From poetic narratives that visually stimulate, to works that employ scent and sound, Sensory Bodies is a hybrid of textile traditions and new technologies.

In 2007 artists Kate Scardifield and Jennifer Tapia have shared a studio space, allowing new work to visually and conceptually converse.  Tapia’s recent works incorporate audio scapes with hand embroidery and intricate embellishments, whilst Scardifield’s ephemeral fabric silhouettes evoke a corporeal sense of uncanny.

Sensory Bodies is a powerful display of contemporary practice from two young, emerging artists.

Kudos Gallery
Opening Night Tuesday 23rd October 6-8pm
23rd – 27th October, 2007.
6 Napier Street, Paddington.

For all Media and Editorial enquiries please contact:
sensorybodies {at} mail(.)com OR Maggie 0401 399 964

Sydney Eats 2008 has just been released  & for the first time since 1998, and only the second time in 27 years, they have awarded two Bent Fork Awards. One to Blancmange in Petersham and the second to Glebe Point Diner in Glebe.

It was, as they wrote in the introduction to the 2008 edition, a terrific year for eating out in the middle range of Sydney restaurants and it also was, damn hard to get a really bad meal this year. And even harder to pick a winner – so we narrowed it down to those two very different but very good places. We had our annual Reviewer’s dinner at Blancmange with chef Alex Kearns from Glebe Point sending over a dessert. The usual good time was had by all.

Designer Sonya Mefaddi is well known in the Sydney art scene. Sonya is an Art Director for a hip marketing company & has tackled many projects under the alias of Topaz Design. She is confident, ambitious & talented. Two Flat Whites had the pleasure in recently asking Sonya a few questions to find out her passions & goals.

If you sign an autograph what do you write? And where do you call home?

I am yet to sign an autograph… I live in Sydney and love it. I was born in Jordan, but consider Australia to be home. I just spent 2 months in Jordan. Whilst it was an awesome experience it felt so good to fly back into Sydney. Nothing beats the feeling of being home.

In your own words, what do you do?

I am a graphic designer. I work with a range of mediums to visually convey a message to an audience. The computer is a great tool for graphic designers, however I enjoy creating art that has been composed by traditional methods, in particular collages.

Cutting and pasting random elements on the page, painting and drawing to create harmonistic images. I buy random books and magazines from op shops as a resource library for my collages.

I feel that the computer only limits my creativity. I use my scanner a hell of a lot. As for trial and error; well sometimes it could take me two or three attempts before achieving what I want… it’s unlike the computer. I can’t delete a layer or erase elements off the page. It is such a lo-fi technique but that is why I love it.

Childhood memories:

TV Shows: Before school I used to watch Agro’s cartoon connection. I would be glued to the TV whilst my mother dressed. I used to watch a lot of TV as a kid, my fav’s besides Agro, were Art Attack, Captain Planet, Madeline, Degrassi Junior High, The Ferals, The Smurfs, and T bag and the Pearls of Wisdom.

Hobby: On rainy days I would spend my time colouring in colouring books. I also loved roller-skating, climbing trees, catching lizards and grasshoppers.

Food: I loved fruit roll-ups and tubes chips. So glad they are back!

Fear: As a kid I was frightened of animals, in particular of dogs.

People: I have vivid memories of my primary school teachers.

Defining moment: I guess it was topping the grade in year 7 for visual arts.

Schooling memories, chore or cherished?

Cherished. I love challenges and always looked forward to my exams. I come from a strict background, and although I was expected to study a lot, I did enjoy it.

From the hours of 9am to 5pm, what do you get up too?

I work for a marketing company in Sydney as an Art Director/studio manager.

Where can people see your work?

www.myspace.com/sonyamefaddi (personal myspace – with samples of my art)
www.myspace.com/sonyamefaddiart (purely a space where I upload my art)

My book – Unable to Sign – Please email me on myspace for a PDF.

For love or money?

