The Spit Press Vol. 1. Issue 2/.

ART.MUSIC.DESIGN FASHION.EXISTENCE SPITPRESS.COM | FREE

BLUE JUICE the mosh pit etiquette

BEASTMAN [weAREtheIMAGEmakers]

BIENNALE your guide to the city’s best art festival

INSPIRATION HOW DO YOU MAKE AN EP? SYNESTHESIA creative people that see music where do creative people find it? what to do, how to do it

THE SPIT PRESS | SYDNEY’S CREATIVE NEWSPAPER | VOL 1, ISSUE 2 | 1

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03 EDITORIAL.WINE.GOSSLING 04 BLENDER T ROUGH S BUCKE T PI S 5 0 PENGUINPLAY .

S 06 SLEEPYHAND EDME V A S KYE S 7 0 08 BIENNALE CENE S ING T HEDA MAN T 10 T S BEA .

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11 YDNEY S 12 HOWDOYOUMAKEANEP ONIC S .

S AR W T ECRE S 13 UICE J BLUE 4 1 S EY S 16 2BAKEDPOO OODHEAD ICALRUN W T IE S CRI .

RO 7 1 ERNACULAR V ABLE T ERI 18 V S OHN J MARC 19 s r u o y e m w 20 sho iration 21 INsp forlucy.7songs 22 ruby&JAMES 23 jess ELQUESTIONS 24 TRAV TORY E F INLI S 25 iDOLLA SWORKS.THEBESTTHING 26 CURIOU ROMGEORGIA F E V BIGLO 27 press.com

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THE SPIT PRESS | SYDNEY’S CREATIVE NEWSPAPER | VOL 1, ISSUE 2 | 2

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Please the trees.

it ain’t easy being indie Being a small, humble, loveable publication isn’t really a simple task in our great city. Independent media is a rarity. If we’re not being told ‘no, you can’t be stocked here, because we’re under a contract with X’ then often it’s ‘no, sorry, you can’t cover this event because we’ve sold the rights to Y’. Sometimes it’s tough, but we’re doing it, and we’ve discovered it’s definitely worth it.

We persevered through the questions ‘sorry, you’re who, from where?’…‘the what press?’ and in our search to find stockists, advertisers and contributors we were welcomed by a large family of creative people who had no hesitation in offering us industry advice and introducing us to their friends. People like Aussie rockers Blue Juice, the guys at Secret Wars, and the friendly folk at Curious Works, gave us their time, attention and dedication to help us produce this newspaper.

This issue is stuffed with creativity from all over the place. There’s articles and photos from indie creatives paving their own way and coverage of major events like Creative Sydney, the lead up to Splendour in the Grass 2010 and the 17th Biennale of Sydney.

So, creative people, undiscovered talents and business owners who actually care about the communit y…what are you waiting for? Join the family. Get in touch, write an article, stock The Spit Press. Without the support, investment and encouragement from the creative communit y, we might have given up long ago.

We’re Sydney’s Creative Newspaper…and you’re in Sydney.

The Spit Press Family.

spit press love letters Hi Spit Press Team...

Dear Spit Press,

Hey Spit Press Guys,

Just wanted to say a big thank you for all your work on your creative newspaper...I picked up a copy at college and couldn’t put it down. Love the articles, especially the piece on awkward hugs (a recent point of conversation for me and friends). As a graphic design student, it is really refreshing to see a newspaper engaging in contemporary design and breaking some rules...Looking forward to receiving my next bundle of inspiration...Ta.

As I was making way around the corners of Surry Hills, I stumbled across what claimed to be the first issue of ‘Sydney’s Creative Newspaper’, and was overcome with joy! As I sat on the grass at the Surry Hills festival, listening to Jonathon Boulet in the last golden hour of sun, turning the pages of your newspaper I felt completely elated and excited for what is happening in Sydney’s own little art revolution. Thank you for your creation, I can’t wait for the next one!

Please don’t leave me waiting too long.

Grabbed a copy of your newsmag on King St. Nice work guys. I like your style, can’t wait to nab a copy of issue 2 when it hits the streets.

Had a listen to Skipping Girl Vinegar, they’re awesome!

“You’ve got the love? Send feedback to info@spitpress.com. Contribute, subscribe, collaborate to Sydney’s Creative Newspaper; The Spit Press”

Josh.

Kiara Elisha x THE SPIT PRESS | SYDNEY’S CREATIVE NEWSPAPER | VOL 1, ISSUE 2 | 3

just shoot me Have you ever crept down those tiny Paddington side streets? If you have, you’ve probably come across a gem of cultural delight called Blender Gallery and the Just Shoot Shop. Blender Gallery is an exhibition space with two levels of pure photographic bliss.

What a treat! The gallery is dedicated to international and Australian photographers, and they’ve got a sweet tooth for images of iconic musicians and music venues. This year, they’re promising to show us works by some big names in the biz, including Patti Boyd (photographer of The Beatles), and Philip Townsend (photographer of the Rolling Stones). Art collectors can also rejoice, you can actually get your mitts on these photos because they’re all for sale.

While you’re at Blender Gallery, why not take a poke around the Just Shoot Lomography Shop? But what the heck is this silly word? Well, Lomography is a photographic movement which has disarmed all traditional art photographers of all their years of knowledge. It’s about spontaneity, playfulness and a little analogue camera with a lot of potential. In the 90’s, some students dug up a strange little Russian camera in Vienna and the world was soon to have its first real taste of Lomography. And soon, this taste became a full-blown flavour experience. The underground art movement of Lomography has jumped from continent to continent, putting a rose on the cheek of hundreds of keen photographers.

Whether you’re into psychedelic music photography, or just taking a few cheeky snaps for yourself, Blender Gallery is your beacon!

For all information on exhibitions, the Just Shoot Lomography Shop, and Lomography workshops visit: www.blender.com.au, or visit Blender Gallery & The Just Shoot Shop- 16 Elizabeth St Paddington, Sydney.

Words Monique Friedlander

plenty of drops to drink

have you met gossling?

Serena Or

If you haven’t already heard of the whimsical Gossling from country Victoria, you’d best get acquainted. With her EP If You Can’t Whistle attracting attention from the good people at Triple J, you might have heard her ‘Days are Over’ track on high rotation on the airwaves. We were lucky enough to catch her headlining gig at The Vanguard on a chilly evening in autumn.

Songstress Helen Croome filled the suave atmosphere, ‘polite’ crowd and dim lighting of the renowned jazz bar with soaring vocals and an orchestral set list that left an impression.

Whilst she confesses, “having the name Gossling gives [her] a slight disguise as an artist” she doesn’t “feel the need to hide behind the name in order to have more creative freedom”.

Whilst at first listen some may simply compare Gossling’s voice to Julia Stone’s, don’t be fooled, it is Croome’s own signature kind of love for emotional honesty that is uniquely conveyed in her live performances. She’s definitely something original, something quirky.

For a young independent artist she is seemingly comfortable on stage, even when surrounded by what was diplomatically described as a “refrained” crowd. Gossling’s banter even included a Snoop Dogg quip, but I’m still deliberating if it is too cringe-worthy to repeat, and thus hilarious.

She indulged her listeners with refreshingly candid crowd conversation, skills that will surely come in handy on her tour, supporting fellow Melbournite Whitley.

Promising new tracks from her band, she has been testing some new material live and is “really keen to play around in [the] studio to see how they develop”. With hints her new work is going to be increasingly orchestral and cinematic, we are in for a treat. It is Gossling’s brooding and passionate crescendos, sweeping vocals and smoky melodies that make her a standout member of the independent muso family.

Check out Gossling’s EP If You Can’t Whistle.

Words Serena Or

stephan evans

Red wine; not just for wankers. Serena Or drinks No longer the domain of bored housewives and those uber-trendy beret wearing folk, a good drop of red wine is perfect for everybody and every occasion, especially with the impending cooler seasons. It is also said that red wine has some lovely health benefits; so it’s both nutritious and delicious! Here is a quick guide to the major grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon (aka the Cab-Sav) With the subtle taste and aroma of blackcurrant, the Cab Sav grape typically yields a medium to heavy-bodied red. Handle with care, the Cabernet Sauvignon is often heralded as the ‘cougar wine’; it gets richer and better with age.

Shiraz (aka Syrah) Also the name of an Iranian city, the Shiraz is truly a great Australian treasure. This grape produces a wine with a medium-bodied but powerfully intense taste followed by a sweet secondary rush of flavour. Most bottles are consumed without aging at room temperature, but can be kept for up to five years.

Merlot The Merlot is the loose grape in the vineyard; it swings up, down and anyway really, it’s quick to mature and ready for action. It is often described as smoky or spicy, and is typically a drier, medium-bodied wine, which sets it apart from the sweeter Shiraz.

Pinot Noir The Pinot Noir grape lends itself to a wide range of wines; acidic tones to sweet aromas to chocolate tastes. But what is common to all Pinot Noir wines is a soft, silky texture, said to be akin to drinking velvet. It has a distinctive taste, but the Noir is not a heavy drop being a medium to light-bodied wine; it’s simple and easy.

Rosé (rose-ay) A light and very fruity red wine; normally light pink in colour. Usually consumed in mass over the summer months, it has gained criticism as a red wine for white wine lovers. It’s lightness lends itself well to cooking and earns big for it’s seasonal versatility. Best chilled and enjoyed at sunset.

The Spit Press advises that you drink in moderation. We recommend balancing your red wine intake with old friends, good food and dimmed lights.

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Whilst meandering down the streets of Bondi, a little art studio seemed to stick out. Looking inside there were some really funky and quirky art works that caught my eye. One thing that was really alluring was the fact that they looked cartoon and life-like at the same time. After a closer inspection I learned that this was due to the warped depth and perspective of the paintings. Upon walking in, I met the brilliant artist that was responsible for all the paintings surrounding me, Stephen Evans.

Evans is a Bondi based landscape and still life artist working with oils and is heavily influenced and inspired by what surrounds him. Originally from England he ended up studying set design and stage management at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Perth.

Later, he moved to Sydney and started work as a scenic artist and then decided to become a full time painter.

I asked him how other creative types might be able to make a living from what they love doing.

“I think if you intend to make a living from your art, try to find work in an industry that allows you to work with your materials. You’re basically being paid to develop your craft and business skills. I think the secret for a working artist is to find the balance between the work you create for love, and the work you produce for money. Break a Leg!” You can jump onto his website and look at some of the neat stuff he does and I hope you’ll be just as impressed as I was: w w w.stephenevans.com.au Words Lin Vartan

Feel good and look great!

Blue Caravan is a nifty new online store dedicated to ethical contemporary design. Log on and browse the handmade, fair trade & ethical products ’warmed’ by independent designers, artists and artisans from across the globe. Promote fair trade and sweat-free certification and support ethical design at www.bluecaravan.net. Necklace by Little Red Lantern

Fascinating!

Sophistication meets innovation in Jade Lees’ unique fascinators. This local designer is inspired by eras past when the echo of vinyl was commonly heard, where deep shades of red lipstick were complimented perfectly by the glisten of pearls; a time when a hat was not only an expectation of wider society but a subtle and empowering statement of elegance and femininity. Discover a delightful designer crafting handmade treasures at www.wix.com/jadelees/ lagorra

The Little Stevies There is just something great about Australian folk music. The Little Stevies are doing their darndest to represent us overseas, having recently stolen the spotlight at the 22nd International Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis earlier this year. With a sound that pays homage to great Aussie musicians like The Waifs and Missy Higgins, the Little Stevies are perfect for long drives and winter campfires. www.thelittlestevies.com

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Road Trippin’ In May 1000 young Australians went on a nationwide road trip to re-energise the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY movement.

Despite losing momentum in recent years, there is still much work to be done if the Millennium Development Goals are to be met by 2015. In the last 20 years extreme poverty has fallen from 42% to 19%, and Australia’s efforts in the Pacific have eradicated polio. We have the resources, the finances, and the plans; we just need the political will. We are asking for the government to increase aid to 0.7% of GNI. Sign the petition at www.acttoendpoverty.com.au to get behind this movement.

The Tuesday Daily and Radio Atticus on 2SER 107.3FM Our friends over at 2SER are a busy bunch of creative folk.

Radio Atticus is the law and social justice show and they are hosting a little design competition. They’re looking for someone to redesign their logo. The winner will get a bunch of goodies and their design used all year! www.pool. org.au/group/revamp_atticus_logo Don’t forget to check out The Tuesday Daily 9:30am -12pm. Every Tuesday Mike Williams serves up a hefty load of awesome local and international tunes whilst keeping you up to date with the weather (weather permitting).

A Lyric A Day… We inter viewed him for our blog, but this international creative deser ves more exposure! Luke’s site A Lyric A Day combines poignant lyrics with stunning visuals to create images that are unique to his ‘ever yday project’.

