Ease your way into the Easter long weekend with a film, cocktail and music at Golden Age Cinema and Bar. The main act of the evening is a screening of Hail The New Puritan (1987), starting at 7pm on Thursday, March 24. Directed by Charles Atlas, this off-the-wall film tells the story dancer and choreographer Michael Clark, who hails from Aberdeen, Scotland. It's part-art flick, part-documentary and delves deep into Clark's life beyond the stage, drawing together interviews, rehearsals and performance preparation, as well as bowls of fruit and spots, spots, spots. Artist and fashion designer Leigh Bowery took care of production design, while the soundtrack was the work of The Fall and Glenn Branca, among others. Pelvis DJs are the brains behind this event and they'll be playing in the bar all night long.
Summer may be at an end, but you can continue to revel in the still-warm mornings with sunrise yoga and exercise classes on the Sydney Opera House steps. The ten-week program — which follows a sell-out trial run in 2016 — kicks off on March 13 with classes running four days a week. Yoga will be led by Crawf Weir (of Barefoot Yoga in Paddington) on Wednesdays and Fridays and, for those keen to do strength and cardio, circuit classes will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All classes start at 7am and run for an hour. Tickets are a little steep at $25 each, but there's surely no better way to start your day than by saluting the sun as it shimmers over the harbour and those legendary white sails as your backdrop. Images: Daniel Boud and Kai Leishman.
There aren't a whole bunch of things that can beat a day in the sun with a drink in your hand. Recognising the need to slake that thirst, Canadian Club is bringing their Racquet Club back for the summer, dosing out refreshing Canadian Club, dry and lime beverages by the water with a screen showing the tennis. The Racquet Club celebrates Australia's biggest annual summer sporting fixture, the Australian Open. After keeping punters hydrated in Melbourne last year, the pop-up will this year extend to Sydney and Brisbane as well. The club will set up at The Bucket List on Bondi Beach for a whole month, from December 29 to January 30, and overlooking Sydney Harbour at Cruise Bar from January 3 to January 30. The pop-up bar will carry Canadian Club on tap, as well as a whole slew of Canadian Club cocktails (the grapefruit Summer Spritz is our pick), and will be decked out in all the tennis memorabilia that they can find. Plus, when the Open starts on January 16, there'll be a big screen showing every game, loud and live. We're giving away 25 bar tabs worth $100 for the opening night of Racquet Club at The Bucket List and Cruise Bar. Tell us which location you'd like to head to and enter your details below for your chance to enjoy the summer vibes. [competition]602874[/competition]
This summer, Monte Morgan, Harvey Miller and stylist Kirsty Barros as co-designer launch the Client Liaison Designer Line pop-up in Melbourne and Sydney. While the band have always designed their own merchandise, they felt the time had come to embark on something a bit more ambitious. We brought you a peek of the range last month, which features Client Liaison's signature peach and 'reef' variations, and keeps to a unisex beach theme, manifesting itself as jumpers, beach robes, t shirts, bumbags, visors and budgie smugglers. For Harvey, it's all about slip, slop, slap. "Sun protection is a big one," he told Concrete Playground this spring. "It's something everyone should remember. We have a rash vest incorporated into the Designer Line." [caption id="attachment_595549" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Chris Middleton.[/caption] When choosing a summer outfit, the Client Liaison Designer Line is a good place to start. "It's luxury at the beach," says Monte. "You're totally relaxed but retaining a level of class". Harvey adds: "At the beach you'll need a light bag to chuck your beach towel in, somewhere to store your sunglasses at night. Bring a jumper for the icy cold evening. Dressing for the summer is all about being prepared." Read more about Client Liaison's summer wardrobe-picking abilities here. The Client Liaison Designer Line is available to purchase exclusively at pop-up stores in Melbourne and Sydney and at www.clientliaison.com from November 10. Prices range from $10-129. CLIENT LIAISON DESIGNER LINE POP-UP SHOP DATES: MELBOURNE Collarts, 209 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy Launch: Friday, November 10, 6-9pm Pop-up store: Friday, November 11 to Sunday, November 13 (10am to 5pm) SYDNEY Location TBC Launch: Friday, November 18, 6-9pm Pop-up store: Friday, November 18 to Sunday, November 20 (10am to 5pm) Diplomatic Immunity is out now. Images: Chris Middleton.
JumpFromPaper, a fashion company straight out of Taiwan, want you live out your dream of a Saturday morning cartoon world with their range of trippy accessories that look they’ve have jumped right out of the TV and onto your shoulder. Just look at them. Don't you just want to take this backpack called 'Adventure' and going exploring around the city? And this 'Summer Breeze' rounded bag somehow begs you to put on a crisp white tennis skirt and do some loosely choreographed exercise. You may just give a stranger in the street an existential crisis with this little cartoon-like 'Spaceman' backpack. They've even got a range for you dapper gents out there. Honestly, how are these three-dimensional? Trouble is, once you have one, it may be near impossible to stop holding your own artistic fashion shoots. Look at these whimsical ladies on their way to the movies. And if your girlfriends all get one then there's really no other option but to form a girl band, so you can have whacky photos like this as your album cover. Shipping to Australia you can get anything from wallets for $30 to backpacks for $139. You'll be paying for something that looks like it's made of a single sheet of paper, but we guarantee your inner child will thank you everyday. Images: JumpForPaper.
Already this year, Aussie movie lovers have been able to journey to France from their cinema seats. Hitting up Spain just by heading to your local picture palace has also been on the itinerary. Your next stop: Germany. Kicking off just as the weather gets colder to remind you of frosty European climes, Australia's touring German Film Festival is back for 2022 with a 26-movie program. The fest's destinations: Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Byron Bay, spanning different dates between Tuesday, May 24–Wednesday, June 22. Wherever you reside, you'll be able to see in winter with quite the lineup of new and classic German movies. There's typically a couple of clear recurring themes in this annual cinema showcase, as there tends to be in German films in general. So, the fact that this year's GFF will open with A Stasi Comedy, about life a Stasi agent's double life as both an underground poet and a spy in 80s-era East Berlin, is hardly surprising. Nor are two of the fest's other big-name titles: The Last Execution, starring Babylon Berlin's Lars Eidinger and also set in East Berlin in the 80s; and The Forger, led by Dark's Louis Hofmann, who plays a young Jewish man in Berlin in 1942. They're just some of the 21 movies that'll enjoy their Australian premieres at the event — alongside drama My Son, about a teenager's relationship with his mother; crime comedy The Black Square, starring Toni Erdmann's Sandra Hüller; the post-WWII-set The German Lesson, which leaps from the page to the screen; and political thriller The House, which takes place in the near future. GFF is also showcasing new films from just beyond German's borders in Austria and Switzerland. So, you can check out films such as downhill skiing drama Chasing the Line, an Austrian biopic about Winter Olympian Franz Klammer — and Swiss effort Caged Birds, about a lawyer in the 80s battling the prison system. The festival's final five titles hail from its impressive retrospective for 2022, which takes a look back at German cinema over the past five decades. Cannes Palm d'Or-winner The Tin Drum gets the 70s slot, while the East German-set Sunny Side represents the 80s. Doing the honours for the 90s is the exceptional Run Lola Run, aka one of the best thrillers ever made. The movie that helped push The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's Daniel Brühl to stardom, Good Bye Lenin!, has the 00s covered, and kinetic one-take gem Victoria returns to the big screen to showcase cinema from the past decade. GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL 2022 DATES: May 24–June 19: Palace Norton Street, Chauvel Cinema and Palace Central, Sydney May 25–June 19: Palace Electric, Canberra May 25–June 19: Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema and The Astor Theatre, Melbourne June 1–22: Palace Barracks and Palace James Street, Brisbane June 2–22:Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas and Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas, Adelaide June 2–22: Palace Raine Square Cinemas, Luna Leederville and Luna on SX, Perth June 3–19: Palace Byron Bay, Byron Bay The German Film Festival Australia tours the country from May 24–June 22. For more information, visit the festival website.
If you've long felt you missed out on a decent childhood because you weren't bunking in with the Swiss Family Robinson, you can now make up for lost time. Treehouses for grown-ups are one of the latest fads sweeping global architecture, and a new apartment block in Turin, Italy is among the wildest. Named 25 Verde (25 Green) and designed by architect Luciano Pia, the five-storey apartment block doubles up as an urban forest. There are 190 trees snuggled within the structure, with 40 of them creating a tranquil courtyard garden, and the rest providing greenery for 63 uniquely luscious apartments. While the lower floor offers leafy garden-facing arrangements, apartments on the upper floor come with spacious, sunny terraces. Both, however, come with ample opportunities for making your own secret password security precautions and 'no boys/girls allowed' signs. Apart from their obviously eco-friendly presence, the trees also help to moderate temperature in the apartments — filtering sunlight on hot days and providing insulation when the weather cools. Total bosses. To pay 'em back, the trees are kept alive by an irrigation system that uses harvested rainwater. Meanwhile, heating is provided by ground water pumps and ventilated walls enable additional 'breathing'. Vertical gardening might have met its match. Via Huffington Post.
Majestic Gourmet Grocers are taking full advantage of their iconic Majestic Theatre space in Petersham with next week's opening of Harvest Bar, which will sit upstairs from its sister restaurant Majestic Harvest and the Mercado Europa marketplace. The drinking den will maintain many of the theatre's original features — think art deco railings and stripped-back walls — and carry through the style of the 1920s era of historic cinema. Century leather lounges will be accompanied by ebony shelving and polished metal light fittings. While Harvest Bar will open alongside the restaurant, the upstairs establishment will have its own dedicated tapas menu by ex-Three Williams chef Shiman Woon. Using the fresh, seasonal market produce the group is known for, the small dish offering will include pan-roasted scallop with sweet corn puree and parmesan foam ($13), grilled octopus with capsicum puree ($14) and a 36-month cured Iberico ham ($15). An indulgent duck liver parfait ($12) and crispy pig's ear ($9) will also sit on the menu, but for less fancy affair, house-made onion rings ($6) and herb fries ($6) are yours for the snacking. With the food sounding this tasty, it's easy to forget it's a bar we're talking about here. Harvest Bar will feature signature drinks and a curated wine list to pair with the dishes, with both local and international beverages to choose from. The local and craft beer scene hasn't been left out either, with the rotating taps starting with Batch Brewing Company. Of course, no trip to Majestic is complete without a wander around Mercado Europa, with its specialty smallgoods and overwhelmingly good-looking edible things. They have a counter for just about everything, from charcuterie to cheese (as well as a separate patisserie and boulangerie), so it's perhaps best to pop in after you've eaten to stop yourself from buying the place out. Harvest Bar will open Thursday, May 12 at the old Majestic Theatre, 49 New Canterbury Road, Petersham. The bar will be open Thursday to Friday from 5-10pm and Saturday and Sunday from 4-10pm.
Ever have this problem? You're kayaking through crystal clear waters on adventure of a lifetime in paradise, and the goddamn bottom of your canoe is infuriatingly opaque. All that sea life, going unseen. All those underwater sea creature orchestras, going unappreciated. It's infuriating and devastating. Well, all of that is about to change thanks to the Crystal Kayak Company. They've invented (maybe a better term is re-imagined) the kayak, and this time round it's completely see-through. It's the boldest see-through invention since the see-through toaster. Using the same material as windshields are made from, the see-through kayaks are perfect for moments when you want to see what your kayaking over (i.e. undersea orchestras). Check out the promo vid — and we dare you to not feel like you want to quit your job, burn all of your possessions and spend the rest of your life in a transparent kayak. They retail from a whopping $1,499, but if that blows your kayak budget out of the water, you can trial it at resorts around the world. And don't think that price tag just buys the opacity of your kayak. Oh no. As well as offering quite the underwater view, they've been ergonomically designed to be wayyy more comfy than your average kayak. Check em out here.
