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Melbourne Stencil Festival – The Gathering

Saturday 18th July at 4pm
Collingwood Underground 44 Harmsworth St, Collingwood.

The Melbourne Stencil Festival Committee is inviting all artists and passionate volunteers who are interested in taking part in this year’s festival to a social gathering and planning meeting to be held at the Collingwood Underground.

Refreshments will be provided in the form of BBQ, bear/wine & soft drinks. Our intention is to provide information, feedback and enthusiasm to all potential participants and to conduct a proactive planning session for activities taking place in the underground.

This year we have the opportunity to extend the scope of the festival and develop a proactive, artist driven approach to activities and events which can take place in this amazing space. There will also be an opportunity for emerging artists to exhibit works which, for one reason or another, are not able to be shown in the exhibition taking place at the Yarra Sculpture Gallery.

These two venues are connected by the footbridge over Hoddle Street upon which we hope to erect large banners advertising our festival. Some of the ideas currently being considered for the underground space are; workshops, master classes, films, panel discussions, a mega wall collaborative spray space, Napier Studios residency, exhibition, second stage charity auction and closing event.

How to Get There.

Collingwood Underground is situated on Harmsworth Street which runs off Johnson St between Gold & Hoddle Streets. It is an old underground car park on the Collingwood Housing Estate. The entrance is down a ramp which is adorned by a large mural created by local indigenous artists.

Stencil Festival website

Focus on girls 24/7 – ACMI

From desperate housewives to rampaging teenage anarchists, ‘the girls’ are up front in these stylistically brazen films by women directors from the sixties and early seventies.

The films brought together in Focus on Girls 24/7 each signal a unique creative vision behind the lens. The contradictory impulses of the modern woman are rendered on screen in bold, unfettered performances from the leading actresses.

Curated by Clare Stewart, in association with Sydney Film Festival

Friday 3 July – Sunday 12 July 2009
Full $13, Concession $10
6 Session Package: Full $60, Concession $48
NB > 6 Session Packages can only be purchased by phone (03 8663 2583) or in person at the ACMI Box Office. All sessions must be selected at time of booking.

More info from ACMI, focus on girls 24/7

Ann Howie – Point Roadknight

One of Melbourne’s most respected painters Ann Howie, climbs the cliffs of Point Roadknight to present her awesome new exhibition. The work contains views and vistas from Anglesea, Victoria and displays her latest commission for one of her private collectors. Ann has also been busy creating her website as a point of info exchange about her work and career. Ann is currently encouraging comments and inquiries about sales of her work.

^{Across the Point
oil on linen 92×140 2009,© Ahowie 2009}

Visit the Ann Howie website

Connected 09 – Melbourne exhibit

Cathy Staughton
Cathy Mother Poor ‘R2D2′ Robo & Good Little Boy Angels 1 Year old Dec 2007 2008
Gouache & Ink 765 x 560 mm

Connected 09…

Selected Artists from Arts Project Australia will be exhibiting in Connected 09 exhibition at Black Box Theatre at the Victorian Arts Centre.

Artists included in the exhibition are Jodie Noble, Dionne Canzano, Steven Ajzenberg, Peter Ben, Steven Worrell, Alan Constable, Julian Martin, Miles Howard-Wilks, Leo Cussen, Cathy Staughton, Chris O’Brien, Brigid Hanrahan, Cameron Noble, Valerio Ciccone and Lisa Reid.

Location
Black Box Theatre,
Victorian Arts Centre
100 St Kilda Road,
Melbourne VIC

Opening
Friday 31 July 2009 at 11.30am

Exhibition Dates
Thursday 30 July – Thursday 13 August 2009

Hours
Daily from 11am – 6pm and until 9pm on Friday and Saturday evenings
FREE and open to the public

Arts Project Australia is a not-for-profit incorporated association that is committed to supporting people with disabilities to become practitioners in the visual arts and to promote their work as integral to the broad spectrum of contemporary arts practice.

Meals on the go: Heinz USB powered mini-microwave

Heinz, famous the world over for its ketchup and baked beans, claims to have come up with a quick and easy solution for the legions of stressed out workers who are missing out on meals because they are tied to their desks. A portable microwave oven amusingly called the Beanzawave might not sound that impressive, but add its miniature dimensions and USB connectivity to the mix then this could be a recipe for success.

The world’s smallest microwave was thought to measure just 267mm x 254mm x 305mm, until Heinz approached GAMA Microwave Technology Limited and rewrote the rule book that is. The prototype Beanzawave is just 150mm x 160mm x 190mm, the itty-bitty dimensions being achieved by the use of mobile phone radio frequencies to heat the food both inside and out. Safety features like protective walls and the power being cut when the door is opened means that it also conforms to all safety standards expected of a microwave oven. And it’s power is provided by connecting it to a USB port on a desktop PC or laptop, offering numerous scenarios for enjoying hot meals on the go. On the train, on the bus, at work, on the way to meetings – the list is as large as the device is small.

Source: GizMag

In A Dark Dark House

In a Dark Dark House

Written by Neil LaBute
Directed by Wayne Pearn
22 July – 22 August, Red Stitch Theatre, Melbourne.

In A Dark, Dark House by one of America’s most provocative playwrights, Neil LaBute, is the latest offering by Red Stitch Theatre. An explosive drama full of twists, secrets and revenge, In A Dark, Dark House explores the depths of family loyalty and betrayal.

