art and design

HOT Chat: Jacqui Alexander of Skinny Nelson

May 2, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

So the fashion big guns are at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week in Sydney this week. On the other end of the spectrum, Melbourne provides such fabulous support for emerging young designers and I like to do my bit. So today’s HOT Chat is with Jacqui Alexander, an experienced fashion designer at the tender age of [...]

HOT Chat: Fiona Maxwell of Next Wave

April 18, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

Next Wave is a biennial arts event which is Australia’s leading festival for young artists, arts workers and young audiences. The festival features works from artists aged 16 to 30 including dance, theatre, visual arts, performance, new media and literature. I first came across it when I volunteered in 2006 as a gallery guard at [...]

HOT: Ron Mueck, NGV International, 180 St Kilda Rd, Southbank

April 16, 2010 ⋅ 5 comments

I’m a bit late with this post given that the Ron Mueck exhibition at NGV International closes this Sunday – but if you have a chance get down to NGV tonight (it’s open till 9pm) or this weekend to see some really life-like giant people and miniature people. Ron Mueck is a Melbourne-born London-based sculptor [...]

HOT Chat: Chris Howatson of tropicalhowie

April 11, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

Do you know about Springwise? It’s a great website that scans the world for cool business ideas and it’s how I found out about tropicalhowie. The company’s unique, limited-edition laptop covers were featured recently and I was excited to discover that they were designed and sold right here in Melbourne. Well, of course I had [...]

HOT: Brooklyn Arts Hotel, 50 George St, Fitzroy

March 30, 2010 ⋅ 3 comments

Tucked in a residential street in Fitzroy is an unassuming terrace house signed ‘Brooklyn Arts Hotel’. Push the door open and the two laidback labradors welcome you with a sniff and a tail wag, before Maggie the friendly owner greets you. Brooklyn Arts Hotel is a small bed and breakfast with a welcoming sense of [...]

HOT Chat: Karishma Kasabia of Miss Kish

March 28, 2010 ⋅ 5 comments

Regular readers may know that I stumbled upon Miss Kish’s blog a couple of months ago and developed a huge blog crush. Then when I met the lovely Karishma of Miss Kish in real life, I developed a bit of a crush on her too. We’re now working on an exciting new project together! Read [...]

HOT: Oak Off Chapel, Level 1/33 Simmons St, South Yarra

March 18, 2010 ⋅ 6 comments

One of the things I love about Melbourne is that it’s a city that nurtures and encourages creativity. Maybe it’s because we don’t have fabulous weather all the time (though personally I love it) or pretty beaches to swim in, but Melburnians really seem to enjoy delving into their own creative headspace. The vibe of [...]

HOT: LTRHDS Letterheads 2010, 1000 £ Bend, 361 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne

March 16, 2010 ⋅ 9 comments

LTRHDS Letterheads is an exhibition of, you guessed it, letters of the alphabet. But this isn’t just a grown-up version of Sesame Street. Each piece of artwork denoting A to Z has been produced by 26 different artists, cartoonists, graffiti artists, graphic designers and illustrators from Australia, UK, US, Japan and Brazil. The free exhibition [...]

HOT: Michelle Lane of Mishy Lane

March 14, 2010 ⋅ 6 comments

Just in time for L’Oreal Fashion Week (14-21 March), today’s HOT Chat is with fashion and product photographer and graphic designer Mishy Lane. I came across Mishy’s work through the daily newsletter The Colour, and liked her use of colour and textures – plus we have a little in common because she has also moved from [...]

HOT: NGV Artbus to the Yarra Valley (Part 3) – Healesville Hotel and Heide Museum of Modern Art

March 10, 2010 ⋅ 2 comments

Click here for the first stop of the NGV Artbus Tour of the Yarra Valley at Yering Station and the second stop at TarraWarra Estate. After two wine tastings and a gallery viewing, we were all about ready for lunch. To my delight, the lunch venue was the lovely Healesville Hotel. Not only is this [...]