McGlone and Miranda Campbell. Think table service, space for larger groups, an expanded menu and Belles' infamous bedfellow: Australian natural wines. Not keen for a sit-down meal? You'll still be able to order takeaway from a separate, dedicated window. By the Concrete Playground team. Top image: Jamie Williams.
Every damn year, we wait for the big March announcement — which of the world's artists are heading to Sydney for our annual festival of lights? While the city sits awash with vibrant Vivid installations and projections, underground bars are heaving with live music, and festival headliners take the stage under the luminous Opera House sails. This year's impressive live music lineup features newcomers, stalwarts, and faces we haven't seen around here for a while. With most tickets going on sale to the public today, here's our pick of the bigger live shows to check out at Vivid LIVE this year — we'll take a look at the more intimate gigs and parties in the coming weeks. Trying for Sampha? Those tickets are long gone. We paused too. Act fast on these nine. By James Whitton, Libby Curran, Lauren Vadnjal and Shannon Connellan.
A real life Willy Wonka is on his way to Melbourne. Catalan designer Martí Guixé has made a name for himself at the intersection of food, art and design, with works ranging from flavoured postage stamps to breathable cuisine. Now the so-called father of food design will present his first major Australian exhibition at NGV International, in the form of a colourful, custom-designed kitchen designed to teach kids and families about their attitudes to what they eat. Running from mid-June until mid-September, the free interactive exhibition, entitled Fake Food Park: Martí Guixé for Kids, will consist of "hands-on activities and digital design challenges" that encourage visitors to "sprout new ideas for food concepts and flavours" — and create their very own 'Fake Food Park' menu. The exhibition will also feature a selection of Guixé's drawings and illustrations as well as his famous fruit-and-vegetable wallpaper, which has previously been featured in galleries including MoMA, Design Museum London and the National Art Centre Tokyo. "We are delighted to bring the ground-breaking ideas of Martí Guixé to the NGV Kids exhibition space," said NGV director Tony Ellwood. "Guixé is a pioneer in his field; designing, innovating and challenging notions of how we eat in often whimsical and surprising ways... Fake Food Park will ask budding young designers to think about the future of food and reconsider familiar food items, from inventing snacks which can be eaten underwater to drawing novel combinations of everyday ingredients." Find Fake Food Park at NGV International from June 11. For more information visit the NGV website.
It's 3pm. All you want right now is another a coffee. Or maybe a cronut. Or a freakshake, dammit. Or maybe, like, ten Arnott’s biscuits. Nope, can’t do that. Already had five. Is that the post-3pm slump blues whispering – nay, bellowing – in your ear? Really, by now, you should be kicking back at some secret swimming spot or under a waterfall. Especially in this hectic summer weather. We know. We know! But capitalism dictates you’ve another two hours to go before your boss is going to lay down that whip. So, you have to find a way to keep going. All that sweet, sugary, deliciousness might be looking like your only job-quitting-preventative-measure right now, but it’s a bad, bad idea. So, we’re riding to your rescue with five jack-jumping, healthy, healthy snacks. And it’s not all gustatory doom and gloom. We’ve picked these babies for their tastiness, not just their nutrition information panels. BANANA AND TAHINI This God-sent duo has all the creaminess and sweetness of ice cream but none of the refined sugar or saturated fat. Spread it across a piece of toast, throw it in the blender to make a smoothie or just eat it straight, dipping the banana in the jar. Tahini's got more goodness than Mother Teresa (go with it) — from calcium, magnesium, lecithin, potassium, protein and iron to Vitamins E, Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B15. If you've had a big night out, it'll help you liver to cope better, thanks to the detoxifying powers of methionine. And everyone knows bananas make you happy. PROTEIN BALLS Available in stacks of different flavours, the mighty protein ball can give any conventional, packeted treat a run for its money, taste-wise. And it also comes with a big ol' dose of protein, which does heaps of good stuff. Like building and repairing muscles, making enzymes, producing hormones and making sure your hair and nails grow (in fact, they're nearly all protein). YouFoodz makes an especially lip-smacking version, a salted caramel version that's actually good for you. It's packed with apricot, sultanas, dates and dark chocolate and coated in crispy bits of waffle wafer. FROZEN FRUIT Regular, room temperature fruit is an excellent substitute for lollies and biscuits. But, with a freezer, you can take things to a whole new, more satisfying, longer-lasting level. That said, you have to make sure you're freezing the right kinds. Grapes are a winner — they become firmer on the outside, yet stay relatively soft in the middle (depending on the temperature of your freezer). So, eating one's a bit like biting into a soft-centred jube or toffee. Bananas, oranges and mangoes are crackers, too. Apples and strawberries don't go so well, as they to get too hard, all the way through. Raspberries can work if left to thaw for a while. DIY TRAIL MIX Plenty of peanut-heavy, packeted trail mixes aren't too appetising — even if they are salutary. Others are peppered with sugary bits and bobs, like choc buds. So, go ahead and make your own. That way, you can tailor it to suit you and, at the same time, make sure there's nothing in there undoing your healthy intentions. Don't forget to add some seeds — sunflower ones give you Vitamin E, B1 and B6, copper, selenium and manganese, while in teeny-tiny sesame seeds, there's CoQ10, which helps keep your heart working and your energy levels booming. No time to DIY? Have a stash of pre-made bars ready to go — Youfoodz does a pretty top notch Supa Food Bar. KALE CHIPS Potato chips one of your go-to snacks? Break that salty, fatty habit with kale chips. You can even make them yourself, without too much hassle: toss a bunch of kale in a minimal amount of olive oil and pop it in the oven till it's crispy. Unless you've been under the Rock of Gibraltar, you'll know this superfood's many benefits by now. There's bucket loads of beta-carotene to help your eyesight, Vitamin C to fight bugs, Vitamin K to make sure your blood clots and Vitamin E, an antioxidant. Images: YouFoodz and Dollar Photo Club.
