Monthly Archive for March, 2009
love of hounds
I want a dog. This is not a flight of fancy, or a fleeting canine craving only conjured up when face-to-face with an abnormally cute puppy. I know it’s going to be hard. I’ve seen the RSPCA ads; a pet is for life. But my eyes are open and I am ready.
Considering I am someone whose idea of commitment is going halves in a new esky with her boyfriend, I wouldn’t blame you for questioning my thinking on this one. (NB. the esky was for glorious dog-friendly picnicking, not irresponsible alcohol-induced hedonism). My perpetual Geminian wanderlust and heart-shaped musings have shadowed me since the day I started making my own decisions in life and I am fully aware of their presence. Continue reading ‘love of hounds’
be like others
map magazine and the Brisbane Powerhouse are proud to present a special screening of Iranian documentary, Be Like Others, as part of the Queer Film Festival. Tickets will cost $15 and money raised will go to the Gay and Lesbian Welfare Association. Winner of the Teddy Jury Award at Berlin International Film Festival 2008, and an Official Selection at Sundance Film Festival 2008, Be Like Others is a fascinating look at those on the fringes of Iranian life – young people looking for acceptance through radical means. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, a country with strict social and traditional values, sex-change operations are legal, yet homosexuality is still punishable by death. With Iran’s international arms negotiations dominating news headlines, a very private kind of drama is unfolding behind the scenes. Continue reading ‘be like others’
This short film will get you in the mood for map magazine’s eat issue hitting the streets from Friday April 3. Sweet Dreams just received a Special Jury Award at SXSW 09.
With a barely functioning alcoholic mother, a cruel bully as a sister and an absent father, Hugh is trying to keep his family from falling apart at the seams. Flying in from overseas, he is met with an emotional minefield of anger and fragility. A tale of a contemporary middle-class family in turmoil, That Face has opened this week in an Australian premiere by Queensland Theatre Company at the Bille Brown Studios. British playwright Polly Stenham wrote That Face at the tender age of 19, and has received critical acclaim across the UK. Queensland Theatre Company’s production, directed by recent NIDA graduate Nic Dorward, is set for an equally electrifying and popular season.
Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily.
Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11
Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide.
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07
United States: The Revis family of North Carolina
Food expenditure for one week $341.98
Mexico: The Casales fa mily of Cuernavaca.
Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09
Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna.
Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27
Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo.
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53
Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo.
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55
Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village.
Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03
Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp.
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23
For this series of photographs, I’m afraid little information is available about them. In my searches I could not locate a project site, or any record of it. If anyone can, please let me know.
Brisbane artist Anthony Lister has opened a show, titled The Pain of Feeling, in Italy.
London restaurant Inamo last year introduced their high tech concept in modern dining to the world – the interactive ordering system. Images projected onto the table from above allow you to order food and drinks from an illustrated menu, call for your waiter, ask for your bill, change the look of your table setting or even order yourself a cab. What they say… “Inamo is a pioneering Oriental fusion restaurant and bar where the control of the dining experience is placed firmly in your hands. Our mission is to provide delicious cuisine with charming and timely service in a warm and vibrant atmosphere.” From all reports they’ve achieved their mission too. Apparently the food is fantastic and diners are loving being in control of their restaurant experience.
Via charity: water: Yesterday, March 22nd, was World Water Day. While a billion people on our planet still lack access to clean and safe drinking water, charity: water has now funded 1,247 water projects in 14 countries, transforming the lives of more than 650,000 people. The team just returned from visiting their wells in Central African Republic and now share their stories and photos on the charity: water website. It’s really inspiring to see the positive effect clean water can have on a human’s life. (Photo by Esther Havens)
The winners have been announced for the largest international photographic competition, the Sony World Photography Awards (SWPA). With 8 categories for both professional and amateur photographers’ world wide, the SWPA aims to bring motivation for the entire photographic community. Among these winners are two Australian Professional photographers, Lisa Marie Williams and Steve Morenos, awarded first and second place respectively in the Fine Art- Natural History category. Each category winner will have the opportunity to be apart of the SWPA Global Tour and have their artwork showcased on the SWPA website for the year of 2009. From all winners collectively one grand prize winner will be selected, from both the amateur and professional competitions, to be named The Sony World Photography Awards Amateur/ Professional Photographer of the Year. The Photographers of the Year will be flown to Cannes, France to attend the gala awards ceremony on the 16th of April 2009. A prize most definitely earned. Good luck Lisa!
