Hopes, dreams and hidden stories lie inside the lens of Ryan Lobo’s camera. Whenever he captures a subject, his images encompass one thousand emotions in a single frame. A photographer and filmmaker, Ryan dreams of capturing the intrinsic ethos of grassroots cultures. His fieldwork has seen him follow a Liberian war criminal attempt to search for redemption, cover the illegal organ trade in India, and produce documentaries for National Geographic. Ryan’s photos delicately and honestly capture unusual life stories, including female UN peacekeepers, and fire fighters in Delhi. Based in the Indian city of Bangalore, his blog allows his audiences to peek inside private moments, laden with emotions. His images transcend class, gender and social stereotypes, and instead empathetically focus on the human condition in its most raw form.
One of the world’s most dynamic forces in new circus, Brisbane based Circa, will present a spectacular new work at Brisbane Festival 2010, under the stars at the Festival’s purpose built QUT Festival Theatre. Making its international debut, Wunderkammer, is packed with spine-tingling physical feats. Audiences will be spellbound as a diva squeezes through an impossibly small hoop, balloons disappear strangely, muscle bound gents stand precariously on each other while ropes are climbed, hoops spin and bodies fly, splat, tumble and balance. Sexy, funny and explosive – Wunderkammer offers a sophisticated cocktail of new circus, cabaret and vaudeville with sideways glances to sideshow and burlesque; where moments of great beauty and outrageous humour jostle for attention. Click here for bookings.
This adorable video is doing the blogging rounds at the moment, and for good reason. Poet/singer/songwriter Tanya Davis has teamed up with film-maker Andrea Dorfman to artfully remind us all, “How to be alone”. The clip features adorable on screen illustrations, and reminders of “the little things” that make us happy. Davis’ narration is lovely throughout too… a beautiful reminder of the joys of life.
It may not give you a $2 reward, but these “scratch” maps are pretty cool. Simply buy one and scratch off each country as you visit it. It’s kind of like the advent calendar of travelling… it provides a cute art piece for a proud travellers’ home too. Found here.
From September 4–25, Brisbane Festival will present The Spiegeltent in King George Square. The 9.00 Show will see a series of provocative and dangerously contemporary physical performances for the world premiere of Cantina by Strut & Fret Production House. The inhabitants of Cantina find refuge in this late night world of sex, sweat and tequila. In the seediest of drinking holes, torn between the past, present and future, Cantina explores the rapture and torture of desire, and the tension between harsh reality and escapist fantasy. The Spiegeltent’s mirrored round will be transformed for Cantina with a tightrope strung across an open fire and people sleeping on a bed of forks. As the performance unfolds the line between passion and violence is never quite clear. For more details and ticket bookings, visit Brisbane Festival online.
A series of photographs capturing the oft-clandestine movements of late-night hotel guests provides inspiration for Natalie Weir’s latest contemporary dance production, While Others Sleep. An acclaimed Australian choreographer, Natalie’s emotive work is complemented by the seductive tunes of Brisbane jazz trio Misinterprotato. The spicy cabaret-style performance peeks into the affairs of perfect strangers. Boundary-breaking choreography allows While Others Sleep to flourish and awaken the senses. The cabaret production runs at Judith Wright Centre until August 21.
Expressions Dance Company and ThinIce will open the doors to their rehearsals during Brisbane Festival 2010. Join them in critical viewings of their performers and discussions with their creative teams. Be the first to see and discuss Expressions Dance Company’s work-in-progress, First Ritual by internationally renowned choreographer and Artistic Director Natalie Weir. Perth’s ThinIce is one of Australia’s newest and fastest growing contemporary theatre companies, now working on its latest piece Die Winterreise – a modern interpretation of Franz Schubert’s beautiful 24-part song cycle Winterreise (Winter Journey). Works in Progress will take place at the Judith Wright Centre from September 22–25 and tickets are only $15 each. For more details and ticket bookings, visit Brisbane Festival online.
