2018 september/october frankie magazine

design • art • photography • fashion • travel • music • craft • home • life

ISSUE 85 SEP/OCT 2018 AUS: $10.95 INC GST NZ: $12.95 INC GST UK: £8.99 ISSN 14497794

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issue 85 talented contributors photographic eylül aslan, candice carlin, leanne dixon, heather lighton, natalie mccomas, mia mala mcdonald, phoebe powell, charlie rose, carine thevenau, lukasz wierzbowski editorial mel campbell, caro cooper, lucy corry, deirdre fidge, katherine gillespie, rowena grant-frost, chris harrigan, leta keens, kylie maslen, giselle au-nhien nguyen, sam prendergast, eleanor robertson, kate stanton, sinead stubbins, rebecca varcoe

editor sophie kalagas sophie@frankiepress.com.au

illustration evie barrow, katey-jean harvey, anjana jain, ashley ronning, cass urquhart cover artist amélie fontaine

assistant editor & online editor mia timpano mia@frankiepress.com.au senior designer aimee carruthers aimee@frankiepress.com.au

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designer & studio manager anjana jain anjana@frankiepress.com.au

national advertising manager victoria yelland riddell victoria@frankiepress.com.au • 0410 300 849

general manager gaye murray gaye@frankiepress.com.au editor-in-chief jo walker jo@frankiepress.com.au marketing manager anastasia michael anastasia@frankiepress.com.au

account manager – victoria max jahufer max@frankiepress.com.au • 0424 218 955 advertising sales executive – directories emma white emma@frankiepress.com.au • 0416 146 658 advertising production lizzie dynon lizzie@frankiepress.com.au

marketing coordinator ben eastwood ben@frankiepress.com.au operations manager bree higgerson bree@frankiepress.com.au production manager di josipovic di@frankiepress.com.au retail sales & circulation manager alissa relf alissa@frankiepress.com.au business analyst sid smith assistant accountant ryan trac production & office assistant lizzie dynon lizzie@frankiepress.com.au

contact us general enquiries hello@frankiepress.com.au subscriptions frankie@subscribenow.com.au frankie.com.au/subscribe retail orders retail@frankiepress.com.au can’t find frankie? visit frankie.com.au/find aust & n.z. distributor gordon & gotch international distribution enquiries export.ops@seymour.co.uk

it manager josh croft proofreader rachel morgenbesser submissions: frankie accepts freelance art, photo and story submissions, however we cannot reply personally to unsuccessful pitches. for submission guidelines please see frankie.com.au/submissions

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internships/work experience: unfortunately frankie is unable to facilitate any work experience or internship programs frankie magazine is proudly published 6 times a year by frankie press. frankie press is a division of pacific star network limited: 2 craine street, south melbourne vic 3205

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views expressed by authors are not necessarily those of the publisher. copyright is reserved, which means you can’t scan our pages and put them up on your website or anywhere else. reproduction in whole or part is prohibited.

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Join the conversation!

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first thought

ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.

The late, great David Bowie sang about them.

Supposedly, they’re as good as a holiday.

They’re one of life’s few certainties. And yet, sometimes they can be scary as heck.

In this issue, we take a flying leap into the great unknown, chatting with changemakers in the realms of playwriting, social activism and circus arts. We discuss ways to make change happen – in the innermost corners of our bustling minds, and out in the (often overwhelming) big, wide world. There are thought-provoking personal tales that might shift your views on certain ideas (there’s no need to check off a to-do list before you turn 30, for instance). Plus, we feature folks who weren’t afraid to try something new: training ants in mazes; mixing booze and baked goods; and using artificial intelligence to create some wackadoo knitting.

Really, change doesn’t need to be so daunting – after all, it happens around us all the time.

A change of season, underwear, job, hairstyle, lunch spot. Without it, life would probably be pretty dull. xx Sophie and the frankie team

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contents

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28

100 94

88

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what’s inside

taking the stage:

save the last dance:

PAGE 30

PAGE 70

Young playwrights bursting onto Australia’s theatre scene

Snazzy duds to don all through the party season

rise of the machines: PAGE 40

democracy in action:

What happens when A.I. enters the world of craft

A few non-scary ways to bring about change

mind your noggin: PAGE 50

the history of aerobics: PAGE 106

Creative folks share their mental health routines

Stretching, leotards, astronauts and Hollywood royalty

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contents

70

120 64

010 your say

076 road test

012 frank bits

078 i love my shop

022 chariots of frolic

082 go on, take a stand

026 music and madness 028 the golden age 030 some rad young playwrights 036 ooh, cushions

088 emma louise 090 out of sight, out of mind 094 i am inuit

038 cheques and mates

100 john cusack fan club

040 artificial knitting intelligence

106 the history of aerobics

042 homebodies

108 drawing with thread

048 one false click

112 mascara for sight

050 how i look after my brain 054 dead letter club 056 forces of nature 060 writers’ piece

118 very dubious icebreakers 120 crafty 122 circus kathmandu

064 off-the-wall art

124 looks we like

068 everybody has a story

126 the slice is right

070 the frankie formal

128 a home of one’s own

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your say Photo Candice Carlin

Dear frankie, The day issue 84 arrived in my letterbox, I’d just left home (on two wheels) to begin my 45-minute commute to uni. Unfortunately, my trip was cut short by storm clouds and the sign of rain. Doubling home to take the bus, I was greeted by your cosy cover in my letterbox.

Reading Sam Prendergast’s article on seasonal depression, I couldn’t help but feel pleased that I’d invested in a frankie subscription over the SAD lamp or indoor plants she used to keep the blues away. For me, your witty anecdotes, life advice and creative inspiration are enough to keep me smiling through the winter gloom. Hannah xoxo

dear frankie WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO TELL US, LOVELY ONES? LETTERS@FRANKIE.COM.AU

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Dear frankie, Like Eleanor Robertson, the “name game” is a modern-day dilemma that has completely stumped me for too long – that is, until I pondered out loud in the presence of a particularly switched-on 11-year-old. After about four seconds of careful thinking, she came up with the perfect word to describe a human you’re involved with, but not married to: a ‘date-mate’.

I think I might ask children to solve my problems more often!

(And perhaps I’ll submit ‘date-mate’ to the thesaurus people as a handy synonym for Eleanor’s ‘sex monkey’.) Love, Claudia xxx .

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Dear frankie, Katherine Gillepsie’s “In Defence of the Diary” strongly resonated with me. Despite possessing a smartphone and laptop, I too find comfort in pencilling work rosters, uni deadlines and pretty much everything on paper! For one, I take pride in my neat handwriting, and two, I don’t trust my fat thumbs to type my schedule into my smartphone correctly. So, here’s to the paper diary for being reliable and keeping the art of writing alive! Love, Michelle

Dear frankie, The physical distance between my boyfriend and I has been really getting me down lately. But this afternoon, we did your whole ’80s word find together through the magic of picture messaging. Even though I was sitting in my parked car in the rain, I’ve never felt as cosy. Thank you for your gorgeous puzzles and making it feel as if he was right there with me. Much love, Lexi xo .

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THE LETTER OF THE ISSUE WINS AN I LOVE LINEN QUEEN-SIZE QUILT COVER SET, RRP $345, FROM ILOVELINEN.COM.AU Dear frankie, As a hearing impaired and creative individual, Mia Timpano’s interview with Sofya Gollan really resonated with me – especially as I’ve been thinking about a potential career in filmmaking. The lack of positive representation (and let’s be honest, representation in general) for hard-of-hearing and deaf individuals in entertainment has been something I’ve personally struggled with growing up, and, as a result, I’ve always felt the desire to create films that included the representation I needed. Sofya’s words and actions have given me hope for the future portrayal of hard-of-hearing and deaf people, and have inspired me to take a step further in the direction of filmmaking.

Thank you and forever grateful, Eva

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Dear frankie, I’ve just stuck the gorgeous Auslan poster to our bathroom wall, where it sits proudly next to our ‘Learn Your Times Tables’ and ‘Spelling Common Words’ posters. Now, my little ones will learn Auslan at bath time as well! Thank you for this inspiration – if only I’d thought of it earlier. Here’s to inclusion!

With love, Ashleigh

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frank bits

potted history

kloke On the one hand, Kloke’s latest collection brings back memories of our old school uniforms and afternoon detentions for looking “scruffy” in the streets.

On the other hand, it’s reminded us that plaid fabrics and cosy knits are tops.

Maybe if our uniforms looked like this, we wouldn’t have spent so much time trying to deface them, shorten them and cinch them in. Who knows – we might have even considered leaving our socks pulled up. For more Kloke goodness (but no school rules), head to kloke.com.au

If you’ve ever wandered through a museum of ancient artefacts and wanted to take a piece or two home because you’ve developed an object crush, we can’t help you – you’ll have to unearth historic relics on your own time. There is an alternative, however, provided by one Debbie Pryor. The Adelaide jeweller has a bit of a crush on pottery herself, and makes earrings featuring pots and plates of yesteryear. They’ll set you back between $40 and $110 at debbiepryor.org

necking on What could be more delightful than wrapping a literal rainbow around your shoulders as you drift off into a peaceful slumber up amongst the clouds? Not much, that’s what. This joyful neck pillow comes from the colourloving folks at ban.dō, and should you hanker after one yourself, it’s around $32 from bando.com

some lovely luggage A few things we’d quite like to do with these sweet suitcases from Sydney label Alimrose: deliver piles of cash to a shady figure as the sun rises over a barren landscape; travel halfway across the world while eating marmalade, à la Paddington Bear; cosplay as Very Important Business People with a penchant for dainty floral accessories. In truth, the luggage is made in tiddlywink size, so it’s more suitable as a snazzy sewing kit or travelling companion for your favourite tot, but that’s nothing to thumb your nose at. Should you fancy a closer look, it’s going for $49.95 a set at alimrose.com.au

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samantha pleet If the old woman who lived in a shoe resided in anything like these corkers from Samantha Pleet, we reckon she’d be a happy old woman, indeed.

Hopefully you have something better to live in, so you can just put them on your feet instead.

Like all Samantha Pleet goodies, these Legend boots are meticulously designed in Brooklyn for smart and magical women, and – as far as we know – no tiny people have set up house in them yet. samanthapleet.com

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bubble bubble Confession: while our fellow kindergartners happily blew bubbles with detergent and a straw, laying pieces of A4 printer paper on top to create art that looked kind of like the surface of the moon, we were too busy fretting about accidentally inhaling the suds. (We’ve always been laidback types.)

Melbourne gent Ryan L. Foote used less ingestible methods to create his snazzy range of bubble plates, but they’re still giving us distinct flashbacks to the scent of Morning Fresh and pre-teen anxiety.

Should you like some lunar-inspired ceramics in your life, the plates are available from $33 at rlfootedesign.com

caps off ff first times, last times with jade mcinally from jade imagine

Usually we don’t recommend popping off bottle caps with your mouth, lest you wind up with a bloody lip and a hefty dentist bill. When it comes to this beardy bottle opener, though, we say, “Do it! Shove it in! Tear off that lid, we’re thirsty!”

(Except it comes from French brand Cookut, so maybe, “Allez!

J’ai soif!” would be more appropriate.)

Find a beanie-topped Frenchman of your own for $21 at thesupercool.com

First time you played a song you’d written in public? In 2002, my three-piece, all-girl high school band played a few originals at the Sunshine Beach High blue light disco. I can’t remember the titles of the songs, but I can remember feeling pretty ‘funky’ with my lightning bolt-patterned Squier Stratocaster guitar and extremely low-rise jeans. Last time you felt starstruck?

We played with The Pretenders last year. Chrissie Hynde was backstage, and she came up and fist-bumped me hello. She talked about how she doesn’t “do” social media, and drank a peppermint tea before and after the show. I’m not embarrassed to admit I shed a tear when they played “I’ll Stand By You”. First time you went on a date? I didn’t go on a real date until my early 20s. I was a skeggy tomboy in my teenage years. I dressed like Daniel Johns from the Frogstomp era. These days, I quite fancy getting a bit dressed up and going on silly little adventures to Timezone or a crêperie or dimly lit bars with my sweetheart… but I’m still a baggy shirt-wearing, skeggy beach-dweller teenager at heart. First time you heard your music on the radio? I was in my lounge room in Melbourne and turned on Triple R FM. They were playing our song “Stay Awake”. No one else was home, but I was looking around the room for validation.

My pet bunny rabbit was there and she didn’t seem to care. Last time you apologised to someone? Right now: James, I’m sorry I broke your keyboard. I promise I’ll buy you a new one as soon as I get paid for the next show. (Please come to our show.)

frankie diary and calendar Just a quick heads up that the marvellous and smashing 2019 frankie diary (rrp $29.95) and calendar (rrp $32.95) are available for pre-order right now, for you to grab, gift, scribble on and hug to your chest with glee. This year our diary has gone a bit floral, featuring native botanical drawings by the ever-excellent Edith Rewa. And the frankie calendar is looking peppy, too, with artworks from lovely creative types like Lucy Roleff, Min Pin and Bodil Jane.

Want to get your mitts on them before they all sell out?

Head to frankiepress.com.au/2019 to place your order.

a mug with a mug Need a little help facing the world in the morning?

These hand-painted mugs from My Little Belleville and Betsy Croft should do the trick. Sporting handles that look like rainbows or clouds, they’re a bit adorable and screaming to be filled with a belly-warming bevvie of some sort (don’t let the glum expression fool you). Yours for around $51 at mylittlebelleville.com

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what’s in a name say hello to our cover artist, amélie fontaine

Names have long been connected to the way a person makes their dosh: Mr Cooper crafted barrels from wood; the Smiths were a family of metal workers; and you can probably guess what Miss Weaver did from 9 to 5. It’s little surprise, then, that English lass Rosebud Casson found herself making jewellery in the likeness of her favourite flowers (no roses, ironically, but plenty of other lovely blooms like this one). Around $10 at rosebudcasson.co.uk

Who are you and what do you do? I’m a French illustrator, living and working in Paris. I make children’s books, draw for newspapers, and when I have time left, I focus on my personal work. I also practise etching and ceramics. What’s your artistic medium of choice? My favourite medium is drawing because of its immediacy. I like the simple feeling of the pen on the paper, and the possibility to draw anywhere. Sketching outside is really important to me, as when I’m working, I’m like a naturalist – I observe and identify things. This documentation is the first step that allows me to drift towards imagination. Tell us the story behind this artwork. I started a series of drawings with animals and people, but with strange relationships. For instance, a woman with a tiger, but we don’t know if they’re dancing or if he’s attacking and devouring her – as if animals were revolting against their role as domestic pets. But this one with the cheetah is more kind and gentle, like a guardian. Have you always been an arty type? As far as I remember, I’ve always drawn, especially with my brother. We used to draw big battles with knights and blood splashing and cut legs everywhere, before trying something calmer: starting a newspaper. We had to reproduce each one with felt pens in order to get several copies; it was exhausting. What would we find you doing when you’re not making art? I love going to exhibitions and concerts when I’m in Paris; walking in the countryside when I’m somewhere else; reading books and trying to pass my driving theory test.

wallet it be?

You’ve heard of day-of-theweek undies, but what about size-of-your-bank-balance purses? A whopping big grin for just after payday; an uncertain smirk when you’ve spent two days buying lunches instead of bringing food from home; flowing tears for the times you’re reduced to mi goreng on the couch while you pinch the neighbour’s wi-fi through the wall. If this sounds like something that would be up your alley, Danielle Wright can help you out. We have three of her emotional leather cardholders up for grabs over at frankie.com.au/ win – or you can nab them for around $37 a pop at daniellewright.net

bits of bowie Staring into David Bowie’s eyes can be a dangerous thing if you’re a teenager seeking freedom and hoping your baby half-brother will disappear into the clutches of goblins – as anyone who’s seen Labyrinth will know. But now, you can gaze at the dearly departed Goblin King for hours and hours, while you piece his face together in the form of an extremely mullet-y jigsaw puzzle. (We hear it’s almost as tricky as finding your way out of the labyrinth, but with fewer riddles and drug-filled stone fruits.) Around $19, urbanoutfitters.com

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scarf time Like many of us, maker lady Cristina López Santos became a little bit obsessed with the movie Grease – especially the bright colours, snazzy duds and gravitydefying hairstyles. We’re rather pleased she did, since she translated that love into some pretty lovely scarves for her label Olula, like the Frenchie, which can be nabbed for around 40 bucks. Head to olula.net to bring out your inner Pink Lady – we daresay Rizzo would be proud.

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no boats about it kookery cards A wise human once stated, “Never save something for a special occasion; every day of your life is a special occasion.” And you know what?

We reckon they make a damn good point. So does Melbourne lass Amy Palmer-Millin – especially when it comes to that fancy crockery that only gets dragged out when distant rellos come to visit. She’s designed a greeting card (rrp $5.95) encouraging us all to seize the moment – and the nice plates – and enjoy them while we can. kookery.com.au

tuesday bassen Need a reason to love Tuesday Bassen’s foray into women’s apparel? Allow us to give you three of them: 1) it would look right at home in the John Waters film Cry-Baby; 2) it’s made for ladies of all shapes and sizes, from XS through to 5XL; and 3) it uses vintage dead-stock material, which is pretty ace news for the environment. (Bonus reason: skirts with pockets!) Check out shoptuesday.com to find more of your own.

Staring into the everchanging blue of the Aegean Sea, Athina Doukaki and Jose Navarro had an idea: to make hand-crafted toys that let kids have some simple, strippedback playtime. Shortly thereafter, the Cretebased duo launched their very own company, The Wandering Workshop.

You can peruse their collection of imaginationstirring wooden toys at thewanderingworkshop. com – we’re quite fond of this Boat and Waves set, which will set you back around 60 bucks.

the ivy league Blessed be the devil’s ivyy – a plant so hardy you can forget to o water it for weeks and it will still cascade merrily ffrom a dangling pot. Melbourne m maker Dana Lenko was so impressed by the houseplant’s grit and vigour that she decided to co ommemorate it on one of her cosy collectable sweaters – and w we happen to have a couple up for grabs. Just head to frankie.com.au/win and crosss your fingers nice and tight (or, t n again, you could nab one yourself for $119 at ilovelenko.com).

frank & dollys f Frrank & Dollys’ newest range, Bella, has gone a bit Mediterranean and glamorous. Somewhere between Mamma Mia! and Roman Holiday, if you will, with a M few hand-drawn prints and sequinned bits thrown in just for the heck of it. So, whether you’re perched on a Ve espa with Gregory Peck or working through ABBA’s grreatest hits as you frolic around a Greek island, from Se eptember 1st your wardrobe is sorted. (Actually, if you arre doing either of those things, drop us a line. Both so ound quite wonderful.) frankanddollys.com

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say hello to zoë randell from luluc How did you guys first cross paths? In Edinburgh, Scotland. We were both travelling overseas for the first time – Steve with a backpack and his guitar, me with only a backpack. Friends linked us up because I was complaining that I’d left my guitar at home. Where’d the name Luluc come from?

It’s a French nickname. There’s no meaning we’ve been able to find, but we love the sound of it. Kind of lilting with a slightly hard edge. When it’s said right, anyway! (It’s ‘Lou-luke’.) Best thing about being in a duo? We’re very likeminded in our vision. And we have different skills, but together they cover the whole of what we need: writing, recording, producing, mixing, performing, various instruments, and so on. We’re able to create records almost entirely by ourselves – that gives us the room to do it our way. Favourite spot to chill in Brooklyn? Prospect Park. There are huge lakes, trees, swans, flowers, and so many people from all different walks of life. Oh, and our studio, a converted garage. It’s heavily sound-proofed and so beautifully quiet, with all our instruments and lovely windows. Like our own Tardis. We can seal the door and be in our own world. What do you miss the most about living in Australia?

Space. Trees. Sun. Lack of trash on the streets!

And the ease of living, comparatively. New York is intense, and things take much longer to get done, because it’s so busy everywhere all the time.

hi hip h hop hooray Still using an old coffee jar to hold your pens and other stationery? That’s fine, but may we suggest you consider another option – specifically, this kangaroo-shaped desk tidy from Buenos Aires designers Vacavaliente.

Available at store.mca. com.au for $54.95, the sweet little fella is made from 100 per cent recycled leather and has a double pouch, so you can stash some little bits up top, and other little bits down below. Noice.

monstera inc.

No, the Monstera deliciosa is not a delicious monster from Italy, but a Mexican plant sporting luscious, holey leaves. It’s also the inspiration for one of Astrid Eudeline and Ivan Grangeret’s ace wooden pegboards. The couple produces stacks of sweet and useful timber products from their tiny house, set amid the green forests of Biarritz in the South of France. Need somewhere new to dangle jewellery or craft doodads? This niceness is available for around 93 bucks at littleanana.com

frankie x unidays Are you currently acquiring knowledge at an educational institution? Do you enjoy purchasing items at a price that’s significantly cheaper than the norm? Well, my studious, thrifty friend, here’s a little piece of information you might be interested in: we’ve teamed up with UNiDAYS to offer students an exclusive 25 per cent off their frankie magazine subscription.

You have to be a UNiDAYS member to get in on the deal (plus loads more discounts from other rad brands, including Smith Journal), so head to frankie.com.au/shop and click on the UNiDAYS tab, then register or log in using your UNiDAYS member details. myunidays.com

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have cup, will travel Fact: coffee stays hotter for longer in a ceramic vessel. Another fact: these travel cups from Arcadia Scott Ceramics are a bit friggin’ nice.

They’re made by hand in Melbourne for folks who realise a) how bad for the Earth disposable coffee cups are; and b) that a handmade mug is pretty special. If one or both of those things applies to you, pop by frankie.com.au/win – we have three of the ceramic lovelies up for grabs. Between $45 and $55, arcadiascott.com

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fringe e myrtle As far ass winged d inse sects go, moths tend to be overlooked for their flashier, attentionseeking cousins, the butterflies. That is, until Kiara SpencerSmith came along. On a spin around Sydney’s Australian Museum, she was struck by the dazzling array of moths Down Under – a few weeks later, a range of wooden brooches was born in their honour. Care for a bit more of a gander? Her Fringe Myrtle tidbits can be found at fringemyrtle. com.au, with prices starting at $30.

my favourite things with marcus hobbs from east brunswick all girls choir a bit dishy Is there anything sadder than watching a bunch of beautiful flowers wilt and die? (Of course, the answer is yes, but just humour us for a moment.)

The hand-painted flowers on these here dishes from Togetherness Design – aka Melbourne maker Esther Sandler – will go on living forever and ever and ever. Which is pretty excellent, if you ask us. $28 each, togethernessdesign.com

Animated movie: The Lion King. I had it on VHS as a child and used to know every single line of dialogue and all the song lyrics. Childhood memory: Camping on the Murray River or the farm at Teddywaddy in rural Victoria. No phones; wireless radio with limited reception. It was the only time we were allowed to burn things. Piece of clothing you own: I rarely buy new items of clothing, but I have one weird item, which is a sweater chopped into a shirt. It has three people on the front in ’80s-style exercise gear. Musical genre: Folk; noisy things. Place to hang out with your mates: There used to be a pokies pub in Brunswick East in Melbourne called The Lyndhurst. It was open until 3am every night, but rarely was anyone in there after 10pm. Drinks were super-cheap and they had free pool. It’s now a Dan Murphy’s outlet. Dad joke: My dad used to do this thing on long road trips where he’d say, “Hey kids,” if he ever drove by a stack of hay in a paddock. If you said, “What?” the joke was on you. It didn’t make the trips go faster. Hangover brekkie: Codeine, blanket. Party game: Goon of Fortune is an all-time classic – swinging a sack of wine around on a Hills Hoist. It’s not worth explaining, because if you don’t already know what it is you’ll probably never play it. Person to talk to when you feel like crap: I have a beagle called Zimmer who is generally very understanding and pretty good for a cuddle when things are tough. Very soft ears.

llisa waup x verner T This here jumpsuit comes from t he clever heads and hands of Gunditjmara and Torres Strait G Islander artist Lisa Waup; Melbourne M fashion lady Ingrid Verner; V and arts organisation Craft C Victoria. It’s pretty swish, s don’t you think?

