City Hub 23 November

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city hub 23 NOVEMBER 2017

Glebe ferry floated

BY JOHN MOYLE Ferries are only in the news when one crashes into a wharf or gets called Ferry McFerry Face, but for state politician Jamie Parker, they are big news all the time, as he garners support to see the introduction of ferry services into Glebe and Annandale.

“I have been pressing this issue in the local community since my election in 2011, and we have over 3,000 residents supporting the campaign to date,” Jamie Parker, Member for Balmain, says.

One look at the Glebe demographics from the 2016 Census shows that when the area is compared against destinations with similar statistics it has a reasonable argument for a ferry service.

According to the 2016 census Glebe and Forest Lodge has a population of 18,945, with 3,788 working full time and 1,802 working part time.

A further 2,500 people are shortly to be housed in the new Harold Park development, most of which will be full time and essential services workers.

Glebe also supports 1,945 businesses drawing people from within and outside the area.

The combined Glebe-Forest Lodge area has 7,500 people travelling for work each day, while 6,500 people commute into the suburbs daily.

Mr Parker’s report uses a figure of 8 per cent of Glebe’s working population to estimate the number of trips, with daily return trips totalling 1,200 trips, making a weekly total of 6,000 return trips.

This does not take into account the large numbers of students, retirees and tourists who would use the service throughout the week and weekends.

The report summary commissioned by Mr Parker calculates that inner city locations sharing similar residential density to Glebe can be used to model the number of potential ferry users for Glebe.

Ferries capable of reaching narrow bays like Glebe foreshore need to have shallow hulls.

Photo: TimBo

Figures for Kirribilli show that 9.1 per cent of the suburb’s workers use ferry travel, while Balmain is 6.9 per cent and jumps to 23 per cent for Balmain East.

Glebe is currently serviced by the Dulwich Hill light rail, with stations at Glebe and Jubilee Park, and bus routes along Glebe Point Road and Parramatta Road.

Parker’s vision for a Glebe ferry service is nothing new, as it has an infamous historical precedent.

“Matthew Burns operated a ferry service to Glebe Point and Annandale in 1880, with the ferry wharf being at the end of Ferry Road,” Ted McKeown, past president, Glebe Society, says.

“The fare into the city was a penny, but in 1903 the service went broke and was abandoned.”

Locating a ferry wharf at the bottom of Ferry Road today could be problematic due to the foreshore area being home to The BoatHouse on Blackwattle Bay restaurant and Sydney University’s Women’s Rowing Club.

“I didn’t even know about a ferry wharf for here,” Jan, receptionist, The Boathouse says, while no one from the rowing club was available for comment.

But the proposal is far more than one politician’s pet project, and is being seriously discussed by stakeholder including Transport for NSW and private ferry operators SeaLink.

“The government has adopted the proposal for a ferry stop at Glebe in their long term plan for Sydney ferries and we need to make that a reality,” Parker adds.

“Transport for NSW is committed to longerterm planning, which will consider options to expand the transport network in line with future demand and urban renewal opportunities, and ferry services to Glebe and Annandale will be considered as part of this approach,” Spokesperson, Transport for NSW, says.

SeaLink already operate a number of harbour routes for Transport for NSW and are keen to explore the possibility of adding extra capacity, but feel that they have been thwarted by a lack of responses to approaches made in the past.

“There were efforts made and meetings lined up, but they just kept on getting cancelled, and we were not getting much traction with the City of Sydney’s properties managers, who were important as to getting clarity on whether or not we could operate from that wharf,” Michael Hughes, Commercial Director, SeaLink, says.

Mr Hughes also claimed that planned meetings with Jamie Parker had never eventuated, an accusation to which Parker had no reply.

If a Glebe ferry is to receive serious consideration, the plan also needs to take in the broader Bays Precinct that includes White Bay Power Station, Sydney Fish Markets, Wentworth Park, Rozelle, Blackwattle and Johnston Bays and the White Bay overseas passenger terminal.

“We have small ferry called a ‘Tubby’ with a sixty passenger capacity with a small wash profile and draw, that we feel is perfect for these conditions,” Michael Hughes says.

In the meantime Jamie Parker is continuing his mission to gather support from he community that will use the services.

“I think a ferry service for Glebe and Annandale is a great idea and Jamie has just a put a mail out into letterboxes about getting further interest,” Jan from Gleebooks says.

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BY JOSH KINDL The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) and The Powerhouse Museum are preparing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the latter’s future, new reports indicate.

A UTS spokesperson confirmed that the university was developing an MOU with The Powerhouse Museum to “facilitate further opportunities to work together closely and better streamline and co-ordinate that effort,” and demonstrated both organisations “shared commitment to working together in areas of common interest.”

The spokesperson elaborated that these areas of interest could include, “co-sponsored lectures, continued investigation of shared research opportunities, including possible research knowledge exchange sessions, further growth of internship opportunities with MAAS for UTS students and expanded Sydney Science Festival engagement.”

This announcement follows recent speculation that UTS was planning to purchase The Powerhouse Museum as the institution prepares for its move to the heart of the western suburbs, Parramatta.

Speaking on the MOU, a spokesperson from Pyrmont History Group said that residents welcomed any measures that would help the museum stay in Ultimo.

“We’re entirely in favour of [the MOU], because one of the strengths of The Powerhouse is the fact that it’s close to learning institutions such as UTS, such as Sydney Tech, such as Sydney Uni. “UTS has been using the theatres for some time for lectures, there’s a good routine in place and the relationship is very good. It’s excellent.”

Member for Pyrmont, Alex Greenwich agreed that UTS was an optimal partner for The Powerhouse Museum going forward, citing the two institution’s similar mission statements.

“The University of Technology Sydney’s science, technology and design focus links well with the MAAS’s core purposes and a partnership between the two could help keep a cultural presence at the current Powerhouse.”

An MOU is usually a preface to some kind of legal contract entered into by two parties, and is the strongest indicator yet that the Powerhouse may continue to have an inner-city presence even with the proposed move out west.

The University of Technology is working with the Powerhouse Museum to better plan its future. Photo: Alec Smart

The controversial decision to move the museum from Ultimo to Parramatta was announced in 2014 by the Baird Government, with current NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s $140 million land purchase along the bank of Parramatta River affirming the state’s commitment to moving the museum.

In reports earlier this year, the Premier stated the new Powerhouse Museum in Parramatta would include “iconic items currently in Ultimo” and that the new museum would be “bigger and better than anything the state has seen.”

Residents, community organisations and businesspeople have been vocal in their displeasure for the move.

Convenor of the Council of Ultimo/Pyrmont Associations, Mary Mortimer said that, in deciding to move The Powerhouse Museum out west, the state government made a dire mistake.

“The idea of moving The Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta is nonsense. What Parramatta needs is its own historic museum, which is developed via the input of the Parramatta and Western Suburbs community, [which has] nothing to do with Ultimo.”

Mr Greenwich said while he supported a move to install a museum in Western Sydney, it was imperative the state government doesn’t lose the Ultimo site, either to demolition or development.

“I have long supported annexing a Western Sydney museum, in line with the museum’s 2020 vision, provided it does not decimate this longstanding cultural institution.

