Ok, confession time ... I've been getting down to the latest Duran Duran greatest hits album this week (how many of these things can the one band release?) which brings back glorious childhood memories of roller-skating just close enough to that cute gal with the 'I love Ferris' cap to set my endorphins racing. Ah ... early teenage lust. Ain't it a grand thing. And, yes, 'Ordinary World' is one heck of a good pop song. But enough of these embarrassing incriminations. I got word during the week of an exhibition of wonderful new art works by Edwina Lye, one half of the emerging Aussie fashion label Ed & Bek, which is on at the Blank Space gallery on Sydney's Crown St until June 28th. The works 'carry an element of textiles, such as traditional sashiko embroidery, antique buttons and more crude styles of embroidery'. All sounds very interesting. As does news of the formation of yet another musical supagroup - albeit this time with a nice indie twist. A Gun Called Tension is a collaboration between Sean Reveron (Free Association, The Beta Band) and Dann Gallucci (Modest Mouse, Murder City Devils). Their debut self-titled release was recorded in Gallucci's bedroom and is out now through Rogue Records. Meanwhile I've discovered a cool online Zine called AW which is put together by Melina Rodrigo. Check out issue 11: a tribute to one of California's favorite icons, the Bikini Lady. Yup, only in America ... 

There's some nice work up on Melbourne illustrator Troy Mendham's website. He has a great sense of colour usage in his compositional dynamics. Elsewhere, Basit Khan - formerly of Singapore and now based in The Netherlands - has updated his website with a series of new work projects which include the Tiger Beer identity and posters for their regional Transit parties (Australia), Sleepwalker promo album artwork (Singapore) and The One Weekend Book Series exhibition (The Hague, The Netherlands). Certainly worth a look. As is the Rapcella website, a new resource which contains just about everything you ever wanted to know about rap music but were too afraid to ask. The mind boggles at the scope of it all - 8000 pages of information, including individual profiles of 3500 artists - which explains why every second song on the radio these days is a four four beat under a barrage of fluent wording. Says Luckyiam.PSC (of Living Legends notoriety): 'If you ain't in the 'cella, what ya rhymin for?' Fightin' words indeed. Speaking of which, anyone up for a quick twelve rounds?

A couple of strikingly evocative shots from Italian photographer Simone Barbati which form part of a project called 'A New City' - dark interpretations of the city inspired by William Gibson's novel. These shots taken in Hamburg, Germany capture the unique coarseness of the environment. Till next time ... Zolton