Terry is visiting his estranged younger brother Drew in the grounds of a psychiatric institution. Drew, a lawyer turned wealthy businessman, wants Terry to confirm a watershed event from their adolescence which may help make sense of his recent fall from grace.  But information has a price.  In A Dark, Dark House is a tense tale of fraught fraternal relationships, where male violence and vulnerability co-exist and where emotion can be seen as weakness.

Neil LaBute is one of the most prolific and provocative writers of our generation.  He adapted his first play for the big screen – In the Company of Men starring frequent collaborator Aaron Eckhart. Some of his other plays include Bash, Fat Pig and This is How It Goes. He wrote the screenplays The Wicker Man, and The Shape of Things, as well as directing Nurse Betty and Lakeview Terrace starring Samuel L. Jackson.

Wayne Pearn, founder of award winning theatre company, Hoy Polloy, makes his directorial debut with Red Stitch Theatre. Pearn’s previous productions include the much acclaimed play, Killing Jeremy, as well as last year’s The Real Thring and David Mamet’s Boston Marriage.

Red Stitch Ensemble member Dion Mills (Work of Wonder, Yellow Moon) stars as Terry alongside guest actors Geordie Taylor (This Wide Night) as Drew and Eloïse Mignon (Neighbours) as Jennifer.  Design is by Peter Mumford (Leaves Of Glass), with lighting design by Stelios Karagiannis (This Wide Night).

When: Wednesday 22 July  – Saturday 22 August 8pm (Sundays at 6.30pm)
No show Monday or Tuesday. Running time approximately 2 hours
Where: Red Stitch Actors Theatre, rear 2 Chapel St, St Kilda East (opp Astor), Melbourne
Tickets: $20 – $34 ($15 student rush)
Bookings: www.redstitch.net (discounted tix) or on 03 9533 8083

2009 news.com.au Green Awards

News.com.au is on the hunt for Australians doing their bit for the environment. You can nominate yourself or someone you know by completing the entry form before 5pm on July 24. Winners in this year’s awards will receive a brand new laptop from Toshiba worth more than $3000.

There are 10 categories:

• Green Hero
• Junior Green Hero
• Green Invention
• Green Town
• Scientific Breakthrough
• Green Business
• Environment 2.0
• Australian Solution
• Green Household
• Can Do Better

There are10 laptops in all, with nine going to the winners in each individual category (apart from the “Can Do Better” citation) and a single “People’s Choice” award for the finalist voted highest overall by news.com.au readers across the categories.

Hurry – entries close on July 24, so get your nominations in now for your chance to win.

QPAC presents BU$K – Australian Busking Competition

CALLING ALL BUSKERS SHARE IN $10,000 WORTH OF CASH AND PRIZES

QPAC is searching the shopping malls, street corners and parks of Australia for the most innovative, talented and audacious entertainers in the country.

Whether whimsical, witty, wonderful or wacky, buskers have an uncanny ability to grab our attention, delight us with their antics and then wrangle the loose change from our pockets while we cheer them on!

From amateur beat boxers to virtuosic violinists, clowns to contortionists, and statues to stilt-walkers, this unique breed of performers injects an unexpected burst of entertainment into the daily lives of pedestrians everywhere.

Queensland Performing Arts Centre is making a concerted effort to lure talented buskers from across the nation from the street to the stage as part of the inaugural Australian Busking Competition.

With $10,000 in cash and prizes, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fill your hat with more loose change than you can carry, balance or juggle.

Online applications close 3 July 2009.

NEWSFLASH – BU$K OPEN
In the lead up to BU$K, QPAC in conjunction with Brisbane Marketing and Brisbane City Council will be holding an additional event – BU$K Open! – to be held at Reddacliff Place in Brisbane Square on Saturday 4 July at 12pm. Successful open audition entrants will be fast-tracked into the heats. A last opportunity for musicians, dancers, sincers, jugglers, hula-hoopers, fire-twirlers, contortionists or any sort of performer to fill their hat, guitar case or bank account with a large cash prize. You must register your interest in this exciting extra performance opportunity by email to busk@qpac.com.au or call (07) 3842 9137 by 5pm Wednesday 1 July.

More info: Queensland Performing Arts Centre

Desktop Create Awards

The call for entries in the 2009 create:awards is now open so get cracking and submit your entry before 3pm on July 15th (deadline extended) to share in up to $50,000 in cash and prizes. Now in it’s fifth year the Desktop create:awards have not only spent the past half decade showcasing the best in Australian design from a broad range of industry fields including illustration, photography, website design, animation, print, multimedia, packaging and emerging talent. In 2009 Desktop are looking to take create: to a whole new level by introducing the first ever Desktop design expo to be held in conjunction with the awards event, transforming create: into a huge industry celebration designed to bring together everyone from designers and creatives through to freelance design warriors and advertising agencies, printers and paper merchants, marketing managers and software and hardware developers.

More info from Desktop mag -Create Awards.

Melbourne City Wiki

Tell Melbourne what you hope for it’s future. Write a message or add a drawing; be its voice and imagination. Help craft a future for Melbourne’s next generations.

City Wiki is based on the concept that the future of design for cities will be strongly centered on human interaction supported by multimedia and technology. The interactive installation is a means of recording collective ideas and personal responses. Photos, video footage and comments of City Wiki are posted online daily, promoting ongoing discourse and further involvement in creating a future for our city.

17 – 24 July, 24 hours
Location: Higson Lane, Melbourne
Phone: +61 3 9654 3644
Cost: Free

Source: State of Design