UPDATE, APRIL 10: Big Poppa's temporary bottle shop has extended its hours and is slinging bottles from its Darlinghurst store from 2–6pm today, Friday, April 10. Its free cheese deal, with customers able to nab 300 grams of free cheese with a mixed or straight case of six wines, is still available, too. Before you head out of your house, have a look at the latest COVID-19 advice and social-distancing guidelines from the Department of Health. Darlinghurst's home of wine, cheese and hip hop Big Poppa's is currently closed to dine-in service, in line with the Australian Government's current regulations surrounding non-essential indoor venues, but thanks to new temporary liquor licensing laws, it's allowed to sell booze via takeaway and home-delivery. And it's doing so in true Big Poppa's fashion. The bar is currently selling a heap of its wines for "banging deals" (their words, not ours, but we tend to agree). The takeaway list features 14 pages of bangers, including plenty of wines in the low $20s, a fun pét-nat from Hunter Valley's Ari's Natural for $35, a $27 Konpira Maru skin-contact semillon, some fun chilled reds and a lush 2008 Dom Perignon for a casual $250. There are also heaps of fun packs starting at $150 and running all the way through to $1000, and Big Poppa's wine glasses going for $12 a pop. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-lSqN7Dwt7/ The Big Poppa's label wines — a pinot grigio and shiraz — come down to a bargain $16 when a dozen is purchased, too. Oh and if you order a mixed or straight case of six wines or more you get 300 grams of free cheese. Yes, free cheese. Just let them know if you prefer soft, hard or blue and it'll be added to your pack. The wines are available to pick up from the store and free delivery is also available within five kilometres of the bar on certain days of the week, for orders of 12 bottles of more. Check Instagram for updates on when Big Poppa's is open and delivering. Big Poppa's is selling wine, available to pick up or delivery within five kilometres of the bar. Check Instagram for opening and delivery times. To pre-order, email cheese@bigpoppa.com.au. You can check out the full wine list over here. If you are going out to pickup wine, have a look at the latest COVID-19 advice and social-distancing guidelines from the Department of Health.
Just one month ago, Randwick City Council reopened its beaches as the state's COVID–19 restrictions began to ease. Today, Wednesday, May 27, the council has been forced to close them once again — but this time it's because of plastic debris. The Council announced in a Facebook video earlier today that council crews were working to clean up the flotsam and that "beaches will remain closed until further notice". "People are strongly encouraged not to enter the water due to the risk of larger submerged items still in the surf," a Council spokesperson said in the post. It's possible the beaches, which include Clovelly, Coogee and Maroubra, will remained closed for the rest of the week, too, with the Council saying it's expecting more material to wash up "over the coming days". https://www.facebook.com/randwickcitycouncil/videos/180172266662223/ While the Council didn't specify the type of debris, The Guardian reported that face masks and plastic containers were among the items washing up on shores after 40 shipping containers fell of the APL England, which was on en route from China to Melbourne, on the weekend. As well as Randwick's beaches, the ABC is reporting that the ship's debris has also washed ashore at Bondi and several beaches along the Central Coast. While no other beaches are closed due to debris at the moment, we'll let you know if this changes. Randwick City Council's beaches will remain closed until further notice. For updates, keep an eye on the Council's Facebook page. Top image: Randwick City Council
"I always think of myself not so much as a painter but as a medium for accident and change," said Francis Bacon, one of the most studied figures in post-war British art. A painter whose work meditates on sensations of a debilitating painful human condition, Bacon's work centralises an intensely emotive self. Francis Bacon: five decades is the first major retrospective in Australia of rare works including some 50 paintings drawn from 37 international collections, source material from Bacon's studio and documentary film. The retrospective surveys the life and work of Bacon to liberalise the way audiences understand the artist's deeply personal fascination with the human body and unwitting radicalisation of 20th-century art. In the 1940s most of Bacon's work stablised on the theme of entrapment: offering poignant renditions of power struggles between the self and violently intense human emotion. Embodied by visions of screaming figures in cubic and cage-like structures, the artist's might to immobilise viewers through sadistic undertones is immediately striking. A study for a figure at the base of a crucifixion is one work from an early Bacon triptych that resonates with the artist's interest in the sensation of feeling. A headless anthropomorphic figure whose mouth is gasping for air is projected against visceral orange-red, and instead of attempting to decode what the artist himself felt, viewers become increasingly preoccupied with their own emotional reaction to the disturbing work. Conquered by experimentation with subject matter and technique, the works produced by Bacon in the 1950s saw the figure become progressively isolated. Untitled – Half length figure in sea invites viewers to acknowledge human detachment from a modern world and epitomises Bacon's interest in isolation. The torso of a non-descript, but presumably male figure, is almost obliterated by the force of gestural waves that engulf him. Of particular interest to this work is the fact that themes of bathers and the ocean have strong reverberation in the art-historical cannon, but do not feature as key in Bacon's body of work. Both the position of the work across Bacon's career, and the subject matter within the work, represent isolation in the extreme. In the 1960s, Bacon's compositions became more daring, drawing on the circumstances of life, his lovers and close friends. The retrospective's most recognisable work from this decade is From Muybridge 'The human figure in motion: woman emptying a bowl of water/paralytic child walking on all fours'. Referenced in the work's title, Eadweard Muybridge was an English photographer known for pioneering motion series, and a figure whose photographic sequences repeatedly inspired Bacon's work. Ode to Bacon's obsession with collecting visual information, From Muybridge highlights the artist's fondness of working from photographic material over using live sitters. Many who know Bacon's work will know that the 1970s were a time where monumental triptychs reigned king, memorialising the artist's lover George Dwyer. The death of Dwyer, in a hotel room from an overdose, on the eve of Bacon's retrospective at Paris' Grand Palais is the subject of much of the artist's work from the '70s until his death. Moving forward into the '80s, Bacon's work seemed to pulsate around metrics of truth and honesty over idealised beauty. Interestingly, though, the artist's Portrait of John Edwards moves further beyond reality by rejecting the biology of human form. It is said that this portrait fuses the body of George Dwyer and head of John Edwards, the artist's closest friend in later life, in an effort to memorialise two of Bacon's most cherished companions. The chaos and drama found in Bacon's earlier work has been replaced by sober control realised by the sensual and tender treatment the artist has afforded his subject. "We are born and we die but in between we give this purposeless existence a meaning by our drives." And meaning he has given us. Francis Bacon was a prolific painter of people, of personal suffering and of his subject's existence in the depths of their own emotive holdings. Bacon's work is extraordinarily far reaching without any illusion of narrative; viewers must piece together the artist's distortion and fragmentation of human form themselves to make sense of his work. Unlike individual works, Francis Bacon: five decades connects the artist's private musings with their explosions into his art to offer a perfectly cohesive story about the sensations of the human condition. Image: Three Studies for a Self Portrait by Francis Bacon. © The Estate of Francis Bacon
In the breakout movie of 2022, Michelle Yeoh was everything and everywhere. Multiverses are like that. Now, the Oscar-winner voices a space-robot peregrine falcon in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and viewers should wish that this only existed in Everything Everywhere All At Once's kaleidoscope of realities. Alas, in this very realm, the newest Transformers film is indeed flickering through projectors. The toy-to-screen series it belongs to is now seven live-action entries in and — apart from 2018 spinoff-slash-prequel Bumblebee — largely still as dull as a smashed headlight. Set in 1994, the current instalment is a sequel to the last 1987-anchored franchise flick, which focused on the yellow-hued mechanised alien that can morph into a car, and also a prequel to 2007's saga-spawning Transformers. It draws upon the Transformers: Beast Wars animation, comics and video games, too, and feels in every frame like a picture that purely exists to service intellectual property that does big box-office business (2011's Transformers: Dark of the Moon and 2014's Transformers: Age of Extinction each made over a billion dollars). Michael Bay, Hollywood's go-to director for maximalist action carnage, might've been enthusiastic about Transformers when he started the silver-screen series nearly two decades back — the Ambulance filmmaker was definitely devoted to crashing together pixels replicating chrome in all five titles he helmed, including 2017's Transformers: The Last Knight — but these movies can't be anyone's passion projects. They show zero feeling, and seem to keep rolling out because the saga assembly line has already been established. New faces and a new guiding force behind the lens can't dislodge that sensation with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. The five-person team responsible for the script give no signal that they even wanted to. The feature's latest two leads do resemble people better than most flesh-and-blood characters in the Transformers world, welcomely, although one gets a sick-kid backstory and another a bad boss. Were