Category Archives: ARTS & CULTURE
Diane Arbus and more at the NGA
There’s a wonderful exhibition at the NGA till 30th October 2016 – Diane Arbus: American portraits.
Shawn Colvin & Steve Earle
Review: Colvin & Earle June 2016
Join two wonderful voices, join two approaches to making music and two lives that have crossed over several times, and you have two marvellous talents – and the result – a great album. Many of the songs are original – and some are covers. It’s all good stuff.
Recommended: Rating 8/10
Architecture
More on the Australia’s contribution to the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale
Auckland
Here’s a couple of photographs from my recent visit to Auckland for the 2016 Auckland festival of photography.
Auckland festival of photography
Exhibition Review: Home, 2 June – 20 June 2016
Auckland festival of photography
2016 Auckland festival of photography – June 2016
The 2016 Auckland festival of photography like many Australian photographic festival is very dependent on the enthusiasms and the energy of a small band of people, or more often than not, just one person.
Trump Baby
Another sign of wonder. This one we came upon while walking down a street in Auckland. That hair should be a registered trademark.
Canberra to Sydney coffee breaks
There will be some readers out there who remember well the terrors of driving between Sydney and Canberra before the freeways and motorways.
Architecture
Architects like to think that they are artists – and they work to achieve this by ‘amazing’ the world through very expensive stands at the Venice Architecture Biennale.
Architecture
Has Portland Lost its Way?
Arts exchange with Singapore and Wellington
First a positive note – full marks to the ACT Government for their efforts to achieve direct flights between Canberra and the cities of Wellington and Singapore.
Continue reading Arts exchange with Singapore and Wellington
Big Trees
While we often celebrate wood and things made out of such ‘natural’ products – it is good to reminded just where that all that wood came from and wonder whether we will see such beauty again.
Signs of Life and Wonder
Apparently the residents of Gungahlin have had enough of being a lower priority to other areas of Canberra.
Auckland Photography Festival
Click on the image for the link to the 2016 Auckland Photography Festival
photography
click on the image for the new 2016 series, Stardust, by Anna Carey.
photography
Click on the image to see the 2016 series by Michael Cook – Mother.
Architecture
Two stories on the state of architecture..
Photography
Photography is alive and very well –
Paul Simon
A new album is on the way – click above to hear about it.
contour 556 – Canberra’s new public art festival
contour 556 is Canberra’s new public art festival to be staged from Friday 21st October to Sunday 13th November, 2016
Continue reading contour 556 – Canberra’s new public art festival
Peter Garrett is back
The first track from his coming album, A Version of Now – which is to be released July 15
Canberra Visual Arts being Turnbulled
Last Friday 13th May was sad day, and very much a black Friday, for many in the arts across Australia.
Neil Young
Time to play this again – After The Goldrush – where it all began so many years ago.
Architecture
The Emperor has no clothes – surely not. Click on image for a story about Frank Gehry.
Civic Square architecture
City planners allow for all manner of formal spaces when plotting out the municipal aspects of any new township.
Being Turnbulled
click on the image for the story about Turnbull and the arts – and then
Places Women Make
Book Review: Places Women Make, Jane Jose, 2016
This book is a celebration of the contribution by women to our cultural, social and urban lives. The book has the secondary title ‘Unearthing the contribution of women to our cities.’
photography
Cindy Sherman
click on the image for the story from the New York Times
Climarte
click – here – for information about this poster project
Sydney contemporary art
There’s an announcement for a new biennale of Australian contemporary art. Good news – click on the image for The Guardian story – but..
Driving Canberra to Nowra
While some people may enjoy the buzz of living within densely population metropolitan cities, there are definite benefits to being in Canberra and being able to head out into the country in a few minutes, rather than struggling down the crowded toll ways.
Horace and Pete’s
Here’s a program that is absolutely wonderful – a fabulous online drama /piece of theatre / comedy /drama / social comment. Highly recommended.
Rediscovering Cazneaux
click on image for the link to the Daily Telegraph
Canberra’s suburban coffee
Sitting down on Easter Sunday to catch up with a friend over a cup of coffee (or two) in Braddon, reminded me of why it is not my favourite place to go on a weekend – let alone during the week.
