Each spring, the Southern Highlands Food & Wine Festival shows off the best of the region's diverse offering of eats and drinks, last year pulling a record 8800 punters and more local producers than ever before. For 2018, the festival returns to Bowral's Bradman Oval on September 29 and 30, bringing with it a fresh lineup of cool climate winemakers, artisan producers, pop-up food experiences and acclaimed Aussie chefs. Best of all, it's happening just over an hour's drive out of Sydney. Here, you'll have the chance to get acquainted with some of that famously good Southern Highlands vino, enjoying free tastings in your keepsake festival glass throughout the day. Last year's outing showcased wines from the likes of the award-winning Rotherwood, Berrima's Bendooley Estate, and the sustainability-focused Tractorless Vineyard, along with other liquid goodies from producers like Southern Highlands Brewing Co, Joadja Distillery and Pomologist Cider. Alongside the booze, expect chef demonstrations putting the region's top local produce to the test, food stalls galore and a swag of live entertainment throughout the day.
A pop-up outdoor wine, beer and food garden has arrived on the northern beaches to help you make the most of balmy summer nights and sunny weekends, Dubbed Market Lane Live, the temporary, al fresco event supports and celebrates local businesses, providing some of the best eats and tipples the area has to offer. The pop-up features a range of local restaurants and breweries. Donny's Bar, Momo Bar & Dumplings and The Local Smoker will all be serving up food, while 4 Pines, Nomads, Dad & Dave's and Manly Hops will be providing the beverages. Live music will also liven up the laneways and help support local musicians who may have lost income during the pandemic. Following the December lockdown of the region, Market Lane Live has returned and is taking over Manly laneways until the end of February. The market is happening every night, from 4pm–10pm weekdays and midday on weekends. It's child- and dog-friendly, so you can bring the whole family — including your fur child. You can find out more and peep the music lineup each week at the Market Lane Live Facebook page.
When you think of goods made out of recycled cardboard, the most common objects that would spring to mind would probably be cereal boxes, toilet paper or drink bottles. A fully-functioning bicycle would most likely not make the top of the list. Yet, now thanks to Israeli bike enthusiast, Izhar Gafni, it will certainly appear somewhere on that list. Gafni has created a bicycle made entirely of recycled cardboard, and all using only $9 of material. The bike functions just like a normal bike, is water resistant and can carry riders of up to a massive 220kg. Despite the material costing between $9-$12 for each bicycle, Gafni is looking to sell his product for $60-$90 a pop, depending on the extra addition of an electrical motor. Nevertheless, this innovative creation is believed to change the world of bicycles by being significantly more eco-friendly and well within consumer's budgets. The inspiration for the recycled bike came after Gafni saw news that an inventor had developed a canoe made from recycled cardboard. Even through the skepticism and doubt he received, Gafni persevered with his idea and three years later achieved what three different engineers had thought to be impossible. Gafni's recycled bicycle has since been made into four different prototypes including one with training wheels for children. He is currently working with investors to establish a company that can produce and distribute his bikes on a global scale.
It's the orchestra, Jim, but not as we know it. ACO Underground is the temporary stage name of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, which is reforming as an electro-acoustic collective for one night only. Next Sunday Australia's most talented classical musicians will be swapping the concert hall for the beer-stained stage of New York loft-style venue The Standard. With the assistance of former Midnight Oil guitarist Jim Moginie, they'll be playing a setlist more pleasantly bizarre than when Nelly and Tim McGraw teamed up in 2004. And, ranging from Radiohead's dreamy rock and Nick Drake's melancholy folk to the spellbinding Italian baroque of Vivaldi, the evening will traverse across as many decades as it will genres. Clearly this is not your average gig, so don't be thinking you can take the 7pm doors time as an invitation to rock up three hours later. Preceding the show will be a video montage installation by surf cinematographer Jon Frank, projected onto the walls and set to specially chosen audio, and that's an opening act you don't want to miss. To win a double pass to ACO Underground, just make sure you're subscribed to Concrete Playground then email us at hello@concreteplayground.com.au
Those intricately drawn cityscapes seen in anime movies will be front and centre at a new exhibition presented by The Japan Foundation, Sydney from next month. Running from June 2 until August 11, Anime Architecture celebrates the hand-drawn backdrops and architectural world-building of some of Japan's most iconic animated sci-fi flicks. The exhibition will explore the processes that go into bringing these dreamed-up environments to life, capturing the journey from pencil drawings through to those dramatic big screen stills. Get up close and personal with animations by legends of the scene, including Takashi Watabe, Hiromasa Ogura, Haruhiko Higami, Atsushi Takeuchi and Mamoru Oshii. Their resumes include the likes of Patlabor: the Movie, Ghost in the Shell (the original, not the live-action remake) and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, all of which feature in the showcase — as well as behind-the-scenes perspectives on other acclaimed Japanese films such as Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis. The exhibition is set to be accompanied by an event program, which will be revealed in the coming weeks. Catch Anime Architecture at The Japan Foundation, Sydney, at Level 4 Central Park, 28 Broadway, Chippendale. It'll run from June 2 - August 11, with an opening reception on Friday, June 1.
Legendary Sydney actor and the famously gravelly voice behind Banjo Patterson's The Man from Snowy River, Jack Thompson, has been announced as the Creative Ambassador for 2014 New Year's Eve in Sydney. Born and raised on the Northern Beaches, Thompson's career meandered from classic Australian films like Sunday Too Far Away, The Man From Snowy River and Breaker Morant (for which he nabbed Cannes and AFI awards) to Star Wars and recent Baz Lurhman escapades The Great Gatsby and Australia. A member of the Order of Australia for accomplishments in film, Thompson's made over 100 movies and television shows, as well as plays and poetry recordings over the past 45 years. Now he's looking at an entirely different type of script. "It is such an honour to be able to represent my home town — one of the world’s truly great cities — as the Creative Ambassador of 2014 Sydney New Year’s Eve," said Thompson, whose love for a good yarn lead him to pick this year's theme. Putting his age ol' fireside storytelling skills to a multi-million dollar budget, Thompson has picked the theme 'Inspire' for the fireworks extravaganza — hoping to implement a series of stories about our fine city in the midst of midnight pashes and Passion Pop-fuelled D&Ms. "Sydney is filled with stories that inspire, from the ancient engravings of the Gadigal people in the sandstone of the headlands to the unique architecture of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge," says Thompson. "As we prepare to celebrate the year that’s passed and look to the future at what lies ahead, I encourage Sydneysiders and visitors alike to join with us and share their own inspirational stories of Sydney." Thompson joins a solid lineup of previous high-profile Australian creatives to take on the role of Creative Ambassador for Sydney New Years Eve. Mental As Anything and Mambo legend Reg Mombassa took on last year, pop monarch Kylie Minogue oversaw 2012 and overwhelmingly influential designer Marc Newson had the top job in 2011. Reaching 1.6 million people on Sydney Harbour alone (as well as a cheeky billion worldwide), NYE generates an estimated $156 million to Sydney's economy. Yikes. All that money doesn't go in fat cat pockets though, Thompson's NYE will team up with official 2014 Sydney New Year’s Eve charity partner, Engineers Without Borders Australia. Total legend. For more information and to plan where your grab-the-nearest-person-midnight-pash will go down, visit sydneynewyearseve.com. On another note, Thompson was the first nude male centrefold in Cleo magazine in 1972, but we're unlikely to revisit this raunchy page turner on NYE:
Next time you're slurping on some noodles or devouring a stir-fry, don't stop when your bowl is empty. If you're still hungry, set your sights on the utensils in your hand. Yes, chowing down on chopsticks has become a reality — and whatever you think they'll taste like, they won't. Unless you were really hoping they'd have the same flavour as furniture, that is. Unveiled by Japan's Marushige Confectionery, the edible chopsticks are designed to serve two purposes: provide a sustainable alternative to current chopsticks, which are usually made out of bamboo, wood, plastic or steel, and are used in the billions each year around the world; and provide a reminder about the country's agricultural traditions. It's for the latter reason that they're made out of igusa, the soft reeds usually used to make the tatami floor mats that are common around the nation. By turning igusa into chopsticks, then getting folks to munch on them, Marushige hopes people will come to appreciate the substance's cultural significance. At present, the tatami-flavoured chopsticks be made available at two restaurants in Tokyo, but whether they'll spread to become a broader trend is yet to be seen. No one can argue with the fact that it's an ingenious idea — how many pairs of disposable wooden chopsticks have you used and then thrown out recently? More than you probably realise. As for the taste, maybe it's the kind of thing that you just get accustomed to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBOXZBgXqDs Via MUNCHIES.
Picking up just seconds from where the last Muppets film left off, Muppets Most Wanted opens with a rousing song that explains: "Everybody knows a sequel is never quite as good". A few famous exceptions notwithstanding, the in-joke is right on the money, and even though it's definitely true of this film as well, thankfully the follow up to James Bobin's 2012 hit is only slightly poorer than its predecessor. This time round, the gang is talked into embarking upon a world tour by Ricky Gervais's smooth-talking yet unscrupulous talent manager, Mr Badguy ("Its...French. It's pronounced...Bad Geeee"). The tour is, however, just a front to enable Badguy and his boss Constantine (aka Evil Kermit) to conduct a series of high-end museum robberies and steal England's Crown Jewels. Key to the plan is Constantine's escape from a Siberian gulag and an ole switcheroo that sees him trade places with the real Kermit. "Eeets...dee Marrr-pet shaow" practices the heavily accented villain as he reviews file footage of Kermit in what's just one of dozens of charming imposter-Kermit based jokes. As always, the film is packed with self-referential humour (one Muppet complains that it's actually the seventh movie in the franchise), cameos (Usher plays an usher, Celine Dion takes the absolute piss out of herself and James McAvoy appears as a 'blink and you'll miss him delivery man', to name just a few), and — of course — musical numbers. None of the songs come close to matching The LEGO Movie's impossibly catchy 'Everything Is Awesome', but several of them are good enough to gets the toes tapping. Constantine's 'I'm Number One', for example, is amusing in its constant forcing of Gervais to reply 'I'm number two', and the disco-inspired 'I'll Get You What You Want' is just crying out for a Pharrell cover. The highlight of Muppets Most Wanted, however, is the subplot involving the partnership of Sam the Eagle and Interpol's Jean Pierre Napoleon (in an outrageously cliched swipe at the French by Ty Burrell). Their dogged pursuit of the thieves leads to some fantastic scenes involving muppet interrogations, crime scene analysis and police badge oneupmanship. Tina Fey also impresses as the gulag's warden Nadya, whose determination to put on the prison's annual revue sees Kermit end up directing a terrifically funny all-male A Chorus Line. I'm also told Ms Piggy's wedding dress (designed by Vivienne Westwood...no, seriously) is to die for. Based on the laughter of the kids attending the screening, kids will laugh at screenings of this movie, and so too will adults, though not in the same way or with the marked regularity of, say, a Pixar film. It's a little light on plot, and begins to feel a little repetitive by the end, yet the pacing is rarely in danger of lagging and the jokes come often enough to keep everyone entertained. Empire Strikes Back it 'aint, but it's not a bad sequel to what was always going to be a hard act to follow. https://youtube.com/watch?v=wXfLrt90CHM
No one does inner turmoil and domestic horror quite like the Japanese. It seems so many of their artists have found that magical space between buttoned-up manners and social graces and unbound anger, anxiety and fear. The secret seems to lie in restrained contradiction. In a major solo show at the MCA, Mekurumeku, Japanese artist Tabaimo has managed to strike this eerie balance perfectly, presenting a body of work spanning just over a decade. The exhibition of six video installations moves from early work to two brand new commissions, and it’s a satisfying progression. Where the early work recalls traditional Edo-period woodcuts in its aesthetic — intricate and rigid line work, rich vivid colours and frequently depictions of everyday life — later work displays a sparser, more monochromatic and restrained eye. Across all, the modern and traditional sit uneasily side-by-side. Despite a visible progression between her work of the early 2000s and today, there are a lot of recurring motifs in Tabaimo’s painstaking videos, each of which is hand-drawn and takes up to a year to produce. There is a sense of quiet menace, a disconnect between our interior and public lives, constantly shifting perspective and repeated visual cues — tentacles, water, disembodied or metamorphic limbs and hands all recur. Itching is another recurring feature, an artistic representation of a real-life affliction; Tabaimo has long suffered a painful and persistent dermatitis. There is a lot to be gleaned from Mekuremeku, and a lot to like. It’s surreal visual language is both metaphoric — of contemporary Japanese life, of our submerged interior lives, of the terror that waits in the home — and aesthetically sublime. The images themselves, their soundtracks and environments all combine to immerse audiences in a giddy world where your footing is never sure. Walls curve, inside becomes out, and subaquatic noises bleed from one work to the next. Ten points for install. Mekuremeku is a good move by the MCA. Coming off the back of the behemoth Biennale, it’s refreshing to see the space devoted to a singular and logical solo show, especially of an artist from the Asia-Pacific. Tabaimo’s work is accessible and appealing without losing its aesthetic or conceptual value, and it strikes me as a show that will hold up under repeat visits. The best show from a Japanese artist at the MCA this year *winky face*.