The 62nd Sydney Film Festival closed on Sunday, June 14, having unleashed a number of great and good films upon the city. But 'great' isn't all we go to the festival for — we come looking for the stuff that challenges us, for the weirdest concoctions that will never get a cinema release, for the wild artistic risks that might not even work as a motion picture and, yes, for the failures that went down swinging. So with that appetite guiding our cinematic feast, here are our critics' highlights of the festival. THE BEST THE CLUB If there's one club no one wants to be a member of, it's the one at the centre of Pablo Larrain's latest film. The director of 2012's No keeps his voice political and his eyes focused on his Chilean homeland, with the injustices committed by the Catholic Church his new point of focus. That his chilling and complex tale takes place within a coastal retirement home for disgraced priests should give an indication of the dark psychological territory he traverses, though Larrain spares his judgment for the system rather than his subjects. There, he's scathing about the culture of covering up scandals, as demonstrated by a final act that just might render viewers speechless. He's also likely to cause another club to form: those of avid fans of the atmospheric feature, and of his continued contemplation of corruption. -Sarah Ward TEHRAN TAXI Road movies often take characters on a literal and emotional journey from point A to B. You know the ones. Jafar Panahi interprets driving, talking, growing and learning a bit differently; the director turns on-screen cabbie in Tehran in an effort that merges art and life on several levels. Panahi is currently banned from filmmaking, yet once again uses his limitations as inspiration — including in setting and staging his latest feature in a taxi, and in combining fact and fiction. In this year's Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear winner, he makes a statement about his own predicament while drawing attention to the restrictions prevalent in modern-day Iran. Forget heading off on holiday; his road trip takes audiences through his and his nation's everyday existence. -SW THE HUNTING GROUND It was a fantastic festival for documentary filmmaking, with titles like Going Clear and Sherpa taking on pressing real world issues with empathy and determination. But of all the docos in the program, Kirby Dick’s The Hunting Ground stands out as perhaps the most important. Over 103 devastating minutes, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker exposes the endemic rates of rape on American college campuses — crimes that administrators at many of the country’s leading universities have a shameful history of trying to sweep under the rug. It’s a grim and confronting story, but one that needs all the attention that it can get. -Tom Clift VICTORIA If you thought the long takes in Gravity and Birdman were impressive, then have we got a recommendation for you. Filmed in a single real-time take, Sebastian Schipper’s Victoria follows a young Spanish expat living in Berlin, who after a big night out finds herself the unlikely participant in an early morning bank heist. Schipper’s audacious shooting style adds a sense of immediacy to the tale, taking viewers through the city’s famous club scene and into its seedy criminal underworld on the same emotional rollercoaster as Victoria herself. Gripping and empathetic, this is experiential cinema at its finest. -TC THE WORST SHE'S FUNNY THAT WAY Screwball comedies can be a love 'em or hate 'em affair. Sometimes their fast-talking banter charms. Sometimes their reliance upon too many conveniences grates. Sometimes, like in She's Funny That Way, the latter outweighs the former. In his first film in more than a decade, writer/director Peter Bogdanovich brings together a likeable cast of Owen Wilson, Imogen Poots, Rhys Ifans, Will Forte and Kathryn Hahn, yet pushes them past the point of farce and into tiring territory. There are a few giggles to be had, alongside obvious love for genre, but it's the late-stage cameo that most will remember this movie for, and that's never a good thing. -SW AMONG THE BELIEVERS Among the Believers isn’t so much a bad film as it is a disappointing one. Documentarians Hemal Trivedi and Mohammed Ali Naqvi were allowed unprecedented access to Abdul Aziz Ghazi, the leader of the notorious Red Mosque network which is widely viewed as a breeding ground of religious extremism in Pakistan. Yet we can’t help feel that they squandered the opportunity, with the resulting documentary offering little real insight into the minds of the would-be terrorists or the social and political factors that create them. With so much media attention given to the threat of Islamic terrorism, Among the Believers needed to bring a lot more to the table to rise above the noise. -TC THE BOLDEST EXPERIMENTS ARABIAN NIGHTS Making a three-volume, 383-minute feature is a bold choice, but the length of Miguel Gomes' Sydney Film Festival competition-winning effort is actually one of the least bold things about it. Yes, he's made his movie an endurance test; however, it's his choice of content and the way he splices it together that's audacious. Often involving trials and other forms of judgment, frequently featuring animals (bees, a talking cockerel, the canine winner of Cannes' coveted Palm Dog Award, and too many chaffinches), and flitting between surreal segments and documentary-style observation, the thematically connected chapters try to achieve a feat the director himself acknowledges as impossible. That'd be seducing in narrative while acknowledging the misery of Portugal's harsh economic reality — and if it sounds like courageous, challenging work, that's because it is. -SW TANGERINE Loud, gaudy and unapologetically crass, Sean Baker’s Tangerine is a far cry from a stereotypical festival film, and honestly, that’s a big part of why we loved it. Shot on the streets of Los Angeles using tricked-out iPhone 5s, the film follows a transgender prostitute named Sin-Dee as she blazes through the city with her best friend Alexandra in tow, on the hunt for her pimp boyfriend who she’s learnt has been unfaithful. The hyper-raw cinematography suits the plot and characters to perfection: tacky and stylish and outrageously funny all at once. And beneath all the humour lies surprising emotional depth. -TC THE MOST WTF THE FORBIDDEN ROOM Guy Maddin's latest effort, as co-directed with Evan Johnson, is the kind of movies cinephiles dream of. No, it's not your usual, stereotypical serious movie fare — this really is something that feels it has been ripped out of someone's head mid-slumber, or perhaps mid-hallucination. Think tripping through cinema history, complete with mind-altering substances, and you're still nowhere close to the ride this takes through layers of stories, colours, genres, tropes and film stocks. The Forbidden Room is a movie that teaches you how to take a bath, has a wolf hunter as its hero, and relays the thoughts of a volcano and a moustache. We're not kidding. Yes, it really is that offbeat and glorious. -SW A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE The title of this film is probably the least strange thing about it, hence its place in our coveted WTF section. The third part of a thematic trilogy by Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson 15 years in the making, A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence consists of a series of deadpan tragicomic vignettes ostensibly ‘about being a human being’. Sexually aggressive dance instructors, a pair of morose travelling salesman and the long dead King Charles XII are just a few of the bizarre characters who inhabit this esoteric comedy, one that had us scratching our head in bafflement as often as it had us laughing. -TC
Uber's international developments are going gangbusters of late, after launching free breathalyzers in Canada, possibly slashing UberX prices in Western Australia, and launching its first ever cash-only service — a brand new auto-rickshaw option available in Delhi. Uber users in Delhi can book a rickshaw through the mobile app — you just don't have to punch in your destination — before paying in cash without extra commission charges. Drivers are apparently being trained not to refuse bookings. For regular Uber cabs, it's still electronic payment as usual. And as always, Uber users can rate their auto driver on the app, and vice versa. Sure, there's already an auto-rickshaw booking service called Ola in Delhi, and sure, it's a PR attempt to steer Uber Delhi's recently less-than-great reputation back into clear waters, but it's one that will hopefully boost job security and facilitate generally more organised and safe auto-rickshaw service in the capital for both drivers and passengers. Can't argue with that. There's just over 100,000 auto-rickshaws in Delhi (actually one of the lowest rickshaw populations in the country, something the Delhi government is trying to up), so this could really shake up the local transport industry for the Indian capital. Via Economic Times.
Wander between three of the city's go-to gig spots to discover your new favourite local artist at returning multi-venue festival Volumes — and this year's lineup features 50 percent female artists. Catch Straight Arrows, Hideous Sun Demon, Terry, Huntly, Exhibitionist, Publique, Shady Nasty, Sunscreen, Luen Jacobs, Matka and Burning Rose DJs, joining Gold Class, Willaris. K and Body Type among plenty more. Volumes will be taking place on August 19 in multiple venues along Oxford Street including beloved Sydney live music venues Oxford Art Factory, The Cliff Dive and Brighton Up Bar. If light, sound and sensory installations are more your thing, check out Sam Whiteside and Danny Wild's works in said venues. This year the festival will also be offering a limited allocation of Late Night Passes for those who can't make it during the day. They're $20 on first and $25 on second release. Tickets can be exchanged for wristbands at box office (next door to the Oxford Art Factory) from 10pm and give you entry to all venues. VOLUMES 2017 LINEUP: Jonti Gold Class Baro Straight Arrows The Ocean Party Retiree Fortune Lucy Cliche Orion Hideous Sun Demon World Champion Mezko Terry Rvg Wallace Ara Koufax Willaris. K Sam Weston Love Deluxe Body Type Bus Vipers Huntly The Goods Genesis Owusu Publique Shady Nasty Moaning Lisa Party Dozen Gauci Exhibitionist Sunscreen Clypso Tru La Sape Luen Jacobs Matka Burning Rose DJs Future Classic DJs Dinosaur City DJs Noisey DJs
The Museum of Contemporary Art’s monthly ARTBAR has become a firm fixture on Sydney’s after-dark cultural calendar. After knocking off work on Friday, head down to Circular Quay for an extra dose of art, a splash of wine and your choice of fun-filled activities — with the added bonus of panoramic views of the harbour from the Sculpture Terrace. Past curators have included the likes of Pip and Pop, Blak Douglas, Haines and Hinterding, and Rebecca Baumann — each building uniquely flavoured late-night events. Wander in on the last Friday night of the month and you can expect a lively conglomeration of art, music, design and performance. It’s an excuse to let loose alongside some of Sydney’s best artistic talent. The next ARTBAR for 2016 will be curated by the supremely colourful Rosie Deacon. See Bush Ranger Bob’s interactive dance performance, get a hole-in-one at the glittering mini putt-putt golf course created by Rosie Deacon, meet Teena the sausage dog, see Giselle Stanborough’s performative lecture on ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’, take in live music by The Willy Wagtail Western All Stars, take a trip to the Golden Gumnut Cottage, and dance to tunes spun by DJ Sveta on the rooftop bar. Plus there'll be roaming artworks, classic Aussie birthday party games and mates rates Grayson Perry: My Pretty Little Art Career tickets. Want more after-hours fun in the gallery? Stay after closing time on these five Sydney late night art adventures.
Was one of your New Year's Resolutions to 'see more art'? There's no time like the first month of the year to get started. Sydney's galleries are kicking off 2016 with some hard-hitters, large-scale installation shows and local collaborations. From the first major Australian exhibition of one of Ghana's most prolific artists to a huge group show teasing out Australia's complicated national identity, these five shows aren't for idly cruising through. Switch that brain on and make a note of the gallery's nearest pub for post-exhibition beery debates.
