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Smith Journal

Magazines.

An easily forgotten medium in a world with an attention span of a goldfish obsessed with blogs and spoon-fed easy to digest hors d’oeuvre of information.

A magazine can be so much more than merely a collection of writings and much bigger than the sum of its parts: A coherent entity that unfolds its flavours not just with each new issue but also over time.

Layout, design and being visually appealing are part of the deal, sure. It can anchor and frame content.

The voice of a magazine can be created through the editors’ choice of approach to curation, layout and contextualization of the articles – a voice that needs to be clear and leaves not too much white space around why certain topics are dealt with in the issue in question in that exact order and individual context.

Substance.

Wit.

Inspiration.

Not forcefully trying to reinvent the wheel, desperately trying to be the first in line but keep an eye on what is current. 
Not indulge in nostalgia but appreciate things and ideas that stand the test of time.

The voice of a magazine is what makes it unique.

Great publications take a stand without imposing a point of view on its readers, yet their approach might not be for everyone.

That’s part of the deal.

Smith Journal is released every three month and, in a nutshell, contains stories about weird science, offbeat history and ingenious design.

The minds behind Smith want to create something they'd be happy to read themselves.

Something that bridges the divide between makers and thinkers. Something that informs and is inspired by their own curiosity.

A mission they accomplish.

Each issue of Smith Journal has its own overarching design sensibility, clear typography, a global perspective and provides a reading experience with its high quality print and paper.

You know a good magazine when the way it seamlessly combines unobtrusive advertising with content in an integrated manner adds to the overall experience instead of disrupting it – a magazine that you are likely to hold onto.

The Judas Kiss by playwright David Hare
Old Fitzroy Theatre
Sydney, AUS
February 15 – March 11, 2017

Sydney’s Old Fitzroy and its theatre operation is a cultural touchstone that uniquely links generations in a town slavishly fixated to the latest fad. A bar without posturing that holds its history and popularity. Nightlife without the Old Fitzroy's could not be a blander proposition.

With over 100 years of history, it contains the only pub theatre on terra australis.

In 2015, Red Line Productions re-opened the doors of the legendary Old Fitz Theatre - a venue that was built in 1997 by a group of passionate theatre makers.

Alumni from the tiny Old Fitz stage include Tim Minchin, Kate Mulvany, Mark Priestley, Toby Schmitz, Ewen Leslie, Brendan Cowell, Blazey Best, Christopher Stollery, Travis Cotton, Ella Scott Lynch, Patrick Brammell and Leon Ford.

The fact that the confines of the Old Fitzroy are very conducive to conjure an intimate environment eventually led to The Old Fitz establishing itself as a quality ensemble theatre.

Enter David Hare’s Judas Kiss:

In the spring of 1895, the dauntlessly, impeccably stylish poet, playwright and bon vivant Oscar Wilde was at the peak of his witty existence. The Importance of Being Ernest was a hit in the West End, making him the popular across London. But he was serving two years in prison for gross indecency by summer.

The Redline incarnation of the production sheds light in a nuanceful manner on both the romantic individualist, master of paradox and victim Wilde that emerges from Iain Sinclair’s melancholic and at times somber incarnation of Judas Kiss, is a multifaceted character, i.e. a character that carries the internal battle and tries to balance moral integrity and intelligence with a tendency for self-annihilation.

Josh Quong Tart manages to portray Wilde’s inner upheavals and giving depth to great emotions that could easily run danger of border lining worn out clichés.

Quong Tart masters the technically difficult task of playing Wilde, a character where the slightest slip would result in breaking character.

It comes with the territory and lies in the childish hysteric character of his counterpart, Bosie, performed by Hayden Maher, that its portrayal is painted with a broader brush with at times simplistic strokes. Strokes that make it difficult to decipher what the attraction was for Wilde in the first place.

Enormously present and anchoring the play is Simon London in his intentionally understated yet nuanced role of Wilde’s confidante Robbie.