“It is vital that any agreement sees MAAS continue public exhibitions at Ultimo and does not allow privatisation or development of open space in what is already the most densely populated precinct in the country.” city hub 23 NOVEMBER 2017

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Marriage Equality post-mortem

BY JOHN MOYLE Last Wednesday Sydney’s Prince Alfred Park made a spectacular backdrop as the focal point for the announcement of the Same-Sex Marriage plebiscite.

Stars Magda Szubanski, John Paul Young, Rickee-Lee, Alfie Arcuri, Peking Duk and thousands of marriage equality supporters were gathered on the bright morning not knowing what to expect.

Across the nation millions held their breath as David Kalisch, the Australian Bureau of Statistics chief statistician direct from Central Casting, announced that 61.6 per cent of Australians had voted ‘yes’ to allow same-sex couples to marry.

“Thank you Sydney.” Alex Greenwich, Independent Member for Sydney, said. “Inner Sydney is where LGBTI activism in Australia began and it has always been a welcoming place for LGBTI people.”

As the television cameras panned across the thousands of supporters gathered around Australia, the looks of joy, celebration and relief on their faces told of the pain of a long a drawn out nine week long campaign that at various times seemed to swing towards a ‘no’ majority or at least a close call.

“Though disappointed that it wasn’t a ‘no’ majority, I accept that the will of the Australian people is clear, and I expect parliament to implement this is due course,” Michael Stead, Anglican Bishop of South Sydney and Coalition for Marriage campaigner, said.

Reverend Bill Crewes of the Ashfield Uniting Church replied that, “the coalition is only speaking for one segment of Christians”.

Overall, despite the strong national ‘yes’ returns, the results across Sydney showed that it is a tale of two cities, and not least in Labor’s heartland of western Sydney, where seats held

Many No voters are dissatisfied with the results of the same-sex marriage plebiscite.

Photo: Totis

by Tony Burke, Chris Bowen and Jason Clare all returned resounding ‘no’ votes, attributed to the diverse religious and cultural demographics across the electorates.

Conversely, in Warringah, where Tony ‘In Touch” Abbott’s campaigned for ‘no’, the people threw a curved ball, resulting in the state’s fourth largest ‘yes’ vote at 75 per cent.

As expected, inner city Sydney and its surrounds produced some of the highest ‘yes’ votes recorded across the country, with Sydney at 83.7 per cent, Malcolm Turnbull’s seat of Wentworth on 80.8 per cent, Grayndler at 79.9 per cent and Randwick with 64.1 per cent.

The national return rate of 79.5 per cent is one of the highest ever for a non-compulsory national plebiscite, of which there have only been three previously and two were defeated.

“It is unfortunate that the federal government forced us to go through an unnecessary survey on a straight forward matter,” Alex Greenwich said.

Last Saturday, the ‘no’ lobby fired another salvo at Sydney’s Wesley Centre during the Australian Christian Lobby’s Embolden 2017 National Conference when they threatened to continue the campaign.

The conference brought together 700 devotees from the religious right to hear Matthew Canavan, Cory Bernardi and Lyle Shelton, in his double act for the ACL and the Coalition for Marriage, speak about issues affecting the Christian right and the dust up of their losing campaign.

Shelton said in a media release that it could take years or even decades to “win this back over time”, all the while claiming the ‘no’ campaign an “extraordinary success”, despite the results.

“I will continue to promote a same sex marriage bill that also creates space for people to hold a different view,” Bishop Stead said.

It’s going to be a robust couple of weeks as the openly gay Liberal Senator Dean Smith’s bill currently before the Senate is debated for amendments that could see the mythical butcher, baker and candlestick maker all exempted from servicing same-sex customers

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city hub 23 NOVEMBER 2017

should they hold a conscientious objection.

Why any same-sex couple would ever engage the services of a person holding these beliefs when there are perfectly good gayfriendly bakers out there is an extraordinary proposition.

The debate, currently being led by Senators Cory Bernadi, Matt Canavan and Eric Abetz and supported by Scott Morrison in the lower house, could see the bill’s passing being delayed past the Christmas date desired by Prime Minister Turnbull.

The present plan by the recalcitrant senators is to include Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, of which Australia is a signatory.

Article 18 states that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and the Christian right along with a hard core of right wing senators see this as the foil to protect the heavily embattled mythical baker.

Even if the bill is passed by Christmas, no same-sex couples will be getting married under the mistletoe, as the law requires a one month ‘Notice of Intended Marriage’ form to be lodged before the nuptials can be legally carried out.

“Our main objective is to get parliament to settle the Dean Smith bill and we have indicated that this is something that should be discussed as soon as possible,” Shirleene Robinson, spokesperson, Equality Campaign says.

The Equality Campaign collected 15,600 volunteers, door-knocked 102,0 000 residences and made a million calls, while this is the first time that the Christian right have entered into a major national campaign and were off their game.

Cory Bernardi, Lyle Shelton, Karina Okotel and Marriage Alliance’s Sophie York were all contacted for this article but did not reply.

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Bright idea for leftovers

BY ANNA FREELAND A new study by the Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has revealed the potential for innovative food and organics waste management to generate renewable energy in Australia’s growing cities.

With the population set to reach 40 million by the middle of the century, there is increasing pressure on businesses and households alike to rethink food and organics waste.

“At the moment, a lot of it is just collected in bins and taken off to landfill, sometimes hundreds of kilometres away. It’s ridiculous,” said Andrea Turner, an ISF researcher and lead author of the scoping study.

“According to the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), households in NSW throw away more than 800,000 tonnes of edible food annually. That’s $10 billion, or $3,800 per household, every year.”

Drawing on international innovations in sustainable waste management, the study looked at a range of options for managing organic waste in the Pyrmont-Ultimo precinct (PUP).

With around 14,000 people per square kilometre and growth expected to continue over the next decade, the Pyrmont-Ultimo corridor is Sydney’s densest urban area.

According to Ms Turner, local interest in organics management spiked after an organics summit held earlier in the year by the ISF and community

Andrea Turner (r) and Dr. Dena Fam, co-authors of the study.

Photo: Anna Freeland

partners Smart Locale, a collection of businesses advocating for sustainable business practices in the PyrmontUltimo area.

“There’s an awful lot of interest in food and organics waste being turned into a resource and being able to mine the city,” she said.

Ms Turner, who is undertaking a PhD in organics waste management, says there is huge opportunity to reimagine how waste is managed in other dense urban areas and says there needs to be a shift away from traditional reliance on landfill.

“It’s not going to be acceptable in the future. The scale of food waste is phenomenal and has to change,” she said.

“As our cities grow, we need to consider waste much more as a resource that can be treated not just in large scale facilities but also locally to create renewable energy or nutrient rich soil conditioners and composts where it makes sense to do so.”

According to the ISF study, ‘organic waste’ encompasses food, garden and lawn clippings as well as animal and plant based materials and degradable carbon like paper, cardboard and timber.

More broadly, the definition extends to other biosolids and sludges produced by wastewater treatment plants.

“That’s why it was so great that both the NSW EPA and Sydney Water supported the study. It helped

us to start seeing a bigger picture of organics in the city and reimagining its management.”

On the back of the scoping study, the ISF received funding from the City of Sydney to start a new feasibility project at One Central Park in Ultimo.

The project looks at collecting and treating food waste and other organics onsite, using vacuum systems that literally ‘suck’ food through pipes.

