Sunday Arts Magazine

An enchanting collection of annotated historical images and

contemporary photographs, revealing the change and development

that Melbourne has experienced over the years.

In 1835, as he walked the sacred grounds of the Boon Wurrung and Woi

Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nations, John Batman wrote in his diary,

‘This will be the place for a village.’ That small village rapidly grew into the

vibrant city of Melbourne.

Historical photographs are a window to the past; a time capsule that

allows us to walk in the footsteps of our predecessors. Now, this collection

enables us to imagine strolling down Bourke Street in 1875, or catching a

Collins Street tram in 1910, or walking through the city’s inner suburbs

many years ago. As well, a series of then-and-now photographs reveals a

striking contrast between the Melbourne of yesteryear and the city we are

familiar with today.

Adapted from the popular ‘Old Vintage Melbourne’ Instagram account,

this book invites you to reminisce about and cherish the important

heritage of the city of Melbourne. Turn back the clock and immerse

yourself in these captivating chronicles of an incredibly diverse, unique city.

 

In his most expansive project yet, internationally renowned artist Rone is set to take over one of Melbourne’s most iconic locations with Time: an epic new installation that will occupy Flinders Street Station’s hidden third floor and ballroom, bringing a lost era of Melbourne history back to life. Over three years since its inception, Time will open to the public on Friday 28 October.

Once a hive of activity post-war, housing sporting clubs, language classes, a rooftop running track and the fabled ballroom, the space has long been a white whale for the artist: impossible to get into and crumbling from years of neglect. Time is a nostalgic love letter to mid-century Melbourne and a tribute to one of its great icons – capturing both the timeless character of the 112-year-old site, and the sentimental detail of a period of the city’s life long lost to progress.

While Empire told the imagined stories of the wealthy upper class, Time shines a light on the working class – offering fictional histories that will transport audiences to post-WWII Melbourne through dressed installations of the artist’s making. Visitors will explore 11 distinctly themed rooms filled with countless original and meticulously recreated period objects, evocative lighting and sound design, and the majestic character of the circa-1910 building. Profoundly atmospheric, the project takes audiences on a journey to the typing pools, machine rooms and public libraries of mid-1900s Melbourne and back again, as Rone’s haunting signature female portraits hover serene and ghost-like above each scene.

Bringing Rone’s ethereal architectural interventions to one of Australia’s most recognisable landmarks, the project builds on an extensive body of work that follows the artist’s groundbreaking Burnham Beeches outing, Empire(2019), which saw the dramatic transformation of a faded Art Deco mansion in the Dandenong Ranges; and most recently, Rone in Geelong (2021), which offered a comprehensive survey of his work of the past two decades.

Flinders Street Station, Melbourne (ca. 1925-1935). Supplied by State Library Victoria.

“For years, I had heard all these stories about the mysterious ballroom above Flinders Street Station. I always wondered how much of it was truth and how much was urban myth. I was desperate to get in there,” Rone explains.

Shrouded in secrecy since the 1980s, locked up and dust-filled, the site was far from easy to access. Yet Rone’s creative vision and trademark tenacity saw him make it happen – overcoming multiple barriers to triumph with his most monumental and labour-intensive project to date.

“I find it fascinating that there is an entire wing of the building that was locked up for decades,” he explains. “Once I discovered how important these spaces had been in the past, I knew I wanted to share that with people.”

Long-time Rone collaborators contributing to the project include set decorator Carly Spooner, who collected countless period pieces from op shops, garage sales and Gumtree listings for the project, including fourteen matching vintage typewriters and a unique collection of antique medicine bottles; sound composer Nick Batterham, whose evocative music will soundtrack the transportive experience; and Callum Preston, a multi-talented creative whose team of set builders crafted the multitude of structures and replica furniture items seen throughout the show.

Rone explains that the various vulnerabilities and restrictions surrounding the heritage-listed space meant that he had to engage a team of more than 120 professionals to work over a period of several months to complete...

The inaugural MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission, opening on 6 October, will unveil a large-scale installation by world-leading Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao exploring the concept of clothing as a symbol of protection, and the associated practices of domestic labour, gender and community.

The MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission is a major five-year series that, each year, invites an international female designer or architect to create new and significant work for the NGV Collection.

The first and only initiative of its kind in Australia, the Commission will create an annual platform for the presentation of topical, world-premiere works that amplify the contribution of female designers and architects in shaping our world.

Titled La ropa sucia se lava en casa (Dirty clothes are washed at home), 2022, the installation draws on the notion of clothing as a symbol of protection for the body and the associated labour of caring for garments as an act of self-care.