the Transformers themselves asked to write the most cliched screenplay they could? Anthony Ramos (In the Heights) and Dominique Fishback (Swarm) are Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' prime living-and-breathing figures, running, chasing and palling around with Autobots as Shia LaBeouf (Pieces of a Woman), Megan Fox (Good Mourning), Mark Wahlberg (Uncharted) and Hailee Steinfeld (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) all have before them. Ramos plays former solider Noah Diaz, who has that ailing younger brother (Dean Scott Vazquez, also an In the Heights alum) and massive medical bills to prove it. Fishback is archaeology intern Elena Wallace, whose vapid boss (Sarah Stiles, Billions) constantly cribs from. Both of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' on-screen stars are excellent actors — Ramos was in Hamilton's debut Broadway cast, while Fishback has a BAFTA nomination for Judas and the Black Messiah — and the film benefits from their presence. Still, even the best thespians can only do so much when they're primarily tasked with rushing around and peering upwards at CGI chunks of walking, talking metal. That dashing and staring, and befriending extra-terrestrial machines in general, is the result of doing things that neither Noah nor Elena are meant to. They're strangers with Brooklyn in common, and soon trying to save existence as well. He gets light-fingered for a payday, attempting to steal a Porsche that's actually the Autobot Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson, Bupkis). After hours, she's examining an unusual artefact with intriguing markings, which happens to be a key that lets the Transformers warp between different worlds, including back to their own. That discovery sets off a beacon in the sky, earning the attention of Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen, whose time in the role hails back to the OG 80s animated TV series) just as Noah and Mirage are getting acquainted. Also paying notice: Scourge (Peter Dinklage, Cyrano) from the nefarious Terrorcons, who wants to use the pivotal device to bring the planet-devouring (and -sized) Unicron (Colman Domingo, Fear the Walking Dead) to earth. The mission: fend off those evil shapeshifting droids, protect the gadget at all costs and, gratingly, talk about it while mentioning Autobots, Terrorcons and the transwarp key as much as possible. Director Steven Caple Jr (Creed II) endeavours to give Ramos and Fishback more character-building moments than their franchise predecessors, but they're always saddled with spouting rote, jargon-laced dialogue that somehow needed The Flash's Joby Harold, BMF's Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters, and The Meg's Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber to write. Given the hefty cast list, there's a wealth of talent reciting bland lines, including Ted Lasso's Cristo Fernández, Loot's Michaela Jaé Rodriguez and Poker Face's Ron Perlman among the Transformers. The latter voices Optimus Primal, the gorilla-esque leader of the Maximals, aka the animal robots that the movie's title references — and just one of the moves that the film makes to create a Hasbro Cinematic Universe. As plenty of franchises are woefully guilty of recently — see: the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania for one of the worst examples — Transformers: Rise of the Beasts has its focus on the future over polishing up its current instalment. Indeed, too much that's meant to give this robo-battle personality is lazily sprinkled in, such as the hip hop needle drops because it's the 90s (cue: A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, the Notorious BIG and LL Cool J) and pop-culture references (such as Super Mario Bros on Game Boy). A self-aware mention of Marky Mark leaving the Funky Bunch for acting falls flat, as does calling out Indiana Jones while aping that franchise's cave-searching adventure plots in Peru. In fact, namechecking Mario when it's been given the big-screen treatment again in 2023, plus Indy when that series' latest picture hits cinemas the same month as this, just reminds viewers that they might want to be watching other films. Much of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts incites that reaction anyway, especially its visually uninspired special effects and action sequences that look about as appealing as throwing household electronics in a bin. When they're undisguised junk for the eyes, every aspiring and actual blockbuster that follows Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse this year will spark one question: why is this live action? When animation can look as astonishing as all things Spider-Verse do, and when CGI can be as dreary as it is here, surely these space robots should go back to their cartoon roots. Thankfully, with 2024's Transformers One, they are. Unlike The Transformers: The Movie managed to score, no future animated flicks will ever boast Orson Welles among its voice cast, though — he loaned his tones to Unicron in that 1986 effort — but they also can't be as tedious as Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
If your plan was to commute to work on the train this rainy Monday morning, we've got some bad news — thanks to the wet weather and staff shortages there are hefty delays on five train lines. T1 North Shore, T2 Inner West and Leppington, T3 Bankstown, T5 Cumberland and T8 Airport South Line are all affected by delays in both directions, with a spokesperson for the Transport Management Centre telling the SMH that passengers should allow for plenty of extra travel time. Rail replacement buses have been organised for all affected lines, with passengers being urged to check Twitter and the Transport for NSW website for continued updates. https://twitter.com/TrainsInfo/status/1049033728251424768 For more details and updates, check Transport for NSW. via SMH. Image: Wikimedia Commons.
Lockout laws got you down? Then make your way to Eleven Nightclub on Oxford Street for Sydney's new pop-up dancefloor. Launching on Friday April 22, the cheekily named Church promised to "put an end to nights in purgatory with a heaven for your senses." And now, they're making it a regular pilgrimage. Operating from 9am through to 3am on selected Friday nights, the pop-up will feature old school hip hop and R&B tracks, along with cocktails by Harbourside Coffee. Drinks will be available all night, and everyone who gets there before 11pm gets a free beverage for their troubles. Entry is $10 and is restricted to persons over the age of 21. Sorry young 'uns, but your time will come. The organisers are also touting additional surprises on the night. For more information about the Church pop-up dance floor, check out the event on Facebook. Image: Eleven Nightclub.
After a sold-out season at the Roslyn Packer Theatre in 2017, Muriel's Wedding The Musical is returning in 2019 for two short months at the Sydney Lyric Theatre. The return season follows the show winning a slew of awards at this month's Helpmann Awards, Australia's annual awards for live entertainment and performing arts. Muriel's Wedding The Musical picked up five gongs across the two nights of awards — July 15 and 16 — including Best Original Score, Best Music Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Design and Best Choreography in a Musical. Its awards made up half of Sydney Theatre Company's total of ten — which was more than any other company. A Global Creatures production (in association with Sydney Theatre Company), the musical adaptation of Muriel's Wedding is like a perfect high school reunion — maximum 80s nostalgia without having to tell any of your old friends you're in HR now. When Muriel Heslop realises that the small town of Porpoise Spit has nothing in store but grim futures, she decides to take off, with only her parents' chequebook, a couple of ABBA albums memorised note for note and a vague sense that the wider world has something that she is hungry for. PJ Hogan, who wrote and directed Muriel's cinematic adventure, has adapted and updated the script for the stage, while Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall have built the music around ABBA's towering back catalogue. There's a real buzz around Muriel. Sure, it's a chance to re-immerse yourself in the unadulterated joy of Muriel's hijinks, but it's also because Muriel hasn't stopped holding the mirror up to our desperate, fame-hungry society since she first hit the screen. As director Simon Phillips points out: "Muriel's governing delusion is becoming a celebrity and becoming famously married. The world has caught up with Muriel." Muriel's Wedding The Musical is running from Saturday, June 29–Sunday, September 8 at Sydney Lyric Theatre. If you're based in NZ, book your trip to Sydney now with Virgin Australia — the airline is offering one-way fares from Auckland and Wellington, starting from $202 (offer ends August 6, 2019). Image: Jeff Busby.
While old Dick Trois once spoke of the winter of our discontent, there is no doubt you'll be very satisfied when Kevin Spacey and Sam Mendes hit the Lyric Theatre this summer. It's been 12 years since the pair worked together, playing hide and seek amongst rose petals and suburban teens in American Beauty, and this time Spacey and Mendes are locking lips with the Bard's political thriller, Richard III. The arch-villain of royal machinations must be a delight for Spacey to play, given his talents as a shape-shifting actor. Richard III marks the final in a three-part international theatre series called The Bridge Project. Directed by Mendes, this series consists of three classical works (the first two being Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard and Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale) co-produced by BAM (New York), Old Vic Theatre (London) and Neal Street Productions, with the purpose of touring the large-scale productions to cities around the world. Richard III will be arriving in Sydney on the back of a sold-out London season for a very limited 11 performances. If you can't afford the ticket price, ask a relative. Throw them in the tower if they don't acquiesce. https://youtube.com/watch?v=TwtwnuSu9rA
Australia has an illustrious cinematic history. Indeed with The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906) Australia arguably gave the world its first narrative feature. This and a dazzling collection of silent gems from around the world will be presented at the State Library this month as part of Australia’s Silent Film Festival. 
