Justin Williams’ Between a Ghost and a God exhibition

WE'RE SUPPORTING

Funnily enough, my introduction to the work of artist and illustrator J. Otto Seibold was through a Norstrom holiday display many years back. The entire store was bedecked in Olive the Other Reindeer regalia. It took me forever to part with my Olive the Reindeer shopping bags, so when I later discovered that Olive was, in fact, a recurring story book character (not simply some character fabricated solely for the holiday display), I was pretty psyched and have been a fan of all the ragtag J. Otto Seibold characters and books ever since.

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

Melbourne’s Alice Euphemia has been a swinging shrine to Australian independent fashion for a decade now, hosting some of our favourites including Romance Was Born and TV amongst countless others. The success continues, with Alice Euphemia having opened a second store in 2007 in the old Craft Victoria building on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy, Melbourne. Read more

WE'RE WEARING

Once upon a time there was a real connoisseur of jeans, Hidehiko Yamane, as expert and demanding as only certain Japanese ‘otaku’ can be. Read more

WE'RE THINKING

Austin-based photographer William Hundley loves juxtaposing completely absurd and unrelated objects. Whether it’s fabric-draped people in mid jump or chihuahuas and Easter Island heads standing on cheeseburgers, Hundley takes an almost Dadaist joy in making random, giddily puzzling images. Read more

WE'RE READING

This website hosts a nice collection of quirky, sometimes mind-boggling, sculptures from around the world. There’s a certain Dali-esque feel to a lot of them – those surreal, dreamy hallucinations turned into a warped reality. I’ve always been a sucker for art that really catches you out for a few seconds, and these certainly do that.

This clip had such an impact on me when it first came out, back in the day. There’s just something so poignant about the idea that some people you pass on the street everyday have a little bit more insight into their world — our world — than we could ever imagine. It’s beautiful and confronting, and it’s all set to the most wonderfully evocative music.

WE'RE LISTENING TO

I haven’t bought a CD in a while but I was strolling down Wellington’s Cuba Street looking for a bit of inspiration the other day when Liam Finn’s music tapped me politely on the shoulder and dragged me into the music store. Liam is New Zealand music royalty, of Neil Finn descent, although — with his wild hair and beard — he’s looking a bit more like a young Jesus these days. The record is made with the help of an analogue loop machine, and you’ll find the kind of stunning instrumental crescendos that I haven’t heard since The Beatles Hey Jude. He engages emotionally and spontaneously, with both skill and showmanship.