Category Archives: ARTS & CULTURE
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.
Highly recommended – Tom Roberts at the NGA
The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) has launched a major Tom Roberts exhibition.
Continue reading Highly recommended – Tom Roberts at the NGA
Architecture: UTS Gehry eyesore
It seems that the UTS Gehry building has won another award, this time as the Eyesore of the Month from James Kunstler.
The Canadian Photography Institute
Good news from Canada about photography – click on the image above
Neil Young
Music Review: Bluenote Cafe, Neil Young (2015)
If you like Neil Young’s music, then this album must make its way into your collection. This is Neil Young at his best and doing so as a Blues musician.
The music is from live recordings from 1987 – 1988 and is more or less based around his studio album, This Note’s For You .
Quarterly Essay: Political Amnesia
Reviews: Quarterly Essay 60 — Political Amnesia
How we forgot how to govern, Laura Tingle, November 2015
This is a recommended read for those with any sort of interest in how Australia has been and continues to be manged by the political ruling classes for the last couple of decades. I cannot say that anything Laura Tingle wrote about was shocking news, given my own experiences of dealing with governments and their bureaucracies, but her insights and observations are definitely worth the read.
Architecture: The Goods Line
Architecture
Northbourne heritage
The decision by the ACT Heritage Council to heritage list 17 of the Northbourne housing precinct does confuse the developments being proposed for the gateway to Canberra.
Mark Seymour
Good to see artists speak out on issues – click on the image for the story
Music Review: Natalie Merchant
Paradise Is There: The New Tigerlily Recordings (2015)
It is the done thing for musicians to cover other musicians songs and to do new arrangements of those songs rather than just attempting to mimic them.
National Gallery Singapore
Canberra Tales: Two huts of protest
If you happen to be driving past the South African Embassy in Canberra, you may notice a lonely and disused sentry box on the corner near the entrance to the embassy and its residence.
NGA Photography
Opening 4th December 2015: The world is beautiful
Climarte
CLIMARTE is curating an exhibition by Australia artist Debbie Symons. The artwork is a digital work titled Counting One to Four: Nature morte. Click on the image for more.
Spray For Paris
Click on image for the story in The Guardian
Show me a Hero
Review: Show me a Hero
This program is recommended. It is a six part mini series based on a book. The book was in turn was based on a series of events about 30 years ago in Yonkers New York to do with resistance by a white neighbourhood to the introduction of social housing.
Green Square Zetland Sydney
We start with words from the City of Sydney – that contains all those words that make sensible people run for cover:
Australian Art at the NGA
Sometimes a visit to the National Gallery of Australia can deliver a very nice surprise.
Kingston Arts Precinct – to be or not to be?
When the ACT Government announced in October that they were putting out to tender the development of an arts precinct within the Kingston Foreshore, it did send a quiet ripple through those involved in the arts.
Continue reading Kingston Arts Precinct – to be or not to be?
Peace for Paris
Nick Brandt
Click on the image for the link to the gallery page for the artist – and for more, see this article
copenhagen
A nice blog worth visiting, philscopenhagen – click on the image above.
Neil Young
Neil Young has launched a new website with the aim of educating people about world conservation. Click here for the story in Rolling Stone – or for the direct link to the site – click here.Benedict Cumberbatch & refugees
click on image for the story
Germaine Krull
Philippe Halsman at Jeu de Paume
click on image for the story from ArtDaily
When Soak Becomes Spill
click on image for the story of the work by Subodh Gupta
Your daily grind
Click on image for story about people’s daily grind – and then for more – click here.
Award for freedom of expression in art
click on the image for the story from The Straits Time and more on FX Harsono
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton enjoys his 70th birthday at the Albert Hall London. Click on the image for the video
A voice from behind a pillar
The photo above has a weird architectural feature that reminded me of an event that was even stranger.
Women photographers
The fight to gain equity in the recognition of women in the art world just keeps on having to be repeated. The historical biases just do not go away.
But then along comes something that is really strange.
Andrew Sayers
Click on the image for an article by Sasha Grishin on Andrew
What next for Floriade
As mentioned in an earlier post, the ACT Government is under pressure from the National Capital Authority to move Floriade out of Commonwealth Park west.
Natalie Merchant
here’s another opportunity to enjoy Natalie Merchant – Equestrienne
Kingston Arts Precinct
There’s was a recent announcement that the government is calling for developers to put forward proposals to develop part of the Kingston Foreshore site as an arts precinct.
One wonders what their perception and concept of what is art precinct. Then there will be the issues that the government is looking for a commercial entity to propose an arts precinct.
