BOOK OF THE WEEK

fun for all the family!

Sometimes when we go through the hml libraries we find little gems with titles like 'Oh for a French Wife!' and 'Rainy Day Projects to Make and Do!' Another classic is this slim 1968 volume 'Puttering with Paper'
While we perhaps aren't quite as jazzed by the idea of finding out what happens when a long strip of paper towel is hung in a glass containing a solution of three different food colourings (well actually maybe we are)
We do adore the old skool stylins of Peter P Plasencia's illustrations. The book is part of the (presumably) much loved Zim Series of Junior Science Books. Titles include Your Food and You, Our Senses and How they Work and the intriguingly titled Golden Hamsters (???)

CRAFT FIND OF THE WEEK

papermate

The ladies of hml are big fans of South Australian jeweler Ewa Card. Her surname is quite apt in this instance as this lovely piece is actually made of cardboard and wallpaper (with a touch of silver with that meow in the middle). It's not a brooch either but quite large piece from a range Ewa called 'wall jewelry'. Between us we must have about half a dozen of her brooches (birds are a big theme, houses and boats too!) but we are particularly fond of this over sized retro piece fashioned after the "ladies" indicator silhouette on a Berlin bathroom door.

SHOW/S OF THE WEEK

paper pushers

You must all have guessed by now that we are a little jaded about this years design festival, hence no fanfare or long list of how we are running around to see every bloody thing. We are in fact spending alot of time watching footy and enjoying quality time with the couch. We've cracked the SADs perhaps?

It's not that we don't love design, or even the festival, it's just that it's cold and damp and we have just recovered from the Scarf Festival and are about to launch into the Film Festival.

We are suffering a common Melbournian affliction - Festival Fatigue.

There are a few highlights - Craft Queen Pene Durston flinging open her studio door on friday, Erik North's modular lights and screens created from long discarded loom cards in the window of Craft Victoria and we have already caught and were most impressed by the Eastern Market installation at the NDC gallery (Shadowbox) - a series of paper garments suspended on springs that were beautfully constructed and fun to play with.

WE MADE THEM OURSELVES

the arts and crafts movement...

Even though we've been out and about checking out sleep extravaganza's, animation festivals, design festivals all week it's this scarf festival thing that has really got Beck's fingers going. As a result she has been pumping out long and slightly derranged lengths of fabric for friends and family... whether they like them or not.

Above we have her brother Matt somewhat reluctantly sporting one of her most recent 'creations'. Meanwhile Ramona's normally bleak and empty landscapes seem to be sprouting odd looking trees. Actually it's still pretty bleak but at least there is shelter now! Maybe Spring is on its way (is it just us or is this winter dragging on forever?)

FILM OF THE WEEK

sleep perchance to dream... All this talk of pillowcases has left us feeling dreamy so we are off to see the craftiest, lovliest film still screening at (the dreaded) Nova - Michel Gondry's masterpiece The Science of Sleep...
Complete with dream sequences, craft card sets, stuffed flying horses and cotton ball clouds
giganto hands for fending off ones enemies and..
The equally beautiful Gael Garcia Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg
Impossibly beautful, encredibly romantic, quite crazy and totally crafty...not to be missed!

SHOW OF THE WEEK, THE SEQUEL

stemming the tide

"Through my jewellery I dream of a paradise garden, overgrown with strange but somehow familiar large-leafed plants. Sometimes this place seems very far removed from life in this world, so my love for it endures and it's importance grows. Among the parts of the jewellery-plants that I make there may be Leaves, Flowers or Fruit - but it is the Stem that joins them all together. From the Stem, everything emanates." David Neale.

We love Mr Neale.

So much so in fact thatwe couldnt' help but buy up big at his"dopple-hangers" exhibition last year. These are Becks...

and these are Ramona's...

STEMS by David Neale July 03 - July 28
at Gallery Funaki, 4 Crossley St. Melbourne

By the way - it opens tonight, if you want to get along and see him for yourself.

SHOW OF THE WEEK

sleepy bo-bo's vs. the night terrors.

Dell Stewart and Adam Cruickshank are really brilliant and super cool Melbourne arteests who sometimes work collaboratively under the moniker Sleep Club. For the next few weeks you can enjoy their open-ended exploration into slumber at their exhibition in the aptly titled gallery de jour Utopian Slumps. Taking the form of an imaginary club house for invisible somnambulists, the entire gallery space has been transformed into a pillow-laden dreamland, complete with double bed, flickering animations and bedazzled pillowcases. You'll be happy to know that they also come highly rated by the reigning queen of textile craft Miss Penelope Durston, a recommendation hard to ignore. It sounds and looks most excellent and these two really do produce great, witty, work. We're so excited in fact that we're actually clearing a bit of space in the schedule to head on down to Easey street, Horlicks filled thermos in hand to take a nap amongst the artworks.

DEAD TO THE WORLD until July 22nd.

UTOPIAN SLUMPS

5/25 Easey Street, Collingwood.

Fridays and Saturdays 12-6pm

or by appointment t: 0401 324 148