Creative Grooming

WE'RE SUPPORTING

With the new Tim Burton movie right around the corner, the quirky, spooky paintings of San Francisco artist Michael Page are just the right fix to hold me over. With a muted woodsy world inhabited by puppet-like figures, and the endearing monsters that terrorize them, ‘ll most likely be dropping by for a Page fix even long after I get my fill of Coraline next week. Read more

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

Sydney is not as well known for its great bars as other Australian cities. The city centre is dominated by over-priced style bars, while the suburbs are ruled by beer barns overflowing with terrible music, pokies, and sports. Nestled in the back streets of Surry Hills, surprisingly close to the city, The Cricketer’s Arms bucks the trend, with an open fire-place, great contemporary music selection, comfortable couches, a cosy outdoor area, decent food, free board games, and the laidback vibe that’s now all too rare in Sydney. [pic via Time Out Sydney]

WE'RE WEARING

Luxury goods have been getting a bad rap lately, and for good reason. Now I don’t know how you roll, but we don’t know many people who enjoy covering themselves head-to-toe in someone else’s initials. Yet for some reason designers think that diamante logos and monogrammed tapestries are the best mediums to communicate their brand. So it’s just as well LA based eyewear label Barton Perreira doesn’t play by the rules. Starting out less than a year ago, you won’t find their designs getting over-excited by insignia. Instead, these guys hand make their frames in Japan to rely on precision, fit and design. And that’s the way it should be.

WE'RE THINKING

Though artistic genres from the last couple centuries inform Marc Burckhardt’s style, he is not a period fetishist. The playful way in which he incorporates visual jokes and modern themes has a simplicity to it, making each of his images self-contained and elegant. Read more

WE'RE READING

Why is it that perusing the creative projects at ReadyMade always makes you wish you had more time? Read more

Seldom has black humour been done so well. On the surface, this film about the everyday lives of some unusually mundane characters, sounds extraordinarily boring. But it is instead a cutting comment on the absurdity and drudgery of everyday life. The characters try to break out or change their lives without success, and the results are bleak and hilarious. Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

Every now and then you encounter a band whose sound cannot be confined to CD, Vinyl or a MySpace Music Player; a sound so incredible that it must be experienced first hand, in the flesh, where it can do some well-deserved damage to your eardrums. Sydney’s Dead Farmers are one of these bands. Read more