If seasonal change has left you in a dizzy headspin of new colours and fabrics and prints and jackets — or if, y'know, you just like some fancy new clothes now and then — you'll be pretty pleased to know that the Big Fashion Sale is back. Usually, it's a physical affair that takes place in Sydney; however like plenty of other events at the moment, the shopping extravaganza is going online for its next outing. The name pretty much says it all. This thing is big. You'll find a hefty array of lush items from past collections, samples and one-offs from a huge lineup of cult Australian and international designers, both well-known and emerging — including Romance Was Born, Alexander McQueen, Isabel Marant, The Row, Dion Lee, Dries Van Noten and more. With discounts from 40–80 percent off, this is one way to up your count of designer threads while leaving your bank balance sitting pretty, too — whether you're keen on clothes, shoes, swimwear or accessories. The Big Fashion Sale's online edition kicks off at 9am on Wednesday, July 15 on the event's website.
Victoria is truly a cornucopia of earthly delights. Just a few hours from the centre of Melbourne lie some of Australia's lushest landmarks – the Grampians, the Great Ocean Road and Wilsons Prom, to name a few. And yet something often stops us from getting out of the city. Whether it's a lack of time, a private vehicle, like-minded friends or camping equipment, it's easy to not take full advantage of our location and get out into nature. Enter Hike and Seek, a boutique tour company that take small groups on day adventures from Melbourne. After launching in September last year, co-founders James McCleery and Mette Kortelainen quickly realised they were onto something amazing. "We started with two tours and now we're doing six tours on a weekly basis," says James. "Generally we book every tour out…it's been an absolute dream for us." McCleery and Kortelainen live and breathe an outdoorsy lifestyle. They imagined Hike and Seek several years ago while hiking in Wilsons Prom and now spend six days a week leading hiking tours. Unlike big tour companies, Hike and Seek is a little more personal. With just eight people on a tour, you'll be picked up by a Kombi van named Olivia from either St Kilda or the CBD. From there on out, Hike and Seek provide everything, from equipment and ethically-sourced coffee from Supreme to fresh vegan food and snacks throughout the day. So where do they take you? McCleery and Kortelainen run full and half-day tours to some of the best hiking spots around Melbourne — Wilsons Promontory, the Otways, Cape Woolamai on Phillip Island, Mt Buller, the Grampians and the Mornington Peninsula all make the list. As the tour groups are so small, they're perfect for solo travellers and anyone looking to make new friends. But this isn't some tourist activity full of visiting families and rowdy groups of backpackers. "We thought our target marketing was the travellers and the backpacker, but we realised quickly that 70 percent of our market is Melbourne-based," says James. "We actually get a lot of corporate people. We get Airbnb customers and Melbourne-based people, who've just always wanted to do it — they've heard of Wilsons Prom or the Grampians, but they've never been. Or their friends bail last minute, or they don't have a car or they wanna do it with a group." Hike and Seek also offer something else you won't find with most big tour companies: delicious vegan food. Before becoming a full-time hiker, Mette studied nutrition in Helsinki, so all the food you'll chow down on is super healthy and animal product-free, and bound to give you plenty of energy to tear through your hike. "We're not preachers at all but so many people are so intrigued by it [the vegan food]," James says "They're there to get active and healthy as well, so there's a like minded group of people there who're embarking on a journey together". Come summer, they'll even be expanding to two- and three-day camping tours for those who CBFed buying a tent but crave time out from the city. All you have to worry about now is finding a comfy pair of shoes. Hike and Seek run tours from Melbourne most days of the week. Tours book out fast so you'll need to book in advance at hikeandseek.com.au. Love a good hike? Here's eight one-day hikes that you can do on your own from Melbourne.
He's created culinary delights for Cate Blanchett, David Beckham and U2, now chef Nelly Robinson (formerly of the Aria group) wants to cook for you. Snuggled in an underground bunker-style space in Surry Hills, Robinson's brand new London-like eatery nel. restaurant is the city's newest 'progressive dining' spot. Sitting on Wentworth Avenue on the border of Surry Hills, nel. works around an open, modern kitchen layout — you'll be able to see your nosh prepared from every seat in the house. Decked out with copper facades, exposed brickwork and minimalist leather booths, nel. is sure to be on the top of Sydneysider must-try lists. Food-wise, nel. is all about shaking things up. Robinson has worked with acclaimed Northern English chef Nigel Howarth (Northcote Manor, UK), so this is his own personal branch-out. Robinson's crafted a monthly rotating seasonal menu — right now we're talking venison carpaccio with a chocolate dust and pickled enoki mushrooms; slow-cooked and water bathed Tasmanian lobster with paprika and garlic butter, charred sweet corn and fresh mango; and blowtorched peach with elderflower sorbet and a buttermilk mousse. Accompanying the constantly changing menu is ten specially-matched wines — you'll be served two with each dish so you can experience different tastes (without the judgement-bait of having two wines at a time). nel. restaurant is located at 75 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills NSW 2000. nel. restaurant will be open for lunch Tuesday-Saturday 6pm-late, Thursday-Friday 12pm-3pm. For more info and bookings, call (02) 9212 2206 or visit the website.
As much as Mardi Gras is about the party and the parade, it just wouldn't be the same without Fair Day. Every year, up to 80,000 folks descend on Victoria Park for a day that's half picnic, half party. You'll want to bust out your brightest colours — being the only person who didn't dress up is no fun at all. From 10am on Sunday, February 17 there'll live performances from Electric Fields, Mojo Juju, Maribelle, The Marion Cranes and a whole load more, plus a pumpin' dance floor so that you can dance the day away. There'll also be over 200 stalls for food, bevvies and other delights, a fashions of the fair contest and an official after party. And, thanks to the return of Doggywood, your favourite four-legged buddy can also experience life in the spotlight. Does your fabulous pooch have what it takes to be crowned Best Dressed or Most Talented? Of course it does.