With a touch of nostalgia and a hint of lomography, Luke’s site will inspire you to get creative. Visit www.alyricaday. tumblr.com to see just what we’re ranting and raving about.

The Old Man and the Sea. Looking for a great read? First published in 1952, this novella is considered to be one of Ernest Hemingway’s finest works.

The story follows Santiago, an ageing Cuban fisherman who fights to reel in a giant marlin after having not caught a single fish in 84 days. Simple, poetic text gives light to powerful and moving themes and at less than 100 pages long it’s great for a night in! You can pick one up second hand for less than 6 bucks,

Lauren Yates Sydney based photographer Lauren Yates is one to keep your eye on! Her series is called “Death and Domestic Duties.” It started off as an attempt to shoot tragic endings to classic tales, but as the idea developed, she discovered a macabre monster was stirring deep within her.

The series illustrates the possible grizzly endings that can find you in the depths of your domestic lives. www.laurenyates.com

Would You Eat Your Cat? This cheeky and insightful little book challenges you to question everything you thought you already knew. A unique collection of problems and paradoxes, Jeremy Strangeroom’s latest title is sure to get you thinking. Questions like ‘should we sacrifice one to save five’ and ‘should we have sex when drunk’ will have you pondering, laughing and reveling over this pocketful of ethical conundrums. You can grab a copy at any leading book retailer, would you eat your cat?

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sleepy hands The west keeps it fresh. Wake up to Sleepyhands! A brief introduction by Tommy Faith You purchase Sl e epy h an ds’ n ew EP, up l o a d it onto yo ur it une s and transfer it on to yo ur iPo d (or more likel y your iPhone b e cause yo u’re craz y te ch s av v y). O n yo ur wa y to your hipster frien d’s ho us e in S urr y Hills yo u listen to the whol e thing thro ugh. T h e whol e thing. T his is significant in that it ’s rare yo u take th e time o ut from listening to the new J ónsi re cord b e caus e it ’s “just so moving!”

The recording and production quality are the first thing you notice. You look at your mate in the passenger seat and exclaim, “Dude, I really like this. These guys are from the US, yeah?” You’re wrong, they’re from the Western Suburbs, but he’s oblivious so he says, “Yeah, bro.”

I don’t hold any of this against you because

really, no one knows anything about Sleepyhands. Not yet, anyway. They’ve been notably quiet throughout the writing and recording process over the last few months.

Sleepyhands formed at the end of last year from the depths of the Western Suburbs. Western Sydney has produced a number of well-received ar tists over the past 12 months, most notably Jonathan Boulet of Parades fame. Boulet, in fact, had a hand in the production and recording of this EP. You can hear similarities between Boulet and Sleepyhands especially in the track We Being Humans which is a bouncing, group vocal af fair and my personal favourite from the record. This isn’t to say that the EP is hit and miss. Each of the five tracks could be a single by its own right and that’s much to do with engaging songwriting

and the rich guy/girl group harmonies that Sleepyhands seems to employ so well and so frequently. So prevalent are they in these five songs that it’s near impossible to identify a lead singer amidst the constant choir of voices.

If you like bands like Local Natives, Jonathan Boulet, The Middle East or hell, even Mumford and Sons (Sleepyhands slip some cheeky banjo in a number of their tracks) then seriously consider this EP. Keep your eyes and ears peeled, Sleepyhands will be recognised quickly.

Claim you loved them before they sign to a major and become The J’s posterchild 18 months down the track.

Sleepyhands self-titled and self-released EP is out now and available through their myspace.

invited to share their work. Fiction writing can be such a reclusive practice and to be able to share your own work with an audience enlivens literature, and brings it into the arena of the per formance.

The evening is organised with a running order of programmed stor ytellers, and although the readings are ‘staged’, (there is a raised plinth where a vintage chair is placed, with lamp and microphone to-boot) random input from crowd members is encouraged through a wild card system, enabling anyone to put their name down on the night to have the oppor tunity to read their work.

I was enraptured, delirious with excitement about this creative and intellectual ménage budding from somewhere above King Street. There was something that happened in that room, with all of us squeezed together listening. Perhaps it was the fleshy interactivity occurring

or the digging up of the ancient roots of stor ytelling; its prevalence, its resurgence even, in a culture dominated by mediatised forms of communication, but the night was something special.

It was as though we were tapping into long forgotten Greek origins of community. Narcissus however, was nowhere to be seen in the evening’s mythology, his reflection banished from the erudite pool we were collectively dipping our toes into. Organisers Pip Smith and Amelia Schmidt’s interest in creating an inviting space for literar y sharing is a charming and honest way of bringing creative types back to basics. I couldn’t recommend the experience highly enough.

ht t p://w w w.mysp ace.co m/sl e e py hands

penguin plays rough “Each month we programme five writers to read their short stories, novel extracts and scenes from plays or film scripts in the big front room of our flat on King St, Newtown.” Charlotte Farrell explores Last Monday night I stumbled up on a wonder ful evening of stor y telling. I felt transp or ted to a dif ferent world entirely, as if flung into a land vis- à- vis Enid Bly ton’s M agic Faraway Tree; I found myself huddled amongst other eager bodies listening to stories b eing told in a large, warmly lit room.

Various people contributed to the night, rising from the crowd to read. Their stories ranged from allegorical imaginings of a mother’s grotesque and frightful metamorphosis into Fidel Castro on the incandescent Gold Coast, to an exposé of two lovers tragic impossibility. These stories and more unfurled at Penguin Plays Rough, a monthly literar y tête-à-tête of undeniably imaginative variety.

One of the many attractive aspects of this monthly event is that both established and emerging writers are THE SPIT PRESS | SYDNEY’S CREATIVE NEWSPAPER | VOL 1, ISSUE 2 | 6

See w w w.penguinplaysrough.wordpress.com for more information.

Skye Saved Me Louisa Millward It’s strange to think that an island, a largely inanimate land mass, could be responsible for bringing about such a change in me. I left London after two days, eager to get away from the thronging masses of people and traveled north to Glasgow, the birth city of my much adored paternal grandmother. Immediately I felt a connection to the kind, ruddy Scottish faces that greeted me after that cramped bus ride from England.

I pictured myself pulling pints and ser ving bar meals at a local pub, maybe in Glasgow, maybe Edinburgh. What I found was general assistant work (read: jack of all trades) in a small, countr y hotel, eight hours nor th of Glasgow, on an island named Skye.

The Isle of Skye is one of those places that send most people running towards an atlas – I’d never heard of it. Sure I knew there were islands of f the west coast of Scotland (it was called Ireland, wasn’t it?) but I had no idea about this beautiful, rugged and mythical place. My book and magazines bought for the bus ride remained untouched as I stared out the window. Ever y scene looked like a postcard: the steep, jagged mountains dotted with sheep and divided by streams. White crofters cottages with thatched rooftops, nestled at the base of a hill. Heather bloomed ever ywhere, giving the mountains a beautiful mottled quality.

The next three months there were dif ficult, don’t get me wrong. This wasn’t some romantic flight of fancy. No tr ysts with kilted Highland men were had, no copious amounts of whiskey downed by the fireplace. It was hard work; the fairly unglamorous tasks of cleaning hotel rooms, doing dishes by hand, washing and ironing bed linen. But when I

had time of f, I rambled and I loved it. Rambling is countr yside walking, and I lost myself to it on many occasions. One day I rambled past grazing sheep and cows, ending up at a clif f where I lost the signal on my little portable radio. When I looked around, there was not a living soul to be seen. No animals. No people. No traces of human civilization.

The city girl in me was frightened of being lost or injured in this wilderness. Then a strange calm came over me. I sat, and listened to the wind. My mind emptied, and I felt comfor table, for the first time in a long time.

After a trip to Europe and the United States I returned to Skye once more. I was supposed to fly home after leaving LA, but my yearning for solitude pulled me in the opposite direction, where I spent another eight months. On leaving the second time around, I was a little better prepared, but I remember driving away from the hotel in my rental car, tears streaming down my face and continuing to do so for the 18 mile drive into Portree.

When I returned home, I was deeply unsettled. My time in Skye taught me something that I will always value: it’s okay to be alone. You can sur vive on your own. Being alone is not the worst thing in the world. Actually, it’s quite enjoyable. Just in general. It passes rather quickly for me, I enjoy being this way, and I returned from Skye a changed person.

If there’s a place you’ve traveled to, that’s made an impact on you, hold it close to your hear t. I’m torn between telling ever yone in the world about what a wonderful place Skye is, and keeping it a secret, keeping it intimate for purely selfish reasons. And if you haven’t discovered that place yet? Well, what are you waiting for?

the best things in life There’s nothing better than free stuff.

Our city is an amazing playground of fun and discovery, if you know where to look. As a full time uni student who works part time and tries to pay rent, Lynne Xie’s free-stuff-radar is particularly receptive. A dumpster diver at heart, here is what she’s found.

Transport: I’m keen to start riding a bike, because it’s a free way to get places and exercise all at once. w w w. cit yofsydney.nsw.gov.au/cycling has an amazing amount of useful information on bike routes, cycling tips and free cycling courses which help you to stay alive on the road.

If, like me, you don’t actually have a bike, may I suggest the Nunner y Bike Workshop (also known as the Cycle ReCycle Club). This amazing group meets on Monday nights in Waterloo and makes tools, bike parts and offers knowledge to people interested in maintaining their current bike or for those smiling scrubbers re-assembling an old one. bikeclub. wordpress.com and cyclerecycle.au2.com have more information.

Sydney Buses provides a free CBD shuttle bus which runs

between Circular Quay and Central Station. It’s supposed to run ever y 10 minutes! Look out for them, they’re green with route number 555. You can find more information at www. sydneybuses.info/free-cbd-shuttle.htm Accommodation: Give CouchSur fing a shot. It’s a notfor-profit organisation which connects travellers and hosts who let you ‘sur f ’ their couch. w w w.couchsur fing.org is the place to create a profile and have your questions answered.

Second-hand advice from a friend who is a pret t y active CouchSur fer: profiles say a lot. Pay at tention to the profile of the host or CouchSur fer you’re considering and spend some time making your profile reflect your expectations and personalit y.

Entertainment: You’re on the right track by picking up a copy of The Spit Press. We’re free! And entertaining!

Ever y Wednesday and Sunday the Art Galler y of NSW holds free movie screenings in conjunction with their major exhibitions. They’re sometimes subtitled, always free, and are often movies whose name, director and starring actor you’ve heard of but don’t know much about. www.artgaller y.nsw. gov.au/events/films has all the information you need.

A lot of people don’t realise that local libraries often have pretty good collections of DVDs and CDs in addition to their books. Get amongst it! Most, if not all, local libraries

are free to join. Once a month, the Sydney Theatre Company has a free post-show gig called The Wharf Sessions. www. sydneytheatre.com.au/back-stage/wharf-sessions.

I once described the Apple Store on George St as Sydney’s best amusement park. This is because the store is effectively a free internet café with glass walls, and it hosts the occasional free gig. www.apple.com/au/retail/sydney always has information on their upcoming events.

Getting informed: Universities have a really impressive range of lectures and panel discussions covering interesting topics which mightn’t impact you on a day-to - day basis, but sure are important on a world scale. w w w.usyd.edu. au/sydney_ideas and w w w.unsw.edu.au/events/calendar/ events.php are good websites to check out. More often than not, they’re free and open to the general public.

The Wentworth Talks are free bi-monthly presentations and discussions on climate change and the environment, held at Wharf 1, Walsh Bay. The next is on Monday 28 June on ‘Can We Secure Our Food Whilst Maintaining Our Environment?’. Go to www.sydneytheatre.com.au/backstage/the-wentworth-talks-dr-john-williams for more info.

See you round Sydney, and you’re welcome!

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Shen Shaomin: Bonsai

Angela Elsworth: Seer Bonnets Makoto Aida: MokoMoko

Before you even set foot in the building, you are greeted with a glimpse of Shaomin’s work, with what appears to be the feet of a shrunken tree with engorged cankles planted quite beautifully in a porcelain vase. But on closer inspection, the illusion that this miniature tree is somehow natural is shattered, as remaining in place is the metal construction that has unforgivingly manipulated it’s growth. Don’t let the title of the work mislead you, this collection of living sculptures is a far cr y from ‘The Karate Kid’ and any romantic sentiment associated with the practice that it mimics. Wire pulls branches to the side, as if a violent wind blows through the galler y. Clamps, monstrous and rusted, force the trunk of the tree to incongruently bend back over itself, like an over weight circus contortionist. And a small metal opening swells and inflates the trunk below it as it tries to squeeze through, the way a sausage is made.