The main protagonists are flanked by Robert Alexander, Luke Fewster, Hannah Raven and David Soncin.

Time has been kind to Judas Kiss and Redline Production’s take on it only amplifies the rich, relevant and resonant piece it is.

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Photos by KAVV

Julian Assange: No More Secrets, No More Lies
Think Inc.
Seymour Centre
Sydney, AUS
February 18, 2017

Julian Assange.

A controversial figure and divisive subject.

For some, an intense, driven and valiant campaigner for transparency, the equal access to  information and constitutionality when it comes to what executive arm of our political practice  should and should not do, enabling the community to cast judgement.

Publicity seeking traitor endangering lives by disclosing delicate material into the public domain to others.

Assange is the founder and editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, which started unveiling classified data and images, in 2006.

WikiLeaks came to global prominence in April 2010 by leaking motion picture evidence depicting US soldiers offing noncombatans from a whirlybird in Iraq, what became known as the Collateral Murder video and Afghanistan war logs, ultimately triggering the United States government launching a criminal investigation and asking allied nations for assistance.

Later that year, what followed was Assange being apprehended in the United Kingdom after the issuance of an international arrest subpoena over accusations of improper conduct in Sweden. 

Subsequently, Assange found sanctum  in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, on whose premises he has been living ever since 2012.

The conversation with Assange proved that is acutely aware that whatever he and his organisations do, prompts the public to stigmatize him as pro-this or contra-that, yet emphasized that he has no institutional bias and that he perceives it as his role and mission to take on abusers of power. He considers resulting, ensuing controversies as collateral damage worth engaging in.

Despite the rising legal and political strains coming from Washington, he continues to publish in a bid to reveal not just individual incidents, but  about bigger picture dependencies.

His ultimate aim is not to show glimpses by releasing documents but to fully unveil mechanisms, structures and supporting, underlying economic forces that support it. Metaphorically speaking: Sheeding light on the constellations, not merely the stars in isolation to allow the public to read and make sense of the night sky.

WikiLeaks has been accused of not curating content and therefore picking and choosing material solely to harm their adversaries. 
Assange explained that he believes in the rectitude of unaltered information, which is based on having a secure anonymous online submission system to protect the  identity of the submittant, and in the benefit of mainstaing collections of documents, which informs WikiLeaks efforts to make it accessible to the public.

He underlined that WikiLeaks has a solid track record of having released authentic information – an impressive feat given that WikiLeaks has transformed more than ten million transcripts into a library that can be searched, not only making their website the world’s largest online repository for classified data, but also providing a forum through which individual inciedents can be contextualised.
Assange, in his usual composed and eloquent manner, challenged the audience from all schools of thought and philosophical leanings to take serious consideration of journalistic freedom and the implications of a silenced media: Silence is consent and ignorance – be it willing or unwilling – will only lead to someone else taking reign and deciding over you.

The evening was hosted by the Australian comedian and member of the satirical media empire The Chaser, whose cultivated inquisitiveness and curiosity steered the conversation. He seamlessly transitioned from delving into intricate and complex topics to trivia about Assange’s life and day-to-day operations at the Ecuadorian embassy, including a cameo of his cat.

The engaging event culminated in a Q & A from audience members and successfully bridged the gap between inquisitive voices from the public and Assange through dialogue and discourse, which has somewhat become the DNA of Think Inc. in its endeavours to provoke thought and to address the issues of changes that need to be made.

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Photo by T

Wil Wagner
Oxford Art Factory
Sydney, AUS
February 19, 2017

As the frontman, singer, lyricist, guitarist and keyboardist of The Smith Street Band -- an allusion to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band –- the name meaning to encapsulate an iconic Melbourne street, which also happened to be along an iconic Melbourne route who had a typically route 86 sound, Wil Wagner has two critically acclaimed LPs under his belt.