Enjoy the occasional wine over dinner or with an afternoon platter? Are you under 25 years of age and want to learn more about the different tastes of the fine grape? If so, Tognini’s Bistro Café Deli in Spring Hill has organised the perfect night for you. With a selection of three white and three red wines to taste accompanied by deli platters, Tognini’s Drink and Learn Workshop will not only fill your glass with wine to taste but also knowledge. Now no-one has to avoid the role of choosing the right wine for dinner!
As an ambitious city executive with her eye and heart firmly set on a promotion, Lucy (Renee Zellweger) accepts a temporary job in the middle of nowhere because she thinks it’s just the edge she needs to reach the next step in the career ladder. What she doesn’t count on is the snow, the lack of city luxuries and possibly meeting the love of her life in Ted (Harry Connick Jr.). For your chance to win one of five prize packs, including a cosmetic pack and a double pass to see New In Town, email your name, phone number and postal address to mikki@mapmagazine.com.au.
One album that should be on high rotation this month is M.Ward’s Hold Time. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, M.Ward (or Matt Ward to his friends) is a singer/songwriter who has an impressive history in the music industry and yet is only just starting to blink on the consciousness of music lovers outside the U.S. He has most notably worked with Jim James of My Morning Jacket and Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. He also recently linked up with actress Zooey Deschanel to put out an album titled Volume One as She & Him. Hold Time is M.Ward’s seventh album, in which he effortlessly mixes tone-tapping indie tunes, chilled out harmonies and acoustic guitars.
I think this is genius. You print the page and just hold it up to to your webcam. Some fancy digital technology recognises the shapes on the paper and creates a ‘hologram’. It’s fun to try for yourself - download it here.
G.O.D. (Goods of Desire) is a lifestyle company on a quest to identify Hong Kong culture and promote and preserve it’s uniqueness. GOD is the phonetic sound of the Cantonese “to live better”, and the stores are filled with books, furniture, clothing and housewares. It creates and sells products that have a modern twist on traditional Chinese items, and some of their best products give the sense that the designers are sharing local “inside jokes” with you.
Daft Punk’s tune, Harder Better Faster Stronger, has inspired many offshoots. We’ve seen the Kanye West remix and the Daft Hands YouTube video, which is ranked as one of the most popular videos of all time and has inspired its own offshoots, including Daft Bodies and even Daft Scrabble. Now fans can have a go at keyboard karaoke with Najle’s iDaft Daft Punk Console. Plug in your headphones and test your co-ordination by tapping along to the song. Touch typists will do well!
everland
Hotel Everland is a project by the artist-duo L/B (Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann). It is a hotel with only one room including a bathroom, a king-size bed and a lounge. It represents the subjective dream of a hotel: the architecture, the playful details, as well as the request to steal the golden embroidered bath towels. All facets are important constituents of the artistic idea: The room can be booked for one night only, the mini-bar is fully stocked and included in the price, breakfast is delivered to the door and a record collection stands at ones disposal. It was built in 2002 and has moved to various locations since then. It is currently in Paris, on the rooftop of Palais de Tokyo and will be there until May 2009 before closing. Bookings for the last nights are for auction on ebay.
Made by Cripsin, Porter + Bogusky, this advertisement has received critical acclaim and a lot of controversy. The short documentary/advertisement profiles a group of researchers travelling to the furtherest reaches of our world to visit cultures that have never been exposed to a Whopper burger.