The Bowen Place underpass
The Bowen Place underpass has been a long time in coming — and is very welcomed. It is a job well done.
Australian politician and the arts
One of these images is of an ass. One of these images is of a painting.
Monash Gallery of Art & Bowness
The MGA has announced Joseph McGlennon as the winner of the 2015 Bowness prize.
There’s an online video made before the announcement – Guardian Australian photo editor Jonny Weeks and photographer Mike Bowers discuss the entires and their picks for the winners. click here.
One giant step for Downer
Many years ago the suburb of Downer had a thriving shopping centre and a bustling school next door.
Wendy Whiteley’s secret Sydney garden
click on the image for the story from the Guardian
Glebe Park threatened by The ACT Chief Minister
More than thirty years ago there was a very vocal community campaign to halt the take over of Glebe Park.
Continue reading Glebe Park threatened by The ACT Chief Minister
Barangaroo & architectural sour grapes
The whole of the Barangaroo story is messy. Sydney based architectural writers are not very happy. Yes their chosen few did not get the contract. Yes even the next team did not survive.
Creating boring
Last week I made the bold statement that “There is little evidence that this ACT Government understands the importance of and the linkages between integrated design, aesthetics, landscape, infrastructure, cities, the environment and climate change.”
Barangaroo
Barangaroo Reserve, opened to the public in August 2015. It was immediately greeted with much enthusiasm and was declared a success.
How high for the High Court?
The High Court of Australia, which opened in 1980, is the tallest building on the southern central foreshore of Lake Burley Griffin. Its architectural style, being brutalist concrete and glass, is not exactly friendly.
Notes on the Death of Culture
New Book: Mario Vargas Llosa, Notes on the Death of Culture
I suspect that many people would agree that the joys and subtleties of culture is under threat by mass media technologies and the expectations of the immediate. The demise of culture is addressed in a new book “Notes on the Death of Culture”. This is not a joyous read as it is more about being in a state of despair about so many things about us in western society.
The Gift of the Daguerreotype
The extraordinary story of how photography was kick started through a French Government initiative – a gift to the world. Click on the image
Canberra tales: As your building sinks, get out!
It was not long ago that occupants of a new Civic office building reported faults appearing in the structure. Office workers noticed that floors were sagging.
Continue reading Canberra tales: As your building sinks, get out!
photojournalist Esther Bubley
National Museum of Women in the Arts exhibits work by photojournalist Esther Bubley – click on photo for information
A Photograph
Maybe it was left behind to collect any stray mail.
Architecture
Women on TV
The New York Times article on women in TV is a sad tale of how far things have advanced with women’s employment. In this case, the author states that things did improve but that it was a spike rather than a trend. Click here for the article.
Women Photographers
There needs to be more articles such as this one from The Guardian.
Vera
Review: Vera on DVD
This is a series for any crime drama fans. The stories are based in North East England, complete with accents and marvellous countryside. While the characters are important to the story lines, they do not dominate and so the crime story remains at the centre of attention throughout.
The main character, Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope, is portrayed successfully and is totally enjoyable.
Marion Boyce
A visit to Rippon Lea (Melbourne) to see the wonderful exhibition of costumes produced by Marion Boyce for the ABC program Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.
Mammon
Review: Mammon on DVD (2014)
This one of series ticks all the boxes for having all the right elements for yet another Nordic Noir TV series. Trouble is that it just does not work.
There are many things to like but these are countered by too many things that are not so likeable.
Another Northbourne obscure message
The ACT Government’s Land Development Agency (LDA) circulated a media release late last week that I think was meant to be good news and was supposed to inform us that something is about to happen along Northbourne Ave.
Photographic Portraits from West Africa
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
In and Out of the Studio
Photographic Portraits from West Africa
August 31, 2015–January 3, 2016
Click image for link to the museum – or for ArtDaily – click here
John Mayall
First Listen: New John Mayall album
Find a Way To Care – John Mayall (2015)
For all the many John Mayall fans this is great news. A new album and even better, John and his band are in top form. There’s more than usual use of keyboards and a few with strong brass instruments.
Obituary Rose Farrell 1949 – 2015
It with great sadness that we heard that our friend Rose Farrell died recently. There’s a very good piece about Rose written by Robert Nelson — click here.
Spiral (Engrenages)
Review – Spiral on DVD
This is a wonderful French TV series – that has the title Spiral which is not an accurate translation of the French title – Engrenages. The story lines are more about how they are meshed together rather than being in any spiral.
The writing is great and the characters are all interesting and well-played by the actors. This series is totally recommended.
