Brisbane bookworms rejoice – you are one lot of lucky literary lovers.
The Lifeline Bookfest is back from this Saturday June 7 to Tuesday June 10.
Last time we were there we picked up all manner of bookish awesomeness,
including vintage cooking books and cheap-as-chips novels that, just quietly,
we’re still getting through. This one’s on at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition
Centre, 8am till 8pm Saturday to Monday, then 9am till 5pm on Tuesday. Funds
raised go towards Lifeline’s 24-hour crisis counselling line and prices start
at 20 cents. More than enough excuse to stock up on your winter reading stockpile.
Basia Bulat’s album Oh My Darling has been one of my favourite new finds this year. Charming folky pop goodness with ukuleles and autoharps and swoony violin bits – let’s just say it’s been getting quite a good guernsey on the old office stereo. Happy days then, because Basia is in Australia next week for a mini-tour, promoting the album and generally spreading some musical joy. She’s playing at The Toff, Melbourne on Wednesday June 11 and The Vanguard, Sydney on Thursday June 12 – you can get tickets for both shows at Moshtix – and then on Friday June 13 at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane as part of the Picasso Up Late series. Check out details at Qtix. See you there.
When is craft radical and revolutionary? When it gives a big ‘up yours’ to consumerist
society and the shrinking sense of community that goes with it. So say the people
behind the Craft Revolution exhibition at the QUT Art Museum, Brisbane, which opens
today and runs till July 13. There you’ll find all kinds of crafty goodness, from high
end art to RNA dollies and cakes, and a bit of a call to arms for crafters everywhere
to fight the system one stitch at a time. There’s also a Craft Revolution blog where
you’ll find interviews and articles from craft lovers across Australia.
Vive le crafty revolution!
Sydney craftisans, your bi-annual love in of all things homey and handmade
is here again: the Craft and Quilt Fair opens today and runs till June 15 at the
Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour. The last time I went to one of these
things I came out practically bankrupt. There is just too much cool stuff to
see and buy for one mere crafty mortal. So be strong, but be warned – there
are classes and tutorials as well as stalls selling just about everything: wool,
papercraft, doll patterns, embroidery kits, buttons, beads, stencils, sewing
stuff and quilty paraphernalia. Eek!
Melbourne movie buffs rejoice! Nova Cinemas are keeping the cold at bay by
dishing up a warming broth of Australian short films tomorrow night (Tuesday
June 17). You can see Little Wings by Polly Staniford (pictured), The Betel Tree
by Jakeb Anhvu, The Postman by Adam Bostock, N for Nelly by Katrina Mathers,
Dance Like Your Old Man by Gideon Obarzanek and Edwina Throsby and Last
Stop by Greg Williams, all for the not-so-princely sum of 11 bucks. Yum.
Fat is turning 10! To celebrate their birthday they are holding a one night only
exhibition and auction called Ten on Tuesday 17 June. The Great Fat Art Auction
with all proceeds being donated to The Immigrant Women's Domestic Violence Service
– a state-wide service in Victoria that provides support and crisis intervention to women
and children of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who experience
domestic violence. The exhibition will include works from 13 artists such as Rhys
Lee, Matthew Griffin, Elke Kramer and Beci Orpin. There will be 16 pieces up for
auction ranging from works on paper to sculpture. The event starts at The Murray
White Room (Sargood Lane, off Exhibition St, Melbourne) with the auction starting
at 7:30pm sharp. For more info x
Ooh – this looks like a good’un. Dreamily lo-tech cult camera company Lomography
are lending their lightwarping ways to The Blue Steel Tour, the co-headlining gig fest
from Yves Klein Blue and John Steel Singers. Lomo have given the bands a camera to
document all their touring shenanigans, on stage and off, and they’re also giving one
lucky punter a chance to win a Lomography Diana camera for themselves. As the tour
progresses, you can check out the Flickr site to see the band’s photos or if you’re at
a show, take a snap shot of either band and
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it in to win. The Blue Steel Tour
kicks off this week on Thursday June 19 at the Sol Bar, Coolum Beach, then on to
The Valley Studios in Brisbane on June 20 and 21, The Great Northern in Byron
Bay on June 22, Northcote Social Club in Melbourne on June 27 and Spectrum
in Sydney on June 28.
The creative cats at weAREtheIMAGEmakers are yet again bunging canvas-loads of loveliness up on gallery walls for the general amazement and amusement of the masses (that’s you and me by the way). In their new 12x12 exhibition, 12 Australian artists show 12 artworks each, all on 12x12 inch canvases. There’s treats from Apeseven, Ghostpatrol (art pictured below), Jae Copp, James Hancock, Jeremyville, Junior, Luke Feldman, Miso, Paul Meates, Plump Oyster, Sam Smith and Smc[3] on display in two shows in Sydney and Melbourne. Sydney kids: your 12x12 is on at the aMBUSH gallery, 4A James Street Waterloo. It opens tonight, June 20 from 6-9pm and runs Wednesday to Saturday from June 21 to July 5. Melbourne kids: you can have a look at No Vacancy Gallery, 27-33 Red Cap Lane. Opening night is July 18 from 6-9pm, then it runs from July 19 to 25. All that, and we promise not to say 12 any more. Oh, maybe just one: 12!
Gillian Benke's label Bencke has finally opened an on-line store with Made It. Still
being early days the little store has just a handful of unique pieces but there will be
regular additions so stay tuned as they arrive. Bencke is also involved in two exhibitions
this month. Wangaratta VIC : A Red World opened on Saturday 21 June at 4pm at
Wangaratta exhibitions Gallery. This runs until July 27. Fremantle WA : The Divided
Self opens today, June 22 and finishes July 6 at the Remedy and Footpath Gallery,
95 High Street, Fremantle.
Holy moley. I went to one of these The Way We Wear Fairs in Brisbane a while ago
and it was literally like falling into some down-the-rabbit-hole vintage wonderland
full of everything from 19th century gloves to ‘60s sundresses and earrings from the
1980s. So. Much. Fun. I walked away with bags full of secondhand lovelies. (Maybe
too many in my case, I seem to remember being a bit poor after that!) Anyway,
Sydney has its turn this weekend with a two-day fair at the Hunters Hill Town Hall
on June 28 and 29. Then there’s fairs Canberra, Brisbane and Adelaide over the next
couple of months. Check their website for details – definitely one to pop in the diary.
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