No trip to Tokyo is complete without a visit to Shinjuku's Godzilla head, which towers down on the popular district from Hotel Gracery Shinjuku. If you're a fan of the King of the Monsters, you'll now need to add another stop to your next Japanese itinerary: amusement park Nijigen no Mori, on Awaji Island in Hyogo prefecture. From a yet-to-be-finalised date in mid-2020, the theme park will be home to a life-sized version of the scaly creature — even if Godzilla's actual size has changed over the course of its 65-year history. The kaiju was 50 metres tall in the 1954 Japanese classic that started the long-running monster franchise, and measured nearly 120 metres in the most recent US film. In 2017's animated Netflix flick Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, it even spanned a whopping 300 metres. At Nijigen no Mori, good ol' Zilly will measure 120 metres according to Japan Times, and that's in length. Godzilla will be lying down, mouth open and presumably roaring, with amusement park patrons able to zipline into it. Usually folks are trying to avoid the huge creature and his fire-breathing gob, but that's obviously not going to be the case here. Called Godzilla Interception Operation, the attraction will dedicate a 5000-square-metre zone to the famed critter, asking attendees to take on the role of island scientists. In that guise, the ziplining occurs in the name of science, because the huge beast has become trapped in the earth. Shooting games are also part of the Godzilla zone and, naturally, so is Zilly-themed food and merchandise. Also, if you're wondering which Zilly this one will resemble — Godzilla's appearance has often changed from film to film, too — it's the version of the lizard-style gargantuan from 2016 Japanese movie Shin Godzilla. For more information about Godzilla Interception Operation, which is due to open in mid-2020, visit the Nijigen no Mori website. Via Nijigen no Mori / Japan Times. Images: Nijigen no Mori.
When Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi invited the world to experience the vampire sharehouse mockumentary genre, one of the best comedies of the decade wasn't the only result. Every film seems to spawn sequels, remakes, spinoffs and the like these days, but no one's complaining about spending more time in the What We Do in the Shadows universe. A follow-up, We're Wolves, is in the works, focusing on the undead bloodsuckers' Rhys Darby-led lycanthrope enemies. So is six-episode television spinoff Wellington Paranormal, following the movie's cops (Mike Minogue and Karen O'Leary) as they keep investigating the supernatural, and expected to air in New Zealand mid this year. Add a US TV remake of the original flick to the pile as well, but withhold any "do we really need a remake?" judgement. First revealed by Waititi last year, given a pilot order earlier in 2018 and now officially moving ahead with a 10-episode first season, the American version will be written by Clement and directed by Waititi, The Hollywood Reporter notes — and will see a documentary crew follow three vampire flatmates living in New York City, according to Variety. The series will star Toast of London's Matt Berry, Four Lions' Kayvan Novak, British stand-up comedian Natasia Demetriou and The Magicians' Harvey Guillen. It's unknown whether Clement and Waititi will reprise their on-screen roles in a guest capacity. With What We Do in the Shadows actually starting its life as a short back in 2005, the concept of flatting members of the undead arguing about bloody dishes has taken quite the journey since those early beginnings. If any idea was going to come back in multiple guises, it's this one. Of course, so have Clement and Waititi. Clement has a new Flight of the Conchords TV special airing on HBO this month, while Waititi two post-Thor: Ragnarok flicks in the works — a stop-motion animated effort called Bubbles, about Michael Jackson's chimp, and another by the name of Jojo Rabbit, set during World War II and starring Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell. As for feasting your eyes into What We Do in the Shadows' new TV version, fans will have to wait until next year. The US remake isn't set to air in America until early-to-mid 2019. Via The Hollywood Reporter / Variety. Image: Kane Skennar.
If you've spent the past year with your nose buried in a book, that's about to pay off beyond the everyday joys and thrills of reading. Sydney Writers' Festival's 2023 lineup is here another hefty catalogue of thought-provoking events — 226 of them, with almost 300 writers and thinkers involved. From the recipients of the literary world's brightest honours to some of Australia's household names and faces, a wealth of talent is descending upon the Harbour City, and being streamed nationally thanks to SWF's online program. Every writers' festival converges around an annual theme, with Sydney's focusing on 'Stories for the Future' for its 2023 iteration from Monday, May 22–Sunday, May 28 at various venues around the city — and also beamed digitally. Thinking about what's to come has been an inescapable part of living through the pandemic era, which SWF knows, curating a bill of talks that'll contemplate moving through the chaos of the past few years and into in a different tomorrow. [caption id="attachment_893384" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eleanor Catton by Murdo MacLeod[/caption] Today's most current Booker Prize-winner, plus three from past years as well, top the lineup: Shehan Karunatilaka, who won in 2022 for The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida; The Luminaries' Eleanor Catton; The Narrow Road to The Deep North's Richard Flanagan and Girl Woman Other's Bernardine Evaristo. Still on highly applauded attendees, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist Colson Whitehead — for The Underground Railroad, which was then adapted into a TV series, and for The Nickel Boys — also leads the bill, arriving between Harlem Shuffle's 2021 publication and sequel Crook Manifesto's arrival this July. Among the international names, the above headliners have ample company. When Trinidad-born UK musician Anthony Joseph isn't talking poetry — he is 2022's TS Eliot Prize for Poetry winner — London restauranteur Asma Khan from Darjeeling Express, and also seen on Chef's Table, will chat about comfort food; Daniel Lavery from Slate, who penned the Dear Prudence column from 2016–21, will run through his best advice; and Vietnamese author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai will introduce her new novel Dust Child. [caption id="attachment_893383" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Colson Whitehead by Chris Close[/caption] On the local front, get ready for two iconic pairings: former Prime Minister Julia Gillard being interviewed by Indira Naidoo, plus Jurassic Park favourite Sam Neill discussing work, life and writing with his Sweet Country, Dean Spanley, Dirty Deeds and Palm Beach co-star Bryan Brown. Also on the must-attend list: Grace Tame chatting about The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner: A Memoir, Heartbreak High's Chloé Hayden doing the same with Different, Not Less: A neurodivergent's guide to embracing your true self and finding your happily ever after, and Stan Grant on The Queen Is Dead. Also, on Monday, May 15 before the main festival, Tim Winton will discuss writing the ABC TV documentary Love Letter to Ningaloo. Under first-time Artistic Director Ann Mossop, opening night will feature Evaristo, Benjamin Law and Miles Franklin-winner Alexis Wright working through the impact that the past has on the present, as well as poet Madison Godfrey performing. At the other end of the fest, novelist Richard Flanagan will look forward, exploring why we need to tell our own tales to shape the future. [caption id="attachment_893385" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Grace Tame by Kishka Jensen[/caption] And, if your main relationship with the printed word is through recipe books, the 2023 festival is going all in on the topic for one day at Carriageworks Farmers Market. Stephanie Alexander and Maggie Beer will talk with Adam Liaw, while fixing the food system and family recipes will also nab chats by culinary talent. Capping off the bill will be foodie gala The Dinner That Changed My Life, with everyone from Nat's What I Reckon and Jennifer Wong to Alice Zaslavsky and Colombo Social's Shaun Christie-David involved. Among the rest of the program, other highlights include a tribute to Archie Roach and Jack Charles; comedians Wil Anderson and Laurence Mooney; the All Day YA lineup; a deep dive into crime podcasting with journalists Patrick Abboud, Kate McClymont and Hedley Thomas; and The Book Thief and The Messenger's Markus Zusak on bringing the latter to TV. Adaptations in general earn their own session, Shane Jenek aka Courtney Act is part of SWF's stint of Queerstories, Tom Ballard pops up on an OK Boomer panel, Australia's war on hip hop gets its time in the spotlight, and there's a look at AI in the age of ChatGPT. As always free events are a big part of the program as well, with more than 80 on year. And, also in the same category, the spread of venues is hefty — including Carriageworks, Town Hall, and 25 suburban venues and libraries across the Sydney. Sydney Writers' Festival runs at various venues across Sydney from Monday, May 22–Sunday, May 28. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday, March 17 via www.swf.org.au.
It's time to hit the galleries, as 22nd Biennale of Sydney is set to return from Saturday, March 14 through Monday, June 8. Sure, three months might sound like a lot of time, but this massive biennial showcase spans over 700 artworks and 101 artists from 65 different countries — as well as several galleries across our city, from Campbelltown to Cockatoo Island. The 2020 edition is entitled Nirin, which means 'edge' in the language of western NSW's Wiradjuri people. It is helmed by a new First Nations artistic director, famed Sydney-born, Melbourne-based interdisciplinary artist Brook Andrew. Andrew has selected an impressive lineup of artists and creatives — many of them First Nations — from around the world to exhibit at the Art Gallery of NSW, Woolloomooloo's Artspace, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Cockatoo Island, MCA and the National Art School for the exhibition's 12 weeks. The showcase brings together artists from all over the globe, with fresh perspectives on Australia that span culture, gender and place. Expect installations, performances, sculptures, videos, paintings and drawings that examine what it means to be First Nations. Here are ten highlights that you can't miss. Due to current concerns surrounding COVID-19, the Biennale has implemented precautionary measures at all its galleries, in line with advice from WHO and the NSW Department of Health. Venues are cleaned more frequently and hand sanitiser is readily available. It's also asking all visitors to practise good general hygiene and stay at home if they're feeling unwell. You can read its full statement and any updates over here. [caption id="attachment_765015" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Teresa Margolles, 'Untitled', 2020, mixed-media installation. Installation view (2020) for the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, National Art School. Courtesy the artist and Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Zurich. Photograph: Zan Wimberley[/caption] UNTITLED BY TERESA MARGOLLES, NATIONAL ART SCHOOL Teresa Margolles' mixed-media installation Untitled is one of the most powerful and heart wrenching works of the entire Biennale. The Mexican artist's work acts as a memorial to murdered women and transgender women across both Mexico and Australia. Over 70 women were murdered in Australia last year alone. Untitled compiles acts of violence and trauma from several sites in each country — with Sydney-specific sites included. Margolles collected particles from these murder scenes through sponging the area with water and collecting any particles or residue that remained. The water collected from each site is used in the actual work, incorporated as droplets (each representing one life) that fall onto an electric copper hot plate in regular intervals. As you hear the water evaporate, it signifies the loss of a life, though every drop leaves a mark. Surrounding the installation is a blood-red butcher curtain, giving the entire scene an eerie edge. Margolles' work is a very visceral and emotive piece, with the viewer acting as witness to forgotten acts of violence. [caption id="attachment_765017" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Barabara McGrady. Installation view (2020) for the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, Campbelltown Arts Centre. Courtesy the artist. Photograph: Zan Wimberley[/caption] NGIYANINGY MARAN YALIWAUNGA NGAARA-LI BY BARBARA MCGRADY WITH JOHN-JANSON MOORE, CAMPBELLTOWN ARTS CENTRE Sydney-based photographer and Gomeroi/Murri/Yinah woman Barbara McGrady brings modern First Nations issues front-and-centre with her collaborative work, Ngiyaningy Maran Yaliwaunga Ngaara-li (Our Ancestors Are Always Watching). This Biennale installation acts as a photographic archive of McGrady's extensive work, which truly represents contemporary Aboriginal history. The artist aims to 'engage audiences with images through a black lens and document the diverse Aboriginal experience' — across themes such as sports, song and dance, community, politics and protest. The blacked-out room screens multi-channel audio-visuals across several large televisions, while R&B, rap and other culturally-specific music plays through the speakers. Black couches invite viewers to hang around and truly immerse themselves in the exhibition. [caption id="attachment_765039" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Colectivo Ayllu artists, Artspace. Courtesy the artists. Photograph: Zan