Central to the installation is a basin-like structure inspired by the Lavadero of Huichapan, a historical communal laundry located in the town of Huichapan, Hildalgo in Mexico. The construction of the lavadero dates back to the 18th century and was built for the local community to access the natural spring water. The communal structure represents a bygone practice of laundering clothing in public spaces and the social bonds formed among communities through this act.

Symbolising the age-old and cross-cultural practice of washing clothes, the installation is draped with large patchwork quilts, each comprising textiles and clothing donated and sewn together by people in Berlin and Mexico City, who participated in workshops delivered by Tatiana Bilbao Estudio in the making of the work

Wall drawings depict communal laundries and washhouses from around the world and throughout history, creating a collective memory of the diverse social interactions that laundry spaces have enabled in societies, where the associated labour often goes unrecognised.

The commission is a physical expression of Bilbao’s aim to free architecture from the conventions of the 20th century and to propose a new trajectory that is focused on community, sustainability and ethics.

Regarded as one of Mexico’s leading architects working today, Bilbao founded Tatiana Bilbao Estudio in Mexico City in 2004 with the aim of conducting architectural design work from a position of social and ecological responsibility. Her work is known for challenging historical conventions, often rearticulating spaces so that they are more people-orientated and inclusive.

Tatiana Bilbao said: ‘I am deeply honoured and grateful to have been chosen for the Women in Design Commission by the NGV and MECCA. The Commission is contributing, in many ways, to advance the discourse of the importance of opening channels for people who have been left out of opportunities.’ 

Tony Ellwood AM, Director, NGV, said: ‘The ongoing Women in Design Commission will highlight the ground-breaking work of women in this field from Australia and around the world, as well as strengthening the NGV Collection for future generations. We are grateful to MECCA for their visionary support of this Australian-first initiative and commend their continued mission to elevate and empower women in the creative industries.

 

‘Tatiana Bilbao’s is a compelling voice from outside of the traditional canon of architecture, offering a unique perspective on both its history and its future. A woman from North America, an advocate, and a spokesperson for change, Bilbao creates work that is as intellectually rigorous as it is visually dynamic,’ said Ellwood.

 

The MECCA x NGV Women in Design commission series is enabled by a significant contribution from MECCA Brands through its social change program, M-POWER, which champions equality and opportunity for women and girls.

From snake charming to activism – all in a day’s work

New installation exploring both the magic and hardships of working life stories of well-known and

everyday Victorians to open next month at Immigration Museum.

Six fascinating, personal stories which depict how working life informs identity will open at the

Immigration Museum from October 1 with My Working Life: stories from the collection.

Told through objects and projected images from the Museums Victoria collection and projections,

My Working Life provides a platform for diverse voices from a range of eras, highlighting cultural

and social diversity. Meet the snake-wrangling Scottish jillaroo Bernice Kopple, deadly Gammin

Threads Design founder Tahnee Edwards, 1940s supermum and professional pattern maker Violet

Morgan, Laverton pigment workers who brought their blues (literally) home with them, post WWII

Italian migrant and model maker Domenico Annetta, and former refugee and human rights lawyer

Nydaol Nyuon.

“I believe our identities are there to serve us to get to a certain point and then, at some point, you

grow out of that identity and allow yourself to explore other things,” says Nyadol, an award-

winning human rights lawyer.

“For a long time I think I was that 14-year-old girl in a refugee camp thinking I was going to be a

lawyer. That was the identity I embraced. And it took a bit of courage to say, ‘Now it’s time to let go

of that identity and grow into another.’”

Yorta Yorta, Taungurung, Boonwurrung and Mutti Mutti woman Tahnee Edwards’ creative process

speaks to a long history of First Peoples T-shirt making and protest and community slogans being

worn; part of a fierce groundswell in design from First Peoples across Australia.

Heading back to the 1950s, Bernice Kopple (pictured above; Photographer: unknown. Source:

Museums Victoria. Donated by Rachel Legge) busts every conventional image of a post-war female

migrant, boasting an extraordinary career as a jillaroo in the NT, snake charmer, beauty pageant

queen, cabaret performer and animal trainer.

The installation also presents stunning projected images of working life across time, showcasing

the richness and diversity of Museum Victoria’s image collections.

Rohini Kappadath, General Manager, Immigration Museum said that My Working Life shows

beautifully how work entwines itself into our identities, and vice versa.

"This installation reflects the Immigration Museum’s ongoing exploration of identity and its ever-

evolving nature based on a myriad of experiences in our journey of life,” says Rohini Kappadath.

“Within the construct of a hyper-connected, work focussed culture, preserving wellbeing and

creating a life of meaning calls for a new discipline of establishing clear boundaries and adopting

new mindsets about your identity, your work and your life’s purpose."