Step into New Romance: art and the posthuman at the MCA and you'll be greeted with a dizzying array of moving parts, flickering lights and a casual spot of time travel. Splicing science and technology with politics and aesthetics, 18 artists from Australia and Korea conceive of the distant and not too distant future in this just-opened exhibition. But New Romance is not simply a celebration of quirky technologies — however seductive they may be. Many of the featured works stimulate discussion around the ethical responsibilities underpinning new ideas. This exhibition contemplates the future of our bodies and brains, the intersections between artificial intelligence and inanimate objects, and the foreboding path from climate change to catastrophe. Ultimately, New Romance is poised before the forked road leading to utopia, on the one hand, and dystopia, on the other. It's our choices that split the two. Sounds pretty hectic huh? To help you navigate through this complex exhibition, we've plucked out five key themes that will get your mind cogs moving. BIOETHICS AND AGENCY In the relentless quest for improvement and efficiency, we're seeing the development of exciting new technologies — or so-called disruptive technologies. Of course, when inventors and innovators are faced with decisions that may change the collective path of humanity, the future becomes a moral minefield. Anticipating an era of ethical complexity, Patricia Piccinini and Peter Hennessey's installation, Alone with the Gods (2016), is like stumbling upon a scene from a science fiction film. Featuring all the fleshy mutations you would expect from Piccinini, part of the MCA has been transformed into a makeshift bomb shelter. There are strange crystalline gardens growing out of punctured furniture and grotesque experiments in biotechnology. These futuristic oddities are set amongst a creepy and cult-ish living room, which appears to be the headquarters of a secret society. Rather than blueprinting a progressive new world, Piccinini and Hennessey create an ominous vision of what could be, aiming to evoke an emotional and visceral response from the viewer. TRANS-SPECIES AND HYBRIDISATION When it comes to genetics, it could be argued there seems to be a set of preordained rules in this society of ours determining which living things should be combined and which should not. The darker underbelly of hybridisation comprises the stuff of H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr Moreau. Yet even today, agricultural processes of selective breeding and genetic modifications are often treated with suspicion. These attitudes hinge upon an implicit sense of when a line is being crossed — what is too 'unnatural' for us? Jumping into the spiky world of succulents, Soyo Lee explores the social paradoxes surrounding hybridisation. Ornamental Cactus Design (2013–16) is a research-driven project that follows Korea's massive cactus export market, and in particular, the weird history attached to the famous breed of moon cacti. Concocted in the less than tropical climate of Korea, the unique plant was originally developed to appeal to European markets. However, the cactus cannot photosynthesise on its own and must be joined with another plant in order to survive. Lee's project dwells on why some hybrids are deemed more attractive than others. While cross-species experiments in the animal world are typically greeted with moral outrage, Korea's mutant cacti are seen to be aesthetically pleasing and highly marketable. HYPER-CONSUMERISM Frederic Jameson wrote that it's easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism. This may very well be true, as the bulk of disaster movies manage to depict post-apocalyptic situations with relative ease, yet capitalism is the ball and chain that won't budge. And as evidenced by the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, it seems we are consuming more and more 'stuff' into the 21st century. Are we inevitably evolving into a hoard of hungry consumers with an insatiable appetite for fast fashion and shiny gadgets? Sanghyun Lee's work, We Are Not Hungry (2014), focuses on the politically volatile division of Korea. Often regarded as one of the world's most capitalist societies, Lee traces the modern materialism of South Korea from the Japanese occupation. Using historical paintings, he substitutes certain elements for video game characters and K-Pop stars — mapping a sense of social and cultural evolution. This form of digital manipulation has been described as a kind of plastic surgery, reflecting the country's obsession with cosmetic enhancements. Of course, Lee also addresses the radically different society that lies across the divide. Turning an imaginative eye toward North Korea, he recreates the authoritarian aesthetics of one of the world's most closeted regimes with a sprinkle of colour and popular culture. While reconciliation or reunification is not on any near horizon, Lee highlights a collective sense of yearning that unites North and South. SOCIAL NETWORKS In the midst of the continually shifting landscape of labour, what we do for a good time has become big business. While social media has transformed the way we interact, our data is being continually harvested by companies in order to build an accurate picture of our tastes, habits and preferences. It seems privacy is a privilege confined to the past, and the power wielded by social media companies is neatly veiled by a friendly thumbs up. This begs the question, to what extent do we expect technologies to construct our personal lives and sense of self? With a refreshing dose of cynicism, Giselle Stanborough's Lozein: Find the Lover You Deserve (2016) takes on the colonisation of our social activities by the likes of Google and Facebook. Channelling the style of a TED Talk, the artist conducts a series of performance lectures. Advertising a fictional matchmaking service, she deploys the persuasive language and branding of the leisure economy — often used to reel in the lonely and lovesick client. Of course, as Stanborough's project suggests, convenience does not guarantee a meaningful experience. And while high-tech 'solutions' are readily dispensed, we may be still articulating the problem. In her final lecture on August 18, Lozein Analytics, Giselle will reveal her insights on what Lozein user behaviour can tell us about our relationships with technology and each other. ALTERNATIVE FUTURES The much cited prediction that we are faced with our last opportunity to do something about climate change is a scary one. In cultural circles, there's a definite fascination with the Anthropocene — the point at which humanity fundamentally and permanently alters the Earth's geological properties. What is becoming increasingly apparent is that a failure to act — not zombies — will be the catalysing force of global decline. Hayden Fowler's large-scale installation, Dark Ecology (2015 - 16), in the MCA Forecourt paints a regressive vision of humanity. Inside a plastic biodome, there are stagnant puddles of dark water and dead branches — the remnants of a failed civilisation. The folly of the structure is that it was evidently unable to guard against degradation and decay. At various intervals, Fowler and his assistants conduct performances within the biodome. From inside the gallery, you can catch a glimpse of some of the details within the structure on CCTV. While Fowler's work is a vision of what might come to pass, it is patently a plea for action. New Romance: art and the posthuman runs Thursday, June 30 to Sunday, September 4 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 140 George Street, The Rocks and is open until 9pm on Thursday nights. Entry is free.
Nine floors above the bustle of Melbourne's Collins Street is Client Liaison HQ — an office filled to the brim with pastel jackets and patterned shirts that have been sourced from vintage stores around the world. The band — Monte Morgan and Harvey Miller — have just rounded off a string of tours across the country, and they're getting ready to release their first full length album, Diplomatic Immunity. The first video sees the boys cruising along Collins Street in the Client Liaison limousine. When you're in Client Liaison, there is no such thing as a half measure. We've partnered with Heineken 3 and spoken to a few of our favourite musicians, chefs and artists, to get their insight on what it takes to create the perfect summer afternoon. For summer fashion advice, there is no one more stylish to ask than Client Liaison. The prestige in their on-stage costumes carries through into their casual wear — so much so that in November, they're due to launch their own fashion line. The boys invited us into their band wardrobe and picked out three options for summer afternoon outfits. Take note — the next time you're with your friends sipping on a Heineken 3, you might need something to wear. A PASTEL SUIT IS PERFECT FOR A SUMMER GATHERING "The boys are running a little bit late. They're in a big white limousine and they're stuck in traffic", says band stylist Kirsty Barros before we meet the boys. Soon enough, they arrive dressed to kill in polished brown shoes and matching summer suits. These were the product of a recent costume sourcing trip to Bali. Client Liaison's signature peach and 'reef' colour variations are a palette developed from the vibrant bubblegum colours of Technicolor film. In the words of Barros, it's a "seamless blend of pop and prestige". Don't be afraid to show your feminine side, she says. "For a more formal summer soiree, pastels are a subtly unconventional way to subvert an 80s power suit." Wear these classic summer colours in cotton or linen — they offer a good alternative to the dull and predictable black suit you might be forced to bring out in summer. A GENTLEMAN SHOULD NEVER WEAR SHORTS, UNLESS IT'S FOR LEISURE OR SAFARI According to Monte, it's as simple as that. "It's still possible to look classy and respectable in the heat of summer, you just have to choose the right fabrics," he says. "You go to India and everyone's wearing long kaftans and light linens. Covering the skin can keep you cool. When people get into stubby shorts and a singlet — for me, that's too far". Barros adds: "We love a sunburnt country and we chose this print for it's fruity Australiana flavour. It's perfect for a summer sunset." Accessorise with a hat, a prawn cocktail, a dirty martini or a Heineken 3. ATTENTION TO DETAIL IS EVERYTHING For Client Liaison, detail is key. "All of our music is under the scrutiny of at least two sets of eyes. Two people have to love it," Monte explains. "For our clothes and costumes, we have three [Kirsty, their stylist]. "Generally, if it's two against one we'll move on, but if we need to explore something further, we will. It sometimes means that things take a bit longer, but generally it's a good way to finesse." For this outfit the details are in the fabric choice. "Linen is the number one fabric for deep heat and breathability," says Kirsty. "For summer colours, we chose the boldest of electric blue to pack a punch and married it back with flirty pastels in textured 80s cotton meshes and a fresh optical white." INTRODUCING: THE CLIENT LIAISON DESIGNER LINE This summer, Harvey, Monte and Kirsty as co-designer launch the Client Liaison Designer Line pop-up in Melbourne and Sydney. While the band have always designed their own merchandise, they felt the time had come to embark on something a bit more ambitious. The range features Client Liaison's signature peach and 'reef' variations, and keeps to a unisex beach theme, manifesting itself as jumpers, beach robes, t shirts, bumbags, visors and budgie smugglers. For Harvey, it's all about slip, slop, slap. "Sun protection is a big one — it's something everyone should remember. We have a rash vest incorporated into the Designer Line." When choosing a summer outfit, the Client Liaison Designer Line is a good place to start. "It's luxury at the beach," says Monte. "You're totally relaxed but retaining a level of class". Harvey adds: "At the beach you'll need a light bag to chuck your beach towel in, somewhere to store your sunglasses at night. Bring a jumper for the icy cold evening. Dressing for the summer is all about being prepared." Enjoy your summer afternoons with the new low-carb Heineken 3 — we're helping you make the most of them. Client Liaison first album Diplomatic Immunity will be out Friday, November 4 via Dot Dash / Remote Control. Images: Chris Middleton.
Love a cheeky G&T? You're probably someone who's noticed gin's undergoing a massive revival in Australia, with new gin bars seemingly popping up every other day, and local distillers pushing boundaries with bold, experimental flavours and colours, and all of it is thanks to those miraculous little things known as 'botanicals'. But what are they exactly? What are you even talking about when you're loftily referring to 'aromatic botanicals' in your nip of Tanqueray No.TEN? This iconic, award-winning gin, launched in 2000 as an evolution of the original Tanqueray, is handcrafted in small batches that combine the four botanicals of juniper, angelica root, coriander and liquorice. It's the only gin to be inducted into the San Francisco Hall of Fame — not too shabby. Every type of gin has a unique blend, but botanicals are the key in every bottle. Let's get to know them. [caption id="attachment_580018" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Jonas Tana.[/caption] BOTANICALS By EU law, all gin has to be made using a 96% ABV (alcohol by volume) highly rectified spirit, and must taste predominantly of juniper — the small shrub from the mountain slopes of Italy and Macedonia whose name itself is from where the word 'gin' is derived. Juniper's taste is one of bittersweet pine, lavender, and camphor, but it's from the other botanicals — those select natural additives with which the spirits are distilled — that we get the uplifting, complex and unique aromas of spicy, floral, woody and citrus. SPICE Key amongst the spicy botanicals is coriander, whose seeds are second only to juniper in terms of their importance to the process of gin distillation. Coriander is grown throughout southern Europe, southern Asia and North Africa, and its tiny fruits release spicy sage and lemon flavours that contribute a dry, peppery finish to your gin. The other major spicy botanical is ginger root, one of the earliest spices known in Western Europe. In its pure form, it's capable of raising your body temperature, and when distilled in gin it imparts a dry, spicy character. [caption id="attachment_580016" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Flickr.[/caption] FLORAL Chamomile is perhaps best known to tea drinkers and aromatherapists courtesy of its reputation for reducing stress and assisting with sleep. As a gin botanical, however, this creeping plant found throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and North America imparts distinctive light apple and faint straw aromas (indeed, its name means 'ground apple') as well as a sensation of dryness. Chamomile's most frequently used floral alternative is the leaf of the bay laurel tree, with its pungent, bitter taste and an aroma most closely resembling thyme. WOODY Amongst the earthy, woody botanicals, there is no greater ingredient than Angelica root. Once rumoured to cure the plague and stave off witchcraft, the angelica root from the subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere is renown for its medicinal purposes. Yet in gin, it's an indispensable component that not only makes it dry, but provides its typically earthy base. Liquorice root, too, is another woody mainstay that hails from southwest Asia, India and some parts of Europe, and whose sweet and bitter compounds produce similarly woody flavours. Liquorice root is responsible for adding length and base to your gin, softening and rounding out its 'mouth feel' or texture. CITRUS NOTES Finally, there are the citrus botanicals, led most famously by bergamot peel. Grown in Italy's southern Calabria region, bergamot orange peel is just as likely to turn up in perfumes and lotions as it is gin, possessing a distinctly bright, citrusy aroma and taste. More broadly, then, comes the conventional orange peel botanical, which — in dried form from both sweet and Seville oranges — is similarly used in gin to offer a light, citrusy note capable of balancing out the more pungent botanicals. Top image: Jez Timms.
