thosespacesinbetween

my friend stevie shared this video with me yesterday and all i can say is that it really puts things into perspective…. please watch it if you can and think about all the little things that make a difference… to respect the youth… work with them.. help them learn… help them grow… give them hope… they are our future… with luv x

the sydney leg of the bicycle film festival (BFF) is on and is the result of a year-long collaboration of the blood, sweat and tears and the hard work of sydney’s finest young bike enthusiasts… it will rock so go watch it, check out the parties, the rides and the art show… i promise to write a proper de-brief once i get the full wrap… with luv x

as a traveller or maybe just a tourist what’s the first thing you tend to do upon arriving into a new city… walk around a bit, maybe get some food and then usually go a check out a gallery or museum or two… its like a magic recipe that seems to work… but what gallery to choose… what makes a gallery great… and most importantly what makes it exciting… for lovers of ‘contemporary art’ i recommended visiting what i would call artist development galleries… these are usually funded by a larger gallery, they like to show new and upcoming artists and are often that little bit more left of center… two in particular are ps1 in brooklyn, new york and magasin3 in stockholm, sweden… usually less crowded, not too overwhelming and much more creative atmosphere… so if you’re ever in the area check them out, i promise it will be worth every bit of that cheaper entry fee.. with luv x

ahhh a flash of inspiration… first let me apologise to my kind readers for not keeping up to date on this marvelous (yes marvelous) blog of mine… yes my bad… but I have been spending a bit of time with friends and family exploring the many many delights that europe has to offer, exploring the amazing cities of london and paris and as of tomorrow I’m off to explore some more… i promise to jump back in as soon as i get the chance but i just wanted to quickly write about my hometown of newcastle, australia and its inclusion in lonely planet’s newly launched ‘best in travel 2011’ guide….

first can i say i love newcastle… it’s where i grew up, where my family still lives and where many of my best and lifelong friends come from and still reside… newcastle will forever remain in my heart as home… and  although i haven’t seen or read the guide yet (but i will keep my eyes peeled) i feel like the inclusion has been helped significantly by the creative people that newcastle has to offer… the small-business owners, the cafes, the pubs, the amazing restaurants, the wine, the produce and of course renew newcastle…as well as the amazing natural setting in which newcastle is set… ahh i miss that beach..

although i am proud to be a novercastrian (but it is sometimes a bumpy road) i will have to say one thing… newcastle is still a city where the majority of its inhabitants still have to own a car – often more than one, where suburbia exists as far as the eye can see and where big box shopping malls dominate the retail landscape… horrible… so if we are to protect newcastle’s natural beauty, to grow the city’s creative capital and to make it an even better place to live it is time to use this new found global fame to lobby the the state government to help make newcastle better… this starts with better public transport to reduce car ownership and help those in need…  in a city where cars still dominate, where people don’t have decent after hours venues (often resulting in street violence) and where malls are still more valued than the traditional high-street… lets bring about some positive change…

so in summation all cities have their problems, the world isn’t perfect, but i guess i like newcastle too much to let it waste away… i love you newcastle and i hope to see you bright and healthy soon… with luv x

some pics of the newcastle i remember…

a while ago i mentioned a global event started in 2005 by the amazingly awesome san francisco art design activism firm rebar called PARK(ing) day…  held each year on the 17th of september, PARK(ing) day is based around the act of taking back space in the city whilst challenging the volume of car parking versus the amount of green space… simply put, space for cars versus space for people…

having recently worked with the vancouver public space network on their PARK(ing) day spot i was super impressed with all those involved in getting the project off the ground and making it so successful on the day… i say successful because although we ended up getting shut down by the police (based on a complaint from local business owners) our spirits were not dampened as we moved around the street from spot to spot… i am however pretty disappointed with both the business owners and the police who seemed to be very mis-informed with the purpose of the exercise even to the point of inventing “rules” of the road… not cool… but hey maybe some people just aren’t ready for the niceties of a green city… or maybe they don’t really care about its citizens… hmmm… and all this even in the world’s greenest city by 2020, vancouver… food for thought i guess… check the pics below and hopefully we’ll see you next year… much luv x

sometimes you have the perfect day… it might be the weather, maybe the company, the things you do or maybe a surprise you had…  a few days ago I had the perfect day… the weather was crappy but it was the company and the adventure that made it all so perfect… cities are filled with new faces and hidden spaces… look around you… walk under that bridge or down that ally… say hello to a stranger… you never know what you might find… lee side, vancouver… with luv x

sorry its been a while but i’ve been on a little adventure of late… here have some pics to show you i still care… with luv x

venturing out on vancouver island…

sunshine on the sunshine coast, british columbia…

peaceing out in portland…

as always love to you all and thanks for reading.. x

recently i’ve be working with members of the vancouver public space network (VSPN) a grassroots collective that engages in advocacy, outreach and education on public space issues in and around the city of vancouver… notorious for doing some pretty fun and innovative stuff, the group has a number of key focus areas ranging from greenspace to transport and urban design… what caught my attention thou was their focus on the increased corporatization of the public realm, much of which is often in contrary to government planning regulations… corporatization refers to those adverts, billboards and shitty posters that corporates often use to market any number of products…

i feel i need to be clear here in saying that i am not against public adverting – some of which is innovative and enjoyable – rather the extent to which this should be allowed and to what expense, particularly if corporates are leaving up adverts or creating adverts well outside the prescribed regulations and councils aren’t doing their proper jobs… the expense on the public is usually that they have no choice as to what goes up and for how long… and yes yes the counter argument being councils are often under resourced…

couldn’t a better option be giving some power back to the local community to monitor the corporatization of space… maybe even in some instances, or at certain points in time, advertising space could be dedicated to the showing of public art, even better if prepared by local artists… think about it… and check out the story here and here in which a group of ‘urban activists’ (otherwise known as the Toronto Street Advertising Takeover or TOSAT) used public art to take back space… check the awesome images below and remember power to the people… with luv x

my friends the seabellies have just released their debut album ‘by limbo lake’ and it’s really really good…  in the words of the seabellies themselves “their music is rich and lush, full of ethereal electronic sounds, soaring guitars and darkened melodies”… so make sure you listen here and be amazed… i hope you enjoy… with luv x

vancouver i owe you apology… i feel like the sun has been shining and i haven’t wanted to give you the time of day… you have been nice to me and i have been a jerk… maybe its the fact you tend to hide your quirkiness oh so well or that you are not obvious and just ask for a little patience… some digging… and little persistence to show your true colours… there are parts of you i love and others not so much… yet i can’t deny that you are you and now have a place in my heart… i’m still not sure how much time we will get to spend together vancouver… or what the future may bring… but i’m glad to have met you.. met your people… and to thank my special vancouver friends for all that help along the way… vancouver you are awesome in so many ways… with luv x

wolf parade live at the vogue theater - 25 july 2010

PS finally thank you for the beautiful bike rides which have made me smile ear to ear… x