12 artists are united by the word for this exhibition, all differing in their use of language and text. Watch Grant Stevens’ video work Really Really a few times and you realise the order of words doesn’t so much matter. His message is clear, and the rhythm and spacing of the text totally evokes that scrambling feeling of a bubbling love you can’t keep a lid on. Each word is part of a greater whole: the whispered sweet-nothing. In contrast, there is Jenny Watson’s Objectification; in the small but powerful canvas the words ‘My mother is ill again’ appear. Imagine substituting or emphasising any of these words and you understand just how charged each element of the sentence is. With several big artists alongside newer names, overall the delicacy of the written word succeeds here in drawing your attention from the cavernous space of the gallery to the artworks before you.Image: WORD, installation detail, Anna Schwartz Gallery Sydney, courtesy the artists and Anna Schwartz Gallery, photograph by Paul Green.
Anne Ferran has been photographing the same patch of grass for over 10 years. It’s a paddock on the outskirts of Ross, a small village in Tasmania, and the images oscillate between focused studies of the grass, which reveal the form and folds of the earth, and glimpses of the horizon. Something seems mysterious in the concentration on the ground, as if dark secrets lurk beneath the quiet cover of grass.Providing an interesting counterpoint, Stills Gallery has also brought together a selection of work from another Tasmanian photographer, Ricky Maynard (who is also currently on show at the MCA), including works from Portraits of a Distant Land (his most recent and continuing series) and the iconic portraits of the Wik elders from Aurukun community in Queensland.Image: Ricky Maynard, Wik Elder, Arthur, 2000, from Returning to Places that Name Us, gelatin silver print.
Sometimes I just really feel like a piece of steak. I ran into my friend at the butcher the other day and we discussed this and he shared my sentiment. Sometimes, without reason, your body cries out for a piece of meat and you really just have to obey. Every Surry Hills residents’ new favourite bar (read: Ching-a-lings) is hosting a BBQ on Sunday. Beer and BBQ. Those two words make me a happy woman. Vegetarians are welcome, as long as they BYO vegie snacks, but everyone is warned that you don’t make friends with salad.
The Sydney Latin American Film Festival - it can take you to far away lands, in your own city. More importantly, it not only takes the finest cinema from Latin America, but also gives back through its diverse community support program. Saving the Ecuadorian Amazon is just one good reason to see a film, or five.And there's plenty of films to see. Road trip meets family history in Disierto Sur, with producer Mauricio Arriagada present for introductions and a Q&A on the festival's opening night. For the grotesque YouTube-addicted among us, Filmephobia explores a scarily diverse range of phobias - and will be screened at the Mu-Meson Archives. If decisions are too difficult, then catch the line-up of Local Shorts and peek into new worlds in your own backyard.
Sometimes we take our public art institutions for granted. We forget that behind their familiar exteriors sit not only artworks and artifacts we know and love, but many we haven’t yet met and would hit it off with immediately.There’s nothing like a first impression, but there’s also something to be said for a reunion. The dreamers brings together both: familiar names and those not so well-known. The show is taken from the Gallery’s Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander collection and presents eight master-artists. What’s amazing is the sheer breadth of style and practice present in just this select few: from the dizzying optics of Papunya Tula painter Ronnie Tjampitjinpa, to the lyrical landscape of Arnhem Land artist Ginger Riley Munduwalawala.Make friends with pieces in the permanent collection; they may not call you for your birthday, but they’ll always be there (unless, of course, they’re being restored).Ronnie Tjampitjinpa, untitled, 2001, 244x183cm
Spring is definitely sprung. We know this partly because the grass is riz and lambs are getting frisky and what not, but the main clue is that over at COFA, folk are getting stuck into preparations for their annual Spring Fair. Live music, exhibitions and food will all be on offer, but the beating heart of the Fair is the 75-stall marketplace where entrepreneurial types will be hawking their arty wares. 21-year-old Laura Ives is one of the many designers who’ll be there on the day. She’ll be selling her first collection of Horse & Deer apparel and industrial jewellery, alongside local artist and COFA student Syke. “The Spring Fair is unique because it's a chance to get a first look at the next generation of emerging artists and designers,†Ives says. “It's a great time to get in on the action before it's all in stores and ten times the price. In fact most artists are students so you could probably barter an artwork down to a carton of cigarettes and a box of Mi-Goreng.†And if naked consumerism isn’t so much your thing, you can also catch demonstrations from artists and designers working in a range of media. Highlights include a 3D animation demonstration from William Burdis (one of the animators behind Happy Feet) and a clay-wielding demonstration from ceramicist Paul Davis.
Some say the reason Firstdraft is Sydney's oldest artist-run initiative, having survived 23 years in a town notorious for severely short-lived independent venues, is because of its rotating director program which means none of the administrators stay on for longer than two years, and energy is always fresh. We think it might also have something to do with their fine programming and ongoing support of local emerging artists and curators. They've been handing out big breaks since way way back, and are firmly rooted as an integral part of Sydney's creative heart and soul. But now they need a little something back: $20 000 for council-ordered renovations which must take place in the next few months. Meet the Save First Emergency Fundraiser Auction. You get: original artworks by the likes of Mike Parr, soda_jerk, Del Katherine Barton, Sarah Goffman, Simon Kennedy and Brett East. Firstdraft gets: to stay afloat. Sound fair? Fellow galleries and former Firstdraft directors and artists have rushed to donate artworks for auction, which will be hosted by MCA director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor on September 3. The hammer starts banging at 6pm and previews of the works are available from noon on September 2. Image: Michaela Gleave, Proposed Model for Conversational Arrangement, 2009, Box mounted digital print, 54 x 40cm
Playwrights make a dangerous choice when they build a play around a single metaphor, because if the image isn't a perfect fit an audience will hear the script being forced into shape. Having a man frozen in ice, his whole life caught in suspension, is certainly a fascinating image but it is not actually the focus of Falk Richter's Under Ice. For, while Paul Niemand (Terry Serio) agonises over his isolation and lack of movement, he is caught up in a system that actively decomposes its waste components rather than freezes them in stasis.It is in this decomposition - the creative HR engineering that Richter sourced from real-world consulting firms - that Under Ice is its most engaging. While Niemand's monologues do occasion the odd laugh, Serio's performance is often emotionally detached and therefore difficult to connect with. In contrast, Jason Langley and Adam Booth strike a frightening chord as the excited, inhumanly efficient consultants.Ice is also a challenging metaphor to connect with Australian audiences, given that many people in this country have only physically encountered frozen water in refreshing drinks. Despite this, director Kellie Mackereth has drawn on more accessible tools, such as Mathew Mackereth's satirical powerpoint presentation and Rosie Chase's airport soundscape, to successfully capture the mood of suspended life on the Sydney corporate ladder.For those interested in learning more about Australian theatre and German playwrights, there is a special talk included with Under Ice on August 27th.We have a double pass to give away – just email your details to hello@concreteplayground.com.au with 'Under Ice Giveaway' in the subject line for your chance to win.