Available A in two colourways, t he striking patterns explore e themes like identity, connection c and country. If you’d y like to see more, it’s as easy e as stopping by verner.co

toothcrush Dear Toothcrush, thank you for creating environmentally friendly brushes for our fangs. We appreciate how goodlooking their bamboo handles are, and the fact that, if we subscribe for 30 bucks a year at toothcrush.com, you’ll send us a freshie every month. That’s a bit nice, and saves us a trip to the shops! Say hi to Taika Waititi for us (we assume you’re friends with him, since he’s also a New Zealander). And thanks for helping to reduce the billions of plastic toothbrushes that end up in landfill every year. Yours truly, the frankie team.

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SS/18 OUT NOW

For y ou r wri st, u nt i l ti me s t an ds s t i l l - co u l d b e a wh i le . The I n e r t ia wat ch i s de s i gn e d f o r a st at e o f u n if orme d a nd u n i t e r r u pt e d mo t i o n .

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frank bits

obus x crumpler

five minutes with erica dunn from mod con

Did someone say stylish and practical backpack? Hot diggity!

With their powers combined, Melbourne brands Obus and Crumpler have created this neoprene wonder lined with jazzy floral fabric. It has loads of pockets! A 15-litre compartment! It’s kind of waterproof!

And it comes in two of our favourite colours, mauve and plum! Yep, that probably deserves two enthusiastic thumbs up. $199, obus.com.au or crumpler.com/au

When do you feel at your most creative? I tend to get great ideas when I’m alone, walking my dog by the river near my house, or, weirdly, when I’m stuck in traffic. Where would we find you first thing on a Monday morning? Recently I’ve been on tour with my other band a lot, so Monday morning has been airport Bloody Mary time! If I happen to be at home, I’m generally trying to sort my life out. Who’s the best cook in the band? Impossible to choose! Raquel is always putting videos up of her making incredible Filipino delights like leche flan or champorado. Sara is also an incredible chef. More than once, when I’ve been in a serious state of disrepair and eating old Pizza Shapes, Sara has flown in and presented organic tomato gazpacho with coriander and lime salsa, or homemade moussaka. Ever received any unusual fan letters? One Saturday morning, I was doing the crossword in bed, and was shocked to find MYSELF AS A CLUE! I have not uncovered who’s responsible for this sorcery yet, but it was a great day. Dream holiday destination? The tomb of Tutankhamun. Except I wouldn’t actually go there, because it’s being utterly fucked by tourists. Do you have a life philosophy? “No hat, no play.” Who inspires you? I’m in a band with two of the most inspiring women I could ever have been blessed to meet.

underwater flora Hello little fishy, would you care to carry some lovely blooms for us? All you have to do is hold very still and show off those pouty fish lips of yours. We’d be so very grateful – as we are to Bill and Ash from Hesukinae for bringing you and your ceramic fins into our lives. We’ll even hand over $65 for your service. So, what do you say? hesukinae.etsy.com

pants party Nothing says ‘my body, my business’ quite like dangling a set of stubblecovered gams from your ear lobes.

Three cheers, then, for Sydney jeweller Liz Lau, who whipped up these body-positive, hand-painted bits. They’re called the Panty Earrings (rrp $55) and we happen to have some to give away. Just head to frankie. com.au/win and pop in your details, then do a bit of a luck-bringing jig (on smooth or hairy legs, we don’t mind, really). lizlaustudio.com

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mad about mini Kid-knowing humans, check this out. Not only are Mad About Mini’s duds stitched from super-soft organic cotton, they’re also unisex; made for running through large fields, climbing trees and generally being a rad explorer; and are cute as all get out.

(Plus, designer Kat Starr has whipped up some adult-sized versions for grown-up adventures while matching your littl’un.) Stop by madaboutmini.com to get a closer look at the Sydney-made stuff.

frank bits

pablo picatso

b bread d and d biscuits Most bikkies are filled with things like jam, cream or chocolate chips, but these here zip-up purses are chock full of one thing: money. Or, they will be, once you stop by yoshi. co.uk and pick one up for your coin-stashing purposes (they’ll set you back around $24 first, with a choice of scrummy custard cream, classic digestive or chocolate cookie).

ryder What’s that? You thought corduroy was the sole domain of stuffy academics with suede elbow patches? Well, think again, smartypants. The folks from Ryder have created this cord bomber jacket with batwing sleeves in two pastel hues – and we certainly can’t imagine it hanging in a paleontology professor’s wardrobe (unless, of course, they’re a very chic paleontology professor). Find it for $229 at ryderlabel.com

fine art and felines Truthfully, most cats would probably find a career in painting quite tricky, what with their lack of opposable thumbs and observable creativity. That won’t stop us believing in this gifted gato, though.

(After all, cats love boxes, so surely Cubism is the logical next step.) Pablo Picatso was dreamed up by Nia Gould – aka Devonbased designer Niaski – and if you head to niaski. co.uk with around $23, a print of his furry mug could be all yours.

pour decisions Here’s cheers to April Moralba! The San Diego designer has whipped up a trio of chortle-inducing coasters inspired by – to quote April herself – “nights of uncontrollable laughter, board game brawls, tasty cocktails and great friends who have no respect for my coffee table”. Featuring her trademark bright colours, slick lettering and knack for puns, a set of three sturdy coasters costs around $10 – less than a fairly shit bottle of grog. crashboomdesigns.com

pretty useful paper by frankie Are you ready for this? Are you sitting down? Do you have a paper bag to breathe into? We have some rather exciting news to share: we’ve gone and made a brand new stationery line! Called pretty useful paper by frankie, it includes a gifty wrap book with 10 happy-making prints (rrp $19.99); a scribble and jot notepad for your doodly, sketchy needs (rrp $14.99); and a trio of frankie fangirl jotters, featuring the iconic mugs of Molly Ringwald, Susan Sarandon and Debbie Harry ($14.99 for a set of three). Woohoo!

Pop over to frankiepress.com.au/shop to stock up your stationery drawer.

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around the world

chariots of frolic bangalore-based photographer sameer raichur explores a glitzy indian wedding tradition.

INTERVIEW SOPHIE KALAGAS

Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself, please. Hi! My name is Sameer Raichur, and I’m a documentary photographer based in Bangalore, India. I trained as a lawyer and spent a year working at a corporate law firm before course correcting. I’ve been taking photos since 2012.

tungsten bulbs. The lighting is powered by a generator tucked away in the trunk of the car.

How are chariots connected to Indian traditions and folklore?

Chariots are commonly seen on the streets in India during festivals, where they’re hand-pulled by devotees, sometimes numbering in the thousands. It’s a common sight for a temple to have a shed for its ‘resident’ chariot. In ancient Indian mythology, chariots are equally associated with tales of elopement as abduction of brides.

Vedic Hindu wedding rites dictate that the moment the bride mounts the groom’s chariot, the transition from her childhood home to her married life has begun.

How did you come across these amazing ‘chariots’? I vividly recall walking the streets of Arni, Tamil Nadu, on a sweltering evening – summer temperatures in India can touch 45 degrees. I was on assignment to document the lives of saree-weaving artisans in this town, and the sound of the looms was still ringing in my ears when I encountered my first chariot of frolic (a blue Fiat Premier-Padmini).

Though I hastily photographed the vehicle, the experience stayed with me for many months.

And how do these versions reflect Indian culture more broadly?

Indians take their weddings really seriously, and families believe in spending a disproportionate amount of their savings to facilitate a gaudy celebration. The chariots are a manifestation of this mindset. Although, the desire to have such weddings is changing with my generation – many are opting for low-key celebrations or eschewing marriage altogether.

What is the story behind the jazzed-up cars? While wedding cars are quite common across the world, the difference in the Tamil Nadu version is that they’re modified to resemble horse-drawn chariots. Enterprising wedding decorators targeting middle-class, upwardly mobile clients have fabricated these cars to enable a nighttime wedding reception on wheels. They’re used to announce a couple’s marriage to the town, and transport them from a Ganesha temple (where a small ceremony is performed) to their reception venue. A band leads the procession, followed by the families, and lastly, the couple in the car, who are often handed a fizzy drink to share.

What were you trying to capture in this photo series? Considering the chariots are usually observed in crowded processions, I consciously showed them devoid of human presence, in order to depart from the way Indian weddings are generally represented.

The quiet settings are a tranquil remnant of the chaotic celebrations the vehicles facilitated. Shooting them at night also adds a layer of desolation and loneliness – feelings that are not usually associated with a wedding.

Tell us more about how these vehicles are made. They’re primarily made in the towns of Thiruvannamalai and Kanchipuram, though there are individuals doing it on a much smaller scale in other towns, as well. They’re built from discarded cars – sold at scrap prices – that are no longer in production. The rear seat is removed to accommodate an elevated platform, on which a sofa or set of chairs is placed for the bride and groom. The platform has an ornate background referred to locally as the ‘disco’, which is made of papier-mâché decoration around fibreboard, housing LED or

What inspires your photography? My personal work frequently revolves around the themes of family and kinship. I also draw inspiration from the heterogeneous culture and landscape in rural India, where it’s exciting coming across untold stories and curiosities.

Where can we see more of your work? sameer-raichur.com

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music talks

Acknowledging their history is important to the musical gents, as is their colourful, tongue-in-cheek aesthetic. Their press shots show them gathered together in bizarre formations, expressions deadpan, and you’ll often catch them performing in Wes Anderson-style matching outfits. “There’s definitely an element of satire to it, like a self-awareness of creating a brand and uniform that all seven of us wear,” guitar player Josh Blashki says. “It’s ridiculous, because we’re all totally different people. But we’ve made the band its own entity.”

music and madness MEET MELBOURNE SEPTET APPROACHABLE MEMBERS OF YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY. Words Rebecca Varcoe

As for their sound, you might imagine a poppier version of Tame Impala or OK Go – but with trumpets and saxophones and seven dudes on stage, dressed identically and all grooving in unison.

Josh points out that their jazz origins and big-band structure have evolved into their new sound, which fits more closely into the realm of pop music. “I think pop has always been seen as, not necessarily lame, but really passé – a bit dumb. But there’s something awesome about pop music, because it can actually touch so many people. It’s incredibly powerful.”

Starting a high school band is the classic teen dream, but few plucky kids manage to make their rock star goals reality. Even fewer transition their music from the annual school talent show to real-world stages post-graduation. But for Approachable Members of Your Local Community, “it was always inevitable” – at least, according to bass player Michael Fisher.

Indeed, despite their silliness, the group aspires to use their platform for the greater good. Recent releases “Millennium Queen” and “Velcro” show off this two-pronged approach. The first celebrates their close friend – a trans woman named Shula – and her experience negotiating identity within their sometimesconservative Jewish community. Conversely, “Velcro” sees the band mucking about with slinkies and frisbees, before dancing in formation with velcro-clad feet.

The seven-piece began its life as jazz act The Coconuts at Bialik College, a Jewish school in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs.

After completing their exams, the guys took diverging paths – some dove headfirst into university studies; others took time off to go travelling. It appeared as if their musical collaboration had come to an end, until early 2017, when they all found themselves back on familiar soil. Asked to perform at a local family’s get-together, the group reformed – only this time, they became Approachable Members of Your Local Community.

As they continue to tour their EP, If There’s Anything You Need, Please Don’t Hesitate To Contact Us, the band is revelling in their success – success they didn’t quite expect. “A lot of the time we just laugh at how ridiculous what we’re doing is; we’re making it up as we go,” Michael says. “We’re not sure if we’re serious or totally silly, and have to work out where the band fits into our lives.” Josh adds: “There’ve been a lot of things that have hit us and made us realise we’re actually, probably a band now. There’s much more thought going into the demos, and the tracks are just better. Maybe we should start focusing on our music a bit more! It’s amazing.”

“I was trying to think what a politician walking into a lawn bowls club would say when he greeted people there” Michael explains.

“He would start by saying, ‘It’s so great to be here today with approachable members of our local community.’ On one hand, it’s an incredibly vague, vacuous name – it means shit all. But at the same time, it has some kind of meaning to it.” The moniker also pays homage to the community formed by the band’s Eastern European ancestors when they arrived in Australia as wartime refugees.

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2018: celebrating a design exchange between Melbourne and Hong Kong, with eight young and emerging HK designers exhibited at Melbourne Design Week

CHAN PO FUNG

JACKIE LUK

MAX LAM

NELSON LEUNG

RAFT WONG

POLLY HO

JOE KWAN

www.hkdesigncentre.org

RICKY LAI

rant

that with bouts of significant mental health issues and BAM – you have the perfect storm of fear and self-doubt. Sometimes you’re forced to accept that life isn’t what you thought it would be, and my 20s haven’t been very fun. But that’s all right! I’ve learnt from all those speedbumps, and like my mum’s dog trying to get into a sealed rubbish bin, I’ve challenged myself and triumphed. (For the record, the answers to my earlier questions are: dunno, who cares, and go for it.)

the golden age DEIRDRE FIDGE IS QUITE OK WITH SAYING GOODBYE TO HER 20s, ACTUALLY.

Those internet checklists are pervasive and baffling – does something happen when you turn 30 that means you can no longer travel overseas or learn how to salsa dance? Maybe the clock will strike midnight on my birthday and both my legs will explode, or my cerebrum will turn to dust. But that seems improbable (my older friends still seem to have fairly sturdy gams – I’ve checked). What’s more likely is that weird societal pressure is telling us we need to have achieved certain things by a certain age, resulting in feelings of regret or shame that don’t need to be there.

Thanks to terrifying internet algorithms, I can’t browse any website without being inundated with headlines like, “Seven things you must do before you turn 30!”; “10 meals you should have mastered in your 20s!”; and “6000 life skills you should have learnt by now you big dumb-dumb because your time is almost up!!!!” Well, I’m about to turn 30, and I’ve never backpacked solo around Europe or cooked the ‘perfect’ roast chicken, and I reckon that’s OK. (If I’m honest, I’ve never even cooked the ‘mediocre’ roast chicken.)

Getting to know yourself is a vital part of growing up, and you know what? I couldn’t give two hoots about roasting a chook. When it comes to travelling, a lot of experiences would have been wasted if I’d tried to do them at 20, while riddled with insecurity – I know I’ll appreciate them a lot more now, feeling comfortable in my own skin.

It’s better to be the only grey-haired backpacker loving every moment than an awkward young adult doing it because they think they should.

Forty is the new 20, and 90 is the new 40, and 420 is the new 69, so let’s just agree that numbers are meaningless and enjoy ourselves.

While I happily google “jumbo ice-cream cakes in the shape of John Stamos’s head”, people assume I spend my days consumed with dread about my upcoming 3-0. Old friends reminisce about celebrating our 18th birthdays, sadly lamenting that the party is now over. Colleagues rush to placate wrinkle-related concerns that I’ve never actually expressed, and older folks chuckle, “Don’t stress!

You’re still a baby!” Sure, every birthday is one year closer to joining Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky”, but the truth is, I couldn’t be happier to leave my 20s behind.

Don’t get me wrong – I still have difficult days and insecurities and moments when I wonder, “What am I doing?” But I feel better equipped to handle these now, and little things don’t faze me quite as much. I give less of a stuff about what other people think, and it feels pretty darn good. At the risk of sounding like an overpriced motivational mug, you live and learn, and I’m continuing to do both. So, I’m excited to smooch the past decade farewell, and I wish everyone else could see that, too. Now who’s going to make me that ice-cream cake?

Like many people, my early adulthood was spent stressing about fairly irrelevant things, such as: does that person hate me? Did I make a fool of myself? And, can I pull off corduroy pants? Combine

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creative people

meet four young playwrigh onto australia’s theatre WORDS MIA TIMPANO

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Photo Mia Mala McDonald

It was meant to be a non-white version of Sex and the City. And it was. Until playwright Michele Lee started digging a little deeper into the idea she’d brought to Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre – an idea that ultimately became Going Down, a play about a young writer (sort of based on Michele) who attempts to compensate for the lukewarm reception of her first book, a sexually explicit memoir, with an even more sexually explicit memoir.

“Something was gnawing at her,” Michele recalls of the play’s protagonist, Natalie – who, in the early stages of development, was mostly preoccupied with an unresolved relationship with a dude. The real story, Michele discovered, was about Natalie connecting with her mum, a Hmong (aka south-east Asian) immigrant living in Canberra. “One actor, who I probably dismissed because he was a white man, kept saying, ‘Why doesn’t she want to go back to Canberra? What’s she running from?’ I realised that, like me, Natalie was wrestling with how to be intersectional, and how not to be in conflict with herself.”

Exploring being Asian and the related sense of ‘otherness’ wasn’t something Michele had originally set out to do in her writing, but with the passing of years, it’s become increasingly important. “Of course, it was something that was really present in my dayto-day experience,” she says, “but I didn’t really have a need to write about it. Maybe it’s a maturity thing.

I kept things under wraps and wanted to assimilate and fit in, but somewhere in my 20s I went, ‘I’m more interested in my roots.’”

Going Down is also a chuckle-fest, filled with cringy parodies of Melbourne culture (there’s even a sugar-induced hallucination that sends Natalie on a shoplifting spree through Marimekko). But it’s not a template for Michele’s work. As she says, there’s no “formula” to her approach – which probably explains why her output is as diverse as Talon Salon, in which participants had their nails done while listening to an mp3 of a radio play, and Security, a forthcoming drama about female security guards who cover up their male colleague committing sexual assault.

So, why theatre, as opposed to other storytelling mediums? (Michele actually took a screenwriting course, with the expectation it would lead to a career in film or TV.) “There’s an elevation that happens when a performance has an audience,” Michele explains. “You can walk away from podcasts or TV or a film that’s playing in your house. But in a play, we’re literally speaking to you.”

Canberra playwright David Finnigan makes performance art that communicates scientific ideas in a way that won’t bore the crap out of you. “It feels like we could be heading towards a pretty rough century,” he reflects. “Scientists have been studying big issues like climate change and species extinction, but the problem is, they’re terrible communicators.

My theatre-maker friends and I thought, ‘The skillset of an artist is, ideally, to be a communicator – so, maybe artists can help bridge that gap.’”

It’s inspired him to write Kill Climate Deniers, the first-ever live action story in which terrorists take over Australia’s Parliament House. “Are we a real country if we haven’t had a narrative like that?” he asks jokingly.

Well, yes – but apparently one with people who find the show’s premise more than a little confronting. “It’s a high-octane action adventure about a politician killing eco-terrorists to the tune of trashy dance music,” David explains, quickly adding: “It’s a romp.” But when professional shit-stirrer Andrew Bolt penned a hit piece about it a few years back, the play became a political hot potato, too risky for theatre companies to take on.

While a Canberra politician (unsuccessfully) tried to get the play’s funding revoked, and certain other individuals huffed and puffed, David translated the production into as many other artforms as he possibly could. Kill Climate Deniers became a dance album; an e-book; a short film. You can even do a KDC walking tour of Parliament House. Ultimately, however, the show did find a home – at Sydney’s Griffin Theatre, where it was also awarded their prestigious annual prize for “an outstanding play or performance text that displays an authentic, inventive and contemporary Australian voice”.

David’s works continue to be just as curious as this one. He’s currently juggling two projects: Love Force Crime Scene (“It’s got some science elements, but it’s also literally a boy band concert and a murder mystery,” he explains) and 44 Sex Acts in One Week (a “terrible rom-com” about a writer who works for a click-bait blog and is tasked with reviewing a book about sex positions).

Photo Leanne Dixon

Although now in his 30s, not much has changed for David since he was in year 12, writing and producing his first attempt at theatre – a Satre-inspired sci-fi tale. In fact, his entire catalogue of work has sprung from a peer-led stage-writing community in his hometown of Canberra. “It’s a great way of making friends if you’re a dork and don’t have great social skills,” David says. “That was me.”

Photto Mia Mala McDonald

Actor and playwright Katie Beckett is one of the growing number of Indigenous women taking ownership of their stories and writing bloody good theatre. “I got sick of playing roles where I was always the victim – being raped, being murdered, being voiceless,” Katie explains. “Either that, or I was playing a little boy. But even then, the same things were happening – I was bashed or raped. Otherwise, I was playing a ghost that spurts out random magical pieces of advice… because I’m Aboriginal.”

Katie’s debut play, Which Way Home, is a drama- comedy that celebrates her love for her dad.

“I wrote it after his fifth heart attack,” she remembers.

“Dad was in hospital, and I’d just had my son. After you have a kid, you realise how much your parents do for you.” Not only did Katie’s father raise her solo, he supported her dreams, no matter what. “I’d always be telling people, ‘I want to be an actor and a writer,’ and everybody would say, ‘Oh, it’s a pipedream – you can’t do that.’ But Dad would be like, ‘You can do whatever you want, my baby. You want to go act? You act.’”

Thankfully, her father survived his heart attack (and the next one, too) and has been able to enjoy watching the play he inspired tour Australia. There’s even talk of it touring Canada; becoming a book for young people; and being turned into a feature film. Pretty good for someone who was never trained in playwriting – or acting, for that matter.

“I was actually studying to be a director of photography,” Katie says, “but when actors didn’t show up on the student films I was shooting, people would talk me into getting in front of the camera.” Her improvised dialogue, which came from the heart, was effectively the start of her writing career. “I noticed people liked the yarns I was spinning, and from there, I managed to get work.”

Just don’t go seeing Katie’s shows for the CliffsNotes on Indigenous history. “When white people come to Aboriginal theatre, they expect you to educate them.

Man, I’m not a fucking history book. You want the history, you can find it yourself. Go on Google; ask the local Aboriginal people around you; go to your Aboriginal Land Council where you live. I’m not here to educate you. I’m here to tell a story.”

As far as CVs go, Michelle Law’s is pretty darn impressive. From scripting and starring in her own SBS web series, Homecoming Queens, to penning a sell-out debut stage play, Single Asian Female, all while writing for various publications and co-authoring the book Shit Asian Mothers Say with her brother Benjamin, Michelle’s probably what you’d call a wunderkind – which is all kinds of glamorous. But before she was a leading lady for SBS – indeed, before she’d even decided to become a writer – she was Gollum.

“It was this weird adaptation of The Hobbit,” Michelle explains of the production, which she performed with a friend during primary school. It was also the Brisbane-born writer’s first exposure to theatre on a community level. Her first glimpse of professional theatre? “That was Les Mis,” she recalls. “I was eight, and our whole family got dragged along by Ben. He was really into theatre at the time. I was like, ‘Is this going to be something where they sing the whole thing?’ Ben was like, ‘No, no – there’ll be actual dialogue.’ And of course, they sang the whole thing.”

It didn’t turn Michelle off musicals, however. She’s actually got a musical theatre-style opera in the works right now (a collaboration she can’t reveal too much about at this point). The other projects she has in motion are theatrical, too, which is rather different to writing for the screen. “With screenwriting, once your screenplay is submitted, it’s out of your hands.

But theatre really champions the playwright. When we were doing edits for Single Asian Female, the team was like, ‘Oh, we want to change these words – is that OK?’ I was like, ‘What? Why are you asking me? That’s fine – just do what you want!’”

Photo Carine Thévenau

For those who’ve had the chance to see Single Asian Female – and there have been heaps, from schoolkids attending theatre on their own for the first time, to a certain elderly gentleman who shared a Tupperware container of salty plums with the audience in Sydney – it’s been an insight into what it means to be single, Asian and female at three different stages of life. “When the play went to Sydney, I was a bit scared about how people would respond to something that’s effectively a big hug,” she admits. “When it sold out, I realised people just want a play that appeals to their humanity.

That’s what people want to experience.”

special collectors’ edition

nab a copy at your local magazine retailer or at

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5. Ines cushion in lake, rrp $69.95, and 6. Spectrum cushion in sorbet, rrp $74.95, bambury.com.au. 7. Camomile London House cushion in midi double check/stone, rrp $99.95, leoandbella.com.au. 8. Uppland Archipelago cushion, around $177, myfriendyarn.bigcartel.com.