Wimberley[/caption] COLECTIVO AYLLU/MIGRANTES TRANSGRESORXS, ARTSPACE The massive Artspace installation by Collectivo Ayllu is a collection of 11 works, which together form a labyrinth-like exhibition of four 'stations' all up. The political action group, formed in Madrid in 2009, includes five artists from South America: Alex Aguirre Sánchez (Ecuador), Leticia/Kimy Rojas (Ecuador), Francisco Godoy Vega (Chile), Lucrecia Masson (Argentina) and Yos Piña Narváez (Venezuela). The work aims to critique western heteronormative values through the lens of the Spanish colonisation of the 15th and 16th centuries — of which all of the Collective's members identify as descendants. This powerful installation tells the repeated and ongoing story of colonial pain and adds a contemporary lens to it. The floor of the entire winding exhibition is covered in sand, making reference to the images of colonisers landing on the beaches of South America and around the world. The artists have constructed the installation as an Andean huaca – a fundamental Inca sanctuary or sacred place. [caption id="attachment_765020" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view (2020) photographed in the Grand Courts at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. Photograph: Zan Wimberley[/caption] RETAULE DELS PENJATS AND MÀRTIR BY JOSEP GRAU-GARRIGA, AGNSW At AGNSW, the Biennale has been very appropriately integrated into the galleries on the ground floor, which primarily houses European art. This artistic decision forces the viewers to re-evaluate the history of art in Australia and the Euro-centric lens it often takes. Taking centre stage in the AGNSW Grand Courts is Retaule dels penjats (Altarpiece of the Hanged People) — a prominent 1970s work by Spanish artist Josep Grau-Garriga. His three-storey textile installation truly takes over the space, reaching to the ceiling, and works as a direct dialogue with the architecture of the gallery. His three-dimensional woven characters are a hanging memorial to tormented and suffering victims of war and martyrdom, which the viewer is forced to address — this massive installation literally cannot be missed. [caption id="attachment_765050" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo by Emma Joyce.[/caption] WATAMI MANIKAY BY THE MULKA PROJECT, AGNSW A stunning work by the Yolŋu digital artists of The Mulka Project, Watami Manikay (Song of the Winds) will transport viewers to another time and place. The artist collective works with digital technologies and video art. This specific project weaves the kinship of Yolŋu clans through the four winds in the form of a three-walled, floor-to-ceiling video projection that moved from sunrise to sunset — depicting lapping waves and sunny beaches. The focal point of the installation is a painted larrakitj (hollow ceremonial log), which represents the gunḏa rock that grounds each clan to its identity. It changes colour and glows in time with the mesmerising film. The cyclical work aims to express the 'countless generations of evolving Yolŋu art practice'. [caption id="attachment_765024" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Museum of Contemporary Art installation view. Photograph: Zan Wimberley[/caption] WHAT LASTS! (SARCOPHAGUS) BY AHMED UMAR, MCA For artist Ahmed Umar's autobiographical work he created an earthenware tomb, one which is meant for him. The lid of the ancient-looking, ceramic sarcophagus includes a full body cast of Umar. It is part of a sculptural triptych that the artist created after opening up about his sexuality — and being considered 'dead' by close family members. The tomb is both a reminder of the pain of oppression and a celebration of his death. This piece is a protest against his upbringing in Sudan, and Umar (dressed in traditional Sudanese clothing) also physically protests alongside the artwork (he'll appear at various times throughout the festival). He holds a sign that reads 'Sudan executes gay people under its government endorsement'. His form of protest creates a timely and meaningful piece of art that needs to be seen. [caption id="attachment_765051" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo by Emma Joyce.[/caption] KUINI HAATI 2 AND TOGO MO BOLATAANE BY KULIMOE'ANGA STONE MAKA, MCA For Biennale 2020, Christchurch-based and Tongan-born artist Kulimoe'anga Stone Maka has created an expansive tapestry which nearly takes up an entire gallery floor at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The two-in-one painting re-enacts the meeting between Queen Salote of Tonga and the UK's Queen Elizabeth II, when the latter visited Tonga in 1953. The tap cloth depicts Maka's actual memory as a ten-year-old boy, with yellow barricades around the piece recalling the crowds on the day. His memory also includes seeing someone with blue eyes for the first time — which you'll notice as blue dots on the tapa cloth. The artist's technique nods to the Tongan art of ngatu 'uli (black-marked bark cloth), which has a 'material connection to his homeland'. Through his work, Maka is simultaneously telling both a personal and global story of connection. THE LAST RESORT BY LATAI TAUMOEPEAU, COCKATOO ISLAND Tongan Australian artist Latai Taumoepeau's The Last Resort depicts an all-too-real dystopia where idyllic island landscapes have literally become garbage dumps. It specifically explores the vulnerability and fragility of the Pacific Island nations' saltwater ecosystems. Performer Taliu Aloua wears brick sandals and holds an 'ike (Tongan mallet), while surrounded by a wall of glass bottle-filled sacks. A sea bed of glass lays at her feet. She repeatedly (and very loudly) smashes the bottles with her feet and mallet, and adorns broken sacks in replace of a lei around her neck. This ongoing endurance performance acts as a response to the physical and emotional (as well as geo-political) labour of Pacific Island people against the agents of climate change. Their connection to the land and the true destruction happening to it is viscerally depicted here. RE(CUL)NAISSANCE BY LÉULI ESHRĀGH, COCKATOO ISLAND Sāmoan artist Léuli Eshrāgh created a peaceful and beautiful ceremonial space for the 22nd Biennale. Re(cul)naissance honours precolonial kinship systems, using natural light to shun western religious beliefs of bringing 'light' to colonised nations; instead, this work fully embraces Indigenous practices that are 'considered deviant by western missionaries'. The work specifically interacts with Sāmoan and other Indigenous concepts, namely 'mālamalama — the process of enlightenment through paying attention to symbiotic pō (the origin of the universe), lagi (multiple heavens) and other kin animals. The space and video performance openly explores multiple genders and sexualities in an engaging way that offers up a future 'free of colonial shame'. Eshrāgh collaborated with artists Tommy Misa, Sereima Adimate and Kiliati Pahulu on this project. [caption id="attachment_765031" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Laure Prouvost installing 'Into All That is Here With The Two Cockatoo Too' (2020), Cockatoo Island. Courtesy the artist; Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/Brussels; carlier | gebauer, Berlin / Madrid; and Lisson Gallery, London / New York / Shanghai. Photograph: Zan Wimberley[/caption] INTO ALL THAT IS HERE WITH THE TWO COCKATOO TOO BY LAURE PROUVOST, COCKATOO ISLAND French artist Laure Prouvost's Biennale artwork is potentially the most unsettling of the bunch. Into All That Is Here With The Two Cockatoo Too is a site-specific work that uses the entirety of the island's Dog Leg Tunnel. Within the dark tunnel, Prouvost provides an immersive experience that touches many senses and mimics the 'daily flow of images and texts that assail us'. Think of it as content overload, while trying to traverse a house of horrors. You'll hear whispers throughout the tunnel, and one of those voices may just be the artist herself — who at times will be lurking in the shadows and encouraging you to sit with her. Further in, the tunnel begins to 'wind' as constructed black curtains make you weave in-and-out, which starts to feel endless. Needless to say, you better not be afraid of the dark for this one. Top image: Hannah Catherine Jones 'Ode to Diaspora'; photograph: Zan Wimberley
Sydney Theatre Company is lauded as one of the most exciting and original theatre companies in the world, with actors like Mel Gibson, Toni Collette, Cate Blanchett and Rose Byrne all once on its call sheet. Its home, The Wharf Theatres, is under construction until 2021, but the Company continues to perform at harbourside venues Roslyn Packer Theatre in Walsh Bay and the Sydney Opera House. Currently under the direction of Kip Williams, its program features everything from hilarious comedies to harrowing dramas, haunting true crime and captivating rom-com performances. If you're after one-of-a-kind, exciting storytelling, check out Sydney Theatre Company's upcoming shows over here. Image: Wiki Commons
Lennox Hastie is the mind behind one of Sydney's most talked about restaurants. Since bursting onto the scene in 2015, Firedoor has built a cult following. Tables at the venue book out three months in advance, and it was recently named the world's third-best steak restaurant. Now, Hastie is back with a new venture. Gildas is a more laidback display of Hastie's love of food and wine. The Surry Hills bar draws inspiration from the time the acclaimed restauranter spent in Europe's Basque Country, as well as San Sebastian pintxo, and the 1946 Rita Hayworth-starring film Gilda. From the combination of these influences comes a romantic wine bar centered around glasses of sherry, cracking martinis and fresh produce. "The Basque tradition of the pinxtos taverna is a space where locals come together as a community to snack on small plates of pinxtos, tell stories, and enjoy a drink, specifically one of Jerez's best; the Sherry," the Gildas menu states. There are 12 varieties of sherry or sherry-style wine on the menu, ranging from more affordable tipples like the Bodega Barrero Manzanilla, through to pours of 1999 Pedro Ximenez. Outside of the drink of choice, there's an extensive wine list, traversing South Australian skin contacts, Charles Heidsieck champagne, and plenty of Spanish varieties. Accompanying the array of wine is a short and to-the-point selection of cocktails and aperitif including Spanish vermouth, a manzanilla sour, white-wine sangria, and expected standards like a martini and old fashioned. As for the food, experienced chef Zach Elliott-Crenn heads up the kitchen after previously working as the Executive Chef at Maggie Joan's in Singapore and the Head Chef of Portland in London. Elliott-Crenn's menu brings together quality Australian and Spanish produce into memorable share plates. Leading the menu is a trio of cured meats — Basque ham, paleta iberico and jamon iberico. From there the dishes become more unpredictable. There are spanner crab churros, beef tartare with rock oyster cream, oyster mushrooms with smoked egg yolk and charred leeks with romesco and lardo salumi. Finish your trip to Gildas with a playful dessert, the smoked buffalo milk soft serve topped with dulce de leche. While bookings at the bar are already full until mid-October, half the venue is left open for walk-ins so that, unlike Firedoor, you can nab a spontaneous table. Gildas is located at 46–48 Albion Street, Surry Hills. It's open 5pm–midnight Tuesday–Saturday. Images: Nikki To
Whether she's blowing up brightly coloured pumpkins to larger-than-life size, creating mirrored infinity rooms or asking art lovers to put dots on everything, Yayoi Kusama's work has always had an immersive quality. That feels especially true when you attend one of the Japanese artist's shows around the globe, or visit her dedicated Tokyo museum; however her next huge project will take the notion to another level. In a site-specific exhibition exclusive to the New York Botanical Garden, Kusama's art will feature across The Bronx site's entire 250-acre location — both inside and out. Attendees won't just walk through multiple halls filled with her work, or mosey around an entire gallery. Rather, in a multi-sensory experience, they'll wander around the whole grounds, spying her pieces not only placed on walls and floors everywhere, but mixed among the natural wonders outside. When the showcase kicks off in 2020, running from May 2 to November 1, visitors can expect a host of Kusama's beloved works, plus brand-new items created specifically for the venue. That includes her famous mirrored environments, her polka-dotted sculptures and her giant floral pieces, as well as her nature-based paintings, botanical sketches, collages and soft sculptures. A horticultural showcase is also on the agenda — it is happening at a botanical garden after all — which'll be based on one of her massive paintings. Much to the joy of long-term Kusama fans, a new site-specific pumpkin will pop up, too. [caption id="attachment_732283" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] New York Botanical Garden, Robert Benson[/caption] As well as marking the first-ever large-scale exploration of the acclaimed artist's overflowing fondness for the natural world, the New York Botanical Garden exhibition will feature Kusama's first-ever participatory greenhouse installation. In the kind of news that aims to tempt folks along more than once or twice, it'll transform over the course of the exhibition based on audience interaction. The show's length is designed with the same goal in mind, with the seasons changing from spring to summer to autumn during its duration, each adding a new tone to Kusama's work. If you've been pondering making New York travel plans for next year, you now have some new motivation. Yayoi Kusama's exhibition at the New York Botanical Garden will run from May 2, 2020 to November 1, 2020. Keep an eye on the site's website for ticketing and further details once they're announced.