Brisbane Festival 2010 will open the doors to the ultimate club, bar, live music salon and creative hive as The Spiegeltent plays host to more than 70 of the Festival’s special events. Each evening, The 7.00 Show will include artists as diverse as Aussie guitar legend Ed Kuepper, veteran Canadian performer Buck 65, Swedish two-piece and You Tube sensations First Aid Kit, Something for Kate front man Paul Dempsey, Cuban-born pianist Marialy Pacheco, The Gin Club and many more. The Spiegeltent comes to King George Square from September 4 to 25, for full programme details and ticket bookings, visit Brisbane Festival online.
The Institute of Modern Art joins forces with Brisbane Airport to unveil the artistic talents of four Queensland emerging artists, as part of Brisbane Airport Fresh Cut 2010. Featuring works by Elizabeth Willing, Kate Woodcroft, Catherine Sagin, Kelly Hussey-Smith and Sally Golding, the show incorporates a variety of mediums across the entire arts spectrum. Ranging from installation art, to film projections, the exhibition also delves into the sensory delights of boiled sweets with a delicious wallpaper display created entirely from lollies. Until September 18 at IMA.
The realm of the internet is exposed and dissected in La Boite’s gripping and intriguing production of Adam J A Cass’s play I Love You, Bro. Johnny adopts a female alter ego in the form of AlbaJay, and then procedes to venture into cyberspace. Stepping into the virtual shoes of curious, somewhat disturbing and secretive characters, Johnny’s world is an exploration of desire, secret plots and infatuations. Directed by David Berthold, the one-man show stars Leon Cain as Johnny and his many alter egos. The extended season of I Love You, Bro closes August 15.
Brisbane is Australia’s new “premiering ground” for all things wonderful in art. It started in 2007 with Australia’s largest showing of Andy Warhol pieces at GoMA. The exhibit was expansive showcasing over 300 works by the ground-breaking pop artist, and it burst open this sleepy town’s art scene – to the envy of our big sister cities. Then came the more recent, eye-popping and alarmingly real Ron Mueck human body sculpture exhibit. Now it’s the Valentino Retrospective. GoMA will fling open its doors on 7 August, giving Brisbanites unprecedented access to the world of haute couture until 14 November. The exhibition will present designer Valentino Garavani’s first collection from 1959, up to the latest Autumn/Winter 2009-10 collection. The celebrity factor is the cherry on top of this creative cake: dresses worn by Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Jackie Kennedy Onassis,…
Interview and Photography by Mikki Brammer.
The ability to read, and the independence that it affords, is something that many of us in Western society take for granted. So is the ability to work to earn money, to wear shoes, to treat our children, to eat regularly and to voice our own opinion. For millions of women in Bangladesh, these are luxuries of which they can only dream. But one Bangladeshi woman is fighting to make these basic human rights a reality for her cultural sisters. As CEO of voluntary NGO TARANGO, Kohinoor Yeasmin is helping to equip women in developing countries with the skills to raise their voices, earn their own living and create their own joys.
Elton John called him “the greatest songwriter on the planet”. Successful in that he’s “not too famous” Rufus Wainwright’s acclaimed original music exists somewhere between pop and opera. He has performed on soundtracks for Moulin Rouge, Brokeback Mountain, Zoolander and Shrek and appeared in Martin Scorcese’s The Aviator. More recently, he has released his sixth studio album, orchestrated Shakespeare’s sonnets for the San Francisco Symphony, and presented his first opera, Prima Donna, in the UK and USA. With a healthy dose of camp angst and humour, Rufus describes his music as “a defence mechanism … against this revolting world”. On a more serious note, he would love to be placed in the canon of great songwriters like Bob Dylan or George Gershwin.