Reflecting Immigration Museum’s commitment to exploring stories from our diverse communities,

My Working Life: stories from the collection will delight visitors from October 1, 2022 until September 2023

Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) launches this Thursday 10 November for a twelve-day jam packed program stronger than ever. Expect a prime selection of local and international drama, comedy, documentary, and everything in between; from boundary-pushing filmmakers across the globe. 

Running 10 – 21 November, the 32nd MQFF features a Spotlight on Brazil, 49 feature films and documentaries, 12 short film packages, 35 Australian premieres and four Melbourne premieres. This year, MQFF is thrilled to welcome new collaborative partner, the Victorian Pride Centre to host eight open-air rooftop screenings. Some program highlights taking place at the rooftop cinema include:

 

The Australian premiere of Blitzed! (2021) directed by Bruce Ashley and Michael Donald (UK) – tracing the evolution of the eponymous London nightclub through the eyes of club regulars Boy George, Princess Julia, Spandau Ballet and more.

 

Cult classic, But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) directed by Jamie Babbit (USA), is back with a director’s cut.  This is a seminal 90s satire that cannot be missed.

 

The rooftop will also host the Closing Night film Uýra: The Rising Forest (2022) directed by Juliana Curi (Brazil), a superbly lush, ephemeral film that utilises rich colour contrasts and deep, evocative shots to evoke Uýra’s style as both artist and activist — a masterwork of documentary that must be seen the world over.

 

This year’s MQFF will screen 35 Australian premieres, some highlights include:

 

Black as U R (2020) (pictured left) , directed by Michael Rice (USA). This highly incendiary documentary points a lens at Black America, asking: ‘Why do we protest racial injustice, but disregard the injustices experienced by black queer people?’ The inaugural recipient of Frameline Festival’s Out in the Silence Award, Black AS U R is a must- see film dedicated to LBGTQ+ visibility in spaces so politically charged that queer representation has been disregarded.

Also premiering in Australia is Chrissy Judy (2022), directed by Todd Flaherty (USA). This devilishly dark comedy follows a New York drag queen on a quest to reinvent himself.

 

My Emptiness and I (2022) (pictured right), directed by Adrián Silvestre (Spain), is also an Australian premiere and follows Raphi’s journey with gender transition and her changing place in the world. Set in Barcelona and made with sensitivity and compassion, the film is a beautiful narrative selected for the Big Screen Competition 2022 at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

 

A fantastically fun film for all ages, MQFF’s Rainbow Families Screening: Mini-Zlatan and Uncle Darling (2022), directed by Christian Low (Sweden, Norway, Netherlands). This Australian premiere follows Ella, who is excited about summer with her favourite uncle, Tommy, but things get complicated when Tommy’s new boyfriend Steve enters the picture. Ella takes matters into her own hands, orchestrating a Parent Trap-style summer of disaster in the hope of to getting rid of Steve. Based on the children’s book by Swedish author Pija Lindenbaum.

 

MQFF features four Melbourne premieres, starting with the red-carpet Opening Night screening of Private Desert (2021), showing at ACMI and followed by the official MQFF Opening Night Party. Directed by Aly Muritiba (Brazil, Portugal) – A tale in two parts of lovers who’ve not met, separated by miles of desert, in a journey of transcendence, of knowing one’s true desire. Private Desert was the winner of the BNL People’s Choice Award 2021 and was the Brazilian Entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.

 

The Festival’s Australian Feature of the Year is also a Melbourne Premiere – The Longest Weekend (2022), directed by Molly Haddon (Australia). Set in Sydney’s Inner West, this soon-to-be indie classic depicts how the lives of ...

Anthony Breslin presents ‘Melange’ at Burrinja: the iconic Melbourne artist emerges from an illness-induced “coma”

to present a solo show that celebrates life.

In a momentous ‘tour de force’ artist Anthony Breslin will present his first major show in over a decade, ‘Melange’,

at Burrinja Cultural Centre opening in Upwey on October 15th, 2022. He refers to his recovery from over eight years

of illness as similar to emerging from a “coma” having overcome crippling health challenges, including bone marrow

and kidney transplants, over that period.

Breslin’s extraordinarily courageous return brings a celebration of life and colour, embodied in new artistic

explorations that will leave young and old spellbound. “I want ‘Melange’ to be an all-encompassing, theatrical

encounter for the audience, drawing on my past theatre production creations,” said Breslin. “The exhibition plays

with the gallery space to provoke people’s imaginations as they experience the works, walking around them to

explore and engage with them physically.”

‘Melange’ will merge together never before exhibited early surrealist compositions with an extensive number of

new works, including artistic collaborations, mixed media paintings, animation, art installations and interactive ‘art

games’; playfully inviting viewers to immerse themselves as they explore this extraordinary melange of colour, form

and composition.