Shaomin’s engineering of the natural world seems cruel yet poetic, and speaks more greatly of the exploitation of our natural resources. Detailed blueprints of his process recount the architectural torture that he has imposed on the trees - but really, it makes us question how different is this from all the other ways we take a controlling hand over nature - the burning of oil, the mining of coal and the excavation of land? At least, this is art. And it’s beautiful.

Looking like scattered totem poles that are topped with retrospective props from ‘The Little House on the Prairie’ - Seer Bonnets is another work that combines motifs of violence with a delicate hand. Sculptured bonnets surfaced by what must be hundreds of pearl coloured balls, are revealed to be the heads of what seems like hundreds more pins, meticulously placed by some psychotic dressmaker. As you move in and around the pieces, your view changes from the delicate and matronly exterior, to the frightful and sharp interior, that you can only imagine would make a pin cushion of the archet ypal matriarch on which this was imagined.

Elsworth has gone to painstaking effort to create her work, commenting on rigid and dated notions of feminine roles and referencing her rejected mormon heritage.

These objects are fetish-like in their threatening intent and nostalgic sadism, but their arrangement idolizes them as a ghostly memorial to the past, and generations of compliance. This is a subtly sinister work with the elegance of an accomplished artist.

mca

17th biennale Sydney’s

cockatoo island The 17th Biennale of Sydney will run until 1st of August. www.bos17.com Free ferries operate between Circular Quay and Cockatoo Island - no excuse to miss it!

Keeping with this notion of fetish, and bringing back the ethos of the entire program, Aida’s painting Mokomoko is best viewed, literally, at a distance. In the spirit of those age old ‘What-do-you-see optical illusions’ where you shift your perception bet ween an old woman or a young lady from the same silhouette - this work plays on the power of the image and that constantly shifting process of visual understanding that we undergo to ‘decipher’ it. Initially, it reads as a political message through the billowing and apocalyptic orange cloud, akin to some sort of nuclear explosion. Then you see something more innocent and playful - a cartoon panda, not unlike one that you would see in Morning Glor y on a stationer y set emblazoned with a mistranslated idiom.

And then, riding on the back of this cute and identifiable image, your mind is taken somewhere much more erotic and phallic, as you realise you are looking at a giant orange penis.

This clever amalgamation of image is seamless and humorous, and you are left tr ying to reconcile a triad of reactions - the catastrophe of the bomb, the whimsy of the panda and the... well, whatever your feeling is toward penis’. Whatever that reaction is, it is safe to say this work is proof that perception is ever ything, and of the ease and humour with which we can be misled.

Rachel Kneebone: I Think of Death, it Calms me Down If you approach Kneebone’s work from the same distance at which you obser ved Mokomoko, you might be fooled into thinking you are looking at an assemblage of what used to be the contents of your grandmother’s China hutch, super glued together by the child that broke them. The glistening white porcelain that this English sculptor uses however, depicts a much more detailed and organic melange of disembodied anatomy and intert wining ambiguities. Each of the five sculptures are like a rubix cube of human bodies and oversized sexual organs, pieces of a puz zle that don’t quite fit, tr ying either to squirm free of each entanglement or satiate it’s own blind desire.

The dichotomy created bet ween these transgressive forms and their delicate material suggests an apocalyptic climax, as limbs and legs collide in a white-glazed orgy. Kneebone does well to master and reconfigure an old craft, to speak anew of a state of decomposed moralit y and physicalit y.

It is both the faculty and fault of art to be distanced from life. From a distance it is empowered to reflect, mimic and comment - but with this detachment art can lay lazy, and safe. Sydney’s 17th Biennale has hurdled over this possibility, bringing together 440 works by 166 artists from 36 countries in the most daring and adventurous collection the city has ever seen.

So where to begin? While the exhibition might advocate the beauty of distance, you don’t have to go the whole distance - take Jonathan Villanueva’s distilled selection of exemplary works. The must sees! Photography: Zabrina Wong

Kader Attia: Kasbah

Shen Shaomin: Summit

Isaac Julien: Ten Thousand Waves

It is obvious that Attia’s work has been well informed, first hand, of the microcosm of povert y that it seeks to portray. His upbringing in a North African migrant communit y has clearly been drawn upon in this gargantuan composition of corrugated iron roof tops that line the floor of a chamber in Cockatoo Island’s Turbine Hall. As if elevated from the shant y town that can only imagined beneath, the audience is invited along a path across the rooftops, around satellite dishes and protruding makeshift constructions.

You can’t help but move through the landscape with trepidation, as it subtly involves the audience not only as part of the work itself, but more largely as part of the problem it suggests. For in the same moment that you feel sympathy for communities that are quite obviously the failure of globalized economy - you also are forced to consider your own part as a subject of the developed world. And even if you aren’t plague by western guilt, as I am sure is the case with most, for that moment you are weight that is holding them down.

Installation pieces fully exploit Cockatoo Island’s potential for galler y spaces. As you walk behind the matt black curtains that encapsulate Shaomin’s second work in Sydney’s Biennale (a testament in itself), a sombre and uneasy mood descends upon you. You find yourself centered in a pentagon of corpses - 5 of the most noteworthy and notorious communist leaders: Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, Kim Il Sung, Ho Chi Minh and Fidel Castro. Their encased cadavers lie still, and Shaomin’s superbly realistic sculpturing is so convincing you almost expect a fit of coughs to bring one alive.

With this Socialist Wake of sorts, Shaomin is suggesting too the death of faith in socialist ideology. Coupled with the annual G8 Summit that plays catalyst to the work Summit begs the question: who are holders of power, now that these leaders lie as relics around you? Timed too with the GFC (which we know was bad, because it was given an acronym), doubt is even cast upon capitalism as a legitimate ideology. Could Shaomin be suggesting a revival of Marxist ways, a kin to his revival of it’s main advocators?

Ever ything about the execution of Isaac Julien’s work is thoughtfully accomplished and ever y facet of the production is multilayered. Artistically underpinning the work is an exploration of a contemporar y Chinese subjectivit y through notions of identit y, diaspora, migration and histor y. In a practical sense, the installation uses nine channels of video, an assemblage of screens that avoids rendering any viewer with a compromised view. And the actual production of the art work is the result of extensive collaboration with leading artistic voices, actress Zhao Tao, poet Wang Ping, calligrapher Gong Fagen and acclaimed cinematographer Zhao Xiaoshi.

The work explores the cultural context that situates the Morecambe Bay tragedy of 2004, in which 23 Chinese Cockle Pickers died in the North of England. Julien weaves their fate with the symbolic fable of the Goddess Mazu, who by legend, leads fisherman to safety. This allegory that transcends time is a comment on the poetic potency of the past and it’s relevance to diasporic migration and spiritual displacement.

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Summit: Image courtesy Shen Shaomin & Osage Gallery

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chumpy

dating: food, outdoor activities and dark rooms with loud noises

Caitlyn Adamson

It’s tough being single these days, especially when you’re pulling out the thorny spikes of a longterm relationship or a wonderful holiday fling. Jumping back on the depressing bandwagon of singledom and dating is, in all honesty, an excruciatingly uncomfortable experience. The ‘getting to know you stage’ of pointless questions, tamed humour and trying to cover up your own freaky as hell nature requires copious amounts of effort and perfected practice. It would be so much easier if we could date our friends without the weirdness of the ‘friend zone’, or if the moment we met someone new they confessed all their weird attributes.

Like: “Hey there! I own seven cats. But don’t be weirded out; I’m a terribly gentle lover that has a hand fetish.”

Or. “Why yes I do have a gnome collection and no I don’t own toe nail clippers. But that’s ok I have teeth.”

No. No. No. Dear God, No. Our chances for true love are stained by our awkward social graces. Is it really that difficult to find like minded people with aesthetically pleasing features that enjoy long walks on beaches, karaoke and fortnightly Spanish cuisine

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theme nights? Not only do we have awkward social dispositions to overcome, but physical scenarios as well. There’s really not much variety when it comes to dating, it buckles down to food, outdoor activities, or dark rooms with big screens and loud noises.

Personally, I hate watching people eat. The option of a luncheon or a dinner date seems oddly precarious and ideally avoidable to me. There’s probably no way that eating food can look attractive to someone unless they’re either two of the following: they 1) have a weird food fetish or 2) are George Clooney or Brad Pitt and eating makes them look even steamier. If one is to venture into the dangers of a food date, avoid the following: Sushi; It goes ever ywhere, you open your mouth way too wide, and most white people can’t use chopsticks. Not smooth.

Pasta; sauce splatters ever ywhere and slurping really isn’t sexy. ‘Finger food’; say no to food that requires handling with your phalanges, no one wants hands smothered in barbeque sauce and the image of your face devouring the boned remains of a baby lamb. Turn off. In a nutshell: stick to iced water and gratuitous amounts of bread sticks.

Dark spaces are not safe spaces. “Discos” or “clubs” that hip youths hang out at today are probably not ideal in the dating scenario. Mostly because you can’t hear one another through the hectic beats the DJ is so ruthlessly churning out. Statements such as “this song is so hectic! I can’t get enough of this bass” may be interpreted as “you’re dress makes you look pregnant! I don’t want to look at your face!” Plus for us mere mortals who can’t dance, tr ying to bop to a beat is never the most enticing, especially if your signature move is the ‘finger point’. Oh yeah. I pick up.

Movie theatres aren’t the way they used to be

either. Sure they were nice when you were younger and could actually afford to go see a flick without burning a hole in your wallet, but nowadays when I choose to spend money on a movie I actually want to watch the film and not be interrupted. No. Don’t touch me. Or I won’t be able to figure out who Leonardo DiCaprio’s evil twin is. Priorities.

Outdoor activities equal strain and sweat. I see no graceful way of approaching this scenario. Sure a walk in a park and a peak at the harbour is nice, but there’s only so much nature you can appreciate at any given time. Activities are also incredibly strenuous on one’s body and will surely result in sweat patches...“Oh yeah, I bet he’s totally digging my sexy back sweat right now” is never reciprocated by “Oh yeah, I’m totally digging her sexy back sweat right now.” Outdoor activities as dates are never subtle either; let’s go to the beach and surf so I can check out your body; wet and half naked...sly one.

Can’t we all just skip the middleman and go straight to the part where you already know what my favourite colour is? Or my favourite book and why?

Can’t we skip the expensive dates and just fastfor ward to the quiet afternoons on our lounge room couch watching Law and Order? Can’t we just skip the small talk and be quiet? And have little inside jokes that no one else understands but us. Can’t we all just feel comfortable? That’s what we want isn’t it?

To know and love someone enough to feel comfortable with them, that’s why we date...right, to find that person?

Maybe that’s why dating is so excruciatingly painful. If it wasn’t, the happy ever after at the end of the unbearable tunnel wouldn’t be as satisfying, and all the awkward firsts wouldn’t make the quiet nights in so comfortable.

beastman

Take the “rad” from Brad Eastman and you’ve got Beastman though not at a loss of rad. Our head designer Chumpy picks at the noodle of the beast behind [weAREtheIMAGEmakers] and BEASTMAN.

What is Beastman?

Beastman derives from my real name Brad Eastman – it just works... I am an artist, designer and photographer based in Sydney.

The creative industry is a buttlick to break into. What were your roots in the industry and how did you break into it?

I studied graphic design when I finished high school, then just continued doing design work, shooting photos, drawing and painting right up until now. I guess I just kept on doing it and developing my st yle and skills and continue to do so. I don’t

think I ever broke into anything – I just do what I do and here I am now, it all kind of fell into place over the years.

You’ve worked across print, web, product design, installations, photography, illustration (and much more as I’d imagine!). As a multidisciplinar y creative, how difficult was it for you to single out the disciplines you’ve decided to engage with?

I tend to come and go with different things, at the moment I am really focusing on my art work... but this time 10 years ago I was obsessed with shooting skateboarding photos. Graphic design is something I have always done as a way to help keep me financially stable. Tr ying to balance lots of different projects at the same time can get quite stressful, so these days I tr y and focus on what I am feeling is the right direction.

all these artists need to be seen and given the exposure they deser ve. Some of the local artists I look up to, have learnt from and worked with are Ben Frost, Kill Pixie, Trent Whitehead, Anthony Lister, Reka, Phibs, Meggs, Kid Zoom, Yok and Numskull.

What are your future plans?

I plan to just continue doing what I love, that may change around at times bet ween painting, design and photography, which is fine. At the moment I am working my butt off to paint as much as I can for a solo exhibition at Gorker Galler y in Melbourne which opens on 22 July 2010. Then I plan to head over to the UK for a bit of a painting holiday. I also have plans to publish a [weAREtheIM AGEmakers] book and curate some more exhibitions.

Describe your work ethic in one word: Constant

MAC or PC? Why?

You also run [weAREtheIMAGEmakers], which has exposed you to a vast range of Australian creative talent. What part of Australian creativit y enthuses you the most? Are there any Aussie creatives that you look up to?