When we take that first sip of our barista-brewed coffee on a workday morning, a lot of us can't actually imagine living without coffee. But what about living without a roof over your head or a guaranteed meal? Unfortunately, this is what many homeless people around Australia face each day, but on Friday, August 5, you can help your fellow Aussies out simply by buying a coffee as part of CafeSmart. CafeSmart is an annual event from StreetSmart that raises money and awareness for the homeless and is back for its fourth year running. So how does it work? From every coffee purchased on August 5 at a participating cafe around Australia, $1 will be donated towards local projects. So if your go-to local isn't participating, shake things up for a day and head to one that is. Prefer a hot chocolate? You can also donate at the counter. Simply by aiming for a bighearted cafe, you'll be helping some of our country's most in-need humans, so treat yourself to a third or fourth coffee guilt-free. CafeSmart is happening around the country on Friday, August 5. Check the website for participating cafes near you.
Carriageworks and Vivid Sydney are joining forces again this year with their dining series, Sydney Table, which will take place in The Clothing Store's new creative space over four nights from Wednesday, June 14 through Saturday, June 17. Each evening will see one of Sydney's leading chefs present a menu paired with contemporary music, art and design in an interactive dining experience. The lineup of chefs they've wrangled up is quite impressive, though it's no surprise from curator Mike McEnearney — who, in addition to running Kitchen by Mike and No. 1 Bent Street, acts as the creative director for the Carriageworks Farmers Market. Chefs include Lankan Filling Station's O Tama Carey on June 14, Automata's Clayton Wells on June 15, Biota's James Viles on June 16 and rounding out the series is Moon Park's Ben Sears on June 17. While the menus will be decidedly different, from modern Australian to Sri Lankan and Korean, each chef will use fresh, locally sourced produce and each dinner will be paired with wine, liquor from Archie Rose Distilling Co. and Scotchmans Hill, and beer from Asahi. Sydney-based writer and FBi Radio presenter Lee Tran Lam will act as master of ceremonies for each dinner, and creative director Tony Assness has curated each night with artists, designers and musicians from the recently announced Artist Studio Program, which will compliment the menus and add a new level to this creative dinner. For all of this star power, tickets are expectantly expensive at $200 each, but include canapes and a gin cocktail on arrival, followed by a three-course degustation menu. Last year's series was sold out, so best get on to those tickets now. Image: Zan Wimberley.
Parts of a Lady, Gronk, Day Planner and Ali G Goes to Chicago aren't going to win any shiny trophies this year, because none of them exist. But, after getting a shoutout in Amy Poehler and Tina Fey's very amusing opening monologue at the 2021 Golden Globes, you'll wish these fictional flicks were either showing at a cinema near you or streaming on your platform of choice. They might be an improvement on some of the movies and TV shows that were nominated this year, after all. Poehler and Fey noted that "a lot of flashy garbage" was vying for a gong and, well, they're not wrong. It's always best to remember two things whenever entertainment awards roll around. Firstly, great movies and television shows, and the talents behind them, always remain that way whether they have the silverware to go with it or not. Secondly, finally valuing the exceptional work of women and people of colour in the entertainment industry after so long spent focusing on white men will always remain important. And, while the Golden Globes ceremony this year looked a little different to usual — it was held across both Los Angeles and New York, with Poehler and Fey split across the two cities; nominees called in via video from home in all their finery, rather than attending in person; and winners didn't physically put their hands on a statuette — it did give a heap of recognition to some very deserving folks. Seeing three women contending for Best Director, with Chloe Zhao emerging victorious for Nomadland, really was something special. So was the fact that the first two gongs of the night went to Daniel Kaluuya and John Boyega, two of the best actors working today. Chadwick Boseman's posthumous award was always going to be an emotional moment and, winning special accolades, both Norman Lear and Jane Fonda made moving speeches about their careers and the current state of the industry. Plenty of top-notch talents missed out as well, though, because that's the way these congratulatory proceedings always go — but from everything that emerged victorious, we've picked 12 films and TV shows for you to feast your eyes on as soon as possible. MOVIE MUST-SEES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSFpK34lfv0&feature=youtu.be NOMADLAND Frances McDormand is a gift of an actor. Point a camera her way, and a performance so rich that it feels not just believable but tangible floats across the screen. That's the case in Nomadland, which will earn her another Oscar nomination and could even see her win a third shiny statuette just three years after she nabbed her last for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Here, leading a cast that also includes real people experiencing the existence that's fictionalised within the narrative, she plays the widowed, van-dwelling Fern — a woman who takes to the road, and to the nomad life, after the small middle-America spot she spent her married life in turns into a ghost town when the local mine is shuttered due to the global financial crisis. Following her travels over the course of more than a year, this humanist drama serves up an observational portrait of those that society happily overlooks. It's both deeply intimate and almost disarmingly empathetic in the process, as every movie made by Chloe Zhao is. This is only the writer/director's third, slotting in after 2015's Songs My Brothers Taught Me and 2017's The Rider but before 2021's Marvel flick Eternals, but it's a feature of contemplative and authentic insights into the concepts of home, identity and community. Meticulously crafted, shot and performed, it's also Zhao's best work yet, and the best film of 2020 as well. GLOBES Won: Best Motion Picture — Drama, Best Director — Motion Picture (Chloe Zhao) Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama (Frances McDormand), Best Screenplay — Motion Picture (Chloe Zhao) Nomadland returns to cinemas from March 4, after a sneak preview season in late December and early January. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbE96sCJEjo MINARI Remember the name Lee Isaac Chung. Minari isn't the writer/director's first feature — with 2007's Munyurangabo, 2010's Lucky Life and 2012's Abigail Harm already on his resume — but it's the kind of intimate, heartfelt and resonant movie that cements its filmmaker as a top cinematic talent to watch. Remember the name Alan S Kim, too. The child actor makes his film debut here, but he steals every scene he's in. Considering that he's acting opposite Steven Yeun (Burning), who turns in his latest excellent performance and will hopefully nab an Oscar nomination for his efforts, that's no minor feat. Remembering Minari in general is a given, actually. It's so detailed, vivid and honest, and yet also so universal at the same time. Based on Chung's own upbringing, this tender drama follows the Yi family (which also includes My Unfamiliar Family's Yeri Han and first-timer Noel Cho) as they move to Arkansas to start their own farm. It's a movie about chasing the American Dream, but don't go thinking that you've seen this tale before, or seen any similar story told with such feeling either. The film's overall story can be summarised neatly, but Minari's many deep and thoughtful charms and triumphs aren't ever simplistic. Indeed, as features influenced by personal real-life tales can be at their best, this is a gorgeously and thoughtfully detailed picture, with Chung realising that trading in specific minutiae is far more compelling and relatable than opting for sweeping generalisations. GLOBES Won: Best Motion Picture — Foreign Language Minari is currently screening in cinemas. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSjtGqRXQ9Y JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH The last time that Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield appeared in the same film, Get Out was the end result. Their shared scene in Jordan Peele's Oscar-winning horror movie isn't easily forgotten — if you've seen the feature, it will have instantly popped into your head while you're reading this — and neither is Judas and the Black Messiah, their next collaboration. With Kaluuya starring as the Black Panther Party's Illinois Chairman Fred Hampton and Stanfield playing William O'Neal, the man who infiltrated his inner circle as an informer for the FBI, the pair is still tackling race relations. Here, though, the duo does so in a ferocious historical drama set in the late 60s. The fact that O'Neal betrays Hampton definitely isn't a spoiler here; it's a matter of fact, and the lens through which writer/director Shaka King (Newlyweeds) and his co-scribes Kenneth Lucas, Keith Lucas (actors on Lady Dynamite) and Will Berson (Scrubs) view the last period of Hampton's life. Anchored by two fierce performances that stand out in their own ways — with Kaluuya commanding the screen during every single one of his real-life character's speeches, and Stanfield playing conflicted with a raw, nervy air — Judas and the Black Messiah does what only the best movies that look back at the past and its many problems manage. It roves its eyes over events gone by, shines a spotlight the rampant oppression and the struggle against it, and condenses a wealth of information into a gripping feature. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Daniel Kaluuya) Nominated: Best Original Song — Motion Picture (Tiara Thomas, HER and D'Mile, 'Fight for You') Judas and the Black Messiah opens in cinemas on March 11 — check back for our full review then. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ord7gP151vk MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM Chadwick Boseman, Oscar-winner. That combination of words is very likely to become a posthumous reality for the late, great actor, thanks to his last screen role. Boseman is just that phenomenal in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. He has earned that term before in Get on Up, Black Panther and Da 5 Bloods, but his performance in this stage-to-screen production is such a powerhouse effort that it's like watching a cascading waterfall drown out almost everything around it. He plays trumpeter Levee Green, who is part of the eponymous Ma Rainey's (Viola Davis, Widows) band. On a 1920s day, the always-nattering, big-dreaming musician joins Ma — who isn't just a fictional character, and was known as the Mother of Blues — and the rest of his colleagues for a recording session. Temperatures and tempers rise in tandem in the Chicago studio, with Levee and Ma rarely seeing eye to eye on any topic. Davis is in thundering, hot-blooded form, while Colman Domingo (If Beale Street Could Talk) and Glynn Turman (Fargo) also leave a firm impression. It's impossible take your eyes off of the slinkily magnetic Boseman though, as would prove the case even if he was still alive to see the film's release. Adapting the play of the same name by August Wilson (Fences), director George C Wolfe (The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks) lets Boseman farewell the screen with one helluva bang. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama (Chadwick Boseman) Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama (Viola Davis) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs--6c7Hn_A SOUL Released early in 2020, Onward definitely wasn't Pixar's best film — but Soul, its straight-to-streaming latest movie that capped off the past year, instantly contends for the title. The beloved animation studio has always excelled when it takes big leaps. Especially now, a quarter-century into its filmmaking tenure, its features prove particularly enchanting when they're filled with surprises (viewers have become accustomed to seeing toys, fish, rats and robots have feelings, after all). On paper, Soul initially seems similar to Inside Out, but switching in souls for emotions. It swaps in voice work by Tina Fey for Amy Poehler, too, and both movies are helmed by director Peter Docter, so there's more than one reason for the comparison. But to the delight of viewers of all ages, Soul is a smart, tender and contemplative piece of stunning filmmaking all on its own terms. It's Pixar at its most existential, and with a strikingly percussive score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to further help it stand out. At its centre sits aspiring jazz musician-turned-music teacher Joe (Jamie Foxx, Just Mercy). Just as he's about to get his big break, he falls down a manhole, his soul leaves his body, and he's desperate to get back to chase his dreams. Alas, that's not how things work, and he's saddled with mentoring apathetic and cynical soul 22 (the always hilarious Fey) in his quest to reclaim his life. GLOBES Won: Best Motion Picture — Animated, Best Original Score — Motion Picture (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste) Soul is available to stream via Disney+. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lkCCo63nhM I CARE A LOT Last month, we said that Rosamund Pike may not end up with many shiny statuettes for her efforts in I Care a Lot. We also said that her Golden Globe nomination was thoroughly well-deserved. The Radioactive and Gone Girl star is stellar in a tricky part in a thorny film — because this dark comic-thriller isn't here to play nice. Pike plays Marla Grayson, a legal guardian to as many elderly Americans as she can convince the courts to send her way. She's more interested in the cash that comes with the job, however, rather than actually looking after her charges. Indeed, with her girlfriend and business partner Fran (Eiza González, Bloodshot), plus an unscrupulous doctor on her payroll, she specifically targets wealthy senior citizens with no family, gets them committed to her care, packs them off to retirement facilities and plunders their bank accounts. Then one such ploy catches the attention of gangster Roman Lunyov (Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones), who dispatches his minions to nudge Marla in a different direction. She isn't willing to acquiesce, though, sparking both a game of cat and mouse and a showdown. Dinklage makes the most of his role, too, but I Care a Lot is always the icy Pike's movie. Well, hers and writer/director J Blakeson's (The Disappearance of Alice Creed), with the latter crafting a takedown of capitalism that's savagely blunt but also viciously entertaining. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy (Rosamund Pike) I Care a Lot is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rsa4U8mqkw BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM Of all the twists and turns that 2020 delivered, the arrival of a new Borat movie ranked among the most unexpected. Watching Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, however, it's obvious why the famed fictional Kazakh journalist made a comeback at that very moment — that is, just before the US election. Once again, Borat travels to America. Once again, he traverses the country, interviewing everyday people and exposing the abhorrent views that have become engrained in US society. Where its 2006 predecessor had everyone laughing along with it, though, there's also an uneasy and even angry undercurrent to Borat Subsequent Moviefilm that's reflective of these especially polarised times. It's worth noting that Sacha Baron Cohen's last project, 2018 TV series Who Is America?, also used the comedian's usual interview technique to paint a picture of the US today, and the results were as astute as they were horrifying. There are plenty of jokes in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which bases its narrative around Borat's attempt to gift his 15-year-old daughter (instant scene-stealer Maria Bakalova) to Vice President Mike Pence and then ex-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani to help get Kazakhstan's own leader into President Donald Trump's good graces, but this is the unflinching work of a star passionate about making a statement. GLOBES Won: Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy (Sacha Baron Cohen) Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy (Maria Bakalova) Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is available to stream now via Amazon Prime Video. SMALL SCREEN BINGES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcqItifbNUA SMALL AXE British filmmaker Steve McQueen hasn't directed a bad movie — and, even after dropping five new features as part of the Small Axe anthology, that hasn't changed. The director of Hunger, Shame, 12 Years a Slave and Widows gifts viewers a quintet of films that are as exceptional as anything he's ever made, with every entry in this new series taking place in England, in the 60s, 70s and 80s, with London's West Indian community at its centre. The first, Mangrove, tells an infuriating true tale about a police campaign to target a Caribbean restaurant in Notting Hill. From there, Lovers Rock spends time at a house party as two attendees dance into each other's orbits, and Red, White and Blue follows a young forensic scientist who decides to join the force to change from the inside. Next, Alex Wheatle explores the life of the award-winning writer of the same name, while Education unpacks unofficial moves to segregate children of colour in schools. There's no weak link here — only stunning, stirring, standout cinema that tells blistering tales about Black London residents doing everything it takes to resist their racist treatment. Every film is sumptuously shot, too, thanks to cinematographer Shabier Kirchner (Bull), and the cast spans everyone from Lost in Space's Shaun Parkes and Black Panther's Letitia Wright to Star Wars' John Boyega. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Supporting Role (John Boyega) Nominated: Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television All five Small Axe films are available to stream via Binge. It's streaming soon in NZ. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u7EIiohs6U TED LASSO What do Parks and Recreation, Wellington Paranormal and Ted Lasso all have in common? They're all stellar examples of kind-hearted TV sitcoms that are an absolute delight to watch. By now, the first two aforementioned shows have already established a legion of fans, but the third series listed above — a 2020 newcomer — definitely belongs in the same company even just based on its ten episodes so far. Starring a gloriously optimistic Jason Sudeikis as the titular character, the comedy follows its main figure during a period of transition. A college-level American football coach, he's just been hired by struggling English Premier League team AFC Richmond, despite having zero knowledge of soccer. He's actually been recruited for the role by the club's new owner, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham, Game of Thrones), who received the organisation as part of her divorce settlement and is determined to tank it to spite her slimy ex (Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony Stewart Head). For much of his career, Sudeikis has excelled at playing thorny, jerkish characters (see: the terrific Colossal) who initially seem likeable. And yet, he's pitch-perfect here, and Ted Lasso as a whole proves just as spot-on. Also featuring excellent work from Brett Goldstein (Doctor Who) and Juno Temple (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) as an ageing player and a young hotshot's girlfriend, this is a smart, funny and warm gem. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy (Jason Sudeikis) Nominated: Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy Ted Lasso is available to stream via Apple TV+. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0uWS6CnC2o SCHITT'S CREEK The idea behind Schitt's Creek is immensely straightforward, and also incredibly obvious. If one of the obscenely wealthy families that monopolises all those trashy reality TV shows was suddenly forced to live without their money, like the rest of us, how would they cope? If you're thinking "not well", you're right. If you're certain that seeing the results would be amusing, you're on the money again. As envisaged by father-son duo — and the program's stars — Eugene and Daniel Levy, that's the scenario the Rose crew finds itself in, including moving to the titular town that it happens to own as a last resort. Yes, as the name gives away, they're in a sticky situation. The adjustment process isn't easy, but it is very, very funny, and remained that way for the show's entire six-season run before wrapping up in 2020. And, although plenty of other credits on her resume have made this plain (such as Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman and For Your Consideration, all also with Eugene Levy), the great Catherine O'Hara is an absolute comedy powerhouse as the Rose family matriarch. She now has both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her performance here, too. GLOBES Won: Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy, Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy (Catherine O'Hara) Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy (Eugene Levy), Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Supporting Role (Dan Levy), Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Supporting Role (Annie Murphy) Schitt's Creek is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiXEpminPms THE CROWN When we say that fans of The Crown had been particularly looking forward to the show's fourth season, that isn't meant as a criticism of anything that preceded it. No disrespect is directed towards the regal drama's previous episodes, or to the past cast that took on the program's main roles before an age-appropriate switch was made at the beginning of season three. But, now more than halfway through the program's planned six-season run, this latest chapter focuses on two big showdowns that changed the shape of the royal family in the 80s. Firstly, Queen Elizabeth II (Oscar-winner Olivia Colman) and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (The X-Files icon Gillian Anderson) don't quite see eye to eye, to put it mildly. Also, with Prince Charles' (God's Own Country's Josh O'Connor) marriage to Lady Diana Spencer (Pennyworth's