Harold Cazneaux exhibition
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter’s new album ‘The Things That We Are Made Of’ will be available May 6th. Click on image for youtube preview.
Bob Dylan
Melancholy Mood
Bob Dylan has released a song, Melancholy Mood from his forthcoming album, Fallen Angel. The song is also on a four track EP released for Record Store Day. This is his second album of Frank Sinatra inspired songs – the first being Shadows InThe Night.
Lucinda Williams & Elvis Costello
Live from 2001 – Wild Horses – click on image for You Tube video
George Megalogenis
The latest in this great series – Quarterly Essay – by George Megalogenis on Balancing Act: Australia between recession and renewal – hits all the buttons and makes the case for urgent action on how the country is being run – or more to the point how bad our governments have been for at least the last decade on so many things that effect the long term viable of the place.
Urban Redevelopment Awards for Canberra
Sometimes you do have to wonder about things that come your way. Today I have to report on a media release that was sent around today on a new set of federal awards.
Wei Leng Tay—The Other Shore
Click on image for the exhibition details at China In The World (ANU)
Architecture
Most people normally go to a speech or presentation expecting to enjoy themselves and possibly to learn something or to be challenged by a set of views put forward. Here’s one presentation that mystifies!
Supermarket Monsters
Book Review
Supermarket Monsters:
The Price of Coles and Woolworths’ Dominance
This is yet another excellent quarterly publication by Redbacks Books – a subset of Black inc Books – publishers of The Monthly and the Saturday Paper.
Shetland
Review TV program on DVD: Shetland
There are several good crime dramas coming out of the UK that have a common theme – being a police unit in a region of the UK well away from metropolitan areas. Shetland is one these – the stories being located on the islands off the north east of Scotland. It is a good series – and for those who like their frequent dose of crime/ police/ dramas – this series is definitely recommended.
CULTUREGRRL by Lee Rosenbaum
The frustration of reading visual arts reviews is that many reviewers no longer express opinions.
Elton John’s Photos at the Tate
Helen Muspratt photographer
click on image
IMPRINT: photography at AGNSW
Imprint – photography and the impressionable image.
Art Gallery of NSW till 18 May 2016
Modernists at the AGNSW
Modernists: highlights from the European collection, till 25 April 2016
Malcolm Turnbull cultural vandal
Malcolm Turnbull cultural vandal
click on image for story
The failure in Canberra’s domestic architecture
Along with some very pointed questions that were posed at the recent talk at the Albert Hall, there were a couple about the lack of government leadership in emphasizing the value of good design and the importance of architecture.
Continue reading The failure in Canberra’s domestic architecture
Econobabble
Book Review
Econobabble: How to Decode Political Spin and Economic Nonsense, Richard Denniss 2016
This is the latest in the excellence series, Redback Quartery. And it is a good read – recommended.
Malcolm Turnbull cultural vandal
Mike Jones, University of Melbourne and Deb Verhoeven, Deakin University. This article was originally published on The Conversation.
Mount Ainslie lookout designers announced
Take a very hot day, take a small crowd of press and politicians and a few designers – and where would you head on a day of 36 degrees in Canberra.
Malcolm Turnbull cultural vandal
Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister is overseeing the vandalism of this country’s national cultural institutions. And he smiles so patronising while this is happening!
Canberra Tales: Lake George
Let’s start with the reality of this claim. Lake George is not in the ACT.
photography
The fog around Heritage Strategy
The ACT Government has commenced a period of consultations for the development of a five-year heritage strategy (see links below this post).
Taking time in the landscape
I like to drive. I enjoy the drive to and from Sydney. It is not everyone’s favourite drive but I find there is always something happening and there are always changes due to the weather and/or the season.
National Gallery Singapore
click on image above for the story about this very successful new national gallery.
Wollongong
Natalie Merchant
Credlin & Co
Credlin & Co.Wollongong – urban opportunities?
There is some brilliant work being delivered within the public realm by local governments across Australia.
