Five of Australia’s emerging street artists have installed a series of Streetware artworks, which will transform three City laneways from blank canvases to artistic spaces for the next three months.

Artists including Jumbo + Zap (recently exhibited at National Gallery Australia), Steve Gorrow (Insight founder), Emma Davidson, grrl + dog and Kat Smolynec have created giant comic gangsters, an urban angel, characters from 1960s and ‘70s children’s books, life-sized plastic people and Babushka dolls, bringing art out of the gallery and nto the public domain.

To coincide with the first annual Streetware art program, a Streetware Pop Up Gallery has also been opened in Alberta Street. The Streetware Pop Up Gallery will temporarily transform the unused vacant shop front in Alberta Street and all five Streetware artists will be participating in a two week residency at the gallery. Each artist will be selling their own unique artworks (canvases and zines) to coincide with their Streetware creations.

What: The Streetware Pop Up Gallery
Where: 21 Alberta Street
When: Until April 3 2011, Thursday – Saturday, 12-6pm and by appointment

Sands Street, Dungate Lane and Nithsdale Lane (off Alberta Street) feature the works of the Streetware artists.

To coincide with the City Art Public Art Strategy, the City launched the new City Art website www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/cityart/ encouraging greater communication between artistic communities and the City.

For more information about Streetware Temporary Art Project, please visit: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/cityart/special/streetware.asp

Media Contact: Natasha Bowron (02) 9246 7310 or nbowron {at} cityofsydney.nsw.gov(.)au

This is the ultimate national awards program for young hospitality professionals. The Awards have garnered firm support from Australia’s culinary heavyweights with a highly acclaimed panel of judges, supporters and mentors including Guy Grossi, Chris Taylor, Peter Gilmore, Mark Best, Christine Manfield, Philip Johnson and Luke Mangan.

Searching Australia for emerging talent within the restaurant and catering industry, the Awards are more than a competition. They aim to inspire and support future industry leaders through unique educational elements, career opportunities and enviable prizes.

Application forms and further details are available online at www.appetiteforexcellence.com

Lucrative Prizes for Young Talent:

The Electrolux Young Chef and Electrolux Young Waiter Winner prize package includes:

• Sanpellegrino offers the Electrolux Young Chef National winner a once in a lifetime experience to represent Australia and compete in the famous S.Pellegrino Cooking Cup in Venice.  This is followed by a visit to the source of two of the world’s most renowned mineral waters – S.Pellegrino located in the Italian Alps and Acqua Panna positioned in the hills of Tuscany, where both the Electrolux Young Chef and Electrolux Young Waiter National Winners will experience the rich heritage, lifestyle and culture of each of the waters.
• Return overseas flights to attend the S.Pellegrino Cooking Cup and participate in two weeks work experience at a world leading restaurant overseas
• $3,000 cash to assist with travel & overseas work experience expenses
• The highly-acclaimed title and an accompanying trophy
• Media opportunities

The Electrolux Young Restaurateur Winner prize package offers:

• A unique opportunity from Sanpellegrino with an all expenses paid trip to London to attend “The S.Pellegrino Worlds 50 Best Restaurants Awards”
• Return overseas flights to attend the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants event
• $8,000 cash to be invested in their business under the guidance of the judging panel
• Media opportunities

KEY DATES

Entries open:  21 February 2011
Applications close:  01 May 2011
National Finalist Judging (chefs & waiters):  27 June 2011
Final Judging (chefs & waiters):  28 June 2011
National finalists’ produce tour:  01 August – 07 August 2011
Young Restaurateur Judging:  08 August 2011
Winners’ announcement event:  08 August 2011

A Little Bit Audrey designs are inspired by the grace and timeless elegance of one of history’s biggest style icons, actress and humanitarian – Audrey Hepburn.

Blending the feminine, classic and whimsical characteristics of the vintage era with a modern individual edge, each A Little Bit Audrey headpiece is a one off design created with a moreish mix of silk flowers, feathering, tulle, sinamay, organza, silk, satin and lace swatches.

The headwear consists of hats, fascinators, hatinators, pillboxes, jewelled headbands and a range of jewellery and accesories that will take you from race days to cocktails by the pool at sunset.

Bordering on the dainty and delicate, right through to elaborate attention-grabbing head turners,  A Little Bit Audrey jewellery statement pieces are brought to life in a fusion of semi precious stones, swarovski crystals and enamel and glass foil beading embellishments sourced locally and overseas.

Designed and handmade in Sydney, Australia, each bespoke and ready to wear creation is named and archived to mark its individuality.

Artists, curator and designers are invited to submit their proposals to transform Sydney’s laneways for the City of Sydney’s fifth annual Laneway Art Project in 2011.

In the five years the Laneway Art Project has been running it has become an incredibly popular part of the City’s cultural calendar, appealing to both Sydneysiders and international visitors. “The City’s Laneway Art Projects have seen the works of high profile contemporary artists, designers, architects and even lawyers reinvigorate the City’s urban landscape with innovative and refreshing artistic visions,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said. “Sydneysiders have enjoyed award winning laneway installations over the past five years and we look forward to receiving the proposals from our creative community for Laneway Art Project 2011, pushing artistic boundaries once again.”