“You could take the separated organics to an offsite treatment process, but we’d like to input it to an onsite anaerobic digester which is a particular type of treatment plant,” Ms Turner said. “These plants can produce renewable energy and nutrient rich soil conditioner for use onsite.”

The ISF vision is to eventually retrofit and trial the vacuum system and anaerobic digester in the basement of the One Central Park building where it would sit alongside the existing water recycling plant run by private utility Flow Systems. The outcomes of the new feasibility project are expected by mid-2018.

“This is a really exciting project which, if the feasibility stacks up, means we would aim to install a demonstration plant in a year or so which would be world leading because it is in the basement of a city building.”

The biggest challenge in switching to a sustainable waste management system, according to Ms Turner, is retrofitting it.

“It really should be done when you design the building. While the Central

Park project would be a retrofit, we’re also considering how you would do it at the design stage and how much it would cost.”

Ms Turner says they’ve been collaborating with several businesses from the Smart Locale group on a range of short and long-term solutions, including the Sydney Fish Market (SFM).

The Executive Manager for Corporate Services at SFM Stephen Groom said, “We’re really interested in streamlining the handling of food and organic waste using vacuum systems and generating energy through anaerobic digestion.”

The SFM, which is the largest market of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, plans to explore possible options when they move to the new Blackwattle Bay site in 2021.

“In addition, we are investigating ways of extracting what is currently treated as organic waste into conversion into a product for its highest and best use,” Mr Groom said.

While excited by the prospects, Ms Turner says it’s not one size fits all.

“The drivers for everyone are so different. I think it requires talking about it to make sure people know how much food is being wasted and that there are different solutions available,” she said. “Over the next three to five years I think things will really start to shift and, hopefully, we will create some real change in Sydney, with the Pyrmont-Ultimo area being a hub of activity and leading the way in Australia and internationally.”

We’re giving business the recognition it deserves.

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city hub 23 NOVEMBER 2017

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city hub 23 NOVEMBER 2017

7

Late night revelry moves east

BY JADE MORELLINI Sydney’s nightlife has undergone a dramatic transformation, particularly in the Eastern Suburbs since the lockout laws in 2014 were introduced and nightclub security isn’t helping with questions surfacing on their ability to keep party-goers safe.

A new study released in March 2017 by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) displayed that non-domestic assaults have risen by 12% in areas outside the lockout zone, and have risen by 17% in other night time entertainment districts such as Newtown, Bondi, Double Bay and Coogee.

“I think the Lockout Laws that have been introduced have undoubtedly had an impact on Sydney’s nightlife,” Lecturer in School of Social Sciences, Dr Bianca Fileborn said. Her research has covered violence, street harassment and sexual assault. “We’ve seen a displacement of people who would have normally been around Kings Cross or in the CBD coming to places like Bondi and Newtown, so people from different cultural and demographic groups are coming to areas that maybe they once didn’t.”

This shift reveals that non-domestic assaults are moving away from lockout areas and increasing in as a result. New figures from BOCSAR indicate that non-domestic violence related assaults in Waverly have risen by 13.3%, with 357 assaults last year compared with 315 in 2015.

BOCSAR deputy director, Jackie Fitzgerald was quoted in Fairfax Media saying the number of assaults in Waverly had been decreasing prior to the lockout laws, but since the introduction were now slightly increasing.

“Things were kind of getting better and then, since the lockouts, they have kind of

Sydney’s nightlife has undergone a dramatic transformation since the Lockout Laws were introduced.

Photo: Spartan Security

been getting worse. There is a concentration of offences in Double Bay, but the Bondi cluster is much larger,” Fitzgerald said.

The Lockout Laws haven’t only had an impact on the nightlife of the Eastern Suburbs, but there are studies which suggest clubs may be experiencing financial struggles within the lockout areas and this is affecting the amount of money spent on security at nightclubs.

“In my research, the Lockout Law has for some venues had an impact on their ability to pay more money for security and if they’re operating under tighter margins and there’s more pressure so they pay less for security, then that has a flow on effect in terms of the quality of the personnel you are employing,” Wadds said.

If the quality of personnel employed is absent, it can lead to a lack of safety in and around clubs.

“There has been quite a lot of work done around training this year. NSW has updated some of the requirements and some of the regulatory control over their training. It’s a lot of RSA work, basic conflict, awareness training but very little in terms of physical training,” Wadds said.

“I think that’s the biggest area of concern, yes you can learn about visible signs of intoxication but I also think one of the core aspects of security work is dealing in a physical way with patrons who may be highly intoxicated on drugs and alcohol, or who may be violent or aggressive,” Wadds said.

Door security are in charge of minimising this danger and they have the responsibility to remove people who may be a threat or danger to other patrons in the club. They make the decision on who to let in to the club based on a number of things.

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“Obviously they have certain house rules from the venue that they need to implement such as dress code that they may use as reason not to let people in,” Fileborn said. “I’m sure they’ll be looking out for people who are drug or alcohol affected, but internationally, we actually have evidence that there are elements of racism in who security let into a venue.”

People who are often removed from clubs due to intoxication are left outside the club, so questions have been raised on whether this is putting them in more danger if they aren’t an immediate threat.

“There’s significant commercial costs and financial costs in terms of fines and having strikes recorded against venues if security allow people back in once they are asked to leave,” Wadds said. “But there’s obviously significant risks associated with that because these are often vulnerable people, particularly young women who are intoxicated being asked to leave an area that may not be safe and they are therefore increasing the risk of personal harm.”

“People who have been rejected from venues may not have their phone or wallet on them and maybe they haven’t been able to tell their friends where they’ve gone,” Fileborn said. “In that sort of circumstance, if someone is not a direct immediate threat and there is a reason for them to go back into the venue, whether it is to find their friends or to find an item of their property, then absolutely they should be allowed back in.”

A Take Care Safe Space program is addressing some of these issues through working with venue security and other nightlife services to try and alleviate risks that are a “by product of some of these legislative controls. They set up safe areas where people who are intoxicated can go where volunteers and St Johns Ambulance available to assist,” Wadds said.

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9

Hateful sprays against gays

BY ALEC SMART In the wake of the national Same-Sex Marriage plebiscite results, which on 15 November revealed 61.6 per cent of Australians had voted ‘Yes’ to allow same-sex couples to marry, two ‘gay-friendly’ wall murals in Sydney’s inner-west were vandalized.

A mural on a pub’s exterior wall celebrating the same-sex marriage ‘Yes’ vote, and poking fun at former Prime Minister Tony Abbot, was blacked-out by vandals. A second mural, featuring British pop star and gay icon George Michael as a saint, was also targeted.

Both murals were painted by Sydney artist Scott Marsh, a friend of the late George Michael.

In an apparent act of retaliation to the result of the Yes vote, fundamentalist Christians attacked the murals, one in Newtown, the other in Erskineville, over successive nights.

Initially pelting the former with white paint, the religious vandals returned and coated them in back paint applied with a roller on a pole.

Some Christians then assembled at the Newtown site – the Botany View Hotel – to pray to God for divine intervention.

The mural on the rear wall of the Botany View Hotel could be deemed provocative: it featured Catholic leader Cardinal Pell with his hand down the ‘budgie-smuggler’ swimming pants of Tony Abbot.

