WE'RE SUPPORTING

I really like Austin-based artist Forrest Elliot’s mysterious, abstracted paintings. Juxtaposing thick and layered brushwork with wispy, washed-out sections, his pieces are as much about textures as they are about their subjects. Read more

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

Instead of demolishing the old Paddington Reservoir, architects TZG have incorporated into the design a new outdoor public garden in Paddington, Sydney. The results are stunning, with the nineteenth century structures providing an amazing starting point. Looking less like a garden and more like an overgrown ancient city, with the remnants of historic walls and vaults, this new public space is well worth frequent visits.

WE'RE WEARING

Made from 100 percent organic cotton and eco-friendly, this super soft tee celebrates a sinister world of kaleidoscopic colours and ripples of psychedelia, of serenading Queens, of dancing flamingos, of unimaginable euphoria. It’s all the work of Sydney label, Das Monk and it’s available through the Lost At E Minor online store for just US$40. Now, there’s one hell of a Christmas present, even if we do say so ourselves!

WE'RE THINKING

With its long history in poster design and with a younger generation of artists who grew up with both Eastern and Western European influences, the ‘new Poland’ is booming. I had a blast when I visited Warsaw about a year ago and met all the movers and shakers in design. My friend just sent me a link to Tymek Jezierski’s amazing comic works. They’re so fresh! The only problem I have with them is that I don’t read Polish.

WE'RE READING

Whenever I begin to take life too seriously, I head over to Indexed for a little humor treat. Never have math, formulas and graphs been so clever and witty. The creator of the site started it as a way to make fun of some things, sense of others. Somehow her little formula worked. She is now listed in TIME Magazine’s Top Blogs of 2008. And now Jessica Hagy is a published author. Enjoy exploring the inner-workings of her mind. It is simply delightful.

This interview with James Lavelle gives a fascinating window into the making of the latest UNKLE opus, End Titles, Stories for Film.

WE'RE LISTENING TO

Major Stars are another throwback ’70s rock band, playing Sabbath-flavored, guitar-driven psych tunes. But what sets them apart from the horde of Zeppelin-worshipping clones is vocalist Sandra Clarkson, whose voice is clean and feminine, but loud and aggressive — she doesn’t try to affect a Janis Joplin rasp. The band’s music also skews heavily towards the Acid Mothers Temple end of the ’70s revival thing rather than the Wolfmother side, another plus. Nope, rock still isn’t dead.