9. Saint Dolly Parton throw pillow, around $40, society6.com/dirtylola. 10. Maypole cushion cover, rrp $49, castleandthings.com.au.

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22. Potted Flowers throw pillow, around $56, society6.com/angeladalinger. 23. Butterscotch Velvet Pom Pom cushion cover, rrp $59, castleandthings.com.au. 24. Cam Cam Copenhagen Star cushion in pressed leaves rose, rrp $39.95, minivillage.com.au

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rant Photo Lukasz Wierzbowski

Of course, even if everyone is keen to split the bill, it’s inevitable that someone won’t have the correct amount of cash on them.

Here, we enter the phase of “send me your details” ambiguity, which will likely result in little more than a series of awkward follow-up messages. The truth is, I’ve frequently been the friend who didn’t think ahead to get money out, but in my defence, I’m a brave and forward-thinking futurist and truly believe paper money should have become obsolete by now. Still, I’ve come to understand that my love of tapping my card is a massive inconvenience to others. Let it be known, I’m trying to change – by, quite literally, having spare coins on me at all times.

cheques and mates KATHERINE GILLESPIE HAS SOME THOUGHTS ON SPLITTING THE BILL.

Going out for a meal with a big group of friends is, in theory, one of life’s simplest pleasures. Hoeing into chef-prepared food is good, obviously, and gossiping about mutual acquaintances is even better.

Sadly, all this gluttony does come at a price – specifically, the one listed on the menu. As plates are cleared away and someone at the table quietly regrets having taken a risk on the breakfast special, a single slip of paper appears alongside a frowning, overworked waitress. No, you can’t pay separately on weekends. They can’t make an exception. Sorry.

(On that note: blessed be the friends who, with full knowledge that they’re about to lose at least 10 dollars, sigh and put the whole thing on their card as everyone mutters half-heartedly about sending money through later. Let us be grateful for their sacrifice, and try to pay them back quicker and more faithfully in future.)

Perhaps the most irritating inevitability of the group meal is that one diner who ducks out early for some other “very important social engagement”, and either “forgets” to leave money on the table or “miscalculates” the correct amount. Conversely, they’ll stay for the entire meal, but conveniently disappear to the bathroom just as it’s time to pay up. Strategically leaving everyone else to sort out the bill is so dang rude that it almost demands begrudging respect, but I reckon you can get away with it once per year at most. Twice, maybe, if you’re incredibly broke. Consider yourselves warned, Houdinis of the brunch world.

It’s the moment everyone knew was coming, yet no one thought to prepare for with a strategic ATM trip. Someone’s five dollars short; vague and unconvincing promises are made about internet banking; and an impatient line of people stare on as they wait for the table.

Everyone has experienced this dilemma, but nobody talks about it.

It’s time for us, as a culture, to start taking responsibility for our bill-splitting habits.

Maybe I’m overanalysing things, but how we split the bill reflects who we are as people. No matter how many letters I write to the government, it seems Australia is sticking with capitalism for the time being, which means some of us will have more financial freedom than others. So, if you find yourself feeling flush postpaycheck, why not shout a mate their breakfast? You’ll feel great, and they’ll be chuffed, too. Bonus points if you sneakily pay for the whole table while no one’s looking. Nothing tastes sweeter – not even those turmeric lattes everyone’s making now.

Let’s begin by resisting the urge to open the calculator app. Nothing ruins the pleasant feeling of having ingested your body weight in scrambled eggs faster than sitting around awkwardly while someone painstakingly calculates how much everybody owes for their meal, down to the last cent. My humble suggestion: split the damn thing evenly. Oh, you didn’t order a second coffee like everybody else? Well, take a deep breath and let that $3.50 go.

This is neither the time nor place for long division.

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aus.ogxbeauty.com |

@OGXBeautyANZ

my project Illustration Ashley Ronning

something about the text it spits out that’s too hard to just make up.” Massive commercial algorithms used for systems like facial recognition will spend months ‘learning’ on powerful computers, but Janelle works with rather more limited resources. “Mine is definitely a baby neural network – it has about as much brain power as a worm. So, if you imagine a worm devoting its entire being to recipes instead of doing wormy things, this is about what it would do.”

rise of the machines JANELLE SHANE USES A.I. TO PRODUCE A WHOLE LOT OF WACKY KNITTING PATTERNS.

Janelle was intrigued when a knitter suggested using neural networks to create random knitting patterns – tapping into the collective power of knitting forum Ravelry to help. “I looked at a knitting pattern and thought, ‘Whoa, I can’t understand any of this.

There’s no way I’ll be able to tell if it’s doing the job right or not,’” she says. “Being introduced to the knitters was wonderful; they have so much depth of knowledge. They’d laugh at jokes the neural networks had written, and I just didn’t get it. The knitters would say, ‘That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever read,’ and I felt really out of the loop.”

Words Lucy Corry

Neural networks – aka artificial intelligence programs designed to mimic the way the human brain learns – are changing the world. They’ve been trained to recognise faces or handwriting; keep driverless cars on the road; translate words between different languages; and detect fraud. Now, Colorado research scientist Janelle Shane is showing they can also be put to more frivolous uses. Like, for instance, generating bizarre knitting patterns.

Janelle called the task Project Hilarious Disaster; the Ravelry community kindly changed the name to SkyKnit. Set in motion, the neural networks generated more than 500 patterns with names like ‘Fishcock’ and ‘Tiny Baby Whale Soto’, giving little clue as to their eventual forms. Then the knitters jumped in to give them a go, with varying results. “Nobody knew what they were going to be creating,” Janelle says. “They didn’t know if it was going to be a tangled mess or have some kind of structure. In many cases, we’d get two different knitters doing the same pattern, and they’d end up with completely different results. One person said, ‘I’m treating this like it was written by a very elderly relative who doesn’t speak much English. The intention is there, but I have to figure out what they mean.’”

“I’ve always had an interest in machine learning, especially this kind of programming where you set the computer up with an environment in which it can learn, then just see what happens,” Janelle says.

To ‘teach’ a neural network a particular task, loads of sample data is fed in for the system to analyse – it uses this to identify ‘rules’ about the data, which can then be applied to create more of its own. Janelle’s first foray into AI experiments came after watching a fellow researcher use neural networks to create recipes from scratch. She began running her own trials, feeding “bare bones”, open-source algorithms unlikely data sets. A list of paint colour names wielded comical results (sample shades generated included Navel Tan, Shy Bather and Clardic Fug), and a search for Halloween costume ideas was similarly silly (fancy dressing up as a Shark Cow or Panda Clam?).

Janelle’s not convinced the neural networks ever learned to count stitches properly – “Whatever they get right, I’m pretty sure is by luck or probability” – but she enjoyed the project so much that there’s another craft-based experiment in the wings. “When the crochet community saw what I was doing with knitting, they said I should try crochet. I’m now collecting the dataset for a crochet project I’m calling ‘Hat3000’. I want to see what will happen if we just focus on hats.”

“What I love about it is all the surprises; it solves problems in ways you don’t expect,” she says. “It’s a lot of fun seeing what the program manages to get and what it doesn’t. It’s inimitable – there’s

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WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

BILLIE EILISH A D E L A I D E , G E E L O N G A N D S Y D N E Y O N LY

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MARLON WILLIAMS A L L A U S T R A L I A N S H OW S

T I C K E T S O N S A L E N O W — S E L L I N G FA S T !

P ERTH † SAT 12 JANUARY † P ERTH ARENA A D E L A I D E † W E D 16 J A N UA RY † B O TA N I C PA R K M E L B O U R N E † F R I 1 8 SOLD OUT † S I D N E Y M Y E R M U S I C B O W L G E E L O N G † SAT 19 J A N UA RY † A DAY O N T H E G R E E N B R I S B A N E † T U E 2 2 SOLD OUT † R I V E R S T A G E E X T R A DAT E !

BR I SBANE † WED 23 JANUARY † R I VER S TAGE S YDNEY † SAT 26 JANUARY † THE DOMAI N AU C K L A N D † W E D 3 0 J A N UA RY † S PA R K A R E N A

LANEWAYP RE SENT S .COM F L OR E N C E A N D T H E M AC H I N E . N E T

N E W A L B U M A VA I L A B L E N O W

around the house

homebodies louise mulhall lives in a charming old queenslander with her husband brett and children violet, otis and dorothy.

INTERVIEW SOPHIE KALAGAS PHOTOGRAPHS NATALIE MCCOMAS

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around the house

What do you do for a crust? I’m a calligrapher with my own business, Floralovely Calligraphy. We also own a plumbing business, which Brett manages full-time.

a bright white to really open the space up. I quite like the turquoise walls, but when we renovate I’ll probably opt for white walls again, as it seems clean and fresh.

Where do you live? In the semi-rural area of Camp Mountain, near Brisbane. Brett grew up in Brisbane, while I grew up in rural New South Wales, so we love this area – it suits us both. We’re on an acre block, so there’s lots of space for the kids to ride their bikes and run. It’s quiet and leafy, and there are horses in nearby paddocks. We dreamed of living in this area for years and thought we’d move out here ‘some day’, but our ‘some day’ came sooner than we expected!

What’s the first thing you see when you walk in the door? The way our home is built, we actually don’t use the front door that much.

As you walk up the back steps onto the veranda, though, there are plenty of kids’ shoes, plants, and a beautiful old roller desk to navigate past. Once you walk through the door, you’ll see our main living area with a super-comfy lounge; an assortment of patterned cushions; a large Persian rug (my favourite-ever Gumtree find!); and walls covered with photo frames and vintage mirrors.

Tell us about the house itself. It has such a warm, welcoming feeling to it, which we picked up as soon as we saw it the first time.

There are four bedrooms, three bathrooms and my home office, plus the living, dining, laundry and kitchen areas. From what we know, it was built in the 1920s in Newmarket, Brisbane, but was moved to this block about 15 years ago. It’s an old Queenslander-style home – I love that you can see the line in the timber floorboards where the house was cut in two to transport it. We’d love to know more about its history, but we haven’t done much research into it yet.

What goes on there, aside from sleeping? Our home is always buzzing with activity! In the morning, it’s the organised chaos of breakfast and getting ready for the day, with the kids and kittens running up and down the hallway. In the quieter hours, I try to get some calligraphy work done, but it’s back to mayhem in the afternoon! Weekends spent at home involve board games; puzzles; craft on the front veranda; some cooking; and plenty of playing, bike-riding and gardening outside.

Have there been any challenges or issues in setting up the place?

My biggest challenge is keeping the kids’ toys and books in some sort of order! Honestly, most days it looks like a toy explosion has happened before 8am. Also, keeping Dorothy and the cats out of my pot plants is an issue!

Could you please describe your decorating style? I love to decorate with a mix of old and new items, and always a touch of flora. Adding a plant or vase of flowers instantly livens up a space!

I especially love vintage finds like original paintings, old bottles, and calligraphy paraphernalia. I realised I’ve become a collector of Australian handmade pottery, too – brands like Kim Wallace Ceramics, Nicole James Handmade, yeshamac, paper boat press, Elke Lucas Ceramics and Susan Simonini. Combining pre-loved vintage pieces with handmade items gives a space a warm, homely feel, which is what I aim for.

Talk us through your family heirlooms. Are there any with a particularly special story? We’re so lucky to have a lot of family heirlooms in our home; I absolutely treasure them and love the stories behind them all. There’s a trunk in our living room that travelled from England to Australia with my great-great-grandfather, George Kiss. It has his daughter Ethel’s name on it, because she wanted to claim it as her own (so the story goes!). The white chest of drawers in our bedroom belonged to my great-grandmother Claudine, and there’s a gorgeous little French ice-cream parlour chair that belonged to my grandmother Joan when she was a girl.

How have you used colour throughout the house? I’ve never consciously chosen a colour theme for home; I’ve just worked with what we had already. The only wall-painting we’ve done since we moved in is Otis and Dorothy’s room and my office, where we chose

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around the house

A Singer sewing machine, telephone table and antique games table in our hallway were all from my grandmother’s family, too. I love that we’re still using and appreciating these items so many years later, and I hope they can stay in the family for generations to come.

Which is your favourite spot in the house? The back veranda catches the morning sun beautifully, so it’s a perfect spot to read and have a cup of tea. The front veranda is light-filled and breezy at most times of the day, so it’s a nice space to share meals and hang out. And then, of course, there’s my office. My desk is situated under a window that looks out over a grassy field, and sitting there is definitely a favourite place of mine.

Tell us about Floralovely. I was a florist for almost 10 years before I began studying calligraphy (hence the business name!). I mostly write with nibs dipped in ink – the truly old-fashioned way – and have worked with some amazing clients over the years, writing on a variety of mediums like fresh leaves, champagne bottles and shells. Right now, I’m only working a couple of jobs per month so I can focus my attention on our children. Work can wait, but their childhood won’t!

How do you separate work from your home life? It was difficult at first, but I took some advice from a friend and treated my work time like I was actually going to a separate office somewhere else. So, during my work hours, I don’t pop a quick load of laundry on; I don’t quickly wash the dishes or tidy up the living room. If I was at an office in the city I wouldn’t be able to do those chores or have those distractions. It took a lot of practice, but I realised after a while that I wasn’t being very productive in my work as I kept doing home jobs instead.

Where do you go to find a little downtime and relax? It sounds contradictory, but I love spending downtime in my office. It’s my creative space, and writing calligraphy can be so relaxing (as long as there isn’t a tight deadline!). Even though it might not be ‘downtime’, it’s still ‘me time’, where I can allow my brain to shift gears.

What does home mean to you? Warmth, safety, hugs, chats, rest, love.

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something to say Photo Lukasz Wierzbowski

book. And I posted that shit for people to see. (Especially people who might want to sleep with me in the future.) That is stuff TO BE LIKED. That is its function, as per the design of social media. If I didn’t want people to see something in particular, I could delete it. I’ve deleted stuff I don’t want to be connected with anymore.

I trashed an entire Facebook account because it was riddled with posts about my ex (and, side note, I’m very glad that I did).

one false click MIA TIMPANO’S BIGGEST FEAR INVOLVES A CRUSH, SOCIAL MEDIA AND SLIPPERY FINGERS.

So, if someone I have a crush on were to like my profile photo from years ago, I would be flattered – thrilled, even – that they had gone to the effort of fossicking through my online trail. It would also be a very effective way of saying, “Hello, I like you. Let’s have a physical, IRL relationship, if we can possibly get over our collective emotional bullshit.” (Which gets harder as you get older, sadly.) Perhaps it’s because of this very emotional bullshit that I feel so afraid to expose the fact I fancy someone with one false click, hitting ‘like’ rather than the cross to exit Facebook’s photo-viewing theatre mode.

Technically, I don’t have anything to lose, but revealing the fact I’m into someone ‘like that’ feels like putting myself in a position of irreversible vulnerability. Because, what if they don’t like me back?

What if they think I’m a lame stalker who needs to stop obsessing over them? What if they don’t like my hair?

I have crushes on several people right now – but I’ve barely spent any time with them in reality. No, they aren’t Ryan Reynolds or other celebs that I’m sure would find me enchanting if we happened to meet on holiday. They’re people in my social circle. But these days, when you have a crush on someone, you don’t ask for their number – you add them on social media; scrutinise every photo they’ve uploaded and been tagged in; then, eventually, when the moment is just right, you like something they post. A listicle about everything they’re grateful for; a photo of them eating pie. That is fine, that is normal, that is sane. What is terrible, however – what is excruciating, and will lead to me destroying all signs of life around me – is if I accidentally like a photo they posted in 2005. Because then they will know that I like them.

Look, it’s unlikely. Firstly, everyone likes my hair – it’s a talking point and it brings people together. Secondly, even if they don’t want to fuck me from here to eternity, that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be flattered by my attention – because it’s always flattering when someone’s into you, even if you’re not into them. And as for being a stalker, well, it’s just so common now to peruse people’s super-old posts (even when you don’t want to bed them), that surely it can’t be construed as stalker-ish. The goal posts have moved, and I, ancient one that I am, need to move with them. In fact, fuck it – the next person I crush on will get a notification that I’ve liked their very first profile photo (wait, no – LOVE REACT!), and added a comment: “Amazing feed. I’ve read/seen everything now. I accept you. The future is ours. Let’s mate immediately. Sincerely, your ultimate partner.” Yes. That’s much better.

Now, I reckon at least half of these crushes like me back. And when I’ve accepted their friendship request, or they’ve accepted mine, or we’ve followed each other via whatever, I fully expect them to stalk me back in time. Because, why wouldn’t you? I’m literally an open

048

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real life

As the great Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast,” and it’s easy to get swept up in the constant chaos.

What’s important, though, is giving yourself time to step p back and make sure your noggin is doing g OK. So, we asked some frankie friends a question::

jason ball, al socia entrepreneur Working on a new start-up social enterprise, Pride Cup, while simultaneously building my campaign as a Greens candidate at the next federal election, sometimes I blink and my diary is full up with events every night. One way I make sure I get my downtime is to schedule in a few dates with myself each week. I know that sounds weird, but when I book myself in to have a morning coffee, a weekend to laze about, or an evening to myself, and it’s blocked out in my diary, it’s so much easier to say, “Sorry, that week is full up for me.” Because, visually, my diary is full! Since doing this, I've been so much more productive, because, by taking the time to

co neyy barnettt, musiiciiann

ensure my brain has a chance to switch off, it means it can be at its best when it's time to be on.

How do I look after my brain? I’ve never quite figured that out. I’m trying every day. I try to be kind to myself. To be fair; to be understanding. I exercise my brain with art and poetry and puzzles. I treat it to another world completely, with novels and films. Sometimes I let it switch off with reruns of Sex and the City , but it’s always buzzing in the background. I run.

I sleep. I eat (as healthily as I can).

I think my brain probabl b y looks after me more than I look after it.

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real life

francees ca n n,, rtistt I sometimes have anxiety/panic attacks, and the best s way for me to deal with them is to consistently check in on how I ’m feeling, acknowledging those emotions. That way, I can usually te t ll if I’m going to have an anx n iety attack and can prep p are accordingly,, by sitting do o wn, finding a quiet space or calling a friend. If I’m having a bad mental health moment, I find peace by drawing or painting; walking my dog; writing shit poetry; and spending time with friends (or just asking them to se e nd me memes if I

u Paul’s Drag Rac e need time alone). Watching TV shows like e Ru

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and The Office also calms me down.

After a hard day writing my hyperpersonal memoir, Get Up, Mum , I like to knock off with a big can

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of Victoria Bitter. Just kidding!

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I dance for a living and like to

taken for a walk. I bring my senses

do things that are high energy,

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so I try to do other physical

smell the leaves and watch the

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clouds and listen to the brook.

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focus in a different way – to slow the fuck down. Martial arts, yin

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yoga. Even trying to cook slower

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headphones listening to the sounds

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of the sea (or Sea Change by Beck).

help me focus. Get into all the

Ain’t no party like a self-care party!

dusty bits and get it out.

i o c t g r a d au h I try to be as kind to myself as I would a small child, to stay feeling sparky (or even just fairly OK, some days). Lots of fresh air; family and friend time; making things; nourishing snacks; warm baths and comfy self-tucking-in at night. Gettin n g enough sle e ep is really important, and I avoid drinking alcohol because it makes me depressed. I also do some lazy yoga every day to feel brighter all over. For me, looking after brain means looking after body.

051

real life

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My brain is an anxious one. It's forever imagining exactly how the pile of things that make up my life – work, relationships, houseplants – might tumble into an unforgivable mess. After spending a lot of time and money on all manner of therapies to tame this part of myself, I fell deeply in love with productivity hacks and goaltracking journals. That's when I realised P&8 (7*&9.;* (4&(- *88.(& '*1 8&>8Qů "Anxiety is energy with no place to go." The answer is therefore to find a way to tap into that energy and give it some place to go! I'm a big fan of serious project planning, timetracking, goal-setting, self-reward-giving, structured reflection and all the rest of that nerdy ‘annual wall calendar’ type stuff.

, Everyone’s life is a series of hills and valleys – some higher than you expect, and quite a few deeper than you ever thought could happen. Apart from the obvious thing of

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anxiety and bouts of depression. To stay on top of my mental health, I regularly exercise; socialise with good people; say yes to things

the hard times. Some of these works I’ve kept, many I’ve destroyed,

that take me out of my comfort zone; focus on bigger world issues outside of my own 'bubble'; limit drinking alcohol to weekends only; and ensure I get lots of sleep.

052

but the act of putting a physical image to the problem seems to help.

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053

my project Photo Mia Mala McDonald

“A million people could text ‘I love you’ and it would look the same every single time, because it’s in whatever sans-serif text setting you’ve got on your phone,” Melanie says. “There’s something incredibly personal and wonderful and grounding in seeing the tone of someone’s voice; how hard they press the paper.

With handwriting, there are so many giveaways that deepen your understanding of a person and how you’re communicating with each other that are lost on Facebook Messenger and emoticons.”

dead letter club FORGET BEING YOURSELF – MELANIE KNIGHT WANTS YOU TO BE SOMEONE ELSE, AT LEAST FOR AN EVENING. Words Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen

Far from being the quiet, introverted evening you may expect, Melanie reckons a Dead Letter Club gathering involves plenty of laughter and drinking while people write. Often, club members – who range from 20-somethings to folks in their 60s – find a release through their characters. “I’ve got people pushing their pens, marking the table underneath and tearing the paper, because they’re going through a fictional break-up and really becoming that person,” Melanie says.

One of Dead Letter Club’s great lessons is not to judge a book by its cover – the wacky tales spun on these evenings sometimes come from places you’d never suspect.

Melanie Knight’s Melbourne home is filled with letters written by people who have never existed – from scientists sharing tales of animals on mysterious planets to lonely folks in the country pondering life in their dying days.

The make-believe mail comes from Dead Letter Club: a monthly gathering where attendees adopt fictional personas and write letters to strangers around the room (there are even prompt cards for those suffering from writer’s block). A “secret delivery service” takes the letter to its recipient, who replies as the character it’s addressed to. Essentially, two strangers build a tiny work of fiction together, often unaware of each other’s true identity – the anonymity is part of the fun.

“A friend of mine lost her mind because she was corresponding as a high-pitched, annoying teenager to another high-pitched, annoying teenager, and at the end of the night she found out it was in fact a 65-year-old man!” Melanie laughs. “She came up to me and was like, ‘If I’d seen that guy down the street, I would have easily made a judgment about him being potentially boring, but now I know he’s got a shit-hot sense of humour and I had a great evening corresponding with him. I’d never have had that opportunity otherwise.’”

“The whole idea is that it’s a secret club you become part of,” Melanie says. “It’s based on my belief that when people are creative, it positively impacts their wellbeing, and that can impact their community’s wellbeing, too.” An art therapist by trade, Melanie dreamed up Dead Letter Club a couple of years back, inspired by the main letter-mad character in the Gabriel García Márquez novel, Love in the Time of Cholera. She sees the events – which are held in pubs and bars around Melbourne – as a way to reignite the creative spark we often lose as adults, as well as a return to the personalised communication that existed pre-internet.

Melanie keeps all the letters from the events, scanning and emailing them to the scribes who’d like to keep them as mementos. She’s hoping to collate them into a coffee table book one day, but in the meantime, Dead Letter Club keeps growing – it’s popped up in Canada; will soon appear at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival; and in Brisbane for a special convict-themed edition. “I can’t convey how extraordinary people have been in general,” Melanie says proudly.

“Any person walking down the street has the most wonderful creative mind, and is capable of building the most incredible short story.”

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NEW STALLHOLDERS COME AND JOIN US!

Are you an artist, crafter, flower and plant grower, boutique wine or beer producer, or artisan food maker?

Join us at the Esplanade Market, Melbourne’s only makers’ market by the sea, on every Sunday.

We pride ourselves on being one of the original “Australian local makers’ markets” with a 48-year trading history.

Bookings are casual or long-term. We’d love to see you. Apply online via our website stkildaesplanademarket.com.au.