As a summer treat, Tia Maria and Monster Sushi have unveiled a limited-time set menu featuring bottomless gyoza to celebrate the launch of the drinks brand's new matcha-infused release. Available until Tuesday, January 31, this specially crafted menu features 90 minutes of unlimited dishes paired with two signature tea-based sips. Named the Matcha-tini and Matcha-colada, these natural caffeine-fuelled green cocktails will be accompanied by a lineup of Japanese favourites. Diners will be treated to 1.5 hours of all-you-can-eat karaage chicken, edamame, renkon chips and takoyaki. Plus, possibly most exciting of all, bottomless serves of pork, vegetable and prawn gyoza. Matcha mayo and matcha salt will also enhance the tea levels featured in some of the dishes, making the whole feast a matcha-centred adventure. Both cocktails are made using Tia Maria's new Matcha Cream Liqueur, which is a floral riff on the brand's classic creamy liqueurs incorporating elements of the popular green tea. In order to make the Matcha-tini, the liqueur is combined with vodka, while the Match-colada teams Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum with pineapple juice. The experience is available exclusively at Monster Sushi & Bar's new Sussex Street restaurant. If you have a craving for matcha or want to add a dose of bottomless dumplings into your life, bookings are available for $69.90 per person.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is one of last year's very best movies. It's one of filmmaker Quentin Tarantino's best features, too, and it won Brad Pitt an Oscar earlier this year. If you loved it, have rewatched it multiple times and have even checked out the making-of documentary that hit YouTube earlier in 2020, then you'll be pleased to hear about Tarantino's next Once Upon a Time in Hollywood-related project — because he's turning the movie into a new novelisation. Publisher Harper Collins has announced a two-book deal with the Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill and Inglourious Basterds director, including a movie based on his ten-time Academy Award-nominated latest movie. But while said novel will chart the events already seen on-screen, it'll also add to the story. Readers can apparently expect "a fresh, playful and shocking departure from the film" according to the publisher's statement announcing the news, with the book following TV actor Rick Dalton (as played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double Cliff Booth (Pitt) "both forward and backward in time". Yes, Tarantino will be penning the text, which marks his first foray into printed fiction. Set to release in 2021, there'll be multiple versions available. A paperback is due to release by mid next year, along with ebook and digital audio editions. Then, come the second half of 2021, you'll be able to pick up a hardcover edition. In the aforementioned statement, Tarantino waxed lyrical about his love of novelisations — aka books that relay the narrative of big-screen releases. "In the 70s, movie novelisations were the first adult books I grew up reading," he said. "And to this day I have a tremendous amount of affection for the genre. So as a movie-novelisation aficionado, I'm proud to announce Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as my contribution to this often marginalised, yet beloved subgenre in literature. I'm also thrilled to further explore my characters and their world in a literary endeavour that can (hopefully) sit alongside its cinematic counterpart." For his second book in the Harper Collins deal, Tarantino will be going the non-fiction route — and veering away from his most recent flick. Called Cinema Speculation, it'll focus on movies from the 70s, combining "essays, reviews, personal writing and tantalising 'what if'-style pieces. In the interim, you can check out Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's trailer below. And, you can read our full review of the movie, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELeMaP8EPAA Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood novelisation is due to hit shelves in mid-2021 — we'll update you with an exact release date when it is announced.
When New South Wales last experienced a COVID-19 cluster, Queensland shut its borders — first to select hotspots, then to Greater Sydney, then to all of NSW. Accordingly, with Sydney's northern beaches cluster continuing to grow, it should come as no surprise that the Sunshine State is closing down again to folks from the Greater Sydney area. As announced today, Sunday, December 20, by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, that means that anyone who has been in the Greater Sydney area since Friday, December 11 will not be permitted to enter the Sunshine State — with the border closure coming into effect at 1am on Monday, December 21. All Greater Sydney local government areas will be declared a hotspot, with the new ban covering the areas that are either currently under NSW restrictions or will come under them from 11.59pm tonight. The northern beaches area has already been declared a hotspot by Queensland, with the border closing to folks from the area at 1am, Sunday, December 20. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1340529700238606342 The general advice: if you've travelled to those areas, don't plan on going to Queensland. Anyone who falls into the above categories will not be allowed to access or quarantine in the state, and will be turned away at the border — whether you live in the hotspot areas or have visited them in the specified period. You'll only be permitted into Queensland if you receive an exemption as part of the reintroduced Queensland Border Declaration Pass system. And, if you do receive an exemption, you will be required to go into forced quarantine for 14 days, in a hotel, at your own expense. A 14-day forced quarantine period will also apply to Queensland residents returning home from Greater Sydney — in a hotel and at your own expense, too. But, Queenslanders will have an extra day to come back. If you arrive back before 1am on Tuesday, December 22, you won't have to go into hotel quarantine, and can instead do your fortnight of self-isolation at home. From Tuesday morning, however, you'll be in the same situation as anyone else allowed to enter the Sunshine State from the Greater Sydney area. The move comes as NSW recorded 30 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday, December 19. Border checkpoints are being re-established, and anyone coming to Queensland from NSW — even from outside of Greater Sydney — now requires a Queensland Border Declaration Pass. That requirement came into effect at 1am, Sunday, December 20. Queenslanders are also urged to get tested if they experience any COVID-19 symptoms, and to maintain social distancing and hygiene measures. From 1am on Monday, December 21, anyone who has visited the Greater Sydney since Friday, December 11 will not be allowed to enter Queensland unless they are a returning resident or are entering for one a few essential reasons. For more information, head to the Queensland Government website.
Harold Hackett has been sending messages all over the world, but unlike most of us he hasn't been using a phone or a computer. Instead, he's taken old-school to a whole new level by writing dated letters on coloured paper, putting them in numbered juice bottles and throwing them in the Atlantic Ocean. Harold has been doing this from Prince Edward Island in Canada since May 1996. Of the 4,800 messages he's sent, he's received 3,100 letters back from places including Africa, Europe and America. That's an amazing success rate. Maybe I should start using this method to ask girls on dates. Hackett has seemingly perfected his art, and checks wind patterns before tossing his bottles into the water. One message took 13 years to be replied to after it was found in France. Still, it might be worth the wait as Harold now receives Christmas gifts and souvenirs from the unexpected recipients of his missives. While it's certainly not time-efficient, it makes you think that some means of communication have gained more significance because of how rare they have become. Harold purposely doesn't leave his phone number on the letters so that he can only get a letter in return. He promises to keep sending letters for as long as he can. With Harold's story gaining considerable media attention, could this mark the return of older forms of communication? At least he knows that if he gets lost in the depths of the African jungle, he might have one friend he can turn to. https://youtube.com/watch?v=_WKj2zWtFRo
It might just be Australia's brightest festival, and it's returning to light up Alice Springs once again. That'd be Parrtjima - A Festival In Light, which will deliver its fifth annual program between Friday, April 3–Sunday, April 12 — and it has just started announcing its latest lineup. The nation's first indigenous festival of its kind, Parrtjima's 2020 event will mark the festival's second in its new autumn timeslot. That move proved a big hit last year, with a record crowd of 25,000 attending the 2019 event. As always, the fest will continue its free ten-day public celebration of Indigenous arts, culture, music and storytelling — and its focus on dazzling light installations — in the CBD's Alice Springs Todd Mall, as well as at tourism and conservation facility Alice Springs Desert Park Precinct just out of town. On the bill: new luminous displays, including a glowing sphere that'll be suspended three metres above the ground and a four-metre-tall flower, plus an opening night performance by Dan Sultan. They all fall under the theme 'lifting our spirits', with the 2020 fest particularly enthusiastic about "lifting the spirits from the work of artists, old and new, to the spirit of this year's audience". If the thought of towering art already has you excited, the two aforementioned pieces — Grass Seed and Alatye (Bush Yam) — actually form part of a larger new artwork called Werte. Taking inspiration from the circular and lined meeting place symbols painted by local Arrernte artist Kumalie Kngwarraye Riley, it's designed to take visitors on a journey through the Alice Springs Desert Park Precinct, and also features an eight-metre-high piece about emus dubbed Emu Laying Eggs at Night. [caption id="attachment_715722" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Lighting the Ranges, Parrtjima festival, Alice Springs, Australia.5/4/2019. Images courtesy Parrtjima / NTMEC[/caption] The 2020 lineup will also include Sultan's roots and blues tunes, with the musician hitting the stage alongside Australian earth sound band OKA — plus a heap of other Aussie acts that haven't yet been revealed. Then there's Deep Listening, a new series of talks in the Desert Park Cinema that'll pair contemporary topics of interest with a selection of films by Aboriginal filmmakers. And, over in the Todd Mall, Fire Stories will showcase local storytellers, alongside cabaret and music performances, and a roster of workshops. As always, the Alice Springs Desert Park will come alive with the festival's main attraction. Once again, a huge artwork will transform a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the majestic, 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges, showering it with light each night of the festival. Just what it'll feature this year hasn't been unveiled, but it's always spectacular — and it always highlights stories, symbols and knowledge of Aboriginal culture. Another returning favourite is Ahelhe Itethe – Living Sands (Grounded), where installations are projected onto the earth accompanied by a striking soundscape. [caption id="attachment_715710" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Parrtjima festival, Alice Springs, Australia. 6/4/2019. Images courtesy Parrtjima / NTMEC[/caption] Of course, Parrtjima is just one of Northern Territory's two glowing attractions in 2020, with Australia's Red Centre lighting up in multiple ways. The festival is a nice supplement to Bruce Munro's Field of Light installation, which — after multiple extensions — is now on display indefinitely. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light runs from April 3–12, 2020 around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website. Images: James Horan.
If you think you need to travel all the way to Far North Queensland to paddleboard across crystal clear waters, think again. The aqua blue waters of Shoal Bay provide the same relaxing and aesthetically pleasing experience without the pricey airfare. Shoal Bay SUP is based right on the beach at Shoal Bay about 100 metres from the boat ramp. Hire costs $25 for an hour and includes a quick lesson before you set out to leisurely explore the bay. This section of the bay is quite shallow — between four and eight metres — so keep an eye out for marine life. Shoal Bay SUP also runs early morning guided tours at 7.45am. An instructor will either take you west towards Halifax Park or east towards Tomaree Headland depending on weather conditions. The tour costs $35 per person and runs for about an hour. Images: Destination NSW
Sick of staring at a screen? Venture into the world of one you've seen instead when Prime Video turns some of this year's most anticipated movies and shows into a reality. Prime Video is bringing its interactive experience back to SXSW Sydney this year in the charming town of Primeville Sweet Spot. Much like Prime Video, the activation allows guests to discover new entertainment and return to familiar favourites all in one location. Prime Video has quickly become a favourite for viewers seeking their happy place amidst the chaos of content streaming, with a range of popular and exclusive content, add-on subscriptions and new-release titles for buying and renting, all in the convenience of one app with one password. Head of Prime Video ANZ Hwei Loke said, "At Prime Video, we obsess over connecting millions of entertainment lovers with the widest selection of content, and today we are proud to bring the biggest and most popular streaming partners and stars together in an Australian first to celebrate the breadth of content available on Prime Video. Prime Video takes the stress out of streaming, turning content chaos into your entertainment happy place. You can stream your favourite Prime Video content, access the latest blockbusters or live sports fixtures, enjoy your Prime Video add-on subscriptions, and rent or buy new release titles all in one place with one app and one password." In an Australian first, the streaming service will bring together its biggest and most popular streaming partners for SXSW Sydney attendees in a single event to celebrate Prime Video's Entertainment Hub. From Tuesday, October 15–Sunday, October 20, culture vultures can wander through backdrops from popular flicks from the biggest and most popular streaming partners at the pop-up, all while munching on mini desserts and sweet treats. Move over Michael Scott, a new World's Best Boss has arrived down under. Discover an Aussie spin on a classic at a recreated set of the upcoming Amazon Original series, The Office (premiering on Friday, October 18). Live out your manager dreams at Hannah Howard's desk, before enjoying a tiramisu and some water-cooler gossip in the Flinley Craddick kitchen. After something a little more dramatic? Pucker up for a bespoke lip application by make-up pros in Prime Video's Add-on subscription partner, Hayu's glam zone, before posing for some snaps in front of The Real Housewives photo wall. Now that you're glammed up, you can down a non-alcoholic jelly shot on the dance floor of a Sydney nightclub inspired by Prime Video's add-on subscription partner Paramount+'s Last King of the Cross. Primeville wouldn't be complete without a nod to its hit show, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which returned for a second season this year. Get lost in Middle-earth as you discover the magic of The Forge and the elaborate (and exclusive) costumes from the show. You might not go home with a Ring of Power, but you'll get a sugary snack as a token of your adventure. Keep an eye out along the way for Gru's Minions from Prime Video's TVOD partner Universal Pictures with the hit film Despicable Me 4 — follow their lead for a banana macaron — and some eye-catching florals from Lily Bloom's flower shop from It Ends With Us, from Prime Video's TVOD partner Sony Pictures, where you can pick up a hot-cocoa cookie. Prime Video is a one-stop entertainment destination offering customers a vast collection of premium programming in one application available across thousands of devices. On Prime Video, customers can find their favourite movies, series, documentaries, and live sports – including Amazon MGM Studios-produced series and movies Road House, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Fallout, Reacher, The Boys, and The Idea of You; local originals like The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart and Deadloch, licensed fan favourites Dawson's Creek and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Prime member exclusive access to coverage of live sports such as ICC World Cup Cricket and acclaimed sports documentaries including Federer: Twelve Final Days; and programming from Prime Video add-on subscriptions such as Paramount+, Hayu, BritBox, beIN SPORTS and MGM+. Prime Video is one benefit among many that provides savings, convenience, and entertainment as part of the Prime membership. Discover Prime Video's wide selection of popular and exclusive productions, add-on subscriptions, and new release titles at the website. Concrete Playground has partnered with SXSW Sydney and Prime Video to help your plan your perfect SXSW experience.
