map magazine's street editors

A mirror does not always reflect truth. In the eye of the viewer, it can show what they wish to see: who they aspire to be or perhaps who they once were. American photographer Tom Hussey created a set of advertising posters dedicated to a drug designed to treat Alzheimer’s dementia. The series labelled “reflections” offers a glimpse into the world of those suffering memory problems and the daily challenges they face. Through a highly emotive display, the images reveal how Alzheimer’s patients can be trapped by their youth. Another photographer taking a glimpse into the past is Irina Werning with her collection “back to the future“. Irina is a self-confessed old photo fanatic and has taken it upon herself to dig through the archives of family favourites and perfectly recreate the images, sometimes up to 50 years later.

Since Al Gore stepped forward and presented us an inconvenient truth about the future of our planet, ‘going green’ is on the increase and change is on the horizon. The documentary was an entry in the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and has since encouraged heated discussion and spurred a call to action for greener living. Following in the footsteps of film-based awareness, an Australian co-op is calling for creatives to push their boundaries and give carbon the flick. Green Screen is seeking film submissions of up to 5 minutes that communicate a positive message about a clean energy future through any genre or style. This joint effort by the Climate Scientists of Macquarie University, The University of Melbourne and Monash Sustainability Institute, aims to promote positive change in the great climate debate.  The deadline for submissions is Friday 10 February 2012 so get those cameras rolling.

Natalie Warne’s philosophy is that no one is too young to change the world. At just 17, she applied to volunteer with Invisible Children after watching a documentary about their efforts to end the abduction of 30,000 children forced to serve as soldiers, and to kill their own communities, in Africa’s longest-running war. Her passion and leadership skills stood out and she went on to lead Invisible Children’s largest project. The Rescue campaign went global on April 15^th 2009, with thousands around the world raising their voices for the cause. Sleeping outside for six days, Natalie and her Chicago peace protest gained Oprah Winfrey as a celebrity ‘rescuer’. Natalie is now chasing her dream of becoming a filmmaker in California after also helping to create the documentary Together We Are Free about the global 100-city, 10-country awareness event.

Image via Invisible Children.

The film Julie & Julia follows Julie Powells’ memoir in cooking each of the 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Recording her culinary adventures in blog form within a year’s deadline, the story is one of inspiration, leaving you with quite the appetite for French fare. Another Julie has now, too, found comfort and success after 365 days of baking and blogging. When Julie Marie Craig, 23, graduated from her photography degree she was at a loss for what to do next. So she baked. And baked, and baked. Watching Julie & Julia one night sparked San Francisco-based Julie’s need to start her own blog, putting her beloved photography skills back to use. Just like Julie Powell, the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, made anything possible. Now weekdays are spent baking at a cupcakery, with weekends left to source fresh, local produce…

“You make beautiful things out of the dust. You make beautiful things out of us.” This Gungor lyric may be Gospel based, but it also applies perfectly to the subject it is now printed on. At the bottom of grandparents’ wardrobes, in secondhand shops and bouquinistes around the world, once cherished LPs lie waiting to be rediscovered. Some are found and played once more and some are reborn in a new form. American artist Patrick Laurent takes old, dusty records and gives them new life – creating beautiful wall art under the name Quiet Boy Studio. Sketching out lyrics into the circular shape, he designs and paints songs onto disused vinyl. The lyrics themselves, the colour and design are all customisable, meaning you can entrap your favourite musical poetry into a treasurable keepsake.

Amina Abaza was lucky – she was taught to greatly respect all living things. At eight years old, each morning she would greet a stray dog at her school bus stop and bring him treats. But one day her four-legged friend wasn’t waiting – she had been shot by the police. This stark memory and Amina’s love for animals was the inspiration behind S.P.A.R.E., Egypt’s first registered charity for the protection of all animals. Today S.P.A.R.E. houses hundreds of stray dogs, cats and donkeys and provides a free veterinary service. Among advocating better conditions for strays and zoo-kept animals, S.P.A.R.E. aims to educate society to be compassionate towards animals. Inspired by the quote: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated,” famously said by Gandhi, S.P.A.R.E. has succeeded in making the lives of Egyptian animals just that little bit better.