Yet Cardinal Pell, one of Australia’s highest-ranking Catholics and Prefect of the Vatican Secretariat under Pope Francis, is a controversial and divisive figure. He faces a four-week committal hearing next March, in relation to historic child sexual offences involving multiple complainants.

At 9pm last Thursday, 16 November, four men with a bucket of black paint and rollers arrived to cover up the Cardinal Pell and Tony Abbot mural.

The manager of the Botany View told City Hub that the same four men had pelted the Cardinal Pell side of the mural with white paint the night earlier.

“When the four men returned, our staff tried to intervene and stop them but we were threatened with violence. They shouted at us and were very aggressive. We decided to leave

A ‘provocative’ mural celebrating the Yes vote was defaced by Christians. Photo: Alec Smart

them to it and not exacerbate the situation.”

Police were called but arrived after the vandals departed, although mobile phone footage of the incident later appeared on Facebook.

Fundamentalist group Christian Lives Matter were linked to the incident.

Although the mural was only painted on Wednesday, Christian Lives Matter launched a campaign against the Botany View Hotel, which resulted in 743 one-star reviews posted to the pub’s Facebook page, and a barrage of intimidating phone calls.

Christian Lives Matter’s Facebook page owner, Charlie Bakhos, posted an announcement on the group’s web page declaring the murals were ‘hate speech and offensive’, and, after giving the addresses of the respective murals, declared, ‘We call for you to act on this urgently!’

On Friday 17 November, a 23-year-old man was filmed painting over the George Michael mural, which, facing the main railway line

between Erskineville and St Peters Stations, featured Michael as a saint beneath a rainbow and smoking a marijuana joint.

Declaring it ‘sacreligious’, he explained, “It’s not right that people can paint whatever they want and incite religious hatred.”

The man, eventually arrested by police, was wearing his work clothes, including a fluorescent short emblazoned with the logo of Azztek Stone in Condell Park.

After people contacted his employers, they released a statement, “We at Azztek Stone strongly and vigorously condem [sic] the action taken by one of our employees. His actions in no way reflect on the beliefs held by the company its policy and the belief of all other individuals employed by Azztek Stone.

The employee has been stood down and the company is willing to compensate for the damage that has been done and return the art work to its original condition.”

Charlie Bakhos of Christian Lives Matter cheered the sabotage to the two murals with a

statement on Instagram, “Now thats what you call a happy ending... God bless these boys who did a great job defending our city, our faith and our children’s freedom of innocence. Politicians, police and our leaders did nothing, yet theres plenty of us ready to fight the good fight.”

Christian Lives Matter supporter, Julie Evripidou, was one of many who supported the defacing of the murals, and her position typically summarized the feelings of resentment within the Christian community opposed to them: “Since when was it ok for the public and especially children to walk in our streets and have pornography in their faces? Is it acceptable to just have sex in the streets, NO! Is it acceptable to walk around butt naked touching each other’s private bits, NO! So how is it all of a sudden allowed and acceptable to paint pornography on the walls.

I have to give respect to the boys in this video for covering up such a confronting image.”

Pauline Pantsdown, a Sydney Gay Rights campaigner, responded to the acts of vandalism with a public statement. “Christian Lives Matter is a violent, racist, homophobic vigilante FB [Facebook] group, operating a page that is littered with threats to attack and murder LGBTI people. They’re in the news now for defacing a 2nd mural in two days, Erskineville’s ‘St George’, but the danger from this group goes much deeper than that.

“Last year a restaurant posted a joke religious meme. This group bombarded the restaurant with telephone death threats for days; sent a few cars around with baseball bats; showered the Asian owner with racist abuse online; & threatened her husband with photos of his recently-deceased mother, saying that he’d be “joining her soon”.

“Then they moved onto the Dendy Cinema, because of a Christian-themed film, and harassed staff for days. Throughout the postal survey their page has been littered with death threats & threats of violence against LGBTI people, and now they’re coming into the city, threatening people with violence & defacing walls. Police have been informed, & have been passed the contact details of the page owner Charlie Bakhos, who stirs up vigilante hatred & then pretends surprise when people get violent.”

MEET the locals

Let yourself recline at Hoyts Cinema

BY JADE MORELLINI Watch the latest blockbusters in comfort at HOYTS Cinemas with their brand-new recliner seats, making a night or day out at the cinemas a much more luxurious experience.

Available at select HOYTS locations, Broadway is one of the fortunate cinemas that have been transformed, offering customers recliner seats to support and relax their body.

These recliner seats are something that cannot be experienced at any other cinema companies, with this new idea unique to Hoyts as a way to treat moviegoers while indulging in new films with un-restricted views of the screen.

They have an Xtreme Screen, which provides the largest and loudest cinema experience on offer.

At the touch of a button, customers have the ability to adjust their seating, whether they prefer to sit upright or at a lower lying level.

Each seat has a powered recliner and possesses extra legroom for moviegoers to stretch out and make themselves comfortable.

The extra space makes it easier for viewers to walk through the aisles and find their seat numbers and the wider seating is also an 10

city hub 23 NOVEMBER 2017

added bonus. These seats are of deluxe quality, delivering relaxation and prompting customers to get more out of their trip to the cinema.

Customers can sit back, unwind after a busy day and enjoy snacking on popcorn and treats from the candy bar. The seats have wider

armrests to hold all their food, drinks or that special someone’s hand.

HOYTS also have a LUX cinema experience, which enables viewers to enjoy a quality meal while watching a movie of their choice. They have fine wine, food and revolutionary sound and visuals while also offering in-cinema service. This means that moviegoers don’t need to leave their seats to purchase or order from their large selection of gourmet delights.

The addition of the HOYTS recliners is a massive step forward in cinema seating; they are putting the comfort of all moviegoers first and aim to make going to the movies more than just that. HOYTS want it to be an experience where customers are immersed into the world of film in complete comfort and class. It’s a great excuse to get out of the house, away from the television and watch new releases at Hoyts.

Not only are the HOYTS recliners quality, but their films are also very affordable. Movie tickets only cost $15, or $19 after 2pm on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Other HOYTS locations in NSW that offer recliner seats are Bankstown, Charlestown, Chatswood Westfield, Eastgardens, Mt Druitt, Warrawong and Wetherill Park.

FEATURE

Street Food Culture

By Rita Bratovich There was a time when the only mobile food vehicle was a chubby pink and white van that played a music-box version of Greensleeves and dispensed soft serve cones gourmet if you added chocolate and crushed nuts.

Today, the range and quality of food available from mobile trucks is equal to what you might find in any popular restaurant district - and it’s a growing industry according to City of Sydney.As part of their OPEN Sydney project to stimulate night time economy,The City permitted a selected number of food trucks to operate on their streets and property for a two year trial period.

“Since we initiated our trial in 2012, food trucks have taken Sydney by storm, changing the way we think about fast food and creating a new concept that has proven to be very popular across the entire Sydney Metropolitan area,” says a spokesperson.

The project included creation of the Sydney Food Trucks app which lists businesses approved to operate in the City of Sydney area. To be approved, businesses submit a business plan, provide industry background and must pass a taste-testing from a panel of food experts.

“We wanted high-quality food trucks, each serving up a unique and distinctive food offering from a visually stunning truck,” says the spokesperson.