Amy Helm
First Listen: Amy Helm, Didn’t It Rain (2015)
I have had the pleasure of recently discovering the wonderful talent of Amy Helm. While her music is probably somewhere in the style of Americana and alt/country, there is a great mix of other styles in there, from blues and gospel and more. She makes great music.
Recommended: rating 8/10
national gallery singapore
Opening Celebrations announced
Starts 24 November. Complimentary entry for visitors from 24 Nov – 6 Dec 2015. Click on image for link to gallery website.
Poor Man’s Kapoor
click on the image for the story
Windows 10 is not really free
click on the image to see what you give away when you upload the ‘free’ system
Amazon
More stories about employment inside Amazon (click on the image)
photography
Click on image for Jeffrey Milstein’s photo essay on inequity in LA neighbourhoods
Natalie Merchant
Wonderful news for those who follow Natalie Merchant’s music.
Anne Summers Report
August/September 2015 issue available online – click on the image for the download
Canberra Tales: Keeping the home fires burning
It was not that long ago that winter in Canberra meant that the air was filled with smoke.
Continue reading Canberra Tales: Keeping the home fires burning
Julia Margaret Cameron
After taking up photography at fifty-eight, Julia Margaret Cameron produced a remarkable and distinctive body of work, writes Richard Johnstone (The Inside Story). Click here for Richard’s review of the exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales – click here for the gallery link.
photography
ARTnews + Art In America
As art publication struggle along with other hard copy magazines, there’s interesting news about how ARTnews and Art in America are to merge to form the world’s largest art-media company.
Canberra Tales: NGA steps to nowhere
The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) opened its new wing in 2010 and amongst several key improvements was the realignment of the main front entrance.
Internecine: The Vanished Musicians
Review — Internecine: The Vanished Musicians
The exhibition, Internecine — The Vanished Musicians is a multi media exhibition that deals with immigration issues that are part of Australia’s recent history.
Smith Street Collingwood
The changing face of a much-loved street
Walking down Smith Street in Collingwood (Melbourne) there’s a massive new development underway that is about to bring change to the culture of the street. Continue reading Smith Street Collingwood
east asian art at CMAG
The Canberra Museum and Gallery (CMAG) is presently staging an exhibition not to be missed.
stop the boats
Here’s a couple of perspectives on the so-called ‘stop the boats’.
Dismaland
There’s been quiet a bit of writing online about Bansky’s latest project – Dismaland.
I am not sure what to make of it as theme parks would be something I would not even contemplate visiting. But yet, when irony is the theme, would I go. Still not sure. Meanwhile here’s a bunch of reviews and comments:
First the Guardian has a couple – one here and then another here.
The New Yorker writer writes from her own experiences of her holidays on the coast. click here.
The UK Telegraph liked it – click here.
and after reading all this – and looking at the videos and pictures – I am still not convinced.
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Paul Costigan
Urban Space Design in Canberra
Here in Canberra there is a trend for larger urban space jobs for the government project managers to look elsewhere for the designers and consultants. As a result the city has had many design solutions that have not quite worked. We can do a lot better!
The Legacy
Review – The Legacy on DVD
Here’s my short take on this: It’s very good, fun to watch, but not great. Recommended.
New Philosopher
Highly Recommended Reading.
The July 2015 issue of New Philosopher has the theme of Property. This magazine has loads of engaging short essays and heaps of great graphics — and photographs.
This issue on Property is very timely as the debate around housing, affordability and ownership continue to dominate how we are making decisions about our cities and towns.
Cilla Black
Cilla Black dies – see video above and the report in the guardian here.
photography
A round up of current happenings in photography – via posts on Art Daily. Here’s the first:
Exhibition of botanical photographs by Karl Blossfeldt opens at Pinakothek der Moderne – click on the image
Dickson Parklands
Fact checking statements about Dickson Parklands.
There have been inaccurate media statements and comments online by the bureaucracy and others about the actions of residents to save the Dickson Parklands.
Photography in Singapore
Loke Hong Seng at Yeo Workshops, Gillam Barracks Singapore till 6 Sept 2015
click on image for exhibition details
climate change
a photograph from The Guardian. Not a fun place to be. click on image for the article
Neil Young
Neil Young has released a 10-minute short film, Seeding Fear. Click here for the link.
Bunda Street Shareway
I recently took the opportunity to observe the new shareway along Bunda Street.
Mind The Art
Mind the art: Transport for London unveils new commissions for the tube (click on image)
Gateways into Canberra
I enjoy the drive between Sydney from Canberra. I do it reasonably often. The mood of the country changes according to the weather, the drought, the latest rains and the time of the day.