Hot Spots: hook turns with Bus Projects

Thursday 19 August 2010, 11:39 AM
By The Team | Posted in Places

Melbourne’s myriad laneways are home to an industrious network of artist-run and independent art spaces, promising all manner of brain fodder and creative inspiration should you venture in their direction.

Hot Spots caught up with Drew Pettifer from Bus Projects  to find out what makes this gallery’s wheels go round (and round).

What makes Bus different from other artist-run initiatives (ARIs) and independent art spaces?

Bus Projects focuses on the exhibition of sound and spatial art, which certainly distinguishes it from other ARIs and independent art spaces. 

We are still open to all forms of contemporary art production, particularly if it is experimental or adventurous, but sound and spatial art is our main focus.  Our mission is ultimately to get more art by more young and emerging artists seen by more people more often.

What kind of artists have you had on your roster in the past?

Bus has shown a broad range of different artists during the past nine and a bit years. Artists such as Chris Bond, Helen Johnson, Tai Snaith and Viv Miller have all acknowledged the significant role Bus played in the development of their artistic careers. 

We’ve had some great sound performances at the gallery too, by artists such as Marco Fusinato, Phil Samartzis and Rod Cooper. 

Bus closed its Little Lonsdale gallery doors in March.  Is Bus now going to move into a real bus?

That’s certainly part of the plan…We had planned to launch a mobile art space on a bus earlier in the year, but had problems with the roadworthiness of the vehicle we had in mind.  I think our ideal situation is to have both a permanent gallery space and a bus which we use as a mobile project space.  Hopefully, in the coming months, one or both of these spaces will become a reality.

Is there a stronger focus on off-site projects? 

We’re interested in satellite projects and project spaces and engaging artists and audiences in new ways.  Until we have a new space of our own we will certainly continue functioning as a kind of roaming gallery – we’ll certainly be sticking around for a while longer.

Keep an eye on the Bus Projects website for details of coming projects. Some big things are in the wings, we hear.

www.busprojects.com.au

Hot Spots: handmade for you

Friday 13 August 2010, 2:42 PM
By The Team | Posted in People

You don’t need an international boarding pass to come by that hand-crafted woven ikat backpack or custom-fit pair of selvedge denim jeans. Melbourne is abundant with crafty artisans who know how to use their hands and keep their production local.

Here are a few of our favourite city-dwelling artisans.

J.S. Roberts: Handmade Footwear and Leather Goods

Fancy yourself a gentleman dandy or lady about town? Well, then, you’re going to need the shoes to match that devil-may-care swagger. James Roberts is just the man to shod you, hand-crafting bespoke footwear from his perch in manly haven Captains of Industry.  

Pony Bikes

If you don’t think bikes come under the artisanal umbrella, then you haven’t been to Pony Bikes. No-nonsense lady owner Sasha custom-builds small masterpieces for you to ride atop, as well as offering repair, paint, powdercoat, and restoration services. Visit her West Melbourne workshop for consultations and general hang-outs.

AD Jewellery

Master gold and silversmith Michaela Bruton has turned her hand to jewellery-making with a selection of earthen-inspired crystal necklaces and rings. She forges these gems from her studio in West Melbourne, and they are available exclusively for sale at Alice Euphemia.  

COUNTER at Craft Victoria

Craft Victoria’s retail hub COUNTER is the mothership of all things handmade and local. With everything from hand-moulded ceramics to hand-knitted egg cosies, it’s the perfect place to find a unique gift that special someone (or yourself, if you’ve been good).

Image credit: Elizabeth from Primoeza

Hot Spots and all that jazz

Monday 12 July 2010, 4:26 PM
By The Team | Posted in Places

For some, jazz has a bad rep. But we know the cut-off jeans and sweaty tenor saxophonists vibe applies only  to the questionable jazz fusion era of the 70s and 80s, and not the classy trumpeting of Miles Davis or the quick piano fingers of Thelonious Monk. Nor the new school minimalist free jazz of local greats OK OK OK or British bar-raisers Trapezium. Or even to saxophones in general.

Jazz is actually great. Now where are you going to find it? Paris, New York and Tokyo are a given. But who wants to board a long haul flight for a bit of toe-tapping? You’ll find that Melbourne has some mighty fine jazz destinations of its own, tucked away down some of the city’s laneways. If Miles was around today he’d surely be dusting off his brass at one of the following venues.

Bennetts Lane Jazz Club
Nearly in its second decade, the Bennetts Lane Jazz Club is a stalwart of Melbourne’s syncopated tune scene. On any given evening there’ll be a local or international big name belting it out on the Jazz Club or the Jazz Lab stage.

The Paris Cat 
A newer face to Melbourne’s jazz scene, The Paris Cat is an intimate and dimly lit affair that serves up top shelf swing you’ll need at least one hand to click to. The other one will be clutching a Bond-quality martini from the cocktail bar.

Guildford Lane Gallery
The Guildford Lane Gallery will be continuing Friday Night Jazz throughout the winter months. There’s no better way to wind up your working week than with a spontaneous on-stage musical collaboration of emerging and talented Melbourne jazz minds. Not to mention a well-priced drink from the well-stocked bar to wash it down with.

Jazz cats, perhaps you might know some other haunts in Melbourne find smooth jazz tunes?

LINKS:
Photo Credit: Laki Sideris, Melbourne Jazz Photographs