From Charlie Chaplin wreaking havoc in The Rink, to Buster Keaton’s The General; the fantastical mind of Georges Méliès and the awe-inspiring Fritz Lang, the greats from the silent era will be on display. And while every cinephile is familiar with the master of montage, Sergei Eisenstein, it is very exciting to see a contemporary Soviet filmmaker, Dziga Vertov push the boundaries in the Man with the Movie Camera (1929).Screenings will be introduced by a variety of local film critics and academics, and many will also include a live musical accompaniment. What a wonderful opportunity to step back in time and experience the very beginnings of cinema. https://youtube.com/watch?v=g8ibRrWYNJ8 https://youtube.com/watch?v=C5GWXQ8AZ7E https://youtube.com/watch?v=7rqmqvIKB-Y https://youtube.com/watch?v=brVO2l4bONc
Coming of age in the suburbs of Perth is proving to be an angst-ridden journey for Zadie. There's uninvited house guests causing trouble, cute boys to avoid and siblings to keep out of strife — not to mention the white neighbours' racially charged compliments. Add in a nightly pelting of oranges on the family home and you've got the makings of a juicy comedy with a squeeze of mystery. Orange Thrower is the award-winning debut play from interdisciplinary artist Kirsty Marillier (who also stars as Zadie), with direction from Zindzi Okenyo (Masquerade, Girl in Tan Boots). Performed through the lens of Zadie's post-apartheid South African identity, this stunning piece of theatre has seen audiences from Perth to Sydney connect to its themes of love, celebration and yearning for acceptance. Keen for a joyous hit of comedy and culture? Orange Thrower will play at Parramatta's Riverside Theatres from Wednesday, March 30, till Saturday, April 2. For more information and to nab tickets, visit the website. Images: Brett Boardman
There’s something a-brewing in Sydney’s bar and restaurant scene. Between the rise of the foodie blogger, pop-up stalls featuring the world’s best food and gourmet food trucks, the lines between food of the street and fancy kind are being blurred. You might experience the best meal of your life from a takeaway box or find a world class chef slogging away at a tiny hole-in-the-wall. The revolution is happening, friends. So we’re not at all surprised to announce that the guns from Mojo Record Bar are opening a tiny, chill, no-fuss CBD venue wherein you’ll find some of the city’s biggest names in the industry. The Easy Eight may only have capacity for 60 patrons, but it's going for big impact. The bar, which has only been open for about two weeks, borrows tried and tested themes from Mojo (think great music and a chill vibe) and combines them with a gastropub ethos — sans the pretension. Styled up like an authentic U.S. diner, it's located in the laneway off Clarence Street, which you've probably frequented a few times on visits to Baxter Inn. The big names come in with the menu, which has been created by Harry Stockdale-Powell and Jack Bathurst, who between them have worked at some of the biggest venue in town, including Rockpool, Bacasse Marque, Sepia and Toko. According to Harry, the concept for Easy Eight was born from the desire to drink and hang out in a low-key environment, but have access to come damn fine food options at the same time. Isn’t that all anyone wants in life? But down to the brass tacks. The menu will feature indulgent dishes like lobster mac 'n' cheese, New York-style deli boards and beef-dripping roast potatoes with salted chilli — which is the kind of fare that will make your poor drunk brain explode with pleasure. And rest assured you will be drunk, because here’s a rundown of the drinks list. Alongside the immaculate beer selection, you’ll find a Popcorn Old Fashioned (served with popcorn-infused bourbon and maple syrup), the Apple Pie (apple, vodka and pie crust) and the Fairy Bread Fizz, which is basically a meal in itself with vodka, lemon, egg white, sugar and hundreds and thousands. Yeah. This is the kind of magic that happens when chefs get together, get creative and democratise good food. A thousand points to Easy Eight. The Easy Eight, 152-156 Clarence Street, via the laneway at the back of Baxter’s Inn, is open now.
This is the End might just be the biggest in-joke in Hollywood. Its writer, director and star, Seth Rogen, plays 'Seth Rogen', whilst Jonah Hill plays 'Jonah Hill', James Franco plays 'James Franco' and Emma Watson plays, well…you get the picture. Thankfully, though, you'll also get the jokes, and no matter how 'in' or self-referential they might be, the movie invites the audience to share in the laughter. Set in the Hollywood hills, Rogen and his friend Jay Baruchel (played by Jay Baruchel) head along to a party at James Franco's mansion, where — just a short while later — the biblical Rapture commences and, quite literally, all Hell breaks loose. As their friends and fans perish around them (the cameos are too numerous to count, though highlights include Michael Cera, Channing Tatum and Rihanna), the young celebrities hole themselves up inside and try to outlast the End of Days, rationing everything from a Milky Way bar to various types of weed. To their credit, no egos are too precious and everyone plays up to their reputations: Rogen's an amiable stoner, Hill is impossibly nice and Franco holds nothing back in portraying himself as a pretentious, egocentric wanker. They're joined in the house by Baruchel, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride, with the latter contributing to about half of the movie's funniest moments. Inevitably, as a Rogen film, This is the End features a significant amount of stoner humour, dick jokes and one inconceivably long scene involving Franco and McBride hurling imaginary semen at each other and everything else around them. It's the kind of comedy you feel guilty laughing at while it's happening, and then later can't remember why it made you laugh so much. But laugh you do all the same. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ILnE7dEhCcc
They're taking the hobbits to Isengard at the Hayden Orpheum this March and the Randwick Ritz this April, with one movie marathon to rule them all. Round up the Fellowship, stock up on lembas bread for sustenance and hide your finest pipe-weed from the Southfarthing for one sitting of all three of Peter Jackson's beloved OG Tolkien film adaptations. Kicking off with The Fellowship of the Ring and ending with The Return of the King, this cave troll of a marathon clocks in at over nine hours plus intermissions — with the journey starting at 11am on Sunday, March 14 at the Orpheum and 10.30am on Saturday, April 3 at the Ritz. If you make it through breakfast and second breakfast to the final handful of endings, you can pat yourself on the back and smash a ringwraith screech at the nearest person on your way home (note: do not actually screech at people). Tickets are the precious and come in at $25–30 for the whole ordeal. And, you'll be watching all three films in remastered 4K versions — so expect to see Middle Earth in more detail than you've seen in before. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_WZxJpHzEE
Does the bulk of comedy lie in the gutter? Comics guru Scott McCloud thinks the magic of comics sits in the gutter-like spaces between panels. With the brain bridging the gap between the before and the after, ideas are spliced together into a single thing that lives and writhes, shocks and excites. Comic Dave Gorman taps into a similar mechanism to make you laugh, with Microsoft's best/worst information tool in Dave Gorman's PowerPoint Presentation, on as part of Just for Laughs 2012. In Gorman's hands, PowerPoint (the devil's presentation software once identified by the US Army as a great way of putting journalists to sleep — they call it 'hypnotising chickens') becomes a way of taking complex things and making them funny. Not unlike current fan favourites This American Life, Gorman describes his style as a 'true story show', proving that the star moments of his comic narratives actually took place. But, believe it or not, this should be an evening of comedy with more than you can cram into a few bullet points of dependent clauses.
It is from a painting that Belle springs, inspired by the study of Dido Elizabeth Belle and her cousin Elizabeth Murray. When the canvas was commissioned in 18th-century England, Dido's placing on equal footing defied convention. Though bonded by blood and brought up in privilege, Dido's heritage as the illegitimate daughter of Admiral Sir John Lindsay and an enslaved African woman coloured her as inferior to her relatives. In bringing the fictionalised story behind this important image to the screen, director Amma Asante and writer Misan Sagay infer the details of their subject's rallying against inequality. Within lushly staged period confines, they tell a tale of a sidelined but never surrendering heroine, blessed with freedom yet intent on navigating discriminatory practices and engrained racism in a time in which slavery was considered crucial to the country's continued economic prosperity. Dido is introduced as a child (Lauren Julien-Box), taken by her father (Matthew Goode) to his uncle, William Murray, Chief Justice and 1st Earl of Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson), upon the death of her mother. William and his wife (Emily Watson) are apprehensive on account of Dido's interracial status but agree to raise her alongside Elizabeth (Cara Jenkins), the other grand-niece in their care. As a young woman on the cusp of adulthood, Dido (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) watches as Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) navigates the necessary courtship formalities to find a husband, wanting her own romance even when warned of its impossibility. Asante and Sagay set the scene for a Jane Austen-style depiction of social mores and romantic dramas, the restrictions placed upon women of the time and their need to marry to secure their futures on display. Dido's unique standing, immersed in the intricacies but set apart from their necessities, adds a different perspective to the seen-before antics. Her own love triangle with the social-climbing Oliver Ashford (James Norton) and idealistic vicar's son John Davinier (Sam Reid) is couched in her quest for fair treatment. The interweaving of the landmark Zong massacre trial, requiring an assessment of the worth of the enchained by William, adds historical weight. With its protagonist straddling two worlds with uncertainty, and its content endeavouring to combine melodrama and commentary into a cohesive whole, it is unsurprising that the film wavers in balancing its layers of duality. Though competing components are filmed with a handsome eye, assembled in the service of an affecting outcome, and performed with elegance and importance by a talented cast, dissonance lingers. The ideas reach for something more; however, the execution remains handsome yet standard. That discord is a minor trifle in an effort shaded with style and substance – but, for all its striving and success, Belle simply filters politics into a pretty portrait. https://youtube.com/watch?v=OuIwa3a1KVw
The Taste of Coogee Food and Wine Festival has quickly become a prominent weekend on Sydney's culinary calendar. Last year, over 40,000 attendees gathered at Coogee Oval to enjoy a glass of wine and a bite to eat by the ocean. This year's festival will coincide with the Father's Day weekend, running over two days on September 1 and 2. Across the weekend attendees will savour nosh from a growing list of over 100 contributors, including Mr Bao, Sofrito Paella, Turkish Gözleme, Dust Bakery and Frencheese, the latter who'll be serving up gooey, melted raclette. Beer, wine and spirit tastings will be conducted throughout the festival, too, by the likes of Batch Brewing Co., Yulli's Brews, Peterson Champagne House, Aperol, Pokolbin Cider House and more. There'll also be live entertainment — and entry is only a gold coin donation. Taste of Coogee will run from 10am–8pm on Saturday, September 1 and from 10am–6pm on Sunday, September 2.