Did you know that aluminium can be recycled into infinity? No wonder it has the sheen of space years about it. And that Tetra Paks are mostly made from cardboard (with only wee little prophylactic layers to protect them from sprouting mould offspring)? Ahh, recycling, who would’ve guessed that all those crazy dumpster divers were actually diving deep for thrills. This year’s National Recycling Week is certainly full of them; the Big Aussie Swap Party (no, not your spouse) will take place simultaneously across Australia on Tuesday Nov 10th, or else you can host your own. The Friday File Fling is also unfortunately not about your not-spouse, but about ditching those dossiers that would make even data-junkies weep. There’s plenty more — but I don’t want to waste words when I need them to write to America about why they pronounce ‘aluminium’ funny.
Michael Kantor, Artistic Director of Melbourne's Malthouse Theatre, has a thing or two to say about the power of positive thinking. Alongside his production of Happy Days, he has also directed and toured a reworking of Voltaire's Candide, now titled Optimism, which will make an appearance during the Sydney Festival this January.Both plays question the strength of an optimism stubbornly clung to, despite the obvious truth that there's nothing to be happy about. Samuel Beckett's Happy Days is an extreme scenario of hard times: Winnie, performed wonderfully by Julie Forsyth, is buried up to her waist in a desolate, black mound and constantly tormented by a relentless light and screeching alarm. Her imbecilic husband, Willie (Peter Carroll) lives a subterranean life, only popping up long enough to receive the occasional head injury from Winnie's flung rubbish.Yet, in spite of this grim existence, Winnie peps herself up with a rambling, feel-good mantra that would make Hyacinth Bucket appear self-loathing. It is only in the bleaker second act, when Winnie is buried up to her head, that her facade begins to crack and fracture into a sporadic despair.Kantor has put together an excellent production; the two roles are expertly crafted and performed, especially Forsyth's depiction of a manic woman just managing to keep it together under ludicrous pressure. Anna Cordingley's gift-box set unfurls menacingly at the opening of each act to reveal a scorched pile of rubble, which Paul Jackson's lighting design paints with an impressive array of moods. Entering as Winnie's sonic torturer is a ferocious series of alarms, drones and mechanical clanks conjured by sound designer Russell Goldsmith. However, Beckett's play goes a step beyond presenting a scenario; his language and set-up are such that the audience is drawn into a sense of futility and ennui. For two hours Winnie rambles without plot â€" illustrating an intricate character study, yes, but one that we've all encountered as the neurotic, attention vampire at parties and functions across the globe. Willie's final struggles towards his wife are a physical manifestation of our collective enervation. He tries in vain to reach his wife, to reach a satisfying end point, and yet his efforts are cut short by the cruelty of the stage. There is an audience that will enjoy this show, and I certainly recommend this production to them. Those who are prone to falling asleep at the theatre, however, will find these two hours very difficult.Photo by Jeff BusbyVideo from Beckett on Film. Directed by Patricia Rozema. Copyright Blue Angel Films Ltdhttps://youtube.com/watch?v=LpHQPAzJJGA
With art imitating life imitating, well, Paul Giamatti, Cold Souls is quite the curio. Writer/director Sophie Barthes takes soul searching to a whole new level in her philosophical treatise on the commodification of the soul. It’s probably best not to say too much about this film. However, anyone who might have been horribly traumatised by a philosophy course has no cause to fear Cold Souls. Barthes infuses the screenplay with a caustic wit, while her impressionistic visual style is lovely to behold. This is a truly impressive debut and one that will no doubt go over well with fans of Charlie Kaufman, particularly his recent Synecdoche, New York.Rallied by a spirited performance from Giamatti (playing himself, sort of), David Strathairn, Dina Korzun and the rest of the cast â€" including Kaufman cross-over Emily Watson â€" bring all the ironic nuances and world-weary melancholia of their characters to life. And these wonderfully written roles are played out within a wry storyline that reignites the Cold War on an existential level. So regardless of whether you ultimately enjoy Cold Souls, or are able to wrap your head around it, one thing’s for sure: you’ll never look at a chickpea the same way again.https://youtube.com/watch?v=SJ2t2vDfM1M
There are lies, and then there are lies. There are those shameless, blatant untruths told with a twitch and a sneer that are about as cool as Alexander Downer in a sauna. But then there are those lies, dashing in three-piece suit or silk stockings, negroni in hand, which make you wish honesty had never come to the party.Good or bad, the truth is in the telling.Once again Runway magazine delivers up a simple, yet weighty issue for our contemplation: we've had Romance, Conversation, Make-believe, but issue 15 is about Lies - all viewed through the lense of contemporary art. And once again an event packed party accompanies the issue's launch. Converge on the Red Rattler this Friday the 6th of November for an evening of work and performances by Penelope Cain, Bella Earclay, Agatha Gothe-Snape, Renny Kodgers, Ms. & Mr., Tom Polo, Sven Simulacrum and Uddin & Elsey.A copy of Lies is included in the cover charge and to be honest it looks like a cracker of an issue! Reading like a who's who of who's getting their hands dirty in contemporary art in Sydney at the moment, artists featured or reviewed include David Lawrey & Jaki Middleton, Ms. & Mr., Adam Norton, Tom Polo, Sean Rafferty, Will French and Michelle Hanlin. And the contributing writers are equally exciting, including Ella Barclay, Bec Dean, Amelia Groom (our very own) and Emma White.Image: Agatha Gothe-Snape, I TRUSTED YOU (transcription), 2009.
David Caesar takes on the truckies in his modern fairytale Prime Mover. Infusing dusty Dubbo with magical realism, this is the story of Thomas, an aspiring truckie meets small town gypsy Melissa, and the love and life they make for each other. The film reunites Suburban Mayhem stars Michael Dorman and Emily Barclay, who generate a natural chemistry that sells their love at first sight. But it wouldn’t be a fairytale without some nasty antagonists: roles taken up with relish by Caesar regular Ben Mendelson and Underbelly's Gyton Grantley. Fulfilling the fairy godmother position (of sorts) is Anthony Hayes, whose four parts aid and stall Thomas’ progress in turn. Though Caesar clearly seeks to reveal the magic in everyday life, he doesn’t quite manage to keep up the momentum from its charming first act. When Thomas hits the road, the film takes an about face, replacing the laconic comedy with a rather serious family drama, albeit one with fun bad guys. This tonal shift carries the film off course a ways, but by the third act both Thomas and his Prime Mover are heading back on track. 