We have a lot of talented artists here in Australia, that was why I started [weAREtheIM AGEmakers] in the first place,

CMYK or RGB? Why?

Voices look different, too. “I once heard a man’s voice which looked like a ribbon inside a vortex of spinning blue. It was really fun!”

From when she was 6 and saw green triangles listening to a classical song, like most synesthetes, Jacqui thought this multi-sensor y musical experience was normal. It was only in Year 12 when her music teacher figured out something funky was going on that she realized that seeing music in her head was far from it.

Unfortunately, there isn’t really a correlation between songs she likes and nice colours. Neither is there really any meaning attached to what she sees: “I just like to sit back and enjoy. It’s especially great for long train trips with the iPod.” I asked Jacqui to describe what she sees when listening to her favourite song. So, put on ‘Map of the Problematique’ by Muse and get an insight into what she sees…

“When I hear the intro, I see the guitar as several horizontal lines which move towards me. Each different note is on a different line. When the piano comes in, three little blue ice cubes appear to the right of my vision, which then

fade slowly into the black. Then the strings in the background appear as green and brown straight lines, moving like the bow of a violin. The synthesizer is on the left, and looks like a colourful cloud that explodes with every note; it is blue, purple and white with sparkly stars inside. The guitar is like brown strokes running along the bottom of my vision; the drums are exploding dark red circles, except for the white circle of the snare.

With the verse, Matthew Bellamy’s voice appears, black and shiny, like a polished shoe. It has white reflections on it and moves along the front of my vision like a snake or a skipping rope; it is thin, and shakes whenever he uses vibrato.

The chorus looks like a snake moving down the stairs. With each falling note, it literally falls a bit, making a zig zag shape…”

Does this make anyone else flip out? It is actually fantastical, in the truest sense of the word. Apart from the distraction when attempting to focus on reading or driving, synesthesia is one idiosyncrasy I seriously wish God had wired my head with.

Mac – it just makes sense to me

RGB – cause I don’t print ver y often.

Absorb Brad’s works through [weAREtheIMAGEmakers] - watim.com and beastman.com.au

jacqui’s

synesthesia

I’m rather fond of music, like most people. It relaxes me, expresses where I’m at when words just don’t cut it and lifts my mind out of the gutter that is female emotional volatility. But music is a mono-sensory experience for me. Granted, it triggers memories and sometimes gives me the chills, but really, it stays in the realm of the auditory. Stating the obvious?

Well, yes. But for some people, music is so much more. Steph Judd writes Synesthesia is a neurologically-based condition in which stimulation of one sensor y or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntar y experiences in a second pathway.

Synesthetes are as eclectic as a bookshelf in Gould’s: for some, letters are shaded with colour in their mind’s eye; others see colours projected out onto the world. But I am totally captivated by another form of synesthesia.

Like Duke Ellington, John Mayer, and Syd Barrett (explains a lot), every time music hits her ears, Jacqui’s interior vision goes nuts.

Depending on the type of music, she sees different colours and shapes. Techno looks like thick lines of colour; high pitched synthesised noises are small lines, and they get fatter the lower the pitch; and crackled and distorted effects make the lines spikey. All these lines and patterns relate to each other, morphing and moving around with the music. Jazz is more red and yellow; rock is typically brown and jolted; whilst classical is clear, flowing and usually blue. Particular instruments look different. Jacqui likes focusing in on whatever the piano’s doing, because it looks like little blue ice cubes.

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how do you make an ep?

Considering releasing an EP of your own? Interested in how someone moves from being ‘guy (in a band) with some tunes’ to ‘bona fide EP-wielding musician’? Lynne Xie spoke to four musicians who’ve made the transition. James Blackwood (of Valar), Daniel Lee Kendall, Credo Jones (of Rockets) and Jonny Robinson share the highs, lows and practicalities of their EP-making experiences.

James Blackwood (Valar) – We Have a Home Among the Trees, released, June 2010.

Daniel Lee Kendall – Time to Spend with Ones you Love, released 2009.

Credo Jones (Rockets) – Countdown to Impressions, released 2008 & Diamond Thieves, released 2009.

Jonny Robinson – Run, released 2009.

What made you guys decide to release an EP? The way we became a band was really a recording session that Murray and I had in early 2009. We decided to make a few ideas into songs and the only way we knew how to do that was to record them. This year it seemed to happen fairly naturally again. We had a few new ideas and wanted to turn them into proper songs, so we decided to do the recording thing again and actually release it this time!

What made you decide to release an EP? I had a bunch of songs that I’d written and I’d played them live for a while and was enjoying it so I thought it would be cool to have a CD of my own.

What led you to the decision to release an EP? We had done one EP before and it was, to be completely honest, pretty shitty. Thus, we felt the need to do it again, especially because this time we felt the songs warranted a place on a disc as opposed to simply resonating through the live venues. We look at EPs as a way of developing - last year we released this EP Diamond Thieves and since then we’ve developed further and changed even slightly again. We will keep doing it until we’ve refined our sound enough that people genuinely want to listen to it.

What led you to the decision to release an EP? I think recording songs is the most accurate way to hear how it should be at its best. If you can record a piece of music the way you want to, then the live band has something to work towards there. Releasing those songs publicly in an EP format was probably so that more people could hear them.

What were the steps you took between deciding to make an EP and its eventual release?

The recording was probably the longest stage.

For some people this happens real quick and they move straight to mixing and mastering, but we had to first construct the songs and then record them. The recording happened in two major phases and two locations. One thing that we took from Grizzly Bear - and I guess David Bazan too - was finding a nice space to record in. We did all the guitars, keys and vox at a place I had access to called “St Andrews House of Prayer”. It was an old church turned residential performance space that sounds amazing! We set up all the gear in the middle of the living room and basically jammed for 2 weeks straight. After we were happy with the songs. we pushed record! Trying our best to be Grizzly Bear we put a room mic on pretty much everything and recorded the vocals in the big old hall. It was definitely a learning experience.

The second phase was recording the drums.

Because of the House of Prayer’s location we couldn’t record drums there so we had to find a new spot. All three of us thought the main chapel of St James Church, Turramurra would be pretty sweet, so we set up the kit in there and away we went.

Which part of the process were you most apprehensive about? How has it turned out?

I think it is different for me and Murray – but I am concerned the songs aren’t songy enough.

I think we are good at creating spaces and feelings but that doesn’t necessarily translate into “man I love this song, I could sing it all day” and a million record sales. We aim to bring the vibeyness of say post rock and put it with songy folk. Finding the balance is the struggle.

Have there been any unexpected joys/ challenges along the way?

Getting the record mixed was a big challenge.

We are poor musicians and at first couldn’t afford to get it mixed properly. So we tried mixing ourselves and getting friends to mix it, but in the end we just decided to man up and pay for it to be done. Now we have TW Walsh mixing. He’s the engineer for David Bazan who is one of our favourite artists. I guess you could call that a challenge Have you found the internet to be a help or hindrance to the process?

Yes. We are releasing the record online through Bandcamp - the saving grace of online distribution. All you have to do is upload the mastered high quality audio and the album artwork and Bandcamp does the rest. It takes payment through paypal, you can sell merchandise, you can get download codes, the list goes on and on. Best of all though, it’s completely free.

What were the steps you took between the decision and its eventual release?

Well I did all the recording, mixing etc etc myself. So I’d had the rough versions on my computer for some time. Once I decided to do a proper print off, I wanted to redo lots of the guitar and vocal parts and spend time getting those sounding good. And also getting some backing vocals and string parts played… Then I had to organise artwork.

I had some ideas myself for artwork, but I also got my sisters and a friend to help with design and the photography. I had a friend who had just printed off some CDs which I liked the look of, so I just used the same guys that pressed his CDs. The mixing/mastering process was the difficult decision. I was still pretty uncertain of my mixing skills, but I didn’t really have the cash to pay for mastering. (I had saved up money for the pressing in 1 and 2 dollar coins, in a VW piggy bank. Haha) I ended up deciding to just give the mastering a bash myself, and I think it was a good choice.

I listen back to it now and there are some things I would do differently, but overall I like the way it sounds. So from there I just had to send the master away with the artwork and wait til the CDs came back to me.

How did you choose which songs to include?

The CD had 7 songs on it. I only had about 10 songs. I showed the demos to a few friends and family, and usually I don’t even need their feedback. If I’m in the room with someone else listening to my songs it kind of confirms for me if I like the song or not. They don’t even have to say anything I just realise myself… Although the track that seems to be the most popular All That Night was the one I was most embarrassed about at the start.

But lots of people liked it the best. So it was good to get some feedback.

Which part of the process where you most apprehensive about? How has it turned out?

I think the mastering part/final mix. I was a bit unsure how that would all turn out. But I think it has turned out well. I listen to it now and still think for what I knew back then it sounds pretty good.

Have there been any unexpected joys/challenges along the way?

I think when I picked the CDs up from the manufacturer it was quite exciting to see the final thing. All the work and thought finally came to a finished product. That was pretty satisfying.

Where can we hear and buy your stuff? www.myspace.com/danielleekendall. At any show I do I sell them. Or itunes. Or cdbaby. com.

What would you do differently next time?

I would track the whole thing live in one space that sounded amazing.

Where can we hear and buy your stuff? www.myspace.com/valarofficial, valar.fm. You can download the record from valar.bandcamp. com from 1st June, or buy the 10-inch vinyl from 1st July.

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What were the steps you took between the decision and its eventual release?

From memory we posted a couple of songs on our myspace and spread it round prior to having it out. We also did a video for the song Diamond Thieves...And I suppose we plugged it at shows too....We’re certainly not equipped as promoters because we enjoy doing it regardless and who gives a shit if you sell EPs or not, people are ultimately going to hear your music at some stage - that’s not to say that we’re not extremely satisfied when someone does take the time to listen to the EP though - makes me sleep well at night. Like a baby or even a sloth.

How did you choose which songs to include?

I think it was to do with the fun we had playing the songs....if we liked a song we put it on, if we didn’t, we put it in the time out corner with hews our bassist when he gets a little too excited and can’t stop singing Beyonce songs. I suppose you also take notice of which songs people like live the most too - though it’s not always that the live shows can transcend into the recorded version of a song - you just have to pray like a bitch that it does.

Have finances been an issue?

Is Hannah Montana amazing? Not really...In saying this though, I could do with a new guitar amp. Spare change?

Which part of the process were you most apprehensive about? How has it turned out?

I guess you’re going to be apprehensive about anything creative because it’s so personal and it’s daunting to hear what people might think.

But I guess it’s important to forget about that shit and do what you want to do. Be confident in your craft and you will reap the most happiness from it.

Where can we hear and buy your stuff? www.myspace.com/rocketsexplode, iTunes, and Amazon.com - or out the trunk of my car at shows.

What were the steps you took between the decision and its eventual release?

I spoke to some friends about playing the songs first. I think getting the right musicians is a good first step. Then we played through them a few times so that we were familiar enough with what we were doing. I called a friend at his studio and booked some time to record. In the studio we didn’t play the songs live. We did them part by part and then talked about those parts and what was working and what wasn’t. That’s the good thing about the studio. It forces you to think and to analyse the song. You have to listen to each one enough times to begin to hate them though.

After that was done a designer began work on the cover which took a very long time and we went back and forth with changes and ideas until we arrived on something we were both happy with.

The tracks were mastered the first time but I wasn’t completely happy with the sound. The same place did them again for free but I still wasn’t satisfied with it. It didn’t sit right in my head. So, I took it to another place and got it done a third time and then a second time by them. In the end, four mastering takes later, it sounds alright in some places.

After that I had them printed and sold them at shows and the like.

Have you found the internet to be a help or hindrance to the process?

The internet is a great resource. I put some songs on iTunes which have sold well. I put some new songs on iTunes too. The good thing about the internet is that you can make changes quickly. Changing the line-up on an EP is like getting a big train to stop. Changing things on the internet and adding new songs is very easy.

Have there been any unexpected joys/ challenges along the way?

It’s a privilege to spend time doing something that you like doing. Going to the studio each morning is like waking up at Christmas.

What would you do differently next time?

I would take it slower. I would record more songs. I would think for a longer period of time before the recording session for each song.

Sometimes you just get lucky with a good recording though. The recording I like most is on iTunes and I did it with a friend and a guitar and neither of us knew how to use any of the equipment. But the sound is perfect.

Where can we hear and buy your stuff? www.myspace.com/jonnymichaelrobinson You can search on iTunes too.

sonic sydney Once again We Love Sounds, the winter festival for all things electro, will be happening in mid June in 2010 at the Hordern Pavilion. James Tasker had a chat to SonicC about his success thus far. “I have a secret master plan, and right now I’m ahead of schedule”

secret wars I scream, you scream, we all scream for… Art? Georgie Cooke hits up Secret Wars at Name This Bar for heat 4 of Secret Wars.