It's getting hard to remember a time in Sydney when Carriageworks was just a railyard and not the cool and cutting-edge arts powerhouse of today. The venue was in the spotlight this year when it hosted Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia and the Sydney Contemporary art fair, the latter of which saw it bust open a new wing, doubling the existing physical space to an intimidating 12,000 square metres. Attendance is up four-fold since 2011, and now you can start tallying up the number of times you'll be visiting in 2014 (answer: many, so many), since next year's program has just been announced. "In 2014, Carriageworks unveils an artistic program that is ambitious, risk taking, and above all is artist-led and unrelenting in its support of artists," says Carriageworks director Lisa Havilah. "We remain committed to delivering distinctive, high-quality urban cultural experiences to our audiences." Carriageworks opens the year with the Sydney Festival in January, for which its hosting Christian Boltanski's Chance. Taking up the public space last year filled by Waste Not, Chance is a work of a similar scale. To walk through it is to reflect on the thin barrier between life and death, and it also gives you a chance to win a prize. The epic art continues in March, when Carriageworks become a Biennale of Sydney major venue partner for the first time, hosting multimedia works by the likes of Tacita Dean. Later in the year, the space also hosts Taiwanese-American artist Tehching Hsieh's durational performance art work Time Clock Piece, for which the artist punched a time clock in his studio on the hour, every hour for one whole year. It sounds like the worst Julie & Julia-esque blog project ever, but as art, it's been hugely acclaimed. MBFWA returns to make fabulous use of the industrial Carriageworks caverns from April 7-11, showcasing the latest collections from the Asia-Pacific's finest designers. This year, one fashion house is going especially arty, with Romance Was Born presenting a special exhibition. Working with multidisciplinary artist Rebecca Baumann, they'll be exploring their bold and unmistakable wonderlands beyond the textile. Other major events to make landfall at Carriageworks are design talkfest Semi-Permanent and a new creative summit called REMIX, which sounds positively Vivid-esque. The event is global, however, and set to be held in five "creative hubs" worldwide in 2014 — London, New York, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Sydney. Prefer to do your thinking over a bottle of red? Sustainable food and wine festival Rootstock is happening at the venue in February. Eclectic performances — especially those that may fall in the gaps between traditional venues — are at the heart of Carriageworks, and there's plenty on throughout 2014. Ganesh Versus the Third Reich is making its Sydney debut after winning the Helpmann Award for Best Play last year, and the local Ever After Theatre Company are producing an uber-relevant work called Social Network Stories to premiere at the venue. A new wave of opera comes via Sydney Chamber Opera, composer Michael Smetanin and writer Alison Croggon, whose Mayakovsky redeems Stalin's favourite poet. Dance-inflected works are many and exciting, including Lemi Ponifasio's spiritual and ceremonial Stones in Her Mouth, French contemporary dancers Compagnie Didier Theron in their first visit to Australia and a new solo piece by Byron Perry that is performed within a real, large-scale camera obscura. An intriguing hybrid work is Rizzy Maharajah's 18th Birthday Party, a live concert and film experience by Carriageworks' inaugural associate artist, S. Shakthidharan. To see the full program and get more information, check out the Carriageworks website. https://youtube.com/watch?v=VKndizmSGI4
There are a staggering array of activities you can do at Strike Bowling Bar these days, aside from the company's namesake attraction. Sure, you can throw a heavy ball down an alley, over and over again — highly recommended if it's your birthday and you're turning ten. You can sing Christmas Karoleoke, a great way to meet like-minded individuals that also find this kind of behaviour acceptable. Or, you can be locked up in a murderer's dungeon with 50 minutes to make an escape. Way to up the ante, Strike. Escapism is an interactive real life game where you and your team need to find hidden objects and solve riddles to escape a locked room. There are three puzzle rooms to choose from: The Garden, Butcher’s Burrow and Forensic, depending on your age, interest and perceived skill level. Our team signs up for Butcher’s Burrow (difficulty 8) because we consider ourselves a pretty bright bunch, an assessment which later proves incorrect. Another Concrete Playground team went for Forensic — a Se7en-meets-Zodiac style of investigator set-up, where you're trying to identify a serial killer before they find you. Pitched at difficulty 9, if you're good at code-breaking you'll love this one; logic and ability with numbers will be your best allies. But we signed up for the Saw-like scenario, of course. Let's set the scene: For Butcher's Barrow, "You’ve been kidnapped and chained up. You can smell the fear in the room. How did this happen? Why did you end up here? There’s a severed hand on a plate. You might be next. Now is not the time to be afraid. Now is the time to make your escape." I’m personally feeling quite confident, I've broken into my house without keys a number of times, so I’ve got this guys. Before we go in, we're frisked with a metal detector and our mobile phones are confiscated and locked away in a box. We're then blindfolded and led to our creepy prison. When the blindfold is removed it’s still dark, we’re alone, there’s blood on the walls and the sound of our evil captor who's just next door. An intense 49 minutes later (we wouldn't spoil the whole thing would we?) and we're on the final puzzle, trying to figure out the passcode to unlock the door, secure our freedom and save our dignity. We fail our challenge; in fact we're told that 80 percent of teams fail, which is kind of consoling. Kind of. What happens if you don’t make it? Our creepy captor, who is also a Strike staff member, does decide to let us go after all — and we get to keep all our limbs too. He's also nice enough to let us know where we went wrong. That final clue! It was right in front of us! You’ll kill yourself for missing it. Choose your escape scenario: The Garden (Difficulty 7, players 2 - 8) Butcher’s Burrow (Difficulty 8, players 2-6) Forensic (Difficulty 9, players 2-6)
A New Year's Day tradition, Field Day is returning to The Domain to kick off 2023 and it's bringing an absolute slam-dunk of a lineup with it. Following an all-Australian program in 2022, the summer festival has enlisted some international heavy-hitters for its first full-strength lineup since the start of the pandemic. The festival will bring together a far-reaching mix of pop, hip-hop and just about all corners of the electronic music sphere, starting with Diplo, Denzel Curry, Kaytranada, Aitch and Dom Dolla atop the bill. On the dance-focused side of the lineup you'll also find Honey Dijon, Partiboi69, Charlotte De Witte, Holy Goof, SG Lewis, Patrick Topping and Bicep who will be performing their live show. Curry and Aitch will be joined by a host of fellow rappers including Shygirl, Tkay Maidza, JK-47, A.Girl and online sensations Yung Lean and Yeat. [caption id="attachment_864623" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yeat[/caption] Also on the lineup: Benee, Remi Wolf, Cloonee, JNR Choi, Ninajirachi, Jennifer Loveless and teenage duo Glaive and Ericdoa on their first trip Down Under following a meteoric rise over the last three years. Over the years, Field Day has hosted the likes of Calvin Harris, Tyler, the Creator, Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, Childish Gambino and Disclosure. In 2022, the local lineup included appearances from Peking Duk, Hayden James, Hot Dub Time Machine and Mallrat. Tickets always prove popular for the January 1 festival, with registrations for pre-sale — which kicks off at midday on Wednesday, August 17 — open now. [caption id="attachment_864398" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Denzel Curry[/caption] FIELD DAY 2023 LINEUP Aitch Benee Bicep (Live) Charlotte De Witte Cloonee Denzel Curry Diplo Dom Dolla Glaive & EricDOA Holy Good Honey Djon JNR Choi Kanine Kaytranada Partiboi69 Patrick Topping Pretty Girl Remi Wolf SG LEwis Shygirl Sofia Kourtesis Tkay Maidza YEat Yung Lean A Little Sound A. Girl Jennifer Loveless JK-47 Ninakirachi Waxlily Field Day will hit The Domain on Sunday, January 1, 2023. Pre-sale registrations are available until 7pm on Tuesday, August 16, with pre-sale tickets on offer from midday on Wednesday, August 17. Top image: Mitch Lowe.