Emma Corrin) a big plot point, the latter clashes with the entire royal establishment. Among a cast that also includes Helena Bonham Carter (Enola Holmes) and Tobias Menzies (Outlander), Colman, Anderson, O'Connor and Corrin are all exceptional — and in a show that's always been buoyed by its performances, that's saying something. GLOBES Won: Best Television Series — Drama, Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Drama (Emma Corrin), Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Drama (Josh O'Connor), Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Supporting Role (Gillian Anderson) Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Drama (Olivia Colman), Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Supporting Role (Helena Bonham Carter) The Crown is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDrieqwSdgI THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT In much of The Queen's Gambit, Beth Harmon sits at a chessboard. As a child (Isla Johnston), she demands that orphanage janitor Mr Shaibel (Bill Camp, The Outsider) teach her the game. As a teenager (Anya Taylor-Joy, Radioactive), she earns a reputation as a chess prodigy. As her confidence and fame grows, she demonstrates her prowess at tournaments around America and the globe, while also spending her spare time hunched over knights, rooks, bishops and pawns studying moves and tactics. None of the above sounds like innately thrilling television unless you're a chess grandmaster, but this seven-part miniseries proves that you should never judge a show by its brief description. Based on the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, written and directed by Oscar-nominee Scott Frank (Out of Sight, Logan), and dripping with lavish 50s and 60s decor and costuming to reflect its period setting, The Queen's Gambit doesn't expect that all its viewers will be chess aficionados; however, it's made with a canny awareness that anything can be tense, suspenseful and involving — and that every different type of game there is says much about its players and devotees. The series doesn't lack in creative and inventive ways to depict chess on-screen. It knows when to hang on every single move of a pivotal game, and when to focus on the bigger story surrounding a particular match or Beth path through the chess world in general. And it's especially astute at illustrating how a pastime based on precision and strategy offers an orphaned girl a way to control one lone aspect of her tumultuous and constantly changing life. GLOBES Won: Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television (Anya Taylor-Joy) The Queen's Gambit is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review.
Vivid Sydney is really cranking it up this year. A kaleidoscopic festival program of light, music and ideas, Vivid's 2015 plans will have you squealing over social and locking in dates. Now staged in four new precincts (Chatswood, Central Park, Pyrmont and expansion in Sydney University), as well as the usual harbourside suspects, Vivid is back for another year of technicolour merriment and reignited appreciation of your city. So what's in store? LIGHT Alongside the predictably mind-blowing projections on the Sydney Opera House sails (Universal Everything), the Museum of Contemporary Art (Danny Rose and Rebecca Baumann this time), and Cadman's Cottage (a 20 multiplayer game this year, just casually), Vivid has some pretty talk-worthy surprises in store. Chatswood will be turned into an aquatic wonderland with giant 3D sea creature projections, you'll be able to 'paint' the skyscrapers in Circular Quay, and the ever-popular Light Walk will feature glow swings, an interactive game of duck, duck goose, musical 'beat dice', playable piano stairs, floating fibre optic dresses from Korean artist Taegon Kim and the obligatory selfie stage (with a 'You Are Here' arrow sign). At Central Park, artists Rekko Rennie and Beastman will project on to the Carlton and United Brewery Facade, and there'll be silent discos on the lawn every Friday and Saturday night. Martin Place will once again be a super pretty illuminated food precinct, and Pyrmont Park will let you let off 'digital fireworks' and project yourself on the casino singing karaoke. Plus, the BBC's Life Story projected on the Argyle Cut sounds just about as beautiful as a weeknight gets. MUSIC Music-wise, this year's Vivid program is equal parts supersuperstars in supersupervenues to loved and local party nights around the city. For Vivid LIVE, the big names came tumbling out of today's announcement. Joining the already announced king gloomsayer Morrissey, eclectic folk dreamboat Sufjan Stevens, immortal art rockers TV on the Radio, Aussie legends Hoodoo Gurus, gravelly folkster Bill Callahan, new album-touter Daniel Johns, longtime shredders The Drones, Sydney hypecards The Preatures, garage go-tos Royal Headache and electronic powerhouse Mad Racket. Red Bull Music Academy are throwing The Studio's opening night, where Future Classic are set to celebrate their tenth anniversary with Flight Facilities, Seekae, Hayden James, Touch Sensitive, George Maple and Flume's only Australian concert for the year; alongside all the Astral People, Elefant Traks label Studio parties we love. Around the city, there's a whole bunch of luminous shindiggery to be had, with Vivid Music this year curated by Sydney radio host, DJ and all-round legend Stephen Ferris. Modular's hugely successful Modulations mini-festival is coming back to Carriageworks after a huge Pet Shop Boys year in 2014, this time with Grace Jones at the helm. This year, the crew are also bringing together Sydney club nights Kooky, Motorik and Pelvis and inviting headliner American jazz saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders to make good use of those Carriageworks acoustics. Freda's will see the return of Sydney's favourite twist-happy party Jingle Jangle and the special performance of Andras Fox under his New Age alter ego A.R.T. Wilson. Goodgod Small Club will see newcomer Oh Reach's debut concert alongside Terry Serio's Ministry of Truth and Spookyland, while Oxford Art Factory showcases brand new Sydney label Personal Best Records (including the Personal Best Orchestra, a ten-piece all live disco electro orchestra with vintage sythesisers). One of the biggest Sydney parties around, Heaps Gay will hold an epic bash at Marrickville's Factory Theatre with the likes of KIM from The Presets, Black Vanilla DJs, Catlips and The Magda Subanskis, and Soul of Sydney are set to hold a huge block party just for Vivid (more details to come). IDEAS Switching on your brain as well as the lights, Vivid Ideas has a chockers program of talks, seminars and conferences to get you right into the global creative conversation. 'The Game-Changers' series will see Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, Monocle and Wallpaper founder Tyler Brule and Rolling Stones/HBO designer Stefan Sagmeister chatting about their wildly overachieving existence. There's going to be a huge one-day conference at Carriageworks to examine the key factors needed to create a 'Southern Hemisphere Silicon Valley'. And the ever-popular Vivid Ideas Exchange is back, with Cool Hunting founders chatting about connecting creatively with consumers, Auxilio Venture Lab talking about the ethics of data usage for Australian business and government (timely), Junkee teaching you 'How to Survive Without a Real Job' and MTV asking if boredom fosters creativity. Phew. There's plenty more to Vivid Sydney's 2015 program than we can fit here, running May 22 - June 8. For the full schtick, head to the Vivid website.