It’s happening. It’s happening while you sleep, it’s happening around the corner from your favourite café, it’s happening while you have dinner with your parents. Street Art is happening. Of course, this is not a new occurrence, but over the last couple of years it has become increasingly harder to deny the influence artists such as Banksy, The Movement and more recently, Evie in Melbourne have had on this new wave of participatory art in Australia. Street Art is having a resurgence in the unlikeliest of places and the best part is, you can be a part of it too.

I walked through the door of Name This Bar on an otherwise unremarkable Thursday night with the extent of my street art knowledge limited to what flits in and out of train windows and Jonah Takalua’s ‘Dick-tation’ tag. It would be easy enough to say that I left that night, fully enlightened to a culture I had previously been denied, or more likely, never sought out, but I at least got to peer through the window for a couple of hours.

What I saw through this window was round four of the Secret Wars ‘battles’. Secret Wars is a profoundly unique concept that has been spawning all over the world, finally hitting our shores this year. Breaking it down,

Some say its luck, some say its hard work, but Florida man Anthony Rodriguez knows too well the delicate recipe to making it in today’s electro music scene.

Hailing from Miami, Florida, Mr. Rodriguez, known to many as SonicC, has come from being a bedroom producer to becoming one of the biggest names in the clubbing and electro scene in under a year.

“Now I’m remixing tracks from really big name producers, and having my own tracks remixed...the ball is rolling. I even saw a Youtube video of David Guetta playing Stickin’ at a huge festival! It was so surreal, but an awesome feeling too”.

Having one of the biggest club tracks in 2009, Stickin’, Rodriguez isn’t even 21 and is already touring the globe with the likes of Laidback Luke and Steve Aoki, and has had his track played by almost every electro DJ in the world.

He attributes his success to “chance and hard work”, but with releases and remixes on Nervous Records, Mixmash, Fools Gold, Ministry of Sound and a debut full length album in the works for Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak records, you can’t help but admit, he’s one

talented kid.

“I went from being one of Steve Aoki’s biggest fans, to having him wanting me to release some stuff on his record label – it was so bizarre, but I’m thankful he really liked my music and gave me that opportunity. Now I’m touring places with Dim Mak and the crew and it’s great”.

“Electro is getting a lot bigger where I live – and in Australia electro is where I want the scene to be. You kids in Australia really like electro, from what I hear, so I’m really pumped for June. I’m going to be there for 9 days and playing 6 shows so it’s going to be huge!”

I asked SonicC what his biggest advice would be to any young DJ’s and producers, he told me to “Stay true to yourself and make and play music you like. Don’t compromise what you like for anyone. I like pop, hip hop…I even sing along to Lady Gaga on the radio, but I play and produce electro and I won’t ever change any of that.”

SonicC will be playing a set at We Love Sounds, on Saturday 12th June.

Hit up welovesounds.com.au for more information.

two artists are given 90 minutes, a large white wall and enough Sharpies to get the entire audience high off the fumes. Fun ensues.

This particular Thursday I was lucky enough to see Amuse and Max Berry battle it out for a spot in the semi-finals. Both of these guys have enormous talent and vastly different styles, which made for interesting and extremely close competition. As I wedged in to get a closer look, I found myself pinned in between Amy Winehouse doppelgangers, skateboard homeboys and somebody’s dad. Despite this questionable mix, there was a pleasantly unpretentious atmosphere and it was difficult not to get caught up in the infectious vibe and genuine enthusiasm the crowd had for this exciting new grassroots project.

As the minutes whiled away, strategically killed sipping beer, grooving to old school hip-hop and chatting to old and new friends alike, Amuse and Max Berry’s masterpieces slowly formed behind us, devouring the blank space and taking on whole new personalities.

As the 90 minutes drew to a close the energy was rife. The judges made their calls: one vote to Max Berry and one to Amuse, the decision was left to the crowd. Everybody screamed out for their favourite design, which saw Max Berry scrape through to the semi-finals with just enough decibels. I left Name This Bar with the oft sought after, elated feeling of a good night out and I know I’ll be heading back to scream my support for this venture in the future.

Log on to www.secretwars.com.au for the next battle.

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trouble? what trouble?

Stav from Bluejuice argues there’s more to the band than just parties and broken legs

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It’s a Thursday afternoon and Stav Yiannoukas is riding in a taxi, dashing around the city for a full day of interviews. It seems that the release of Bluejuice’s highly acclaimed 2009 album Head of the Hawk is thrusting the co-vocalist upward and onward to the busy life of international stardom – sold-out concerts, hit video clips - But does that mean it’s finally time to grow up and preach the politics of mosh pit etiquette?

Music correspondent Cam Stephens discovers the rise of the responsible rockstar…

S: Hey cam how you going?

C: Hey Stav mate not bad! How you doing?

S: Yeah good man, good, what’s going on?

C: I’ve just got to say, we’re honoured and slightly aroused to have you joining us with Spit Press today.

S: (Laughs) Glad to hear I have that effect on you brother C: Now I wanted to just start off with one question I just had to get out of the way, you’re the only member of the band whose name doesn’t start with J. S: It’s true

music scene, but things come up. 505 has moved to… Cleveland St I think it is, can’t remember the name of the street… there’s little venues that always pop up, and bands will always find a way to get exposed. Ultimately, if you’re good, then eventually people pay attention.

C: Cool. So, your advice for young Sydney musicians looking to get out there?

S: Umm… Keep writing as many songs as possible cause, usually it takes a few shit ones to write good ones. If you want to be a band that‘s on the radio listen to as much radio music as possible, regardless of if it’s in your taste, just tr y and understand what’s working and what’s not, always be part-artist part-manager, never think that all you’re doing is (playing) music, because it’s not, actually, a lot of it is just keeping your head screwed on and not be dicked around by people… and keep working! If you stay together as a band and if it’s any good, as I said, people will pay attention.

C: I’ve seen some of your stage moves you pull out – they all seem to be prett y fun, what would be your favourite?

S: Haha, I don’t know man. I love to get the crowd interaction stuff happening, probably is the most important thing, call and response things...stuff like that. We used to do a lot of hip-hop stuff in the beginning, and I used to listen to a lot of commercial hip-hop and R&B and that’s just the perfect playground for doing the crowd interaction stuff, but that’s still kind of fun.

C: With the genre of hip-hop, I think your songs definitely go beyond that usual subject matter, you’ve got tracks about broken legs, facelifts, motorcycle accidents and are there any subjects that you don’t feel have a place for Bluejuice?

C: And I wanted to know if that causes any tensions for you?

S: No, it’s quite alright. It makes me feel like I’m the unique one.

C: You and jake are always egging each other on with the on stage banter, have you ever pushed it too far?”

S: Oh, I don’t know. I wouldn’t think so. I doubt we’d be doing any politically motivated songs anytime soon, although maybe just because we’d be too… stupid for it.

C: Maybe a song about the politics of the mosh pit?

S: Of course we have, of course we have.

S: Yeah, exactly.

C: Yeah?

C: Who out of the band is the most trouble on tour? I know people come out of their shell on tour…

S: Yeah. If you’re in a band for 9 years, then you’re eventually going to have plenty of fights. Absolutely we push each other too far all the time and are constantly abusing each other, so yeah all that sort of stuff.

C: What about for the crowd? Have you ever got so into it that the crowd have been pulled into the whole thing?

S: Yeah, I mean, look. Sometimes crowds can go a bit bananas and it can start getting a bit dangerous. Usually what we say is that the people should tr y and take care of each other as an audience. I don’t give a shit what people do as long as they don’t impinge upon a good time.

S: Mmm, depends what you mean by trouble. It’s hard to say. I mean, Jake can be trouble in the sense that he can be a pain in the arse or he can find trouble. I don’t mind partying occasionally but usually I don’t do that anymore so… Jerr y does also like to have a few drinks and can occasionally get either super aggro or superweird! So I don’t know. I’d definitely say that Jamie or James wouldn’t be, so it’d be somewhere between Jake, Jerr y and myself. But really, we’re not that much trouble.

We’re pretty nerdy. We’re pretty easygoing. Occasionally we find ourselves in trouble.

C: Yeah. Moderate amounts of trouble. So what is coming up in the second half of 2010 for the band?

C: So you’d say that maybe there’s a moshpit etiquette?

S: Well, yeah. There should be some, you know? You’re not out there to hurt someone or ruin someone’s fun… but certainly if you are, you’re not at our show.

We’ve never had to actually stop the show, but we do stop songs or situations as soon as things get out of control.

C: Does playing the bigger venues make you feel restricted from the usual antics?

S: Not really. The places we’re playing still, even though they’re bigger, they’re not so big that you can’t get audience contact. Whereas the festival stuff, playing to 20 or 30 thousand people, obviously it’s a little more difficult to have an intimate scenario. But no, it doesn’t stop us doing what we do.

C: Definitely. Well it hasn’t seemed to stop you pulling out some of these ridiculous costumes which we’ve seen…

S: This month we’re going overseas, then we’re going to be writing a lot more songs, and recording a third album sometime later this year.

C: Awesome, and are you feeling good about the mood you’ve set with Head of the Hawk? Or are you going to tr y exploring some new territor y?

S: We’re just writing songs that we’re writing. So, it will be a different sounding album, although probably a bit more consistent I would say, and, yeah! We’re in a better position we’ve ever been in as a band, so hopefully people will like the songs!

We’re already playing some of them live and they seem to be going down pretty well.

C: Well, we’re all loving what you’re doing so it ’s good to see you keeping it up, the unstoppable Bluejuice…

S: Yeah, always working, always working.

S: Yeah man, I mean, you know, we just figured we’re doing bdo for the first time, well, not the first time to do the whole tour, first time we’re playing the main stage, so it would be a good idea to make sure the people at the back could see us (laughs).

C: Anything else you want to add for the fans out there?

S: (Ruffling Sounds) Yeah man, just here. –

C: So who masterminded some of these costumes?

Sorr y man, I had to give my Cab driver directions, what was that?

S: That one was Jamie’s (our bassist) idea actually, to do those Bruce Lee jumpsuits.

C: Anything else you wanted to add for the readers?

C: So you guys are doing prett y well, but I wanted to talk a little bit about the Sydney music scene. Back in the old days was it an easy ride of getting gigs, sorting out the Sydney live music scene?

S: Nah man I’m pretty sure we covered it all. I always find it funny when someone inter viewing if there was anything else I wanted to add, It’s like, ‘I think I’ve talked enough!’ Thanks ver y much for having me.

S: Not really. For about 7 years we played around regardless of whether it was Sydney or anywhere around the countr y, it was a struggle just to get an audience.

At that point the songs we were putting out just weren’t worthy of radio, and as a result received less attention. It wasn’t particularly easy. If you’re talking about venues shutting down – obviously the Hopetoun was a massive loss for the Sydney

C: Cheers Stav! Good luck with the cab ride!

Blue Juice will be playing at Splendour in the Grass, don’t forget to say hi if you manage to nab a ticket!

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featuring

Pancakes Anyway, Anyday

Breakfast in bed means either two things: Scrambled eggs on toast or Pancakes. Sophie “chieftan” Begley’s words and Zabrina Wong’s photography.

Ingredients: 2 cups of SR Flour 1/4 cup Raw Sugar 1 egg 1 1/3 cup Milk (if you use Soy milk it adds a bit more flavour)

5 Handy Kitchen Tips: 1. If you have week old strawberries in the fridge, don’t throw them out! To refresh them; Chop punnet into a bowl, add 2 Tbls of Balsamic Vinigar and 1 Tbls of White Sugar and lightly stir. Leave for 10 min and they’re as good as new.

Whilst I do enjoy the easiness of the Water, Shake and Bake pancakes, I don’t enjoy the high sugar content and that highly processed taste. From a young age I always tried to make pancakes from scratch. I remember attempting to make them for both my parents on either Mother’s or Father’s day, and I must apologise to both Mum and Dad for the experiments you were forced to eat on those special days. After many attempts, I’ve realised the best style of pancakes is plain. Plain pancakes are the easiest to cook and they taste darn good with anything. Ice cream, nutella, fruits, white sugar, lemon, maple syrup or all of those and more mixed together, the pancakes always taste NOM.

You will need: Non stick pan (no butter or oil required!)

Spatula Whisk Measuring cups

2. Weevils suck. To avoid them altogether, store your flour in the freezer.

Recipe: 1. Sift the flour into a large bowl.

2. Add the raw sugar, an egg and milk and whisk until smooth. This will make thick pancakes so if you prefer your pancakes thinner add more milk.

3. Heat your non-stick pan over a low heat.

So here is my perfected recipe. Alter it, double it, change it completely, Enjoy!

Love and till next time, Your Baked Pooseys (Soph & Zab) Ps Take note of the cooking instructions as heat is the key to perfect pancakes.