Are you a seasoned boatie who's happiest when the anchor's aweigh? Did you binge Below Deck and discover a thirst for the superyacht lifestyle? Or, do you just enjoy the finer things in life? Well, The Harbour Lounge at this year's Sydney International Boat Show is the event to add to your calendar, stat. The locale: a private VIP precinct aboard 60-metre superyacht The Jackson. The sips: bubbles at the Mumm Sparkling Bar, flights of Penfolds' best and cocktails laced with locally crafted spirits. To eat: Bites from the premium all-day grazing menu. Indulge in it all with your $399 ticket. How you enjoy the onboard experience is up to you. Lean in to the aquatic life and remain afloat, enjoying your vantage of Cockle Bay's luxe lineup of superyachts (some of which are making their international debut). Or, come and go as you explore the wider show — up your know-how at demos, check out the latest gear and enjoy live entertainment. It's time to grab your pool of pals for a lush day on the water, or invite your nicest clients and set your corporate catch-ups afloat. The Harbour Lounge moors in Darling Harbour from Thursday, July 18 till Sunday, July 31. Head to the website to book your ticket.
Spice Alley is set to expand its offering next week when Japanese diner Kyo-to joins Kensington Street's Southeast Asian foodie laneway. To celebrate the new stall's launch, head chef Jason Chan (Queen Chow, Papi Chulo and Felix) will be slinging his signature chicken katsu sandos for just $1 a pop. Or $5, if you pair it with a bottle of Asahi. The cheap eats are on offer November 26–28 from 5–7pm. The mini double-decker sando is piled high with crumbed chicken, shredded cabbage and Japanese mustard greens, all on a Hokkaido milk bun. As well as Asahi, surprise cocktail deals will be on offer on the Wednesday — with DJ Charlie Villas on the tunes, too. The wider rotating menu at Kyo-to will feature a range of ramen, including tonkatsu, truffle and charred duck varieties, as well as ramen noodles in XO sauce with pork belly, and a honeybug, scallop and roasted garlic ramen. You can also expect yakitori, karaage chicken and a range of dons and udons, such as clam udon noodles in kombu butter. The $1 katsu sando is on offer to the first 100 people each night and limited to one per person, so get in early or miss out.
I will admit to not knowing any astronauts or showjumpers or firemen, or even any cops for that matter, but I have met my share of ballerinas and marine biologists, and also this one thoroughly demoralising dude who worked for the U.N "on the strategic planning staff in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General," and some models and some people well on their way to qualifying as surgeons. On these grounds, I feel like the 'When I Grow Up' predictions of childhood do have a reasonable chance of playing out. And you absolutely do find people who are working actors, directors, musicians, writers or artists too, it's just that they more often than not have another job or three to keep them going. So how do you find the space and time and money to sustain a creative practice in Sydney these days? As part of Vivid Creative Sydney's fringe program, Queen Street Studio is holding a panel discussion on this very topic. Hosted by QSS director and co-founder James Winter, the evening will bring tips and tales of survival and strategy in visual arts, performance and the wonderful world of the ARI. Panellists are Fran Barrett, a member of Brown Council and current director of Serial Space; artist/performer/writer/curator Rosie Dennis; Sian McIntyre, who is a director of The Paper Mill exhibition space; contemporary artist and intervenor into public space Sebastian Goldspink; and Michelle Kotevski, independent filmmaker and Executive Producer of Urban Theatre Projects. Image by Leah McGirr
Conspiracy theories involving Shakespeare have been around for centuries. Mark Twain scoffed that the son of an illiterate tradesman couldn’t possibly have written such literary masterpieces, Sigmund Freud alleged that the Bard wasn’t the real author of all 38 plays ascribed to him, and Virginia Woolf shrewdly speculated that Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman, adding that a woman with Shakespeare's gifts would have been denied the same opportunities to develop them. The historical facts about Shakespeare are few and far between, and scant documented evidence actually exists of him receiving an education, buying a book, or writing a play. Mankind is characterised by our great thirst for a good conspiracy theory — call it cynicism, call it curiosity; while Shakespeare’s masterpieces remain in our cultural consciousness, we’ll feel compelled to make sense of the man behind them. Part of the fascination with the Shakespeare authorship question is perhaps a strain of tall poppy syndrome – we simply cannot seem to accept that the greatest playwright who’s ever lived kept a life that was so, well, anonymous. Hence Roland Emmerich’s epic new period film. Set in Elizabethan London, it's historical melodrama of the highest order — well-coiffed royals conduct clandestine affairs while conniving courtiers collude in cramped chambers. It’s like Shakespeare in Love fused with The Da Vinci Code, or The Tudors filtered through Black Adder. Derived from a book written 90 years ago called "Shakespeare” Identified, Anonymous dramatizes the theory that the 17th Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere, was the man who penned all of Shakespeare’s works. Most of the film’s action is concentrated in the years between 1598 and 1603, and pits the dashing blonde earl against puritanical noblemen and unscrupulous politicians. It’s filled with murder, sex, lies and incest — the stuff of true Shakespearean drama. It’s entertaining enough, but it serves better as a political thriller than an alternate history. Go see it if costume drama’s your thing — as Shakespeare himself said in Hamlet, “the play’s the thing”, and until the day that there is conclusive evidence to end the authorship conversation, we’ll continue to create conspiracy theories about how such an ordinary man wrote such extraordinary verse.
Strolls around the city have been much brighter in recent weeks, all thanks to the addition of some unexpected blooms. The CBD's grey, concrete streets have had a makeover as a part of the City of Sydney's twice-yearly Living Colour floral display project, taking over places like Martin Place, Taylor Square, King Street, Hyde Park Barracks, Castlereagh Street, Queen Victoria Building and Kings Cross. But as the flowers have been blooming since January, these babies need a new home. Want some more snapdragons and geraniums in your life? On Sunday, March 11 from 8am, Sydney Park will be the spot to snag some cut-price botanical beauties. You'll be able to take home everything from petunias to curly parsley — for free.
It is easy to draw parallels between The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer and Kevin Costner's Waterworld. Both, for example, plunge the audience into a waterlogged land, drowned by past greed and arrogance. They also share a quest for dry land and feature a curious outsider as their protagonist. Here is where the comparison evaporates. Alvin Sputnik's creator, Perth artist Tim Watts, has developed a poetic, engaging future world using a low budget and a generous imagination. There is an elegance in how Watts shifts from one medium to the next, using animation, puppetry, song and live action to tell the story of Sputnik's tragic efforts to be reunited with his dead lover. His beguiling stage presence captures the audience's attention immediately, making it very easy to suspend disbelief and be moved to tears by a character built from a foam ball and a glove. At under an hour, and for a handful of dollars, this is exceptionally well-valued magic. Image by Michelle Robin Anderson https://youtube.com/watch?v=GK2QQxmE9jw
You wouldn't expect much cohesion between pieces in an exhibition featuring 32 photographers put together by three curators, especially not one with as nebulous a theme as "the socio-cultural landscapes of Germany and Australia". But there is something drawing together a lot of the works in Hijacked 2. This is mostly Vice photo issue stuff, with a lot of slightly out-of-focus, snapshot-style photos eschewing technical virtuosity for (potential) immediacy, emotional connection or, at the very least, novelty. To be frank, that doesn't always work. Hijacked relies heavily on social networking and young photographers for its material, and the venue hails the show's resultant focus on "the young, the boundary-riding and the fringe dwelling". In more than a few places this devolves into some pretty grating portraiture of photographers friends' homemade tattoos, detached irony and comfort with partial nudity. Edgy. When the show does work, though — and more often than not it does — there's some rich, immediate work to see. Narelle Autio's lush, saturated overhead photos do some amazing things with shadows. Jackson Eaton's take on sex, casual eroticism and the confluence of intimacy and boredom is beautiful: a foreskin stretched between a girl's teeth, a TV remote held behind the same lover's back. A lot of the landscape photography, too, is very compelling. Joseph Schultz' prints of abandoned checkpoints/toll booths/guard posts are a standout. There's something to be said for the reaction brought on through juxtaposition of photos you love with those you hate. Given how subjective art 'n' stuff is, that may mean you'll love photos of leather jackets, panties and great parties while loathing another photographer's art that's actually good. Quite apart from the high quality of some of the shots, that makes Hijacked 2 worth seeing for the argument value alone.
