Blog — Page 214 of 277

Burn City: Melbourne’s Painted Streets

Lou Chamberlain

Hardie Grant Travel

I dig Melbourne– aka ‘Burn City’ –  and paying a visit is always something to look forward to, not just because it is internationally renowned for its street art that is often rooted in provocation and controversy.

Burn City, curated by artist, artist and arts educator Lou Chamberlin, sheds light on the works of local and international artists that set out to colour the streets and concrete of Melbourne, be it targeting social issues, l’art our ‘;art or territorial pissings.

The nal chapter, Same Wall New Paint, highlights the ephemeral nature that is street art by documenting the evolving artworks appearing and disappearing on the same over several years.

The foreword comes courtesy of David Hurlston, Senior Curator of Australian Art at the National Gallery of Victoria, along with what follows constitutes an appropriate encouragement to get out in the territory and experience it all for yourself.

Melbourne is a vibrant and eclectic city, and its street art is now a major tourist attraction. Places like Hosier Lane regularly act as backdrops for wedding photos, and play host to school excursions, street art tours, artists, observers and documenters as well as the usual foot traffic of city life, all drawn there by its robust street subculture.

A well executed book that not only documents Melbourne rich history with street art, but amplifies it through its take on it and the angle it sheds light on.

The Festival of Nonna

107 Project

Redfern, Sydney, AU

October 23, 2017

The fine people behind Sandhurst Fine Foods are behind the operation of The Festival of Nonna: The concept bases around a dreamteam of Italian celebrity chefs and their Nonnas to share  recipes and food inside knowledge that serves as the inspiration for them to get involved in the hospitality industry in the first place.

Aficionados of Italian food were given the opportunity to enjoy a five-course meal matched with primo Italian vino incarnating each night as pop-up, roof-top garden restaurants at Redfern’s 107 Projects.

The Festival of Nonna is be a celebration of the traditional matriarchs of the Boot shows off the modern interpretation of Italian food coupled with the tried-and-tested traditions that make the cuisine what you love it for.

Hands-on demonstrations showed off the tradition and the techniques of crafting the perfect Italian meal, with Gnocchi making taking the limelight tonight.

An evening with fantastic food, great company and a very welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere, which transformed the space into a sanctuary of dolce vita.

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Photos by KAVV

Tonight’s show at Pratteln’s Z7 venue was almost in dire straits with Alcest’s tour bus breaking down two hours away and the band needing to head over in a taxi minus most of their required equipment. Using the venue’s own backline isn’t the greatest of starts for the French post-black metallers, but despite sound initial sound problems (one guitar is much too loud, the drums are overpowering), the quartet soon settle in and the rhythms of their beautiful take on black metal soon take over. “Kodama” from last year’s stunning Kodama should be a wonderful start, however the overwhelming volume on Zero’s guitar drowns out some of the textures that make it such a lovely song and it’s not until “Là où naissent les couleurs nouvelles” that Alcest come to life.

“Oiseaux de proie” is deliriously aggressive and following it is the majestic sounds of “Eclosion” and the opportunity to hear frontman Neige’s incredible screams. His voice swings from gorgeous, ethereal notes to powerful cries in naught but a second and it’s in this opposition that Alcest have found their niche. Pacing their hour long set perfectly and incorporating the light and shade of their sound allows Alcest to show their awareness of what their audience wants and although the venue isn’t completely packed and a lot of the crowd leans towards the older end of the age scale, they are still given a rapturous welcome. An hour goes by much too quickly, though, and it’s a shame they have to leave. The warmth of “Délivrance” does much to dull the pain.

Anathema’s history is long and varied and where the band began as a heavy, doom-death project, the latter part of their career has tended towards the more progressive side of their sound. Gorgeous textures, the Cavanagh brothers’ beautiful voices and words, and songs that are packed full of emotion before even the first notes have chance to fade have given Anathema a second wind of late and two hours tonight is almost enough to incorporate the songs you want to hear.

It’s tricky to pull off such a long performance and it’s unfortunately not the kind of perfection that this writer has come to expect. The biggest problem facing Anathema tonight is pacing. Songs that are too similar sit together and meld into one leaving many people with wandering attention spans in the final hour. However, they sure know how to put on a show and small niggles aside, it’s still a night to remember.

The two parter “Untouchable” begins their time and showcases the vocal prowess of Vincent Cavanagh and Lee Douglas, whose voice is so beautifully clear that when she takes to the stage alone to sing “Endless Ways” the audience’s reverence is obvious.

One of the biggest emotional  punches comes when Danny Cavanagh addresses the crowd, calling on people at the barrier to tell him where they’ve come from. A few women shout that they’re from Syria and the hall falls quiet. “This is the first happy day in our lives.” The awe is palpable for these people, for everything they’ve experienced and everything they must overcome. Danny sings “Are You There?” for them and it’s a moment that resonates throughout the crowd, not least for those the song is dedicated to.

Unfortunately, it’s during the encore that the pace slows to almost a standstill; Anathema have plenty of songs that could do justice to their allocated time but the energy falls steeply during the three headed portion of “Distant Satellites,” “Springfield” and “Back to the Start,” however, the band end on high note and “Fragile Dreams” does much to ensure that the crowd know that actually, Anathema are a thrilling band to experience. Perhaps it was just an off night on a long, gruelling tour. Still, it won’t stop anyone wanting to see them again, this writer included.

Redfern, Sydney, AUS

20 October 2017

The Youth Food Movement Australia don’t believe in telling people what to do, but educating and arming young folks with the skills, knowledge and experience to make them "food literate."

Their approach is based on the belief that peer-to-peer learning is the most powerful way to create change. They aim to make complex issues around food accessible, tangible and human. Above all, they create projects that appeal to young people’s sense of play with neither being prescriptive nor dogmatic in their approach.

YFM organised an array of engaging events that their individual chapters implement on their respective turf. Their projects tend to be well curated affairs that reduce the distance, foster transparency and engender dialogue between growers and eaters and build the food smarts of young Australians.

Heaps Cooked is one of the YFMA’s events framed in the context of an edible rooftop garden right near Redfern station, which offers workshops on seasonality, a grazing table with a spring menu, booze, the opportunity to help create an Australian seasonal foods calendar under the guidance of tattoo artist Sophia Baughan and a raffle, with the proceeds going to future projects.

Photo Credit: KAVV

Recovery: Freedom from our Addictions

Russell Brand

Published by Pan Mac Millan

You would have crossed paths with the man known as Russell Edward Brand somewhere in the world of popular culture – be it via his incarnation as an English comedian, actor, radio host, author or activist.

His latest literary emission Recovery is advertised by the publishers “as a guide to all kinds of addiction from a star who has struggled with heroin, alcohol, sex, fame, food and eBay, that will help addicts and their loved ones make the first steps into recovery – a manual for self-realization that comes not from a mountain but from the mud.”

Not too far off. Brand’s idiosyncratic blend of compassionate, jocular in-your-face honesty is the voice that tells his story, which in this case is one of addiction. Addiction in all shades and variations, not just the substance kind.

The fundamental question that he raises is not the “Why?” but going deeper to find the underlying reasons and what addictions are meant to camouflage.

Russell has been through it all and his focus is on what worked for him and why, e.g. the 12 step program, yoga and his self-created safety nets.