After you've wandered the laneways, marvelled at the MCA facade and Instagrammed every last installation, one of our favourite, favourite parts of Vivid Sydney is making our way to the annual Studio parties taking over the depths of Sydney Opera House. And this year, things have truly gone up a serious notch. The Studio has been taken over by the expert party purveyors at Red Bull Music Academy for a five-day explosion of the best dance and electronic acts around. That's right, FIVE back-to-back underground parties this year — and one is free. To kick things off, there's a free opening night party, featuring Onra, Dreems (live debut), The Goods, Sui et Sui and Physique. Sydney beats collective Mad Racket returns the following night, breaking a three-year absence with a nod to their formative roots from their days in the '90s at the Marrickville Bowling Club. Bringing back the crew's first ever international guest Matthew Herbert, expect classic dance tracks and appearances from Jimmi James, Zootie, Ken Cloud and Simon Caldwell. Goodgod's Minceteria! promises much New York-style voguing as Goodgod Small Club and House of Mince team up with House of Ladosha and Melbourne's funky junk duo Zanzibar Chanel to morph The Studio into a dungeon-like ballroom. Longtime Studio party throwers Astral People have invited Robert Owens, Amir Alexander, Ben Fester and Preacha to provide the deep house rhythms and dance party anthems. And last but not least, hip-hop/electro-fusion label Elefant Traks have invited Joyride, L-Fresh The LION, Jateehazard, DJ MK-1, Adit and Dggz to round out the RBMA roulette for this year. RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY VIVID STUDIO PARTIES: RBMA Free Opening Night Party feat. Onra / Dreems (Live Debut) / The Goods / Sui Et Sui / Physique 22 May, 9pm - Free (with registration) Mad Racket feat. Herbert (Live) / Zootie / Jimmi James / Ken Cloud / Simon Caldwell 23 May, 9pm - $40 Goodgod Minceteria! feat. House of Ladosha / Zanzibar Chanel / Victoria Kim / Sle Feat. Bhenji R? / Ariane / Kato 29 May, 9pm - $40 Astral People feat. Robert Owens (Fingers, Inc.) / Amir Alexander / Ben Fester / Preacha 30 May, 9pm - $40 Elefant Traks feat. Joyride / L-Fresh The LION / Jayteehazard / DJ MK-1 / Adit / Dggz 31 May, 6pm - $30
From shark-infested waters to the catacombs of Paris, Airbnb isn't short of peculiar places where you can spend the night. But for anyone who grew up in the late eighties or early nineties, their latest listing might be their most exciting yet. As part of the marketing push for the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, visitors to New York can crash in an apartment inspired by the turtles' secret lair. Located in lower Manhattan, the three bedroom apartment has been decked out with all the amenities a turtle fan could desire. We're talking retro arcade games, bunk beds and a glow in the dark basketball court, as well as free swag on departure and pizza delivery free of charge. Of course if this was a true TMNT experience it'd be located in a sewer... but we suppose we can forgive them for playing fast and loose with the mythology under the circumstances. Best of all, for every guest that makes a booking, the half-shell hosts will make a donation to PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center. Now the bad news: the lair has already been completely booked up. Bummer bros. Bummer.