Looks like the cat's out of the bag for this year's Listen Out festival, leaked the old fashioned way: posters. Although the national beats-heavy festival's lineup was supposed to drop at midday on triple j, Project U noticed a casual poster on a Sydney telegraph pole this morning. US rapper and general champ Childish Gambino is heading the bill, returning after a slam dunk set at last year's Splendour in the Grass. He'll be sitting pretty alongside returning UK producer SBTRKT (DJ set), Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$ and recent Coachella smashes Odesza on the bill. Local favourites like Alison Wonderland, Client Liaison, Roland Tings, Hayden James and masked producer Golden Features will be there, alongside international drawcards like American hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd, LA producer ILoveMakonnen, Lido and Ryan Hemsworth. LISTEN OUT 2015: Childish Gambino SBTRKT (DJ set) Joey Bada$$ Alison Wonderland Odesza Rae Sremmurd Golden Features Dusky Ryan Hemsworth ILoveMakonnen George Fitzgerald Lido Hayden James Client Liaison Roland Tings Halfway Crooks Jordan Burns Triple J Unearthed winner and more to be announced Saturday, September 26 Catani Gardens St Kilda, Melbourne Sunday, September 27 Ozone Reserve, Perth Saturday, October 3 Centennial Park, Sydney Sunday, October 4 Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane Tickets on sale Thursday, June 18 at midday. Head to the Listen Out website for more details, tickets and lineup info.
A cavalcade of queer cinema is coming to Sydney's big screens — yes, it's almost Mardi Gras Film Festival time again. With the movie-focused offshoot of the city's long-running LGBTIQ celebration fast approaching, MGFF has unveiled their stacked program. On the agenda: diversity, new talents and familiar faces aplenty. While the 2017 selection features almost 100 screenings, where else can we start but with the most recognisable part of this year's lineup? Yes, that'd be James Franco. We've previously noted that the actor pops up just about everywhere, and MGFF really is no different. For fans, or for those who just can't stop themselves watching his work, Franco stars alongside Christian Slater, Alicia Silverstone and Molly Ringwald in King Cobra, which tells the true story of gay porn star Brent Corrigan. There's more than that on the schedule, of course, with one world premiere, four international premieres and 31 Australian premieres on offer from February 15 to March 2 at Event Cinemas George Street, Cremorne Orpheum and Golden Age Cinema, plus a selection of other venues in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. Fellow high-profile titles include the first four parts of new gay rights mini-series When We Rise, featuring Aussies Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths, and marking the reunion of Milk writer Dustin Lance Black and director Gus van Sant; Australian films Bad Girl and Teenage Kicks, each relaying coming-of-age narratives in completely different ways; and the Irish duo of A Date for Mad Mary and Handsome Devil, that will open and end the fest by finding their own kind of charm and comedy in their queer tales. Add a special screening of Golden Globe hit Moonlight, the world premiere of book-to-film adaptation Something Like Summer, a closing party hosted by the Queen of Ireland, aka drag performer Panti Bliss, and even Finding Dory for kids of all ages, and the scene is set for a wide array of perspectives and visions. "While we still feature this year's best coming-of-age movies, we are screening stories about the young and old in our community and everyone in between," says MGFF director Paul Struthers. "Building on last year's expanded program, we have again increased the proportion of lesbian and transgender content and included more people of colour." Mardi Gras Film Festival 2017 runs from February 15 to March 2 at Event Cinemas George Street, Cremorne Orpheum, Golden Age Cinema and Bar and other NSW and ACT venues. For more information, visit their website.
Ever cruised past that beautiful, old train station just down from Central and wondered how it could possibly be disused? Regent Street station, better known as Mortuary Station for practical reasons, is the Venetian 13th century Gothic style building sitting on the western side of Sydney Yard in Chippendale. It's name isn't a joke, it once saw funeral trains depart for Rookwood Cemetery in the 1860s. In the '30s it was used as a platform for horses and dogs, in the '80s as a pancake restaurant called Magic Mortuary and then in 1985 it was restored and given heritage status by the State Rail Authority. Until now, it's been a sporadically used for functions. But next March, it'll play host to some extraordinary art installations — the Biennale of Sydney has adopted it as one of their newest venues their 2016 exhibition. The Biennale of Sydney will turn twenty in 2016. Artistic director Stephanie Rosenthal spilled the beans today on what we can expect, naming the first 73 artists and revealing the Sydney venues and 'in-between' spaces the exhibition will inhabit between 18 March and 5 June. The seven venues will transform into temporary 'embassies of thought' rather than galleries, with each 'embassy' embracing a specific theme. Cockatoo Island will become the Embassy of the Real, the Art Gallery of New South Wales will be transformed into the Embassy of Spirits, alongside Carriageworks (Embassy of Disappearance), Artspace (Embassy of Non-Participation), Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (Embassy of Translation), and a bookshop (Embassy of Stanislaw Lem). Mortuary Station will become the Embassy of Transition, in its first ever Biennale appearance. Exhibiting contemporary artists at the Embassy of Transition will be Taiwanese artist Charwei Tsai and UK artist Marco Chiandetti. The 20th Biennale of Sydney runs between 18 March and 5 June. As always, the exhibition is free. Check out our 2016 program rundown for more. By Shannon Connellan and Jasmine Crittenden. Image: J Bar, CC.
It's finally happened. London's latest and greatest pop-up bar lets you literally inhale alcohol, a project that could only be the work of wildly ambitious, gastronomic artists Bompas and Parr. Built on the site of an ancient monastery in Borough and opened on July 30, the wonderfully-named Alcohol Architecture bar lets you walk into an actual cloud of cocktail. Sam Bompas and Harry Parr have used big ol' humidifiers to saturate the air with a cocktail of spirits and mixer, so you can simply breathe in the drink and let that sweet, sweet alcohol make its way to your bloodstream via lungs and eyes. Of course, visitors to the pop-up are advised to "breathe responsibly" — and the hour session of inhalation isn't quite enough to get you drunk, apparently. You're given a robe to protect your clothes from reeking of cocktail afterwards, and you'll be surrounded by atmospheric sounds to intensify the inhaling experience. #breatheresponsibly at @alcoholicarchitecture regram from @soniashahx A photo posted by Bompas & Parr (@bompasandparr) on Aug 6, 2015 at 8:59am PDT "Inside, the sound is modulated, so that it is like you are right inside the glass," Parr told Bloomberg. "It's a dense atmosphere that builds into a thunderstorm with lightning. It's a new way of experiencing drink, and it's social because it's an immersive shared environment. You all have the same flavor sensation. "It's like going to the seaside and finding that fish and chips taste better. Part of that is that in a human environment, your ability to perceive taste is heightened. It's the opposite of being in an aeroplane. Alcohol tastes better, with more nuances: You can detect more subtle flavors when it is humidified." We're on! Launch night of the bar tonight! A photo posted by Alcoholic Architecture (@alcoholicarchitecture) on Jul 29, 2015 at 12:37pm PDT This isn't the first jaw-dropping foodie installation Bompas and Parr have dazzled us with in recent memory. After opening a pop-up which tailored cocktails to your DNA, hosting anatomical whisky tastings allowing you to taste different aged whiskies from their same-aged human body, and creating lava-powered barbecues, the pair brought one hell of a banquet to this year's Dark Mofo festival in Tasmania — which involved much nudity and the eating of an actually beating pig's heart. If you're headed for London anytime soon, Alcoholic Architecture will be open until early 2016 at One Cathedral Street, Borough Market, London. Tickets and more info over here. We chatted to Sam Bompas recently, head over here to delve into pagan feasts, Vegemite chocolate and Australian food trends. Via Bloomberg.
No, it's not surprising, but it certainly is exciting — after months of deliberation and speculation, Netflix has officially announced it will be launching in Australia and NZ this coming March. The wait is nearly over. In just a few months time you'll be able to stream the solid gold original programming of this American behemoth while being 100 percent within the confines of the law. Get ready for some epic marathons. You certainly have a lot to catch up on. The announcement was made initially this morning by this sneaky tweet: http://t.co/8kKEzEtyq8 ??pu?u?o?x?????N# u??? ???u? ¡ZN & sn? ????W u? no? ??S — Netflix US (@netflix) November 18, 2014 Scamps. The local TV markets have been in a total tizzy since rumours started circulating earlier in the year about this. It's thought that around 200,000 Australians already access the US version of Netflix via cheeky, semi-legal VPN software, and the thought of legitimate and widespread access to the service seemed all-round damning for local competitors. Though Australia has various streaming options like ABC's iView, Foxtel's Presto, Quickflix, and Channel Nine's promising yet decidedly poorly named Stan, none have the same hype or popular appeal as Netflix. But don't go crazy just yet. Though the platform is best known for its critically-acclaimed original shows such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, the full range of our access is not yet known. A press statement released this morning announced that we'd be getting a range of great movie options as well as exclusive Netflix shows such as historical drama Marco Polo and the Will Arnett-voiced cult favourite BoJack Horseman, but it was suspiciously quiet about the better-known flagship titles. In fact, there's not too much we know right now. Though the overseas service costs US$8.99 per month, we're yet to receive a price point either. We know there'll be an option for a one-month trial, but that's about it. You should also be tugging at your shirt collar if you're one of the tens of thousands currently accessing the US service — there's a good chance they'll stop turning a blind eye and pressure you to sign up for the (almost definitely limited) Australian alternative. Don't get us wrong — it's not all doom and gloom. With Netflix officially on the scene, there's bound to be some serious movement on important industry issues like local licensing, fast-tracking of overseas shows, and the quality and price of online streaming. With everyone stepping up their game to compete, we could even see a decrease in piracy and copyright infringement. Despite what George Brandis may say, there's a reason why Australians are among the world's worst offenders. Imagine how good binge-watching is going to be when you don't have to feel guilty about it?
Craft beer has come of age in Australia. Even in the darkest, dingiest drinkatoriums where metal troughs still adorn the base of the bar, you'll likely find a boutique beer or two for the more discerning drinker. But with new options on the market every day, how best to find the perfect one for you? Here are some handy smartphone apps that help take the guesswork out of choosing your brew. UNTAPPD Cost: Free Platform: iOS, Android, Windows and yes, even Blackberry. Untappd is like the Facebook of beer apps: a vast social hub of drinkers all eagerly posting reviews, checking in at pubs and breweries and uploading photos of their thirst-inducing beverages. It easily boasts the largest user base and is helpfully available on every platform. Flip on your location services and Untappd will alert you to both new beers and bars in your vicinity, as well as let you know who else is drinking there. Over time, it even learns your tastes based on your own drinking habits and reviews, then makes tailored recommendations for what to try next. BEER BUDDY (iOS) / APK TICKET Cost: $4.99 Platform: iOS, Android What Untappd is to the social side of drinking, Beer Buddy is to straight-up information. With more than 300,000 beers in its database, Beer Buddy lets your scan a drink's barcode and access a storehouse of information, including its alcohol and calorie content, brewery history and user reviews. It also features a wide-ranging search function that allows you to seek out your favourite (or soon-to-be tasted) beers according to bars, brewery, type of beer, season, the top beers in whichever country you find yourself and, of course, simply by what's nearby. NOW TAPPED Cost: Free Platform: iOS, Android Combining the official drinks lists of around 300 partnered pubs and bars in Australia with the reported lists by other Now Tapped users, this app offers a comprehensive database of craft beers around the country. Search by venue and you'll see everything they've got for sale, as well as drink info and a brief review for each. Search by brewery and you'll find all the places that manufacturer's products are available. Otherwise there's always map view, where you can see all the places nearby where craft beers are for sale. NEXT GLASS Cost: Free (but US only for now) Platforms: iOS, Android Imagine being able to just look at a drink and know (down to a percentage) whether you'll like it or not. Next Glass does exactly that by bringing science into the equation. Using a mass spectrometer to analyse the chemical composition of thousands of different beverages, Next Glass developed a detailed criteria against which your own preferences are then matched. Basically, once you've told it your favourite drinks, all you need to do is point your phone at a label and Next Glass tells you precisely how likely you are to enjoy it, as well as how much your friends like it and even how many calories it contains. iBREWMASTER 2 Cost: $12.99 Platform: iOS (Android version in development) This is the app for the serious craft beer brewers. Add your own recipes, try out the 250+ preinstalled ones or purchase more from the in-app store. Featuring a powerful scheduling tool, iBrewMaster lets you stay on top of every stage of the fermentation process, complete with notifications and info about nearby suppliers. Highly customisable and packed with details, it's a pricey but invaluable app for anyone who lists their favourite beer as the one from their own basement.