When tight license restrictions were loosened recently, there was no perceptible drop in standard and according to The City spokesperson “the industry will now be self-regulated because public expectation has risen so sharply over the last five years.”

Jason and Silvanna Carver bought their first food trailer, Pizza’N’More, six years ago. Then six months ago they started their second, Grill Fellas. Asked why they own food trucks, Silvanna replies, “Because we thought it would be easier than a restaurant - but it’s not!”

The husband and wife team have owned and run restaurants for many years and are still running one along with their two trucks.

Jason is a respected, award-winning chef with 25 years experience in catering and fine dining. But according to Silvanna, “A lot of big chefs are getting out of the restaurant industry and just doing the truck industry because restaurants are just too hard now. [They] are getting very competitive… and the hours!

The good thing about this is you can choose your own hours and

Miss Mabel’s evolutionary fast food made with the fresh seasonal or free range ingredients. Photo: Supplied

the overheads aren’t as high as a restaurant… If you don’t want to work one weekend you don’t but if you’ve got a restaurant you’ve got no choice - those doors have to open!”

Of course, if you don’t work, you don’t earn money. Let there be no illusions, owning a food truck is very demanding and the initial costs can be similar to that of setting up a restaurant.

“It’s a little bit cheaper, but not a great deal. It’s still costly to start off with…you can be spending up to $120 or $150 thousand just on the trailer. [Then] you still need a kitchen, you need benches, you need a sink. So it’s like setting up a restaurant but just on wheels,” explains Silvanna.

The Carvers have taken their trailers to night markets, festivals and events all around the greater Sydney region, as well as doing some big Sydney gigs. Last year they were on Woolloomooloo Wharf directly facing the Harbour Bridge, which of course was incredible, but insanely busy.

“We’ve done a lot of good events, I reckon one of the best nights was the Mardi Gras Launch,” Silvanna says. “That was awesome!

We really enjoyed that. It was a good night for us, plus the entertainment, the people, it was just so different…personally I would say that would be one of my best events. My worst one?…

I don’t know, I’ve been to too many to name one!”

On the event side of things, Sam Zagami of Street Food Circus

sees food trucks as part of an evolving entertainment culture.

Inspired by what he saw in the US, London and Berlin, Zagami conceptualised a temporary event space that integrates music, performance, food and drink.

“The idea was to bring it all together and create an intimate sort of local, social pop-up where it could be rotating and mobile and changing… and combine it with food.”

With a background in the music industry, venue management and consulting, Zagami mustered his contacts and resources to create Street Food Circus. Still in its early stages, Zagami is aiming to make it a yearly event and eventually be able to hold it four times a year in different venues.

This year’s event, Big Shindig will be at the Portuguese Community Club in Marrickville which has an outdoor area that can seat 200-300 people, a gazebo and “really beautiful beer garden”. An indoor area will be more upbeat with music and live performances.

Paramount to the event is good food.

Zagami confesses to being something of a foodie and regards the dining options as being as important as any other aspect of the event.

For him, food trucks represent consummate quality and choice.

“The regulations behind these trucks is super. They’re very very clean, very very healthy. And that’s why I went for the trucks more so than the stalls,” says Zagami, describing the arrangement of outlets at his venues as “like a beautiful, mobile food court.”

He believes Sydney will follow the example of cities like Melbourne, Brisbane and Gold Coast where food trucks have been integral in creating a new style of night time entertainment.

The flexibility of changing and mixing food vendors and having so many unique cuisines and concepts is something that alter the look of events in Sydney and the overall lifestyle.

Zagami sees it as re-imagining the restaurant/music scene and making it “streetworthy.” www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au, www.sydneyfoodtrucks.com.au, www.missmabels.com.au The Big Shindig, Nov 25, 2pm – 11:30pm; Fraser Park, Marrickville, www.streetfoodcircus.com.au, www.facebook.com/grilllfellasstreetfood www.facebook.com/carvercoeventcatering

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www.missmabels.com.au city hub 23 NOVEMBER 2017

11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Arj Barker Organic

Don’t Go To This Show Don’t Go To This Show is the final work of 2017 from the Leftovers Collective and they are giving young people and children the creative foundation to be free and to express themselves.

Creator, Curly Fries said, “In the exhibition I’m asking, is there a safe place for children to play with swear words and taboo? Swear words originate in the right side of the brain and are linked to strong emotions and the right hemisphere is the seat for creativity, so when young people, or children have these creative impulses that society deem are not okay, are we actually stopping at a very early age their creative impulse?”

Showcasing eight artworks based around the idea of liberty, freedom and language, there will be a display of arts from performative to sculptural, all with the aim to provoke thought

amongst the audience.

“I’d love the audiences to be a little bit arrested by the honesty of the arts, I’d love them to understand or maybe get a glimpse of what I’m questioning and for them to make up their own reactions and to feel safe to express how they truly feel. We don’t give any answers, we leave it up to the audience to decide.”

The decision to name the exhibition Don’t Go To This Show was to “warn people at the onset don’t go to this show because it’s such a hot topic of young people and swearing and explicit language.

But it’s also about those words ‘don’t go to this show’ and how the English language is regimented by rules.”

“The irony is, swear words can take on all grammatical forms, so a swear word can be a noun, it can be an adjective, it can be an adverb, it

can be a proper noun, it can be a verb, it can have all these different combinations depending on how you express the word, so there’s so much creativity possible and so part of the name was that if you want to go to the show, you have to actively break through those words.” (JM) Nov 25-26. Yellow Umbrella, 61 Victoria Road, Potts Point. FREE. Info: www.theleftoverscollective.com

Night Slows Down Arj Barker is bringing his stand-up show, Organic, to Sydney this week.

As arguably Australia’s favourite American comedian, in recent years Arj has spent more time in our country than his own and has come to understand our culture perhaps better than we understand it ourselves. His stand-up is both insightful and pointed, like a mind-reading thumb tack, if there was one of those.

Arj is excited to bring his Organic show to the people of Sydney.

“Sydney is always a great crowd and I’m looking forward to giving them the experience of my Organic show.” (JA) Nov 24-25. State Theatre, 49 Market St, Sydney. $54.92-$70.21+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.arjbarker.com

Phillip James Rouse knew he wanted all the elements of a thrilling Greek tragedy in his play: high emotions, drama, and catastrophe. So he took inspiration from elements of the present-day America’s unfathomable President,

and Australia’s disaster-fraught refugee policies.

The result is Night Slows Down, a play about a world where “far-right extremists have won the election, and ordinary citizens riot in the streets.

Where human rights are denied; democracy dies, and cities collapse.”

The play follows Sharon, a civil engineer whose husband Martin has been put in detention by the new government. Her brother Seth, a public servant, will try to use Martin as leverage to force Sharon into working for the government, to build a monument on politically contentious land.

Night Slows Down will be a rare event for Sydney theatre-goers. Not only will the Bakehouse host its inaugural world premiere, but Rouse, already a well-versed theatre director, is in the unique position of having directed his own play, giving him full licence to make changes to the script while in rehearsal.

It’s hard not to be a little dubious just from the title; that ubiquitous jingle has been used so often in melodrama, horror and comedy that the sheer lack of originality gives it the chemical, plastic smell of dollar shop decorations.

Mary Rachel Brown’s play certainly puts Christmas front and centre.