The narration and magical realism may well remind some of the cult classic Two Hands. This is, however, a much sweeter film that seeks to portray love and family in a meaningful way. While it may not fire on all cylinders, Prime Mover is broadly appealing, with engaging performances, fun cameos and fine cinematography that provide an interesting glimpse at the oft-overlooked Australian truckie. Email us to win one of ten in-season passes to Prime Mover, opening in cinemas 12th November.https://youtube.com/watch?v=TaXQYwXRuQ0
A film entitled The Box, starring Cameron Diaz and James "27 Dresses" Marsden, and you’d easily be forgiven for thinking this a romantic comedy. A featherweight caper about the mishaps of proposing perhaps. But with Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly at the helm, you’re in for quite another ride indeed. Instead, The Box will take you into the depths of a morality play. Adapting Richard Matherson’s short story Button, Button, Kelly recreates 1976 Virginia, where private school teacher Norma (Diaz) and NASA engineer Arthur (Marsden) are an upwardly mobile suburban couple with a young son (Kevin DeCoste), living slightly beyond their means. When Arthur is looked over for a promotion and Norma retrenched, they are visited by a disfigured stranger, Arlington Steward (Frank Langella) and offered one million dollars to push a button. If it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it probably is. As the consequences of their decision unfold, Norma and Arthur try to find the source of this high-stakes proposition, which reaches far beyond anything they might have fathomed. Here Kelly is clearly in his element, revelling in the tantalising world where, “advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.†He layers a Hitchcockian aesthetic on this mind-bending material, and further turns the screw by incorporating existential, even biblical elements into his moral experiment. While the set-up is a bit laboured, and certain reveals a bit too heavily emphasised, The Box is an intriguing, thrilling and provocative cinematic experience. Donnie Darko fans may not find the film quite up to scratch, but surely everyone will be fascinated to see what Kelly has land in the bedroom this time.Popcorn Taxi is hosting a preview screening on Wednesday October 21st (7pm at Greater Union Bondi Junction) with a special Q&A session with Kelly live from LA. Click here for more details. To win one of ten double passes to The Box, email your name and address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au with 'The Box' in the subject line.https://youtube.com/watch?v=oNHrqxRcek8
Sister Smile is a biopic about Jeanine Deckers, a singing nun who, in 1963, had a chart-topping hit in Europe and North America with her song Dominique, a jaunty little tune that goes like this: "Dominique, nique, nique, S'en allait tout simplement...Il ne parle que du Bon Dieu."The song is a lot more upbeat than the tragic story behind it. After Deckers appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, she left the convent to try to launch a solo career and things quickly went downhill. She was unable to use the name Sister Smile because it belonged to her order , and her follow-up hit â€" a song in praise of contraception called Glory be to God for the Golden Pill â€" caused outrage. Jeanine Deckers' non secular life then descended into binge drinking and pill popping, ending in a suicide pact with her lover Annie, a detail this movie weirdly glosses over.You would think that a movie about a drug-addled lesbian nun would be a hoot and a half, but it’s not really, instead it’s a little vague and plodding.https://youtube.com/watch?v=80iEeBRo-oY
Large men from a small country across the way, Fat Freddy's Drop are once again visiting our large land. I must say that last time I saw them I was a little underwhelmed, they just didn't seem that enthused. Maybe too many massive tours all over Europe and doing spots at Glastonbury tired them out a little. Having said that FFD can be a great live act â€" often hitting on the sublime, and when they layer beautiful sounding textures over the top of Reggae roots, it all comes together. Their second album, the obscurely titled Dr Boondigga & The Big BW, drops some of the dub style, picking up more on the elements of soul and electronic tinges that have been present in the Wellington band's music before. BW is a slice of future funk that builds smooth horns over the top of a boom-bap beat and then adds Joe Dukie's vocals on top â€" as flavoursome as a slow cooked HÄngi.According to FFD PR, their second album was born out of live jams, and the meditative and patient arrangements of the FFD sound often build into all out danceable party jams â€" so it could be very well worth the gamble to catch them before they head to London, Berlin and LA.https://youtube.com/watch?v=29MgzHUhHws
There was a time when cameras didn't exist and so, when someone saw their double reflected back at them, that could only mean one thing â€" a demonic doppelganger had spawned in the world. But the double's got a different meaning in the multimediaverse, and legion are the numbers of people grinning at their own reflection.What better way to celebrate contemporary narcissism than with the 15-minute guru Andy Warhol, whose posthumous patronage blesses this festival of music, art and markets? Witness the algal bloom of Paddington's underground art scene as it blossoms above the currents for one day of eclectic expression. Enjoy the day time, curated by James Shirlaw and Tara Cook, and then carry on over to the Exploding Plastic Inevitable redux of Velvet Underground covers.The moral of this momentous double-gone moment? You don't need acid or life experience to enjoy a Sixties flashback.https://youtube.com/watch?v=0cWzxJvgWc8
It’s a sad fact of life that we can’t all be Australian National Treasures like Rowland S. Howard. Sure, you can start a band â€" but it won’t be The Birthday Party. Of course, you can write some songs â€" but they won’t sound like Come Fall. And by all means, make some friends â€" but I’ll bet they’re not Thurston Moore and Lydia Lunch.Oh, don’t look so glum! You’re fine as you are. Besides, the next best thing to actually being Rowland S. Howard is seeing him perform, and come Thursday October 22 you can do just that. In his first Australian gig since appearing at All Tomorrow’s Parties at the request of his old pal (and former Birthday Party and Bad Seeds band-mate) Nick Cave, Howard will perform select songs from his 20-odd year career, as well as from his upcoming album Pop Crimes. https://youtube.com/watch?v=L7ChSy6FhxQ
Just off the back of a tour with all girl Japanese garage-rockers Shonen Knife, Brisbane's I Heart Hiroshima are stopping back in to Sydney to launch their second album The Rip at The 'Dale. The Rip was recorded in Brisbane and then taken to the UK to be mixed by Gang Of Four's Andy Gill. They kept busy in Britania and across Europe playing some 40 shows including several with the angular indie rockers Maximo Park, as well as heaps of festival spots. So their live show should be well tuned up. Their bassless sound with it's wirey guitars underneath shouty vocals can be grating and abrasive, but when they bring more melody into the mix - such as on their best known tune Punks - they can pen very memorable melodies with the intertwining boy/girl vocals exultantly yelling simple yet emotive lyrics. First single from The Rip (out Oct 2 on Valve Record), Shakeytown, with melodic guitar hooks and a bittersweet chorus, gives hope for their second album. And there's no denying these guys are great live; drummer/singer Susie Patten is very charismatic behind the two scruffy boys on guitar. Kiwi transplants Songs, are doing the whole album tour, so get there early as Sunday shows at The Annandale open at 6.https://youtube.com/watch?v=5QIJbUhABT4