4. Add a 1/4 cup of batter to the middle of the pan and watch it spread out across the pan. (To make a stack of pancakes I usually have 4 frying pans cooking at a time!)

5. It should take 1-2 minutes to cook on the first side.

You will know when it is ready as it begins to bubble at the top.

6. Flip!

7. This side should take roughly 1-2 minutes to cook and will be ready when its golden brown in colour.

8. Top with lashings of maple syrup, berries or anything you desire.

9. Serve hot with a glass of OJ.

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3. Dont add chocolate chips to the pancake batter. It makes the pancakes stick to the pan and it also makes them ugly. Try melting the chocolate in a microwave proof bowl and drizzling it over the top.

4. Pancakes taste better if you make the batter the night before.

5. For more recipes, ramblings and adventures, visit www.sophieforchuck.com

fields of gold Rosie Woodhead

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veritable vernacular Creative cycling isn’t referring to hipsters at critical mass or ‘flex’ time at your design studio. This is something far greater and far more ominous in our postmodern world, than skinny jeaned artists pedaling down George Street – it is the imaginative and creative cyclical life of Sydney. New York knows what I’m saying – so does San Francisco. Creative cycling is the flow, undulation, and often, the inevitable fall of the creative arts in your city. Jared Kelly writes Sydney is at a unique juncture in this cycle – a space in time where it’s vision as a creative centre is only just beginning to flourish. This is a time that Melbourne has been party to for nearly a decade – and a time that has come and gone for New York and San Francisco. This cycle denotes the birth of vernacular creativity – or the art and design of the people (think: street art, unlawful installations, and haphazard lane way community design conferences). Is this all sounding familiar now? You see, in cities around the world, cities with far more continental connections than Sydney (we’re pretty remote) they reached this epoch nearly twenty years ago. Tibor Kalman, a famous 80’s and early 90’s designer and social engineer spoke of vernacular design in New York reaching it’s

critical run I’m sweaty.

You’re sweaty.

The guy in the sweater isn’t sweaty, surprisingly. Jamie van Geldermalsen writes

But that isn’t even the strangest part of the situation. The strangest part is that we’re running down Crown Street in Surry Hills, discussing the topic ‘Is Social Media ruining our lives?’

Or we would be, if we took part in the Critical Run on Saturday the first of May. This is the second, in a type of ‘format art’ new to Sydney, which has been revolutionising the global art world for more than two years.

Critical Run was started by a French artist, Thierry Geoffroy, who began the project in Copenhagen in 2007, following his successful Emergency Room exhibitions in cities such as Paris, Copenhagen, Berlin, New York and, most recently, Hanoi. Geoffroy answers mostly to ‘Colonel’, an apparently accurate title; his helpers in the major cities conduct his version of art under careful supervision. I met with one of his two representatives in Sydney, Nicole Dennis, who said of Geoffroy that Critical Run is firmly in his control; even the format is copyrighted.

Another idea I took away from our meeting was Geoffroy’s fundamental concern with ‘today’. The Emergency Rooms are exhibitions in a given place where any artist can bring their take on the day’s news and it will be displayed for 24 hours only. By 12:30 at night, each piece is removed for a new set of reactions and responses to the events of today. Critical Run is concerned with much of the same: serious issues for the city they take place in, discussed by its inhabitants. “Run before it is too late,” implores Geoffroy.

Critical Run is named very appropriately. At its core is the idea that art is about criticism; about holding a mirror to society’s shortcomings, flaws, and sometimes, successes.

“Criticism is the job of artists,” stressed Nicole. “They are our THE SPIT PRESS | SYDNEY’S CREATIVE NEWSPAPER | VOL 1, ISSUE 2 | 18

peak around 1985. Sydney is only just starting to feel the undercurrent of the freedom that systemic community creation can bring.

However, to the cities that have seen this forum erupt from their founding artist class – it has brought settlement of the tradesman, then the educators, the professionals, and finally – yes, inevitably, the executive artists. By the time the executives reach the artist landscape, the previous generations have gleaned what they could, gentrified and converted creative neighbourhoods, and settled in with their families – slating the cycle to start all over again. Enter, New York and San Fran.

For Sydney, however, the business class has until very

cultural themometers, and their task is constant.” She’s not kidding. Geoffroy’s Emergency Room website includes a 36page dictionary of terms that he designates as relevant, the most interesting of which must be the ‘Awareness Muscle’. (A close second was ‘Alcoholism’, which included such gems as “Drunk artists cannot keep a conversation together because they have to pee all the time.”) This ‘muscle’ is about discussion, debate and criticism, leading to an awareness of the events that affect our lives. And it’s this awareness that pervades artforms like Critical Run. When asked to summarise the art form in a sentence, Nicole didn’t hesitate. “It’s the physical embodiment of activating your awareness muscle.”

“I thought it would be embarrassing. But it’s really fun, it’s like a race!” The look of glee on Nicole’s face is enough to convince me that when Critical Run next takes place, maybe I’ll break a sweat in the name of art.

More info at www.emergencyrooms.org/criticalrun.html

recently held an iron grip on the cityscape – so our flow is starting just where NYC and the now professional SFO are leaving off – at the end of a very long cycle of state sponsored art and business dominance. I had a unique opportunity to witness this in Atlanta over the last five years – and what I’ve seen is shocking: When art starts moving, it moves fast – and creation can explode overnight. Sydney is due, long due, for this revolution, and despite how far behind the times it seems to be, think of how lucky we are to catch it in such an epic upswing. This is one time I’m glad Sydney is stuck in the past, instead of desperately seeking the future.

There is something so innocent about the organic lines and simple colour palettes used by illustrator and graphic designer Marc Johns.

His humorous drawings focus on the conceptual idea rather than the visual aspect itself, presenting them in light-hearted and familiar illustrations. Marc’s portfolio includes an impressive range of sketches about the everyday lives of human beings, inanimate objects and situations you never thought would be encountered. Design student Hollie Tinworth asked him a few questions about his inspiration, techniques and sense of humor and this is what he had to say…

Tell us about your sense of humor... how do you come up with these quirky ideas?

I love to find the funny. I can’t really help it. The world often doesn’t make any sense to me, so I am just reflecting the nonsensical nature of what’s around me.

There are plenty of absurdities to comment on. I will never, ever run out of material. But it’s not my goal to be a cartoonist. I want to make drawings that happen to be amusing on occasion. When you find the humour in something, you generally find some sort of truth.

What materials do you use?

I use mostly pens and watercolour, on thick watercolour paper. Although I occasionally draw on post-it notes, and I like using highlighters too.

make your marc Is drawing your main source of income or do you have another job on the side?

It’s not my main source of income - yet. I’m a graphic designer by day.

Where do you find your inspiration? Any artists or art movements in particular?

I’m a bit of a sponge, so I try not to look at other artists’ work too often, because if I do I’ll end up mimicking them. But I am inspired by the dryness and wit and wonderful ink drawings of Edward Gorey, the humour and rawness of David Shrigley, the simple, iconic nature of Keith Haring’s drawings, and the aesthetics and moods and tones of Wes Anderson films. I also enjoy looking at the work of really good fashion illustrators. I love that Manolo Blahnik, the famous shoe designer, is also a great artist. His drawings of shoes are fantastic.

Do you have a favorite drawing?

My favorites keep changing. Right now I quite like ‘just be famous, you’ll feel better’. It’s a bit silly, but it’s a relevant sentiment. I kept that one. Every now and then

I draw something that I can’t bear to part with, like the ‘dessert fork incident’. I’ve hung on to that one too, despite numerous inquiries from buyers.

Do you have any advice for young artists and designers that want to put there work up on the internet?

Do it. Get it out there. But post only low-res images, so that no one can swipe them to use on printed products.

Ideally put your name on the image somewhere, but keep it discreet. You never know where your images will end up. You want them to spread, to be passed along, but you want people to know who the author/artist is.

Be original. There is so much stuff out there, so it’s hard to stand out. Stay true to yourself. It sounds cliché, but it’s so damn true.

I f yo u l ove M a r c ’s d r a w i n g s a s m u c h a s I d o t h e n yo u c a n b u y a n o r i g i n a l d r a w i n g, p r i n t o r b o o k a t h t t p://w w w. m a r c j o h n s .c o m/ I f t h a t ’s n o t e n o u g h, t h e n w hy n o t f o l l ow t h e p a t h o f s o m e o f his more dedicated fans and get his art tattooed o n yo u r b o d y, s e e t h e w e b s i t e f o r p h o t o s !

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graphic novels, not just for geeks?

Five Wounds by Jonathan Walker and Dan Hallett is atmospheric, grotesque, thrilling and tender. Certainly unlike anything else we’ve ever stumbled upon, this illustrated novel is a disturbing delight. Book lover James Scott had a read.

With a beautiful hardcover this ‘illuminated novel’ is a fantastic book to plonk on your lap in any public place, even if only to enjoy the sideways glances of passersby who seem to suspect you might at any moment turn to them, eyes dark, and incant at them in some frightening, grunting language.

Upon opening the book I was startled and initially annoyed by what at first struck me as a pretentious and over the top way to lay out the text. That is, rather like ‘The Bible’, complete with verse numbers. However before long, I was totally won over by the hypnotic and addictive rhythm that read almost like poetry.

The story is set in an imaginary Venice and chronicles the complicated intrigues of five disfigured protagonists. Gabriella is a mutilated angel who struggles to decipher her prophetic dreams. Cur is a rabid ‘Romulus’ and aquaphobe, who knows nothing other than the cult of canine mercenaries and the ghetto in which he was raised. Cuckoo is an orphan, obsessed with chance and cards, who can reshape his wax face (less weird in context than it sounds here) to resemble another’s, however cannot smile without a mirror, a candle and some time. Magpie is sickly thief and photographer, who fears direct light for blindness and yearns for a model to surrender to him completely. Undoubtedly my favourite however is Crow; a leper alchemist. Deliciously reprehensible, Crow is ruthless and fantastically clever in pursuing his extremely ambitious goals. The stories and studies of these characters intertwine with increasing intricacy as the novel builds to an immensely exciting, haunting, heartbreaking and ultimately satisfying conclusion.

The depiction of this alternative Venice is dreamy and surreal, but the author paints a world that feels completely authentic. The illuminations by Dan Hallett are a joy, and bring a lot to the book.

Sometimes striking and colourful, and at other times comical and cartoonish, they reinforce the idea that this is a fairy tale for grown ups.

The writing is extremely capable and the author cleverly uses patterns and shapes modeled not only on The Good Book but also on Grimm’s Fairy Tales to give the story a familiar feel that plays well against the darkness of the plot and the sometimes slightly uncomfortable, but impressive depth in characterisation. Five Wounds is also saturated with references, saturated.

All in all, a very handsome book and a story that is symphonic in its poetry, breadth and cohesion. It is tempting to think that the author lives by the same motto as one of his characters; “Either Ceasar, or nothing.”

Show me yours and I’ll show you mine (Things you might have missed at Fashion Week) Way back in May the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney turned into a refuge and stage for the modern, the bold, the obscure and the downright gorgeous of the fashion world. Privileged with an invitation to some of these amazing shows, it became my civic duty to report my findings. At this point the ringing of Mr. Yee’s guiding voice reminds me to “make it relevant for June/July”. Well how about this, my publishing/editing friend, I will give the people relevance for Spring/ Summer 2010/2011. That’s right, call me Nostradamus, or simply observant but this Spring/Summer “I got, what’s hot”. Let me show you mine! James Whalley writes

Let’s talk swimwear; Sure it’s swimwear, how creative can it be right? Well it seems Agua Bendita has us both with substantial egg on our faces. Catalina Alvarez and Mariana Hinestroza have managed to create swimwear so vibrant and detailed it seems the greatest concern is that they are almost too amazing to get wet.

Agua Bendita was the first label on the runway at the swimwear show, flaunting their Heavenly Delights line, which showed their penchant for exaggerated use of loud yet cute colours and frilled edging. A personal favourite was definitely the “Bendita Reina”. Somewhat of a cross between Austrian inspired

negligee and an iced pink cupcake, this design is an avant-garde fusion of playful colour and soft yet determined lines. Agua Bendita along with Lisa Blue, Karen Neilson and Rebecca Manning also alluded to the new and interesting idea of high waisted bikini bottoms.

Highlighting the “easier-to-tone” upper abdominals, this refreshing take on the bottom half of 2-piece female-swimwear is definitely eyecatching and intriguing. What else is chic and in high fashion I here you ask….try the playful return of 50’s style swimwear, by Karen Neilson.

For those inclined to explore the one-piece avenue this season, my personal favourite from all the shows was the “Bayside one-piece” by Australian, Lisa Maree. This blue and white striped beauty has the most amazing crocheted effect, which casts an incredible form. So get to it and get trawling over all of these designer’s collections for their amazing designs.

