2009 June | MEL: HOT OR NOT

HOT: NGV Members Lounge, NGV Australia, Federation Square, Melbourne

June 29, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Benefits of unemployment #15: the opportunity to go meander through an art gallery when the crowds are at work. Or if you’re an NGV Member, skip the gallery all together and head straight for the Members Lounge. My new membership has practically saved me money as I’ve imbibed numerous mugs of complimentary peppermint tea (saved [...]

NOT: Exhibition 12, C3 Contemporary Arts Space, Abbotsford Convent, 1 St Heliers St, Abbotsford

June 28, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

C3 Contemporary Arts Space is a non-profit exhibition space located in the basement of peaceful Abbotsford Convent, now converted into an arts, culture and education precinct. The three rooms house rotating temporary exhibits, and its latest show is simply called ‘Exhibit 12‘ so there doesn’t appear to be any unifying theme. The postcard looked so [...]

HOT: Four of a Kind, Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton

June 26, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Four of a Kind is a rarity – an Australian film that features four richly-drawn female lead roles and a complex interwoven storyline that had me intrigued and engaged the whole time. The story starts with a police interview, where a police officer Gina (Leverne McDonnell) is questioning Anne (Louise Seversen), a rich surgeon’s wife, [...]

HOT: Collection Tour, NGV International, 180 St Kilda Rd, Southbank

June 25, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

I had originally planned to attend a Henry Purcell lecture at NGV International, but when it was cancelled at the last minute I decided to take a collection tour instead. I’ve never actually explored the permanent exhibition spaces of the NGV and the free tours are a good way to get a taste of what’s [...]

NOT: Tony the Tailor, 313 Smith St, Fitzroy

June 22, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Tony the Tailor is one of the few old-school shopfronts remaining on increasingly gentrified Smith Street. The signage is chipped, the windows are dusty and overall it presents an indifferent attitude to the hipsters. When RM‘s pants needed mending, it was an opportune time to support a local long-standing business. I thought that despite the [...]

HOT: Palomino, 236 High St, Northcote

June 21, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

The design brief for Palomino seems to have been ‘stylish kitsch’. Look around and there’s tacky porcelain ornaments randomly resting on the ledges and dotted around the boxed wooden shelving. The backdrop though is a stylish royal blue feature wall, fern wallpaper and hanging round orbs of soft light over the bar. Only Anita tried [...]

HOT: Northern Exposure, High St, Northcote

June 21, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Anita and I met on a windy, chilly Sunday afternoon for a stroll around Northern Exposure, Northcote’s visual arts festival. The exhibitions included traditional hangings in galleries such as Kick and the grand dame Northcote Town Hall, combined with displays in High Street shopfronts. I have to admit that I wasn’t too excited by much [...]

HOT: How to Become a Human Lightning Calculator, Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson St, Carlton

June 21, 2009 ⋅ One comment

It’s Sunday morning. I lumber bleary-eyed out of bed, grab the papers in my slippers, maybe flip some pancakes and don’t leave the house until the afternoon. Nope. It’s Sunday morning and I’m off to the learn how to be a human lightning calculator. Melbourne Museum, in conjunction with the Mathematical Association of Victoria, are [...]

NOT: Cho Gao Restaurant & Bar, Level 3, Melbourne Central, Melbourne

June 20, 2009 ⋅ One comment

I had suggested Cho Gao for Saturday lunch with my long-lost high school friend, despite my misgivings about its shopping centre locale, because I had heard about its expansive view of the State Library. Unfortunately, it was too cold and cacophonous (protests about the Northern Territory intervention) for us to sit on the balcony for [...]

HOT: Sonsa, 152 Smith St, Collingwood

June 19, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

When Tranzie moved to Islington, they were so excited to discover their local Turkish grocery store that they insisted I should be introduced to Mr and Mrs Yassar when I landed in London. Now that they’re in Collingwood, they must be really excited about Sonsa – Yassar’s on a larger scale. The family business lives [...]