Remember Mr Poopie, the giant inflatable turd emoji artwork that served up ice cream in little toilet cups at Splendour in the Grass last year? No? How could you forget. Or Nicholas Cage in a Cage? Or the giant inflatable Lionel Richie head? These are all real things, seriously. Hungry Castle, the Barcelona-based art team behind all of the above have outdone themselves this year. Announced as part of the SITG arts lineup, Hungry Castle will bring their giant inflatable Sad Kanye installation to Splendour. Didn't quite get that? Here it is again: a 10-metre-high Sad Kanye inflatable is coming to Splendour — a true headliner, in our opinion. Are LCD Soundsystem inflatable? No? Alright then. It's unclear whether you'll be able to bounce on Kanye's sad face or whether he will serve you ice cream in little Kanye vessels, but we literally don't care. It's a ten-metre-tall inflatable Sad Kanye and we're determined to turn his frown upside down. Here's the inspiration shot: More about this year's Splendour lineup over here. Image: Savannah Van Der Niet/Splendour in the Grass.
If you've been crying enough tears to power a water wheel over current threats to our Renewable Energy Target, here's a chance to take matters into your own hands. A new not-for-profit by the name of Pingala is set on bringing community solar farms to Sydney. They're launching their master plan this Sunday, November 16, with a colossal, locally-sourced party at 107 Projects. There'll be live music from Sydney artists, brews from Young Henry's, food sourced from Hawkesbury-based organic farms and talks from Greens leader Christine Milne, among others. Here, you'll get the chance to learn all about how you can play a role in greening up the city's energy sources. Pingala is run by a 30-strong bunch of volunteers who "love renewable energy and want to see more of it in Sydney". Though solar farms are pretty common in the UK, Holland and Germany — where an awesome 31 per cent of all electricity generated in the first half of 2014 was sourced from renewables — they've so far been a rare occurrence in Australia. Thanksfully, all that's about to change. Just last week, the Shoalhaven Bowling Club put its new $120,000 solar farm into action, facilitated by a Pingala-style group known as REpower. But, the question remains, how does it all work? Pingala acts as an intermediary between the public and a potential solar farm host. Members of the community invest money to fund the installation of solar panels on the host site's roof. They, in turn, use and pay for the electricity created. That's until they've bought back the panels, which usually takes about five or six years. Investors are guaranteed to make a profit at a fixed rate (somewhere around 7-8 per cent), while the host can expect to pay about 30 per cent less than they would for power generated by fossil fuels. And, as far as the planet goes, everyone wins. "There's a lot of benefits for community members, as well as businesses and organisations," says convenor April Crawford-Smith. "Pingala is the intermediary body between them and we're excited to be in that position because it creates relationships and brings our local community together ... When investors sign up, they know exactly what the rate of return is, so it's like a deposit account." "The Shoalhaven Bowling Club is exactly the model we're trying to achieve," says Pingala Secretary Tom Nockolds. "The investors down there are getting nearly 8 per cent. It's vastly better than what they'd earn through a bank account." But as much as group-owned solar farms promise significant financial advantages, their positive community and environmental impact is even more exciting. "Any kind of renewable energy is awesome and we love to see it out there," says Nockolds. "When you install a solar panel funded by a private organisation, you get benefits that are financial, environmental and technological. But it's not until you go to a community energy project, where the community is involved in decision-making, development, operation and ownership, that you unlock an additional dimension of benefits. And those are social and political: building awareness of renewable energy to create a political force, building a community in the social sense and building the economy at the local level." Don't be shy if you're interested in this greenie goodness — Sunday's shindig kicks off at 6.30pm. Tickets are available here or, you can also jump on their site and join their mailing list and/or keep up with developments via Facebook. New volunteers are always welcome. Photo credit: CFBSr and Activ Solar via photopin cc.
Sydneysiders have been stepping things right up in 2015. Our bars are more groundbreaking and imaginative, our events more brilliant and immersive, and our restaurants more inventive and experimental. With new openings left, right and centre, Sydney is more vibrant, playful and fun than it ever has been. 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, we are very pleased to announce the winners of Concrete Playground's Best of 2015 awards. Sydney's restaurants that have been recreating the city one dish at a time — quite literally, in the case of Bennelong's mini pavlova ode to the Opera House. Our cafes that continue to redefine our coffee breaks, from crab cake sandwiches to house-brewed coffee lemonade. Our bars that have been reclaiming the night in the face of prevailing lockout laws, one solid negroni at a time; from entire spritz menus to cigarette-inspired cocktails, sharp Japanese whisky joints to Sydney's first distillery in 160 years. And our new (or renewed) pubs that have the biggest hurdle to face — history. Renovating a pub is one thing, but creating a new local is an art. Sydney's new event producers that have found new ways to celebrate Sydney life, reinvigorating dwindling or hidden spaces, and taking us on wild adventures in our own home. Our savvy business minds that have been hard at work inventing and developing the nifty new gadgets, services and products we can't stop talking about. From SmartCups to crowdfunded gin, anything-goes delivery services to alternative gym passes, local businesses have been making our lives much easier this year. Click through for the winners for: Best New Bar Best New Restaurant Best New Cafe Best New Pub Best New Event Best New Product These six outstanding Sydney (or Sydney-based) winners have been handpicked by CP for a combination of their originality, innovation, creativity, accessibility and sustainability — we straight-up love 'em.
Cocktail trends come and go, but one thing is certain: the martini is always in style. A good martini is a matter of technique — it generally only contains two to three ingredients, so the way in which it is mixed is key to their flavour, texture and taste. The martini is simple, but oh so complex. Ratios must be perfect, stirring time must be exact and extra touches are key. At Grey Goose's Boulangerie Bleue waterside mansion party this summer, a classic combination of vodka and vermouth was served — but with a twist of lemon instead of an olive. We asked Grey Goose's lively global ambassador Joe McCanta to show us how to make this variation on the classic — check out his technique below. MARTINI 50ml Grey Goose Vodka 10ml dry vermouth 1 twist of lemon Fill a mixing glass to the brim with ice. Add 50ml of Grey Goose Vodka. Add 10ml of dry vermouth. Stir slowly for 45 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe. Lightly twist your lemon into your drink, and gently rub the peel up and down the stem of your coupe, and along the brim. Fancy trying another? Grey Goose Vodka's 'discover' function will tell you what cocktail you're perfectly suited for. Dive into the luxury that your city has to offer — check out our Luxe Guide to Sydney and Melbourne. Food, spas, glamorous hotels and extraordinary experiences are waiting. Image: Steven Woodburn.
You thought the time for giant slides was through. You thought you'd missed the boat. You thought you'd be doomed to slide down your own shitty bits of plastic soaked with detergent and your backyard hose forever. You're in luck, slider. There's a freakin' huge slide coming to Australia and you can skid right down the middle of it. Slide the City is a multi-city series hitting Sydney, Melbourne and Perth with more national dates to be announced. It's a gargantuan 300 metre vinyl slip 'n' slide that dares to rival the likes of Slide Melbourne, Slidestreet and every detergent-laden giant slide you've ever created in your own backyard. Apparently this is equal to nearly three football fields worth of sliding. Family-friendly and encouraging of dress-ups, Slide the City is so much more than a slide. There'll be live music, food stalls and a bar popping up on the day — all you have to do is bring your water buckets, floaties and super soakers — yep, you're actually encouraged to bring these. Unless otherwise specified, sliding starts at 9am and goes until 7pm. We know what you're thinking (after all the fun sliding bit's done), what about water wastage? In fact, the team are taking great pains to keep the event's environmental impact low, even swinging the whole thing to raise awareness of water conservation. Good stuff, team. SLIDE THE CITY 2016 DATES: MELBOURNE — Sunday, January 10 SYDNEY — Friday, January 15, Saturday, January 16 and Sunday, January 17 WOLLONGONG — TBC SUNSHINE COAST — TBC TOWNSVILLE — TBC GOLD COAST — TBC NEWCASTLE — TBC Register for tickets at the Slide the City website.
They say there are no more original ideas, and never has that felt more true than today. Announced today, Instagram has launched a new feature that lets users share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. If it sounds uncannily like Snapchat, that's probably because it is. Rolling out globally over the next few weeks on iOS and Android devices, Instagram Stories is being sold as a way to relieve fears that you're posting on the app too much. According to a post on the company blog, the new feature "lets you share all the moments of your day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile. As you share multiple photos and videos, they appear together in a slideshow format: your story." Users will be able to view the stories of people they follow via a bar at the top of their feed, although they won't be able to like and comment on them (you can still send a private message letting someone know how #dope they look). And if you feel particularly attached to a photo in your story, you can change it to a regular post with the touch of a button. You'll also be able to hide stories from particular followers if you so choose. As for the elephant in the room, Instagram hasn't shied away from the fact that they're copying one of their competitors. Asked by TechCrunch about the obvious similarities between Instagram Stories and Snapchat, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom admitted that Snapchat deserved "all the credit," before going on to point out that tech companies borrow ideas all the time. "When you are an innovator, that's awesome. Just like Instagram deserves all the credit for bringing filters to the forefront. This isn't about who invented something. This is about a format, and how you take it to a network and put your own spin on it," said Systrom. "Facebook invented feed, LinkedIn took on feed, Twitter took on feed, Instagram took on feed, and they all feel very different now and they serve very different purposes. But no one looks down at someone for adopting something that is so obviously great for presenting a certain type of information." That may technically be true, but even by Silicon Valley standards, this is pretty bloody blatant. https://vimeo.com/177180549
Start planning a cheeky summer Tassie trip, Hobart's palace of next-level art MONA has just announced the first glimmer of their 2017 Mona Foma lineup. Returning to the Apple Isle's capital from Wednesday 18 to Sunday 22 January 2017, Mofo is one of Hobart's calendar cornerstones — and this year's shaping up to be as weird as ever. First off the rank is the world premiere of tētēma, the newest project from legendary Faith No More frontman Mike Patton. The project is a collaboration between Patton and Aussie experimental composer and pianist Anthony Pateras, who are bringing their ambient, experimental live show to us which explores the theme of displacement. The combo of Pateras' electro- orchestral style with Patton's insane vocal range and a 12-piece band is not to be missed. Second up, MONA has also announced that US comedic, storytelling/musical outfit Puscifer are on the festival bill. They're known for high-energy, narrative driven shows. This is only the first announcement, with the full program set to be announced on Wednesday, October 12. Looks like Mofo is shaping up to be another banger. Tickets go on sale on Monday, October 17, so keep an ear to ground for further announcements. Image: Mofo/Facebook.
How time flies. It seems like only yesterday we were ringing in 2015, and yet in just a few short weeks we'll be finished with it forever. But not before we send it off in style. New Year's Eve is one of the biggest events on Sydney's social calendar, with hundreds of thousands of people flooding into the city to celebrate with family and friends. The thing about a party that big, though, is that you can't just rush into it without a game plan. Get it right, and it can be the perfect capper to your year. Get it wrong, and you've botched your 2016 before it's even begun. Fortunately, the City of Sydney has devised a special mobile app in order to help make your New Year's plans run smoothly. Available now through both the App Store and Google Play, the free Sydney New Year's Eve app is described as "your very own personal assistant for the evening." You can use it to find the best places to view the fireworks over the harbour, and receive live updates as areas reach capacity. It also lets you preload up to 50 standard SMS messages, which will then be automatically sent out at the stroke of midnight free of charge. The app was developed in partnership with Telstra, although it works no matter which network you're with. So before you make your way down to the harbour only to find there's nowhere to lay your picnic rug amidst the throngs of people, download the app and make some actual, solid plans. Go to www.sydneynewyearseve.com to find out more and to plan your night. Get the Sydney New Year's Eve app from the App Store or Google Play.