For the L O V E!! When something is effortless to you, you know that it is what you are meant to be doing. It is a job, but it is a hobby and it is what keeps me happy.

What future endeavors are in the pipeline?

I am currently working with the Design is kinky team on a very exciting project. Which we hope to launch towards the end of next year. I am also working with Kyle Pound (A young creative – with loads of talent) on a new fashion magazine.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Working out of my own studio, with a highly creative team on my fashion magazine. Doing the things I love, with lots of great success.

If you could invite 3 people to chat over coffee, who would they be and why?

Eduardo Recife – I adore his art and love his techniques.

Shinro Ohtake – Another of my favorite artist. Would love to flick through his entire scrapbook collection.

Wentworth Miller- Because he is just so divine!

Coffee or Tea?

Tea. I love my tea black, with fresh mint leaves from my garden. Yummo.

A normally subdued Sydney community festival today turned into a rowdy – and somewhat nasty – political rally when swamped by hundreds of supporters of Prime Minister John Howard and Labor challenger Maxine McKew.

Mr Howard and Ms McKew both turned up today at the Granny Smith Festival in Eastwood, in Mr Howard’s marginal seat of Bennelong, which Ms McKew hopes to steal from him at the November 24 election.

Brandishing placards and branded balloons the pair’s supporters turned the normally innocuous event about apples, into a spirited, vocal battle of political creeds.

Read the full article here.

3 DAYS ­– 3 STAGES – OVER 40 ACTS

Friday, 19 October 2007 – Sunday, 21 October 2007  

Australia’s finest Reggae, Soul and Dub music festival; Island Time is returning for 2007. Held annually on Stradbroke Island over three huge days in October, Island Time is a multi faceted celebration of Island Culture that includes art exhibitions, craft and music workshops, film space, stalls and food markets. 2007 will see over 40 mighty reggae, soul and roots acts from all across Australia and the Pacific.

Island Time is held on the world famous Point Lookout on Minjerribah (Stradbroke). Only 90 minutes from Brisbane, the festival site itself is located in the park beside the stunning Home Beach. Held in the peak of the whale migration season, Island Time offers a unique interaction between music and nature with festival-goers afforded the chance to take in migrating whales and dolphins between bands, or simply bask in the cooling azure waters of the South Pacific.

An extraordinary chanelier with bell body and tentacles will cast jellyfish in a new light in an exhibition coming to the Australian National Maritime Museum.

The massive two metre wide sculpture Discomedusae will be the centre piece of the museum’s new show Jellyfish – nature inspires art.

Jellyfish are among the most beautiful of sea creatures. This exhibition looks at how their translucent beauty has moved and enthralled artists – despite their dangerous reputation.

Australian-born sculptor Timothy Horn was inspired by Ernst Haeckel’s 19th century etchings of jellyfish when creating his larger than life ‘Discomedusae’. He then used hundreds of transparent, amber-coloured pieces of rubber, sewing them together with microfilament thread.

Visitors to the exhibition will see a variety of jellyfish inspired art, from indigenous paintings to botanical illustrations, modern sculpture and photographs.

Date:        8 August 2007 – 17 February 2008
Where:     Australia National Maritime Museum
                 2 Murray Street, Darling Harbour 

Canberra gets set to once again host the annual Canberra International Riesling Challenge, which is fast becoming one of the most important wine competitions in Australia.

This year’s event takes place on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th October, and will include a unique opportunity for a public tasting of top rieslings from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, North and South America and South Africa.

So do yourself a favour & visit our nation’s capital this weekend!

Art Sydney 07 will take place at the Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park from Friday 26th – Sunday 28th October 2007, with First Night, the exclusive Preview taking place on Thursday 25th October.

Bringing together Sydney’s vibrant art scene, Art Sydney offers collectors and newcomers to the art market the opportunity to view and choose from an enormous variety of art styles, mediums and content from paintings and sculpture to new media installations and art objects.

