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 | | That other place - Zoe McMahon | | Credit: Rafaela Pandolfini | |
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What:
Five Dials Who:
Edited by Craig Taylor Where:
Download it here or have it delivered to your inbox monthly How much:
Free! | | Issue 11 of Five Dials begins with a note on lists, and how useful they can be as effective slices of biography, hinting at what's going on in a person's life at the time of list writing.
If I showed you my current list you might dislocate your jaw from yawning so hard ("Remove apostrophe from 'you're'", "Change photo background to white") so I thought instead I'd write a list of the things that went through my head while reading Five Dials:
1) Heh. 2) Say what? They got Raymond Chandler? 3) And Alain de Botton? 4) They're going dancing with Jonathon Safran Foer? 5) Who are these people? I'm googling! 6) Ohhhhh, I get it.
Five Dials quietly lives under the editorial wing of Hamish Hamilton, one of London's oldest publishing houses and home to the likes of Salinger, Sartre, Camus, Capote and Eggers, as well as all those mentioned above.
Each issue has a theme. This one's called 'Wilton's' and was put together to go with their Book Slam at Wilton's Music Hall (yeah, they do sweet literary events too - no big deal).
Final item on my list: 7) Hi Craig, wanna do a life swap? By Alice Fenton | | | |  |
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What:
The Magician's Private Library
Who:
Holly Miranda
On:
XL Recordings / Remote Control / Inertia
Myspace:
www.myspace.com/hollymiranda | | Words like magical, enchanting, and playful get used a lot these days. Unfortunately, they're often meant to endear you to bands whose work has more twinkling and twee affectation than real emotion.
These words could describe Holly Miranda's debut - yet DON'T be frightened by this (or the album's title or artwork...). This isn't fashionably coy, child-like naivety. Here, magic can be dark, enchantment can be overpowering, and play often ends in tears.
Production by Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio) fleshes out Miranda's powerful songs in lush, bombastic, cinema style, a suitable accompaniment to her strong, sultry voice. It's a nice surprise to see her songs are equally strong (and nearly totally different) performed acoustic on Yours Truly.
This is an album rich with varied emotions, some that grab you immediately ('Waves'), and others that grow on you over time ('Slow Burn Treason'). And Miranda's unmistakable talent makes it all look like child's play. By Wilfred Brandt | | | |  |
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What:
Art Month Where:
All around Sydney When:
Throughout March How much:
Most exhibitions and many events are FREE! | | You know what? There's way too much great stuff in Art Month to list here. Check out the schedule. Over 70 galleries are participating, and there are over 140 events - most of them free. If you can't find something that grabs your interest, you truly are a jaded douchebag.
Might we suggest:
1) Artist displays at Fairfax and Roberts (Michael Zavros), The Commons (Lyn and Tony, 24-28 March) and both Incu stores (Tara Marynowsk, CBD; Kate Rohde, Paddington).
2) The Art Month blog featuring emerging art writers
3) Wilderness group show at AGNSW
4) Art Bars! Two words that go so well together...
5) Brett Whiteley Studio Talk
6) Gemma Smith at Sarah Cottier Gallery
7) Saturday shuttle buses (everyone loves a free ride)
8) David Griggs and Adam Cullen at Kaliman
9) Getting inside the old Carlton Brewery in Fraserstudios Open Studio Day!
Sydney doesn't have a centralised ‘arts district'. This has benefits (more variety, less homogeneity) and drawbacks (less community, and low profile). We see Art Month combating the bad without negating the good. This, is good. By Wilfred Brandt | | | |  |
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What:
Lamella Art Books
Where:
748 Bourke St, Redfern
When:
Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-3pm
How much:
From $40
Contact:
9319 2598 or sales@lamella.com.au Image:
Ernesto Neto: Anthropodino
| | The lamella is a thin layer or membrane within an organism - in a mushroom it's the gills. At Lamella Art Books, these layers are likened to the pages of a book. And conveniently this specialist book stop has a mushroom effect of contemplation.
In 1974, Lamella was conceived by one Victoria Palmerson in Amsterdam who, while immersed in a scene of specialists and distributors of the art book and obscure title sector, recognised Sydney's need for a warm house of visual and critical edification.