‘Cycle chic’ has become quite the trend, with importance placed both on fashion and your bicycle’s look. The cobble-stoned streets of Copenhagen are filled with helmet-less ladies and gents all dolled up, coasting from destination A to B. Electra Townie riders may enjoy popping past Paris’ Coutume Café for their morning brew, but fixie enthusiasts will feel more at home at Look Mum No Hands! in London. Serving up an array of sweet and savoury dishes from early breakfast to late dinner (they’re open until 10:00 pm each night), they also have a workshop and mechanics on hand to fix those sneaky chains while you sip your locally roasted coffee. Whether you’ve donned Lycra or Louis Vuitton, if you enjoy a good latte or a cold beer, you’ll be welcome at this cycle cafe.

Image by Paul Hart via Look Mum No Hands!

Sometimes, words alone are not enough to express what we feel. Some turn to music to reveal their emotions, others divulge their inner thoughts through painting, poetry or dance. Still, some choose to say it in llama. When Helvetica feels bourgeoisie or Arial Bold is just too in your face, say it in llama. Send a love letter, write your shopping list or present your thesis with the help of these woolly mammals. Llama font is the creative work of Avery Oldfield and Jack Inscoe. In their mind, everything is better with llamas. How can you argue with that?

With verdant coffee plantations, laid-back haciendas and a host of adventurous activities on offer, Colombia’s Zona Cafetera is proving there’s more to this country than the trigger-happy stereotype. While the Caribbean coast is luring tourists looking for the next big thing, it’s the lush coffee region, right in the heart of the country, that remains its workhorse. Here, every available slope is covered in the country’s signature crop – high-quality coffee beans – and old-time coffee growers continue to work the land much as they always have. This is old-style Colombia, a place where the coffee is free flowing and the future is looking bright.

In the architectural world, a once-futuristic design can quickly spiral into a shell-shocked state, when a design fails to capture public favour. The infamous Italian housing estate Le Vele di Scampia, originally designed in hopes of being revolutionary in its representation of Italian socialism, but which now symbolises its failure, has been visually documented by German artist Tobias Zielony at the Institute of Modern Art, until February 4.

A Francophile’s love affair with France might manifest itself in a spray of fine perfume, or an impressive collection of Breton-striped shirts. Whatever form the infatuation takes, the stylish allure of France captivates all the senses. Celebrating French charm, music and culture, So Frenchy, So Chic once again returns to the Brisbane Powerhouse to showcase the best of the vibrant French music scene. Bluegrass band Moriarty joins compelling French-Nigerian solo artist Asa in a double-billed performance when So Frenchy, So Chic comes to Brisbane Powerhouse on January 20.

If you think Rio is all beaches, parties and well-oiled bodies, then think again. Away from the crowds, up in the hills, sits the atmospheric suburb of Santa Teresa. This is bohemian territory, where the artists outweigh the beach bums, and the views across the city take your breath away. With its mix of artistic charm and crumbling mansions, ‘Santa’ is luring travellers away from the shoreline and into the hills. And once there, very few of them ever want to come down.

Christmas may be done and dusted for another year, but gift giving is a constant that remains throughout the seasons. Birthdays, Mother’s Day, Easter, the Queen’s Birthday, Friday… the occasions are limitless when it comes to gifting. Newcomers to the wrapping paper game, Gift Couture, have created a deliciously themed paper set. Complete with bun, pattie, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes, Gift Couture’s Cheeseburger Wrapping is so amazing it doesn’t really matter what’s inside the box! In another food-meets-wrapping twist, the crafty folk at Creature Comforts offer step by step advice on creating beautifully stamped paper using celery. Yes, celery! To top it off, home and lifestyle queen Martha Stewart offers a concise 45 point list on wrapping ideas. You know, just in case hamburger or celery inspired papers aren’t creative enough.