Granted, the folks behind Newcastle’s This Is Not Art festival are doing a lot right, but you’d think that by their tenth year they might have realised the jig is up. So, a little friendly advice, TINA: we’ve heard that ‘not art’ schtick before, and baby, we’re not buying it. TINA is an annual convergence of emerging and experimental performers, tastemakers, writers, musos and dabblers: over 400 artists from Australia and beyond, all told. With dozens of (mostly free!) events crammed into five days and nights, the whole affair feels something like your friendly neighbourhood street fair. On crack. It’s fitting, then, that the newest addition to the TINA family is the Crack Theatre Festival, which will be sharing the lineup with old favourites like Critical Animals, Electrofringe, National Young Writers’ Festival and Sound Summit. Crack is serialised theatre spread across three days, with a grand finale on the fourth: a one-day open event in which participants work together to devise, rehearse and perform an original piece of theatre. Writer and artist Alli Sebastian Wolf will be directing Crack’s Saturday night installment. “It’s kind of like those old time radio serials. It’s about a detective, very 1930s film noir kind of stuff,†she says. “You can come to any one of them and just enjoy each one as its own little piece, or you can come from the beginning. They all kind of work as independent bits of theatre: you get caught up in each of them.†Alli says her piece developed as a series of one-offs at Sydney writers’ night Penguin Plays Rough. “It started off there as just little readings, and we did the first sort of chapter and people were like, ‘When’s the next one?’†she laughs. “So we ended up making more and more to go on up there for about five months and decided that we wanted to actually make it into something that stood together as a performance by itself … They used to not even have to really flow on from each other as long as you had the same couple of characters, everyone was drunk, and it was a month ago so who remembers? This time it’s a bit better, but they do still have their own little style, and hopefully their own little arcs and spirits.†Oh, and zombies. Naturally. “And zombie machines and mad scientists, and then you’ve got some gangsters and you’ve got your film noir detective who can stare off into the middle distance and have ridiculous similes,†Alli adds. “We’ve got a sound guy doing live sound from a desk next to the stage, with all kinds of jugs and pots and pans and craziness. And we might have our own live saxophonist,†she enthuses. “It’s just a good time, I reckon.†And if theatre’s not so much your thing, there’s plenty more going on. Apart from the usual workshops and panel discussions, TINA will also host performances from the likes of Melbourne’s Suzanne Grae & the Katies and US band The Vivian Girls; horror shorts night Scream Screen; and dance and video installations from The DeConvertors. Triple J’s Marieke Hardy and the ABC’s Lawrence Leung will also be making appearances.
The People's Republic of China has really chilled out and let its hair down over the last few decades. Sort of. Not really. But they have relaxed just the teeniest, weeniest, bit and Chinese artists have responded by exploding with the most exciting Contemporary Art anywhere in the world.Chinese born Guan Wei is no exception. Wei lives in Australia now but he trained in China and his meticulously detailed paintings reveal a rigorous formalism and training that our apathetic Sydney art schools could only dream of.His paintings and sculptures are funny, subversive and charming. They explore the contrast between our two countries. Australia is a weird place viewed through Guan Wei’s eyes. Sea monsters, crocodiles, indigenous tribes and fleets of ships figure heavily. Sort of like 16th century Chinese maps, imagined by Steve Irwin.His new show Fragments of History opened at Kaliman Gallery this week, coinciding with the launch of his new publication Other Histories: Guan Wei's Fable for a Contemporary World. On Saturday September 26 Kaliman Gallery will host a panel discussion between Guan Wei, John Mcdonald and others (2:30-4:00pm), followed by an exhibition viewing.
If you're a fan of both types of music â€" country and western â€" this could be the show for you. Justin Townes Earle, a Nashville singer-songwriter, is one of the younger exponents of authentic roots based music coming from the land of the large, the USA.Alongside peers and pioneers Gillian Welch, The Handsome Family, his father Steve Earle and Lambchop etc, the young Earle takes root firmly in the traditions of yesteryear with archaic recordings and sounds and those Southern twangy inflections. Justin Townes Earl â€" his middle name a homage to the late country legend Townes Van Zandt â€" can traverse much of the country sound, with a quality of melodies and penmanship that lifts his music above a tribute, adding to the rich history of his genre-mates. There is a diversity and timelessness to his music from authentic Grand Old Opry, Johhny Cash-esque stompers to storytelling numbers like the sombre, introspective title track to his latest LP Midnight At The Movies. If you like your grits served up with a bit more quirk, a little less authentic country but still with loads of charisma and stories, then you should be happy that Wagons, the Melbourne collective formed around songwriter Henry Wagons are doing the whole tour with Earle. https://youtube.com/watch?v=EKEiePB6IVM
It’s hard to do throw ups when you got no can control. Maybe it’s time to give up trying and join a knitting circle instead. Your nanna will be pleased.Guerilla knitting/urban knitting/knitting graffiti has taken over many a city and now it’s Kings Cross’ turn as local art collective Reef Knot prepare for their part in Art&About: I Heart Kings Cross.I Heart Kings Cross is all about community collaboration â€" ah, warm and fuzzy in so many ways. Reef Knot are inviting knitters of all abilities to join knitting circles around the city â€" (last big one being held in Fitzroy Gardens, Kings Cross Saturday September 26 from 10am). All contributed knitting will be installed around Kings Cross during October. The trees are going to be that much more huggable.https://youtube.com/watch?v=U94PrTn7Rds
If you've ever seen an MC battle, you know the excitement in the air is absolutely palpable. Worse than seeing a comedian booed off stage is the sight of an Eminem wannabe desperately trying to keep up with a pro. The Red Bull Soundclash has lined up the battle of the century: two very different bands from two very different genres face off for supremacy. Melbourne indie band Little Red will take on Perth hip hop sensations Downsyde for four rounds of musical challenges including covers, remixes, wild cards and musical ping pong. Don't miss the opportunity to see indie vs hip hop in the ultimate battle of the bands.We have 20 double passes to giveaway, just email your name and address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au with 'Red Bull Soundclash' in the subject line for your chance to win. https://youtube.com/watch?v=abkY3n0b63o
Seattle: Nirvana, Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal. Those are the things that come to mind, but maybe I shouldn't have admitted the last two.While she shares the same label that Nirvana started their careers on, Jesy Fortino AKA Tiny Vipers is here to bump those Seattle associations out of the way with beautiful acoustic folk. She has recently released Life On Earth, her second album which owes to visionary artists like Josephine Foster and Nick Drake, aligning herself with contemporaries such as fellow Seattle chaps Fleet Foxes and Coco Rosie more so than the grunge and cut off shorts over tights (I’m looking at you Eddie Vedder circa ’93) of old Seattle.Her music is ethereal and heavy, meditative and lyrical. She is here for a run of dates around the country and a special appearance at Sound Summit festival of experimental music. The show at The Hopetoun is sure to be special evening; it's a perfect setting for her music and Sydney’s Rand and Holland, Guy Blackman and Seaworthy will be supporting. https://youtube.com/watch?v=G5B6SQwF21c
Held annually during This Is Not Art (TINA), Sound Summit turns 10 this year! Happening in and around Newcastle over the October longer weekend, Sound Summit is a series of panel discussions, workshops and live sessions all about independent and innovative music. Learn things, share things, take things, make things – it’s all about collaboration and expression.While the focus of past years has been hip hop and electronic music, this year the genres have been dropped and sounds of all types are being represented from Australia and overseas. Ducktails (US), Vivian Girls (US), Pumice (NZ), Tiny Vipers (US), and local artists Qua, Moonmilk, Toecutter and Kyü are being joined by so many more.