The Lickfold’s (an example of the abundant word-play humour!) are a suburban middle class, dysfunctional family. Bill (Richard Sydenham) is a doomsday prepper and cliche of the hapless, naive dad. His bleached blonde wife, Anne (Amanda Bishop) is squeezed into leopard skin tights, dons a bum-bag and is obsessed with outdecorating the neighbours and winning

best ARCE (Australian Regional Christmas Excellence) display - it’s a joke that wears thin long before it stops being used.

Thirty-three year old son, Rodney (Aaron Glenane), is a listless, job-less emo who worships Satan and has unsavoury sexual proclivities. Making his appearance just before intermission is The Uninvited Guest (Michael Denkha), an eloquent, criminally confident figure in a white suit.

Bishop is easily the most satisfying actor on stage. Although Anne is stereotypical, Bishop manages to make her relatable. She has good audience rapport and instinctive comic sensibility.

a&e

12

city hub 23 NOVEMBER 2017

Photo: Brett Boardman

REVIEW: Silent Night

Conceived in January, with a first reading back in March, Rouse says at least 80% of the play has now been rewritten.

“If a scene isn’t quite working, you can just do something about it,” he explains. His first draft of around 7000 words has now evolved into 16,000 totalling “a good hour-forty piece of theatre,” says Rouse with delight.

By the time the play hits the stage, there’s no telling how much more might have been added or changed. Night Slows Down will be a compelling performance affair, a modern hybrid composed of equal parts traditional theatre and improvisation.

Don’t miss this special event. (AE) Until Dec 9. KXT - Kings Cross Theatre, Level 2, Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross. $25-$35.Tickets & Info: www.bakehousetheatrecompany.com.au

Sydenham is much less naturally funny and his gags often misfire. He actually feels miscast.

12 STAGE 13 Sounds 14 SCENE 15 SCREEN

Glenane’s surly goth starts off being a mere foil to the other two, but develops into a more revelatory character.

Arts Editor: Jamie Apps For more A&E stories go to www.altmedia.net.au and don’t forget to join the conversation on Twitter at @CityHubSyd

Denkha’s mysterious intruder dominates the second half of the play, and the actor delivers his didactic speeches with smug mock reverence.

Comic statesman, Glynn Nicholas is director. It’s hard to know whether it’s his instruction or the actors’ own selfconsciousness that accounts for the forced, almost pantomime-like delivery.

They might have been better playing it dead straight, especially given the twists in the plot.

The set design is wonderful and it may simply be a matter of taste whether you like the play or not but it will definitely leave you wondering…

(RB) Until Dec 10. Eternity Playhouse, 39 Burton St, Darlinghurst. $38-$54.

Tickets & Info: www.darlinghursttheatre.com

Contributors: Alannah Maher, Alicia Sim, Athina Mallis, Barbara Karpinski, Caitlin Burns, Chantal Walsh, Craig Coventry, Daniel Jaramillo, Emily Shen, Georgia Fullerton, Greg Webster, Irina Dunn, Jade Morellini, James Harkness, Joseph Rana, Leann Richards, Lisa Seltzer, Mark Morellini, Mel Somerville, Olga Azar, Peter Urquhart, Rita Bratovich, Rocio Belinda Mendez, Sarah Pritchard, Shon Ho, Zeiya Speede, Jade Morellini, Alex Eugene, Manuel Gonzalez, Tommy Boutros, Riley Hooper & Taylor Martin, Mohsen Dezaki.

Andrew Upton has taken Chekhov’s masterpiece and given it a modern Australian setting, replacing many of the Russian references with quotations from Shakespeare, Bob Dylan and others.

Chekhov knows how to mix the trivial with the tragic and this production reflects his distinctive style, notwithstanding the tampering.

It’s a frenetic production, with none of the master’s leisurely longueurs and nuances, probably a reflection of the period in which it is set, the Soviet Union some 70 years after the original.

The three sisters of the title – Olga the

oldest and a maternal figure (Alison Bell), Masha, with a sharp tongue (Eryn Jean Norvill) and Irina, with unsatisfied longings (Miranda Daughtry) – are left to run their father’s estate after he dies, and one year later, on the anniversary of his death, which happens to be Irina’s name day, the bubble of frustration with their lives bursts.

The guests arrive to celebrate Irina’s name day, and the conversation starts to spin in all directions as the characters try to express their particular concerns and obsessions with a ratatatat delivery.

The supporting cast is terrific and includes Mark Leonard Winter as the

Live Music Guide LIVE WIRE Sydney

SummerSalt - The Cat Empire & Xavier Rudd

By Jamie Apps Alfie Arcuri

Mitski

Marky Ramone: True punk-rock royalty returns to our shores this evening. One of the last remaining members of The Ramones, and the one with the longest lineage, having handled skins duties for the formative punk outfit between 1978 to 1983 and again from 1987 until 1996. Marky is keeping The Ramones’ spirit burning bright.

Digging all the way into The Ramones catalogue to deliver an absolute treat for every Ramones fan.

Thu, Nov 23, Manning Bar Wallis Bird: The two-time Meteor award winner (Ireland’s national music prize), this year’s winner of the German Music Prize (composer of the year) as the first non-German citizen and two-time Irish Choice Prize nominee (equivalent of the Australian Music Prize) is coming to back to Sydney tomorrow night.

Fri, Nov 24, Leadbelly SO.Crates: Made up of hip-hop traditionalists in producer Skomes and Californian born Australian resident MC Cazeaux O.S.L.O (Man Made Mountain), the outfit has already staked their claim as one of the city’s most sought-after live acts.

Fri, Nov 24, Hudson Ballroom Lime Cordiale: Bring their debut album Permanent Vacation to Sydney this weekend. The album showcases a unique blend of rock, pop, soul and beyond drawing influences from The Beatles and Beach Boys to The Strokes and The Growlers. Oli and Louis say they

bombastic Vershinin, and Nikki Shiels as the domineering Natasha.

The set, by Alice Babidge is minimal, featuring a black screen across the stage which acts as both mirror and see-through glass, with a table in the foreground.

After all the frenetic verbal exchanges, and especially the interactions among the sisters, the play grinds to a halt as the comedy of the earlier scenes darkens and turns black.

Fade out… (ID) Until Dec 16. Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney. $50-$105+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.sydneyoperahouse.com

Photo: Samuel Hodge

REVIEW: Three Sisters

“spent a lot of time creating these songs and exploring their sound.

We wanted a collection of songs that really have a personality and vibe” and they’re not wrong.

Sat, Nov 25, Metro Theatre Tesse: Sydney based singersongwriter Tom Stephens began writing and recording music under his own name in 2012, releasing his debut full-length album What Lies In The Difference to considerable acclaim in late 2016. As Stephens’ musical journey and supporting band continued to evolve (now including, bassist Cam Whipp, guitarist Mon Ellis, keyboardist Chris Long and drummer Rob Turner) the decision was made to perform and release under the collaborative name Tesse.

Tue, Nov 28, Leadbelly Electronic Music Conference: By day, EMC is the perfect place to connect, converse, create new bonds and cultivate ideas. By night, EMCPlay gives Sydney the perfect midweek playground for grown ups – numerous showcases and parties take over a number of leading live music venues to allow us to celebrate the best electronic music coming out of Australia in 2017.