Vegetarians don't often have the luxury of choice when it comes to dining out. Typically, restaurant menus offer a lone vego option, or a couple at most. To rescue Sydneysiders from this plight, Concrete Playground has compiled a list of the top seven vegetarian restaurants in and around the city. And there's no need to stress if you're a carnivore; these places may not offer meat, but they certainly don't skimp on taste. 1. Yulli's Bar and Restaurant Where: 417 Crown Street, Surry Hills Combine tasty vegetarian fare and a thorough beer list of NSW microbrews, and you have Yulli's. An unpretentious atmosphere and laid-back staff contribute to the consistent crowd who come to Yulli's for quality vego food. Stop in for artichoke and goats' curd arancini, a Viking IPA from Mt. Kuringai, or perhaps both. Read more 2. Green Gourmet Where: 115-117 King Street, Newtown Featuring a variety of well-disguised faux-meats, Green Gourmet is an entirely vegetarian venue that will satisfy your carnivore friends as well. Try the 'Steamed BBQ Not Pork Bun'; it's close enough to the real deal to make a meat-eater smile, but filled with hoi sin sauce-marinated wheat protein and water chestnuts. Read more 3. Bodhi Where: 2-4 College Street, Sydney Full of tasty pan-Asian vegan offerings, Bodhi's charm is derived from it's quiet and stylish location on the lower levels of the Cook and Phillip Complex. Sample the hearty black bean tofu or the vegan custard, made with palm sugar, coconut, and mint pea sorbet. Read more 4. Laurie's Vegetarian Take-Away Where: 236 Bondi Road, Bondi Beach Any vegetarian or vegan can tell you just how difficult it can be to find affordable, convenient, and delicious food to fit their diet. Laurie's ticks off all of those boxes, earning it a near-cult following in Bondi. The menu consistently features six hot dishes and five salads, which you can mix-and-match to take away or to dine on at one of the limited in-house tables. Read more 5. Govinda's Restaurant and Cinema Where: 112 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst Attached to its in-house quirky movie room, Govinda's restaurant offers a vegetarian buffet of Indian delights. Kofta balls in creamy tomato sauce and large veggie samosas are sure to fill you up for cheap, just in time to catch your film. Read more 6. Mother Chu's Vegetarian Kitchen Where: 367 Pitt Street, Sydney 90-something-year-old Mama Chu built her restaurant on the principle of freshness. Each Taiwanese dish on their rich and varied menu is indeed fresh, and particularly tasty as well. Be tempted by the crispy gluten, or spice it up with sze chaun spicy hot eggplant dish. Read more 7. Nourishing Quarter Where: 315 Cleveland Street, Redfern Nourishing Quarter's goals are farther reaching then filling your rumbling stomach: the owner and staff hope to bring awareness to the importance of healthy eating to one's general well-being. Their method? Exceptional tasting and high-quality fare. The quinoa noodle salad or 'sweet angel' rice paper rolls won't disappoint. Read more Which are your favourite vegetarian restaurants in Sydney? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
When it opened in 2012, Marrickville's Cornersmith cafe was game changing. Its commitment to ethical and sustainable food production, community engagement and food waste — as well as great-tasting brunch fare — was an instant hit with Sydneysiders, inspiring the launch of a picklery and workshop space up the road, a second cafe in Annandale and two cookbooks. Early last year, the Marrickville cafe underwent a quick renovation, reopening with a liquor licence and dinner service. But, now, it's shutting up shop for good. Owners of the family-run cafe Alex Elliott-Howery and James Grant made the announcement on Instagram this morning, saying "we packed up our pickles and moved out of our Marrickville cafe". In the post, the duo reflects on how the Cornersmith brand has grown since the launch of the inner west corner store eight years ago, saying "we had no idea Cornersmith would grow into the beautiful beast it has become and we are especially proud that it all started in a tiny corner shop in the middle of Marrickville". https://www.instagram.com/p/B4aqhQ_nzg-/ While Elliott-Howery and Grant have said they're looking forward to a "little less stress next year" with one less cafe, they've also revealed that they're "plotting and planning quietly at home and are looking forward to sharing our next plans for Cornersmith with you". And, they've hinted to opening another cafe sometime in the near future, saying they're keeping their "eyes peeled" for a "perfect empty corner shop". In the meantime, you can still visit the Annandale cafe, pick up a jar of pickles from the Picklery or book into one of Cornersmith's popular workshops, which include cheese making, bread baking and learning to ferment your own kombucha. Or, you can pick up one of the Cornersmith cookbooks — they make great Christmas presents. Cornersmith's Marrickville cafe is now closed. You can visit the Annandale cafe at 88 View Street, Annandale and the Picklery at 441 Illawarra Road, Marrickville.
A good film festival gives attendees a little of everything, and that's certainly the case at the returning Korean Film Festival in Australia. For its ninth year, the touring event jumps from the warmth of opening night's Little Forest, to the comedy of Midnight Runners, to the scares of Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum. The first tells the kind-hearted tale of a woman leaving city life behind to head back to her small home town, the second serves up Korean's take on the buddy cop storyline, and the third haunts and thrills in the found-footage mould. They're just some of the titles on the lineup for 2018's festival, which comes to Dendy Opera Quays from August 9 to 18. Other highlights include A Taxi Driver, this year's Korean submission to the Oscar's foreign-language category; A Day, which takes Groundhog Day's repetitive concept into darker dramatic territory; and Believer, a slick crime flick about a determined detective on the case of a drug cartel that's also a remake of acclaimed Chinese-Hong Kong effort Drug War. In total, 22 films will screen across KOFFIA's ten-day Sydney run, including some with guests on hand. If first-time female filmmakers making a splash is your idea of excellent cinema, then head to closing night's Microhabitat. It's about an ageing housekeeper who just wants to make enough money for her cigarettes, whiskey and boyfriend, and screens with director Jeon Go-woon, actor Ahn Jae-hong and producer Kim Soon-mo in attendance.
It's all change for Sydney's Laneway Festival with a new inner-city location for the first time: The Domain. According to organisers, it'll allow the festival to have bigger stages and better sound — and it will be a bit more accessible by public transport. Sure, it won't have the charm of the Rozelle location but we're sure it'll pack out with fans of dance-pop powerhouse Charli XCX, who is headlining this year's event. The British songwriter's latest album Charli features everyone from Lizzo to Troye Sivan and Sky Ferreira. The Laneway Festivals will be her only Aussie shows, which is the same case for fellow international heavy hitter, American rapper Earl Sweatshirt. They'll be joined onstage by Canadian electro artist — and TikTok sensation — BBNO$, New Zealand's Benee, London crooner Col3trane and Irish post-punk band Fontaines DC. On the local front, you'll be able to get down to DMA's, Hatchie, Stella Donnelly, Hockey Dad, King Gizzard and the Lizard Gizard and 2019's Triple J Hottest 100 winners, Ocean Alley. LANEWAY 2020 LINEUP The 1975 Charli XCX (exclusive) Ruel Earl Sweatshirt (exclusive) Ocean Alley DMA's JID Tones and I King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Hockey Dad BBNO$ The Chats Mahalia KAIIT Benee Stella Donnelly Oliver Tree Fontaines DC Omar Apollo Col3trane Hatchie Spacey Jane Kucka Pist Idiots JessB The Lazy Eyes Laneway Image: Maclay Heriot.
Capsule of the good ol' days of rock 'n' roll, Blender Gallery is Sydney's home of fine art music photography. It's here where you can peep behind-the-scenes shots of The Beatles, Hendrix and Debbie Harry, see our beloved Bowie and Prince through the decades, and maybe even purchase limited edition prints of Cher in all her '70s glory, Joni Mitchell ice skating and Kurt Cobain in concert. The gallery of iconic rock through the ages hosts an unbelievable collection of photographers from Tony Mott to Brian Aris. To see what's on, just stop by the space to see whose famed face is immortalised this week.
We can hardly keep up with Josh Arthurs. He's been bouncing around Sydney's pubs and bringing burger joy to every boy and girl south of the bridge with his notoriously popular Burgers by Josh pop-ups — and he's on the move once again. After wrapping up his residency at Darlinghurst's Hotel William one month ahead of schedule, he'll be heading back to The Annandale Hotel for what might well be his last pop-up ever. The month-long residency will kick off on Wednesday, July 20, with Burgers by Josh returning to its spiritual home. The decision to head back to the Annandale pub was driven by the fact that the "atmosphere and venue" fits with the burger pop-up's brand, Arthurs told Concrete Playground. The menu will feature four faves, including the the J Burger, the Primo, the Scorpio, and the Lisa Simpson. That won't be all though. In addition to the cult classics, there will also be a new #HacksbyJosh menu, which will feature crazy things like deep fried cheese patties, spicy Scorpio chicken fillets, smoked pulled pork and a heap of new sides. If you're a BBJ fan, you best book in a burger date because this could be the last time those delicious burgs grace The Annandale's counter. Arthurs is looking for something more permanent. "This will be our last pop-up as I feel it's time to evolve my brand into its next stage — and that will be a permanent fixture," says Arthurs. "We are currently looking at sites all over Sydney."
Once, watching a movie in bed meant getting cosy indoors with whatever you choose to view on a small screen. Then Mov'In Bed came along. It takes the idea that catching a flick and lazing around on a mattress can go hand in hand, embraces it, and moves it outdoors. The crew behind it have delivered variations, too — on boats in Darling Harbour, in cars on Entertainment Quarter's rooftop and on sand at Barangaroo. Mov'In Bed initially debuted its outdoor beach cinema in January 2024. Unsurprisingly, it proved popular. Accordingly, Mov'In Bed Outdoor Cinema is returning to Harbour Park for another summer — this time for a hefty four-month run between Friday, November 29, 2024–Sunday, March 23, 2025. The concept behind Mov'In Bed has always answered a question: can't choose between hitting up an outdoor cinema or watching a film in bed? Here, you don't have to. The outdoor beach setup stacks on another layer to that equation like it's building a sandcastle. Can't pick between flicks under the stars, going to the beach or being cosy? Again, this is the solution. Here's how it works: you have a choice of different mattresses, including bigger options than the pop-up's first season, or you can bring a towel to recline on on the sand. Whatever sits between you and all of those white grains beneath your feet, you'll be getting comfortable on top while peering at the 15-metre 4K screen silver screen and listening in via noise-cancelling headphones. The movie lineup features big names from 2024's cinema releases, including the upcoming Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers)-starring Gladiator II. Haven't seen Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Joker: Folie à Deux, Deadpool & Wolverine, Fly Me to the Moon or It Ends with Us yet? They're also on the program. Where's the best place to watch Sydney-shot Sydney Sweeney-starring rom-com Anyone But You? In Sydney near the water — which plays more than a small part in the movie — obviously. Given that the season runs over Christmas, yes, Elf and Love Actually are on the bill as well. More movies will be announced for the beach club-style cinema, sticking to the above mix — so recent favourites and classics. This time around, there'll be 160 queen- and king-sized beds, all with pillows and blankets. Prices start at $12 if you're happy sitting on your own towel — with only 50 such tickets available each evening — and go up to $150 for the top level of Mov'In Bed's West Hotel VIP area, where you'll relax on a West Hotel signature mattress while enjoying bottomless popcorn and soft drinks. For all patrons, snacking and sipping options include pizzas, burgers, coconuts and wine — and, because no one likes getting out of bed when you're in it, your food and drinks can be delivered to you. Mov'In Bed Outdoor Cinema's 2024–25 beach stint runs from Friday, November 29, 2024–Sunday, March 23, 2025 at Harbour Park, Barangaroo. For further details or to book, head to the Mov'In Bed Outdoor Cinema website.