The beloved Irish comedian and his Casio keyboard are back. The new show from David O'Doherty at the Sydney Comedy Festival is a bit of a mouthful, but then what else would you expect? Jumping back and forth between standup and original songs, the award winning comic's dorky, self-deprecating humour never ceases to entertain, whether he's coming up with app ideas or singing about Grand Designs. It's basically impossible to leave one of O'Doherty's shows without a giant grin plastered across your face.
It outraged tyrants, terrified theatre chains and knocked one of Hollywood's most powerful executives
You may have heard it whispered amongst art openings or at 3am when the last dregs refuse to leave your house party, intent on discussing the merits of various art theories and philosophies (well, it beats politics) but currently in the art world we have a little thing we like to bandy about in oh-so-upper-tones — relational aesthetics. Friendly name, huh? Contemporary art can do that. If it is good at one thing, it is good at excluding most of the non-art educated audience. Relational aesthetics though, put simply, is the attempt to make contemporary art friendly; to include and to explore who we are as people and how we relate to each other — community, audience engagement, participatory — it's all about getting us together to experience something. This is generally a rather fun and enlightening experience for those participating but can sometimes run into trouble once the artist attempts to translate it for the gallery space. Enter Angelica Mesiti, a truly wonderful image maker and member of the gender-bending, Sydney performance group The Kingpins. Mesiti has initiated a project with The Hurstville Council and C3West (the community engagement arm of the Museum of Contemporary Art) whereby she has sought out a large cross section of the Hurstville community to tell the story of their streets. Friday and Saturday night will see south west Sydney transform into a video landscape as performed by local residents and including hourly live performances of a Chinese New Year Dragon amongst a procession of customised cars (sex-specs for those in the know). Guaranteed to be visually sublime — Angelica knows how to frame a shot — and yet also tell you a little something special about your southern cousins. The Begin-Again is available for viewing both Friday and Saturday night from 7.30pm-12am. This self-directed walking tour includes five key destinations within Hurstville taking in numerous video installations and culminating in the live performances on the rooftop of the Westfield carpark. A map is available here. Image: Angelica Mesiti, The Begin-Again (still) 2011 single-screen video installation
First, the great news: in a year that has seen many events have had to cancel or postpone their plans — spanning gigs, festivals and even outdoor art exhibitions — Sydney's beloved Westpac Openair Cinema is definitely returning to take care of your summer viewing plans. Now, the even better news: it'll be doing so with a jam-packed, just-announced lineup of new, recent and classic movies, so get ready to stare at a 350-square-metre screen rising from the harbour. Thanks to its spot at Mrs Macquaries Point, Westpac Openair has spectacular panoramic views of the city, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, which is one big part of the attraction, of course. But so is feasting your eyes on the event's hefty program, which'll kick off this year on Tuesday, December 15 — earlier than usual, because capacity restrictions required to remain COVID-safe mean that it will only seat 900 movie-goers per night — with a big pre-release screening of Australian crime drama The Dry. From there, running through until Wednesday, February 24, Westpac Openair has plenty of films in store. In the brand new camp, Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan-starring period romance Ammonite is an absolute must-see, as is Australian frontier western High Ground. You can also head to space with George Clooney in Midnight Sky, check out women's surfing documentary Girls Can't Surf, see Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman in The Prom, and witness the cathartic power of befriending a magpie in Penguin Bloom. And, there's also the Gemma Arterton-starring Summerland, plus Emily Blunt and Jamie Dornan in Wild Mountain Thyme. Fancy combining movies and music? American Utopia, David Byrne's latest — and magnificent — concert film, will give Westpac Openair quite the soundtrack. So will new documentary The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, which steps through the eponymous band's full career and roster of hits. Other recent titles hitting the very, very big screen include rom-com Baby Done, horror-comedy Freaky, Liam Neeson's latest action flick Honest Thief and Aussie sheep farmer dramedy Rams. Kajillionaire, starring Evan Rachel Wood as the daughter of two lifelong con artists, is also on the bill — and so are a heap of retro titles such as Love Actually, Almost Famous, Thelma & Louise, The Devil Wears Prada, Grease and Pulp Fiction. Unsurprisingly, as well as the event's reduced capacity and its earlier start date, Westpac Openair will be implementing other COVID-safe measures — including physically distanced director and deck chair seating, rather than a grandstand. You'll also spot hand sanitiser stations around the place, and only online bookings will be taken. Food-wise, you'll be tucking into ready-to-collect gourmet picnic hampers by Kitchen by Mike and its chef Mike McEnearney. Especially given these adjustments, tickets are likely to go quick when they go on sale from 9am AEDT on Thursday, December 10. Across the summer of 2018–19, more than 40,000 tickets sold within the first two days of pre-sale — so put it in your diary ASAP. Westpac Openair 2020 runs from Tuesday, December 15–Wednesday, February 24. Tickets go on sale from 9am AEDT on Thursday, December 10 — for more details, head to the event's website. Image: Fiora Sacco
If your natural response to cold weather is to stay indoors, rug up, make friends with your couch and activate hibernation mode, you might want to slip into your usual frosty routine over the weekend of Friday, September 25, Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27. Yes, it's spring — but thanks to a strong cold front that's currently moving through New South Wales, the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting chilly and windy conditions across Sydney for the next few days. In fact, while tops of 19 and 18 degrees are forecast for the Saturday and Sunday, you can prepare to feel much, much frostier, with the wind chill factor making it feel colder than expected. Explaining that the cold front is bringing cool and wintry conditions — "quite classic spring conditions" with "a bit of winter reminding us that we're not that far away from those wintry conditions" — BOM's acting NSW/ACT manager Agata Imielska advises that temperatures will feel ten degrees cooler than they actually are. Tonight, for example, it's expected to feel like it is only between two and five degrees. And although tomorrow will look sunny, it'll also also be dry, windy and feel rather frosty — with a top of 18 degrees, but feeling more like eight or nine degrees. https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1309325700030230529 The cold front, and these conditions, are expected to remain into next week — which is when they'll then start to settle down. Elsewhere in the state over the weekend, damaging winds are forecast today and tonight in eastern areas such as the Hunter, while thunderstorms are possible around the state's south as well. In the alpine region, around 40 centimetres of snow could fall — and there's a risk of blizzards, too. To keep an eye on temperatures over the weekend, head to the Bureau of Meteorology website. Image: Jason Tong via Flickr.
Rewind five years and imagine Sydney’s gallery scene without White Rabbit. It’s tough. This tenth exhibition of the contemporary Chinese art gallery revolves around the idea of reformation — the succession of a new wave, the establishment of fresh ideas, a complete overhaul of the old ways of doing and thinking. White Rabbit’s shows rotate different parts of the Neilson family’s private collection, which includes Ai Weiwei’s huge mound of tiny ceramic sunflower seeds, and Shi Zhiying’s oil painting of an all-consuming, horizonless, grey-scale ocean, High Seas. The gallery consistently minimises the ‘shrug factor’ — that moment upon entering a gallery, glazed-eyed, when you have no idea how to engage with the work. White Rabbit doesn’t replace the shrug factor with shock factor, it just curates some of the most adventurous contemporary artists working in China and smashing together the political and the personal, history and present, today. White Rabbit's biannual opening parties are famous and a famously good time (as long as you don't mind a crush of people). Be prepared to queue, preferably well before 6pm. Reformation is one of the five blockbuster art shows we're most looking forward to this year. Check out the rest here.
From Thursday, August 29, to Sunday, September 8, you can support our green and gold legends and watch the nation's top Paralympians fight for their spot on the podium. Palm Grove in the Darling Harbour Precinct is offering complimentary viewings of the games with a party atmosphere. You can take a photo by the grid-worthy photo wall and enjoy special pop-ups and Darling Harbour's best eats. Running from 12pm–11pm daily, spectators can watch the latest triumphs from Paralympic Games on Palm Grove's huge screens, entirely for free. Neighbouring Darling Harbour venues will keep you fed while cheering on Team Aus. You could opt for Indonesian bites at Bintang Bro, boost yourself with coffee and a sweet treat from Cafe Alma, or if you're craving authentic Japanese street food, Dopa Darling Quarter has you sorted. Venture further afield and you'll find even more options scattered around the local area, from Barangaroo to Haymarket. The Paralympics Live screenings take place 5–11pm, Monday–Friday and midday–11pm, Saturday–Sunday.
