The Queensland Art Gallery will be the exclusive Australian venue for a spectacular exhibition exploring the art of millinery. ‘Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones’ is the result of a collaboration between London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and one of the world’s foremost milliners, Stephen Jones. Read more about the Hats exhibition»

Celebrating three years of dedication to the Australian design community, Design Federation is hosting its inaugural event on Friday the12th of February. In honour of the website’s dedicated readership and supporters from the local and web community, the Design Federation founders, Klaus and Craig, chose the theme of this Chinese New Year – the year of the Tiger – to capture the spirit of creativity, courage and tenacity.

Extending an open invitation to the followers of the site to contribute their artistic creations to an exhibition showing throughout the night, utilising the unique venue space of theclub nightclub in Sydney’s Kings Cross, in what the organisers have dubbed Friends of the Federation.

Calling out to readers for submissions of their designs, illustrations, art, graffiti, film & video, fashion, photography, industrial design, custom toys, animation or any other artistic contribution, the Design Federation have been overwhelmed in recent weeks by the tremendous outpouring of talent and generosity, making for a fascinating collection on show for one night only.

With Tiger Beer and Bogong Valley Estate Winery sponsoring drinks, be sure to arrive early so you don’t miss out. If the old worldly charm of the venue and the quirky crowd aren’t enough to peak your curiosity, Julie Doye, pop art portrait artist and newest contributor to Paris Hilton’s personal art collection will be in attendance from 7:30pm painting personal one minute portraits of guests.

Prizes and giveaways will feature throughout the night, with Design Federation’s corporate supporters Sweat-Shop Productions and iStockPhoto digging deep to make the event a fantastic occasion for all involved.

After a sell-out 2009 Sydney show, Andrew McIlroy’s forthcoming exhibition of 15 large oil paintings recall languid summer ocean waters and the techniques of the old masters.

Many of his works, notably Against the Tide and Azure Descent, are inspired by Tim Winton’s book Breath, as they hint at the promise of resurfacing to the familiar sounds of summer vacation and youthful exuberance. Partly autobiographical, McIlroy’s paintings recall long family summers, diving off the Portsea pier for hours, and of a familiar voice calling him home.

Andrew McIlroy creates these atmospheric works that investigate aquatic depths, with strong saturated colour and subtle tonal variations, imparting a dream-like quality and a sense of poetic mystery. On a deeper level that parallels Winton’s symbolism, McIlroy’s paintings also convey a sense of unease, with fear invoked by deep waters and the feeling of sinking into the abyss, a metaphor for anxieties which gripped the artist’s own childhood.

Andrew says, “I hope to make people pause for just a moment. My inspiration is simple. To create a beautiful contemporary painting which is familiar, tangible, and enduring. My struggle then is to capture ‘Australian-ness’ without reacting against European influences or composition”.

What: Andrew McIlroy’s Against the Tide
When: 16th to 28th February 2010
Where: Axia Modern Art, 1010 High Street, Armadale
Contact: art {at} axiamodernart.com(.)au or 03 9500 1144
Gallery hours: Monday – Friday 9am to 5.30pm
Saturday – Sunday 11am to 5.00pm

The year of the Tiger ignites colourful festivities around the country and on Friday 19th February at 7pm, Sydney’s Gallery 4a presents Cinema Alley for the second year running. A one night only event in Parker St Chinatown, Cinema Alley brings art out of the gallery and onto the street with a double bill of the best in contemporary Asian video art for everyone to enjoy.

Cinema Alley showcases a double bill with An Estranged Paradise, a work by world renowned Chinese artist Yang Fudong, alongside The Cowboy’s Flute, an animation by renowned animator Te Wei produced by the Shanghai Animation Studio in 1963.

An Estranged Paradise follows the character of Zhuzi, a young intellectual, who wanders through life, swept up in melancholy and the beauty of the world, and eventually comes to accept life and find contentment in its simple pleasures. The films produced by the Shanghai Animation Studio are an important part of China’s cultural heritage – strong and nostalgic reminders of childhoods from the 1960’s and 70’s.

What: Sydney’s Gallery 4a presents Cinema Alley
When: Friday, 19th February 2009 at 7pm
Where: Gallery 4A at 181-187 Hay St Sydney
How: Tickets are free, but must be pre-booked at info {at} 4a.com(.)au
More info: http://www.4a.com.au or 02 9212 0380

2010 is the fortuitous Chinese Year of the Tiger !

The tiger is a fighter and we always back the underdog, so we are giving our loyal, lovely, creative readers the chance to bust out into the public view and make 2010 the year of putting it out there.

Putting our petty cash where our mouth is, we will be the first to step up and proudly announce Design Federation’s Friends of the Federation party on 12th February 2010.  Ringing in the new year with our first public event ever to celebrate the crafty kids who have made us what we are today.

And we want you involved!  This is a call-out for submissions of your work. We are looking for anything creative that can be displayed at the event, which is being held at theclub nightclub in Kings Cross (yep, we’re edgy folks.)

Send us your designs, illustrations, art, graffiti, film & video, fashion, photography, industrial design, custom toys, practically anything as long as you can supply it to us to use for one night in Sydney. Obviously it would be great if the work has not been displayed before anywhere but it is not essential.