Email esplanademarket@portphillip.vic.gov.au for more info.

learn something new

forces of nature MEET THE FOLKS WHO’VE SHAPED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURAL WORLD. Words Mel Campbell Illustrations Cass Urquhart

DIAN FOSSEY 1932-1985

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH 1926-

CHARLES HENRY TURNER 1867-1923

If you’ve ever sat down and sobbed your way through the 1988 film Gorillas in the Mist, you probably know a little about Dian Fossey. Alongside orangutan expert Biruté Galdikas and chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall, she was one of three leading female primatologists, dubbed ‘the Trimates’ – her work illuminated the complex social relationships of mountain gorillas. Unhappy in early life, San Francisco-born Dian found comfort among animals. After working in occupational therapy – which she later credited for her success interacting with apes – she pooled her life savings and travelled to Africa in 1963. There, she met palaeoanthropologist Louis Leakey, who became her mentor; in the Congo, she encountered wild mountain gorillas for the first time. Enamoured by their individuality and shy behaviour, she began a long-term study of the endangered apes, living alongside them in the Virunga Mountains. Dian won the gorillas’ trust by mimicking their submissive vocalisations and actions, and identified individuals by their unique ‘noseprints’. Her research showed the world that these gentle giants were not the vicious monsters films like King Kong would suggest. Over time, political upheaval shifted her research to the Rwandan side of the mountains, where gorillas only knew humans as poachers.

Angered by the slaughter of animals she’d studied so closely, Dian pivoted from research to anti-poaching conservation.

Her militant tactics made her many local enemies, and in December 1985, she was bludgeoned to death in her home.

Thankfully, the research centre she founded continues to protect Virunga’s gorillas.

To generations of TV watchers, David Attenborough personifies nature itself.

When we imagine documentaries about the natural world, we hear his soft-spoken voice, and picture him crouching delightedly in exotic landscapes. (Always while dressed in a dapper shirt, casually unbuttoned at the collar.) At least 15 plants and animals, plus an Antarctic research ship, are named after the British naturalist; he’s showered in awards and honorary science degrees. And yet, David came from humble beginnings.

When he first joined the BBC in 1950 – after completing a degree in the natural sciences – he didn’t own a TV, and had only ever watched one program. Initially, he was kept off camera, because his superiors felt his teeth were too big. But he succeeded as both producer and presenter, and was instrumental in expanding the station’s natural history content. Dissatisfied with shows that brought animals out of their natural habitats and into the TV studio, he launched a series named Zoo Quest in 1954. The program featured animals in the wild, filmed on location around the world – a precursor to David’s magnum opus: the stunning Life documentary series.

Memorably appearing on camera alongside wild creatures, David used filmmaking innovations such as infrared and macro photography to capture animal behaviour in wondrous vividness and detail. Curious and unfaltering into his 90s, he’s since written and narrated hundreds more documentaries, including Planet Earth; worked towards the conservation of countless species; and become a passionate campaigner against human-led climate change, whose effects he’s in a unique position to observe.

Biologist Charles Henry Turner was the first to discover that insects can hear; honeybees can recognise patterns and colours; and cockroaches learn by trial and error. He published more than 70 research papers over the course of his scientific career, devising sophisticated methodologies and experimental apparatuses to study insect behaviour. Even more impressive: he did it all without laboratory space or research assistants, and with limited library access. This son of freed slaves achieved many more firsts. In 1892, he was the first African-American to earn a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati. In 1907, the University of Chicago awarded him a zoology PhD – its first to a black candidate.

Yet, Charles struggled to find work in higher education. Instead, he taught high-school science in St Louis until 1922. Charles also campaigned for civil rights, drawing on his entomological research to suggest racism could be both instinctive and learned. One of his greatest achievements, though, was to show that insect behaviour is driven by the creatures’ perceptions and learning abilities, not external stimuli. He proved that bugs can distinguish between different pitches, and are susceptible to Pavlovian conditioning. Although his ideas are now mainstream in zoology, Turner himself has been shamefully forgotten since his death from heart disease. However, his memory lives on in the curvy walking pattern used by ants to find their way back to their nest – the habit is known as ‘Turner’s circling’.

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learn something new

OLIVE PINK 1884-1975

RACHEL CARSON 1907-1964

JACQUES COUSTEAU 1910-1997

Her name combines two colours, but as a gardener and botanical artist, Olive Pink cherished every shade of Australia. Growing up in Tasmania, she bushwalked, camped and sketched plants in her grandmother’s garden – and, at a time when Australian gardeners were likely to spurn native flora, Olive was rather smitten with arid-climate plants. She first visited Central Australia in 1930 on a sketching tour, stopping off at farflung railway stations to set up camp and draw nearby blooms. Over the next decade, Olive returned to the region several times, eventually planting roots on the outskirts of Alice Springs; these trips sparked an interest in the welfare of Indigenous Australians. She championed Warlpiri and Arrernte self-determination, and her uncompromising criticism of authorities shaped her reputation as an eccentric troublemaker. Meanwhile, Olive found joy in painting the colours and textures of desert flowers. Her impressionistic artworks recorded each plant’s quintessence – plus its common, botanical and Indigenous names. In 1956, aged 72, Olive convinced the Northern Territory government to let her revive 16 hectares of land that introduced animals had stripped bare.

With a team of Indigenous gardeners, she installed a clever irrigation system to exploit limited rainfall – the reserve would protect native flora and provide a site locals could visit to learn about desert environments.

She lived there until her death at 91, rising at 5am every day to hand-water plants propagated from locally collected seeds. In 1985, her oasis was publicly opened as the Olive Pink Botanic Garden: a heritage-listed national treasure.

Rachel Carson wore many different hats: writer, marine biologist and ecologist among them. More famously, the Pennsylvanian dame roused the global movement against environmental pollution by chemicals – a pursuit that earned her many detractors.

Supposedly, it was Beatrix Potter’s droll anthropomorphic tales that first sparked Rachel’s early love of nature and literature.

She went on to write environmental prose for newspapers, science magazines, and even the US Bureau of Fisheries. By the ’50s, she’d penned a trilogy of bestselling non-fiction books about ocean life. But it was 1962’s Silent Spring – which warns of the dangers of pesticides such as DDT – that remains her most stunning literary achievement. When Rachel observed that synthetic pesticides were devastating local ecosystems, she reviewed scientific literature, interviewed researchers, and attended government inquiries to argue that American food crops were being contaminated by poorly understood and regulated chemicals, and chemical companies were knowingly concealing the damage done by their products. Though she wasn’t the first pesticide critic, Silent Spring’s popularity forced public scrutiny of compounds that had previously been hailed as scientific advances. Tragically, just as she was drafting chapters about pesticides’ carcinogenic effects, Rachel was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite her failing health, she continued to agitate for government policy reform that eventually led to the establishment of the US Environmental Protection Agency. When Rachel died in 1964, she’d inspired a global grassroots environmentalist movement.

Jacques Cousteau was a dashing chronicler of the life aquatic. Untrained as a scientist, the French adventurer and educator created books, films, TV series and contraptions that illuminated the ocean’s treasures. His marine infatuation began with a car accident that almost took his life – daily swimming in the Mediterranean Sea was prescribed to assist his rehabilitation. With a pair of goggles strapped on tight, his eyes were opened to the complexity of the underwater world. While in the French Navy in the 1940s, he co-invented a new diving apparatus, the Aqua-Lung, which allowed divers to swim freely underwater for extended periods of time. He also had a hand in developing a waterproof camera that could withstand the high pressures of deep water, and in 1950, refurbished a former Royal Navy ship, Calypso, as a mobile base for deep-sea filmmaking, archaeological excavation and oceanographic research. Jacques’ first film – the Academy Award-winning documentary The Silent World – was criticised for environmental vandalism during production; as a result, his later work was much more ecologically conscious. It was American TV series The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau (running from 1966 to ’76) that cemented his romantic public image, though. Filmed aboard Calypso alongside his sons – and wearing his iconic red beanie – Jacques travelled the world, exploring shipwrecks and sea caves, and chronicling aquatic fish, mammals and birds. Over the years, he battled commercial whaling and inspired others to respect the ocean just as he did. Jacques passed away in Paris in 1998, well into his 80s, and was buried in his ancestral vault… on dry land.

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MYOB X FRANKIE

small wins to big things CAMP COVE SWIM’S KATHERINE HAMPTON MAKES RETRO-TINGED BIKINIS – AND CALLS HER OWN SHOTS. Words Chris Harrigan Photo Carine Thévenau

Tell us a little bit about your small business, please. I founded Camp Cove Swim in 2013. It’s an Australian-made and designed swimsuit label for real women. Our swimsuits don’t just look good on models; we want everyone to feel great in a bikini.

Where’d you get the idea to start your own swimwear label? I grew up in a coastal town – Newcastle, NSW – so swimwear was just something I was always exposed to. I studied fashion design at TAFE, and started making my own swimsuits after work and selling them online. It started off very small.

My mum did the sewing for the first collection, and I had some generous housemates who let me take over the living room for a couple of years.

How did it go from side hustle to full-time business? A few years ago I had to have some knee surgery, which meant I couldn’t work my retail job for a few months. I took that as an opportunity to see if making swimsuits full- time was feasible. When I was well enough to go back to work, I realised I didn’t need to – the business was flourishing.

What makes your swimsuits special? Our prints. They’re retro-inspired and feature lots of Australiana, like kangaroos and flowering eucalypts.

Our designs link to who we are and where we’re from.

What’s the best thing about being your own boss lady? Making your own decisions. Whether they work out or not doesn’t matter, I’m just happy knowing I’ve made my own calls.

And what’s the least best thing? You’re always on. I can’t see a flower in a tree without thinking about work.

What tools were useful in getting Camp Cove Swim up and running?

I always found the financial side of the business overwhelming. Eventually I realised I needed some accounting software to help with that side of things, so I did some research and came across MYOB. It lets you see what’s coming in and what’s going out, which is really helpful with cash flow. It’s helped me transition into being that little bit more professional.

How has it helped you go from small wins to big things? I wanted a program that could do as many things as possible. MYOB can handle pay, superannuation, tax and GST all at once, so I don’t need a subscription for this, a subscription for that. It just simplifies things, and saves you time – I don’t have to stop doing what I’m doing to collect all that info.

What’s the thing you love most about what you do? Hearing women of different shapes, sizes and colours tell me how happy they are with their swimsuit. An email or direct message can make you stop and go, “Ah, this is why I’m doing this.”

Katherine uses cloud-based accounting software from MYOB to get stuff done. Go to myob.com to find out more about how you can simplify your business success.

Photo Eylül Aslan

writers’ piece

T H E P U BL IC HOL I DAY W E R E A L LY N E E D four writers ponder the things they want from a day off.

By Caro Cooper Fuck you, fuck work, fuck pants, fuck polite, fuck coffee (no, I take that back), fuck brushing my teeth (OK, no, not that either – but screw everything else).

I was raised like so many other girls in the ’80s: to be nice, quiet, polite. Even though age has worn me down, I still carry the burden of it all. I say, “Thanks, thank you,” to everyone – really, just like that. Someone holds a door open for me and I hinge at the hips in supplication as I squeak out, “Thanks, thank you.” Two thanks to make sure they really hear my gratitude. I laugh awkwardly when people insult me, then apologise for my inadequacies.

I’m a frilly knickerbockerwearing jellyfish that never wants to upset the metaphorical universal apple cart. Or do I? Iran has a public holiday to celebrate nuclear weaponry; Victoria takes a day off to celebrate the beating of horses pumped with more steroids than a UFC urinal; South Korea celebrates the alphabet; and Turkmenistan takes

a day to marvel at their melons, not metaphorical. All solid reasons to take a day off, but they’re not what I want. The day I want, the day I need, is a Fuck All This Day – a national holiday to flip the bird, toss the forks and pump your fists at politeness; at the mundane that drives us into the ground; at unpaid bills and passive-aggressive acquaintances; at gym instructors who comment on how long it’s been since they’ve seen you; and at the overwhelming pressure to get out there and make something of yourself. Fuck. All. That.

For one glorious national day, you can unshackle yourself from the societal conventions that stop you urinating in your seat at a restaurant when you really need to pee but don’t want to stop eating, especially when you know your friends will see your momentary absence as a chance to scrape your plate clean. It’s saying no when someone asks you to help them move house, when all you want to do is google “botox worst case scenario” and create an alphabetical list of your physical flaws.

I’ll use the day to order a single coffee and sit in a café typing for three hours, taking up a full communal table. I won’t race through my drink and scurry out when the waiter starts lurking.

I won’t shrink and pack my things,

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only to have to type in a dark alley among the rats and skeletons of writers before me who also couldn’t handle more than one coffee in a day without their anxiety causing them to chew their own foot off, and who couldn’t afford $20 toast with microherbs. On this day, I would plant my pencil in that goddamn table and claim it, ignoring the waiter passiveaggressively wiping the surface around me. Keep on wiping, buddy.

Don’t like swearing? There are a million ways to turn your back on the world without lowering yourself to my level. And that’s part of the day – doing it how you want, doing what you want. Go naked from dusk till dawn; throw your phone in the toilet (intentionally this time); tell your friend you can’t attend her art opening because her work makes you question the value of arts funding; and put your work laptop through the paper shredder. You can tell people you’re not interested in their children, and no, you don’t want to hold the baby, because really, you’d rather stay in bed holding the genitals of the person you picked up the night before (or your own if your plans fall through).

How freeing and refreshing to get it all off our chests for just one day – one sweet 24-hour period of honesty and freedom, before we wake again to another year of keeping it all on the inside.

writers’ piece

By Rowena Grant-Frost If you’ve never worked in an office, just imagine eight hours of lurching between two feelings: unstimulated and overwhelmed.

Now, imagine trying to put on a jumper that doesn’t have a hole for your head. That is basically what it’s like all day, every day, 250 days a year, for the rest of your life.

That is why, when you work in an office, every public holiday is the public holiday you really need.

The days are golden. The air smells sweet. For the 14 hours you’re conscious and breathing, the world feels spacious. Life, for a brief moment, feels like a big, warm bath, and all you have to do is drift into the fuzzy, aimless distance.

My deep enchantment with all things public holiday can sometimes make me feel bad.

I feel bad about looking forward to Australia Day. (Can we please just change the date and get on with it?) I feel bad I can never remember the date of Anzac Day. (I am very sorry, but I really don’t know if it’s the 25th or 26th.) I feel bad on Christmas Day; I feel worse on Boxing Day. I feel like I’ve given you enough examples, so I’ll stop.

You get it. Work is terrible and public holidays are nice, but public holidays can also be bad. I think we can agree I myself deserve a parade/public holiday for the high quality of this observation.

Because I have such a conflicted relationship with our current batch of public holidays, I’m not exactly sure how to come up with a new one without becoming completely paralysed. Do I want to celebrate a person from history?

(Maybe whoever invented the Monte Carlo biscuit?) Should I try to come up with something happy and friendly? (Pat every dog in the park day!) Or maybe I should

just come up with something silly and meaningless. (Yes. That is exactly what I’ll do.) Remember, I work in an office: silly and meaningless is all I’m capable of.

So, without further dillydallying, here’s my idea: the public holiday we really need is whatever date is chosen by a game show I have just invented called SPIN THE WHEEL .

The wheel in question lists every day in the year, from January 1st through to December 31st.

A random member of the public is asked to spin the wheel – then, whichever date it lands on is a public holiday in that given year.

The next year, we spin the wheel again. This game show is televised on a free-to-air network, because I think the broadcast spectrum is better than digital media. The end.

I’m aware this idea is silly, but it has some redeeming qualities: 1. It will lead to endless complaining about how our economic productivity is being affected by a big spinny wheel. This sounds like a good outcome to me. 2. I can only imagine SPIN THE WHEEL will become the most-watched television event of the year for the three minutes it’s on. We’ll all gather round our screens and eagerly wait to see which date is chosen. Thus, this idea creates a sense of COMMUNITY and EXCITEMENT. 3. It’s possible you’ll get a public holiday on your birthday. 4. It highlights how life is sometimes random and arbitrary and has wheels in it.

So, before you write off the greatest three-minute television spectacle Australia has ever seen, just remember that life is about finding meaning in how you choose to spend your time. It isn’t about the wheel, or the game, or the dog host named Susan. It’s about having a blank page of time; a whole day of whatever you like. Hopefully I’ll find you in a hammock with a book on your chest, basking in the warm sun and brimming with the kind of happiness only a day off can give you.

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By Sam Prendergast Sometimes the things we need are the things we’d rather avoid, like setting aside a solid eight hours to work out exactly why we should give a shit about the stream of horrifying ‘world events’ that flash by on the news for five seconds, then disappear from our brains until we find ourselves sitting in a group full of people talking in all-knowing tones. Over the past few years, I’ve done more than my fair share of sub-par “hmm”-ing when I’ve heard words like ‘civil war’ and ‘reality TV star running for US president’. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. It’s easy to say I should just pull myself together and make a little time to read beyond the headlines, but you know what would be more effective? A day of national shaming set aside to make us feel shitty about everything we don’t know, in the hopes that we’ll spend time doing some research.

A day where Netflix is down, supermarkets are closed, and the weather’s so bad that you might as well sit on your couch and google, “What’s actually happening on the Texas-Mexico border”.

Hint: some pretty bad stuff.

I’ll admit the idea’s a hard sell, but it’s helpful to think of this national day of giving a shit as a really specific sickie – a bit of a downer, but ultimately better than spending a day at work, and definitely in all of our long-term interests.

Imagine a family barbecue with a 10 per cent reduction in your uncle’s fake facts. Even better, imagine a family barbecue held on National Find Out What’s Actually Happening Day, where everyone joins together to dispute your uncle’s fake facts! The miraculous possibilities for a

writers’ piece

day of forced shared learning are endless, even if the whole thing requires a little bit of planning.

Infrastructure-wise, we might come across some problems, but it’s nothing that can’t be solved with the nationwide distribution of study snacks and increased access to some high-quality podcasts.

The problem with our fakefact world is that we don’t have a bunch of time dedicated to getting our facts straight. Even with plenty of education and an unfettered stream of access to almost everything I could want to know, I’ve somehow failed to get my head across 99 per cent of the shit that’s going down in 2018. Give me an unexpected day off and I will fill it with 20 straight hours of nothing. Part of the problem is that there’s an overwhelming amount of stuff to learn, and no clear place to start, so it’s ultimately much easier to give up on knowing anything and instead watch every single YouTube video in no particular order. Ask me what’s happening almost anywhere and I’m a beacon of ignorance, but I’ve now watched a good hundred hours of Buzzfeed videos about chicken dinners, so at least I can roast you a potato.

Obviously I’m more in need of this particular public holiday than others, but that’s OK. For people who are already actively on top of giving a proper shit about the world, this can be a day of rest and reward. For the rest of us, it’s time to acknowledge we don’t really understand all that much about *insert conflict/ political nightmare/huge travesty here*, because the first step is always to admit we have a problem. And in this case, I’m pretty sure the problem could be remedied – at least a little bit – with a nationwide day of low-level shaming, followed by a week-long period of sharing.

In the end, we can’t really hope for miracles, but any step away from mass confusion and misunderstanding seems like it’s worth a public holiday.

By Eleanor Robertson -

Do they like getting a McDonald’s Filet O’ Fish and placing it inside a Big Mac to create a disgusting Frankenburger? Frankenburger Friday is the way to go there, plus you’ve got the added support of big business to get it off the ground.

Every time it’s the Queen’s Birthday holiday, some smartarse complains it’s not the Queen’s real birthday. They’ve fired up the Wikipedia page for Queen Elizabeth II, and gotten wise to the fact that our public holiday is arbitrarily determined, with only a loose historical connection to the day on which the monarch was born. This is a dog act, because the real purpose of public holidays is to give everyone a day off. Any excuse will do. Respecting public holidays means giving people a break from the kind of dickhead behaviour they have to put up with at work, and that means not being a control freak pedant who makes everyone else listen to your pointless opinions.

But getting hyper-local isn’t really in the relaxing spirit of public holidays – it’s a lot of work, and the whole process would have to be repeated in every separate place with its own holiday schedule. You’d need a public holiday dedicated to figuring out which specific public holiday to campaign for, which traps you in a hopeless recursive loop. I need a day off just thinking about it.

Because public holidays are really about doing fuck all, the best excuse for a new one is purely a matter of utility. The question is not, “Which event or person deserves its own public holiday”, but rather, “Which reason for a day off work is most likely to be accepted as legitimate by the people who decide when public holidays happen”. In most jurisdictions, this decision falls to one of the branches of government, so, to refine the question, it is: “Which reason for a day off work is most likely to be affirmed by the state”.

You could go two ways with this. On one hand, you could do some shoe leather investigation to figure out which person specifically has the most influence over public holidays, find out what they personally like, and then campaign for a new holiday based on their hobbies or passions. Does the Undersecretary for Holidays (or whatever) like Chinese opera? Push for a National Chinese Opera Day.

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Instead, it seems smart to go broad, which is why I’d like to suggest a public holiday dedicated to obeying the law. This is the one thing all governments have in common – regardless of incidentals like ideology, physical location, institutional stability, or who personally is in charge. You’re not going to find many law-making or law-enforcing authorities who won’t be keen on a day to promote doing what they tell you to do. Sure, it sounds a wee bit fascist, but the subversive undertones are obvious: what’s funnier than being freed from any material obligations on a day devoted to enforcing them? Crack a tinnie to celebrate wage labour! Get up late and lie around in your undies to show respect for productivity and civic engagement. It’s a large-scale version of turning a ‘Cops Are Tops’ promotional water bottle into a bong.

Sure, it’s dumb, but is pretending to show respect for the law any dumber than pretending to observe the birth of the Queen? The sleep-in feels just as good either way. What matters is not the actual occasion, but the experience of getting to do whatever you want. ‘Do Whatever You Want For a Day’ day would be a great public holiday, but the existence of a government that claims the right to decide what you have to do on all the other days makes it a non-starter. Obey the Law Day? Now that might get off the ground, unlike me on Obey the Law Day.

creative people

a stroke of genius JAVIER MAYORAL’S PAINTINGS ARE A LITTLE BIT OFF THE WALL. I’ve been painting since I was a three-year-old in Spain, but started making a living with my art in 2012. I’ve never been an especially arty type, though. These days, I use acrylic paint on wood panels of approximately eight-by-nine inches in size. I have created and catalogued over 8500 small-format pieces so far. I like some more than others for a range of different reasons, but with so many in my portfolio, I don’t really have a favourite.

When it comes to my creative process, first I gather ideas, then I examine them by looking at them from different angles, trying to make new connections between them. After that, I step away from the work for a while, then finally come back to shape and develop the concept. Going to the beach every morning helps put me in the mood to create, as does thinking about my day ahead; having a cup of coffee; playing some music; and sitting down in my studio in front of my drafting table. My studio is a room in my house in Miami, Florida, and also contains a big window; a flat file with six drawers where I keep my references; a shelf for supplies; and a smaller desk and chair.

For me, making art is the best way to tell the stories I want to tell. I don’t deliberately try to incorporate humour into my work, but I’ve been told it comes across that way. I admire artists like Max Ernst, Robert Crumb, Francis Picabia, Wassily Kandinsky, Man Ray and Juan Gris, but the majority of my inspiration comes from my family, friends, dreams, Google, commissions, movies, and the people I know or imagine. When I’m not busy making art, I go to the beach, do grocery shopping and – whenever I can – travel. I’m also a trained chef.

If you should know one thing about me, it’s this: I snore when I sleep. But aside from that, I’m surrounded by people who love me; and am lucky to be doing just what I want to do.

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pieces of me

everybody has a story after experiencing it firsthand, chris csabs is campaigning against gay conversion therapy.

AS TOLD TO LETA KEENS

drifting from the church a bit. I came out to friends at school; they were extremely happy for me. I started to tell people at church, and they cried – the pastor took me aside and told me not to tell anyone else, because it was upsetting them. My parents were devastated – they both cried – and I’d have fights with my dad, who was quite homophobic.