Those who were mad fans of Bill Cunningham, or watched and loved the 2010 documentary Bill Cunningham: New York (that Venn diagram is probably a single circle), would be unsurprised to hear that the legendary fashion photographer was still shooting less than a month before his death last Saturday. Cunningham's tenacity and single-minded focus, along with his modesty and warmth were just some of the things that made the street style photographer such a joy to watch. As a reporter and historian of fashion he displayed an extraordinary depth of understanding of his subject. It's a little dismaying therefore to discover that finding photos taken by Bill Cunningham is harder than you might expect. Trawl the usual channels (Google, Tumblr, Pinterest) and inevitably nearly every image will contain a telltale flash of blue — the French workman's jacket that Cunningham made his now-iconic uniform. Though I can't blame anyone for wanting to swoon over Cunningham himself, it seems fitting to honour the reluctant celebrity by turning our attention back to his work — if nothing else, there's no doubt that's what he would have preferred. [caption id="attachment_578295" align="alignnone" width="1280"] William J. Cunningham, Facades, Penguin Books, 1978.[/caption] NEW YORK IS ITS OWN STAGE Cunningham's muse, friend and co-star Editta Sherman poses in full Edwardian get-up in this shot from Cunningham's 1978 book Facades. Many of the photographs from the book depict authentic period costumes (which Cunningham himself had collected) placed against a backdrop of iconic New York architecture. The photos are contemplation on a city that, perhaps more than any other, has made progress and modernity into an aesthetic. Though Cunningham is better known for his (generally) unstaged street photography, this photo of the Lady Bracknell-esque Sherman includes elements of the photographer's sense of humour which are familiar. Note the advertisement hanging on the graffitied subway car above Sherman: "A woman of good taste". [caption id="attachment_578296" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Bill Cunningham, Vogue, (Conde Nast, March 1974).[/caption] AMERICAN FASHION "OOZES VITALITY" If you're interested in 20th century fashion history then don't walk, RUN to watch this 2014 interview in which Cunningham describes "the most exciting fashion show" of his life. Cunningham is momentarily reduced to tears as he recalls details of the 1973 'Battle of Versailles' fashion show, in which French and American designers were pitted against one another. The two nations' designers represented two different fashion ideologies, and Cunningham wasn't shy about naming his victor. In the Chicago Tribune, he wrote that the Yanks "devastated" their French counterparts, with their "uncluttered American taste oozing vitality". Halston was among the American contingent who showed at Versailles, and though this 1974 photograph by Cunningham displays the more overt, embellished glam of the coming decade, one can still recognise in the dress' cut the kind of simplicity of design that Cunningham was still championing 40 years later. [caption id="attachment_578297" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Bill Cunningham, 'Make Your Own Art: On the Street', New York Times (OCT. 31, 2014)[/caption] FASHION NEEDS EXPERIMENTATION TO AVOID SIMPLY BEING COMMERCE So here's a fun fact: Bill Cunningham literally invented the application of the word 'deconstructionism' to fashion (Bonnie English, Japanese Fashion Designers: The Work and Influence of Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo, Berg, 15 Aug. 2013 , p.170). It is a rare thing indeed to encounter someone with so fierce, varied and long-lasting an appetite for fashion. In a 1989 video interview, Cunningham described how he first recognised parallels between the early 1980s designs of Rei Kawakubo, and the clothes worn by New York's homeless women. His tone is not uncritical as he makes this extraordinary observation, but you can also detect his exhilaration as he goes on to make a further link to the proportions of medieval European dress. More recently in his 'On The Street' video series for the New York Times, Cunningham showed his continued fascination with the avant-garde by comparing the red of mainstream fashion to Kawakubo's "blood and roses". He concluded: "Fashion as we know it today is absolutely commerce. Very little artistic expression. Lots of it is very beautiful and women look wonderful in it. There's nothing wrong with that! But you have to have this wild experimentation." [caption id="attachment_578300" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Bill Cunningham, 'Dashing', New York Times (February 24, 2012).[/caption] COLOUR IS POWERFUL AND DEMANDS YOUR RESPECT Many of Cunningham's most enticing collage spreads for the New York Times were based around a colour theme. Cunningham sensitivity to and appreciation of colour was something else. In 1965, the New York Times reported on a presentation given by Cunningham at Carnegie Recital Hall (the same building in which he lived and from which he was evicted in 2010). Cunningham spoke to an audience of fashion designers and students and described the colours he had seen at the recent Paris couture shows. To illustrate the colours he "sliced a pumpkin in half, peeled a banana and held up a raw beefsteak to illustrate the major colours…", documented by Bernadine Morris in her 'Two Views on Fashions: One Scholarly, One Pop' piece. Cunningham never lost his voracious appetite for fashion, and it's hard to imagine that we'll see his like again.
The thought of Christmas shopping may send even the calmest among us into a panic stricken daze. Those final few weeks before the 25th approaches bring to mind memories of sweltering traffic jams in Westfield car parks, crabby sales assistants, tinny Christmas carols played on repeat everywhere you go and those condescending looks from the more organised folk who got their Christmas shopping done back in October. You know who you are. It's kind of hard to get into the Christmas spirit with all this pressure of buying your loved ones Christmas gifts that they won't secretly return. Fortunately, one of our favourite neighbourhood art collectives, Le Petit Bateau, has collaborated with Lais Marques and Party Collective to bring us something a little different this year. Introducing the M Market. Set in the beachside suburb of Maroubra Beach, the M Market is an outdoor cornucopia of art, music and food. Discover some local artists, listen to some live tunes (that aren't Christmas carols) and enjoy the unique fare from a food truck, or three. The market is proudly created and run by artists, and provides a great opportunity to pick up a unique gift handcrafted by the very human standing in front of you. Not a crabby sales assistant or plastic Christmas tree in sight. The M Market will be running on November 27 2016 at the Maroubra Bowling Club, Maroubra Beach. Festivities will start at 9am and kick on until 9pm. Entry is free.
Not content with a run-of-the-mill cuppa? Find your people at the Sydney Tea Festival, returning to Carriageworks this month for the third year running. Off the back of their successful venture into Melbourne this May, this wildly popular festival is back with a characteristically eclectic 2016 program. There's a number of offerings for seasoned specialty tea-lovers and advocates of the humble tea bag alike across its market and workshops. Entry to the tea market includes a tasting cup, which will almost certainly come in handy when sampling brews from over 50 stallholders, including T2 (who you'd be sneakily sampling in-store on a weekend anyway), Sticky Chai, T Totaler, Rabbit Hole, Bodhi Organic Tea, Tippity and LongLeaf Tea Vodka (which is exactly what it sounds like). In addition to a variety of specialty loose-leaf tea and herbal tisanes, visitors will find tempting food stalls and tea ware in the market from Black Star Pastry, Bloodwood and Bodum among others. Those wanting to delve further into the uses and brewing of tea should check out the festival's workshops. Try your hand at some divination while waiting for your Hogwarts letter with the tea leaf reading workshop. If you would rather drink the tea than read it, other workshop offerings include bespoke chai blending, tea and chocolate pairing, as well as talks about the history of tea. Cap off the day with a cup of tea in the brew lounge, knowing you've made a stellar contribution to the 7.7 billion cups of tea likely to be sold in Australia this year.