“It is a real honour to present an exhibition with new and old works by Anthony Breslin,” said J.D. Mittmann,

Burrinja’s Curator and Manager of Collections. “He is a much loved artist and a real institution in Melbourne. His

vibrant public works can be found in a number of inner city suburbs. Despite serious health issues in recent times, he

has been working undeterred towards this major exhibition, which will be distinctively Breslin: joyful, colourful,

playful, interactive – something for all generations.”

A new show is about to debut at the Melbourne Fringe

with a controversial premise – you can only watch the

show if you’re transgender. If you’re cisgender, then

they don’t want you to come.

“Obviously we’re not checking anyone’s birth certificates

or hormone levels at the door,” says the show’s creator

and host, Anna Piper Scott. “That kind of behaviour is

for cis people. We’re happy to use the honour system.”

So why are they banning cis people?

“I started hearing from fans that they couldn’t come to

my shows because they didn’t feel like they would be

safe or welcome. I thought I should flip that dynamic on

its head. An all trans lineup for an all trans audience. A

show where trans people get treated as a norm, and

where cis people feel like they’d have to hide who they

really are.”

Piper Scott teamed up with her producer Olly Lawrence to pull the show together, and as far as they can

tell, the show is the first of its kind. “It’s pretty incredible. We’ve pulled together over 25 trans performers

from drag, cabaret, burlesque, comedy, circus and more,” says Lawrence. “They’re all so excited to

perform just for trans people. Where they won’t have to stop and explain words that cis people don’t

know – words like cis”

Piper Scott and Lawrence say they are willing to bend the rules a little. “We’re happy for someone trans to

bring along a friend or a partner as an emotional support cis,” says Lawrence. “As long as you promise to

clean up after them! We don’t want any straight people coming in and making a mess,” adds Piper Scott

What do they say to the cisgender people who feel that a show like this is unfairly discriminatory? “Good.

Now you know how it feels.” says Piper Scott. “And hey, if you really want to come, I can refer you to my

doctor. If any show is worth transitioning for, it’s gonna be this one.”

Whilst everyone was growing potted plants and learning a new language in lockdown, Miss Cairo sat on her ass and grew a new set of tits. Miss Cairo puts her breast foot forward to create her first ever solo show ‘Breasts Become Her’ running from 15th – 19th October at The Meeting Room, Trades Hall and 20th – 21st October at Geelong Arts Centre as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival. Inspired by the 1992 film ‘Death Becomes Her’ starring Merryl Streep and Goldie Horn, the debut show explores Miss Cairo’s relationship to her femininity since transitioning from a UK drag superstar to an Aussie cabaret trans icon. Singing a mixture of original songs and some classic belters, Miss Ciaro asks ‘When do I become a Woman?’

Confident, self assured and for-the-lols delirious, the show starts with the opening song ‘I See Me’ from ‘Death Becomes Her’. Moving on, topics covered include trans- womanhood, censorship, pop culture, equal pay, allyship and consent – but don’t worry she’ll be doing it all with at least one breast hanging out so you’ll definitely get something out of it, if not a great schooling! Also on the table for discussion is the upcoming International Equal Pay Day on September 18th. Currently Australia’s gender pay gap sits at 14.1%, with the figure widening for women of colour, trans women and trans women of colour. However, with a conveniently attached Square card reader you can easily show Miss Cairo your tips – reparations never looked so good!

If you like self aware iconic 80’s films with leading ladies, trans rights and reparations you will love the show and come away questioning your own relationship to who you are. Will her first ever solo show go tits up? Let’s just hope this show’s not a one-tit wonder…

It’s showtime, and tonight the ocean’s biggest star, Ethel Mermaid, is set to make a splash!

With tails of a life in the spotlight – fame, fortune, love and loss – and the big songs that follow.

She’s Barbra meets Liza meets Patti meets Jaws. She does it all. Just underwater.

Amanda Buckley has been performing for over 20 years, working with the likes of Spontaneous Broadway, The Big Hoo Haa, Impromptunes and Murder Village, and on television in ABC’s Fires and The Newsreader and a series of popular sketches for Channel 10’s The Project.

Ethel Mermaid was a character that first surfaced at the 2017 New Zealand Improv Festival, who proved so popular, she clearly needed a stage of her own. “I have always loved singing big belty numbers and Ethel gives me the chance to delve into the Broadway songbook and live that fantasy. The show is an invitation for audiences to escape and enter the Underwater World of Neptune’s Palace (The Butterfly Club) and spend an hour with a legend of stage and screen.”

Amanda is delighted to be joined by Jamie Burgess as musical director, bringing Ethel to life in her first, scripted, solo show. She says the only goal she has is to give the audience a good time. “If people leave with a smile on their face and a tune stuck in their head, then myself and Ethel would be very happy”.