Trend me silly, 3 trends…. Nudes, Neutrals and Sheer. If there was one-word that became gospel to every journalist throughout the week, it was nudes.

Nudes? Yes believe it or not skin tone garments done every which way set the trend for some of spring

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summer’s newest looks. Trend 2 saw the understated rise of neutrals, which were an embellishment on the evolution of the nude tones. There was a consistent use of Pastels and soft, layered tones such as lavender, creams and whites. Whilst most of you will not rock sheer tops with no under-layers as everyday wear (there are laws against such things), you are going to see the substantial use of sheered fabrics as light outerlayers on formal wear this spring/ summer. If we are to talk about sheer, it seems fitting to talk about the man who embodied so many of fashion week’s trends. It is of course the unmistakeable Alex Perry who stole the week with his “Arabian Princess” show. My favourite gowns of the week had to be his designs, which used sheer long flows as the top layer for solid neutral toned short dresses.

The fact remains my fashion minded allies, that I have given you my broad guidance to begin shopping for styles 3 months ahead. What you choose to do with this is entirely your decision. In effect, I have shown you mine, now you must respectfully show me yours! Dress high, go nude, love sheer, show me your looks!

be inspired!

What is inspiration? The Spit Press asked 3 creative individuals about their inspirations and where they find it. We spoke to Claire Smith (Inside Out at Object Gallery), Matt Jackson (Drawing Book Studios) and Sam Clark (Musician and Actor). Claire and Matt are also part of Creative Sydney, the city’s festival of all things creative.

Log onto www.creativesydney.com. au for more information on this years events. We hope you are as inspired as we were…

sam clark actor and muso What is inspiration?

Inspiration is what makes you want to get up in the morning and do better ever y day.

Where do you find it?

Sometimes it can be hard to find but it is all around us. Being creative and being surrounded by creativit y inspires me.

How do you express this through your art?

Without inspiration I could not write music or act.

What is the inspiration behind your new single?

Finding the right answer to your problems as opposed to running away from them.

What is the strangest thing that you find inspiring?

Things that can upset/depress you can often be most inspiring.

claire smith inside out at object gallery

matt jackson the drawing book studios

What is inspiration?

One definition: … sudden insight, an uplif ting one that provides a cre ative solution to a problem or a trigger for p ositive cre ative action.

What is inspiration?

Inspiration starts as fear for me. Surprised by some kind of expression so unexpected I’ll feel hollow in my stomach because at that moment it seems unnatural for someone to be able to do that.

The fear then turns into curiosity.

I start to take stock of what I can do with what I have because I want to do something that will have the same effect on other people.

Where do you find it?

Walking, flaneuring, in b oth the cit y and the suburbs: by staying aware of ‘the ever yday’, with its b e auties …and its re alities, which may not b e b e autiful.

How do you express this through your ar t?

Through the development of concepts that have arisen out of the exp erience, of ten referencing or utilizing found objects and tex tures, by way of 3D computer mo dels or image maps. Photography and video are of ten employe d to do cument the environment, exp eriences or to explore concepts.

Do you believe that what you do, inspires others?

Ar t is usually an at tempt at communication. I hop e to communicate and stimulate but I couldn’t re ally say whether or not my work inspires p eople. That would b e a lof t y claim.

What is the strangest thing that you find inspiring?

This is a rather op en question and I’m afraid no one thing springs to mind, but I could nominate nature as b eing strange and inspirational: night shadows; racing clouds; dancing sunlight; tr ying to outrun the rain, as a child…

When are you most inspired?

When walking. Also when re ading theor y, shor t stories and p o etr y, listening to Radio N ational, listening to music. When I se e p eople working together, in he althy collab oration.

Where are you most inspired?

In cit y and suburb an stre ets – where histor y, the present (the ever yday) and p ossibilities are evident.

What advice do you have for creative people searching for inspiration?

G o for a walk, sp e ak to someone you encounter in the course of your day (who you don’t know – shop assistant, fellow traveler on public transp or t) or op en a b ook.

When are you most inspired?

What is the most memorable thing you’ve ever heard I can’t control when I am most inspired - it just seems to happen of someone say about inspiration? it’s own accord.

Actions and examples to b e more memorable and inspirational than words.

Where are you most inspired?

When I am alone for a while and can tap into my creative side, What inspired you t o pursue your ar t? or when i am with other inspiring people.

The joy of cre ating ar t.

What advice do you have for creative people searching for inspiration?

Embrace whatever time you are creative and inspired and don’t tr y to force it. Spend as much time doing what makes you feel creative or inspired and mix up when and where you tr y to be creative.

What inspired you to pursue your art?

It is what makes me happy. You have to follow whatever makes you happy in life.

What is most uninspiring to you?

Being sick. I almost never feel inspired or creative when I feel ill.

What is most uninspiring t o you?

Preo ccup ation with fame, we alth and p osition: the pursuit of ‘me’ at the exp ense of ‘we’; se eing p eople moving through the cit y - walking and on public transp or t - who are isolated from their environment by their he adphones and ip o ds.

In what ways does Creative Sydney inspire you?

I am encourage by the fact that Cre ative Sydney has chosen to supp or t Inside Out as an exhibition of significance.

Inside Out will b e presente d as p ar t of the Creative Futures Program on 5th June, coinciding with the op ening of the Inside Out exhibition at Object G aller y’s Project Sp ace, where it will run until 25th July.

Where do you find it?

Not in any consistent location. Often it is stumbled upon and rarely is it planned. Authenticity is spontaneous and really comes down to being in the right place at the right time.

How do you express this through your art?

As an agent whom represents artists it is more a case of recognising it when it occurs in the work of others and that is whenever an artist is able to meet the brief with a true expression of their own individuality. Whether it be a colour pallette reminiscent of a cherished beach house that childhood holidays were spent in or a subject matter aligned with the super cars they race in their pastime.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

I love that people inspire me in different ways. Which means I couldn’t give one person the credit for being my biggest inspiration.

What is the strangest thing that you find inspiring?

Who is defining strange?

When are you most inspired?

When I witness a person whom has every reason to be cynical change the world in a positive way.

Where are you most inspired?

Inspiration is spontaneous for me. I don’t go to a place to be inspired. I can’t manufacture it. The best I can do is alter my routine and by doing so hopefully stand a greater chance of something inspiring occurring.

What advice do you have for creative people searching for inspiration?

Change the route you take home from work. Change the genre of books you read. Ask people to make playlists for you and don’t skip any tracks. Cook something with odd ingredients. Listen rather than talk. Rent a documentary about something you’ve never thought about doing. Holiday somewhere you’ve never been.

Learn to speak another language. Play a sport you aren’t good at.

Peruse an exhibition of an artist’s work you didn’t think you could appreciate…

What is the most memorable thing you’ve ever heard someone say about inspiration?

From now on, I’ll connect the dots my own way.

- Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes Where can’t you find inspiration?

Wherever you find yourself doing the exact same thing you’ve been doing in the exact same way.

What is most uninspiring to you?

Cynicism.

What do you find most inspiring about Creative Sydney?

Being exposed to such a varied array of expression.

THE SPIT PRESS | SYDNEY’S CREATIVE NEWSPAPER | VOL 1, ISSUE 2 | 21

ruby for lucy

Still thinking about what you want to do? How about doing it all? Kat Borghetti and Julie Stenton work full time and have a braggable following with their folky duo project, Ruby For Lucy. Chumpy wanted to know more: So who’s Lucy, or Ruby for that matter?

Julie: Well, this is a confusing one. Neither of us are Lucy or Ruby but then both of us are Ruby and Lucy from time to time.

See, Ruby and Lucy are characters in our little musical fairytale.

Kat: Sometimes I call Julie, Ruby.

Julie: Yes, but sometimes you call me Pearl too. See? It’s confusing.

So I take it that you’re both working full time? What do you do and how do you manage being in a band of this caliber at the same time? Does any of this hecticness inspire you?

Kat: Ooh, hecticness! I like that word - is it ok if I use it?

Julie: We both work full-time in ‘open plan offices’ and yes, it is sometimes a bit of a juggling act.

Kat: Sometimes we don’t sleep very much and go a little bit mad.

Julie: That happens quite a lot actually and it’s more of a bother than an inspiration.

What is the first musical experience that you can remember?

Kat: Making up songs on my Grandma’s piano. I must have been young. I know I needed a cushion to sit on.

Julie: My Dad singing Kenny Rogers, quite tunefully actually, whilst cooking dinner.

How many instruments do you own and play?

Julie: We’re not sure how many guitars Kitten has.

Kat: Too many for one person. And a piano in storage.

Julie: I have a harmonica I can’t play.

Kat: Oh, and I have an egg shaker. And a flute!

I love your vocal harmonies or any vocal harmony really... especially barbershop stuff. Who works out the vocal harmonies?

Kat: I usually work them out based on the lead melody or the guitar part. And then Pearl tells me if they suck.

Julie: I ask my barber for a second opinion sometimes.

What is your preferred medium for songsmithing? (I sometimes use old napkins or fastfood paper bags) Julie: Really? I find napkins tear too easily. I’m a notebook girl for initial thoughts and then on to the computer for fine tuning.

What is/are Ruby for Lucy’s most memorable moment(s)?

Julie: There have been so many funny things - glasses broken on stage, mic stands falling over.

Kat: And the time we had to play after that heavy metal band. We thought we’d be booed off stage.

Julie: That turned out ok though. People sat on the floor and listened. And then they asked what kind of music it was!

Kat: Someone asked if it was like Pink?

Julie: It’s nothing like Pink.

7 songs ...and the reasons behind why you know the words that you know you shouldn’t. Michael Wong See writes “You’ve got to admit, it’s catchy” is no longer an excuse.

Fleshed out here are the real reasons you know every melisma and voice timbre to those embarrassing tracks: 1. Hit Me Baby One More Time – Britney Spears You bought her album when it first came out, back when Sanity was top dog, and stashed it away in your cupboard. You then put up with the irritating beeping noise that Sony incorporated THE SPIT PRESS | SYDNEY’S CREATIVE NEWSPAPER | VOL 1, ISSUE 2 | 22

into their Discmans to scroll through to that track. First love.

2. Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice The only way to be cool was to know the words to this song back to front. In some cultures, it still is.

3. I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing - Aerosmith When you’re 15, most of the girls who you dig are into this song, right? So you get a friend to teach you some basic guitar skills, and then spend the next 3 months hashing out your best Steven Tyler impersonation, before you find out she likes someone else, and that she’s never heard the song anyway.

Devo.

If Ruby for Lucy were an animal what would it be?

Kat: Ooh, half ostrich, half ballerina!

If Ruby for Lucy were a food what would it be?

Julie: Vegetarian pig in a blanket.

What are Ruby for Lucy’s plans in the horizon?

Julie: We’re launching our album on the 2nd of June at The Vanguard.

Kat: You should come.

Julie: Yes you should, Everybody should, it will be fun!

Kat: But you don’t have to.

For all those musos out there that are holding down full time work or have a hectic career schedule that may jeapordise their music, what wisdom can you offer?

Julie: I’m not sure if this is wisdom, but perhaps just give it everything you can in case you are awesome. But don’t take it too seriously.

Kat: If you book them, they will come.

Be sure to check out Ruby For Lucy’s album Catching Bream.

Check out their whimsical tunes @ www.rubyforlucy.com.

Boo to the ya.

4. Tik Tok – Ke$ha Your car radio is resolutely stuck on 104.1 due to the tuning dial falling off circa 1995. Also see Bomfunk MC’s ‘Freestlyers’.

5. Dr. Jones – Aqua Probably the most spun track at Year 6 farewells across the country.

6. YMCA – The Village People If you’ve ever done karaoke, chances are you’ve come across this track. It doesn’t seem to be anywhere else. Complete with simpler-than-simple actions and lack of musical technicality, it’s the perfect track to stick on with a bunch of willing mates who are unaware of the homosexual saturation of the song.

7. It’s Getting Hot In Here - Nelly While Kyle and Jackie were in the middle of creating their respective horcruxes, they also hosted the Hot 30. Every week, for about 5 months, you would listen as they would announce that Nelly had once again beaten all competition to make it to number one.

jess and james There are some things in life that just go together well; sushi trains and soy sauce, Ingrid Michaelson and ukuleles, public holidays and double time and a half, Jess and James. We asked this quirky couple from Sydney to write a little something about each other without consulting their better half. Here is what they had to share.

Jess: I met James through a mutual friend who, with a disgruntled sigh, introduced us by saying “Jess this is James.