"Whenever I go into great vintage stores," says British actor Thandie Newton, "I wonder why we ever buy new things ... Vintage clothing is not only glorious and stylish, it's also the way forward, in terms of recycling." Whether you're seeking gloriousness or sustainability, the Round She Goes Pre-loved Designer and Vintage Fashion Market is the place to find the best in second-hand clothes, accessories and jewellery. Run by Emma Morris, it travels around Australia, setting up in various cities for just one day before moving on. Morris says that Round She Goes brings together her passions for "vintage clothes, designer bargains, op shop treasures and getting crafty." At Sydney's next event, look out for preloved pieces from Chanel, Salvatore Ferragamo, YSL, Bally, Gucci, Lanvin, Dior, Coach, Kate Spade, Fendi, Marc Jacobs, Prada, Karen Millen, sass & bide. Chloe, Alannah Hill, Pierre Cardin, Alice McCall, Karen Walker, Kate Sylvester, Camilla, Michael Kors, Gorman and more.
Cafe Freda's is bringing back the dancefloor this spooky season, combining Italian dance music, spritzes and Halloween for a huge free Sunday party fittingly titled Italoween. Jumping on the decks at the Taylor Square venue is ambient electronic producer Body Corp (renamed Body Corpse for the night), alongside the equally spookily-named Impale Jextra (Paul Jextra) and DJ Hot as Hell Salami all spinning exclusively Italo house, disco and pop. A special themed menu will be on offer to keep you energised between stints on the dancefloor, and $10 Aperol Spritzes will be available from 3–5pm. It also wouldn't be a Halloween party without fancy dress, so in order to ensure everyone comes in their best costume, Cafe Freda's is hosting a best-dressed comp with prizes for the winners. Entry is free but you can ensure you nab a table by making a reservation at Cafe Freda's website.
Bondi's Tulum-inspired restaurant Carbòn may be known for its woodfired Mexican dishes (and loved for its outstanding bottomless margaritas and tacos brunch). But, this season, it's shifting gears a little to warm your cockles on a cold winter's night with giant steaming bowls of mussels for dinner. Every Wednesday and Sunday, you can score one kilo of mussels, served in a warming broth of white wine, tomatillo and chorizo — with a basket of floury, charcoal-grilled tortillas to mop up every last drop, of course. Alongside this magnificently messy feast, you'll also receive a jug of spiced sangria. And this limited-edition special will only set you back a pineapple. Yep, for just $50, your next date night is sorted. This special menu item is only available for a limited time, so throw on a pair of your snazziest stretchy pants and get ready for a feast. Carbòn's Mussels and Sangria special is available every Wednesday and Sunday night until Wednesday, August 28. To book a table, head this way.
Film buffs and budding Tarantinos, ho! The 10th annual Bondi Short Film Festival is shaping up to be one helluva celebration to mark a decade of eclectic and wondrously first-rate local filmmaking. With last year’s winners including Cannes Jury Prize-winning film Jerrycan by Julius Avery and Best Script going to Tropfest winner Genevieve Clay’s Frances and Annie, this brilliant celebration of independent Sydney film making blends high caliber filmmaking with an undeniably delicious indie aesthetic, screened metres away from the seaside. The 10th anniversary of this striking little festival is sure to prove a tasty menu, abound with local delicacies. "The Bondi Short Film Festival is 100% Australian content," says Founder and Festival Director, Francis Coady. "We are also completely independent. And so 10 years on, having attracted over 3,000 quality entries and counting — 2010 is not only a great milestone for the Festival, but it also clearly shows the growing public support, for local films and the short film medium." This year's showcase will find itself blissfully lapping up late-Spring ambience with the addition of Bondi Pavilion’s outdoor Amphitheatre, as the sell-out event aims to embrace the inexplicable sensation of balmy evening picture viewing.
Have you ever wondered how some lucky punters nab a designer’s wares before they become the next big thing? They could have supernatural powers enabling them to spot vanguards-in-the-making or they may just make the most of opportunities to buy things directly from new designers.The Young Blood Designers Market falls into the latter category, allowing you to meet and purchase items directly from fresh, up-and-coming creative talent. The curated market will be held in the Powerhouse Museum’s main gallery on August 14 and 15. Items for sale include fashion, furniture, jewellery, graphics, landscape, lighting design and more.Also on offer will be limited edition pieces created for Eat Green Design, the Museum’s temporary sustainable restaurant.
Spring is well and truly here, and with longer days and warm (but not too hot) nights, now is the perfect time for head outside and enjoy the sunshine and flowers. For the month of October, Hendrick's Gin has teamed up with Paddo Inn to celebrate its small-batch Midsummer Solstice gin. The venue — renamed Paddo Ginn throughout October — will be transformed into a floral paradise, courtesy of local florist Dr Lisa Cooper. With a host of magical spring-themed events happening both at the eastern suburbs pub and across Sydney, there's plenty to look forward to — and lots of opportunities to score a free drink. This Saturday, October 5 is one of them, when Hendrick's hosts Stem for a Spritz. Head to one of three flower-filled spots across Sydney and you can enjoy your very own Midsummer Soltice spritz, featuring the limited-edition spirit, tonic water and sparkling wine, and garnished with orange and cucumber, for zero dollars. Yep, free. All you need to do is look out for one of the Victoriana-style characters that'll be roaming around Paddo Ginn, The Winery, or Bucket List on foot or atop a penny-farthing. They'll be handing out rose stems which you can exchange for a free spritz at the bar If you can't make it, never fear. You can still head down to Paddo, relax with some gin, and enjoy the floral installations all through October. Image: Paddington Inn by Nikki To.
Dangerous thinkers, Damn the Man activists and controversial intellectuals will bring their rebellious tales to Sydney Opera House for the sixth year running, with Salman Rushie, Steven Pinkler and Pussy Riot at the fore of this year's Festival of Dangerous Ideas lineup. The annual hootenanny for controversial, groundbreaking and system-shaking thinkers, FODI annually fronts up a killer lineup of the names we consistently include in our opinionated tweets. "This year, we are looking at some of the major threats to life as we know it — mass extinction and existential risk — as well as politics, families and global issues,"says head of talks and ideas at Sydney Opera House and co-curator of Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Ann Mossop. "Our guests are both intellects and activists and this will definitely prove a lively mixture. The Festival gives audiences an opportunity to listen to some of the most important thinkers of our time. Ultimately it is the audiences who have the most interesting part to play at the Festival — the tough and absorbing task of deciding what to do with the dangerous ideas of our era." This year's lineup has drawn out some serious intellectual squeals Sydney-wide. Controversial, Booker Prize-winning Midnight's Children writer, Salman Rushdie, will speak about freedom, sticking to your guns and defiantly standing for untamed expression in his talk Freedom to Write. In one of FODI's most buzzworthy talks, dubbed Russia is a Penal Colony, former members of activist legends Pussy Riot, Nadya Tolonnikova and Masha Alekhina, will tell tales of activism, being jailed for 'hooliganism' and setting up their new not-for-profit charity, Zona Prava, while fighting for their own dangerous ideas. Russian journalist, author, and member of the democratic opposition to the regime of Vladimir Putin, Masha Gessen will delve further into Pussy Riot's activism in a predicted-to-sell-out conversation with the pair. Experimental linguist, psychologist and eternal nature-versus-nurture writer Steven Pinker will unravel the popular notion that violence is an inevitable consequence of human nature in his talk Stop Trying to Fix Human Nature — also arguing we're enjoying the most significant period of peace in our history. Challengers to underlying systems and Damn the Man enthusiasts like fearless journalist, feminist and human rights activist Lydia Cacho uncover some horrible truths in our messed up world. Cacho investigates the alive-and-well slave trade — something we see as a Civil War era past wrongdoing, but is a still a globalised, multi-billion dollar industry by way of the sex trade and international trafficking — in Slavery is Big Buisness. Writer and researcher, Kay Hymowitz will delve into women as breadwinners and the supposed decline of male culture in The Rise of Women Has Turned Men into Boys; and surrogacy as a global industry is put under the microscope in journalist, writer and activist Kajsa Ekis Ekman's talk Surrogacy is Child Trafficking. The full program is available on the website. Multipack tickets go on sale on Monday 30 June at 9am before single tickets on Wednesday 2 July at 9am. Festival of Dangerous Ideas 2014 Lineup: Salman Rushdie Pussy Riot Masha Gessen Steven Pinker Malcolm Fraser Lydia Cacho Bradley Garrett Alissa Nutting John Hewson Bettina Arndt Glenn Robbins John Pilger Jane Caro Elizabeth Kolbert Noelle Janaczewska Anne Manne Elizabeth Pisani Jaan Tallinn Ragip Zarakolu Kajsa Ekis Ekiman Dan Ilic Tim Flannery Kay Hymowitz Francesca Minerva Mark Latham David Baker Rebecca Newberger Goldstein Emily Nussbaum Huw Price A Rational Fear Festival of Dangerous Ideas runs 30 - 31 August at Sydney Opera House. Tickets available here. UPDATED WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25: Sydney Opera House have decided to remove Uthman Badar's talk 'Honour Killings Are Morally Justified' after a huge collective WTF from the public.