I grew up in a Christian family in Sydney, went to a Baptist church, and believed in the whole kit and caboodle when it came to God and Creation and stuff. At church, I began hearing about homosexuals being perverted when I was about 10. I remember talking to Dad, and he told me there was something wrong with their make up, but it was also a choice against God and nature. Around that time, I started having crushes on boys.

When I was 17, my parents took me to a Christian conference in Tasmania. I was really angry and didn’t want to go, but eventually fell back into wanting to be accepted by the church. By the end of the conference, I’d decided I’d dedicate my life to God and wouldn’t be gay anymore. I finished school, moved to Canberra as I’d planned, and did a six-month Living Waters course.

I vividly remember one of Dad’s friends telling him about someone who asked to be prayed for, because they were gay. He said, “I cast seven demons out of him.” I got into a panic – for the longest time, I had a fear I was demon-possessed. I started pretending to have crushes on girls; at one point, I thought I had feelings about men because I was an artist. Creative people appreciate different bodies, or something like that. By 14, though, I knew I was gay.

It was a lot like Alcoholics Anonymous. We’d get together once a week and work our way through textbooks full of pseudoscientific and pseudo-psychological reasons for homosexuality.

It was the ideology I’d grown up with, but intensified, just focused on sexuality and gender. There’d be a time of worship, and a different speaker every week. We’d break into groups for confession, talk about our struggles with our sexuality, and then be anointed with oil. At the end of the course, I was disappointed to find I was still as gay as ever. Nevertheless, I filled out a questionnaire saying I identified as ‘heterosexual ex-gay’. I always laugh – or rather, cry – when I read those studies of ‘ex-gay’ people that ask them to rate how straight they are. It’s total bullshit – as if anyone’s filling them out honestly.

I believed I was destined for hell, and was constantly afraid of dying and sizzling in a pan of fire for eternity. Now it’s almost laughable to me – I don’t believe in a hell like that, but for a kid it’s really frightening. Around 16, I decided to move from a Christian school to a public school so I could find more non-Christian friends to spread the good news of Jesus to.

I became known as ‘Christian Chris’. I was going to church three or four times a week, trying to atone for my inner guilt by being the best Christian possible on the outside.

Around that time, I confided in my pastor about being gay, and he eventually introduced me to the Australian director of Living Waters – an ‘ex-gay’ organisation. Their course was presented as a way of finding ‘healing’ from being gay, so I decided that, after I left school, I’d move to Canberra and sign up. I could have done it in Sydney, but I wanted to move away, because I’d made some gay friends and started to explore the Oxford Street scene,

After Living Waters, I decided to be celibate until God healed me – I really believed he would. I started to clutch at anything that would help me, including exorcisms. I’d seen them when I was younger, and they were quite scary. There was screaming, but no vomiting like in The Exorcist; essentially, it’s a group of people

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pieces of me Photo Carine Thévenau

surrounding you, laying hands on you and asking the demons inside you to get out. Nothing happened, so I kept having them – I thought maybe I wasn’t praying hard enough. I became really closed off to other people and put walls up around myself. I created bizarre rules: I wouldn’t watch any movies with good-looking male actors, because it would make my mind wander. I had this idea that if I shut myself off from any homosexual thoughts, I could starve it out.

healed you is because there’s nothing wrong with you.” I was taken aback – my parents, as far as I’d known, had always supported me in this ‘ex-gay’ endeavour. She said she and Dad had been praying and researching for several years, and had changed their minds – God had made me this way. It hit me like a tonne of bricks; my parents had done a full 180. Even so, it took me several more years to be comfortable with being gay and Christian.

At 21, I joined a Christian pop group and it was full-time ministry for two years – touring around the country, making an album, the whole thing. When I left the group, I was really depressed and had developed severe OCD. Compulsive prayers; constantly praying for forgiveness; hand-washing; not speaking to goodlooking guys – it was crippling. I’d read some Christian books by ‘ex-gay’ people – most in their 40s, 50s and 60s – who’d supposedly found ‘healing’ from homosexuality. One of them was 27, though. I thought, “Wow, maybe I won’t be 100 by the time God decides to heal me.”

I still go to church. Not the same one I went to when I was young, but I have a good relationship with people there. A lot of them, including the pastor, have apologised for how they steered me in my teenage years. They were trying to help, but didn’t realise they were causing lasting damage that I’m still working through today, with the aid of a psychologist. I’ve been talking to a lot of conversion therapy survivors, and something that’s common is serious anxiety disorders. If you’re telling someone they can’t be the way they are, it’s not so surprising that there’s damage.

We started emailing and I asked, “When did you start being attracted to girls, because I’m not at all and I’m trying really hard.” He wrote back, “It’s not that simple. I can’t say I don’t have homosexual feelings anymore.” My whole world came crumbling down and I wanted to die. I’d never have killed myself, because I was so scared of hell, but I prayed every day when I was in the car: “Please God, let me be in an accident today.” I wanted to stop struggling to be something I couldn’t seem to be. My parents told me later that I’d lost my personality – I wasn’t laughing or singing; I wasn’t Chris anymore.

I’ve had a couple of serious boyfriends who’ve been accepted by my whole family. My parents were very supportive of the ‘yes’ vote last year – that’s how much they’ve changed. Recently, I started a petition with change.org to outlaw gay conversion therapy, as they don’t know the damage they’re causing. Every six months or so a story pops up in the media and there’s outrage, but nothing changes.

I thought the petition would get 100 signatures max, but within days it exploded to 5000. When I saw that, I burst into tears – I thought, “People do actually care.” I’ve had meetings with state health ministers, which has been a privilege. Great things are coming out of my experience. They aren’t wasted years – there’s going to be real change in this country.

One day, my mum took me out to coffee and asked how I was handling being Christian and gay. I told her I didn’t want to talk about it, that I was ex-gay. She said, “Maybe the reason God hasn’t

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style

save the last dance pop on a fancy frock and poke a flower in your lapel – it’s time to party, frankie-style.

PHOTOGRAPHS HEATHER LIGHTON ART DIRECTION SOPHIE KALAGAS STYLING JADE LEUNG MAKE-UP AND HAIR DANA LEVISTON AND MARGEAUX VALLANTYNE MODELS MEG, GRACE AND CARSON, VIVIEN’S MODELS

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Eugene dress, rrp $695, karenwalker.com. Flower and Bee blouse in cream, rrp $68, princesshighway.com.au.

Filippa nylon ankle sock, rrp $28.95, happysocks.com. Aaliyah nude/black combo heel, rrp $199.95, aliasmae. com.au. Velvet Plush padded headband in black, rrp $16, sunday-social.squarespace.com

Left: Sorrento jumpsuit in lilac, rrp $199.95, and Sorrento blazer in lilac, rrp $209.95, elliattcollective.com.au. Edward Meller x Snezana Markoski Innez platform mirror sandal, rrp $235, edwardmeller.com.au. Flora earrings, rrp $145, georgiaperry.com. StarďŹ sh pearl clip, rrp $25, www.rosechong.com. Pink Pleat Diva pouch bag, rrp $75, sunday-social.squarespace.com. Right: Crinkle jumpsuit, rrp $89.95, sportsgirl.com.au. Mesh socks, rrp $9.95, cottonon.com/AU/rubishoes. Milly platform sandals, rrp $179.95, aliasmae.com.au. Textured Shell drop earrings, rrp $39, sunday-social.squarespace.com. The Tinsel bag, rrp $75, shoprachelburke.com

Lindo Pashion jacquard jacket, rrp $449, tedbaker.com/au. Toby shirt, rrp $99, shop.autonomyonline.com. au. Headliner knit in caramel, rrp $99, shop.jacklondon.com.au. Slim Fit cotton chinos in light brown, rrp $39.99, hm.com/au. Narrow leather belt, rrp $24.99, hm.com/au. Kit Chilli socks, rrp $9.99, hallensteins.com.

Lost Monarchy Valencia loafer shoes in tan, rrp $99.99, hallensteins.com

Left: Relaxed Oxford shirt in caraoral print, rrp $129, hewclothing.com. Kit Plain braces in burgundy, rrp $19.99, hallensteins.com. Ranger pant, rrp $179, shop.jacklondon.com.au. Kit Plain socks, rrp $9.99, hallensteins.com. Romani Sicari Garda dress shoe in taupe, rrp $299.90, merchant1948.com.au. Right: Betty knit top, rrp $58, princesshighway. com.au. Tieka Dusty Pink skirt, rrp $279, tedbaker.com/au. Pandora earrings in tortoiseshell, rrp $149, valetstudio.com.

StarďŹ sh pearl clip (worn as necklace), rrp $25, www.rosechong.com

Inez shirt in blue lavender, rrp $290, arnsdorf.com.au. Blue Poodle dress, rrp $465, edgeley.com.au.

Introducing Alice skirt, rrp $189, sarsparilly.com. Mesh Rows skirt, rrp $499, trelisecooperonline.com.

Lotta Ankle sock, rrp $22.95, happysocks.com/au. Disco mule, rrp $199, gormanshop.com.au

road test

behind the mask SINEAD STUBBINS AND DEIRDRE FIDGE SLOP SOME GOOP ON THEIR FACES IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE. Illustrations Evie Barrow

SUKIN PURIFYING FACIAL MASQUE

NATIO CLAY AND PLANT FACE MASK PURIFIER

YES TO TOMATOES ACNEFIGHTING PAPER MASK

BIORÉ CHARCOAL SELFHEATING ONE-MINUTE MASK

It delights me that beauty companies still apply the technique of using vaguely European spelling on their products in an attempt to make them seem fancier. (A masque is surely just a mask wearing a beret and holding a croissant.)

When I opened the lid of this charmant little tub I was doubly delighted by the colour of the gloop inside – a lovely shade of terracotta red. Ooh la-la!

Following the instructions, I applied the masque to my face and neck and set the timer for 15 minutes. (As it turns out, ‘Sukin’ is actually a Russian swear word, so if you want to make the time pass quicker, you can angrily shout this into the mirror while pretending to be Vladimir Putin.) After rinsing, my skin felt super-cleansed and soft.

I’d recommend this product to anyone prone to oiliness or the desire to cosplay as a fascist dictator. DF

It’s imperative that you know, dear reader, that I love face masks. Can’t get enough of them! A psychologist might say this has something to do with the desire to control all aspects of the universe, or maybe I just like having soft skin. Who’s to say! All I know is that the idea of being purified really appeals to me, and this Natio mask promises just that.

The sophisticated-looking tube tells me it’ll balance my “surface oils” (my internal oils will remain unchanged) and give me a “youthful radiance”.

The mask is very thin and more of a milk than a gluggy clay.

Although I enjoyed the lemony smell, it did sting a little and left my skin feeling very tight.

Is that what youthful radiance feels like? The packet did say to “relax” while wearing the mask, but I listened to a murder podcast instead, so perhaps that’s where I stuffed up. SS

Just like my resting emotional state, my epidermis can be highly sensitive. With hair and skin that make me resemble an extra from Children of the Corn or a One Nation voter, my pale hands trembled nervously as I opened this packet. I gently flopped the cold, moist and slimy sheet on my face, realising those three words are typically associated with eels and not something one would voluntarily put near their eyes.

After about 30 seconds, my cheeks started tingling in a way that was perhaps meant to happen, before speeding into ‘THE BURNING, MAKE IT STOP’ territory. With visions of my swollen face being circulated on internet forums alongside those photos of dogs that ate bees, I fearfully ripped it off. Apparently the tomato essence and salicylic acid are meant to be useful for fighting acne, but I couldn’t last longer than one minute, so the world will just have to deal with looking at my spotty, flushed face. DF

This mask was very unsettling.

The self-heating goop supposedly “reacts” with water to produce a warm sensation that opens up the pores. It was meant to purify my skin – and perhaps my soul! Not really, but it did make me think a lot about the possibilities of science. The mask felt hot straight away – which was weird, but impressive – and as I massaged it into my skin, little balls appeared on my fingertips. It was unclear if these balls were just dried bits of the mask or solidified impurities that the hot mud was literally sucking out of my face, but it was a satisfying time nonetheless. I found it very hard to get the gloopy charcoal stuff off, though – off my face, off the sink, off the floor when I dropped it. It kind of looked like a bunch of black jellybeans had exploded in my bathroom.

On the plus side, I did notice my T-zone was considerably less congested. SS

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road test

PURE SMILE CAT MASK

7TH HEAVEN DEAD SEA MUD

The furry community is one I have never been able to fully wrap my head around, but, nonetheless, have more sympathy for than the internet seems to. So, I figured this product might help a non-furry understand. The packaging asks, “Will you be a cat?”, and I replied with a hesitant, “Let’s hope so!” Peeling it back revealed a mask coated in a foul-smelling moisture and decorated with a cartoony cat face (black whiskers, pink nose – the usual). Placing the mask on correctly required a lot of tweaking to protect against accidental suffocation, and the end result had me looking less like a cute kitty, and more like a hell demon who had popped up from the underworld and decided to rob a servo. I messaged my sister a no-context photo of me in the mask, and her reply, verbatim, was: “Why is this happening?” I tended to agree with her. DF

At one point many years ago, the world decided that face masks needed to be clay- and mud-associated colours, and no other tints would suffice. Why did that happen? What a bunch of sheep we were, going along with this sham! Now that I’ve had the pleasure of smearing an aqua-blue mud all over my face, I’m never going back to that greyscale life! Apparently, this detoxifying mask is made by “veggie herbalists” from pressed lavender, chopped seaweed and crushed sea salt straight from the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is all the way near Jordan! Now I’m putting it on my face in Australia! We are one world!

The smell reminded me of cheap aftershave, but I do think it decongested my skin a little. On the packet, a woman wearing the mask has flowers bursting from her eyeballs. That did not happen to me. SS

SKIN REPUBLIC GOLD HYDROGEL MASK

BURT’S BEES INTENSE HYDRATION TREATMENT MASK

I’ve recently developed a faint spider web of lines next to my eyes, so I guess it was about time I addressed that, lest society decide to ship me out to sea. This hydrogel mask is infused with a special serum that is said to “instantly minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles”.

Seems luxurious – especially when it’s made from what I can only assume is 24-carat gold. I’d never used a sheet mask before, and it was… quite an experience. You have to sit still for at least half an hour and hope the cold, slippery paper doesn’t flap off your face. I know this is technically meant to be relaxing, but I couldn’t stop thinking about that guy in The Silence of the Lambs who made clothes out of human skin. Then I couldn’t get the line, “It rubs the lotion on its skin” out of my head. It did not feel luxurious anymore. SS

Of all products tested, this one wins the award for Most Dramatic Marketing. The blurb on the back states: “Deep in the windswept hills of the Mediterranean, a lone plant fights for its life against the elements. Clary sage not only survives, but thrives in its harsh environment, because of its ability to trap and retain moisture.” Truly, this masochistic shrub can teach us a great deal about blossoming amongst loneliness and hardship.

Inspirational. I slopped the cream onto my hands and rubbed it into my face, allowing the botanical extract to penetrate my skin with its warrior-like endurance (but only for 10 minutes). The mask did smell pleasant and left my skin feeling smooth. I am hopeful that if I use this regularly, the clary sage will infuse its herby magic into my general character and transform me into a resilient, independent goddess. Is that too much to ask? DF

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Photographs Phoebe Powell

mind your business

Is there a story behind the name? DS: “Bad Love” is an Eric Clapton song, and we bonded over Eric Clapton when we first met. We were tossing around some really naff names for the venue; when this was thrown in the mix we loved it. It sums us up quite well – we never will be a cookie-cutter café or bar.

i love my shop SARAH RYAN AND DAMIEN SHAW RUN BAD LOVE CLUB – A BOOZY BAKERY IN MELBOURNE’S WEST.

Describe the space for us. SR: Our venue is colourful (read: pink) with a casual diner vibe; raw surfaces; and beautiful ’80s stone benches. We have these incredible perforated ‘trees’ that are filled with plants. DS: The hand-painted signs are an example of the small details that take our space to the next level.

Talk us through your approach to food. SR: We have a very laidback menu – everything is made from scratch to minimise any wastage (apart from our bread and bagels). The beans are cooked in our epic red wines when they’re no longer enjoyable in a glass; produce comes from local providers. By day, our most popular item is a bagel with plain cream cheese or a ‘Fab Four Jaff’ (local ham, pink peppercorns, cheese and tomato). By night, it’s our pecan or chess pie.

How does the vibe change from day to night? DS: It gets super-cosy, candles come out, and fairy lights make it look like you’re under the stars. SR: Our customers at night want to wind down, curl up with a book under a blanket, or catch up with friends over some pie and cocktails and take it easy. The music becomes softer – much less rock’n’roll, and more easy listening.

Where is it? Shop 5, 68-82 Hopkins Street, Footscray.

Describe Bad Love Club in a sentence. A brunch bar by day and a boozy bakery by night.

What exactly is a ‘boozy bakery’? Damien Shaw: It’s a place where a love of great booze and great baking come together and complement each other. Sarah Ryan: We bake sweet pies, cookies and brownies, often spiking them with a fair amount of booze – or pairing them expertly with cracking craft beer and delicious cocktails. We also transfer our kitchen creativity to the bar, where we make all our own syrups and infusions.

What do you love about what you do? DS: I love that I get to be that person who hands someone their first coffee of the day. It’s really cool to think I give someone something they need to go and be a boss.

Are there any drawbacks? SR: When you own a small business, sometimes people think you’re this big, faceless entity with no feelings, so will leave the most ridiculous reviews instead of actually talking to you. We’re also a new venue in a rapidly gentrifying area – people assume we’re new to the area, too, even though Dame went to primary school and high school in Footscray and knows it like the back of his hand!

Where did the idea to mix alcohol and baked goods come from?

SR: I come from a pretty creative family that loves to feed people.

After having baked good stalls at local markets, we added in our love for experimenting with booze. At that time, no one in Melbourne had done this in an informal setting, so we were stoked to be the first to bring it to our beloved pocket of the inner west.

How can we contact you? badloveclub.com.au

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SPOTLIGHT X FRANKIE

still playing dress-ups LAURINDA AND FATUMA NDENZAKO GOT AN EARLY START IN FASHION, WITH HAND-SEWN MC HAMMER PANTS AND KIDDIE-SIZED CHANEL SUITS. Words Lucy Corry Photo Phoebe Powell

“Our mum was good with her hands and she always encouraged us to be resourceful,” says Laurinda Ndenzako, one half of sisterly fashion design duo Collective Closets. “It all started with her nourishing our creativity and letting our imaginations run wild.”

When Laurinda and sibling Fatuma were growing up in Melbourne, that meant learning how to stitch (“we did loads of hand sewing with little bits of scrap material to make stuff for our dolls”), and exploring the wonders of sewing machines and fabric shops.

“Mum sewed all our outfits, and would jazz up our school uniforms to make them look better,” Fatuma remembers. “It was back in the ’90s, with bodysuits and big MC Hammer pants, and my friends would be jealous because Mum would make really cool things. When I was about 10 I had crazy tastes and I was obsessed with Chanel tweed suits. Mum was like, ‘Well, we can’t afford to buy one, but we can make one.’ I remember going to choose the patterns, the fabrics, the buttons – it was amazing.”

As the Angola-born sisters got older, they dreamed of having their own label.

They dabbled in styling and reworking vintage pieces, but wanted to be able to express their own aesthetic and connect to their African roots. During a family trip to Kenya for Laurinda’s wedding six years ago, everything started falling into place.

“Nairobi is such a beautiful creative space and it was so inspiring,” Laurinda explains. “We’d had all these discussions about how we wanted a label that was quite personal to us, and when we were in Kenya all our ideas started to take shape.”

Three years ago the pair launched Collective Closets, a label that combines distinctive African fabrics with simple silhouettes. Their collections are made by a crack sewing team in Melbourne, and are designed to transcend trends.

“We know what the Collective Closets girl wants to see herself in,” Laurinda says.

“But there are also pieces that we really want to make for ourselves! Fatuma’s a big dress girl and I love a good pantsuit. Our way is also to say, ‘You might not have seen something like this in stores because it’s not cool, but this is our take on it’.”

They work hard to make it happen – Fatuma has a tiny helper in baby son Arlo, while Laurinda mixes the glamour of fashion design with the gritty reality of part-time nursing. “Sometimes we feel like we’ve mastered the juggle; other times it just hits us in the face and reminds us that we haven’t got it down pat,” Laurinda says. “We’re OK with the unconventional way that we work because we’re family. We talk 50 times a day.”

Fatuma and Laurinda are wearing some sweet handmade threads from Spotlight’s Spring Fabrics Season Launch, out now. (See our handy-dandy lookbook insert for details.) Learn more about sewing your own styles in store, or at spotlightstores.com. And keep up with the Ndenzako sisters at collectiveclosets.com.au

get involved

the state of the world can be overwhelming, but even the small things can make a difference.

WORDS SAM PRENDERGAST ILLUSTRATIONS ANJANA JAIN

READ MORE // The world right now is pretty overwhelming, and sometimes it’s difficult to know how we can usefully contribute to making change. If you’re unsure about jumping straight into the action, take some time to get acquainted with what’s going on, and where. We’re not exactly living in the golden age of newsprint, but if it’s been a while since you picked up the physical version of your local paper, it might be worth hunting one down and giving it a read. Internet news is useful, but if you’re easily distracted, you’ve probably experienced the web’s magical ability to become a time-sucking sinkhole. Newspapers force you to go slow, and when you’re reading something physical you’re less likely to be distracted by a pop-up video asking you if you’d like two-for-one tickets to SEXPO. Beyond newspapers, you might want to consider reading longer form pieces that reflect on the history behind current events. When it feels like the world’s literally imploding, it’s easy to forget that many generations of people have dealt with political nightmares before. If nothing else, historical accounts of activist groups and biographies of political leaders make for some highquality motivational material.

a quiet moment to tell them why you felt uncomfortable with their comments. Even the most frustratingly stubborn people can learn to listen, especially if you’re willing to listen back. Need specific tips on what to say and how? Good news: the internet’s full of step-by-step ‘how to talk to your racist relative’ advice.

REACH OUT TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE // If you live anywhere in Australia, you live inside a Federal Member of Parliament’s ‘electorate’. Amongst other things, it’s the member’s responsibility to be a voice for the people they were elected to represent.

Politicians can be intimidating, but because they’re paid to act on your behalf, it’s literally their job to listen to your concerns.

If something is bugging you about government policy – whether that’s refugee policy or the way the government is treating senior citizens – you’re entitled to complain. Find out your member’s office address and send them a handwritten or typed-up letter.

Emails are a little easier for electorate offices to ignore, but they can still be effective when sent en masse. Writing to a pollie can feel like a small act, but when multiple electorate offices all start getting emails about the same issues, it forces the government and the opposition party to create a response and pay attention.

For a real-life, in-person conversation, drop into the electorate office and ask to talk to a staffer. And if you live deep in the heart of regional Australia, far away from your member’s office, there’s always the option to jump on the phone.

START A CONVERSATION // Seemingly small moments can become effective opportunities to create long-term social change, and sometimes having a good chat with a friend can be equally, if not more meaningful than spending your afternoon at a rally. A classic scenario is the moment when you’re sitting around with your family, and someone makes a passing (and horrifying) racist, sexist, ableist or homophobic remark. In the nightmarishness of the moment, it can be difficult to intervene in a way that feels useful. Announcing that their comment’s not OK is a good first step, but in a big group setting, it’s rare to get much further without entering into a circle of aggression and defensiveness – especially if there’s no one around to back you up. Though it’s hard and almost always a bit awkward, try pulling the person aside in

VOLUNTEER // If you have a little more time on your hands, and even the slightest interest in history, look into opportunities to volunteer at a nearby community archive. Volunteer-run organisations like the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives collect all sorts of material from Australia’s LGBTQ past and present, then make sure it’s kept in good condition so it’s accessible to the public and future generations. Archives are easy to overlook when you’re

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get involved

CONSIDER YOUR STRENGTHS // The thought of being politically active tends to conjure images of chanting, marching and organising petitions, but if none of that sounds appealing or accessible for you, and you still want to get involved, reflect on the skills you have right now and look up ways to use them. Do you spend most nights knitting on the couch? How about stitching up jumpers for penguins living in areas affected by oil spills? (It’s a real thing that helps keep them safe.) If you like to cook, then your services might be helpful in a soup kitchen, a food van, or with an organisation like Meals on Wheels.

