Amanda de Simone is a Melbourne photographer who has a fine fine haircut. We also think she is the most exciting photographic artist in the city right now. Her portraits combine emotions like rage and grief with questions about masculinity, femininity, desire and … well … the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. Her new exhibition at McCulloch gallery is called ‘Cock Fight’ Playing with the idea of the men’s club, ‘Amanda explores men’s lust for undying fame, their internal prowess in battle, their sensitivity to insults’. We think the idea is to pit the portraits against one another in a kind of imaginary Battle Royale. Then maybe pick some fights with some jocks, which we do quite frequently anyway, or at least whenever we walk past The Prince. Those who saw ‘Crying Boy Fanclub’ last year will know this exhibition is going to be hot.
Also by IS NOT MAGAZINE
Ed Janssen is famed in Melbourne for his jewellery designs, sold through cult Morrissey-friendly label This Charming Man. ‘The Knuckle Sandwich’ charm necklace (two pieces of bread on either side of a tiny set of brass knuckles, as pictured above) exudes an oddly amusing menace. More recently ‘The Bear Trap’ has been dangling from every second neck, wiping out hope for Melbourne’s unsuspecting tiny forest animals. Janssen is about to launch a new range inspired by the iconography of various secret societies. Melburnians can check out their old and new favourites at the first This Charming Man exhibition launching this week at Alice Euphemia’s new store. Flex those tiny knuckles and watch those tiny feet. Read more
Melbourne illustrators, designers and men-about-town Tin&Ed are known and loved for many things. Their lost-in-a-forest illustrations, their science-meets-whimsy line-based art, their collages, their photographs, their escapades and their generally unexpected solutions to design problems. Tin&Ed’s work is great, probably because they strive to find the best answer to each design challenge rather than aiming for a distinct studio style. Their recent work for Crumpler is not only awesome to behold, but has applications way beyond the commercial. Check out the animated alphabet and behold your ticket to the best graphic email signature ever. Spend a few minutes on the site and you’ll work out what we mean.
With one foot in Melbourne and the other in New York City, Ed Janssen has found such a big fan base for his hand-made jewellery that he has had to cut back on his other great love in life – making the best espresso you’re ever likely to sip from a cardboard cup. But Ed’s charm necklaces are still inspired by his experiences in the cafes of Melbourne and Manhattan. Under the label This Charming Man, his cult item is known as ‘the knuckle sandwich’. Fashioned from sterling silver, it’s a set of three charms – two pieces of bread to hang on either side of a tiny knuckle duster. Other pieces include ‘the knuckle bagel’, as well as steaks, burger patties and single slices of cheese. We don’t know about New York, but every man in Melbourne worth his winklepickers is wearing these right now. [see also Lynda Holt]
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Photography, like any art form, can be used for reflection. So when you get reflection within reflection, then it gets really, erm, reflective. Robin Soulier has plied his trade in the puddles of the world, capturing striking images of the distortion created from an image settling on the surface of water. Read more
Paintings from Nicholas Aoki’s new solo exhibition, Goodnight; Sweet, Hearts blur two worlds — one of mortals and one of Gods, skeletons and creature spirits. The Toronto-based Aoki uses watercolors and acrylics to create rich landscapes that he layers with the characters in this journey to death. And while the paintings contain a dark subject matter, they also contain flashes of light — a glowing full moon, say, or lamp posts helping guide the way.
No matter what’s going on with your outfit, chances are, if you’ve got good shoes on, you’re okay. Keep Company shoes are only going from strength to strength, bringing out more and shoes apparel that are probably going to ruin my savings account. Read more
The artwork of James Belcher is dark and evocative, mini snapshots from an overstimulated mind.
FFFFOUND! is a fun website that allows you to bookmark your favorite images from the Internet and share them with fellow users, sort of like a del.icio.us specifically for pictures. The site is still in private beta and not currently supported on Mac, but as its collection of images expands, it’s likely to become much more widely available.
In Japan, when one makes squeezing gestures with both hands at chest level, one is gesturing that one wants candy — soft, round, bouncy candy. At least, that’s what this commercial would have us believe.
Anyone who thinks black metal is too rigid and narrow a genre to have room for innovation would do well to check out Lifelover, a Swedish band that defies every convention of black metal while still remaining miraculously kvlt. The sextet wafts between languid, hallucinatory grooves that channel Iggy Pop and latter-day Cure to unhinged freak-outs that sound as if they’re emanating from the deepest, coldest forests of Norway.
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST

Our celebrity-saturated culture makes many of us irrationally hateful of the faces we see on our TV screens and magazine pages. Good thing there’s Celebrity PunchOut to let off some of that steam.

Hong Kong-based illustrator Man-Tsun draws dark and beautiful painterly images that look like they are straight off a high-end Japanese animated film. Read more

Amazing cake designs by Charm City Cakes
Baltimore company Charm City Cakes produces the most innovative wedding and party cakes on the market. Inspiration for these creative bakers comes from everywhere: art, fabric, furniture, architecture, landscapes, science, and music, and each cake is individually designed to match your personality, and the theme of the occasion you are celebrating. Don’t miss these cakey engineering masterpieces. Read more

Wheeeeee! This game is so freaking fun! You move your cursor over each dot to make them split into four smaller dots ad infinitum.

With the recession still biting, it may be time to whip out the glue and the cardboard and make your next pair of cool kicks. Don’t know how they’d manage in the rain though? Read more
Thanks to Sony Australia, four Lost At E Minor readers will win personal audio prizes, including the new 8GB Walkman S series video MP3 player and the MDRXB500 Extra Bass headphones. Read more
These Prosperity earrings by Australian designer Karina Jean are cast in sterling silver, finished by hand and swing on hand-formed silver ear hooks. They are available for purchase through the Lost At E Minor store. Read more
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Abha said | 6 April, 2007
Loved the intensity and the rawness. This rocks.