Whats on in Sydney

This series of small oil paintings responds to the striking architecture and colours of Sydney’s famous beachside suburb, along with the accoutrements of urban living – traffic lights, parking meters, and wheelie bins.

I frequently paint en plein air and for this series, turned my back to the beach to record the man-made environment that clings to its margins.

Significant landmarks and back street views are recorded with the fidelity of a portrait painter. The everyday is illuminated however, with a theatrical quality, as carefully considered compositions provide the stage for the atmospheric play of light.

What if you could travel the world without actually having to leave Australia? Krispy Kreme is introducing a new kind of travel experience with the arrival of its Around the World doughnut range.

Krispy Kreme will be giving away free doughnuts from the new range to customers who hold passports or have visa stamps from, Italy, Argentina, Mexico or England. To relive their travel memories through taste, customers can go into a Krispy Kreme store, show their passport or stamp, and receive a relevant Around the World doughnut.

For those who are yet to visit any of the four countries featured, Krispy Kreme will have bespoke passports available in-store to collect stamps as you sample the four Around the World flavours. Passports with all four stamps can then go into ­­­a draw to win a tailored trip for two, worth $9,000, to one of four Around the World holiday destinations.

The Around the World doughnuts are:

• Ti Amo Tiramisu
• Caliente Chilli Choc
• Dulce De Leche
• English Raspberry Scone

The new doughnuts are now available in-store and online. Order before 5pm for next day delivery or pick up in-store for free.

Join in on the conversation by using the hashtags #krispykreme #tastebudadventure #tastetowin

Aunty Julie Freeman, a Gorawarl Jerrawongarla woman, is a cultural leader, senior cultural knowledge holder and artist. Join Aunty Julie and her daughter Markeeta Freeman for a morning of learning an Ancient South Coast Weaving tradition using local natural materials. Whilst you are weaving, Aunty Julie who will share with you many of her creation stories for the local environment, reminding us of traditional knowledge systems of the region.

Ages: 14 years old and over

Bookings Essential as spaces are limited.

Light refreshments will be provided for morning tea.

This classic film follows a mysterious woman loved by four different men: an actor, a criminal, a count and a mime.

French with English subtitles. 163 min duration.

Free and open to the public. No booking required.

With the fireplaces officially lit, indulge in our month of designer winter afternoon tea experiences in stylish Palm Court.

Enjoy the following:
• Dine beside our fire, white marble fireplace lit daily in Palm Court.
• Christmas in July-themed menu featuring a modern twist on Christmas classics, including gateaux, macarons and savoury delights by Lead Patissier, Chef Miguel Jocson.
• A choice of our signature hot chocolate, barista coffee or exclusive tea range served with each sitting.
• All items served on our beautiful Langham Rose Wedgwood chinaware.
• Exclusive event for the month of July.

Join us for Sydney’s most exclusive winter dining experience this July.

There’s something on for children of all ages this month, with free YouthSpark workshops that teach kids how to create their own games and apps, and experiment with robotics in a fun and supportive environment.

Please see below for a full line up of in-store activities and workshops running . There are limited spaces available so parents are advised to register in advance via the website. All children need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

YouthSpark: Be an inventor with littleBits
Inspire your kids to invent and create in this maker camp that offers kids aged 8 to 11 an introduction to electronics and robotics in a fun, interactive environment.

Timings: Four hours per day, from 1pm to 5pm, and participants must attend the days consecutively.
• Tue 5th – Wed 6th July
• Thu 7th – Fri 8th July
• Mon 11th – Tue 12th July
• Wed 13th – Thu 14th July

YouthSpark: Learn to Code Your Very Own Game
Get acquainted with coding and game development, as we show you the essentials to programming a game where it’s eat or be eaten! These free, two-day interactive and intermediate-level workshops will help children aged 12 and above build their own Flatverse game for mobile devices.

Timings: Four hours per day, from 1pm to 5pm, and participants must attend the days consecutively.
• Sat 2nd – Sun 3rd July
• Sat 9th – Sun 10th July
• Sat 16th – Sun 17th July

Hour of Code
Explore a vibrant digital universe and embark on a coding adventure, through free 90-minute workshops where children can learn how creativity and problem solving come together to solve challenges with code.

Timings: The 90-minute workshops from 9.30am to 11am on the following days.
• Sat 2nd July
• Mon 4th July
• Sat 9th July
• Sat 16th July

Let sleeping (with) dogs lie: crazy Animaladies exhibition celebrates interspecies collaborations in contemporary art.

‘Are we crazy to love and care for other species, at times more than other humans?’ asks co-curator Madeleine Boyd. ‘Other species often love us back in ways that are fulfilling and productive yet free from the conflicts of human experiences’.

Some of the works in the Animaladies exhibition celebrate relationships between humans and animals, while others provoke.

‘Interlude Gallery will be a feast for the senses’, says Boyd, ‘as 24 artists working in diverse media – installation, painting, printmaking, relational art and photomedia engage with the theme of crazy animal love’.