Highlights from the Laneway Art Project from previous years include:

• 2009 Little Hunter Street which saw the street lined with yellow trampoline material and had people bouncing off the walls in The Meeting Place Project by Aspect Studios, Derlot and Herbert and Mason – recently awarded a prize at the Landscape Architecture Institute awards
• 2009 Similarly the 7 Metre Bar by Goodwin, McGregor and Lowe was awarded a prize at the Landscape Architecture Institute for its extreme vision of global warming with a BMW suspended from an overhead bridge as a sample of the detritus that would wash up if seas rose to 7 metres
• 2009 Artist Michael Hill with Richard Wong and David Towey from Lightwell and Dr Richard Major from the Australian Museum gave people a sense of the lost birdlife of the City in their piece Forgotten Songs in Angel Place which had over 100 bird cages filled with the sounds of birds – and will soon be made a permanent laneway artwork.
• 2008 Adam Norton’s Tank Project where three armoured personnel carriers prowled City’s laneways 24/7 for two weeks
• 2008 First Draft Gallery’s Downtown event – a one night extravaganza with artist performances, videos, banners and art being displayed in the boots of smoking Mini Coopers
• 2008 Gaffa Gallery’s Tetris blocks wedged in Abercrombie Lane turning the City into a giant video game gone awry

The submission of Laneway Art proposals in 2011 can be either Individual Project Proposals or Curatorial Proposals by curators or curatorial teams recommending groups of artists to undertake the Laneway Program.

CITY OF SYDNEY

- Individual Project Proposals may also include a curator who supplies a curatorial theme or statement for the artwork.

- Curatorial Proposals submitted should include a curatorial theme or statement and nominate a group of artists to develop a series of temporary art projects in up to 8 City laneways

For further enquiries and a copy of the EOI – Invitation to Submit a Proposal documentation please contact:

Mr Paul Brown, Tendering Officer:
Telephone: (02) 9265 9364
Facsimile: (02) 9265 9697
E-mail: pbrown {at} cityofsydney.nsw.gov(.)au

The deadline for submissions is 11am Tuesday 1 March 2011.

Next year’s Laneway Art program will run from October 2011 to January 2012.

For further media information, please contact:

Natasha Bowron (02) 9246 7310 or nbowron {at} cityofsydney.nsw.gov(.)au

Top Awards

Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of the Year: Marque

Emirates Chef of the Year: Martin Benn (Sepia)

Plumm Wine Glasses Best New Restaurant: Manly Pavilion

Navman Best Regional Restaurant: Lochiel House, Kurrajong Heights

Star City Professional Excellence Award: Peter Doyle (est.)

The Sydney Morning Herald Silver Service Award: Alon Sharman (Arras)

Louis Roederer Sommelier of the Year: Matthew Dunne (Aria)

Brown Brothers Wine List of the Year: Rockpool Bar & Grill

Small wine list of the year: Spice Temple

Regional Wine List of the Year: Margan (Broke)

The Josephine Pignolet Best Young Chef: Jason Saxby (Quay)

Vittoria Legend Award: Michael McMahon (Catalina)

Sydney Fish Market Best Seafood Restaurant: Fish Face

Dan Murphy’s Best BYO Restaurant: Il Perugino

Coopers Sustainability Award: Margan (Broke)

iPhone App People’s Choice Award: Tetsuya’s

(more…)

The drinking and depravity continued throughout the day, into night, until I could no longer sit still. I was thinking thoughts a man shouldn’t think. The full moon was high and the mist was lurking, draping itself with seductive ease across the beautiful, dim night. I’d been listening to the debut album from Melbourne band The Graveyard Train for hours, possibly days. Who could be sure? I was hypnotised, entranced. I left the safety of home and lurched forward, shuffling down the street, towards the cemetery. All the while the words were ringing in my ears, rattling around my mind in the swirling oblivion of possibility:

I shuffle on down the street.
I can’t help dragging my feet.
Got my two arms leading the way.
And all the people there stop and say…
‘Let’s move like a mummy!’

And so it began; my night in the cemetery, esky of well-stocked beer held tight, howling at the moon about dancing to the devil’s drum, taking witches out dancing and children burning alive. It was tremendous fun, but maybe you had to be there. I was in another world, I was deep in The Graveyard Train and there was no way out. My raised head and out-stretched arms silhouetted against the murky, moon-lit cemetery as I cried out more of their words in wicked delight.

(more…)

There’s a little place you need to know about.

La Boheme, in Grote St, Adelaide, was once a tobacconist and is now a perfect little salon replete with cabaret shows, gentle live music and a witty cocktail selection to make you cry ooh-la-la.

Cheeky burlesque on school nights, funk tunes spun from decks perched on piano tops on the weekend and local artists hang their work on the damask papered walls. Yes, it’s nothing if it’s not bohemian.

This intimate little, shabby chic distraction is Adelaide’s slice of gay Paris. While the clever staff shake up an American Beauty or an Absolut Hulk ($15), they will banter and flirt you into giddy smiles.

With a wear-worn chesterfield that stretches the length of the room, a rockabilly barman who hands you your receipt complete with a rose for the lady and a French-singing guitarist, there’s nowhere else you would rather sip absinthe in the city of churches.

36 Grote Street
Adelaide SA 5000
http://www.myspace.com/labohemebar
laboheme {at} iprimus.com(.)au

Article written by Estelle Pigot