thosespacesinbetween

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…