Your work and name will be publicized on Design Federation’s website as well as affiliated blogs, sites and media outlets. You will be displayed on the night as part of the Friends of the Federation exhibition.

To participate in the event, please submit examples to events {at} designfederation(.)net before Sunday the 24th January 2010.  Successful applicants will be announced the following week.

We will showcase one piece per person ( please limit example files to 2mb )

Be bold! Channel the Tiger and send us your stuff!

If you haven’t checked out the Podmag, a new online experience combining words, visuals and audio with the first of the series being dedicated to Circa 1979: Signal to Noise by Modular you are missing out.

They are extremely proud to have collaborated with the likes of Severed Heads, John Cale, The Reels and Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire) who have all curated issues, showcasing their favourite tracks and videos. The second issue has been put together by Mitch Jones and Michael Tee, founders of cult Australian post-punk label M Squared. Michael Tee will be a panelist during the free Signal to Noise sessions on Saturday 16th January at The Seymour Centre as part of Sydney Festival 2010.

Modular Recordings was established a few hours before the first release was due to go to press in the fortuitous summer of 1998. In the years since the label has gone on to achieve just about every level of success imaginable with acts like The Avalanches, Wolfmother, Cut Copy, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jack Johnson, Ben Lee, The Presets, Ladyhawke and Chromeo, just to cherry pick a few. The label celebrated a decade in the game in 2008 and sights are now firmly set on the next 10.

Article by Dancing Kiera.

I have turned off the BBQ and dusted off my pen and am excited to have joined the Two Flat Whites Team. Over the course of the year, I will be providing you, the Two Flat Whites readers with a commentary on some of the spectacular, wacky and unique towns and places this wonderful country of ours has to offer.

We get the ball point rolling and shine the spot light on the inner west. Glebe is an eclectic slice of Sydney. The diverse groups of people that live, shop and visit Glebe get a real feel of the Bohemian culture. The area is renowned for its young and fashionable art loving, book devouring and coffee consuming atmosphere.

Glebe was discovered by the English very quickly on the arrival of the First Fleet. Its name derives from the land on which it was developed. Originally owned by the Church of England, ‘The Glebe’ was a land grant of 400 acres given by Governor Arthur Phillip to Reverend Richard Johnson, Chaplain of the First Fleet, in 1790.

Today, Glebe has a population of about 14 thousand residents, with almost half of them aged between 20 and 39. The area houses an abundance of charming bookshops, multicultural restaurants, divine cafes, funky pubs and bars. Glebe is also home to the Anzac Bridge, Wentworth Park, Fish Markets, Valhalla theatre and the rejuvenated Sydney Tram System.

Annual events include The Glebe Street Fair and Glebe Music Festival in November, the Sydney Teapot Show in August every year and the upcoming Sydney Shakespeare Festival. Established in 2007, the annual Sydney Shakespeare Festival has fast become a fixture on Sydney’s summer calendar. Shakespeare’s plays have captured the imagination of millions of people throughout the world for over 400 years and are as exciting and provocative now as the day they were written. Grab a picnic, a bottle of wine, your friends and head to Sydney’s spectacular harbour foreshore for a night of theatrical magic from the 7th January to 14th February 2010.

Article written by the Travelling Larrikin.

Each year on a beautiful farm nestled in the Otway rainforest above Lorne and Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.

The main arena is formed from a spectacular natural amphitheatre that is big enough to hold the whole crowd. It has a perfect gentle slope so you can relax up the back and still hear and see everything. A dense rainforest surrounds the venue and helps to create this incredible aural arena.

There is even a super screen to make sure that you don’t miss a beat. See you there!

What: The Falls Festival 2009
When: 29th December to 1st January
Where: Erskine Falls Road, Lorne, VIC
Cost: Tickets from $30.00

The 11th SFS Festival is around the corner and all preparations have started for these two amazing days and nights which will take place at the Palace Academy Twin on the 15th and 16th of December.

More then 60 short films are currently in the production and what awaits us is an exiting range of eye-opening documentaries, engaging dramas and contemplative thesis films, which will be shown on the big screen in this highly anticipated event!

Each festival more than 500 film-lovers join us in celebration of another semester completion testifying to the high caliber of short films made by the new generation of talented filmmakers.

Why is the Melbourne Design Market so wonderful? It’s original, fun, and full of new products that we love to see and buy.

Occupying a special place in everyone’s diary, the market is now held twice a year in July and December. Over 10,000 visitors are drawn to its carpark location at Melbourne’s Federation Square, transformed for each occasion into a design show that features the latest in fashion, homewares, furniture, lighting and so much more.

There are many recognisable brands at the market such as Body, Made in Japan, Nicola Cerini, Great Dane Furniture, Nest and R G Madden; still more make use of the Melbourne Design Market as a launching pad for new enterprises. Meet the designers, enjoy fine food and coffee, and be part of the Melbourne Design Market’s own style in fostering and promoting design. It’s open to everyone and it’s free.

What: The Melbourne Design Market
When: Sunday, 6th December from 10am to 5pm
Where: Federation Square Carpark, Level 3
Cost: Free