The Paper Scissors are back, and if you’re one of the folks who heard (and subsequently wailed along to) Yamanote Line when they released their debut album Less Talk, More Paper Scissors in 2007, you'll know this is a very good thing.Led by frontman and all round nice guy, Jai Pyne, the Scissors return to the Oxford Art Factory tonight for the penultimate show of their Howl tour, which has had east coast audiences bouncing with sonic sensations reminiscent of the Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene.If your Friday night’s looking a little dull or you just haven’t rocked out in a while, get along to the OAF. Things will change rapidly.https://youtube.com/watch?v=k8keQfdeWSU
Host Robot: Good sir, would you like a beverage?Member of Public: Why, yes, yes I would, that would be lovely. What doyou have on offer?HR: We have freshly squeezed lemon juice, baked cordial and grey coffee.MoP: Oh, well, is it possible to have my coffee black?HR: I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.MoP: …what?In all likelihood, you may encounter a scene similar to the one above when you visit CarriageWorks this August. Artist Wade Marynowsky’s fascination with robotics and the affectations of a gentler time are married in his exhibition, The Hosts, which illustrates the capacity for automatons to have as much fun as real people.Marvel as gizmos create the illusion of genteel manners and bourgeois party banter, and then develop a severe case of paranoia fuelled by the shocking realism of their performance. Are these robots simple 1s and 0s, or has Marynowsky ushered in the first stage of Pride and Prejudice and Skynet? The Hosts are cordially inviting everyone to their opening on Thursday night at 6pm, with Grind House Alley to follow at 7.30.
The following use of food metaphors are brought to you by my empty stomach and the smell of bacon permeating my house. Enjoy. For those seeking a more eclectic taste of Canadian film fare, the 4th Canadian Film Festival will certainly serve up a bain-marie of delights. Start by road-tripping with Joshua Jackson, follow it up with a digest of contemporary philosophy and dessert on the icy Inuit tundra. Or, perhaps you'd rather chow down on magic mushrooms, a side of savage hockey and a nibble of Quebecois youth? Better yet enjoy the degustation menu and grab tickets to every film, because this is a wonderfully affordable festival. Accompanying your movie meals are a host of intimate parties throughout the week, including two galas and a whiskey-fuelled porno screening. By the end, you'll be so full of Canadian bacon love that you may as well douse yourself in maple syrup and die happy.
Joni Mitchell best summed up Woodstock in her 1970 song of the same name:“We are stardust/We are golden/And we’ve got to get ourselves/Back to the gardenâ€.Funny thing is, Joni didn’t even make it to the festival; she wrote the song on the strength of what she’d heard from Graham Nash. Woodstock is one of those universally entrenched cultural events that live on in the imagined memories of everyone who wasn’t there, partly because those who were can’t remember it.This month, Blender Gallery adds to the legend with Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music, an exhibition of photos celebrating 40 years since the festival took place in upstate New York. Photographs from Elliott Landy, Amalie Rothschild, Burk Uzzle and Henry Diltz display, in full colour, the peace, love and freak flags flying high.
Unfortunately in recent times the environmental doco has become the brown rice of cinematic experience â€" a seriously relevant but ultimately dry undertaking. But occasionally a non-fiction offering will rattle genre convention and achieve what is commonly found only in the contrived theatrics of feature film â€" suspense, intrigue and a gripping emotional ride. The Cove centers around Richard O’Barry - trainer to the original Flipper in the 1960’s TV series and now passionate activist - and an Oceans 11 style team of recruits, charting their perilous plight to expose the large-scale slaughter of dolphins carried out by Japanese fisherman in a secret cove in Taiji, Japan. Director Louie Psihoyos skillfully combines classic espionage style cinema with a grounded, authentic approach to portray the shocking reality of this covert and brutal activity. The result is a profoundly affecting film that defies genre and is likely to launch even the laziest of land-dwellers into action. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Sw5qgVp0jng
Even if you don't know much about art, about composition and brushstrokes and particular movements, you probably know what you like. What medium tends to grab you, or what colours and shapes. Every time I look at a Margaret Olley painting I can easily say that's what I like. I like the colours, the thickness of the oil paint, worked on layer upon layer. I like the simple subjects. Flowers and vases and fruit. Footage of her walking around her house showed that this was exactly what she lived among - bright colourful furniture, huge bouquets of flowers bursting from their vases and lots of greens, purples, oranges and deep reds. In memory of Margaret Olley, who passed away in July aged 88, the Art Gallery of NSW is holding a tribute exhibition to the beloved Australian artist. One of the last exhibitions under the current director Edmund Capon before his impending retirement, this will be one to see. Take your mum along and remember a fine Australian artist, celebrated by all and painter of a bygone era.