Featuring over 80 leading Australian galleries presenting new artwork from hundreds of established and emerging artists, no matter what your objective – be it investment or enjoyment, Art Sydney is the perfect place to keep up to date with the dynamic world of art and ask expert advice.

The Art Sydney 07 really is the smart way to buy art, and while you are there why not drop in and say hi to our friends at cine and ablazegrill

Tickets
Advance Booking $15* includes free art bag
At the Door Adult $20 Concession $15
Children under 15 free when accompanied by an adult
* Booking fee applies

Opening Times
Thursday 25th October 2007 6pm – 9.30pm (First Night)
Friday 26th October 2007 11am – 9pm
Saturday 27th October 2007 10am – 6pm
Sunday 28th October 2007 10am – 5pm

Australia Says No to Violence against Women written by Angela Berenger.

On 2004, the Federal Government funded a $20 million Campaign to bring awareness to the public of violence occurring in the home behind closed doors.  The Campaign is a milestone toward opening up publicly against family violence via the media, being one of the most influential social institutions in society today.

The Campaign includes encompasses a website and booklet containing information of what it is aiming to do.  There are also advertisements on the television and the radio as part of the campaign, portraying men and women speaking about instances about family violence.  The Campaign is definitely a step forward towards seeing family violence as a serious crime in society and the efforts should be given credit for the efforts made toward this long time growing concern. 

However, following an article in The Age News in October 2006 titled “Domestic Violence Misunderstood” raises significant concerns to the effectiveness of the impact the commercials had on its viewers.   Even though awareness that domestic violence is indeed a crime has risen, as well as the defining factors of what abuse is has broadened; for instance harassment and threats can be done through modern technology such as sms on a mobile telephone, there are still significant numbers of women who are not taking in the messages that are being portrayed through the media about domestic violence.

Particularly, Women who have migrated to Australia that do not have a strong understanding of this country and it’s language have next to no understanding or education about domestic violence and what support there is out there for them.  The impact of violence has not been hard-hitting enough for people to sit up and take notice of how serious and damaging it can be to live in an abusive home environment.  Showing average people making statements about whether or not abuse has occurred doesn’t seem to have an impact strong enough for all cultures and status in our communities. 

Although it sends out a strong message that violence is not acceptable and it is a crime, people seem to sit up and take more notice when there is a shock factor.  For instance a commercial showing what can occur when speeding in a car or when a person drink-drives, a smoker and the effects of the body from doing that; has been more effective for people to take notice and much more hard-hitting. 

How would a commercial about domestic violence affect viewers if they were to see a woman cowering in a corner, battered esteem and body, with a man holding his power and strength over her and then attempting to apologise for his actions?  A vicious cycle of abuse is what is occurring over and over again until the person being abused gathers up the courage and strength to leave, although in many cases. This has not been successful as the perpetrator has gone too far and murdered their victim or the victim has turned into rage and attacked their abuser and they may be sentenced to a life of imprisonment.  

So how would harder hitting messages on commercials, relating to violence in the home have an impact on the viewers?   I can only assume and hope that the nature of it would make more the public and the people affected to sit up and take notice about the seriousness of crimes taking place right in the family home.

Pick up any newspaper & the headlines today revolve around the Federal Election. Strap yourself in it’s going to be a bumpy ride! Howard v Rudd – Round 2.

Australia is set for a presidential-style election campaign with voters deciding between leaders rather than parties, a leading pollster says. Sol Lebovic, founder of Newspoll, said Australian elections now were far more presidential. “It is really about leadership these days. At the end of the day the voters who will decide the outcome will decide on the person more so than the party,” he said on ABC radio.

Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has warned voters to prepare for the “mother of all negative fear campaigns”, as he officially began his tilt at becoming prime minister.

John Howard announced that the federal election will be held on the 24th November after meeting the Governor-General this morning. Mr Howard has said the fate of the country’s economic future rests on which party voters choose at the ballot box.