After the year we've had, some relaxation time is just what we all need. And while putting on a face mask or body scrub is a great way unwind, a good skin care routine — with natural, locally sourced and cruelty-free skincare products — can often be hard to come across or too expensive. Body Blendz is an Australian owned skincare company that produces vegan skincare products that are not tested on animals — and it's offering a huge discount on its whole range this week. Its selection of face masks and body scrubs are designed to improve circulation and reduce inflammation and blemishes on your skin. The brand's best seller is its range of coffee scrubs designed for full-body exfoliation. The coffee scrubs come in four varieties: coco luxe, sugar glow, coffee buff and vanilla blush. Up until Tuesday, December 29, you can pick up 30 percent off everything on the Body Blendz store. Just head online, select what you want and then enter the discount code 'END2020' at the checkout to receive the discount. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Sweet tooths looking for the ultimate summer treat should look no further, brand new CBD ice cream parlour Aqua S is bringing your candy-fuelled search to an end. Opened just two weeks ago on George Street, Aqua S is a new Sydney 'soft-serve specialist', according to Good Food — and one that could give Messina's Dessert Bar a run for its money. They've unleashed $8 soft serve cones for the summer, a price point which may steer any punter toward McDonald's. But hold up a second, this little ol' dessert escapade comes filled with sea salt-flavoured soft serve, topped with fairy floss, sweet popcorn, popping candy and a grilled marshmallow. And looks like an actual cloud. If you're not down for sea salt soft-serve, you can choose from two others on tap — changing every two weeks. Right now, you can take your pick from biscotti soft-serve (!) or a lemon tea flavour, made from real tea bags of the good stuff. Keep things simple with a single soft-serve 'scoop', or blend up those flavours with mixed 'scoops' — and you can pick and choose from those ridiculous-sounding toppings. If you're keen to try the fairy floss-topped cone with the lot, you might want to think of a fitting name for such an ambitious confection. According to GF, the working title is 'All You Can Eat', so team are running an Instagram competition to name the cloud-like creation. The prize? Free ice cream, legitimate bragging rights and an excuse to eat this thing: Find Aqua S at Shop 27, Level 10, 501 George Street, Sydney. They're open Sunday to Wednesday, midday-10pm, Thursday to Saturday, midday-10.30pm. Via Good Food.
What's this, a good, old-fashioned fairytale — and one that doesn't rely upon shadowing a classic story in darkness, looking at it from a different angle or adding a twist? That'd be the latest version of Cinderella, one so close to the animated effort everyone grew up with, it's uncanny. Swap cartoons for live action, and you've got the gist. Thankfully, this new take on a decades-old movie and a centuries-old tale doesn’t just lovingly revisit our collective childhoods, as enjoyably nostalgic an exercise as that is. This retelling stays faithful to the story as well as its spirit, spinning an account of transformation driven by kindness and free from modern-day cynicism. Before she earned her nickname for sleeping too close to the fire, Ella was a ten-year-old (Eloise Webb) mourning for her mother (Hayley Atwell), and then a young woman (Lily James) witnessing the remarriage of her father (Ben Chaplin). Next, she's an orphan forced to cook and clean for her nasty stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and two shallow stepsisters (Sophie McShera and Holliday Grainger), while wanting nothing more than a break from the drudgery to attend a ball hosted by a handsome prince (Richard Madden). Where this is going is hardly a surprise, yet here familiarity is by no means a flaw. Though director Kenneth Branagh and screenwriter Chris Weitz have films like Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and The Twilight Saga: New Moon on their respective resumes, they both show that they know a thing or two about fleshing out well-known worlds, particularly through casting and revelling in the details. Any movie that boasts both Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter is already making wishes come true; however, using them to toy with audience expectations is a masterstroke. The immaculately styled Blanchett breaks bad with aplomb, and Bonham Carter is a breezy delight at the fairy godmother. While everyone else is more than fine, the charming pair of James and Madden included, the two great actresses playing against type are the real drawcards. Well, them and the gorgeous surroundings they all find themselves in, with Cinderella a visual treat. For the character, the decadence of pumpkin carriages and gorgeous gowns may vanish at the stroke of midnight; for the film, the splendour continues regardless of the hour. It's not just Cinders herself who's as pretty as a picture, but the picture itself. If you really were to dream of a traditional fairytale world of grand ballrooms and sprawling forests, it would look like this. That timeless approach may also extend to a heroine who largely waits rather than acts — patiently and purposefully, rather than as a damsel in distress looking for a man to save her — but never does the treatment of the tale feel regressive. Indeed, it's a funny state of affairs when retaining the essence of a classic can be seen as a welcome breath of fresh air. With Cinderella, its old-fashioned elegance is the glass slipper that fits the film just perfectly.
Sydneysiders venturing outdoors today could find the whole breathing thing a little less fun than usual — as you may have noticed, it's smoky out there. As the result of bushfires burning across both New South Wales and Queensland, a layer of smoke has made its way across the city and is expected to stick around for a few days. Needless to say, it's affecting air quality, with the NSW Government Department of Planning, Industry and Environment's air quality monitor giving a "poor" air quality forecast for Tuesday, November 19. Areas across the city and state are affected, with Sydney's northwest and southwest, as well as the Central Coast, Illawarra, Lower Hunter and Upper Hunter regions all experiencing "poor" air quality and visibility. Sydney's east, the Northern Tablelands and Northwest Slopes are "very poor". This is largely due to particles in the air. NSW RFS is predicting that the haze will begin to clear during the day, but, due to forecast northwesterly winds, smoke from the fires is likely to affect Sydney over coming days, too. https://twitter.com/NSWRFS/status/1196519613938356224 During periods of reduced air quality, NSW Health suggests that everyone cuts back on strenuous outdoor activities, as well as going outside in general — if you can. Those with chronic respiratory or heart conditions are especially advised to avoid all outdoor physical activity and stay indoors where possible. It's also recommended that you carry your inhaler, follow your Asthma Action Plan, and keep your other medication with you for all breathing-related conditions. If you start experiencing symptoms, even if you're otherwise fit and healthy, seek medical advice. For those staying indoors, NSW Health also suggests turning your air conditioner on — if you have one — and using it on recirculate mode to keep the particles from outside out. With Sydney firmly in the grip of warm end-of-year weather, and temperatures expected to reach 40 in some areas of the state today, residents are also advised to be wary of the heat, as well as its combination with the hazy air. Drinking plenty of fluids, taking cool showers to keep your temperature down, soaking your feet in water and draping a wet cloth around your neck are also recommended. A severe fire danger level (and total fire bans) declared across Greater Sydney, the Central Ranges, Illawarra, Greater Hunter and Southern Ranges areas for today — and the NSW Rural Fire Service continuing to battle 48 blazes across the state. So far this bushfire season, 530 homes have been destroyed — with 421 of those just in the past ten days. Hot, dry conditions, with very little rain, are forecast for the rest of the week, so dangerous bushfire conditions are expected to continue. https://twitter.com/NSWRFS/status/1196537412169666565 If you'd like to help out, Bunnings across the state are holding sausage sizzles to raise money for those impacted by the fires this Friday. You can also donate to the NSW RFS here. You can keep an eye on the fires burning across the state at the NSW Rural Fire Service website. For more tips on staying safe during smoky conditions, head to the NSW Health website. Image: NSW Rural Fire Service.
UPDATE, November 18, 2020: Destroyer is available to stream via SBS On Demand, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Directed towards Jack Nicholson's hard-boiled Los Angeles private eye, "forget it Jake, it's Chinatown" is one of cinema history's most iconic lines. But Chinatown could've been a little less specific with its famous quote and still conveyed the same sentiment (although "forget it Jake, it's LA" just doesn't have the same ring to it). Los Angeles may be America's city of angels, but it's also a destroyer of dreams. It's where starry-eyed hopefuls flock with their sights set on fame and fortune, where so few secure that wish, and where plenty of unpleasantness lurks beyond the glitz. It's also a place where rise-and-fall tales like La La Land and A Star Is Born can sit beside slacker noir flicks like Inherent Vice and Under the Silver Lake, neo-noir comedies such as The Nice Guys and grim noir dramas like Destroyer. Indeed, noir, the stylised crime genre so often populated by detectives dredging through society's ills, seems particularly drawn to Los Angeles. Where else can gloss and grime reside in such close proximity, one shining and the other tarnishing? There's little that glistens in Destroyer, though. While set in a city almost perpetually bleached from above, this bleak thriller shares little of LA's stereotypically sunny appearance. Instead, the film dwells in the shadows and styles itself after its exhausted protagonist, as portrayed by a far-from-glamorous Nicole Kidman. Proving increasingly chameleonic as her career progresses, the Australian actor plays detective Erin Bell — the usual noir cop with a chequered past; a flawed anti-hero desperate to correct past wrongs. Nearly two decades earlier, Bell went undercover with her partner Chris (Sebastian Stan) to try to sniff out a California gang. All this time later, she still can't shake the difficult gig or the failed bank robbery that brought it to an unhappy end. When ink-stained notes from the heist arrive in the mail, Bell attempts to hunt down the criminal crew's shifty leader Silas (Toby Kebbell). She has other worries, including a teenage daughter (Jade Pettyjohn) who wants little to do with her, but she won't stop until she has put her old case to rest. Bell could walk alongside any of noir's dogged investigators and hold her own. Kidman could do the same among any of the genre's best stars. Destroyer lives and breathes through its complicated protagonist and phenomenal lead performance, with each putting on a stunning show. Baked into both, and into every element of the movie, is the feeling of determination in the face of near-certain defeat. It's the same undying pluck amidst inevitable peril that made a line like "forget it Jake, it's Chinatown" such an emblem of the genre. Noir's most compelling figures know that little is going to turn out well, but they also know that soldiering on anyway is the only option. What an experience it is to see Bell do just that, and to witness Kidman bring her to life (as aided by the appropriate wigs and makeup). The Aussie talent's recent roles in Boy Erased, Aquaman, Big Little Lies and The Beguiled couldn't seem further away from her work here, and yet she couldn't seem more perfect for the part. While the film's title applies to many aspects of its story, Destroyer completely ravages the idea that these dark, hard-luck tales are the domain of men. It's easy to say that gender doesn't matter to a character like Bell, who couldn't be less feminine — but the way the world has worn this woman down, and the way she's worn herself down to cope and survive, never escapes notice. With its incredible bank heist scenes — some of the most riveting since the original Point Break — Destroyer's versatility doesn't evade attention either. As directed by Karyn Kusama, it's a sunlit noir, a scorching character study, a subversion of typical gender roles and an impressive action movie. Working with her regular screenwriters Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, the filmmaker already has a diverse and notable record, including Girlfight, Jennifer's Body and The Invitation. With Destroyer, however, both the director and her star sear themselves into viewers' memories. Their film might reside in a world and genre that tells everyone to forget, wipe their minds and move on, but everything about this heavy-hitter lingers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcKinfILGDk
Local fans of a decent tipple will likely already be aware of Paddington Fine Wines, a neighbourhood bottle shop founded in 2017 on the cornerstones of exemplary customer service, top-notch product knowledge and a zest for fine wine. The Paddington store, which has two sister outlets in Darlinghurst and Rushcutters Bay, lives up to its name — boasting a vast array of homegrown and international wines in all manner of styles. The staff are passionate about making sure you get a great drop, providing in-store tastings of numerous and varied styles regularly. If wine isn't your choice of poison, you'll also find a wide variety of beers, spirits and liqueurs — often championing independent Aussie brewers and distillers alongside established big-name international favourites. Images: Kitti Smallbone
Good Ways Deli has built a cult following for its fresh piled-high sandwiches and standout coffee since opening in Redfern last year. Despite arriving in a suburb known for top-notch bakeries, the brainchild of Jordan McKenzie and Tom Pye has carved out a beloved niche with kangaroo mortadella sandos, nostalgic baked goods, milo thickshakes and a selection of top-notch pantry items. Just over one year later, Good Ways is already expanding with a new outpost just a couple of suburbs over. McKenzie and Pye have revealed that they're opening a second location in Alexandria, and they've locked in a date on when it'll be swinging open its doors — Saturday, November 19. Located on Buckland Street, this new iteration of Good Ways will boast all of the highlights of the Redfern spot, while also bringing in a stronger focus on bakery items. This will include new forrays into the world of pastries, loaves of bread available for purchase and the roo sausage rolls that were recently an absolute standout at the Bush Bake Sale. Good Ways Deli Alexandria will be housed in a heritage-listed corner building right across from a park — a perfect spot for a new cafe and one that McKenzie and Pye came across almost by accident. "We were kind of looking, but not really looking," Pye says. "And then I cycled past one day and there was a little A4 piece of paper in the window which said 'for rent'. So I called the number and I met the landlord that day." "The street's a bit of a cycling thoroughfare. It's close to South Eveleigh precinct. We felt like it's just a really good location that, when the opportunity arose, we were just like let's do it." To kick things off at the new outpost, Good Ways will be hiding golden tickets with a bunch of freebies on them around Alexandria. The duo hope this will not only drum up some hype, but also encourage locals to come in, say hi and try out a sandwich, coffee or pastry. McKenzie says it's "all about building community". Keep your eye on the Good Ways Deli Instagram page and poles around Alexandria as these golden tickets will be found on posters hung around the suburb in the lead-up to the opening. Good Ways Deli Alexandria will open on Saturday, November 19 at 81 Buckland Street, Alexandria. Images: Nikki To
When Negroni Week rolls around each year, it's an excuse to enjoy a few gin, sweet red vermouth and Campari cocktails, while knowing that a portion of the proceeds is going to a good cause. 2018 isn't any different, particularly at Salt Meats Cheese Circular Quay — but the store is pairing its beverages with pizza and pasta. When at an Italian eatery and all that. On Sunday, June 3 between noon and 4pm, you can grab an $8 negroni on tap, your choice of three different pizzas for $5 and a selection of pastas for $10. If it's a couple of slices you're after, the truffle pizza with fior di latte, mushrooms, gorgonzola and truffle oil is on the menu. If it's pasta, so is the pappardelle with slow-cooked lamb leg ragu, thyme and parmesan. If you can't make it on the day, just make sure you drop by some time that week. From June 4–10, negronis will still be $8 at its Circular Quay. Broadway and Drummoyne stores.