Talking Plants
Interested in all things to do with the garden – and listening to people’s discussions around gardens? Talking Plants is a recommended program from Radio National on the ABC. Here’s a link to the program’s web page – click here.
Someone had the audacity to call green-walls – nothing but horticultural bling! Yes – totally agree.
Shimmer at Wollongong City Gallery
Brandy Clark
Video above for Brandy’s new single (2016) and for her 2013 album – click here.
Public Art Festival – Contour 556
Advance notice for a Canberra Public Art Festival for later in 2016.
Contour 556 is to be a three-week public art festival in Canberra 21 October – 13 November 2016 on the foreshores of Lake Burley Griffin (and other locations). Continue reading Public Art Festival – Contour 556
River
TV Review: River
A new six part series shown on the BBC late in 2015. Totally recommended.
This is not quite your usual detective drama. In fact it is so good, that I along with a couple of commentators hope that they do not try to make a second series. It was a great series and the ending was very complete – they do not need to revisit this story.
Sculpture walk through Civic
When reading the latest thought bubbles from the property lobby, it was difficult to avoid laughing out loud.
Neil Young
Australia Day is as good a day as any to replay this video clip – just a reminder of what we used to be – but as yet are yet to put aside.
Northbourne Ave
The ACT Government has released an updated overview of its planning for the redevelopment of Northbourne Ave.
More dogs, ducks and dubious decisons
A couple of follow ups to the previous post on Dogs, ducks and dubious decisions
Photographs of 1930s China by Stanley O. Gregory
Canberra Sculpture Walk proposal
When reading the latest thought bubbles from the property lobby, it was difficult to avoid laughing out loud. In their quest to improve Civic business activity, the Civic property lobby has recommended that the ACT Government should hand over money to assist in the refurbishment of the Melbourne and Sydney buildings.
Singapore International Photography Festival 2016
Open Call – Singapore International Photography Festival 2016 – click on graphic above
photography
Helen Levitt at Laurence Miller
Canberra Tales: Parliamentary Gardens
There are many tales to be told about the design and the delivery of Australia’s Parliament House. There is one that involves a very clever person who realised he had the opportunity to use an everyday object as part of his own business branding.
Credlin & Co
Waiting for this one – a book about one of the weirdest periods of Australian politics. From the publishers:
Credlin & Co. How the Abbott Government Destroyed Itself by Aaron Patrick. Tony Abbott and his chief of staff, Peta Credlin, ran a brilliant opposition campaign. But their approach led to disaster in government.
David Bowie
goodbye Major Tom…..
Architecture
For too many cities are being altered in not such a good way by over the top architecturally design structures by ‘star architects’.
NGA Photography – The world is beautiful
Reminder of this recommended exhibition at the NGA – click on the photo above.
New Zealand photography at Te Papa
Click on the image above for an article about the exhibition, New Zealand Photography Collected on at Te Papa in Wellington, NZ.
photography
The Auckland Festival of photography – for news on exhibitions and more – click on the image.
photography
A new exhibition about the Australian beach – this one contains paintings and a fine mix of photographs. (click on the image above for more images)
Blue Poles at the museum
There is talk in the art world about the National Gallery of Australia’s (NGA) changes to their permanent collection galleries and how this has included the movement of the famous Jackson Pollock painting, Blue Poles, from its long historic position downstairs to the upstairs galleries.
Mt Ainslie
I am not sure how many times I have driven people up Mt Ainslie to take in the magnificent panoramic views.
Clouds and wonder
Clouds and musings
Clouds and clouds
Clouds and contemplations
Clouds and peace
Clouds and roamings
Clouds and thoughts
Clouds and more rest
Clouds and resting
Tracy Chapman
Review: Tracy Chapman Greatest Hits 2015
The first thing to say is that tis is a great collection.
It is a new collection made by Tracy. The title – Greatest Hits – does not quite sit easily with this selection.
NGA Photography – The world is beautiful
In amongst the many changes across the National Gallery of Australia has been the opening up of a new exhibition of photographs from their own collection.