While still aligning with the DNA of The Smith Street Band, him stepping away from the horde and only armed with his guitar presents him as an endearing, vulnerable singer / songwriter, delivering barebones heartfelt, open and simplistically honest ditties that defy the humdrum of modern life and what standards and its demands impose upon us.

In a live environment the raw and personal songs are carried by their content, Wagner’s charisma and him wearing his heart on his sleeve – the soundtrack to having beers with friends and reminisce or alternatively bleed your lil’ heart out about unreciprocated love.

While it would be easy to label and compare Wil’s solo efforts with the myriad of other punk luminaries going it alone and insist that a bit of variation might contribute to his oeuvre, it is his self-depreciation, the at times quirky vocal harmonies and his fearlessness when it comes to tapping into what is commonly referred to as weaknesses and displaying the whole spectrum of struggles one encounters as a human being, that despite the often depressing content of his songs, manages to comfort not only frazzled twenty-somethings but turns frowns of upside down all around.

Check him out while he still has “best kept secret” status...

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Photo by KAVV

Acid Haus by United Cellars
Australian Design Centre
Sydney, AUS
February 16, 2017

The wines the sturdy, late-ripening white grape Riesling, at times referred to as the “king of grapes” and one of the most aromatic wine varieties in the world, are based on, is very high in acid often not seldomly likened to fruit juice, with primary fruit aromas being nectarine, apricot, honey-crisp apple and pear, as well as interesting nuances ranging from honeycomb to chemical aromas, e.g. rubber and diesel fuel.

It is these complex, acidic flavours and the intoxicating effect the consumption can have, that inspired United Cellars to host a celebratory tribute to the psychedelic qualities of their favourite Rieslings:

Acid Haus, a smart pun on the genre-defining label with a nod to the inofficial homeland of Riesling, Germany.

Established in 2004, United Cellars has moved beyond the traditional wine club, bypassing the middlemen, to work directly with leading wineries across Australia and around the world to arrange educational tasting events and wine experiences on a regular basis, which serve as a casual forum for attendants to tap into the knowledge of sommeliers and United Cellar’s bespoke wine advisory service called "Cellar Angels".

With the Australian Design Centre serving as the launch pad, which is dedicated to embracing the highest degree of craftsmanship and the committed to advance contemporary design practices, United Cellars took us on a voyage to taste local Australian, varieties of New Zealand via Austria and the steep slopes of Germany’s Rhine and Mosel.

Riesling also performs well in neighboring Austria and Alsace. In Alsace, contemporary producers are building richer, fuller style wines through later harvesting, longer fermentations and extended time on lees. Textured examples were the Domaine Barmès Buecher Riesling Hengst Grand Cru, of which the complex 2007 and 2010 varieties were available mastering the tightrope walk between a smidgeon of residual sweetness and electric acidity, finishing dry. Delish.

Interestingly, there is more Riesling planted in Australia than in France. Much of it was cultivated by Silesian settlers to South Australia. These Rieslings retain acidity due to cool night-time temperatures, while exhibiting aromas of mainly lime and citrus marmalade; with age and the nights favourite and recommendation from your humble narrator was Brackenwood – Adelaide Hills, SA (bio dynamic), with its Riesling 2015 and Riesling Botrytis 2014 varieties, textural and mouthfilling wines with a lovely cushioning of fruits.

The schist soils of Central Otago convinced with Lake Wanaka’s bio dynamic Riesling Jeunesse 2015 and Riesling Mature Vines 2013 varieties, which provided a smooth, lip smacking acidic transition to the top examples for Germanic Rieslings, a category in which Dr. Loosen’s WS Kabinett 2015 with its steeling crunchy acidity and the more affordable, aromatic 2014 Wittmann Hugel 100 with its floral top notes and hint of ripe tropical fruits managed to convince.

The evening which had a total of 40 Rieslings on offer was accompanied by freshly shucked oysters from the Ralston brothers, cheeses from Simon Johnson and a soundtrack that was much more agreeable than the emissions of the Acid House movement of the late 1980s.

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Photos by KAVV