The blockbuster comedy festival Just For Laughs that started in Montreal and has since become the world's largest comedy festival, is coming to Sydney. We get the big names flying in and out on tour but we're due for an internationally recognised festival of our own. So hold onto your seats, here it comes. This inaugural festival, hopefully the beginning of a long line of repeated festivals, will be hosted by none other than Mr Basil Fawlty himself, John Cleese. With that kind of pedigree, how can you go wrong? Also on the lineup is Martin Short, best known for his many movie appearances including Franck in Father of the Bride. He brings with him Demetri Martin, whose straight talking brand of comedy has seen him rise to Senior Youth Correspondent on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, and Dylan Moran, the loveable rogue from Black Books. Add to that Margaret Cho, Louis CK and Russell Howard and you have a pretty solid comic weekend ahead of you. If you want to be a part of history, and be at the first ever Australian Just For Laughs, check it out this weekend.
L.A. beat producer Daedelus is returning to Australia to play a number of shows following the release of his latest album Bespoke. Littered with cameos from musicians such as Milosh and Baths, Bespoke furthers Daedelus’s reputation as a vibrant and eclectic artist. Daedelus’s music oozes with thick washes of sound, ethereal vocals and slower grooves in the style of Flying Lotus or MF Doom. His output is as varied as it is prolific — one of his albums largely features audio samples from spy movies, while another draws on the French surrealistic art method known as exquisite corpse. In short, Daedelus seeks to provide a staggering sensory experience. Renowned for his 19th-century ‘dandy’ dress sense and evocative video clips, the Daedelus experience is to be seen as well as heard. So if this sounds like something you’d like to be a part of, be sure to catch his Sydney show at Goodgod Small Club in Chinatown this Friday. Supporting artists include Australian up-and-comers Collarbones and Galapagoose, the latter of which Daedelus has recently signed to his Magical Properties label.
A lot of people have a strong attachment to Tintin, the boy reporter created by a Belgian artist who travels around the world solving crime and having endless adventures on the way. Having worked as a reporter for a little while now, I've never fought a pirate or voyaged in a pirate ship. I've never had to escape from a burning plane or trick very large dogs into not attacking me. All I can ask really, is why the hell not? 'Cause it looks like a lot of fun. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn was brought lovingly to the screen by the massive fans Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg. Working in motion capture, they've brought the characters very much to life, even in 3D, lifting them off the page. Tintin (Jamie Bell) discovers a model of the Unicorn, a long-lost ship supposedly sunk full of treasure. With Snowy and Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) close behind, he soon tears into his usual hijinks. While the motion capture technology at times can be alienating, not allowing you to fully identify with the characters, the rollicking adventure that the story takes you on is enough to keep you entertained. I felt as giddy as a schoolkid excited by a rollercoaster for most of this movie. It was a fun, exciting and completely over-the-top adventure.
Things are getting a little bit cosmic at Firstdraft this month. Those of you familiar with the gallery can guess exactly how much fun this will be. Those who haven't yet visited, this round would be a darn good time to start. In a takeover of galleries one and two, Melanie Irwin is hypnotized by geometry. The title is telling, drawing on Archimedes (you remember, the bathtub guy) and his experiments with polygons and pi. This lady sees shapes everywhere: in the skies, portioned by power and tram lines, and in our constructed surrounds. It's an exploration of matter and the seemingly incidental ways in which it forms, interacts and decays. Peter Thomas takes aim at the terrorists involved in September 11. This is not quite as serious as it sounds — his assertion is simply that perhaps they should have read their horoscopes. Teasing the irony out of absolute faith, Thomas's exhibition delves into the universes, and motivations, of people who do unexplainable things. Space Happens channels the playful era of VHS board games, aiming to be artwork that allows its audience a different relationship to the work and each other. In other words, a little bit of fun. Each player is the ruler of their own planet, and must dodge nasty aliens and space obstacles to complete their journey, while of course beating everyone else to the finish. Image: Space Happens, by Kenzie Larsen
"I don't conquer, I submit." - Giacomo Casanova These simple words can sum up the totality of Casanova's life. Born in the declining years of Venice's sea power, Casanova's political and sexual intrigues are more the product of a man who just gave in to surrounding decadence rather than the malicious vices of a demonic figure. His exploits as a spy, a con artist, a lover and a philosopher may have left no trace were it not for his final decades, exiled to boredom in Bohemia, where he penned his memoirs. These same memoirs are given voice and form by John Malkovich in The Giacomo Variations. Malkovich's readings of Casanova's debauched life are paired with excerpts from Mozart's famous operas Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro and Cosi fan tutte. It is no surprise that Mozart's operas deal with lust, bawdy gentlemen and nefarious schemes, given that he and Casanova were contemporaries. The Giacomo Variations is a lush, playful night of high-art with low brows. Even if sold out, it's certainly worth an early morning queue down at Martin Place. Image by Brigitte Lacombe
Yes, if you haven't heard already, it most certainly is that season. It's a little hard to miss: tacky tinsel, supermarket panic and Mariah Carey's 1994 hit album on repeat. But there's no need to be a Grinch about it. Even with these age old cliches floating about, there's still some fun to be had. Take Gaffa's annual Xmas Show for example, which they've pulled together no less than 172 of their favourite artists to be part of. Knowing the sorts of works that Gaffa typically pulls together, I think it's safe to say that there will be a little bit of Christmas anarchy in the air. To get the full impact you should jump in quick, as artwork purchases are offered for collection almost as soon as they've sold. It's also worth noting that this is the first Christmas that Gaffa will spend in their new space, so there's certainly a little bit of additional celebration to be had. Image: Rudy Ardianto, Open Season
Have you noticed that at this time of year everyone wheels out the same tired old cliches about how Christmas with your family sucks, usually because some random uncle/aunty is always drunk? Call me old fashioned, but I enjoy Christmas with my family. We eat way too much, only buy each other presents we've asked for, and then we all go to a friend's house for more food. It's a humble but beautiful Christmas tradition that I cherish. That said, it's never too late to add one more thing to the Christmas lineup. This Friday, the Oxford Art Factory is inviting us along to enjoy their own Christmas tradition, their 3rd annual Christmas Party, and it's only $5. While I wouldn't expect too many carols to be sung, you'll instead enjoy the burly, passionate voices of The Preachers, the chilled out rock of Circle Pit, the psychedelic guitar riffs of Zeahorse, the old-school vocal punk stylings of Myth and Tropics and the kick back rock infused Cabins. And they're just on one of the two stages. So if you feel like dispelling the stereotypes and actually enjoying your Christmas celebrations this year, why not do it with a cider in hand enjoying some of Sydney's most interesting up-and-coming bands at this iconic location? And I think we can promise that turkey will not be served. Image: Cabins
I heard an eerie Lennon quote on the radio recently. "That's part of our policy, not to be taken seriously, because I think our opposition, whoever they may be, in all their manifest forms, don't know how to handle humor … we stand a better chance under that guise, because all the serious people, like Martin Luther King, and Kennedy, and Gandhi, got shot". Sadly for Lennon and anyone who appreciates the man, his music or the idea of a world free of war, his policy didn't work and he was shot dead by a lunatic. On the eve of the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death, Herb Armstrong (grandson of Louis), Fergus Brown, The Preachers and others are coming together to cover his "most loved songs" in a unique tribute show, launching the re-release of his anthem, 'Give Peace a Chance', to a new generation. Three decades on, this collaboration aims to further his legacy of peace, love and music with all profits from Album sales/tickets being donated to the Australian Children's Music Foundation (ACMF). Also attempting to reflect the positive influence Lennon had on the mankind in this tribute are one of the original Buena Vista Social club voices and a host of other Australian, UK and international acts listed here. Given the talent of those contributing and the respectful way that Yoko Ono has continued her ex partners name and ideals, this will no doubt be one of the most enjoyable tribute shows yet.