Wed, Nov 29, Various Venues Mitski: Captivating JapaneseAmerican songstress Mitski will land in Sydney midweek for a very special intimate show. Known for her magnetic on-stage energy, Mitski’s live show is something to experience, and the intimate show will play be a must-see for 2017.

Wed, Nov 29, Oxford Art Factory

By Jamie Apps This weekend a brand new concert series which epitomises the great Australian outdoor summer comes to Sydney’s most iconic beach. With sun, salt air, and sweet music to wash over the Australian coast, SummerSalt will create the perfect setting to dance the afternoon away with your friends or chill on the beach.

The music for SummerSalt will be provided by, The Cat Empire and Xavier Rudd, two acts which couldn’t fit more perfectly with the relaxed beach atmosphere if they tried.

As The Cat Empire’s Harry James Angus told City Hub, “We did some of these shows earlier in the year and they were just sensational, so we knew we needed to do more. It’s such a simple concept, a nice day by the beach with the right band, there’s nothing complicated about it.”

This weekends show will mark the return to touring for The Cat Empire who took a break following three solid years of touring. Taking this break taught them how crucial it is to find the right balance between touring and being at home.

“When you tour too much you risk having the show turn from a spontaneous musical experience into a professional act but if you’re home too much you get bored.” Harry explained, “If you get the balance right though touring is really fun, adventurous and exciting plus coming home is fun too because you can relax knowing you won’t be sitting around twiddling your thumbs.”

SummerSalt is a unique concert event in that

Sampa The Great Birds And The BEE9

it caters to a wide range of audiences from kids to adults to families. This is exciting for Harry and The Cat Empire because they’ve realised just how wide their reach has become throughout the years.

“One of the things that has become more and more clear with our band over the years is that we were never really ‘in fashion’ but we don’t really go ‘out of fashion’ either. We have fans from the very young end of the spectrum right through to the slightly elderly end of the spectrum.”

The other half of the SummerSalt musical

The new mixtape style record from Sampa The Great serves as a wondrous tasting plate of her styles ahead of a future full fledged album debut.

Sampa’s style is uniquely her own as she blends elements of reggae with soul, jazz and modern hip-hop. This is done by incorporating traditional hand percussion instruments with tribal chants, traditional jazz or soul instruments and modern hip-hop beats.

Upon this melodic style Sampa also weaves a deep tale within her lyrics as she searches for a clearly defined identity as a Zambian born woman now living in Sydney.

Birds And The BEE9 verges on a spiritual experience as the listener takes it all in. If this record is any indication of what is yet to come then fans are in for a treat with the inevitable debut album. (JA) WWW1/2

equation is Xavier Rudd, who has been hailed as one of Australia’s most proficient multi-instrumentalists and continues to enthral audiences worldwide. Pairing Xavier and The Cat Empire is a very exciting prospect for fans of both bands and also Harry.

“Xavier has jumped up and played with us and vice versa a few times throughout the years but it’s amazing that we haven’t done a tour together before now.”

Nov 26. Bondi Beach, Bondi. $106.93-$239.47+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.summersaltmusic.com.au

Grenadiers – Find Something You Love And Let It Kill You

The Grenadiers album is a cacophony of effort. Shining through in the name of the album itself, the pain the band went through to make this most recent offering outweighs the result.

The ten tracks are the sound of a band working hard to pull a record together, running out of money, panicking and pushing themselves and their instruments harder to get through it, in places it is somewhat pained.

They hold together under a rough rocking sound that matches with the themes and the moods of the band members, staying true to themselves and their previous creations.

Willing to die for their art, the band passes this trial, bringing their fans the long-awaited Find Something You Love And Let It Kill You. (SP) WW city hub 23 NOVEMBER 2017

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THE NAKED CITY

A DA VINCI OR A BABY MAMMOTH!

With Coffin Ed Here’s an unusual, almost philosophical question for you. What’s worth more - a 500 year old painting of Christ by Leonardo Da Vinci or a 42,000 year old, almost perfectly preserved baby mammoth? Both have been in the news of late and both are great examples of how we value or overvalue such seemingly rare items.

The Da Vinci painting, one of the few outside of an actual museum collection, sold for a staggering $450 million (USD), making it the highest priced painting of all time. Ironically it was once traded through Sotheby’s in 1958 for a mere £45, considered at the time to be a copy.

Whilst many will marvel at Da Vinci’s draughtsmanship, I have to admit it’s not the sort of thing I would want hanging in my humble apartment (to replace my Cassius Coolidge print of dogs playing poker). The painting, which I personally find rather creepy, depicts Christ holding an orb, symbolic of the world and with the fingers of one hand crossed. Has he just bought a Powerball ticket and if so could I share the epiphany and be privy to the winning numbers?

Maybe the anonymous new owner will recoup some of his or her enormous outlay by copyrighting the image and marketing it on everything from t-shirts, to tea towels and coffee mugs. Clearly its value is not as a great work of art, but simply what some cashed up buyer is prepared to pay. Many will find it somewhat obscene that such a huge amount of

money is outlaid (dare I say squandered) on a painting, which could well spend the rest of its life in a bank vault, when the cash could be deployed elsewhere for the common good.

Meanwhile in Sydney the Australian Museum has just taken delivery of a remarkable 42,000 year old baby mammoth as the centre piece of their Giants Of The Ice Age exhibition. Christened Lyuba, the remarkably intact youngster was discovered in the frozen mud of Siberia, still with hair on her body and remnants of mother’s milk in her belly.

The image of her arriving at the Australian Museum in her specially designed, coffin like, road case was very much a poignant one – as if she had been lying in state for over 40,000 years. No doubt thousands of Sydneysiders will flock to the museum to share this incredible find and amazing glimpse of the distant past.

It would be inappropriate to put a dollar value on such an important specimen as Lyuba and mercifully she will never end up at Sotheby’s auction en route to the ownership of some Saudi oil mogul. In 1958 the value of the recently sold Da Vinci painting was 45 quid.

Obviously those who recognised it as a copy didn’t think much of it as a work of art, regardless of who painted it. It could well have turned up in a car boot sale or a ‘bonus buy’ on Bargain Hunt. It’s all a bit hard to comprehend.

When it comes to Lyuba, the only value that should be mentioned is the cliché ‘priceless’ and we should all be richer for the experience of her discovery. Bring on the t-shirts and coffee mugs.

Japanese Film Festival Heading to Sydney between November 16th to 26th is the Japanese Film Festival as part of a national tour. Mumon: The Land of Stealth will open the festival in true Japanese style with an action-packed comedy. The film stars a ninja with unmatched strength as he accidently creates a war between the samurais and ninjas. Directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura, audiences are expected to be on the edge of their seats.

Some of the genre’s that will be showcased at the festival are anime, comedy, docudrama, and crime mysteries. Margarett Cortez, program coordinator for the event has given some insight into the festival.

“This year Japanese cinema has been off to 14

city hub 23 NOVEMBER 2017

a good start, we are also trying some new stuff this year, we are doing a short film feature for the first time.The theme for this year is to showcase a new generation of Japanese cinema so it was very fitting to feature short films from Japan as well as Japanese film makers in Australia.”