With each passing festival season, music lineups dominate the hubbub. But with great grub now proving just as much a drawcard as those tunes, festivals are taking their food element next-level. Gone are the days of sad sausage rolls, scoffed speedily between stages — festival food is having a moment. Last year, Sugar Mountain Festival introduced a new onsite dining concept called Sensory, collaborating with some iconic Melbourne names to treat food-loving festivalgoers to an "immersive restaurant experiment". A mega success straight off the bat, Sensory is set to return for Sugar Mountain 2017, on January 21, having pulled together another cracking lineup of tastes, sights, and sounds. An indoor space within the festival's home at the Victorian College of the Arts will be transformed for the multi-dimensional event. There'll be multiple sittings throughout the day, with each 60-minute set-menu experience designed to take guests on a dazzling multi-sensory journey. Peter Gunn, the envelope-pushing chef behind Collingwood fine diner IDES, will be working his magic on the menu, sticking to form to deliver a cutting-edge culinary extravaganza. Meanwhile, the accompanying visual feast is sure to be every bit as impressive, with acclaimed multimedia artist Daniel Arsham taking the reins on the space design — fresh, might we add, from his collaboration with Pharrell Williams for Rules of the Game, which showed at Brisbane Festival this year. And all the while, those earholes will be in total aural heaven, thanks to a glittering, hour-long score crafted by S U R V I V E — yep, that's the Texan band behind the Stranger Things '80s-style hit soundtrack. Of course, the festival's foodie fabulousness extends beyond Sensory's walls, with eats from the likes of Kong BBQ, 8Bit, Pretty Mama and Pidapipo on hand to back up the musical treats. Summer-worthy cocktails will be shaken and stirred by the crew from The Top, while beer partner Sample Brew will be slinging a variety of tap beers and an exclusive range of tinnies. All-inclusive tickets to Sensory are priced at $70 each, and go on sale at 8am, November 16. Grab one separately, or bundle it together with a Sugar Mountain ticket.
What exactly does 'Australian life' look like, really? It's a pretty damn broad term, we know. If you were to capture a little glimpse of your own everyday Aussie existence, what would it look like? Each year, the City of Sydney holds their high profile Australian Life photography competition as part of Art and About. After a nationwide callout, 22 winning photos, all encapsulating the essence of Australian life, and taken by photographers at all skill levels, are presented in a free outdoor exhibition. Sometimes, the photos feature majestic Australian sunsets, bright outback-influenced colours or stunning beachscapes. Other times, the photos are of friends swinging off a Hills Hoist in the outback, or lying in the sun on a friend's deck. These photographs (all winners, or finalists in the competition) prove that you don't need to be a professional photographer to win the $10,000 prize. You could have a photo of your friends drinking tinnies by a campfire, or a majestic Bondi panorama you were going to post on Instagram. Think again — it could be the perfect image of Australian Life. [caption id="attachment_580209" align="alignnone" width="1280"] John Appleyard, Even When the Rain Falls (2015)[/caption] SIMPLE TECHNIQUES GO A LONG WAY Turn an everyday moment into a magic one by thinking about simple photography techniques, like framing and contrast. If you were at this football game, you may have just seen a team huddling in the rain. But John Appleyard, a 2015 finalist with Even When the Rain Falls, saw a team wearing dark colours, huddled in the foreground of an expansive, well-lit green field. The perfect backdrop for a stunning photograph. [caption id="attachment_580212" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Mark Callanan, Sundeckers (2013)[/caption] ANY OL' MOMENT CAN MAKE A NEXT-LEVEL PHOTO Mark Callanan's Sundeckers proves you don't need to be a professional to take a great shot. This shot could have come straight off someone's Instagram account, a quick shot of a group of friends taking in the first days of summer sunshine (probably after a cold winter). Learning to recognise everyday moments like this as they come, and being able to turn them into something more, will make for great photography. [caption id="attachment_580213" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Sally McInerney, Shark in Pool, Dover Heights (2012)[/caption] MAKE THEM THINK TWICE This stunning photograph by Sally McInerney, winner of the competition in 2012, plays with perspective in all the right ways. It matches the lines of a Photoshopped ocean up to the lines of a real-life Australian ocean — a detailed technique that makes you look twice, if only to figure out how the photographer achieved it. For an extra kick, she titled it Shark in Pool, Dover Heights, just to reel you in for another look. [caption id="attachment_580220" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Jenny Evans, Eleanor, Portrait of a Boxer (2013)[/caption] GET YOUR TIMING RIGHT This street mural was already beautiful. But when Jenny Evans captured it in her winning photograph Portrait of a Boxer, she made it even more mesmerising. If you're shooting outside, choose a time of day that will make your subject go further. Sunset is the perfect time to shoot landscapes, or colours like those in the indigenous flag. Overcast weather, or shade, is the perfect time to shoot people. [caption id="attachment_580208" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Georgina Pope, A Great Day for Drying (2014)[/caption] FIND INSPIRATION IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD A Great Day for Drying is the photograph Georgina Pope took when she won the Australian Life competition in 2014. She gathered a few props from around the house, and then took them out to her own backyard to be photographed with an instantly recognisable Australian icon — the Hills Hoist. No professional photography studio needed. Inspired? Art & About Sydney is inviting professional and amateur Australian photographers to submit images representing Australian life, showing the country beyond the icons. Capture any aspect of Australia, from everyday occurrences to the diversity of subcultures, from celebrations/rituals to natural/man-made environments. You could be one of the 22 finalists who'll be chosen and exhibited in Hyde Park from 15 September – 9 October 2016. The winner of Australian Life will receive $10,000. Enter here. Entries close at midnight on Friday, July 29.
There's a few delicious things you could buy for $817. You could buy a bucketload of Messina for your entire workplace. Or you could invest in one scoop of this not-so-great-sounding ice cream, the most expensive scoop in the world. Dubai's Scoopi Cafe is claiming their 'Black Diamond' as the priciest scoop in the globe, setting you back $817 a go. According to Al Arabiya, owner Zubin Doshi spent five whole weeks picking out the ingredients. Yep. Five of 'em. What did he come up with? Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream, Iranian saffron threads, and Italian black truffle, topped with a 23-karat gold leaf. Call us ungrateful, but four ingredients we've seen before hasn't left us jumping on Webjet. The exxy part of the scoop actually doesn't come from the saffron or gold leaf. It comes from the takeaway container. Your Black Diamond comes served in a bowl from Versace — one you can take home. So basically, you're paying for singular Versace crockery and the rights to tell your 'friends' you shelled out 800 beans for an average-sounding scoop. We'll stick with Messina any day. Via Al Arabiya.
Do some good for the planet this weekend by simply dancing your ass off. This Saturday, March 25, the infamous No Lights No Lycra crew is throwing a one-hour dance party at Balmain Town Hall in support of Earth Hour's 10th anniversary in Australia. This simple, yet brilliant, idea is happening in partnership with Earth Hour organisers World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), who have helped bring their sustainable events to over 7000 cities and 140 countries. Each event is focused around turning off lights as a symbol of support for clean energy, low pollution and a sustainable future for the planet. As with all NLNL events, the dancing will take place in the dark, giving patrons the chance to completely let loose. This time around, the dancing is also free of charge. So go ahead, dance like nobody's watching — because, well, no one will be — and help the planet, one outrageous move at a time. Check out the Earth Hour website for a full list of events.
Flying might be speedy, in terms of in-air time. But when you add airport transfers, check-in queues, security checks and boarding procedures, the hours start to pile up. A plane flies from Sydney to Melbourne in 90 minutes, but, for passengers, the journey can take up to four hours. Two Aussie aviation experts want to change all that. 28-year-old Luke Hampshire and 32-year-old Alexander Robinson are hard at work getting a startup off the ground, which will give members unlimited flights between Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, for one (expectedly hefty) monthly fee. And you won’t be flying with Virgin, Qantas, Jetstar or Tiger Air, by the way, you’ll be on a dedicated private jet. The company is named Airly and here’s how it works. Members pay $1000 to join up and $2550 per month after that (yep, it's not cheap). There are no maximum rides per month and no minimums, either. You’ll be flying on one of three eight-seater King Air 350s, which will start with 54 flights per week between Sydney’s Bankstown Airport, Melbourne’s Essendon Airport and Canberra Airport. Once things are up and running, Airly intends to cover Adelaide and Brisbane, too. Queueing for hours will look so early 21st century. Instead, you’ll be checking in just 15 minutes before departure in the company’s private terminal, cutting two hours off an average journey with a commercial airline. Meanwhile, both on the ground and on-board, ‘first class’ service is promised, ‘everytime’. Sound like some kind of pie in the sky? Well, it’s actually been done before — and successfully. Over in California, a similar service, named Surf Air, is already flying between twelve cities. In fact, Surf Air’s founder, Wade Eyerly, helped out when Hampshire and Robinson were first getting moving. Six months ago, the two quit their jobs to work on Airly full-time. The first King Air 350 has already been ordered from the United States and Hampshire told the SMH, “We are working off a membership number. We have a lot of people showing significant interest in it now. Once we reach that break-even number, we launch.” Airly won’t own the aircraft — they’ll be acting as a service provider and dry leasing the King Air 350s from an Australian company, the identity of which remains anonymous for now. Not that Hampshire wouldn't be able to do the captaining — he's a former Royal Australian Air Force pilot. Via SMH. Image: Jordan Sanchez.
It's 2017, and cinemagoers are about to see their ninth Batman movie in less than three decades — and, a few months later, their first live-action Wonder Woman film. Whether you love them, hate them, or don't mind them but are starting to get sick of a new one coming out each and every month, this year's comic book flicks highlight a disheartening point: gender equality and filmmaking really don't go hand in hand right now. Alas, the situation doesn't just apply to those fond of wearing capes and lycra. In general, watching movies about women, featuring significant roles for women, and/or made by women isn't as easy as it should be. When it comes to representing half of the world's population both in front of and behind the camera, saying that the film industry has plenty of room for improvement is both a massive understatement and a case of stating the obvious. If Hollywood isn't going to do any better, however, then the Internet Movie Database is going to do what it can to shine a light on the female-focused flicks that audiences can see. Enter the F-rating. Contrary to everything that the school grading system has made you believe, it's actually a good thing. Movies rated F boast a considerable contribution from women, be it writing, directing or acting in a sizeable part (no, playing a wife on the phone doesn't count, no matter how often great actresses are forced to do just that on screen). The rating was created back in 2014 by Bath Film Festival's Holly Tarquini in an effort to help viewers choose to watch movies that do more than give ladies a supporting role. Tick all three boxes, and a feature will receive a triple F — and a big thumbs up, representation-wise. At the time of writing, 21,890 films have been given an F-rating on IMDB, with users able to search for relevant titles just by ticking a box. Alas, searching is the only way to find the rating, which doesn't appear on IMDB's movie landing or keyword pages, but it's still a giant leap in the right direction. Or, as Tarquini sees it, it's hopefully a step on the path to better representation overall, rather than needing to actively let audiences know which female-focused films they should be seeking out. "I hope that the F rating will become redundant as the stories we see on screen reflect our culture, and that 50 percent of the stories we see [will be] told by and about women." she told The Guardian. Damn right. Via Vulture / The Guardian. Image: The Runaways.
