In an effort to raise awareness of the plight of ordinary citizens in countries
without freedom of speech, freedom of movement or rights to education, Trial By Timeline will analyse you and see just how many international crimes you might
have committed if you hadn't been born in Australia or New Zealand. Warning: if
you wish to participate, you give Trial By Timeline the right to access your
Facebook timeline.
11 wonderful words with no English equivalent. For a language with so many words, I often feel that we miss out on
these more interesting sentiments or shared experiences all wrapped up in one
word. Courtesy of Jane.
Play Me, I’m Yours is a beautiful art installation by
British artist Luke Jerram. The concept is so simple but so effective. First commissioned in Birmingham in 2008, 15 pianos appeared across the city and over three weeks were played by an estimated 140,000 people.
Cities anywhere in the world can commission the work. Pianos
are installed in public spaces – anywhere, bus stops, squares, bridges – and
may be decorated by local artists. But the instruments aren’t ‘artworks’,
they are there to be played. This is an ultimate example of participatory art.
Everyone can play the piano, even if it is just Heart and Soul or Ode to Joy,
the pianos are free and out there for you to use. Anyone can join in and play.
Or you could play Titanic in Barcelona.
At the moment, there are some 600 Play Me, I’m Yours pianos
in public spaces world wide. In 2012, the pianos will be appearing in Los
Angeles, London, Salt Lake City, Geneva, Paris, Toronto and Hangzhou.
I have a critical weakness for men who play the piano. So
for me this installation is the perfect set up for an amazingly romantic
moment. Two strangers, or a newly dating couple. You come across a piano, he
sits down and starts to play … going to stop now before I get too embarrassing.
If you go to the website you can see a map of where the 600 or so pianos are right now. You can also watch footage of people playing in
Paris or Geneva. The pianos have come to 2 Australian cities – Sydney and
Adelaide. I somehow cannot imagine Campbell Newman supporting a bid for the
project to visit Brisbane, so I’ll hope it comes to Melbourne soon. Or maybe I
could make it to Paris.
As we all know the Federal Budget was released on Wednesday. This interactive budget shows you how it has been divided up. And a great little article by Annabel Crabb on
how the surplus was achieved.
Italian artist Anna Utopia Giordano has recreated some of the world's most famous artwork using Photoshop to 'edit' the female figures to fit a modern ideal of the female form.
Botticelli's Birth of Venus is particularly striking in how she has lost her belly and gained abs, a tiny waist and toned legs.
Botticelli's Birth of Venus.
Richard Westall's The Power of Venus seems to have retained her curves but is a much more defined hourglass.
Richard Westall The Power of Venus.
I think this is a particularly interesting project in light of the continuing debate surrounding women's body image and portrayal in the media. In our modern times where the ideal has switched from curvaceous and feminine to fit and slim; where models are all size 2, 'plus sized' models are heralded when they should be the norm; where Christina Hendricks, Sophia Vergara and Dame Helen Mirren are among the few women celebrated for their curves; obesity rates are rising and somewhere in all the mess is the ordinary women wanting to feel fit and confident within herself.
The Venus Project is a beautiful but simple diagram of the changing shape of the 'ideal beauty'. Personally I think the paintings loose something as the women loose their luxurious sensuality.
The internet is a strange zone of a space and it causes one to make strange bedfellows and discover penchants one never thought one had.
I confessed a while ago to my shameful Tumblr addiction of Disney Princess. Last week I started being followed on Twitter by Design Taxi. There is seemingly no connection between these two – except there is.
Months ago I saw these illustrations on Disney Princess and I thought they were just so damn cool, It wasn't until I checked out Design Taxi today that I could put a name to them. They're the gorgeous work of Jeffrey Thomas.
Disney Princesses as you've never seen them, by Jeffrey Thomas, featured on Design Taxi.
For those not in the know, Wagner’s The Ring Cycle is one of the most famous operas ever written. It tells the tales of German and Scandinavian legends – of Gods and Rhine maidens and magical rings and features the famous ride of the Valkyries.
It is arguably the biggest Opera ever conceived. It is certainly the longest. In its entirety, the full cycle – made up of 4 separate ‘operas’ - takes 15 hours to perform over 4 nights.
It is a hugely expensive production and is very rarely performed. Opera lovers will plan over seas travel to see it. Opera companies staging a production need additional millions to put it on and start promotion at least 18 months out. If you need to find enough Opera buffs who are keen to put themselves through 15 hours of intense Wagnerian Opera, paying hundreds if not thousands of dollars on the tickets to attend – let alone get to the host city – you need a start asap!
As far as I can tell, The Ring Cycle has only been performed in Australia three times. In Melbourne in 1913, in Adelaide in 2004 and now again in Melbourne in 2013!
Opera Australia are staging the full 15 hours in November / December 2013. Tickets go on sale in late 2011 and I am pre-registering because I am super-keen to see this magnificent work in its entirety once in my life. It is sure to be spectacular.
These are some of the stats from the Opera Australia website:
Rehearsals will begin a year in advance.
The orchestra will include more than 100 players.
350 singers, dancers, designers, costume-makers and backstage staff will be involved
I discovered this through twitter and it seemed appropriate to post it during my temporary Harry Potter obsession. Even if you didn’t like Harry Potter, it’s still a cool piece of art.