The excited hush of an audience before a live performance, murmuring in anticipation as the orchestra begins to tune and the lights dim slowly to a mysterious glow, creates an energy that cannot be fabricated. The same can be said for the brief pause at the end of a performance, as the audience crashes back to reality after being utterly mesmerised by the activity on stage. As a performer, director, producer or musician, these two moments are like gold. Noel Staunton has built a career out of helping to create such moments, from working as technical director for English National Opera and Opera Australia, to collaborating with maestro Baz Luhrmann on several live events, including the Moulin Rouge premieres in Cannes, Sydney and New York. And as he now begins his journey as artistic director of Brisbane Festival 2010, a familiar excited hush is spreading across…
Interview by Frances Frangenheim.
Bholu is a small word for a global company with a giant scope. In its Indian Kaatchchhi translation, bholu is a term of endearment to a small child, which is poignant for many reasons, not least of which because Bholu is founder Jodie Fried’s precious baby. Adelaide-born and currently living in Los Angeles with her husband, Jodie started her ethical interiors company in 2004 when she approached women in India to create embroidery designs on quality Australian wool felt. Starting out with 20 artisans, Bholu has grown to employ up to 380 women who produce beautiful tactile items – cushions, throws, rugs, lampshades, wallpaper, fabric kids toys and linen. Bholu is also helping build schools for underprivileged littlies in India. At the heart of Jodie’s business decisions is a love of India and a responsibility to Bholu’s artisans, which makes the idea of ever giving up…
Next time you reach to fill up your water bottle, run your morning shower, or fill up your kettle, pause and imagine that your water source is brimming with floating debris, creepy crawlies and innumerable water-born diseases. UNICEF launched its Tap Project in 2007 to bring the developed world’s attention to water quality and sanitation in the developing world. The Dirty Water campaign actively raised funds for the Tap Project by throwing a very public spotlight on dirty, murky and unsafe water. Bottling unsanitary drinking water and packaging it in brightly coloured vending machines around Manhattan, the Dirty Water campaign encouraged passersby to donate $1 per bottle, which would in turn provide one child with clean drinking water for 40 days.
A missing link can often solve a myriad of problems, complete a puzzle or simply allow you to have that satisfying ‘light bulb’ moment of clarity. An online initiative, the Kopernik website is a social, humanitarian and technological missing link that progresses equality in the developing world. A not-for-profit online store and think tank, Kopernik connects bright ideas and technological advancements with communities in need. Funded by public donations, the general public can jump online to vote and donate to proposed community programs (such as fresh water transportation or affordable eye glasses). Once adequate funds have been raised, the chosen project is then set into motion. Designed with poor communities in mind, Kopernik’s projects aim to fast track development by bringing state-of-the art technology to parts of the world that desperately need a helping hand.
When Princess Leia was mid-space flight, she may have craved a comfortable nook to curl up and rest while her spacecraft travelled at light speed throughout the galaxy. Industrial designer Igor Chak has designed The Space Invader Couch, a tribute to the solar system and a unique design feat. At first glance, the couch alludes to its videogame namesake or an advanced level of Pac Man. Geometric edges jut out at all angles of the all-leather couch, and two glass surfaces add to its space-age aesthetic. Whilst he hasn’t quite traversed the galaxy yet, Igor’s talents have been cultivated over a lifetime of globe trotting, growing up in Russia, Japan and Seattle, before his career took flight in Utah and Los Angeles.
Coffee cups are designed with one primary objective – to hold every precious drop of coffee as it makes the journey from table to mouth. Good intentions aside, a few rogue drops of coffee inevitably seem to jump out of the cup and spill onto the saucer. Turkish-born product designer Erdem Selek has conjured up a cup and saucer to maximise the fun quota associated with any coffee drops that make their way to no-man’s-land on the saucer. Raised pathways form a maze that traverses the saucer, allowing the coffee drinker to direct coffee droplets on a quick adventure. Both a time-filler and an exercise in navigation, the Oluk Maze Coffee Cup is sure to spark conversation and raise competitive streaks around the office dining area or the breakfast table at home.
