Cultural Mulch

It’s been a busy month, hence why I’ve written absolutely nothing even though I’ve seen a great deal including a man walking down King St Newtown with a snake writhing on his arm. For the purposes of this post I’m going to give a very brief run down of some of the highlights with maybe just a few low points put in for balance.

The Australian Centre for Photography’s Nollywood was an eye opener, a show that has stayed the distance. Stills had some beautiful work by Stephanie Valentin and some fun work by William Lamson along with a new show with new work by Anne Ferran and Ricky Maynard—enjoyable and interesting however more attention could have been paid to the cleanliness of the frames, a small thing that makes a big statement. Steven Cavanagh showed work in the Doctors surgery gallery in Darlinghurst and had his masters exhibition at the National Art School, both of which rewarded. Nothing else art wise stands out.

On the music front I was just a little disappointed by the Little Boots CD Hands which has been the darling of the UK music scene. While there are some great tracks, it just wasn’t as great as promised. That said I really do love her mix tapes and wish for more. The gorgeous Sophie Ellis Bextor has a corker of a track in Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer with The Freemasons, the Hercules & Love Affair album featuring Antony & the Johnsons is a great little treat and I want to hear more of Nose, a quirky French outfit with an eclectic sound. I picked up The All Seeing I (from 2003 I think) in an op shop that includes a great track featuring Phil Oakey of Human League fame, 1st Man in Space and The Glimmers produced a fab little mix CD for DJ magazine with a great version of Olivia Newton-John’s Physical. Not much else I can think of that passed by me.

As for general things, life shifted gear, the car was unwell, still pondering how worthwhile being an artist is and wondering whether I will ever make it. That said I am excited about having a new studio to work from and getting into my Reading Room project along with making things… The question now is will I be better at post writing in August?