If you've ever had the urge to rummage through someone else's suitcase, here's your chance. Suitcase Rummage is coming to Melbourne, and luckily for you it'll be less old socks and more vintage treasures. Happening on Sunday, September 30, the mini-scale market will bring together numerous trunk that aren't just filled with clothing. The suitcases will contain everything from art to records, shoes and jewellery — so, come and bargain, buy or swap to score that old Joni Mitchell vinyl you've been wanting. Those who wanting to sell their wares must register — and it'll cost $25 for a 'stall'. You can bring up to three suitcases, so you can lug in all those shoes you've been promising to wear but certainly will not. Suitcase Rummage will run from 11am–4pm. Image: Yan Chen
Sydney Festival is heading over the hill this year and what better way to celebrate than with 40 portraits of the event's movers and shakers. Created by London-based Eva Vermandel, this stunning collection of images will hang at UNSW Galleries for the festival. And it's not just the big guns who'll be getting the attention. When we say movers and shakers, we mean all the folk who make things happen — from the likes of Kate Champion and David Byrne to volunteers, staff and audience members. After all, there'd be no places for artists to strut their stuff without those invisible-fairy-people who set up fences, ferry food and drinks about, and sell you those must-have tickets.
Brogan Galceran – who goes by the stage name of Big Dumb Kid – has been pushing the boundaries of Australian hip hop since he first surfaced in 2011. One EP (Vanilla) and a debut album (Chocolate) later, he is hitting the road to launch his single, Somebody Else. The Sydney-based producer/rapper/singer has a penchant for dark, glitch pop rap songs tied together with colourful synth work. This unique brand of electronic/hip hopseparates him from his predecessors and has seen him receive plenty of attention on the airwaves. 2012 also saw the formation of Australian hip hop outfit Dead City Zens, which includes members from Old Men Of Moss Mountain, Deadbeat & Hazy and Subsketch. Supporting duties for the evening go to Rapaport,Subsketch and Future Love Hangover.
Forget about taco Tuesday or margarita Monday. They're all well and good, but SoCal's annual taco and tequila festival is a huge six-day affair featuring back-to-back celebrations dedicated to Mexico's best-loved exports. And, it's returning for its third iteration, taking over the colourful North Shore spot from Monday, May 3–Saturday, May 8. On the Monday, you can settle into some live comedy and tequila cocktails, while Tuesday is serving up a $35 bottomless taco feast with $12 margaritas to match. Then there's a tequila cocktail masterclass on Wednesday, a chilli-eating competition spicing up the Thursday night, and a Friday fiesta that'll see you wrap up the work week with the help of live tunes, $10 margs, face painting and a few fiery rounds of taco roulette. But you'll want to save at least a little energy for the rollicking taco and tequila feast sending things off on Saturday, May 8. Alongside live entertainment and games, you'll get to experience the greatest hits from SoCal's new menu, with two dinner sittings available on the night. Book the first session (5–6pm) to enjoy a feasting menu and cocktail on arrival for $49, or grab an $89 ticket for the late edition (8.30–9.30pm), which'll also score you two hours of drinks.
Sydney's spicy food lovers will be glad to know that a Sichuan Food Festival is coming to the Shangri-La Sydney for a full week from April 6 to 13. The five star hotel's restaurant, Cafe Mix, will offer a buffet style meal that focuses on the cuisine's signature green and red Sichuan peppers, which give a distinctive numbing sensation to the palate — a taste true spice fiends can't get enough of. Joining the hotel's head chef Bo Sorensen are guest chefs Li Tok Fan and Yu Guang Peng of Shangri-La Chengdu, located in the Sichuan province capital. This means guests will be getting the real deal — authentic Sichuanese dishes like spicy dan dan noodles, steamed fish with fresh Sichuan peppercorn and simmered Mandarin fish in spicy chilli oil. The buffet will also include cold dishes like the vinegar-infused jellyfish head salad. To cool the palate, a designated dessert station will finish the meal off with sweet treats like glutinous rice dumplings stuffed with sesame paste. The Sichuan Food Festival is presented in partnership with Xiamen Airlines and The Chinese Consulate of Sydney. The buffet lunch is available from noon to 2:30 pm at $55 per person, and the buffet dinner is available from 6pm to 10:30 pm at $85 per person. Click here to book now.
If you’re familiar with Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall), then you know how badass she is. Her singer-songwriter meets rock star persona sets her apart as one of the more unique musicians out there. Those who saw her at Golden Plains Music Festival this past March know what we’re talking about. Don’t fret if you missed her then, because you’ll soon have another chance. Cat Power is crossing the pond again for an Australian tour this summer. Cat Power’s ten-show tour will kick off this January at the Sydney Festival. It was just announced that she would be a guest performer at the festival’s Big Star tribute show alongside Jody Stephens, Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Ken Stringfellow (The Posies), Chris Stamey (The dB’s), Mitch Easter (Let’s Active), Edwyn Collins and Kurt Vile. Power’s Sydney shows will continue the day after at the Circus Ronaldo Tent with a matinee and midnight show. After, she’ll continue down the coast, performing in Milton, Canberra, Melbourne, Menniyan and concluding in Perth. So if you haven’t heard Cat Power in a while, it’ll be worth your hitting up one of her shows. Her newish album, Sun, is freshly awesome and and her blonde coif is shocking, but that’s why we love Cat. She always keeps you coming back for more.
Butter just keeps giving Sydneysiders more reasons to go absolutely crazy for it. The cult favourite is already a palace of fried chicken, sneakers and champagne — and every now and then it adds ramen to that list as well. If you're particularly fond of slurping down its brothy bowls, then you'll be immensely excited about its returning celebration of all things warm and soupy. Once again in 2022, the chain won't just be serving up one type of ramen, but lining up six limited-edition versions. The series of ramen creations begins with Executive Chef Julian Cincotta, naturally, who is whipping up Butter's super-popular fried chicken ramen. It combines fresh thick-cut ramen noodles, a marinated soft-boiled half egg and enoki mushrooms in a chicken and dashi-based broth, and Butter's crispy fried chicken tenders. There will be a limited number of bowls available everyday until Monday, May 16 at each Butter venue. After that, a different ramen created by a different chef will feature each month until October. Among the chefs jumping on board are Ume Burger Head Chef Kerby Craig with a miso-based tare, corn and Butter's chicken broth from Tuesday, May 17–Monday, June 20 — and also Rising Sun Workshop Director Nick Smith, who will be bringing a bowl filled with Butter's fried chicken with a burnt-ends glaze from Tuesday, June 21–Monday, July 18. Then, from Tuesday, July 19—Monday, August 22, Cincotta will be back with a brand new creation: The Impossible Ramen. Louis Tikaram from Stanley in Brisbane will give Sydneysiders a taste of his five spice fragrant ramen, too — which'll be available from Tuesday, August 23–Monday, September 19, and use a mix of Cantonese and Japanese flavours, plus Butter's fried chicken. To wrap it all up, Cincotta returns from Tuesday, September 20–Monday, October 17 with a French dip ramen fried chicken sandwich. Whichever of Butter's venues you head to, they'll be plating up a limited number of ramen each day. Still, if you're fond of both ramen and fried chicken — and who isn't? — it's an easy way to pick what you'll be eating each month.
For all the logicality of urban planners and architects, we often end up with some pretty weird conglomerations of concrete and steel around town. Once in a while, we all end up staring at a nonsensical urban nook while waiting at the traffic lights and thinking, 'why?'. Austrian choreographer Willi Dorner and his company take that reverie one step further with Bodies in Urban Spaces. They see an odd little city space and think: human Tetris. So how does it work? Dorner enlists a group of movement artists (whose skills are not solely focused on dance — he also hires climbers, martial artists and circus performers) and choreographs a performance that sees these 20 human bodies, clad in bright colour-blocked clothes, gracefully shove themselves into any sort of architectural gap they can find, hold their positions for several minutes and then effortlessly wriggle out of the tight spot and move on to the next. What it means for the passer-by is that your eyes fall on brightly colour-blocked human staying perfectly, magically still in an otherwise dead space." Bodies in Urban Spaces is an invitation to let go, to take the time for a new look at the city, an opportunity to think so that we can form opinions about what makes a city a liveable space, and eventually make changes to achieve that goal," says Dorner. Bodies in Urban Spaces premiered in 2007 and has been co-produced by festivals and venues across Europe and the US ever since. It will be appearing in Sydney for Art & About on Friday, October 11, and Saturday, October 12, from 12.30-2pm. Check out more of their cheeky and surreal appearances around the world in the images below.
