WE'RE SUPPORTING

My first encounter with the work of Portland, Oregon artist Carson Ellis was when stumbling across her beautiful cover art for The Decembrist’s Crane Wife album. It was love at first sight. She has such an amazing way with a simple pencil drawing. And as much as I enjoy all of her work, from her watercolors to her acrylic paintings, it’s still those pencil drawings that tug at my heart strings with their nuanced textures and forms. Read more

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.

WE'RE THINKING

Ring the bells, we’ve recently launched a Facebook Fan Page. So now you can get your daily fix of cultural goodness and continue to make Mark Zuckerberg rich in the process. So please become a fan, then let us know which of the friends above you’ll be [psst, we bags the Tiny Dangerous One]

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.

Sometimes we need an ad to remind us of what’s important. Normal is beautiful. Keep our oceans alive. Vote. Be more fearless. The Whitehouse Post is an international post-production company whose projects are damn fine. In fact, they are the scary mix of wit and aesthetics that makes any message convincing. Long live Coca-Cola.

WE'RE WEARING

The new Melbourne-based football themed t-shirt collection — GFUNK&BATZ — is a lot of fun. Driven by the designers’ passion for the game, the shirts will have you leaping around like Kewell or Beckham (if that’s what you want) in no time. Read more

WE'RE READING

I paid a visit to the local bookstore the other morning and came across The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B and back again). Read more