With some amazing films in the line-up, Margarett’s top two picks are, “In terms of mainstream pop culture Japanese viewing a must see is, Teiichi – Battle of Supreme High, it’s a J-Pop manga favourite in the making I think, it’s a very clever satire. For those who are after more house titles, the top of my list is Snow Women, directed by Kiki Sugino who is a superwoman.” (RH)

Rembrandt And The Dutch Golden Age: Masterpieces From The Rijksmuseum On the walls of Sydney’s finest art galleries, world history can often be found through the medium of classical paintings, from a time and place when none of us existed or could have ever experienced.

Rembrandt And The Dutch Golden Age: Masterpieces From The Rijksmuseum is an enthralling exhibition of 17th century Dutch painters travelling to Sydney this summer from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and will be part of the 2017-18 Sydney International Art Series.

This national treasure is a huge collection of 78 pieces of art including unique portraits, stunning seascapes with a contemplative reflection on domestic life and fruit and flowers of the period.

Two of the main highlights of the exhibition are an inclusive room dedicated to Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn (often considered as of one of the greatest minds in the history of art) and an exceptional painting by Johannes Vermeer.

Gallery attendees will also learn about why this historical period was such a golden age for the blossoming of art. Dutch society in the 17th century was a nation of much elegance, affluence and cultural significance and the artists of the period captured the vast beauty of a world that was vividly on display using their

craft and skills to produce some captivating paintings. It’s an opportunity to experience first hand what 17th century European life was really like and Australian audiences will be able to go into the deep rich history of the Netherlands but will also learn about the juxtapositions of the period with the present day. (DJ) Until Feb 18. Art Gallery of NSW, Art Gallery Rd,The Domain, Sydney. $12-$24.

Tickets & Info: www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au

AFRIKA – THE WILD A photographer is an artist whose goal is to capture and freeze on-going moments by just pressing a button! However, to do this, you need the right set of tools, time, and talent. Ken and Michelle Dyball are among the few who have them all!

The couple are proud to have their first solo exhibition of their works in Sydney this November.

They have explored and wandered the African wilderness for ten years hunting the rightmoments. So, each of their images has its own story to tell.“The work is grand, intimate and most of all emotional,” Black Eye Gallery director,Tom Evangelids, believes.

For them, it all started with a plan of ‘no plan’; as they called it.They went to different African countries, explored lands, saw the wildlife from the right angles, and captured the right moments.That is why looking at their photographs is like watching native animals in their natural habitats.

Ken and Michelle’s images are always emotional, and because their images resemble no other works, the couple has been recognised and awarded internationally numerous times.

Mumon The Land of Stealth

The ‘BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards’ and the ‘Nature’s Best Photography Windland Rice International Awards”’are only two of them.

Nonetheless, the couple’s dream is to share their extraordinary experiences with others, which has now come true; thanks to Black Eye Gallery. It is only months before publishing a large collection of their works by The Natural History Museum of Britain in 2018. (MD) Until Dec 3. Black Eye Gallery, 3/138 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst. Info: www.blackeyegallery.com.au

Traces of Sin An investigative journalist is going through a hard time while his sister is in custody awaiting a trail and his infant niece is in hospital in critical condition.

To keep busy, he re-examines an old case.

As he investigates further he soon learns of the vicious social circles associated and the true nature of the crime.

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My Uncle Yukio is a primary school student tasked with writing an assignment about a family member. Upon choosing his uncle, a typical philosophy lecturer.The two soon embark on a hilarious journey taking in some Japanese American history and getting up to no good to find the uncles love, Eri. WWW

Justice League

The latest addition to the DCEU picks up shortly after the events which transpired in Batman V Superman. The film sees a sullen Batman attempting to cope with his own internal guilt following those events but also trying to assembly a team to defend earth from an incoming threat.

Bringing the team together takes some time but this works in the films favour as it allows us to essentially be introduced to three new main characters in Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg. Of these three Ezra Miller as The Flash steals every scene

he is in by adding a levity that the DCEU was sorely missing.

Although adding more cheekiness and comedic moments Justice League continues to have a foreboding doom, which set the DCEU apart from Marvel. This is in spite of the the main villain, Steppenwolf, being your run of the mill bland world destroyer.

Overall as a superhero team up movie and a fresh jumping off point for the DCEU Justice League is a very nice addition to the franchise. (JA) WWW1/2

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Muriel’s Wedding is like Cher, Friends and Messina ice cream: it’s practically impossible not to love it.

So the staging of it was always going to be a daunting task; cultish fans feel an ownership over this story, which came out in a truly golden year for Australian cinema (1994 - the same year as Priscilla, Queen of the Desert).

The biggest challenge the documentary charts is casting its leading lady; despite three strong contenders, whose pitch-perfect auditions wow you, the sense is Muriel just hasn’t been found. At this rate, the film’s legion of loyal gay fans will get their weddings before Muriel gets hers.

WRITERS AND OPINION MAKERS WANTED

WRITERS AND OPINION MAKERS WANTED

AltMedia is looking for writers.

Opportunities in print and online are available to opinion makers and up and coming journalists.

AltMedia is looking for writers.

Opportunities in print and online are available to opinion makers and up and coming journalists.

Send a CV, writing samples and a covering letter to:

Send a CV, writing samples and a covering letter to: news@altmedia.net.au

The Teacher

Making Muriel

But when the star, the instantly likeable Maggie McKenna, is cast we get an insight into her own personal anxiety: “I’ve always questioned if I was getting parts because of my mum. I know I’ve worked really hard and if I can just do my job, that’s all I can hope for.”

The mum in question is Kim, of Kath and Kim fame. But one watch of this documentary (and the astoundingly good musical) leaves the viewer in no doubt why she got the part.You can’t stop prowess.

(GN) WWWW

Making Muriel will air on ABC & ABC iView Sunday AHN newspaper Nov 26 at 7:40pm.

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Audiences should be shocked and angered by what unfolds in this Slovak-Czech drama which concerns a corrupt and manipulative teacher who rewards favours from the parents and students with good grades.

Actress Zuzana Maurery received an award for playing the role of newly appointed school teacher Maria Drazdechova, who is loathed but initially tolerated by the school teachers owing to her association with the Communist Party.

The story-telling is non-linear in structure and slowly comes together as a meeting amongst W128mm X H158mm Oct 2017 PRESS.pdf 1 the teachers is finally arranged

in the hope that all will sign a petition to have her dismissed from the school.

It’s astonishing to think this film is based on true events, where incredibly talented children broke down from the stress of constantly receiving failing grades owing to their parent’s justifiable decision not cooperate with this evil woman.

The opening scene where this abhorrent teacher writes down all the livelihoods of her student’s parents is the most disturbing scene in the film, as it demonstrates her nonsensical belief that she had the power to control everyone around her.

(MMo) 17/10/2017

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10:23 AM

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The CiTy hub is looking for volunTeers To regularly ConTribuTe. CMY These roles will involve professionally covering various topics in arts & entertainment.

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This role is for you:

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4 If you relish the opportunity to work in a real news environment 4 If you are passionate about Sydney having an independent local voice 4 If you want on-the-job experience and training for your portfolio 4 If you are organised and can hit deadlines

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▶ minimum commitment: one article a week (150-300 words) ▶ all work is from home, role does require some 10min, over-the-phone interviews. ▶ perks include: free tickets and material All applications must include a short cover letter detailing current or previous schooling/experience and two examples of short-form pieces. sent to: arts@altmedia.net.au

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