James this is Jess. And yes, you both love Lord of the Rings.” This of course opened up a plethora of conversation topics in and around Lord of the Rings, resulting in the discovery of many mutual tastes and the foundations of an excellent friendship. Nine months later at my 21st birthday, pushed finally to the brink by wine, pent up sexual attraction and a very dear, but shamelessly interfering friend who shall remain nameless, but very much appreciated, we hooked up in a spectacularly immature way, resulting in a pair of broken

glasses, much scandalised gossiping, and a wonderful relationship that has continued for eight months and hopefully many more months, years... hence!

It’s not that fashionable to be in love, but I will defy the eye-rolls and retching noises and say that I really do love James immensely. And no, it’s not a gushy, naïve “first love”. I’ve been there and already done a second. I flatter myself it’s a somewhat more mature and pragmatic love, but no less passionate, genuine and fun because of that.

That is not to say we do not have our problems. We certainly argue at times, sometimes over ridiculously banal and stupid things, less frequently over more serious issues. The arguments, when they do happen, are greatly assuaged by the effort we put into cultivating an extremely open and honest relationship in which both of us feel quite comfortable and also actively seek to discuss the more awkward and difficult issues that arise from being in a relationship.

I love the way he talks about classical music with such passion and knowledge, and yet enjoys sitting through my six part Beatles documentary series with me. I love the way he compares me to a painting of an obscure Welsh goddess no-one else has heard of. I love the way he vexes me by playing

devil’s advocate, yet so often shares these very beliefs of mine he criticises. I love the way he enjoys old movies as much as I do (running the full gamut from silent to sound). I love that he wants to learn Norwegian because it is part of who I am. I love that he really enjoys spending time with my family and gets along with them so well, despite their eccentricities.

I love his hair and his smile and his laugh and his eyes and his stubbornness and his temper and his walk and his pommy accent and the way he loves me.

James: My girlfriend is brilliant, beautiful and blonde, but that doesn’t even come close to explaining why I love her so much Jess and I met at the farewell of an old school friend of mine who doubled as her then tentatively ‘ex’ boyfriend. We were introduced by a mutual friend, who did so with a resigned sigh. Sighing because he knew that he had exiled himself from conversation with either of us for the rest of the evening, so engrossed in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ dissections as we inevitably became. At the end of the party we awkwardly exchanged numbers and promised to meet for a lunch or a lecture soon.

The months went by with regular but physically restrained lunches until Jess’ Beatles bash. With me dressed as Paul McCartney and both of us fuelled by too much wine, we grounded eight months of sexual tension in an outburst of cataclysmic immaturity. I mean ‘cataclysmic’ literally (Think of flowerbeds destroyed and glasses broken). An event which has since been much mythologised to our enduring embarrassment.

I called her the next day and asked her to the theatre. That’s a sort of cliffnotes on how it all began. Since then, one of the things in my life that gives me

the most joy is my relationship with Jess. Not only does she make every moment I’m with her exciting and comforting, but she has used her magical girlfriend powers to make times that would otherwise have been extremely emotionally harrowing, bearable.

She introduced me to the Beatles. She is made of flowers.

She knows more about ‘The Lord of the Rings’ than I do. I know that I can tell her anything and only be laughed at a little bit. Her sneeze sounds like an aeroplane. Her room looks like an aeroplane crashed. She drinks tea by the pint and she’s can’t walk past a Vinnies without going inside. I love Jess for so many reasons and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have someone like her in my life.

Do you know an amazing couple? Let us know info@ spitpress.com photo: Steph Kent

THE SPIT PRESS | SYDNEY’S CREATIVE NEWSPAPER | VOL 1, ISSUE 2 | 23

help! get me out of here!

Ah yes, winter. For me, that means the flu and a few rounds of chest infections. Don’t you wish you could escape? Yes please! We asked five Sydney siders where they’d rather be. Nelly Chan writes 1. Where would you rather be right this moment?

2. Do you plan on travelling in the near future?

3. What do you always pack with you?

Hilar y Starr 1. Anywhere sunny, winter is lame.

2. Maybe hopefully potentially South America 3. Passport?

Christina Bouzios 1. In the arms of a gorgeous man, with lots of foods in a villa by the beach somewhere?

2. Hopefully to visit a friend of mine in Paris, but one can only hope.

3. My bags

Maxim Hutton 1. Somewhere that would completely contrast my normal routine. I would love to experience something new and culturally foreign and break away from civilisation. The ideal escape for me would be to trek the Himalayas.

2. Yes! I will be travelling in France with the family in the June/July holidays. I finish my first degree in Architecture at the end of this year and plan to take 2011 off for travel/work experience in Europe.

3. A big smile, my mum’s flesh coloured money belt and never enough appropriate clothing.

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Millie Cotes 1. A place called Hampi in the south of India. I would love to be sitting on a hammock outside my hut watching the sunset.

Also it has this really cool monkey temple, with a great view of the village and a very accommodating monkey guru man.

2. Yes! I would love to travel in the near future. I would go to South America or Africa. As soon as I start saving my money and stop shopping (any day now).

3. Those little plastic zip lock bags, they are a necessity!

Sounds weird but it stops things like toothpaste from spilling all over your rucksack they are a godsend

Richard St. Clair-Burke 1. In London on my friend Ruby’s converted police boat, Old Bill, lying on the roof watching the sky and baking in the sun as we sail down the Thames. Or maybe that’s just a happy memory I’d like to revisit!? Right now I’m really keen on visiting Sweden. I think they have something good going. Plus I think they kill unattractive babies at birth.

2. I’m saving to go to London in December to escape the unbearable Sydney heat and shop so much I have blisters on my hands and stumps for feet and 5 suitcases of clothing.

Sweden and maybe Japan too if I happen to inherit a small fortune in the next few months.

3. I’d probably think to bring my iPod or some form of music, as I hate travelling without it. Then I’d chose something practical like one of those toothbrushes that don’t need toothpaste. Dunno where you might end up!

idollatry Idollised sex with high end dolls. Edwina Storie writes

“I brought a surprise in my bag for you to see” says 70-year-old Thomas Harry. He looks over his shoulder around the airport to check no curious eyes are watching. He pushes his chair to closely face mine, his arms forming a wall around the bag as it sits on the floor, tangled between our legs. Opening the bag, two glassy blue eyes stare up out of the dark at me. It is a woman’s head. A dishevelled black fringe falls over the stunned look on her face as her jaw hangs open. “She’s beautiful isn’t she?” he says looking into the bag adoringly.

I reach inside to touch her face. It is cold and lifeless, but he’s right, she is beautiful. “It’s name is Jenny - Her! I mean her name is Jenny” he scolds himself. “Never call her ‘it’!” Whilst it is Jenny’s face that Harry wakes up to every morning, their relationship is primarily physical; Jenny is a high-end sex doll. And with that face costing over $500, it is literally her single most valuable asset.

This is because Jenny is more than your average sex doll. She is a RealDoll - a sex doll with a body made of the highest quality flesh-like silicone, perfectly proportioned, with French manicured nails, and pubic hair imported from Sweden. She is the red Ferrari of sex dolls, and for $11 000, money can buy you love; love with a sleeping face, smiling face, or orgasming face. A RealDoll is sex a-la-carte. The customer can pick and chose the body type, hair and eye colour, breast size, skin tone, and even the colour and style of pubic hair.

It’s the Stepford Wife without batteries.

RealDolls weigh around 45kg and when their flesh like silicone is heated up with an electric blanket, sex is said to feel near exact to that with an ‘RG’ – RealGirl.

However their flexibility is limited, and like all objects, after a while their orifices and

joints begin to wear and tear and need replacing.

Harry is an iDollator. iDollators are the owners and admirers of these high end sex dolls. iDollators communicate through the online community DollForum.com which has over 24 000 members worldwide, and this is where I met Harry. The forum houses discussions on doll maintenance, declarations of love for dolls, and photography, from family photos to erotic poses.

For Harry, Jenny is more than just a sex toy. She’s a companion and eases the isolation of living alone on a farm. “I don’t mind being alone, but I can’t stand being lonely… I’ve been alone for an awfully long time...Today is the first time since Friday, when I bought petrol, that I have used my voice” he says softly calculating the hours in his head. “That’s over 64 hours, and that’s... reasonably normal for me... After being on the farm all day I’ll come in and get myself something for tea and have a beer. Then I’ll sit down and think ‘I have not spoken today’...”

Jenny is there for Harry in the moments when he sits down by himself at night. “Lonely doesn’t happen in the day time. It sneaks up on you at night” he says as he cradles her head in his hands. “Night is when introspection and ‘why?’ sneaks up on you...” He twists Jenny’s black hair neatly together between his fingers and places her head gently back inside the darkness of the bag before zipping it up. “But I don’t have to sleep alone anymore.”

Edwina’s stories: http://edwinastorie.blogspot.com

THE SPIT PRESS | SYDNEY’S CREATIVE NEWSPAPER | VOL 1, ISSUE 2 | 25

THE STORIES PROJECT

This year CuriousWorks launches a new long-term service for all Australians: THE STORIES PROJECT. THE STORIES PROJECT will regularly deliver beautiful bursts of cinema filmed on the streets and sand dunes of Australia, straight to your inbox.

The stories will be short, sweet, provoking and rather good-looking.

A mixture of art and journalism, these will not be the kinds of stories you can find in our newspapers or on television. They will be stories about our diverse communities created by the freshest talent within those communities.

THE STORIES PROJECT launches with two crews artistically reporting from opposite sides of the continent: Urban Stories from Western Sydney and Desert Stories from the Western Desert, remote Western Australia.

The Urban Stories crew is made up of some seriously Diverse Australians, many of whom came to Australia as refugees from different corners of the planet. The Desert Stories crew is made up of folks from the Martu mob, the last Indigenous group to make contact with the British.

You’ll have unfiltered access to the inside perspective via the internet on your computer and mobile phone.

All you have to do is turn up.

www.thestoriesproject.com.au

Debut EP out now Featuring Rabbit Song and Blood To Gold www.myspace.com/boyandbearmusic THE SPIT PRESS | SYDNEY’S CREATIVE NEWSPAPER | VOL 1, ISSUE 2 | 26

www.curiousworks.com.au

Dear Spit Press Team, I’m writing to you in a state of awe - I can’t quite believe what I’m seeing (I have the first copy of Spit Press in my mitts).

I’m sure you’ve been hearing this repeatedly since

you got your newsmag out, but I really do believe you have got it right.

I traveled around Europe for four months last year in a state of bliss; there was so much on offer there I could barely get my head around it. I thought of home and was dejected, it seemed that Sydney would never keep up with fast-paced cities like London or Berlin and didn’t have the charm and quirk of places like Krakow and Ljubljana.

When I got back however, I had a complete turn-around and realised I just wasn’t looking hard enough. Not only is Sydney a fantastic place to live for various reasons, it has a thriving cultural scene if you know where to look. I spent most of summer attempting to immerse myself in Sydney’s creative and cultural scene: seeing movies, going to galleries, exploring new areas, eating at different cafes. During this summer I was also trying to think up a way that would let people know about what was going on, as well as bringing people together; something that would nurse this creativity. There is obviously the amazing world of the internet and blogs but for some reason it always

BIG

left me feeling a little empty, compared to when I had something solid in my hands.

Perhaps because I knew that creating something in print does require more effort and time, and it felt a little more personal.

I also have been doing a philosophy course this semester; called theorizing modernity.

The philosophers I’m studying write about how the modern world came about, and

FROM

GEORGIA

how the individual has become atomised through the rise of mass society and the breakdown of class structures, but out of all of it, what I really feel has been one of the biggest changes is the lack of community ‘spirit’ or activities that bring together a diverse range of people that have a particular thing in common, be it love of books, Star Wars, anything! I think it’s so important to learn from other people that are different from you too. This hit home for me after I worked for Art Month Sydney. I spoke to a lot of people who thrived off the opportunity to speak to people they wouldn’t usually, and share an experience in a scene that is usually quite cliquey and isolated.

So, when I saw your newsmag for the first time, a publication that was based around creating a sense of community and encouraging creativity, you can imagine the explosion that went off in my chest.

I think what you have done so far is fantastic and would really love to be involved in any way I can. I apologise for writing such a lengthy email but I felt implored to do so because I really believe you have a fantastic thing going on.

Cheers, Georgia

THE SPIT PRESS | SYDNEY’S CREATIVE NEWSPAPER | VOL 1, ISSUE 2 | 27

NEW ALBUM AVAILABLE NOW - Rolling Stone “deliciously over-the-top alternative pop” - Kathy McCabe Features collaborations with: Tim Finn, Sia, Don Walker, & Josh Pyke

SEE THEM LIVE:

JUNE 19, SYDNEY THE METRO THEATRE

b a n d i t . f m / k a t i e n oonan m y s p a c e . c o m / k a tienoonan fa c e b o o k . c o m / k at ie no o nan

THE SPIT PRESS | SYDNEY’S CREATIVE NEWSPAPER | VOL 1, ISSUE 2 | 28

K AT I E N O O N A N . C O M