Sitting down for our interview with director Eva Orner, it's hard not to think about the grimly fortuitous timing. Less than 24 hours earlier, a young Somali refugee set herself ablaze on Nauru. It's the second case of self-immolation at the centre in less than a week, following the suicide of Omid Masoumali just a few days before. "I think we all need to stand up and say enough is enough," says Orner. "I just read this thing where Malcolm Turnbull said, 'Let's not get misty-eyed about offshore detention.' People are lighting themselves on fire. Children are being sexually abused. People have died." Orner is no stranger to these kinds of human rights abuses. A first generation Australian whose parents fled the Holocaust, she won an Oscar in 2008 for producing Taxi to the Dark Side, Alex Gibney's harrowing documentary about CIA torture. To say that her latest directorial effort, about Australia's hardline immigration policy, is even more confronting, speaks to just how indefensible that policy has become. Combining whistleblower interviews with shocking secret camera footage captured inside Manus Island and Nauru, Chasing Asylum reveals in no uncertain terms the consequences of offshore detention. We spoke with Orner about what motivated her to pick up the camera, and whether she believes films like this can truly make a difference. A CAMPAIGN OF PANIC AND FEAR Perhaps the hardest thing to stomach, when it comes to mandatory detention, is the fact that so many Australians seem willing to accept it — something that Orner attributes to "a campaign of panic and fear and misinformation that's been going for 15 years." "I don't think that people really know what's happening, because of this policy of secrecy that's been in operation since 2001," she says. "That's why I made the film, because I wanted to show people. Vision is so much more powerful than print. There's been some excellent journalism on this, but until you really see women and children in those conditions, it's not quite the same." "I find it particularly extraordinary today when people are self-immolating, and the government doesn't really respond with any sympathy," Orner continues. "The key to me is that we have to keep coming back to the Refugee Convention. Because it came out of the Holocaust, and it was the world's apology to the Jewish people to what happened to them... We really have to look at this policy in terms of what it says about us as a democratic country." WHAT THE GOVERNMENT DOESN'T WANT YOU TO SEE The most remarkable thing about Chasing Asylum is Orner's hidden camera footage, which lays bare just how bad the conditions on Nauru and Manus Island really are. Naturally, she's unable to reveal exactly how she acquired the footage, other than to say it was "not easy to get." "If I'd known then what I know now I probably wouldn't have done it," she admits. "I think I was a bit wide-eyed going in. I always said that I was waiting for someone else to make this film, and no one did so I thought I'd better do it. But no wonder no one was making it. It's about places you can't go, people you can't speak to, and if whistleblowers do speak to you then you have to hide their identity. Then the whistleblowing legislation came out in July last year, which says that if you speak out it's a criminal act and you can go to jail." "What's important is that no cameras are allowed in, and why," says Orner. "I think the film answers that question, because it's really grim... I don't think it's a particularly emotional film, in terms of my voice. It's really just the facts and the vision of what's been happening. But what I'm seeing now as we're starting to screen it is that people cry when they see this film. It's very upsetting... I find it very hard to watch the film." CAN A MOVIE ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE? "You have to believe that good will triumph," says Orner when asked if she thinks things will ever change. "You have to believe that good will triumph, you have to believe you can change things. You have to do something, because the alternative to that is doing nothing. You just have to stand up and scream and scream and scream." "One of the things we're doing is working with an organisation to get [the film] into the school curriculum, because that's where the power is. Getting the next generation to see the film. If we get this into schools, if we get tonnes of people to see it, if it gets seen on televisions around the world, then that can make a difference." "It's really about trying to educate people. That's what I'm saying. Come see the film, see what we're doing, and then make a decision. And I'm saying the same thing to politicians, because only a handful of politicians have been to Manus or Nauru. They're spending all of our taxpayer dollars on this, they should know what it looks like. Then maybe at night when they're sitting with their families, they can reassess how they really feel." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocgNZRIEyyY Chasing Asylum is in cinemas nationally from May 26. Eva Orner's book, Chasing Asylum: A Filmmaker's Story, is available in bookstores and online. For more information visit www.chasingasylum.com.au.
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. More inventive, forward-thinking and experimental than ever, Sydney restaurants have defied traditional fine dining, adding in-house cinemas, recreating provincial French manors, and redefining nose-to-tail. 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 new restaurants, opened in 2016, have been nominated for Best New Restaurant in Concrete Playground's Best of 2016 Awards. Vote for your favourite.
Uber drivers may want to start thinking about a change of career. The ridesharing giant, whose relationship with its drivers has been turbulent in recent times, may soon have reached the point where it no longer has any need for them. After all, why spend millions settling lawsuits when you can get the cars to operate themselves? That seems to be the thinking as the company officially begins testing on its very first self-driving car. The modified Ford Fusion Hybrid, complete with roof mounted cameras and radar, took its first public outing on the streets of Pittsburgh last week. "While Uber is still in the early days of our self-driving efforts, every day of testing leads to improvements," said the company via a statement on their website. "Right now we're focused on getting the technology right and ensuring it's safe for everyone on the road — pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers." "In the future we believe this technology will mean less congestion, more affordable and accessible transportation, and far fewer lives lost in car accidents." That's all well and good, but will these self driving cars be offering their passengers complimentary mints? Where are we on that technology, exactly? Via The Sydney Morning Herald.
Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the art is so delightful in Sydney this month. Well, delightful isn't exactly the word we'd pick if we weren't stretching a popular culture reference to suit our needs. Let's say... challenging. Bold. Highly astute. Nec-level. Find your way to Sydney's best galleries this July for a glimpse into the posthuman future, a peek into Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera's volatile relationship, or a dreamy landscape of photographs actually designed to make you relax.
Did you spend your childhood wishing that Jurassic Park wasn't just a movie (or a book that spawned a movie and box office-smashing sequels)? Us too. While that dream is yet to become a reality, Queensland University of Technology has created the next best thing. Welcome... to the digital Dino Zoo. It's exactly what it sounds like: a two-storey installation that lets hyper-realistic, full-sized versions of prehistoric creatures roam wild, with the floor-to-ceiling screens acting like a glass enclosure. It's also much, much more than that. Dino Zoo doesn't just offer the world's first ever opportunity to interact with ten dinosaurs — including the largest flying reptile ever to live, and Australian critters with names like Muttaburrasaurus and Australovenator — but combines video game wizardry with scientific knowledge. What does that mean? Well, these dinos not only look the part, but act it as well. They've been designed to simulate real creatures, with each species vested with artificial intelligence. Watch Stegosaurus and Triceratops make their own decisions about moving, hunting, grazing and resting — and, if you're lucky, recreating parts of your favourite film. We can't promise that you'll be fleeing from a Tyrannosaurus Rex, but we can promise that you can pretend to. With data gleaned from real-life fossils instrumental in the project, Dino Zoo also features a digital dig pit that lets audiences uncover prehistoric bones, an interactive Earth timeline that visualises tectonic plate movement throughout history, and an 'Earth mass extinction simulator' — eek. Basically, it's all the virtual dino fun aficionados could ask for — and everyone loves dinosaurs, after all. Yes, yes they do. Just ask all the folks that flocked to see Jurassic World, which mightn't have been the sequel fans of the original were hoping for, but it still made more than $52 million at the local box office. Find Dino Zoo at QUT's The Cube in the QUT Gardens Point Precinct, George Street, Brisbane until January 27. Check out their website for further information. Image: Erika Fish, QUT.
Everyone's dreamed of walking on water, and not only has Bulgarian-American artist Christo Vladimirov Javacheff made that a reality — he's made it look insanely beautiful as well. After 50 years of planning, Christo's The Floating Piers this week opened to the public at Lake Iseo in the north of Italy. And boy does it look incredible. A photo posted by ottaviadrago (@ottaviadrago) on Jun 22, 2016 at 11:00am PDT The floating pier creates a three-kilometre water walkway from the village of Sulzano to the small island of Monte Isola on the lake. Over 220,000 polyethylene cubes have been used to create a floating dock, which moves with the small waves and gives visitors the feeling of walking on water. Sort of like those mats you'd try and walk on in swimming lessons, but more, y'know, secure. To top is all off, the walkway is covered in 100,000 square metres of shimmering saffron fabric. "Those who experience The Floating Piers will feel like they are walking on water — or perhaps the back of a whale," said Christo on his website. "The light and water will transform the bright yellow fabric to shades of red and gold throughout the sixteen days." The Floating Piers were first conceived by Christo and his late wife Jeanne-Claude back in 1970. Realised almost 50 years later, the project cost around $22 million — all of which has been funded by Christo himself. It's totally free for the public to visit, 24 hours a day, until it wraps up on July 3. If you're in Italy in the next two weeks, consider this a vigorous nudge. But for everyone else, here's some of the epic Instagrams that have been taken in the last few days. A photo posted by Simona Maculotti (@simona_maculotti) on Jun 22, 2016 at 2:30pm PDT A photo posted by Carlo D'Andrea (@c_a_rlo) on Jun 22, 2016 at 11:05am PDT A photo posted by The Floating Piers (@floatingpiers) on Jun 22, 2016 at 1:50am PDT A photo posted by Marta sangalli (@marta_sangalli) on Jun 22, 2016 at 12:12pm PDT A photo posted by The Floating Piers (@floatingpiers) on Jun 17, 2016 at 4:43am PDT A photo posted by The Floating Piers (@floatingpiers) on Jun 18, 2016 at 2:15am PDT Top image: The Floating Piers via Instagram.