Designers can assist with logos, pamphlets and website layouts.

Groups like the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre sometimes need volunteers to help with admin, stocktake or cleaning – vital tasks that make it possible for them to run. If your timetable makes it tricky to lend a hand in person, you can still put your talents to good use by volunteering your services and working on your own time.

searching for ways to be politically active, but by collecting and maintaining documents, interview records, rally banners, letters, photos, pamphlets and books, archivists ensure there’s evidence of the past. It’s much harder for people to argue that homosexuality is a modern, millennial phenomenon, for instance, when there’s a big stock of data that proves otherwise! If you don’t have time to volunteer, there are other ways to contribute. At rallies or marches, collect pamphlets, take photos of banners (with permission), and find out if there’s an archive that will house them. If you know someone who’s been actively involved in Australian activism, ask if you can interview them and record their story. Even if there’s no appropriate archive for your material right now, collecting stories and protest materials can be a radical way to think about what we’ll need in the future.

ATTEND A COUNCIL MEETING // You know when you watch American movies and everyone’s at a ‘town meeting’, complaining about potholes and stoplights? They exist in Australia, too! Showing up at a local council gathering is a good way to get a handle on what’s happening in your community, and to voice your thoughts on district planning and council policy. As one of the most local forms of government, councils tend to have some immediate control over what happens in your city, like whether a historic meeting place should be torn down and replaced by apartments, or a service for people experiencing homelessness should be relocated away from the city and into the suburbs. If you can’t get to meetings or you’re unsure whether it’s worth attending, you can visit the council’s website and look up records of their recent events. That way, you’ll have an idea of what’s on the agenda and who’s making decisions.

If you’re interested in going but worried about looking out of place, try dragging along a bunch of friends. Worst case scenario, you meet a few people equally concerned about your neighbourhood and get a free cup of tea.

BE A GOOD ALLY // An ‘ally’ is someone who actively supports people from marginalised or minority communities – people of colour, refugees, indigenous people, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities – even when those individuals aren’t around. Being a good ally can take a bunch of different forms, but always starts with an understanding that you’re a supporter rather than a leader.

-ori person, but that’s pretty irrelevant when I might be a gay Ma I’m being an ally to a recently arrived refugee. It’s less about being part of a community and more about being able to stand up when you see a group or person under any kind of attack. Sometimes it’s as little as telling your friend to shut up when they call someone a “homo”. Other times, it’s intervening on a bus when one of Australia’s many toolburgers tells someone to “go back where they came from”, or stepping in when someone’s being attacked on social media. Allyship is really just listening to what people in marginalised communities are asking for, then following through to provide assistance.

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get involved

JOIN AN ACTION GROUP // If you’re super-passionate about a community issue, it’s likely others are, too – and sometimes they’ve already formed groups to do something about it! Local environmental collectives often hold days where you can lend a hand to clean up a shoreline or help to plant trees. On their own, one-off events can feel inadequate, but over time they make a difference, and they’re a good way to feel out an organisation so you can decide whether you’d like to be more involved. On the other end of the scale, refugee action groups often call out for last-minute volunteers and activists to help with an urgent protest or action. Getting your name on the mailing list – or even just liking the Facebook page – can be a useful way to stay in touch and keep an eye out for events you can attend. The more involved you get, the more you’ll understand what feels like a comfortable level of participation for you, personally. Maybe it’s participating in a phone-calling action, where you ring politicians en masse with the hopes of preventing a deportation, or maybe you’re more comfortable on a picket line. Working with others in a group setting is the best way to find out, safely, what you can handle.

someone sleeping rough asks you for help directly! If, like most folks, you’re without a personal pile of donation-ready moolah, it can be surprisingly effective to organise a fundraiser, either with a fancy online campaign or a potluck lunch at work. Donations come in non-monetary forms as well, so before you cart your couch out the door to be collected for hard rubbish, take a look for groups that could put it to use. Women’s shelters are often hunting for clothes, sanitary products, books and good-condition toys – just make sure to call and check they’re needed before you organise a drop-off.

USE YOUR BODY (IF YOU CAN) // Attending rallies and marches is one of the more obvious and visible ways to participate in political change, and if you’re able, willing, and feel safe to attend, then grab a bunch of friends, make some signs, and head to the next event. Masses of bodies moving as one send a pretty clear message that the public’s unhappy with government decisions. But attending rallies and marches isn’t always possible, and if they’re not doable for you right now – for any reason – there are plenty of other ways to visibly express your discontent. It’s easy to criticise social media, but posting about your own experiences or in support of a marginalised community can be an effective way to add your voice to a wave of protest. Pinning badges to clothes and backpacks can start conversations; hanging flags or banners from your balcony can be a sign of solidarity and support. And, even if you’re not attending the rally yourself, it never hurts to raise some public awareness by advertising the event and talking about it wherever and whenever possible.

DONATE // A reality of making change is that community groups and organisations almost always need more money. But, even if you’re in a position to hand over some cash, it can be a serious whirlwind to work out where to send your dollars. If you’re totally confused, it helps to go with organisations you trust and who are transparent about where the money actually goes – whether to food and services for people sleeping rough, or to campaigns and organising, or helping newly arrived refugees set themselves up in a new home. It also never hurts to pass over some cash when

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MADE IN MELBOURNE

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music talks

Painting or pottery? At the moment, pottery. I bought a pottery studio when I was in LA last year. I moved there after I’d finished writing my new album Lilac Everything, and wanted to take a break.

I found this whole pottery studio on sale for super cheap. I love it so much – it’s taught me that technique and patience are really important. With a lot of art, I feel my way around it, but with pottery it’s different, because in order to express yourself you have to learn the technique really well, then the creative part comes later.

this or that...

WITH SINGER-SONGWRITER EMMA LOUISE. Interview Sophie Kalagas

Bottling things up or cracking the shits? Literally, as soon as I feel something, I have to let it out. And if there’s no one around to let it out to, then I write or make something with those feelings. I’m definitely an expressive person; I pretty much can’t keep anything in.

Beer or wine? Wine, all the way and back! I love it – it’s one of my favourite things about life. I wouldn’t say I know anything about wine, but when I find a really nice one I stick to it for a while. Right now, I’m loving one called Bonics – it’s made by a scientist in Melbourne, and it’s the best I’ve ever had. It’s organic, and you don’t get a hangover.

Mexico or Seattle? I enjoyed recording Lilac Everything in Seattle, but I have a pretty special relationship with Mexico. This one night, I was pretty sad in Melbourne and decided to fly to Mexico; then, two days later, I was there and wrote the album. I’ve been back maybe seven times in a year or so. I think it’ll be a place I’ll just keep going back to.

Home or away? I would definitely rather stay home – that’s where everything happens for me. I hardly ever go out, really. I love playing shows and performing, but when you go on tour there’s a lot of travel, waiting around and general unrest. It’s pretty exhausting.

I usually go to bed at like 8.30pm!

Your old stuff or your new stuff? I think I’ll always like my new stuff better, because I’m growing as a songwriter, and I relate to it more when it’s fresher. I try not to be critical of my old music, though – I’m grateful that I can even make music at all. I think it’s beautiful that any artist can look back and listen to what they were experiencing at a certain point in time.

Childhood or adulthood? I would say adulthood. There was a bit of a rough patch going from childhood to adulthood – some growing pains. It’s weird, I don’t think I’ll ever feel like a full-blown adult – I don’t think I really want to – but learning things on my own is exciting, and knowing I can grow into the person I want to be, if I choose.

Indoors or outdoors? I just got a farm outside Byron Bay, and I love being outside, gardening and maintaining a bigger property. But right now it’s pretty cold, and I love getting cosy, as well. The space inside my home is very special, because that’s where I do most of my writing and making and things. So, I’m going to say indoors, because I’m a Cancerian, and getting cosy is the best!

Music – job or way of life? Way of life, definitely. When you’re writing and making music for the right reasons, everything kind of revolves around it. You pick things up that happen in your daily life and turn everything into music.

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rant

out of sight, out of mind

you just don’t go. You’ll probably spend a lot of time being anxious about whether you’ll get a seat on public transport, too. You’re not a car, so you can’t hang a parking pass around your neck (well, I guess you could, but as an accessory it’s hard to pull off). You could wrap yourself up in ‘FRAGILE’ packing tape, I suppose, but who ever takes notice of that stuff, anyway?

FOR KYLIE MASLEN, INVISIBILITY ISN’T ALL IT’S CRACKED UP TO BE.

Recently, I’ve started using a walking stick on flare-up days as a signifier that I need a seat. It’s either that or pretending to be pregnant, and that scam tends to fail when you catch the tram at the same time every day and people recognise you and your belly, which suspiciously stays the same size. (In an extra boost to my self-esteem, I’m borrowing the walking stick from my mum. I’m basically a 30-something retiree, complete with Keith Richards levels of prescription drugs.)

As kids, we were often asked what our superpower would be if we could choose. Some said the ability to fly. Others yearned to go really, really fast. And there was always that annoying smart kid who’d worked out how to cheat being physically active by saying “teleportation”.

Yep, it’s difficult to explain how serious your ailment is when other folks can’t see it with their very own eyes. If I’ve learnt one thing, it’s this: humans are extremely literal creatures. Employers question why you need to take so much time off when “You don’t look sick” (presumably they require actual stomach bile as evidence); potential love interests see you as flaky when you need to keep cancelling plans (“But the last time I saw you you seemed fine”); and friends start to think you have nothing to talk about these days aside from your poor health.

Invisibility was usually the goal of the slightly sinister. You’d get out of doing stuff like chores because you could vanish until they were done; you could sneak up behind people and scare the crap out of them, or listen in on their conversations (only to use your newfound knowledge against them).

I’m kind of invisible. It’s sort of a big deal, but not in the cool way I thought it would be as a kid. And it’s not really a superpower – really, it’s just a bit shit. You see, I’m not entirely invisible, but my disability is.

The childhood fantasy of becoming invisible was a lot cheaper than this kind of obscured life, too. It was more about being able to steal lollies from the corner store without consequence; less having the receptionist at the closest GP clinic know you on a first-name basis, in the same way other people have a barista who knows their coffee order by heart.

My pelvis is so cooked from severe endometriosis and all the damage it’s done to my nerve endings that I have chronic pelvic pain. It’s unrelenting, and it’s hidden from the world. I can’t work full-time; I get tired easily. While I’m lucky to be well enough to live by myself, from time to time I need help doing things like cooking and cleaning. In truth, it’s less an invisibility cloak, and more endless internal screaming.

Sometimes it’s hard not to wish I could take off the invisibility cloak and have people see the old lady hidden not-so-deep inside, but these are the cards I’ve been dealt. Disabilities come in all shapes and sizes, and just because mine is invisible, doesn’t mean it’s any less real.

When your ailment isn’t immediately apparent, it’s hard to make sure people don’t bump into you on a busy street, or knock you over in crowds. Explaining why you have to sit down at gigs is tedious and tricky – and makes you seem uncomfortably nanna-like – so, often

090

7.30AM I made an excellent choice in marrying Joshua, one reason being that he brings me coffee in bed every morning. The RX100 V’s lightweight form and flexible screen makes one-handed shooting easy.

9:00AM Breakfast at our favourite spot in the inner-west, our friends at Daisy’s Milkbar. It’s always nice to come here and see some of our McKean Studio pieces dotted around the place, too.

12:30PM I’m the only one working in the studio through the week, so we often pack weekend orders together – it’s a little bit faster to get done. Here’s a little mirror selfie to mark the occasion.

2:45PM Spotted these amazing flowers at the local florist. I’m always snapping a cheeky photo of whatever is out on the street. Fast focus and easy-to-use controls mean shots can be taken in a snap.

SONY X FRANKIE

9:45AM It’s so fun seeing your work in the wild! Last year I designed this little cherry pie print for Daisy’s, and they got it screen-printed on t-shirts available from the cafe.

11:30AM One of my newest projects is creating a flock of Australian birds.

Life-size and hand-painted with lots of tiny details as an homage to our feathered native friends.

3:00PM The first samples of our new scarves just arrived, so we’re checking the colours and quality from my original illustrations. Spoiler: they’ve turned out supercute. The RX100 V’s excellent image quality showcases vibrant colours and fine details.

4:00PM A necessary evil of the weekend: the grocery run. Our supermarket recently had a facelift with this cute mural that always makes me smile. Wine and pizza time tonight!

megan mckean spends the day with sony Hello! I’m Megan McKean, a designer/illustrator/author/maker in Sydney. My label, McKean Studio, focuses on making contemporary souvenirs celebrating cities all around the world. I’m an obsessive documenter, and I love having snaps of different projects and points in time to look back on. My social media is a mixture of travel photos – places I’ve been and seen that are super colourful or inspiring! – product photos, and work-in-progress snaps.

Spending the day with the Sony RX100 V, I love how light and pocketable the camera is. It’s nice and small to take for a wander and use discreetly – no big lenses to get in the way! The selfie countdown when the flip screen mode is enabled is also fun. I love finding a mini-video from a point in time I’d forgotten about, so having a nice quality video option on the camera alongside the stills is great.

The RX100 V is a premium compact camera from Sony, designed to create beautiful images and videos on the go, in all sorts of situations.

It’s got super-fast auto focus and a 180-degree flip screen, plus Sony’s high-resolution image sensor. It loves taking premium stills and 4K video. sony.com.au/premiumcompact

around the world

i am inuit alaskan photographer brian caleb adams captured real life, culture and friendly folks in his arctic home.

I grew up in Girdwood, Alaska – a small town about 50 kilometres south of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. I’m half Inupiaq; my father’s side of the family is from Kivalina, Alaska, and my mother’s side comes from Wisconsin and Seattle in the US. In 2003, after graduating high school, I got a job as a photographer’s assistant.

I’ve been taking photos ever since.

Every time I landed in a village, the first thing I’d do was walk through the whole town. I don’t like overly posed portraits or staged things, so most of the photos were taken while out on those walks.

Conversations with my subjects could have lasted a few minutes or a couple of hours, but some of the portraits came after spending days with the subjects and their families.

Conversations about the I AM INUIT project began in 2015. Kelly Eningowuk of the Inuit Circumpolar Council Alaska contacted me; she’d seen my book, I AM ALASKAN, and knew I was Inuit myself.

She wanted to discuss what it would take to create a body of work similar to the format of Humans of New York, but focused on Alaskan Inuit. The idea was to launch on social media, then create a travelling exhibit and book. I put together a realistic budget, then, three months later, Kelly called me to let me know she’d received the first grant money to start the project.

Only about five people declined me the entire time I was shooting.

After 14 years of photographing people on the street, it’s easier to read if someone is willing or in the mood to give you a portrait or talk about themselves. It’s a lot to ask, so I’m very appreciative to everyone who chose to be part of the project. In Kaktovik especially, I feel like I made a lot of lifelong friends. I’m hoping to go back there soon.

I love Alaska. I love the smells, the thick moss and heavy woods.

Most villages are on the coast or on a river for fresh water.

Location is everything, because they have to live off what the land provides. Sure, you can buy a TV dinner at the store, but it quickly loses its appeal when it’s next to fresh berries, salmon or caribou.

The main challenge of shooting in Alaska was the light – the sun stays up forever in the summer, but in the winter it can last for less than a couple of hours.

The mission statement for I AM INUIT is to “connect the world with Inuit people through common humanity”. I think it’s extremely important for indigenous people and communities to tell their own stories. I grew up in a predominantly Caucasian town, detached from my Inupiaq roots. Growing up, my family was the Eskimo family, and I felt like I was supposed to know everything about my culture, even though my father’s home village was nearly 1000 kilometres away. Over the past 10 years, I’ve been reconnecting with my family’s roots and growing a better understanding of my own culture.

My goal for this project was to share with the world what real Inuit life is like today. Not what reality TV shows say we are, or the old history books written by white men said we were – what we are, here, now. Despite decades of historical trauma and abuse, we’re still here and continuing what people tried to beat out of us. I’m really proud of where I come from and the people who got me here, and I want my kids to be proud of that, too.

I shot this project for a year and three months, visiting 20 villages in north and north-western Alaska. It’s a big state and not all the communities are accessible by road, so you have to fly everywhere.

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Page 94, top: “My birthday is April 22, 1922.

I still go to church with my cane, but I forget I have it sometimes and carry it! I walk a lot.

My mom lived to be 104. The secret to a long life is to drink lots of water – boiled water.”

Edna Commack, Inupiaq from Shungnak Page 96, top: “We wash our bodies, and try to clean the dirt off after we work. It’s called a steam house. We work all day, then this is where we come.” Robert White, William Sharp and John Sharp, Yup’ik from Quinhagak Above: “I’ve been building sleds for quite a while. My dad taught me – when I made a mistake, he would straighten me out. Then I had to do it right, which was good. Airfares and gas are getting pretty high here, so it’s better to get some dogs, I think. A lot cheaper.”

Oscar Griest Sr., Inupiaq from Shungnak

Above: “We’re getting the muktuk (whale skin and blubber) ready to serve during Thanksgiving. We caught this bowhead whale – we’re allowed three, our quota.

We lost one, so we asked one of the other villages if it was OK to have one of theirs, and we are thankful to them for giving one up. We knew we’d be short on muktuk if we had only two. You try to cut them up and get them put away before the polar bears get to them. There’s 24-hour Nanuq patrol during whaling, because we’ve got bears waiting.”

Marie Rexford, Inupiaq from Kaktovik

Illustration Cass Urquhart

popcorn

john cusack fan club

SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984) Before he was a leading man, John Cusack played the kind of nerd character who dares his friend to steal a pair of Molly Ringwald’s underwear to prove he’s had sex with her. Haha, good times.

In Sixteen Candles, Cusack is Bryce, one of Anthony Michael Hall’s geek gang. Over the course of the movie, he operates an underwear-themed peep show; creepily strokes girls as they walk past him at parties (??); and wears a headset for no discernible reason. He sort of functions like a Greek chorus of really randy and socially inept young men. Sixteen Candles is a film that hasn’t aged very well (in terms of our modern tendency to prefer films that aren’t racist or sexist), so, if you’re looking for a John Hughes movie to enjoy, Pretty in Pink or The Breakfast Club will more adequately sate your appetite. This is the one where John Cusack… plays a geek who earnestly asks if female aliens have boobs.

SINEAD STUBBINS EXPLORES THE CAREER OF HOLLYWOOD’S MOPIEST LEADING MAN.

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BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (1999) If you haven’t seen Being John Malkovich, it’s a very strange movie to have to explain. Also, if you haven’t seen Being John Malkovich, what are you doing? John Cusack plays a failed puppet master (literally, that’s not a metaphor) named Craig, who works as a file clerk on Floor 7 1/2 of a very mysterious building. This building, coincidentally, also contains a small room that is a portal to actor John Malkovich’s brain. Craig and his colleague Maxine (Catherine Keener) start charging people to visit John Malkovich’s brain. Then, Craig-as-John Malkovich starts having an affair with Maxine, because his wife Loette (Cameron Diaz) is also cheating. Um, yeah, it gets pretty wild. This was one of writer Charlie Kaufman’s first collaborations with director Spike Jonze (the next being Adaptation, which Cusack makes a cameo in), and Cusack really leans into the weird. It’s also his seediest part to date. He is extremely sweaty and lecherous in this movie. It’s incredible to think that he was still cast in romantic comedies after his performance in Being John Malkovich. This is the one where John Cusack… enters John Malkovich’s mind/has gross, long hair.

SAY ANYTHING (1989)

Say Anything was made in the pastel-hued rush of classic ’80s teen films, which means everyone has very big hair and does the deed to Peter Gabriel songs. Written and directed by Cameron Crowe – his directorial debut, in fact – this movie uses the classic ‘rich, smart girl falls in love with boy from the wrong side of the tracks’ trope to great effect. John Cusack plays an aspiring kickboxer (yeah, OK) who falls for Ione Skye at their high school graduation. But she’s going to England at the end of the summer to study… something! Oh no!

John Cusack was in a bunch of romantic teen comedies in the ’80s, probably because he has a face like an incredibly forlorn puppy. (Fun fact: the guy who plays Ione Skye’s disapproving dad is also the guy who played Frasier Crane’s dad! Small world, huh?) This is the one where John Cusack… holds a boombox over his head outside a girl’s bedroom window. Try it with a Sonos speaker and see what happens. .

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America’s Sweethearts is the perfect movie to chuck on on a Friday night when you want to watch something, but also put on a mud mask, but also paint your nails, and also, you’re too tired to actually retain any plot details. It’s actually a pretty underrated rom-com considering the big stars in it. Here, John Cusack plays a Hollywood actor who, until recently, was in a power couple relationship with a big-shot actress, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones. She cheats on him, he has a very public breakdown, but… they still have a movie to promote! A film publicist – played by Billy Crystal – enlists Catherine Zeta-Jones’ personal assistant and sister – played by JULIA FREAKING ROBERTS – to help him convince the press that the couple is back together. But then, an unlikely love triangle and hurt feelings/hilarity ensue! Movie stars playing movie stars is my favourite film genre. This is the one where John Cusack… plays a Hollywood celebrity and has a fistfight with Hank Azaria.

It should be annoying that High Fidelity went from being a book about a record store in England to a movie about a bunch of American music snobs in Chicago. But it somehow isn’t annoying! This is partly because the guys who play the music snobs – John Cusack, Jack Black and Todd Louiso – so perfectly embody the soul, sarcasm and obscure t-shirts of every single man who has ever judged you on your music collection. In this movie, John Cusack plays Rob, a fellow who has recently been dumped by his long-term girlfriend and is searching for the reasons why in his past relationships/ extensive record collection. He also owns a record store where he and his employees regularly alienate customers who they believe to be lesser scholars of music. It’s the best cinematic representation (and criticism) of the oppressive music fanboi EVER. This is the one where John Cusack… makes a lot of top-5 lists and imagines his exgirlfriend having super-sweaty sex with Tim Robbins. .

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AMERICA’S SWEETHEARTS (2001)

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HIGH FIDELITY (2000)

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GROSSE POINTE BLANK (1997)

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A very funny movie with a very good soundtrack (Violent Femmes!

The Specials! Bowie!), Grosse Pointe Blank is one of John Cusack’s best. The black comedy follows an assassin named Martin Q. Blank (Cusack), who, after a failed hit and a visit to his psychiatrist, decides to attend his 10-year reunion in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

There, he reunites with high school girlfriend Debi (Minnie Driver), who he ditched on prom night to go join the army. But, uh-oh! The work of a hitman is never done, and soon Martin’s work starts to follow him home. Not only does John Cusack have a writing credit on Grosse Pointe Blank, but he also manages to sneak three of his siblings into the movie – Joan, Ann and Bill. (Of course, Joan and John have frequently appeared in films together – 10 all up – and you would be forgiven for considering her your favourite Cusack. In fact, I highly recommend playing ‘Who’s your favourite Cusack?’ at your next dinner party or social event.) This is the one where John Cusack… becomes your crush, to be honest.

THE THIN RED LINE (1998) Cusack at war! The Thin Red Line is about the Battle of Mount Austen in the Solomon Islands during World War II, and goes for approximately 15 hours (actual time: 170 minutes). In it, John Cusack plays Captain John Gaff, who spends most of his screen time being worried, and also being shot at by Japanese soldiers.

Do you know how many big stars are in this movie? Boy, are there a lot of big stars in this movie. Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Miranda Otto, George Clooney, Adrien Brody, Jared Leto, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly AND John Travolta are all in this movie! John Cusack is probably the least famous one! Well, probably not, but it really is jam-packed. Like most Terrence Malick flicks, The Thin Red Line is very intense, and look, given it’s a film about the horror of war and fragility of life, that’s probably appropriate. This is the one where John Cusack… plays a soldier and stresses us all out.