Celebrating four years of American-inspired diner nosh, Redfern's Eathouse Diner has introduced all-day dining, seven days a week. Previously only open for dinner sittings, the '50s-style eatery has announced three new different menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner — and you can get amongst those ricotta fritters any time of day. The most exciting endeavour for the Redfern staple is the addition of an 8am - 3pm breakfast menu, meaning Inner West brunch just found itself a new teammate. Eathouse will be brewing up coffee from the Golden Cobra, serving free range eggs the way you like 'em with fresh sourdough toast from Brickfields Bakery. Serious attention needs to be paid to the sides — potato, kumera and bacon hash, Meredith chèvre, smashed broad beans, balsamic glazed mushrooms. Then there's those ricotta fritters with smoky tomato and red pepper sauce, or buttermilk waffles with caramelised banana and raw bush honey. All sounds pretty food coma-inducing. But they're open all day, so we're staying for a second look at the lunch menu. Running 11am - 5pm you can grab a toasted sambo (check the chalkboard for fillings of the day), fresh salads, those ricotta fritters or a casual Wednesday duck liver and pistachio pate lunch (usually only available for fancy dinners). Dinnertime at Eathouse is always a rich escapade, they've kept some old polenta-lovin', southern-style spatchcock favourites and added some new kids on the block (changing seasonally, as always). They're open until late every day but Sunday, so there's plenty of time to make your way through the mains to dessert — an unmissable affair at Eathouse. The new Eathouse Diner has been relaunched and reopened as of Wednesday, July 30. Here's the new trading hours: Monday-Saturday Breakfast menu from 8am – 3pm Lunch menu from 11am – 5pm Dinner menu from 5pm – close Sunday Breakfast menu from 9am – 3pm Lunch menu from 11am – 3pm Check out the (adorably Flash-animated) website for the new menu.
The second Hurley Australian Open of Surfing won’t be just another surf contest. It’ll be an epic. Over the course of nine days, there’ll be surfing, world-class skateboarding and beachfront concerts. People will be pouring into Manly in their tens of thousands to catch the men’s and women’s ASP World Qualifying Tour competitions, as well as international-level junior events. Plus, Channel V will be taking over a free, all-ages stage right on the sand. So you’ll be able to watch The Presets and Birds of Tokyo while keeping an eye on the waves. New South Wales’ 1,300 kilometres of coastline means that it’s a breeding ground for surfing talent. Several home-grown athletes will present hot competition this year. These include 2012 Australian Open of Surfing champion Sally Fitzgibbons, who hails from Gerroa, and 2012 Pro Junior and Star Series champion Matt Banning. Soak it all up at the event's own pop-up, the Surfing World Bar, which sets up just across from the beach in the Novotel's Charlie Bar.
Artificial intelligence in video games has come a long way in the last few years. Rare now are the days of mindless drones walking pre-determined paths, completely oblivious to the death and destruction around them. In an industry where a single release can pull half a billion dollars in just one day, developers have adapted to an increasingly sophisticated market and pushed AI to a point capable of rivalling the human one. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for action movies, where nameless henchmen continue to run witlessly into hails of bullets like hapless Civil War foot soldiers or extras in Commando. The latest example of this is John Wick, a 'revenge porn' flick starring Keanu Reeves and directed by his former stuntman, Chad Stahelski. Reeves plays Wick, a retired hit man whose wife has just passed away from a terminal illness. On the day of her funeral he receives a pre-ordered puppy from her to ensure he doesn't mourn alone, but during a home invasion the puppy is killed and his beloved car is stolen. In response, Wick unleashes a vengeance-fuelled rampage on New York's Russian mobsters, ratcheting up a body count to rival ebola. It's basically Taken, but with Liam Neeson's daughter played by a foot-long beagle. Is it a dumb premise? Absolutely, but it's also terrifically fun, and let's face it, there have been far worse reasons given for cinematic rampages ("They're going to take you...again"). Stylistically, the action sequences are impressive and exhilarating. Kitted out in bespoke suits, Reeves combines martial arts with gunplay (or 'gun-fu') to despatch his enemies and secure what has to be the record for the most number of consecutive head shots. Stahelski's background in stunts clearly informs his direction, with a greater degree of physicality to the fight scenes coupled with lingering shots that hold longer in the same moment than your average film. The big problem with John Wick, though, is the HS — or 'Henchman Stupidity'. In each of the action sequences, the goons demonstrate a bewildering lack of survival instinct, immediately forfeiting their Darwinian credentials and robbing the scenes of any credibility. The defence raised here is that John Wick is a classic B-movie, but that's too convenient. Yes, it has a lower budget than many of its counterparts, but with a cast that also includes Willem Dafoe, Michael Nyqvist, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, Alfie Allen, Dean Winters, Adrianne Palicki and Bridget Moynahan, it's hard not to think the movie pitched for another capital B: 'Blockbuster'. So no, this isn't the thinking person's action film, but an action film it definitely is. As always, Reeves is a delight to watch in full-borne badass mode. He quips and kicks and does it all with an impossible level of cool. https://youtube.com/watch?v=2AUmvWm5ZDQ
Any vegetarian or vegan can tell you just how difficult it can be to find affordable, convenient and delicious food to fit their diet. Laurie's ticks all of those boxes, earning it a religious following in Bondi. The menu consistently features six hot dishes and five salads, which you can mix-and-match to take away or to dine on at one of the limited in-house tables. Though the venue is tiny, Laurie's retains a community feel. One whole wall is plastered in community event posters, and the fact that the majority of customers are regulars is immediately evident. Today's hot dishes (which rarely vary) include lasagne, pasta, mild chickpea curry, Mexican beans, lentil casserole and roast veggies. The salad list is comprised of cajun tofu, persian rice, two green salads and a cous cous salad. All of the options are vegetarian and all but two (the lasagne and pasta) are vegan. Other available dishes on the menu include vego burgers, empanadas, pies, baked potatoes...the list goes on. I decide to go for a take-away combination of the chickpea curry, roast veggies and cous cous salad. I try the curry dish first, and am pleased by the homemade, soul-food flavour. It's a combination of spicy and sweet - delicious, but not to be outdone by the roast vegetables. These taste as though they just came out of my home oven, savoury and filling. The cous cous isn't necessarily a stand-out dish, but tasty nonetheless. Eating all of this on the lawn by Bondi Beach, I am struck by just how convenient Laurie's has made good, vegetarian food. The restaurant fare itself isn't particularly earth-shattering but it is indeed delicious. And who can argue with a solid, take-away meal for next to nothing? Move over, McDonald's.
Get ready for the adrenaline-fuelled action of watching sailing's greatest athletes race on Sydney Harbour in Australia Sail Grand Prix this summer. To be right in the heart of the action, head to Waterfront Premium - Shark Island for the best land-based view of the race in the middle of Sydney Harbour. Tickets start at $230 for adults and includes return ferry transfers from SailGP Village at Barangaroo, a gourmet picnic hamper, premium open bar, big screens for action replays and live commentary. If you'd prefer to watch the race from the water, hop on one of the official spectator boats courtesy of Captain Cook Cruises. On-Water Access tickets allow you to bring your own food and purchase beverages from the bar while you soak up include an incredible view of the race and live commentary. If you want to elevate your day on the harbour, choose the premium package that includes a buffet and an open bar. Finally, if you've got your own boat, you can register to the free 'Bring Your Own Boat' program to receive live updates from race management from your preferred spot on the water with friends. Don't forget, you can also check out the SailGP Village in Barangaroo which will host events for all sailing fans across the two days of racing. Ready for a thrilling day on the beautiful Sydney Harbour? Head to the Australia Sail Grand Prix, Sydney from Friday, December 17–Saturday, December 18. For more information and to book, visit the website.
Nice underwear is a luxury that everyone deserves and this lovely boutique lingerie store caters accordingly. Its generous collection includes bras, underwear and shapewear for shoppers with larger cups, post-surgery requirements and maternity options in styles that range from sporty to sexy. It also has a good selection of sleepwear, loungewear, hosiery and swimwear, if you're looking for something that will get a bit more public airtime. And if the gift you're buying is one you're planning to give yourself, Acte 3 has a bra fitting service to match you up with a style that's the perfect fit.