Deck the halls and unpack the plastic tree — the festive season is well and truly upon us. And while that whole Christmas tradition stuff is nice, we're not going to deny what we're most excited about: a whole stocking-load of new films. Along with the cricket and stampeding through shopping centres, going to the movies is one of our favourite Boxing Day traditions. After all, what better place to recover from your post-Christmas food coma than in a nice, dark, air-conditioned cinema? Of course, not all of the end-of-year titles measure up. That's why we're reporting in with our annual Boxing Day Battle Royale, to ensure that you get maximum bang for your Kris Kringle gift voucher buck. Or you could just go see the new Star Wars movie for the third time. That's also a totally valid option. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rgO_TyyOoU CALL ME BY YOUR NAME We give it: 5 stars It's easy to fall in love with Call Me By Your Name on sight. Full of the kind of sumptuous visuals that director Luca Guadagnino (A Bigger Splash) is known for, the '80s-set effort proves a gorgeous piece of filmmaking from its opening frames. That said, it's the movie's sun-dappled dalliance that will really make you swoon, as Guadagnino follows the blossoming romance between 17-year-old Elio (Timothee Chalamet) and grad student Oliver (Armie Hammer) over the course of a sweltering Italian summer. A seductive and sensual queer romance, and a pitch-perfect account of yearning and desire — one that features an emotionally intricate turn from Chalamet in particular — Call Me By Your Name is the film that stories about first love will be judged against for many years to come. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNCz4mQzfEI COCO We give it: 4 stars It's with vibrant detail that Coco bursts onto cinema screens. A tale of following your heart while honouring your family, Pixar's latest effort is both a colourful sight to behold and an exuberant journey; a film exploding with dazzling visual and emotional fireworks. Within frames heaving with intricacy, there's never a dull moment as the movie sashays from modern-day Mexico to the Land of the Dead during the country's Dîa de los Muertos celebrations. Often it's the little things that stand out, from the grain of the many flowers never far from view, to the weathered skeleton bones that literally dance through the streets, to the melancholy look on an old woman's face. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QKg5SZ_35I JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE We give it: 3.5 stars Updating itself, quite literally, for more modern times, the new Jumanji sees the board game from the original film transform itself into a mid-90s video game cartridge. Fast-forward 20 years and, in a clear nod to The Breakfast Club, the game is discovered in a storeroom by four motley teens during high-school detention, who soon find themselves sucked in to the perilous jungle. But there's a twist: they're now in the bodies of the game character they chose. Each of the main cast members plays impressively against type: Dwyane Johnson as the allergy-afflicted nerd, Kevin Hart as the jock cut down to size, Karen Gillan as the introverted loner and – most amusingly – Jack Black as the vacuous popular girl. The laughs are frequent, coming mostly from the body-swap setup, but also from the tongue-in-cheek references to point and click video games. – Tom Glasson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN46DCFr2Y0 JUST TO BE SURE We give it: 3 stars As a comedy, Just to Be Sure doesn't always hit the mark. As an insightful look at life, love and family, however, the French film proves both thoughtful and charming. In her third feature, writer-director Carine Tardieu explores the story of widower Erwan (François Damiens) and his pregnant 23-year-old daughter Juliette (Alice de Lencquesaing) — plus the man he has always called dad (Guy Marchand), the man who might be his biological father (André Wilms) and the attractive doctor (Cécile De France) that links them both. With great performances all round, the movie is at its best when it's getting to the heart of the various characters' emotional reactions, rather than trying to find laughs. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_YnYrLfjxA BREATHE We give it: 2.5 stars Based on the exploits of polio sufferer Robin Cavendish, Breathe comes to the screen with the best of intentions. Indeed, Cavendish's son produced the film, showing just how personal this true tale is. Sadly, celebrating his father's fortitude and crafting a rousing movie aren't one and the same, despite the fact that many of the right tools are there. As Cavendish, Andrew Garfield (sporting his natural accent) flits between frustration and determination, while Claire Foy gives a moving performance as the dependable wife by his side. The production also boasts thoroughly handsome cinematography that captures its '50s, '60s and '70s setting. And yet the directorial debut of motion-capture actor Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, War for the Planet of the Apes) ultimately proves heavy on sentiment but light on emotional impact. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCrBICYM0yM DOWNSIZING We give it: 2.5 stars It's a great concept: to help save the planet, humanity gets shrunk down to size. But the unmistakably odd Downsizing isn't just an eco-friendly, statement-making update of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, even if it comes with a few ace sight gags. While director Alexander Payne has long been fascinated with ordinary guys struggling with their lot in life — think Sideways, The Descendants and Nebraska — the theme doesn't quite work in this ambitious but messy sci-fi-esque comedy. The film isn't helped by Matt Damon rolling out his usual everyman routine, though other cast members fare better. Christoph Waltz is considerably more jovial than usual, and Hong Chau turns a thinly written, stereotypical character into something more memorable. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXCTMGYUg9A THE GREATEST SHOWMAN We give it: 2 stars If Hugh Jackman's mega-watt smile and Zac Efron getting musical out of high school can't save The Greatest Showman, then nothing can. Turning the life of 19th-century American circus whiz P.T. Barnum into a family-friendly musical, the film prefers easy sentiment over anything more than the most obvious of themes and the simplest, flimsiest of narratives. The flat, uninvolving pop songs scattered throughout don't help or demonstrate any depth, and neither does their music video-like staging by first-time Australian director Michael Gracey. There might be warm intentions behind this broad, unsubtle underdog story about dreamers and outsiders, but they're lost in a movie that resorts to painting a critic as the villain — as if to pre-emptively scold anyone who isn't enamoured with its empty spectacle. – Sarah Ward
When it comes to making your first movie, there are easier ways to go about it than not just following in but recreating your father's footsteps. That's what O'Shea Jackson Jr experienced in taking on the role he was perhaps born to play — that of Ice Cube, who he normally just calls Dad, in the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton. Alongside Corey Hawkins as Dr Dre, Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, Aldis Hodge as MC Ren and Neil Brown Jr as DJ Yella, Jackson tackles the formation, fame and split of the influential hip hop group across the '80s and '90s. Starting on the streets of Compton in South Central LA, NWA created anthems that reflected their reality of difficult race relations and altercations with law enforcement, and went on to change the course of music history. The film that results is a slick, stirring, entertaining and engrossing music biopic that captures the spirit and circumstances of the songs and figures it focuses on. We chat to Jackson about making his acting debut by playing his father and doing justice to his family's legacy. You play your dad in this movie. I imagine this role is more important to you than any ordinary film role could be? Yeah, this is my family's legacy. It is bigger than NWA to me. I know that a lot of the people who may not even like the genre, a lot of the people who may not have grown up with NWA, there's a few people who know Ice Cube as only a movie star — I know that those people are going to take this movie as law, as exactly what happened. I couldn't risk somebody's portrayal of my father not being in the same light as I see him in. I knew the importance of this, so it had to be in my hands. Was taking on your family's legacy daunting? Of course. It takes a lot, but the sacrifices that had to be made were for my family. I'd run through a wall for them. Extreme bootcamps at times — I was twenty-two at the time, trying to look seventeen, so I had to go through a bit of a bootcamp, and I lost fifteen pounds in twenty-four days eating nothing but grass, dirt and diet water. It was a lot, but pressure makes diamonds, and if you run away from it you'll never know what you can do. Going into the film, how much of Ice Cube and NWA's complete story did you know? My father has been telling me these stories my whole life, and that was something I used to my advantage. I knew how things really went, and I knew that the authenticity of this film was what was going to make it stand out. I'm not going to say I knew about the guns in the hotel, but there were things I was comfortable with, stories that I knew, stories that knew I could talk to the source about to make sure we get it correct on film. It was just about re-enacting things I've heard since I was a child. You’ve been rapping for a few years now, touring with your father. Was that the easier part of the film for you? That's what made him believe that I could do it. Him taking me on stage, him seeing how I am on stage, is what led to him feeling like I could play him. That's such an important aspect. And my father was the young one of the group — he has the most energy on stage, he's the one rocking the crowd, waving his hands, bouncing up and down — so you know you have to bring that. When it came to those scenes, my guys — Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Aldis Hodge and Neil Brown Jr — they knew that I had that experience under my belt, so they let me quarterback those scenes a little. They know that that's me in my element, and I'm forever thankful to those guys for making me feel comfortable. Those scenes that you see are really what NWA did. The Detroit scene, them looking at each other, making sure "are we all down to do this, to drop 'Fuck Tha Police'", that's something that really happened. The film’s director, F. Gary Gray, has ties to both Ice Cube and Dr. Dre going back to making music videos in the '90s. Do you think that helped the film’s feeling of authenticity? Oh my god yes. That was one of the aspects of him getting the job, that my father saw that Gary got it. He got what it meant. My father knew he wouldn't have to explain the power or just the aspects of NWA to Gary. He also really let me really spread my creative wings. I know I won't deal with a lot of directors who are willing to let an artist be an artist the way that Gary Gray does. If you do it by the book, get it by the script the couple of times, he lets you do what's called an 'eat take' and go ahead and just be you. And if it works, it works, you know. And I thank Gary, because I know how meticulous he is, and if it is not right he won't do it. And as a young actor, as a rookie actor, you want someone in your corner that's going to make sure you don't look stupid. Straight Outta Compton is in cinemas now. Read our review.
Kiwi singer-songwriter Hollie Fullbrook (aka Tiny Ruins) has brought her haunting voice and evocative lyrics to audiences all over the world. Along the way, she's casually worked with David Lynch, and toured with Neil Finn, Sharon van Etten and Calexico. These days, she's signed to no fewer than three labels: Bella Union in the UK, Flying Nun in New Zealand and Spunk in Australia. Hitting the Opera House for Vivid, Fullbrook will appear with her band, made up of Cass Basil (bass), Alex Freer (drums) and Tom Healy (electric guitar), to give us a sneak preview of her third album. In the meantime, check out her Leonard Cohen-esque 'Bird in the Thyme'.
Australia's 2017 tennis season is kicking off with a bang, with some of the world's fiercest talent descending on Sydney for the FAST4 Showdown on January 9. It's AUS v THE WORLD at the newly unveiled International Convention Centre, where this one-night event will see two of our Aussie tennis stars battle it out for glory on the court, taking on a team of international big-guns in two best-of-five matches. With the flash new venue, hot-ticket player line up and an equally buzzworthy entertainment program planned, FAST4 is heating up to be one of the most epic events on Sydney's 2017 sporting calendar. Serving up a showdown to remember (on and off the court) the crowd-pulling event will see the legendary Lleyton Hewitt helm an Aussie side of Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic. The pair will be facing off against international greats, world number four and 14 time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal and world number 5 Kei Nishikori. Meanwhile, Gold Coast DJ's The Stafford Brothers will be spinning tunes, both before the first match and throughout the rest of the evening. Tickets available here.
On October 31 at 6pm, Mrs Macquaries Road will transform into a beautifully illuminated cyclists’ paradise for the second annual Light the City. Thousands of riders are expected to jump on their bikes and head along for an evening of nocturnal two-wheeling. “It kicked off last year with about 2,500 people coming along, and this year we’ve already far more people RSVP,” says Fiona Campbell, cycling manager at City of Sydney. A 2.5 kilometre loop along Mrs Macquaries Road will be lit up with spectacular installations, back dropped, of course, by harbour views. For five glorious hours, you’ll be able to ride the route as many — or as few — times as you like. All riders, be they newbies or in training for the Tour de France, are welcome. As Campbell says, “First and foremost, the Sydney Rides Festival is about having fun. It gives bike riders and those who haven’t ridden in a while the opportunity to take part in fun and safe community events that celebrate bike riding in Sydney.” But Light the City won’t be all about cycling. In fact, it’s a bit of a mini-festival. A gathering of Sydney’s favourite food trucks — including the Veggie Patch, Cantina Mobil, Cherry Hwy and Monster Rolls — will keep your hunger and thirst at bay, while the Nomadic Cafe tricycle will be providing coffee. And to keep you entertained between rides, there’ll be live music, interactive video displays, films, a silent disco and a roller racing stage. Given that the event happens to fall on Halloween, the organisers are encouraging you to get your blood and gore on. Best-dressed participants will be in the running for a stack of prizes, including a $1,000 gift voucher to spend at a local bike shop. Don’t have two-wheels of your own? Despair not. You’ll be able to hire onsite on the night. If your fitness levels happen to be at rock-bottom, ease yourself into action with an electric bike. Light the City forms the finale of the Sydney Rides Festival, a three-week celebration of cycling in Sydney. “Back in 2011, we started with a one week event, that’s now grown to three weeks and more than 30 events,” says Campbell. “This year we’ve expanded the Festival to include events all over Sydney, including Marrickville, Hunters Hill and the Sutherland Shire.” Check out the full program at the Sydney Rides website.
Multidisciplinary artist Sarah Contos has been creeping up Sydney's art scene for some time now. She will be putting on her first solo exhibition at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery this month. Total Control will showcase a collection of captivating works utilising a broad range of materials, such as found objects and collected fabrics. There is both fierceness and sensuality to Contos’s work. She combines modernism, eroticism and popular culture to produce new mythologies and alternative histories. This new body of work looks set to be another rich mix of clashing textures and identities. Alongside Total Control will be another exhibition from artist and filmmaker Liberte Grace titled The Perfect Boy Redux: Imaginarium.
The Sydney pop-up that made everyone lose their collective shit in May is pouncing triumphantly back into the game — Sydney's teeny, tiny pop-up kitten cafe is locked in for another stint, this time in the CBD. We'll say it again, just in case you closed your eyes for maximum squealidge. There's going to be a pop-up kitten cafe in the city, at Gaffa Gallery on Clarence Street. Next week. Cuddling up to kitties has never been easier for renting Sydneysiders. Sydney's first cat cafe opened in Chatswood just months ago, and Surry Hills' own space-themed cat cafe Catmosphere, opened on Friday. The third player, Sydney Cat Cafe, opened a pop-up kitten cafe in May to raise funds for a permanent space.a Unsurprisingly, the pop-up booked out within a day. So, teaming up with Maggie's Rescue and PURINA Australia, Sydney Cat Cafe is hosting another pop-up cafe from August 6-8 and 13-15 at Gaffa Gallery. Sydneysiders can book 45 minute cuddle sessions with fluffy little kittens handpicked by the Maggie's Rescue team, with the opportunity to pledge funds towards turning the Sydney Cat Cafe concept into a permanent fixture (or perhaps you're keen to adopt one of the little critters). It's $10 a snuggle sesh, max. 20 people at a time, and no little ones allowed — for safety and tail-pulling reasons, this pop-up is restricted to cat lovers above the age of 8. Alright, alright, how do we pat the kitties? Enquire after availability over here — and spots are already filling up, so get on it. KITTIES. The Sydney Cat Cafe and Maggie's Rescue pop-up kitten cafe is open at Gaffa Gallery, 281 Clarence Street, Sydney, running from August 6-8 and 13-15. Check the website for times.