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[ shop directory ]

THIS WEE PIGGY

FRINGE & BOW

IN A SENTENCE: Affordable, colourful and sustainably sourced jewellery, inspired by shapes in nature and everyday beauty // WHAT WE SELL: A mix of laser-cut wood and acrylic jewellery including earrings, necklaces, brooches, rings and bangles, plus fabric-based gift cards // PRICE POINT: From $6 to $45 // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: This Wee Piggy is owned and operated by an Adelaide-based colour lover whose constantly evolving designs are perfect for fun-loving folks // FIND US: Online at www.thisweepiggy.com

IN A SENTENCE: Contemporary handmade knits for you and your space // WHAT WE SELL: To date, the Fringe & Bow collection includes cosy winter wearables such as scarves, cowls, beanies, head warmers and fingerless mittens, plus necklaces, cushions, throws and wall hangings // PRICE POINT: From $55 to $390 // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: Our goal is to combine traditional crafts with a modern edge and cuddly yarn to create uniquely stylish pieces – what we like to think of as little handmade hugs // FIND US: Online at fringeandbow.com

THISTLE AND FOX

RACHEL CHARGE CERAMICS

IN A SENTENCE: Small-batch ceramics for conscious moments, handmade by a nostalgic dreamer for empowered babes // WHAT WE SELL: Beautiful clay experiments including piccolos, bowls, incense holders, dishes and more // PRICE POINT: From $20 to $200 // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: Each piece is unique; consciously handmade with love; and intended to be enjoyed in moments of pause. The intention behind each piece is to slow down, breathe and enjoy how it feels // FIND US: Online at bastianboutique.com.au

IN A SENTENCE: Handmade items and original fabric designs inspired by nature, vintage florals, botanicals, retro patterns and modern Australiana // WHAT WE SELL: Fabric by the yard (or metre), plus finished handmade products such as throw blankets, quilts, cushions, and organic cotton bed linens custom-made for kids and bubs // PRICE POINT: From $6 for a fabric swatch to $340 for a queen-size, custom-printed cotton sateen bed sheet set // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: All our materials feature exclusive illustrations // FIND US: Online at thistleandfox.com

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[ shop directory ]

DESIGN BY FISH

E LV E S I N T H E WA R D R O B E

IN A SENTENCE: A feel-good label specialising in tea towels, wall art and gift cards, all featuring my hand-drawn illustrations with bold pops of colour // WHAT WE SELL: Tea towels made from a super-soft cotton/linen blend, as well as cards and wall art printed on linen art paper // PRICE POINT: From $4 to $25 // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: Everything I make is based on my colourful, hand-drawn illustrations, inspired by things that make people happy.

All Design by Fish products are designed and printed locally in Brisbane // FIND US: Online at designbyfish.etsy.com

IN A SENTENCE: Ethical, organic clothing for tots that’s a little bit magical // WHAT WE SELL: A wide range of clothes – from newborn up to size 12 – plus eco-friendly toys carefully sourced from around the world. There’s a small range of organic clothing for mums, too // PRICE POINT: From $4.95 to $197.95 // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: Unique designs, prints and fabrics. Our products are multi-purpose and grow with the family, gathering stories and memories along the way // FIND US: Online at elves-in-thewardrobe.com.au or at 68B Hyde Street, Bellingen, NSW

PANT ACTIVE

ADA HODGSON

IN A SENTENCE: Locally made activewear and apparel created in collaboration with great Aussie artists // WHAT WE SELL: Leggings, crop tops, booty shorts and gym gear for yogis, lifters, runners, loungers, cool kids and dags alike // PRICE POINT: From $40 to $130 // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: All our products feature original artwork that’s painted on the wall of our Melbourne studio, then printed and made by hand. We’re also big on supporting female athletes, and sponsor a number of rad ladies who are leaders in their chosen sports // FIND US: Online at pantactive.com

IN A SENTENCE: Lovingly handcrafted jewellery that’s romantic, sentimental and inspired by nature // WHAT WE SELL: Earrings, rings, brooches and necklaces // PRICE POINT: From $30 to $600 // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: My latest collection of work explores an overgrown secret garden – mysterious and full of wonder. Featuring copper, silver, enamel and precious stones, my bespoke jewellery is both classic and contemporary. I’m also available for consultation at my Melbourne studio to help you capture your vision // FIND US: Online at www.adahodgson.com

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[ shop directory ]

MAXTED CLOTHING

MOX & CO

IN A SENTENCE: Fun and quirky jewellery, handmade in our Brisbane studio // WHAT WE SELL: Brooches, earrings and necklaces inspired by themes such as ‘sweet treats’ (Iced VoVos, fairy bread and doughnuts) and ‘under the sea’ (mermaids, lobsters and seahorses) // PRICE POINT: From $15 to $77 // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: Each piece is an original design, hand-assembled and -painted. Our accessories bring colour and vibrancy to any outfit and are more fun than a rollercoaster // FIND US: Online at www.moxandco.com.au

IN A SENTENCE: A British heritage clothing brand with a passion for knitwear // WHAT WE SELL: Lots of classically designed woollies, including scarves, jumpers and ‘coatigans’ (a cardigan that can be treated as a coat). We also sell a range of parkas, raincoats and summer dresses // PRICE POINT: From $100 to $200 // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: Maxted designer Caroline Teakle truly loves knitwear. She draws influence from her years growing up in the UK countryside, and later living in Melbourne, the city with four seasons in one day // FIND US: Online at maxtedclothing.com

MEG MAKES

LAB KAJO

IN A SENTENCE: Lab KAJO (meaning ‘laboratory of sunrise’) is a Melbourne-based design studio focused on boutique handmade designs // WHAT WE SELL: Statement porcelain jewellery, playful homewares, quirky garden accessories and more // PRICE POINT: From $10 for a magnet to $65 for a giant rainbow vase // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: We love fusing traditional ceramic techniques with modern skills and a splash of humour.

Our designs exist to lighten the mood and bring a smile to everyone’s face // FIND US: Online at labkajo.com.au

IN A SENTENCE: Brisbane-made jewellery and clothing with in-your-face colours and bold patterns // WHAT WE SELL: A huge variety of bright, fun and colourful earrings – including hoops, studs, and heaps of dangly numbers – alongside joy-inducing threads // PRICE POINT: From $20 to $160 // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: We’re a Brisbane-based brand, hand-crafting affordable, fun, bright and bold jewellery that’s wearable every day. The brand was born from a hobby – we’re now stocked in over 20 lovely stores around Australia // FIND US: Online at megmakesstudio.etsy.com

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[ shop directory ]

CARLEY CHIU

LITTLE FEAR

IN A SENTENCE: Poetic jewellery for fierce people, mythical creatures, femmes and feminists // WHAT WE SELL: Earrings and necklaces made from resin, sterling silver and gold. Rings, vases and planters are coming soon // PRICE POINT: From $60 to $150 // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: Romance, art, colour, shimmer and an immense reverence for the sublime grace of nature – all in an earring! Our wares are handmade with love in Melbourne, and are born of a passion for the gentle strength of feminine design // FIND US: Online at littlefear.com

IN A SENTENCE: Quirky illustrated jewellery, prints and greeting cards to brighten up your day // WHAT WE SELL: Handmade jewellery (including earrings and necklaces), accessories (such as bowtie clips), art prints and greeting cards // PRICE POINT: From $4.50 to $21.50 // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: My work is influenced by surrealism, dreams, animals and cartoons, and there are plenty of unique items, like my collar pins with removable chains. (You can choose a matching pair of collar pins or a mixed set, if you prefer.) // FIND US: Online at carleychiu.etsy.com

BRIGHT THREADS

T H E S U N DAY C O

IN A SENTENCE: We provide a fresh alternative to table-top linen with our playful screen-printed and block-dyed designs // WHAT WE SELL: Six colourful collections of napkins, placemats, table runners and tablecloths // PRICE POINT: From $22.95 to $220 // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: All our products are screenprinted and hand-sewn from 100 per cent Japanese linen by a group of ladies who work from home in Bali. We work with some wonderful types over there who ensure fair-trade practices // FIND US: Online at brightthreads.com.au

IN A SENTENCE: A team of local artists who make cute, stylish enamel pins and enjoy getting the best out of Sunday // WHAT WE SELL: A huge range of enamel pins to make you smile – there are fresh designs to check out almost every week. We also sell sunnies for blokes and ladies // PRICE POINT: From $12 for a pin // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: We work with amazing companies, charities and artists who all want to create enamel pins or other products with the feeling of a relaxed Sunday // FIND US: Online at thesundayco.com

105

learn something new

the history of aerobics stretching, leotards, astronauts and hollywood royalty: mia timpano explores the origins of the cheesy fitness trend.

Operating under the name of ‘Women’s League of Fitness and Beauty’, Mary’s mass-market invention went from strength to strength – especially as Europe braced itself for another war, and Britain’s government launched a health campaign describing physical fitness as “a matter of national importance”. But grooving to the beat with all your friends didn’t remain society’s preferred form of exercise. Other sports took over in ’50s and ’60s schools.

Netball. Hockey. Sports where you throw things and work as a team to destroy another team that also wants to throw the thing you’re holding. Rhythmic exercise would become relevant again, though.

Just not in Britain. Not even on Earth. No, the next time aerobic fitness would become necessary for humans would be in space.

Every day, everywhere, humans shuffle into gymnasiums, shaking their butts to the rhythm of the night in time with other people for the purpose of getting fit. But it wasn’t always so. There were no congregations in Ancient Rome or Mesopotamia doing thrusts, rumbas and grapevines (as far as we know). The phenomenon of ‘aerobics’ – aka exercise designed to get the heart pumping while you listen to chart-topping hits – is a recent one, and if you want to blame it on anything (or offer your congratulations, depending how much you appreciate the human form in lycra), then point a big, fat finger at World War I – because that’s when this shit started.

As you no doubt learnt in high school history class, many people were killed during this war. Mostly they were dudes, which allegedly left Britain with “two million superfluous women”. So, if you were a dame wanting to lock down a Y-chromosome-holder – as was the tradition and economic necessity at the time – you had to up your babe game. Fast. But how? People didn’t ‘work out’. (At least, working-class people didn’t – ironically.) Their days were spent at the factory, which didn’t leave them with a dewy, man-getting glow.

One-on-one exercise lessons were on offer, sure, but with a price tag only the super-rich could afford. What was a lady pleb to do?

It started as a way to help NASA’s astronauts deal with the Earth’s gravity, after spending extended periods of time floating around in rockets and shuttles and beating the Soviet Union to put a flag on the moon. But Dr Kenneth Cooper – who came up with the fitness regime with Colonel Pauline Potts while punching the clock at the US Air Force in the ’60s – saw scope for non-astronauts to get something out of it, too. You see, Kenny had observed that folks with Popeye-grade muscles couldn’t necessarily run, swim or cycle for very long, so he started measuring sustained performance in terms of a person’s ability to use oxygen. Then he published a book detailing the workout, and used the word ‘aerobic’ to describe it (literally meaning ‘with air’). Finally, he did something no one else had done before him: he added an ‘s’ to the end, making his finished book title Aerobics. And thus, the word (and theory) were born.

One person held the answer – a woman by the name of Mary Bagot Stack. The British phys ed teacher, who’d paid a visit to the Himalayas and gone ape-shit over yoga, returned to 1920s London with a vision: to run fitness classes for the everyday lady set to music, incorporating dance, calisthenics and rhythmic exercises.

It was the first public exercise class, ever. And since it was so cheap (half a crown to join, and a sixpence per session), it went off, to quote Mary’s daughter Prunella, “like a bomb”. The first public classes in Hyde Park attracted 160,000 people, plus the paparazzi of the era (newsreel crews), desperate to cover this new thing: structured exercise for everyone.

Aerobics was not without its detractors. Barbara Walters called Kenneth a “fraud”, and cardiologist Henry Solomon wrote a book of his own, The Exercise Myth, which attempted to debunk Ken’s central thesis: that healthy people should regularly put their bodies under pressure. The whole notion of exercise as medicine and

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learn something new Photo Getty Images

prevention as an approach to good health fully weirded people out – even the scientific community. But Ken was a man on a mission, setting up the Aerobics Centre in Dallas – a complex containing a 40-room hotel and laboratory, designed to attract champagneguzzling business executives who needed to learn the value of cardiovascular fitness or die. As for the Regular Joe, they could work out on their own. And they did. By the ’70s, gyms were packed with fellas. But where could a lady go to get her fitness fix?

improvement and how to perform CPR. One evening, while taking a stroll, Stuart’s wife stopped in front of a Jane Fonda Workout Book display and wished she could get fit without having to contend with the (mostly male) crowds at the gym. Instantly, Stuart sprang into action, hustling Jane for a video – and talking politics at the same time. They believed in the same things, so Jane agreed to take part, bringing her trademark aerobic routines and ballet-inspired aesthetic to the small screen (hence the leg warmers).

Once again, a woman would change the game – only this time, she wasn’t a fitness expert. It was Academy Award-winning actress Jane Fonda, aka Barbarella, aka the daughter of Henry Fonda, aka Hollywood royalty, and a woman who would later reveal her intense and enduring struggle with bulimia. Exercise was how Jane coped with shit in her life (and attempted to keep her eating disorder in check). But after injuring her foot on the set of The China Syndrome, the sex symbol was unable to perform her regular ballet routines.

A new workout was required, and she found it in a Californian gym run by Leni Cazden, who used long-duration exercise to battle her own addiction to smoking. Jane didn’t just dig Leni’s aerobics routines – she literally bought in. By 1979, they’d opened their own fitness centre in Beverly Hills, Jane and Leni’s Workout, where Jane herself would lead classes.

The original cassette sold 200,000 copies in its first year, and held the number one spot on the Billboard chart for 145 weeks. Jane Fonda workouts became the biggest-selling videos of all time, cumulatively selling 17 million copies (that’s a lot of landfill). But it changed how people exercised. Like Mary Bagot Stack’s fitness revolution some 60 years earlier, the public once again had access to rhythmic exercises set to music – and they bloody loved it.

Women felt empowered. Jane even received letters from people in Guatemalan mud huts. And aerobics instructors leapt onto TV screens worldwide. In 1990s Australia, Aerobics Oz Style became essential viewing – particularly if you were a young lady-liking gent discovering your sexuality, or a dude in prison (the main sources of one Oz Style instructor’s fan mail).

Today, aerobics endures in so many forms: spin classes; step classes; aqua aerobics; interval training; Carmen Electra’s striptease aerobics (which is very popular in Sweden, by the way). Then, of course, there’s competitive aerobics, a sport unto itself. Kenneth Cooper is still going strong in Dallas, running long distances while yelling, “Yay for aerobics!” (not his actual words), and the Women’s League of Fitness and Beauty still operates under the name The Fitness League. True, there aren’t so many G-string leotards these days, but just wait. If aerobics has taught us anything, it’s that you should always anticipate a comeback.

By the time she’d released Jane Fonda’s Workout Book, which spent two years on The New York Times bestseller list, she’d become America’s biggest name in fitness. But she was about to get bigger. It was the early ’80s, and a new technology was just beginning to enter homes: the VCR. Not everyone had a player (Jane didn’t even know anyone with a VCR at the time), but a New Yorker called Stuart Karl was determined to get more videotapes into the market. “Filling the gap between Jaws and Deep Throat” was how he described his operation – his range included tapes about home

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look what i made

drawıng with thread finnish artist tuija heikkinen approaches the art of crochet in an unexpected way.

What’s your process – how do you approach each piece? I crochet like I’m writing a diary or drawing in my sketchbook. Crocheted notes tell about my life, mood, interests and nature. I don’t do actual sketches; I just start with a theme and let the hook fly. I work with intuition and believe in the process itself – it leads, advises, teaches and surprises.

Who are you and what do you do? I’m Tuija Heikkinen from Rovaniemi, northern Finland, which is very close to the Arctic Circle. My education is as a fashion and textile designer, but my heart and soul is in the various fields of arts and crafts, which I practise as well as teach.

Five words to describe your work? Colourful; shape-filled; simple; hands-on; and cheerful.

What are your influences and inspirations? Flowers and retro motifs seem to appear a lot in your work! I’m a big fan of the 1950s and 1960s. It shows also in my home and collectors’ items – vintage and retro fabrics, dishes and cloths. Social media is one way to get inspiration and information, but at the same time, I can find exciting things in old craft books, items in the cupboard, and of course, nature! I’m lucky to live in a part of the world where nature is very close, and seasons change strongly and clearly.

It’s almost like you’re illustrating with crochet! Where did that idea come from? My crochet hobby started by chance. I was looking for a new form of expression alongside my main work with printed textiles, so I sat down, took a hook and let go! I decided to use the hook like a pen, with the yarns as my colours.

Where did you pick up your crafty skills? My grandmother was a grand old crochet lady – very skillful and diligent. She crocheted huge amounts of basic granny stuff, like doilies, curtains and blankets. So, I guess I picked up the spirit of crochet from my childhood. It took some time before I got my hands on the hook, though. I don’t have super-technical skills, but I understand the limits and possibilities, and what you can do with only one tool.

How does craft fit into the rest of your life? Luckily, I have been able to make a profession from it. I have two sides to my job: as a teacher to my students, and as a student with my own artwork.

What are you working on right now? I have several works in progress, always at the same time. Some need more time to get ready; some need less. Right now, I’m printing and sewing a little collection of textiles for the summer season. (My summer theme is ‘maturing in the crochet field’.)

Can you recall the first crochet piece you made? As a little girl, I made Barbie outfits that were more like strange alien creatures than clothes. In school, we made things like potholders, beanies and slippers, but those weren’t a big success, either.

Where can we see more of your stuff? instagram.com/tuijaheikkinen

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my project Photo Charlie Rose

mother, who had a treatable form of blindness caused by cataracts.

Bonnie discovered that four out of five Pacific Islanders who are blind don’t actually need to be – in fact, sight-restoring surgery can cost as little as $25 NZD. Soon after, she was working as a backstage assistant at New Zealand Fashion Week, and was struck by the cultural influence of the beauty industry. She decided to find a way to bridge the two worlds of make-up and altruism – mascara seemed like the logical fit for her chosen cause.

mascara for sight BONNIE HOWLAND AND HANNAH DUDER HAVE THEIR EYES SET ON CURING TREATABLE BLINDNESS IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS.

“I found vegan make-up brands, but none that had personality and were doing cool stuff with their money. That’s when I had the idea for Indigo & Iris,” she says. With encouragement from a local social entrepreneurship program, Bonnie started experimenting with mascara recipes in her kitchen. Eventually, she dropped out of uni and moved to Wellington to work full-time on her fledgling business. Meanwhile, Hannah – whose past projects include a Tinder-style voting app for young people – came on board as CEO.

Words Kate Stanton

For a little tube of black goo, mascara sure does a lot of heavy lifting.

Only a few coats of the stuff can give you a Bambi-like gaze; disguise the fact you were up scrolling through social media until the wee hours of the morning; and freshen your whole look. But what if your mascara could do even more? What if it could help cure blindness, too?

As it turns out, Bonnie’s kitchen-made mascara was a “disaster”, so she found an Italian make-up manufacturer to help her whip up the perfect formula. A successful Kickstarter campaign followed, and in January the ladies were able to make their first $3000 donation to Fred Hollows – enough money to restore the sight of more than 120 people. “Pushing that send button was overwhelmingly exciting,” Hannah says. “I’ve got this overall belief that for the world to get better, corporations need to step up.”

Bonnie Howland and Hannah Duder are the duo behind New Zealand’s Indigo & Iris, the self-described “beauty brand that gives a damn”. After years of research and planning (which began when Bonnie was just 18 years old), they’ve recently launched their first official product – a vegan and cruelty-free mascara called Levitate.

Aside from being environmentally sound, the business is sending good vibes into the world in other ways: half the profits from product sales go to The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ, an aid organisation providing sight-restoring surgery to folks in the Pacific Islands.

On a more practical note, the ladies swear their mascara holds up against traditional brands. “We don’t want people buying Levitate as a one-off donation only,” Hannah says. “We want them to buy it because it’s epic.” For the moment, the pair is focused on mascara, but plans are in the works for eyeshadow palettes and glossy lip balms, too. One thing is for sure – whatever they make will do some good. “We’re really looking forward to building a successful business that has a positive impact on the world,” Hannah says. “That’s what drives us, and that’s what we get excited about when we think about the future.”

“It’s this beautiful connection,” Bonnie says of their relationship with the charity. “You look in the mirror, you put on your mascara, and you know someone can see again because of it. And it’s not just their sight they get back – it’s the ability to go to work, for their kids to get an education, and even just to go to the bathroom by themselves.”

The idea came to Bonnie after a visit to Vanuatu in 2014. On the trip, she met a young girl who’d dropped out of school to care for her

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[ weddings and parties directory ]

AMANTE BRIDAL A bridalwear boutique in Warragul, Victoria, surrounded by lush greenery. We represent some of the coolest brands in the world, and offer a range of gowns, bridesmaids’ dresses, accessories, intimate apparel and footwear. amantebridal.com.au

THE VINTAGE STYLUS A hip vinyl DJ collective that specialises in bringing good times, great vibes and great tunes to the party. Our aim is to help discover the exact feel and vibe you’re going for, then to make that dream a reality. instagram.com/thevintagestylus

GLASSHAUS VENUES Our retail nurseries in Richmond, Melbourne are also beautiful event spaces with whitewashed walls, exposed roofs and an abundance of nature. We can supply catering, furniture, entertainment and styling, too. glasshaus.com.au

THE FUTURE MRS A collective of the best editorial photographers, fashion stylists, hair stylists and make-up artists available nationally and internationally for wedding and events. Our professional service ensures you have a fabulous experience. thefuturemrs.com.au

THE WEDDING NEST An online boutique gift registry specialising in stylish, designfocused gifts that are not available on other registries. Our extensive, well-edited collection includes beautiful homewares, statement furniture and unique artworks. theweddingnest.com.au

CANARY JANE’S FLOWERS With 12 years of floristry experience under our belts, we can create the perfect florals for just about anything. Our shop in Hawthorn, Melbourne is filled with locally sourced flowers and foliage, as well as retro-inspired gifts. canaryjanesflowers.com.au

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[ wedding and parties directory ]

TEEPS THE JEWELLER Custom handmade jewellery, including wedding and engagement rings, using gold, platinum, diamonds, precious and semiprecious gemstones. Pop past our workshop in the Epworth building in the centre of Adelaide. teepsthejeweller.com.au

RUSSELL STAFFORD PHOTOGRAPHY I’m a Sydney-based photographer with a focus on highly personalised service, specialising in wedding, pre-wedding and engagement photography. My goal is to not only capture the story of your wedding, but the story of your love. russellstaffordphotography.com

CANDICE WILSON, MARRIAGE CELEBRANT I’m a marriage celebrant based in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast, but travel Australia-wide to help two people in love celebrate the beginning of their marriage in their own lovely style.

I am there for you from start to finish. marriedbycandice.com

FLOWER JAR Based in Melbourne, we have the experience (and mad skills) to interpret your floral dreams and make them a reality.

Our approach to styling the blooms for your special day is personalised, creative and effortless. flowerjar.com.au

RESO & CO. A Sydney-based furniture hire studio providing meticulously handcrafted indoor and outdoor furnishings. Every piece of furniture comes with a story to tell – we hope this makes your special day extra memorable. resoandco.com

THAT PAPER GIRL The one-stop wedding stationery shop for couples who aren’t afraid to break the rules. I offer comprehensive pre-designed wedding stationery packs, and complete custom packs, too.

