'The Human Torch' - by Sydney Interactive Theatre

“I’m way too cute to be a murderer” declares the petite brunette, lounging against the wall of the Royal Albert, a public house built in 1927. The group of detectives eye her suspiciously, sipping their house champagne while listening to Edith indulge in tales of marrying her crooked – now dead – husband for his renowned gambling fortune.

After telling the detectives – aka a group of brave Sydney siders who have ventured into a pop up world of theatre and murder - that the victim’s will had mysteriously been changed just before his murder, we stumble across a “clue” that takes us down the back streets of Surry Hills to our next potential suspect.

Sydney Interactive Theatre describes itself as “part game, part theatre, part tour, part bar crawl”, sending the audience on a mission through the streets of the city. The Human Torch pop up dining experience leads us to notice usually overlooked historical landmarks in Surry Hills as we seek to solve the mystery of the murder of Thomas Ivory. A text on the day provides meeting instructions, and we are greeted by the head detective who briefs us on our mission.

After a blind magistrate at the Children’s Court informs us that “it is illegal to wear pink pants on a Saturday”and a street performer impresses us with magic tricks, we follow the hints dropped by each actor to discover a revelationary twist in the tale (you’ll have to do the tour to find out what it is) – and champagne and tapas awaiting.

A shared dinner at a secret location is our reward for cracking the case, as we bond with the other “detectives” over a race well run.

For more information about Sydney Interactive Theatre and Sydney Pop Up Dining visit:

www.sydneyinteractivetheatre.com.au or http://sydneypopupdining.com.au/interactive-street-theatre or call 1300 663 386.

Lifeafterfive* was a guest of Sydney Interactive Theatre.

CANTEEN National Bandanna Day

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world"

Anne Frank

28 October 2011 is Canteen's National Bandanna Day.  Sydney's Martin Place was awash with street art, bright bandannas, and smiley teens cheerily raising awareness of a serious cause.

 

 

More info can be found at http://bandannaday.com.au/

More pics are on the Lifeafterfive* facebook page.

Food as art; Black Star Pastry

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and the orange cake topped with persian figs, pistachios and flowers at Black Star Pastry in Newtown is a case in point.

Food as art

The crowd packed in the tiny Newtown café are testament to the individuality and quality of the food.  The highlight of our visit was the lamb shank and red wine pie, comprised of  feathery pastry and tender filling which was eaten too quickly to photograph.  Black Star Pastry was established by well known Sydneysider Christopher The, and one can read about his foodie adventures and passion for pudding in his online journal.

The array of desserts is bewilderingly beautiful, and one will be excused for wanting to hold on to their cake – yet won't be able to resist eating it too.

http://www.blackstarpastry.com.au/

'Above Earth Below Sea'; A hipsterific gallery launch

‘Are you free next Wednesday night? There’s a cool hipster gallery opening in Rozelle…’ read the friendly SMS.

Immersed in the preppy lifestyle of the corporate mainstream, the obscure ‘hipster’ world continues to mystify despite my devoted endeavours to break free from the confined structure of ‘after five’ (or closer to seven).   In true un-hipster style, I turned to the dictionary (of the urban variety) to get a sense of what I was missing out on.

"...Hipsters are a subculture that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock. Hipsters reject the culturally-ignorant attitudes of mainstream consumers, and are often be seen wearing vintage and thrift store inspired fashions, tight-fitting jeans, old-school sneakers, and sometimes thick rimmed glasses. Both hipster men and women sport similar androgynous hair styles that include combinations of messy shag cuts and asymmetric side-swept bangs. Such styles are often associated with the work of creative stylists at urban salons, and are usually too "edgy" for the culturally-sheltered mainstream consumer..." 

The Urban Dictionary

Counter-culture or not, the launch of ‘Above Earth Below Sea’ at Paper Plane Gallery was an impressively original showcase of ‘contemporary jewellery and objects’ by Australian and Japanese artists.

The eclectic crowd was treated to an eerily mesmerizing performance by Japanese singer TeN, whose music was an enchanting combination of live singing, poetry and ipod-directed echoes.  Australians Kate Brown and Sandra LaRocca also performed a number of their own songs, an earthy contrast to TeN’s elegant recital.



Singer TeN

 The art – or ‘objects’ – represented an exploration of jewellery as functional art, embracing unconventional materials not often considered for their decorative value such as plastic bags, interactive screens and disposable beverage bottles.  The artists write on their blog that the notion of value in jewellery is shifting towards a story being told by the maker, and not just the market value of the material.

Flowers made from disposable beverage bottles

Connecting to nature - taking time to smell the roses

The central theme evident among the diverse range of artworks was an expression of how the artists connected to nature.  While the exhibition was conceived and planned before the Japanese natural disasters, there was an emphasis on compassion for those in the affected areas.  Funds were raised for the Red Cross throughout the night.

At risk of being labelled ‘a culturally sheltered mainstream consumer’ by the shaggy haired hipster crowd, the Paper Plane gallery will appeal to all who have an interest in art, nature and the philosophical connection between the two.  Which raises the equally philosophical conundrum; when the ‘counter culture’ is embraced by the mainstream, is it still hipsterific?

Hipsterific or mainstream?

Paper Plane Gallery
727 Darling St
Rozelle

Exhibition continues to August 15th. Thu-Fri 12-6pm; Sat-Sun 11-4pm 

Part of Sydney Design 2011, presented by the Powerhouse Museum 

Drunk on art

Ray Bradbury famously said that ‘you must stay drunk (on your art) so reality cannot destroy you’. To be honest, when you’re drinking freshly twizzled cocktails, admiring art by Andy Warhol and Louise Borgeois, and being plied with New York style pizza slices, reality seems like a pretty good place to be – drunk or otherwise.

Stepping into the launch of the Absolut Art Collection at the Ray Hughes Gallery in Surry Hills, you would be forgiven for wondering if you had taken a ride on a ‘Back to the Future’ hovercraft and found yourself in downtown New York circa 1980s. Silver armchairs, Mario Bros pinball machines and colourful artworks recreate the street style made famous by Andy Warhol’s factory. The fact that the artwork descriptions can only be accessed by flashing your iphone QR reader at the wall (which provided us with hours of novelty factor entertainment) is one of the few hints that it is, in fact, 2011.

Read more about the launch and details in my post on behalf of Ms Darlinghurst at Eat Drink Play.