Anyone who has tried to reconstruct the events of a foggy evening, only to discover some embarrassing actions on their part, knows this: when it comes to interpretation, context is all. This year, the MCA is extending a helping hand to those of us attempting to make sense of their new acquisitions. These new pieces will be presented in the context of the existing collection, including both local and international artworks. The result? A unique insight into the ways in which this institution develops their collection, as well as the works themselves, and a perfect way to celebrate the fifth year of their New Acquisitions series. Highlights include Sangeeta Sandrasegar's delicate organza works and Arlo Mountford's audio-visual reinterpretation of three sixteenth-century Flemish paintings (still pictured). Image: Arlo Mountford: The Folly
You know he's doing it for the hardcore when his re-issues come packed in a lunchbox. Songsman first, wordsmith second, the tracks stand as complete works sans lyrics, voila Special Herbs ala MF. For me, DOOM (in ALL CAPS or otherwise) has always been tinged with the Wu from the onset. If it's not the "paint a picture with words" or the "know I got soul" sample miscellany it's the hijacking of Marvel egos that leave an abstract impression. After a six-year interval and a rise to cult following in the early zero zeros, sporting nothing more than a backpack and a mask, DOOM has at least touched bases with the cream of the underground on a plethora of collabs. He used to pump one out every other month, but having said that his last studio album is almost two years old and I'm still trying to get my head around it. Narrowly saving face, DOOM caught bad press for allegedly sending to shows the onstage equivalent of a ghostwriter. The irony was lost on those who never read a comic when The Fantastic Four would finally foil Dr. Doom only to discover it was a Doombot all along. Undecided on whether I'd rather see him on stage as opposed to back in the lair crafting the next Madvillain release (pray to the gods, not Madvillianry 3), that Ghostface we've been promised or the newly confirmed Thom Yorke duet, I'm calling this rap show of the year.
The four artists exhibiting at Firstdraft this month transform the gallery into a science class with biological urges, refashioned flora, paranoid communications and volcanic eruptions all making an appearance. Troy Emery exhibits a new take on taxidermy, where the craft of presenting animals looks more like your grandmother's knitted blanket than you might imagine. His aesthetic firmly situates these creatures in the realm of the fantastical, reminding us of the constant human fascination with the mythical. Malcolm Whittaker is concerned with the animal within us all and perhaps the universe itself, tracing the imperative towards new territory in unlikely places. Responding to the recent eruption of an Icelandic volcano, Rachel Freeman's paintings seek to disconnect this violent landscape from the media representations which cling to it. Utilising colour fields, Freeman instead approaches the phenomena on its own terms. While Heath Franco's work is a departure from the physical nature of the other exhibitions: a surreal realm of chance meetings and alienation realised through multi-channel video installation. And if that's not quite enough to drag you to the gallery already, you should certainly make the effort this weekend when Imperial Panda and Firstdraft collide and transform into a force to be reckoned with. Pick up some unexpected music trash (or treasure) at Saturday's Used Music Swap Meet, or begin Sunday with a pancake brekkie before jumping inside a camera obscura. Image: Troy Emery, Wild Thing 3, 2010
Spring has sprung, and to get into the swing of the new season, the Opera House wants to get Sydney dancing. To entice the more reluctant movers and shakers, Artistic Director of the Australian Ballet Company David McAllister has selected three of his favourite dance films to screen free in the Opera House forecourt over the weekend. The idea is that you rock up early for a dance class before settling in to revel in the art form on the big screen. The superlative Powell and Pressburger classic The Red Shoes will open the event. Any film fan must see this beauty, which Kate Jinx raved about earlier this year (sentiments I heartily second). And if you won't take our word for it, listen to Martin Scorsese, who calls The Red Shoes "one of the true miracles of film history". Next up is the Academy Award-winning Australian animation Happy Feet. The accents of Mumbles and his fellow penguins may be American, but this marvellous family film is the work of Aussie director George Miller (Mad Max) and the world-class animators at Animal Logic (soon to impress again with Zack Snyder's Legend of the Guardians: the Owls of Ga'Hool, followed by Happy Feet 2). Rounding out the programme is '80s classic (and a prevailing guilty pleasure) Footloose. The film that brought Kevin Bacon fame — before he became a parlour game — Footloose sees a rebellious teen's will to dance prevail over the censorship of a parochial town. The film's title track is probably as famous as Bacon's iconic dance routine, and both are sure to tempt audiences to bust a move. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZYL3j27sSH8
Go forth, children! Collide! Launching their highly anticipated second album after the success of 2008's The Long Now, tempered trio Children Collide are set to bring Sydney stages a little too close to the sun, with a fiery avalanche of sound, surrealism and flannelette sass ready to burn up unsuspecting Sydney stages. With a record to sell, new numbers 'Jellylegs' and 'My Eagle' are sure to nestle amidst smouldering favourites as their gritty brand of flapping rock hurtles itself across the country next month. With a new LP dubbed after British physicist John Ellis' groundbreaking theoretical work, Theory of Everything intends to ensnare that intrinsic human need to explain the unexplainable and draw upon that insatiable need to consistently utilise physics to justify all the elementary connections between nature and the universe. But it's all art vs. science around here, as CC's latest venture delves into the spiritual unknown and the fortune teller's booth. Cheekily marketing themselves through wars of theology and mysticism, the band are offering their newly launched 'Children Collide Singles Club' the gift of tarot cards for their loyalty rather than a set of test tubes. With their undauntedly loud brand of indie punk generally punching both eardrums and airwaves, CC's youthful capture of musical idealism has thus taken a more alchemic form on this sophomore release, as lead vocalist Johnny Mackay cites a need for listeners to interpret at will. Spin that Wheel of Fortune. https://youtube.com/watch?v=UbeHiwdqgNA