Lamella's focus is global, tapping remote publishers and local heads. They celebrate parking ideas on a page with distinctive permanence. Longtime distributor to the State and University Libraries, we can be sure their papered quantities are quality.
Artist monographs on Futureology and biomorphic installation sit beside collections of photography, printmaking, interior, landscape design, fashion and more. Addressing our new age of considered purchase, here the spines aren't used, dusty and spindly, they're new, heavy and the prices suggest they're immortal. By Lisa Lerkenfeldt | | | | | |  |
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What:
The Men Who Stare At Goats
Where:
In cinemas from Mar 4
Watch Trailer:
Here
Win:
Thanks to Sony, we have 5 dbls! To enter, email win@twothousand.com.au with the subject line ‘The sparkly eyes technique will be with you, always' | | This shaggy comedy is very loosely based on an incredible true story: the US Army's secret elite squad of Jedi-like psychic warriors. It's pretty much an excuse for Oscar-nominated actors to clown about like doofuses. Actually, I've always preferred George Clooney's wild-eyed slapstick (Burn After Reading, O Brother Where Art Thou?) to his suave or serious roles. And as "New Earth Army" star operative Lyn Cassady, Clooney strikes a nice balance between wackiness and a touching innocence.
The film shines in some very funny flashback sequences explaining the unit's history. The Dude abides in Jeff Bridges's genial Bill Django, the unit's hippie leader, while Kevin Spacey is unctuous as Larry Hooper, the psychic who crossed over to the ‘dark side'. There's interpretive dance, LSD experiments, "sparkly eyes technique" and, yes, Boston's ‘More Than A Feeling'.
However, the overarching narrative following Ewan ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi' McGregor's journalist, Bob Wilton, was the film's weakest link. McGregor is seemingly only in the film to be a straight man for Lyn and to enable intertextual Star Wars jokes. His journey from skeptic to believer is implausibly swift, and the film's final scene is risibly lame. By Mel Campbell | | | |  |
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What:
Karla Spetic
Where:
Online here
When:
Get in quick while sale lasts
How much:
From $59 | | Lollies that fizz on your tongue, naïve children's watercolours, farmyards viewed from afar and the aroma of warm butter ... the dresses, hard-tailored pieces, mouthwatering swimsuits and wispy tanks of Karla Spetic's designs call to mind a hardy femininity, a history tempered by freshness.
Born in the fairytale-like city of Dubrovnik on the coast of Croatia, Spetic moved to Australia in 1993 and after graduating from the East Sydney Fashion Design Studio launched her label in 2006. You can see influences from both hometowns; the mature lace and elegant drapery of Central Europe, the pairing of sorbet colours a breath of fresh air from Sydney's beaches. Either way, you'll want your hands, arms, legs and heads covered by both, and her new online shop makes it easy no matter what continent you're on. By Angela Bennetts | | | | | |  |
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What:
Bloodwood
Where:
416 King St, Newtown When:
Wed-Thur 5pm-late, Fri-Sat 12pm-late, Sun 12pm-10pm Contact:
9557 7699 View map | | "It's like if Thailand made a pasta sauce." This was by way of a compliment, perhaps abstracted, so enamoured was a drinking companion of the Bloody Mary at Bloodwood. I tried it: it was incredible, and I'm not usually a huge fan of the drink. So, while she writhed and poured forth proclamations of love for the cocktail artist behind the concoction, we got stuck into some food and wine.
A seasonal menu including polenta chips with gorgonzola dipping sauce, a salad of grilled squid with herb and green olive dressing, or just some marinated olives was all well executed. The rosé was going down a treat on a Saturday eve. But the real highlight was when I realised I was enjoying all this while a GZA joint banged through the speakers. That required a late Hennessy. Or, if you were the aforementioned companion, another Bloody Mary. By Alex Vitlin | | | |  |
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What:
Portable presents: Refinery29
Where:
Museum of Sydney, cnr Bridge and Phillip St, CBD
When:
Wed Mar 17, 6pm
How much:
$45/$40 here Win:
Thanks to Portable we have a dbl pass to giveaway! To enter, email us with the subject line 'Do you have these in Champagne?' View map | | Piera Gelardi and Philippe von Borries have excellent names. They are also very clever, and are the two key people behind one of New York's most forward thinking online fashion publications, REFINERY29.