On August 15, 2007, Pisco, Peru was at the epicentre of an 8.0-magnitude earthquake that destroyed up to 80% of the city, killing more than 600 people and leaving thousands homeless. A year later, funding intended for the rescue and rebuilding effort had reportedly been squandered by local officials, leaving the citizens of Pisco with virtually nowhere to turn, and many ended up living in tents in shanty towns on the city’s outskirts. After working with one of the American-based relief organisations, Burners Without Borders, local twenty-something Harold Zevallos decided that something needed to be done on a grassroots level. So he started Pisco Sin Fronteras, a volunteer organisation that, for the last three years, has attracted people from across the globe to lend their hand to rebuilding the community and the hope of its people.

At the same time each year, many are faced with the daunting task of buying for the friend who has everything. The answer is simple: give them a goat. The hoofed beast is a quirky present for someone special and an amazing gift to a family in poverty. Goats, with their magnificent eating abilities, can provide nutritious milk, clean up scraps or be bartered for pay for a child’s education. A goat not really ‘your thing’? How about guitar lessons for children in Vanuatu, a well in Sri Lanka or toys for orphans in Africa? Sometimes we forget just how lucky we are. So this year when you are making your list and checking it twice, give the gift that gives a little something more.

Looks like a painting doesn’t it? Or, an optical illusion of sorts. This is Salar de Uyuni – the world’s largest salt flat. Located between the Potosi and Oruro departments of southwest Bolivia, the area is 10,582 square kilometers in size and elevated nearly 400 meters above sea level. There is no denying that such conditions make for the most beyond belief and picturesque of imagery. Once an area covered in prehistoric lakes, the area is now covered by meters of salt crust; it is estimated that up to 70% of the world’s lithium reserves are contained here. This salt dessert, which is a major breeding ground for pink flamingos, is subject to huge tourist numbers, with travellers and photographers alike hoping to take advantage of the clear skies and vast, uninterrupted landscape.

The eyes can detect an Andrew Baines work almost immediately and without question; his art has become one of the most recognisable and collectable of Australia’s contemporary artists. Moving to Australia from England in 1963 as a newborn, Andrew and his family settled into Australian life at Grange, just outside of Adelaide. It was the close proximity to the coastline and the subsequent beach culture that ensued, that has served as inspiration in most of Baines work: “the everchanging beach became a metaphor for my life”, he says. Work as a cartoonist for a local newspaper at the age of ten saw Baines receive his first paying commission, before becoming a commercial artist and working for brands such as BP Australia and Grand Prix Australia. In his early thirties, Baines became committed to his creative trade fulltime. Along with his appreciation…

Kickstarting the Queensland Theatre Company’s 2012 season, Australian classic Summer of the Seventeenth Doll will star theatre luminary Robyn Nevin. Later in the year, Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers will come to life on the stage, when QTC performs Romeo and Juliet. Set to transform into an artist’s lounge and workshop space, the company’s home turf Bille Brown Studio will morph into The GreenHouse – a creative incubator in May, July and October. The Queensland Theatre Company’s new season kicks off from February 22 at various local locations, including QPAC and Bille Brown Studio.

The miniature fantasy world created by Perth-based artists Pip & Pop is everything you ever imagined as a child plus more. Think the land of the Ning Nang Nong meets Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. A place where the tooth fairy might wind down after a hard night’s work. Using sand, sugar and cake-decorating tools, artists Nicole Andrijevic and Tanya Schultz play on mythology, cosmology and nostalgia. As part of the Brisbane Gallery of Modern Art’s fifth anniversary celebrations, We Miss You Magic Land! is an excursion into a world of colour for the young and young at heart. Relax on the grassy knoll and gaze upon the giant sugary clouds, wander past the glitter lagoon and peer through portals into a tiny universe of creativity. The installation will be at the GoMA until March 2012, but you can always take a virtual tour.

There is no denying that the French have a great sense of pride and keep their history and the people who inhabit it, close to their hearts – despite the nation often being subjected to much criticism and cruel stereotypes. Although perhaps best known as the home to various iconic monuments such as Notre Dame and Arc de Triomphe, the nation is also home to the world’s most visited cemetery. Père Lachaise Cemetery in the 20th Arrondissement in Paris is reputed to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Opened in 1804, the Christian people of Paris refused to lay in their graves in a place that had not been blessed by the Church, and as a result the cemetery experienced a slow and highly criticised start. Through a clever marketing strategy, the administrators of Lachaise organised for the transfer of the remains of…