The seventh Israeli Film Festival is taking place in Sydney this week. Showcasing an exciting, diverse range of films, the programme includes the controversial Eyes Wide Open, which navigates the subjugation of gay culture in an Ultra-Orthodox community in Jerusalem. Much is also being made of Phobidilia, the kinetic psychological portrait of a man who locks out the world, then loses his grip on reality. For a slightly lighter tone, there's A Matter of Size, which follows the trials and tribulations of 160 kilo Herzl as he battles the bulge, before discovering sumo wrestling. Documentaries round out the programme, with the Ultra-Orthodox community perhaps receiving a right of reply with Haredim — A Trilogy, in which members tell their own stories about existing in an increasingly secular, western State. However, for history buffs, the real draw card may well be the award-winning documentary A Film Unfinished, which further exposes the Nazi propaganda machine through the discovery of a missing reel of film from the Warsaw Ghetto. The trailer alone should have you clamouring for tickets. https://youtube.com/watch?v=OhfYOe48h4A
If you're going to make a racket, it may as well be a Mad one. With a keen revival of the Supa Funn party variety, innovative underground crew Mad Racket are bringing their smoky, gritty cult-following-of-a-shindig back to Marrickville Bowling Club with one major kick. With a highly anticipated debut album Destination Unknown ready to tear up earphones and throw shapes on d-floors, Melburnian four-piece Super Melody is set to bring their unique branch of beats, breaks and genre-spanning electro banter that can only come from a dude who's spent time with Architecture In Helsinki. Look, if anything, watching the live results of a suburban recording session in Cecil's sister's brightly pink walled bedroom when his dad went away for the weekend is worth one hell of a bash. Fronted by the self-described, "part crooner, part mad scientist, part tropical percussionist" Cecil and Super Melody fuse '80s supasynths with lusciously bending guitar licks and a general goodtime mantra akin to something like "party on, Wayne". Hardly wearing mouse ears for kicks, the Racketeers' Jimmi James, Zootie, Ken Cloud and Simon Caldwell are sure to bring a shine to the copper ceilings of this wondrously kitsch venue, spinning beats and serving treats the only way they know how: well. Get involved.
Fancy seeing in the New Year under the stars, dancing to live music on a soft green meadow tucked away deep within an emerald rainforest? Not so keen on traveling halfway across the country to get there? Well, good news Sydney festival lovers: Peats Ridge Festival has just revealed a rather handsome line-up for its 2010 bill, and it’s only a stone's throw from Sydney! Probably the only festival where the line for the yoga tent exceeds the queue for the bar, Peats Ridge strives to create a calm, eco-friendly setting for its New Year’s soiree, minus any hectic festival vibes. The dreamy lineup includes Angus & Julia Stone, Lightspeed Champion, Kate Miller Heidke, Cloud Control, Space Invadas, Washington, Jonathan Boulet, Freestylers DJs and other Aussie and international acts — with more to be announced in the coming months. You can also fill your cultural belly with theatre, art, cabaret, comedy, a children’s festival for all ages and free workshops; along with yoga, market stalls, organic food and other festival goodies. Only two hours drive north of Sydney, your new home for three days consists of green meadows framed by a two hundred metre high wooded escarpment that seals the valley from the rest of the world. A tree-lined creek winds through the valley, and the site is sprinkled with shady swimming holes and banks. Why would you ever leave? Buy yourself a teepee, sort out a carpool and book your tickets — they’re on sale now.
For some, 2 hours and 39 minutes pinned as a fly-on-the-wall of a premiere ballet company might be akin to one of Dante's circles of hell. For others (and not just balletomanes), tempus will fly by like one of the flitting, majestic, and ludicrously talented creatures that grace Frederick Wiseman's superb documentary. Entirely free from talking heads or narration or any kind, it's as if Wiseman has merely ventured behind the velvet curtain of the prestigious Ballet de l'Opera National de Paris (Paris Opera Ballet), planted some cameras and cut it all together at the aforementioned, leisurely pace. But of course there's a much more subtle genius at work here. With the absence of such documentary/narrative staples, the devil (or should that be the divinity?) is in the detail. Early on Wiseman captures the artistic director mentioning the imperative for the older dancers to pass their knowledge down the line. This instills a theme that is evoked and confirmed in the many vignettes of choreographers and their performers painstakingly perfecting their dance. Movements that appear jaw-droppingly faultless are tweaked and even grumbled over by the cast of demanding artists. Then again, credit where credit's due, the demands and debate consistently result in performances which ascend before your eyes to new levels of beauty and craftsmanship. This blood, sweat and tears aren't the sole domain of the dance floor. Wiseman's camera spends time in the cafeteria, the costumery, with the maintenance men and, most delightfully, with a lone bee-keeper and his hives that are kept on the roof of the Paris Opera. Alongside all these adjunct employees, funding becomes another recurring theme of the documentary — how do you keep this magic factory in business? So you can't help but wince when the Lehman Brothers are mentioned as an interested party in the company's various, luxury patronage packages. Yes it's long, but like the seven ballet productions it follows, La Danse prizes meticulous, exhaustive and downright entrancing precision. Wiseman allows the realities, the creativity and the emotional investment of this prodigious company enough time to be not just appreciated, but actually felt by his audience. Indeed, La Danse is a film that makes you profoundly grateful documentaries exist. https://youtube.com/watch?v=fOzkWakRLmE
It's simultaneously hilarious and ridiculous that my iTunes library categorises Low under 'Sadcore'. Sadcore? Sadcore! Firstly, I'd like to say there's no such genre as Sadcore. Secondly, I'm sure those of you familiar with any one of Low's eight albums would agree that this is a preposterously inaccurate and meaningless description of their music. Those of you who aren't familiar with this quite un-Sadcore three-piece band, now is the perfect time to familiarise yourselves as they're heading out from the States and touring the country. Low's music is marked by minimalistic beats, harmonic singing and abstract instrumentation that lulls you into a trance of appreciation. They're also a bands band — having collaborated on and EP release with The Dirty Three and creating mind bending interpretations of classic tracks from The Smiths and Joy Division in their live sets. Sydney group, The Laurels, are supporting them, meaning you'll get a dose of trippy psych-rock to complement the sonically-fantastical ride that is sure to folLOW. https://youtube.com/watch?v=zmo7tyrtGW0
