WE'RE SUPPORTING

Maya Bloch’s richly textured and moody paintings really mesmerize me. It’s amazing to see those eyes glaring at you from the blobs of swirled color. Read more

WE'RE THINKING

My first impulse, when I’m staring at a blank canvas or sheet of paper, is always to draw or paint a face. I think this is pretty elemental, since faces are pretty much how we primarily interface with each other. Brian Kokoska also seems to have the same impulse, creating terrifying, perverted, and whimsical figures with mask-like mugs in his images. Read more

I ran a series of 80s nights in New York last year — showing cult 80s movies and playing classic cuts from that era of kitsch and spice — purely so I could spin After The Fire’s Der Kommissar over and over. Yessir, this was the future of music in 1983. Pity no one was listening.

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

There’s a shop on Smith Street in Melbourne where all young designers go to live. In.cube8r supports all things craft and handmade in Melbourne, running like a long-term market, with the gallery divided into different areas that the artists lease for a tiny cost. There are more than 75 of Melbourne’s top crafters on show and the gallery is always looking for new designers.

WE'RE READING

For the obsessive compulsive among us, Things Organized Neatly is a daily fix of stuff that’s arranged in perfect right angles and tantalizing patterns Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

Beach House are certainly different. The dream pop/indie rock duo from Baltimore create music bursting with atmospheric rhythms, pretty organs and poignant lyrics. I’m loving Norway, the twosome’s debut single from their upcoming album, Teen Dream. If the vocals sound familiar, that’s because lead singer Victoria Legrand shared backing vocals on Grizzly Bear’s Two Weeks. Now how’s that for trivia?

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WE'RE WEARING

Pioneering Australian designer Kara Smith can definitely give Urban Originals a run for their money. She creates the most innovative handbags for those that truly want to stand out. Detailed with lovely pockets and vintage buttons, Smith’s retro inspired designs literally transform original vintage fabrics into ‘one-off’ clutches, handbags, totes and accessories. I’m in love with her clutches! But yes, if you missed her over the week end at the Blue Mountain’s Leura Village Fair, she’s stocked in Glebe and Sydney’s Todae store, as well as at a variety of online outlets.