Being 'cultured' and visiting art galleries feels like one of those fancy adult activities you do on those rare weekends when you're not laying in bed binge watching Netflix, but in reality, accessing art doesn't have to be difficult nor expensive. Sydney is teeming with incredible installations, public paintings and sculptures craftily hidden away in side streets, tucked into alleyways and suspended above our heads — you just need to make the time to seek them out. There's plenty of places to eat and drink along the way, too. So set aside a day — or maybe a couple of cheeky long lunch breaks — and discover some of the hidden art this city has to offer. Let's walk. MORNING IN THE CBD, STARTING POINT: FORGOTTEN SONGS Forgotten Songs by Michael Thomas Hill — Angel Place Armed with a Mecca coffee from their shop on King Street, begin your art pilgrimage by strolling to Angel Place, where if you look up, you'll spot a canopy of bird cages that make up Michael Thomas Hill's aerial work, Forgotten Songs. This installation commemorates the fifty unique bird songs that could once be heard echoing through central Sydney before they were slowly forced out as a result of European settlement. Spend a moment, reflecting on how this bustling lane filled with restaurants and busy commuters was once home to a multitude of bird species that are now formally extinct or threatened with extinction. [caption id="attachment_625332" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bodhi Liggett.[/caption] The Grounds of the City — 500 George Street If thinking about birds makes you peckish, continue up George Street to The Grounds of the City for some grade A breakfast treats — don't be put off by the lines, it's worth the (sometimes) lengthy wait for the coffee alone. This sibling of the OG Grounds in Alexandria is a 1920s style coffee house complete with old timey shoe shines and a coffee sommelier. So, if you've got a hankering for getting arty and documenting your food, rest assured; this place is an Instagrammer's dream. In Between Two Worlds by Jason Wing — Factory Street, Hay Street and Kimber Lane After your hot injection of avo smash, mosey up to Jason Wing's In Between Two Worlds which spans across Factory Street, Hay Street and Kimber Lane in Haymarket. The beguiling work references both Indigenous and Chinese motifs for wind, water, fire and earth, which are believed to each have their own spirits. By day, you'll spot the cloud murals painted on the floor and silver otherworldly figures suspended in the sky. Be sure to return in the evening — perhaps en route to a Chinatown dumpling feast — and witness those once silvery figures glowing blue in all their neon glory. AFTERNOON IN CHIPPENDALE AND REDFERN, STARTING POINT: HENRY LEES Henry Lees, 16 Eveleigh Street Pass through the Eveleigh rail yards, and stop by Henry Lees for lunch. Reminiscent of the sort of space you picture when you imagine what your 'adult house' will look like, Henry Lees prides itself on serving up sustainable produce in innovative ways and supporting the local creative community. Which means there is now more than one reason to feel good about ordering a second serving of their signature braised beef cheeks. United We Stand, Divided We Fail the Future by Bronwyn Bancroft and Dale Jones-Evans, Hugo and Vine Street Reserve Roll your post lunch body down the hill into the heart of Redfern, making sure to pass by Bronwyn Bancroft and Dale Jones-Evans collaborative mural, United We Stand, Divided We Fail The Future. Honouring the spirits of the land that protect the people, this large scale work was created with input from the community, including the local children who helped paint the spirits depicted. Welcome to Redfern by Reko Rennie, Redfern Community Centre Continue past Redfern station, across the block and spend some time in the sun admiring the renowned, Welcome to Redfern mural by Reko Rennie. Answering the community's call for a spot where young locals and artists could go to create, Welcome to Redfern was developed by Rennie and a group of local young Aboriginal artists. The artists held workshops to help nurture the young talents, and in turn, have them participate in creating a public work. The piece envelopes an entire terrace house in the heart of the suburb, and has become an important landmark representing Aboriginal art, culture, history and community. EVENING IN SURRY HILLS AND DARLINGHURST, STARTING POINT: GELATO MESSINA Gelato Messina, 389 Crown Street Start your evening tour at Gelato Messina. Here, grab some of the cold stuff to go with a double scoop of whatever fanciful flavour has made their blackboard list that week. WE ARE HERE by Dylan Demarchi, The Dirt, Gui Andrade and Sarah Howell, Foley Street When you hit Oxford Street, gaze upwards at the incredible 15 by 75-metre mural, WE ARE HERE, running along the facade of Foley Street. The work is the product of the artist dream team, Dylan Demarchi, The Dirt, Gui Andrade and Sarah Howell, and explores the colourful history of the area; how it evolved from a humble bush track-to-path for anti-war protests to a cosmopolitan boulevard and the route for Sydney's Mardi Gras parade. The impressive work spans a number of mediums — including paste ups, stencils, paint and photography — to visually represent the binaries and polarities that characterise the area, contrasting the dark and violent history with the now amazingly colourful community. Lamp for Mary by Mikala Dwyer, Mary Place Turn off Bourke Street, onto Mary Place, and you'll be confronted by Mikala Dwyer's somber work, Lamp for Mary. The large lamp spills pink light onto the street below, which serves to create a safe passage for the community, as well as memorialise victims of domestic violence. Be sure to spend a few introspective moments reading the powerful text on the nearby wall: "This is a lane with a name and a lamp in memory of the woman who survived being beaten and raped here. She happened to be a lesbian. When the sun sets this lamp keeps vigil along with you who read this in silent meditation." S(w)ing by Turpin and Crawford Studio, East Sydney Community and Arts Centre As the sun sets, check out S(w)ing in the East Sydney Community and Arts Centre, a new work by Turpin and Crawford Studio. The installation is comprised of three huge illuminated disks that swing like a pendulum. Controlled by strings, the undulating disks can be made to, well, swing by passers pulling below. It's kind of like ringing church bells, if you're keen to get your Quasimodo on. Big Poppa's, 96 Oxford Street Swing back up to Oxford Street and pop into Big Poppa's for a glass of Italian wine and their ultra creamy burrata served with heirloom tomatoes, toasted farro and smoked salt. Stay for a few hip hop beats, and once you've had you're fill, head back out and up Oxford Street towards Taylor Square for the last stop of your tour. Always was always will be by Reko Rennie, Taylor Square Finish your art tour by reflecting on Reko Rennie's unmissable work, Always was always will be, a bold technicolour mural which became an instant icon. An eclectic mix of contemporary imagery and traditional techniques, the work highlights the contrast between the artist's connections to north-western NSW and the traditional markings of the Kamilaroi people. The building at 1-5 Flinders Street used to be a unmemorable shade of blue, but is now remarkable with fluorescent pink, black and blue patterns. Elevating the heritage building to landmark status, the neon text that proudly sits across the building's facade reads, "Always was, always will be", reminding commuters, clubbers, passersby and tourists that this was Gadigal country and always will be Gadigal country. Follow our walking art tour, or create your own using the City of Sydney's Culture Walks app, featuring curated art and history walks to help you explore the city even more.
When the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television anoints its picks for the best movies and TV shows of 2023, it'll do so in February 2024 on the Gold Coast. The country's night of nights is on the move to southeast Queensland, making its Sunshine State debut; however, a change of location isn't the only big offering. For the first time ever, the organisation is also hosting the AACTA Festival, a celebration of everything that the country puts on screens both silver and small. AACTA's gongs will be given out on two dates, starting with its Industry Awards on Thursday, February 8 and then hosting its usual glittering ceremony on Saturday, February 10. Around those occasions, running from Thursday, February 8–Sunday, February 11 at HOTA, Home of the Arts, AACTA Festival will be filled with talks, screenings and more featuring a swag of impressive names. If Talk to Me creeped its way onto your list of favourite Australian horror movies, directors Michael and Danny Philippou will be at AACTA Festival to dive into it. Warwick Thornton is also on the lineup to discuss The New Boy as part of the fest's 'meet the creators' events, as are the teams behind Limbo, Sweet As, Shayda and The Newsreader. Can't wait to see the Boy Swallows Universe TV series? It'll be out by February, so you'll have it fresh in your mind author Trent Dalton gets talking about it. And if you were a fan of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart either on the page or screen, Holly Ringland will also be chatting. Indeed, writers are a big focus, including Nick Earls, Lystra Rose, Mathew Condon, Richard Jameson, Tristan Michael Savage and Ben Hobson. Giving the event one of its international highlights, Lessons in Chemistry's Bonnie Garmus is on the bill as well. Also each massive highlights: behind-the-scenes explorations of The Matrix, the stunts of Mad Max: Fury Road and, for some more overseas flavour, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's animation. Or, enjoy a chat with Wellmania and The Way We Wore's Celeste Barber about her career, then find out more about the upcoming series High Country starting Leah Purcell (Wentworth), Aussie-made Robbie Williams biopic Better Man and the sequel to Mortal Kombat at their own dedicated talks. Before they get their own immersive experience in Brisbane, Bluey and Bingo will be doing a meet and greet — and, including a live-watch party for the AACTAs, a screening of 1906's The Story of the Kelly Gang, trivia, a Play School live event and a chat about music Baz Luhrmann's movies, there's plenty more joining them. In total, over 70 sessions form AACTA Festival, with most free to attend. AACTA nominees will also be taking part, although the details there can't be revealed until after exactly who is vying for a gong is announced on Saturday, December 9. "AACTA Festival is a must-attend event for anyone who lovesAustralian film, television, music, gaming, art and pop culture," said AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella, announcing the lineup. "We are excited to present more than 70 events over four days celebrating the excellence of our industry. From red carpet glamour to workshops and a special kids' lineup, it's an invitation for everyone to step into the magic of storytelling and creativity." AACTA Festival will run from Thursday, February 8–Sunday, February 11 at HOTA, Home of the Arts, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise Gold Coast. For further details, head to the fest's website. Boy Swallows Universe and Wellmania images courtesy of Netflix.
In general, 2020 wasn't a great year. When it came to streaming new TV shows — something we all did, and much more than we normally would — it was an excellent year, however. Plenty of top-notch fresh releases joined everyone's must-see and favourites lists, and helped fill all of those hours spent at home, including a particularly delightful (and satirical, and also savage) jump back to 18th-century Russia. That show: The Great. It takes its title from its central figure, empress Catherine the Great. It's filled with lavish period-appropriate costumes, wigs, sets and decor. And, it explores an immensely famous time that had a significant impact upon the world. Normally, that'd all smack of a certain kind of drama — you know the type — however this is firmly a comedy as well. Starring Elle Fanning (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) as the eponymous ruler and Nicholas Hoult (Those Who Wish Me Dead) as her husband Peter III, The Great is full of witty, laugh-out-loud lines, sports an irreverent and often cheeky mood, and has ample fun with real-life details — much in the way that Oscar-winner The Favourite did with British royalty on the big screen. That comparison couldn't actually be more fitting, with that film's BAFTA-winning screenwriter, Australian Tony McNamara, using his skills to pen The Great as well. Across its ten-episode, very easy-to-binge, immensely hilarious first season, the series immersed viewers in Catherine and Peter's hardly happy marriage, all the day-to-day dramas in the Russian court, and her plans to push him aside and become the country's ruler in her own right. Thankfully, it didn't finish telling that tale, with a second season due to arrive later this year. In Australia, it'll land on November 20, at the same time as it hits — and a fresh new trailer that teases everything viewers can look forward to has just dropped. Here's five things that should take your fancy: Catherine and Peter slinging sharp banter back and forth, her preference for eating chicken over sex, the word "huzzah", more chaotic antics and Gillian Anderson falling off a chair. Because starring in everything from The X-Files and Hannibal to The Crown and Sex Education isn't enough for latter, she pops up here as Catherine's mother. If you weren't already hooked on all things The Great, that's obviously an excellent — and great, naturally — reason to start watching. Check out the first trailer for The Great's second season below: The Great's second season will be available to stream in Australia via Stan on November 20.
Building on the popularity of their insanely valuable Dollar Dawg Tuesdays, Sydney favourite The Soda Factory has launched two new evenings of cheap eats, sure to add spice to your week and keep dollars in your pocket. Wednesdays will celebrate all things chicken, with Fat Bubba's Chicken Wednesday bringing with it outrageous $1 hot buffalo wings, plus a $10 bucket of fried chicken that'll give Colonel Sanders a run for his money. You can also get your hump day groove on, with live retro swing tunes from the Soda Factory resident bands. Then, prepare to nurse your chicken hangover into a Thursday night of '50s pop, doo-wop and rockabilly classics, in The Late Night Soda Social. Each Thursday will feature the (self-proclaimed) best cover band ever, Furnace and the Fundamentals, plus '50s rock 'n' rollers Dick Smithers and the Doo Wops. Peckish? Feast your eyes on The Soda Factory's diner menu, and in particular the Big Kahoona Burger, a Royale with Cheese or a Caramel and Whiskey Shake — all a measly $5 on Thursdays. With $12 cocktails on offer all night, (always) free entry and late(ish) open hours, The Soda Factory looks set to have you covered for all your midweek shenanigans. Fat Bubba's Chicken Wednesdays will run from 5pm every Wednesday. The Late Night Soda Social will run every Thursday, 5pm-2am.
Sydney's Powerhouse Museum will no longer close its current Ultimo base and move to a new site in Parramatta, with the New South Wales government backflipping on the relocation. Instead, the museum will retain its existing venue, keeping it open — however, it will still also forge ahead with the new western Sydney location, which'll become one of four sites used by the museum in the Greater Sydney area. The news reverses a five-year-old plan, with the move first announced back in 2015, designs for the new facility released in 2019 and the venue slated to open in 2023. While staunchly backed by the NSW Government until now, the relocation has earned both opposition and controversy since it was first revealed, including concerns around the cost (which has been earmarked at $645 million, but could hit $1 billion), the fact that St George's Terraces and the heritage-listed 1800s villa Willow Grove will need to be knocked down, and worries that the new Parramatta site could be subject to flooding when wet and stormy weather hits. Powerhouse's Ultimo site was originally due to start closing its operations in Ultimo to the public from July 1, 2020, so the announcement is particularly timely. In a statement about the news, Powerhouse CEO Lisa Havilah said that it gives the organisation "the opportunity to continue the legacy of our historic site at Ultimo while building towards our new home of science and technology at Powerhouse Parramatta". President of the Museum of Applied Arts and Science Trust Professor Barney Glover AO added that "it will give visitors to the Museum's four sites unprecedented access to our extensive collection, in particular at Powerhouse Parramatta which will become the jewel in the crown for our unique cultural institution". The Sydney Morning Herald reports that, with the forthcoming Parramatta venue considered Powerhouse's centrepiece, the Ultimo site may focus on fashion and design — hosting both free and ticketed exhibitions from both fields. [caption id="attachment_755479" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Render of Powerhouse's Parramatta site[/caption] As for the construction of the new Parramatta venue, that's clearly still going ahead. In a statement reported by The Guardian, NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet advised that the city will "have a world-class facility for the people of western Sydney, a world-class facility here in Ultimo and that's what our people deserve here in our state". Premier Gladys Berejiklian added that "this will allow us to provide an outstanding visitor experience in the areas of technology, science, engineering and design at two major locations". When the Parramatta site opens, it'll be the first time that one of the state's five major cultural institutions will be located in Sydney's west, spreading the city's cultural footprint to an area where third of the state's population live. The Powerhouse Museum is currently located at 500 Harris Street, Ultimo, with the organisation's new Parramatta museum slated to open in 2023.