Followed by millions every month, REFINERY29 caters to an international fashion audience through a range of online avenues, including designer shops, interactive trend reporting and style guides. In short, these two people who may or may not be named after expensive champagnes are completely switched on, work digital media like it's a pair of Louboutins and have more business savvy than our entire island put together.
They're visiting our shores to cover the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival and meet local designers, and Portable have also convinced them to speak (live, in front of an audience that is - I'm sure they speak quite regularly amongst themselves). Get in quick because their last tour sold out faster than the Chanel quilted clutch. By Alice Fenton | | | | | |  |
| | What:
Big Fashion Sale
Where:
BJB Studios, 259 Riley St, Surry Hills
When:
Thur Mar 4 - Sat Mar 6, 10am-5pm
How much:
Cheap View map | | Description:
Apparently the ‘GFC' is over. So you know what that means? It's time to crack open the piggy bank. And where better to spend those dusty dollars than the Big Fashion Sale. For 21 hours only, BJB Studios will transform into fashion wonderland, offering a whole host of sweet clobber from some of Australia's leading designers. There are over 30 labels confirmed including Shakuhachi, TV, Nathan Smith, Rittenhouse and Marnie Skillings. Get ready to rummage. - MW | | | | What:
Everything's Alright - Hossein Ghaemi, Andrew Liversidge, Yasmin Smith Where:
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, 8 Soudan Ln, Paddington When:
Opens Thur Mar 4, 7.30-10pm
Runs until Mar 27 How much:
Free View map | | Description:
Come and have a squiz (and a chuckle) at promising new talent on show at the Roslyn Oxley where a gaggle of twelve decked in whirling dervish dresses and cone hats will perform songs, chants and mimicked actions. All of which will undoubtedly make you think of religious cults. The show also includes Andrew Liversidge's work, Clearing the Mists, an intriguing short video of himself in a boat, extracting air from the sky with a vacuum cleaner. Yasmin Smith's If I Could Come Near Your Beauty With My Nails features massive, bent nails that appear industrialised but are constructed of ceramic, suggesting a heightened emotional state and fragility. - MP | | | | What:
Pavement
Where:
Enmore Theatre, 130 Enmore Rd, Newtown
When:
Thur Mar 4 & Fri Mar 5, 7.30pm
How much:
$73.50 here
Win:
One of two dbl passes. To enter, email win@twothousand.com.au with the subject 'Cut Your Hair' View map | | Description:
Pavement are reuniting for some one-off shows - old news. But what were the chances they would be playing those in Australia? Pretty slim, Jim. But then the interwebs started rumouring that Malkmus and his cohorts were considering a down under getaway - six months before they play the states, preposterous! No. TRUE. In some sort of a one-in-a-million snowball of fortune minus a chubby host, Pavement play in Sydney. Twice. And that just goes to show you the power of positive vibes. Or maybe just the power of Pavement. - NP | | | | What:
High Reflections presents Tim Hecker
Who:
Tim Hecker, Peter Newman, Alex White
Where:
The Sandringham Hotel, 387 King St, Newtown
When:
Fri Mar 5, 8pm
How much:
$12 View map | | Description:
When describing Tim Hecker's music, the best thing to do is make geographical analogies. Talk of "tectonic colour plates" and "notes and chords, like fissures in the earth" is fitting when related to an album called Imaginary Country. Plus, he's from Montreal known for its series of interconnected city tunnels, and that means he's one step closer to the earth's core than you or I. He's washed his ambient electronic tides over Sónar and Primavera and Transmediale internationally, now see him as part of the High Reflections series for Serial Space, in the Sando's new-ish band room! - CB
| | | | What:
Babylon Circus
Where:
The Basement, 29 Reiby Pl, Circular Quay
When:
Fri Mar 5, 9.30pm
How much:
$45 + bf here
Win:
An album and a dbl pass. To enter, email win@twothousand.com.au with the subject 'Musical Terrorism Act' View map | | Description:
Police chases + beatings and imprisonment + bathtub vodka + double concussions + Muslim carnival processions in Syria = has to be seen to be understood at Babylon Circus. A nine piece gypsy, reggae, ska, dancehall, Gogol Bordello-esque ensemble, all the way from France. Every show sold out on their last Australian tour, so you'd better round up that loose change and grab a ticket. Or convince us to give you ours. - HM | | | | What:
Creative Collaborations
Who:
Romance Was Born talks with Del Kathryn Barton, Bill Henson talks with Jim Sharman Where:
Surry Hills Library, 405 Crown St, Surry Hills When:
Fri Mar 5, 6pm-8pm How much:
$20 got you two talks, drinks on a terrace, and the privilege of not having to be quiet in a library, but it just sold out! Fight for a ticket! See below. Win:
A dbl pass. To enter, email win@twothousand.com.au with the subject 'Two heads are better than one' View map | | Description:
Del Kathryn Barton knows about Creation: her last show had a gigantic one. As part of Art Month, She'll be talking to Romance Was Born, who deal also in higher matters (incl. price tags and hemlines). Bill Henson and Jim Sharman are friends and into similar things - including music, human drama and taking and making pictures - they talk in the second part of the night. The Art Month Sydney Creative Collaborations series starts at Surry Hills Library this Thursday, and goes on through March. Take note of: sequins referencing dot painting. - BS | | | | What:
So Serious Collective present Anoraak
Where:
Oxford Art Factory, 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst
When:
Sun Mar 6, 9pm
How much:
$20 here
Win:
A dbl pass. To enter, email win@twothousand.com.au with the subject 'nightdrive with you' View map | | Description:
Living by the maxim that you dance first, think later, it's easy for me to push aside dreary obligations and get swept up in the music. So the rare chance to see Anoraak headline a massive night of electro and dance at OAF isn't easily overlooked. Presented by So Serious Collective, international big-gun Anoraak will join the likes of Dan Cares!, Three Fingers, Awkward Boys and more, for what is set to be an epic celebration of electro. They say this is a once in a lifetime opportunity but we don't need much convincing. - JP | | | | | |  |
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So, here's a board game. This WIN is like that Johnny Cash song where someone says to the old man, "Hey, lookee here, your flag's kinda tattered," and then he is forced to sit down as the old man explains in rhyme that everyone from Washington to Robert E Lee done bled on it, and the passerby should keep his tootin thoughts to himself.
So, back to the game: World Domination. You think you don't like board games? Think again Beauregard. It's not our place to try and outdo the great scribes who have penned odes to WD over the years, so the short story is, it was invented by Chris Crouch, of Candle Records (got rest its rubber soul).
"When I was a kid I played monopoly and trivia pursuit to death. I thought playing for plastic pieces and houses were small time, so playing for the world was the natural progression. I invented the game then but no company would put it out. Twenty years later, no board game had combined the most popular elements of money and trivia so I thought it was time to unleash my childhood idea." | | Chris dreamt of buying Australasia, Asia, Europe and the Americas for 19,750,000 World Dollars. He dreamt...of dominating. Truth be told, he was never going to do that by getting a bank loan for board game production - and he knows that now - but he has crafted a piece of history in the process. There are only 100 boxes left in all the world, so get over to the website and buy one now. Or enter our competition. This week's question:
She's getting thread bare, and she's wearin' thin,
a) but she's in good shape, for the shape she's in.
b) did you put my board game in the bin?
c) here's a nice way for losers to win.
d) I'd like to buy Chris Crouch a gin.
Send your answer, name and mailing address to win@twothousand.com.au. Winners will be notified by email. Subscriber only entry! Not a subscriber? It's free you biscuits! Sign up here.
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ISSUE 323Feb 02 - Feb 09 2012
ISSUE 322Jan 25 - Feb 01 2012
ISSUE 321Jan 19 - Jan 26 2012
ISSUE 320Jan 12 - Jan 19 2012
ISSUE 319Dec 22 - Dec 29 2011
ISSUE 318Dec 15 - Dec 22 2011
ISSUE 317Dec 08 - Dec 15 2011
ISSUE 316Dec 01 - Dec 08 2011
ISSUE 315Nov 24 - Dec 01 2011
ISSUE 314Nov 17 - Nov 24 2011
ISSUE 313Nov 10 - Nov 17 2011