I believe in letting a couple’s true selves shine through. thatpapergirl.com.au

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[ weddings and parties directory ]

KEEPER FILMS Keeper Films turns your entire wedding day into a candid wedding movie, including all the edited highlights of your unique love story. Expect a film that blends meaningful storytelling with the vibe of a fun indie music video. keeperfilms.com.au

KATHERINE BOWMAN I meet with clients by appointment at my studio in Thornbury, Melbourne, to create unique jewellery especially for them – I love making rings the most. There’s also a small range of jewellery ready for purchase. katherinebowman.com.au

A TACTILE PERCEPTION Unique, custom wedding invitations tailored to you and guided by your budget. We offer origami-inspired stationery and handmade cotton paper invitations in a bunch of different shapes. atactileperception.com.au

HEARTBREAK HOTEL We believe photo booths can be a great way to capture memories, but sometimes the vibe isn’t there. The energy of the Vegas strip, grungy hotel rooms and dirty dancing – that’s what our photo booth brings to your wedding. heartbreakbooth.com.au

OPEN CATHEDRALS Our vision is to create the perfect garden wedding scene with pews that are majestic and whimsical. We have 20 handcrafted pews, offering different vibes and an incredible aisle for a bride to walk down. opencathedrals.com.au

TOKO EVENTS We’re an events management and styling company specialising in weddings – we love celebrating love. Big on details, we take care of all the stressful stuff so you can just enjoy the excitement with your family and friends. tokoevents.com.au

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[ wedding and parties directory ]

TIPIKATA We hire out giant Nordic tipis for weddings, parties, festivals and corporate events. They provide a truly stunning setting for your big day; will complement any environment; and are sure to leave you and your guests amazed. tipikata.com.au

HARUSTUDIO A husband-and-wife team photographing couples in love, engagements, elopements and weddings. We want to capture great moments, so we bring the good vibes. Sydney is home, but we travel anywhere. harustudio.com.au

MARGARET WRAY Contemporary handmade gowns, inspired by a love of beautiful fabrics, timeless vintage patterns, embellishments and unique finds sourced from fabric markets and vintage fairs. margaretwray.com

EAT NO EVIL We’re a catering business committed to creating good vibes and serving up incredible food using super-fresh, local produce. Our focus is the whole sensory experience. Based in Fremantle, but able to travel anywhere. eatnoevil.com.au

GOOD GRACE & HUMOUR Specialising in floral design for weddings and events in Melbourne and the surrounding areas, we like to include unusual, off-beat elements that accentuate the beauty of more traditional blooms. goodgraceandhumour.com

THE BELONGIL We’re an open-plan restaurant situated directly opposite beautiful Belongil Beach in Byron Bay. The space transforms into a warm, intimate wedding venue, with two top ceremony spots within quick walking distance. thebelongil.com.au

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not-quite-right advice

and you’ll blurt out, “My grandparents were first cousins!” to a room full of strangers. A better alternative: spreading rumours about famous folks. Doesn’t matter if it’s true or false, as long as everyone knows the celeb in question. “Did you ever hear about the time *flips through mental Rolodex* Pamela Anderson *flip flip* adopted a donkey and *flip* named it Jean-Paul Sartre?” You’re in.

an unreliable guide to icebreakers NEED TO KICK OFF A CONVERSATION OR TWO? ELEANOR ROBERTSON CAN HELP YOU OUT (MAYBE).

THE WORK DO // Work functions have one of the lowest difficulty settings for icebreakers, because everyone has a very obvious thing in common. But it’s like walking a tightrope – you want to talk about something other than work, but it can’t be something that makes things weird the next day. I believe the difficulty of striking this delicate balance is one of the main reasons people have children.

They’re like a human shield – bring up a cute photo of Jendyll in a beanie with animal ears and everyone will eat right out of your hand. If you don’t have kids, consider talking about your nieces and nephews, or googling ‘human baby’ and pretending the 18th result is a product of your own loins.

Making small talk with people you don’t know is basically an extreme sport. It’s the social equivalent of slalom skiing, except you’re not wearing a helmet or a bodysuit. (Unless you’re trying to break the ice at a dirt-biking leotard enthusiast convention.) The course ahead of you requires powerful manoeuvres executed with grace and precision.

That’s why you need a coach (i.e. me) to take you through the moves. .

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AT YOUR LOCAL // The usual way to get to know people at the pub is to simply get drunk and see what happens, but if that’s not an option, you can always press the emergency red button: funny names. Yes, this is the time to reveal you have a friend named Edward Craps; or a former boss named Dick Wristy; or an ancestor called Hugh Buttocksford. These poor souls shouldn’t labour under the burden of an undignified name for nothing – you essentially have a moral obligation to make fun of them. Drunk people can’t resist cheap laughs, either, so it’s the perfect crime.

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MEETING THE PARENTS // How do you get off on the right foot with people whose nude sex produced the person with whom you’re having nude sex? That’s the problem with meeting your partner’s parents: everything is about sex, but nobody’s allowed to talk about it. (And rightly so, because come on, ew, no thank you.) The master move here is the humble pre-exam cheat sheet, where you force your partner to recount the last two or three conversations they’ve had with their folks. Then, you bring up the topics as though you thought of them yourself. “Nice to meet you, Linda! Boy, I sure do love brightly coloured resin jewellery and the films of moustachioed dreamboat Tom Selleck.”

SOMEONE’S GETTING MARRIED // The key to mastering Wedding Chat is emotional intuition. Hardly anyone’s going to be in a relaxed state of mind, so if you want to have a successful conversation with someone who’s not completely plastered, it’s your job to find out which neuroses this wedding has dredged up for them. Are they thinking about their own wedding? Their partner? Their lack of partner? How much they love and/or hate the happy couple? Do a little digging – most people will surrender the info pretty quickly. This will give you at least 20 minutes’ worth of material to work with.

PARTY OF STRANGERS // Did you know you can reanimate a corpse that’s been clinically dead for up to four hours by taking it to a house party where it only knows one person? The adrenaline wakes them right up! That’s the risk here – combine adrenaline with alcohol,

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meet the new generation of australian makers

an affectionate (and honest) tribute to the handmade way of life, from frankie magazine

nab a copy at frankie.com.au/lookwhatwemade

M O N D AY

T U E S D AY

W E D N E S D AY

T H U R S D AY

F R I D AY

S AT U R D AY

S U N D AY

NOTES

father’s day

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queen’s birthday (w.a. only)

queen’s birthday (qld only)

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Illustration: Caitlin Shearer.

issue 86 on sale

NOTES

crafty

that inking feeling jessie wright and lara davies – aka the ladies behind home-work screen-printing – share a cosy pillowcase project from their new book, print play.

MATERIALS

Get your squeegee and inks ready. Place the screen over the pillowcase, lining up the stencil to its corresponding shape. Mark the corners of the screen with tape – this will help you remember the position. Remove the screen, then remove the shape from the pillowcase.

coloured paper or cardboard / scissors / ruler / pencil / stencil paper / scalpel / cutting mat / plain pillowcase (we used white) / large piece of scrap paper or card / packing and masking tapes / screen (43T for printing on fabric – this allows more ink through) / squeegee / inks in three colours / spatula / iron / hair dryer

Place the screen back inside the tape marks you created, then spread a generous amount of ink above your design, in the ink well. Hold the screen steady and start printing with one ‘flood stroke’, pulling the ink down the screen using only the weight of the squeegee. (The squeegee should sit at a 45-degree angle.) This ensures your design will get sufficient ink. Then, apply more pressure in three hard ‘pulls’ (keeping the force even from top to bottom). Carefully lift the screen from the pillowcase, in a motion that’s almost like opening a book.

NOTE: We suggest using transparent inks – which allow the colour of the fabric to show through – as they will feel softer against your face.

HOW TO

Peel off the stencil and wash it, then wash and dry the screen so it’s ready for the next print. Dry the first print completely using a hair dryer. (It’s important to keep it moving so nothing burns.)

Cut out a selection of shapes from coloured paper – just have fun with it! Pick out your three favourite shapes and pop them on a piece of paper, moving them around until you’re happy with their placement. This will become your design. You’ll need to scale the size up, but that’s easy with such simple shapes.

Attach the second stencil and use the same process to position and print it. Repeat the process with your third stencil.

Dry the print completely, then heat set the pillowcase with an iron. Make sure to put it on the cotton setting and turn off any steam – you’ll need to iron the print (through a tea towel) for at least five minutes, keeping the iron moving. After that, you’re ready to pop your pillow inside and snuggle up!

Using a pencil, draw the scaled-up version of each shape onto your stencil paper. You’ll need a different piece of stencil paper for each shape. Cut the stencils using your scalpel and cutting mat. Save all the cut-out pieces from each shape – you’ll need them in a minute.

Iron your pillowcase and lay it out on the work surface. Place a large piece of scrap paper inside, so the ink doesn’t bleed through. Arrange the cut-out shapes on the pillowcase. When you’re happy with their positions, use a doubled-over piece of tape to secure them in place. This will enable you to ‘register’ each print, so all elements stay where they’re meant to.

Published by Hardie Grant Books, Print Play by Jessie Wright and Lara Davies is available for $24.99 in stores nationally. Craft project tweaked slightly for magazine format.

Prepare the screen by sticking packing tape to the front to create a border (this is where the ink will start and finish – it’s called the ‘ink well’). Then, attach the first stencil to the front using two pieces of masking tape. Make sure the stencil overlaps the frame of tape around your screen, so there’s no exposed mesh (other than your design!).

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real life

circus kathmandu meet the first circus in nepal to be set up by survivors of child trafficking.

WORDS MIA TIMPANO

Tens of millions of humans are trafficked every year – sold into slavery; forced into prostitution; purchased as child brides; or harvested for organs. There are 10 times more slaves in the world now than there were at the height of slavery in America.

In fact, the Global Slavery Index pegs the total number of people in captivity at around 46 million. Nearly a quarter of those are children.

In fact, Shital was so young when she was sold to an Indian circus that she can’t even remember it happening. “If there was a little mistake, there would be violence,” she explains, “So, sometimes I’d be like, ‘I’m a bit sick – I can’t train.’ But then someone would come into your room and grab you and beat you.” She never tried to escape, because she had no idea what she would be escaping to. When folks from a rescue organisation turned up, she politely declined their offer to take her away. Her reasoning: she didn’t know her parents. “This is my family,” she told them.

For anyone living in the First World, the very notion of human trafficking is horrendous, to the extent that it’s hard to imagine.

But then you meet a pair of young women like Shital Ghimire and Saraswoti Adhikari – lively circus performers from Nepal, touring the world with their self-made company – and discover not only what it means to be sold, but also what it means to be freed.

Meanwhile, in another Indian circus, Saraswoti (whose name translates to ‘the goddess of wisdom’) endured similar punishment, carefully doled out to those parts of her body that wouldn’t be exposed during show time – on the feet, for example.

Unlike Shital, Saraswoti remembers the moment she was sold.

Walking with her sister, Saraswoti, then eight, was approached by a man who offered to take them somewhere they would be provided for. “There will be food, there will be clothes,” he promised. So poor were the sisters that they didn’t even consult their parents – they just left with him, their youth and poverty exploited for a stranger’s gain. Although dazzled by the costumes, and not particularly scared to begin with, Saraswoti would quickly encounter the ritual brutality of life in a forced circus. Together with a few other captives, she attempted to escape. Twice she failed, then she gave up altogether.

They’ve come to Australia as part of an exchange with Women’s Circus – a not-for-profit feminist arts organisation based in Footscray, a thriving creative suburb of Melbourne. In the Women’s Circus training space – a converted drill hall – Shital and Saraswoti learn rope-jumping skills. Their Nepalese interpreter translates the instructions from the facilitator to the girls, and joins in the activities, too. It’s just like lunchtime skipping sessions in primary school, only everyone here is an adult, and the Double Dutch is a bit more full on. Explosions of laughter follow everyone’s mistakes, and applause follows successful executions. “This is their happiest moment,” the interpreter says of Shital and Saraswoti. “They love circus training more than anything.” But it was only a handful of years ago that their regular training sessions involved beatings and humiliation.

“With all the human trafficking still going on, I figured I might as well stay there, and whatever they say, just do it,” she says.

Married at 14 to the circus owner’s son, Saraswoti had two children of her own – both boys. As per Shital’s experience, the circus that abused Saraswoti literally became her family. Both

“When I couldn’t do the training, they’d put a rope around my waist and keep hitting me with a stick,” Shital recalls, quiet and detached. A life of torture was simply her reality growing up.

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real life Photo Satya Films

explains. “We want to educate people; build more community; and encourage people to join us, because circus can be good for you physically and mentally. It gives you meditation.” It’s also enabled Saraswoti and Shital to see the world. Circus Kathmandu has toured internationally (the girls are both chuffed to have a bit of a handle on English as a result). They maintain a rigorous local performance schedule, too, in line with their main goal: enlightening folks about human trafficking. “We plan to do 18 locations in Nepal this year,” Shital says.

girls were eventually rescued and resettled in a hostel in their native Nepal. But for Saraswoti, leaving meant losing contact with her sons. Shital was reunited with her family, however chose not to live with them. “I don’t feel right when I’m with my parents,” she says. “I didn’t spend my childhood with them, and I don’t know whose fault that is.”

That time in the resettlement hostel would prove highly fateful – and not just because it represented their first step towards freedom. One day, some folks showed up to perform circus tricks for the many victims of human trafficking stationed there. Shital and Saraswoti, newly acquainted friends, decided to perform their own tricks for the crowd, and found that, although circus performance was inherently connected to a lifetime of trauma, they remained immensely proud of their skills. More than that, they enjoyed it. “We said, ‘We know how to do this, so why don’t we start our own troupe?’” Saraswoti explains. From that suggestion, the first-ever contemporary Nepalese circus was born – and it was theirs.

Despite global success – and even starring in a feature-length documentary about their journey, the majestic Even When I Fall – Circus Kathmandu’s headquarters remain inadequate. They’re too small, for one thing. Then there’s the problematic landlord who keeps jacking up their rent. The girls admire the facilities of Women’s Circus, with their spacious rooms, lofty ceilings and decent equipment. “We’d like to have a space like this so we can hold more training workshops,” Saraswoti says. A new HQ is the dream, and they’re collecting donations via their website, circuskathmandu.com. That’s one way people in the First World can make a difference to an otherwise overwhelming problem with no immediate solution.

These days, in collaboration with several other survivors of forced circus slavery, Shital and Saraswoti run Circus Kathmandu from a small building in Nepal’s capital. Their shows encompass circus acts of a more traditional nature, along with a special point of difference: mini plays, inspired by their experiences of abuse. The dramas are intended to inform local audiences about the dangers of human trafficking – a crucial lesson for kids who, like Saraswoti, might easily be led into slavery with a basic offer of food. There’s also a message about circus itself that they hope to deliver: that it’s not necessarily a prison.

But what of the long-term emotional effects to girls like Shital and Saraswoti? Fortunately, Saraswoti is now able to visit her boys, and will regain custody in a few years’ time. That can’t make coping with her painful memories any easier, though. “Whatever happened in the past happened,” she says. “You can’t change it.”

Shital adopts a similarly resilient attitude: “I remember the past; I have it in my mind. But I don’t want to show these things. It’s life. Sometimes there’s happiness, sometimes there’s sadness.

But I feel strong.”

“Because of these Indian circuses, with the violence and the rape, that’s what all people in Nepal think circus is,” Saraswoti

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looks we like

we are the happysads ADRIANA ESPERALBA, DESIGNER FOR SPANISH KIDS’ LABEL BOBO CHOSES, TALKS US THROUGH THIS TEMPER TANTRUM-INSPIRED COLLECTION.

When did you start Bobo Choses and how has it developed since then? After working for several years as an art director at an advertising agency in Barcelona, I decided to create a graphic design studio with a friend. In 2008, with the arrival of our children, we realised we couldn’t find nice clothes for kids. So, we created a mini collection of t-shirts, without having any idea how to sell it. Next January it will be 10 years since we presented our first collection. We still love creating fun clothes for kids to play with; writing crazy children’s books that give meaning to our collections; and designing beautiful objects that lift our feet off the ground.

What is the concept behind The Happysads collection? The Happysads is inspired by kids and their way of expressing contradictory emotions. They might have hard times identifying their feelings; they might not even know what to name them.

Instead, they express themselves by throwing temper tantrums or having meltdowns. My favourite band is The Cure – I find their lyrics quite ‘happysad’ – so we decided to create a kids’ band that sings about children and their rollercoaster-like feelings.

Talk us through the items we can find in the range. British-inspired shapes and carefully selected colours go along with bold prints that reveal the contradictions of kids’ emotions: bittersweet candy; Mr Clearly Confused; a funny half-pig-half-elephant; cars that go in both directions at the same time. Some key items are faux-fur coats, padded trousers and velvet dresses.

What kind of stuff were you listening to or watching while making this collection? Indie, pop and post-punk music are part of my life.

There’s also a movie called Sing Street that shows children growing up and looking for their own identity. It made me think about bringing a children’s music group together.

What are your top priorities when creating clothing for children?

Design-wise, we want the garments to be comfortable and easy to care for. I would say I design more for kids, although our references and imaginations belong to our childhood, so parents can also relate to them. Our colours and prints are the distinctive features of Bobo Choses – we try not to lose our personality.

Where do you find inspiration? Folk, tribal and traditional textiles, mainly – I’m obsessed! I like how they’re embellished for the sake of being beautiful; that the craftsmanship is truly valued.

Please describe the studio where this collection was made. We love working in an old toy factory two blocks away from the Mediterranean Sea, learning from the local manufacturers’ know-how. It’s a magical place with a lot of light, and all of us are very happy to spend a lot of hours there. At Bobo Choses, we love to have fun!

You also produced a Happysads music video. Could you tell us more about that? I’m fortunate to have a wonderful and talented team. Our graphic designer Luciano Torres is also a musician, and he wrote the words and music for The Happysads. My eldest son Teo plays the drums and sings, and the rest of the band members are friends of his.

The Bobo team’s children recorded the backing vocals. Our idea is to record a couple more songs and present them by the end of the year.

Where can we see more of your cool clothes? bobochoses.com

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try this at home

If the splinter is really wedged down deep, attach the bread with a band-aid and try leaving it overnight.

the slice is right

KEEPING STALENESS AT BAY // Given how quickly a loaf of bread can turn into a crusty, tooth-cracking rock, it’s perhaps surprising that it can also be used to stop things in your pantry from getting stale. Pop a slice in your cookie jar or cake tin and its moisture will help keep your baked goods chewy and soft. This trick also works with bags of marshmallows and for loosening sugar that’s dried into hardened clumps.

YOUR DAILY BREAD HAS MANY TALENTS BESIDES HOLDING TOGETHER A SANDWICH. Words Sophie Kalagas

PICKING UP BROKEN GLASS // Instead of yelling “Taxi!” when someone drops a glass, try reaching for a slice of bread instead.

(For practical reasons, but also, that joke was never very funny to begin with – sorry.) First, pick up all the big broken bits with a dustpan and broom, then pat the area down with your gluten-filled friend. The porous texture of the bread will grab hold of any tiny shards left about the place. Just make sure to chuck it in the bin once you’re done, unless you fancy your Vegemite toast with a side of crushed glass.

STOPPING ONION TEARS // History has brought us many supposed cures for chopped-onion-related tears, and here’s another to add to the list: stuffing fresh white bread in your mouth, with the end sticking out. Sure, you’ll look like a fool, but apparently the bread acts like a spongy barrier, soaking up tear-inducing gases before they get to your eyes. (And if it doesn’t work, we’ve always found carbs to be a great comfort when we’re having a cry. So, win-win.)

ABSORBING ICKY ODOURS // There’s nothing quite like the scent of cooking veggies to divide an office or sharehouse at mealtimes.

But before you engage in broccoli-inspired warfare, try cooking or reheating with a slice of bread whacked on top. The crumby carb acts like a sponge, soaking up offensive smells before they fill the room. (And if you’re actually quite fond of the cruciferous scent, you could fry the bread after and scoff it with some salt and pepper as a yummy side dish.)

CLEANING OLD PAINTINGS // Got a Rembrandt or Monet tucked away in storage that could do with a bit of sprucing up? No need for any fancy cleaning products to ditch the accumulated muck and grime – just pick up a loaf of bread from the shops. Gently dabbing the soft, doughy part over the painting will remove any smudges, dust and fingerprints. (Then, grab a soft-bristled paintbrush and carefully clean off any residual crumbs.) This technique also works a treat with grubby photographs, painted walls and countertops.

SWEETENING YOUR FEET // Feet feeling a bit crusty? Calluses got you down? That dried up flesh is (apparently) no match for a piece of stale bread soaked in apple cider vinegar. Dunk some old rye (or wholemeal, or white) in the acidic liquid for a while, then wrap it around the offending area, securing it with glad wrap so it doesn’t leak. The idea is to sleep the night with your tootsie wrapped up tight, then carefully unravel it in the morning. With any luck, the callus will be soft enough to rub away with a pumice stone – or, if you’re lucky, it could be completely gone.

REMOVING SPLINTERS // Heads up, lumberjacks and carpenters: a loaf of bread can offer more than a mid-morning snack. When a pesky splinter weasels its way into your skin, soak an untoasted slice in warm water or milk, then place it over the punctured spot.

Hold it in place until you feel the bread go a bit cold and soggy – it should draw out the painful shard by softening the skin around it.

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something to say Photo Lukasz Wierzbowski

a home of one’s own

cat-owning friend this – don’t expect it to feel natural straight away. It’s some kind of detox, of people and noises and presence.

But, in their place, new things will grow.

CARO COOPER IS ALL FOR LEAVING THE ROOMMATE LIFE BEHIND.

Living alone, I learn more; read more; listen to more podcasts; relax shamelessly. While co-habitating, my middle-class guilt prevented me from sleeping a Sunday away. I needed to get up and ‘do brunch’. Now, I can spend the weekend in bed eating TeeVee Snacks, but tell inquiring colleagues I was gallery-hopping with attractive friends. Unlike me, though, many solo dwellers I know go out more, see more people, and do more things than ever. It can be a social motivator, or it can be a comfortable couch of solitude.

Sometimes both in one day.

Living alone is freedom for your peculiarities. You can listen to talkback radio at five in the morning; fart proudly; clean when it suits you; and use all the hot water. You can eat the same thing every meal without judgment. That was one of the things I disliked most about sharehouse living: people commenting on what I ate.

To me, food is like genitals – don’t touch it, sniff it or comment on it unless you’re invited.

A good friend recently moved out by herself for the first time.

She has a cat, so she’s not really alone, but if it were Census time she would be ticking the box marked ‘one-person household’.

Meanwhile, I’ve lived alone on and off for 10 years. Sometimes out of necessity, sometimes because the sound of my flatmate’s key in the door sent shudders down my spine. I’ve lived alone when single, in a relationship, and in the weird, murky dishwater of ‘it’s complicated’.

But for all the freedoms, there are also practical realities to consider. No one will find you for ages if you slip in the shower.

Food goes off fast, so you’ll be eating stale bread five out of seven days (unless you chuck it in the freezer on day one). You need to be a decisive problem-solver when your washing machine floods the apartment or you set fire to the carpet. And you should probably keep a baseball bat under your bed. Just in case.

Some people don’t like saying they live alone. They say they live ‘independently’ or use some other wording that reads like a nursing home brochure. I’m not afraid of alone, the word or the state.

It’s different from lonely – which is what people are really scared of – though in a Venn diagram the two would overlap. Living alone is liberating, fun, productive and, yes, sometimes lonely. But then, sharehouse living, family life and coupledom all touch that circle of lonely, too. I’ve lived with partners and felt more isolated than I ever did living by myself – and I had to listen to them whine, to boot.

Ten years in, I still haven’t nailed the art of living solo. Things still surprise or confuse me. A minor illness can make living alone feel like the saddest, most isolating thing in the world, while a trip home at Christmas can make it seem so right, so perfect for my mental health. For all the baseball bats and exploding washing machines, there’s also the peace, independence, and joy of stale cheese jaffles in bed at 6pm, with a box of biscuits, an episode of NCIS and zero judgment. Live free.

The first time I ever moved out on my own, I looked around my box-strewn studio apartment, complete with a Murphy bed, and called my friend. “I’ve made a terrible mistake,” I sobbed into my Nokia. She said, “Give it time.” She was right. I tried to tell my

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