The exhibition accompanies an animal studies symposium, Animaladies, to be held 11–12 July at the University of Sydney which will focus on the role of madness reframed in terms of species, race and gender as ‘animaladies’.

‘The artworks in this exhibition are wonderful examples of the vibrancy of the field, and the contribution the arts make in animal studies scholarship,’ said co-curator Yvette Watt who lectures at the Tasmanian College of the Arts.

A feature of the exhibition is the Postcard Project. Co-curator Melissa Boyde, senior research fellow at the University of Wollongong and editor of the Animal Studies Journal, comments: ‘We wanted to include accessible, affordable and portable works in Animaladies and artists from across Australia have responded with beautiful, small scale works’.

Limited editions of the Animaladies postcards will be available for sale in packs of 10.

Animaladies opens at 5.30pm on Monday, July 11 at Interlude Gallery in Glebe. On July 16, an Interlude Gallery tradition of a feast and artist talks will take place.

Opening event. All welcome, free event.
Sponsored by Poor Tom’s Gin
Monday, 11 July, 2016, 5.30pm-7pm

Artist talks and vegan feast. All welcome, free event.
Saturday, 16 July, 2016 3pm-5pm

Urmila is a woman surviving in a man’s world. Amidst the civil unrest in Sri Lanka, she has been convinced to choose a path mapped out by treachery and deception.

Written by Visakesa Chandrasekaram (Gratiaen Prize 1999)
Directed by Neil Khare
Cast: Belinda Maree, Dimitri Armatas
Sound: Levi Jackson
Make up: Tanya Khare
Photography: Rob Watt. Brad Yee

There are some Kweens coming in to The Soda Factory & throwing down a Block Party on Thursday July 14th for Jukebox Thursdays, a late night of live music & party antics.

DJs FlexMami, Elle Sass & LUEN are taking the decks for your favorite flavors and a night of baetime.

book your space at hello@sodafactory.com.au

These chicks know whats up.

Afternoon tea is the ultimate indulgence. Sofitel Sydney Wentworth and The Art Gallery NSW have come together to create the an art inspired high tea. Drawing inspiration from the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize 2016, Sofitel’s pastry team has created an inactive indulgent afternoon tea with tickets to the Archibald Exhibition.

$55 per person, inclusive of Rennefeldt Tea and a ticket to the Archibald exhibition.
$65 per person, inclusive of a glass of sparkling and a ticket to the Archibald exhibition.
$75 per person, inclusive of a glass of Veuve Clicquot and a ticket to the Archibald exhibition.

Subject to availability. Conditions apply. Bookings are essential. Accor Plus members are entitled to 10% discount.

Soiree at the Wentworth is commemorating its French history with 3 classic French cocktails to mark the storming of the Bastille in 1789.

Relax and unwind with a classic French cocktail in a magnifique setting.

Subject to availability. Conditions apply. Beverage offer is available on 14 July 2016 from 10am in Soiree at The Wentworth. Bookings are not essential.

In celebration of Bastille Day, Sofitel Sydney Wentworth has created a menu, inspired by its French heritage and culinary experiences. Enjoy a French inspired 3-course menu with a glass of sparkling wine at Garden Court Restaurant.

Enjoy this 3-course menu with a glass of sparkling for $75 per person

Bookings essential. Available on 14 July 2016 dinner only. Subject to availability.

Gumnut Babies, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie and the Little Ragged Blossom, are storybook characters who have delighted children for generations.

It’s been 100 years since renowned Australian author and illustrator May Gibbs created the magical gumnut world, and to celebrate North Sydney Heritage Centre presents a wonderful new exhibition.

Featuring original artwork, rare books, archival material, costume and pottery, the exhibition explores the place of the Gumnut Babies in Australian culture.

The free exhibition includes a diorama of Gumnut World creatures which helps to explain the botanical basis of May Gibbs’ work and features treasures from the Neil and Marian Shand Collection. Among the exhibits are first editions of May’s work, original artwork, and books from May’s library.

Visitors can also see a vintage home-made Gumnut Baby costume from the 1940s, Gibbs-inspired bush-themed fashion from Sydney fashion house Romance Was Born, a collection of inter-war Australian pottery and Gumnut models from May Gibbs’ Nutcote that were once used as a Christmas window display for Myers department store.

Open during library hours until the end of August 2016.

The 2-week program of classes and workshops allows kids to be mentored by The Grounds experts in pizza, cupcake making, magic, florals and gardening classes.

The Grounds is known for its innovative and fresh offerings, so co-founder, Ramzey Choker, is hoping to help parents teach kids how to cook at home using the best local ingredients. Inspiring the next cupcake queen or king of Sydney, classes include cupcake making and decorating as well as pizza making classes.

“We are where we come from?” That’s not true. That’s not true because if that’s true there’s no hope for any of us.

The Troubles in Northern Ireland are over. Almost a decade later, Lori returns home early from her first term at university. Neither her parents, nor her two younger sisters, can quite grasp how and why everything went wrong. When their perfectly normal life is shattered, the family struggles to define who they are, where they might be headed and why.

The first play from Belfast-born writer Lucy Caldwell, Leaves won the George Devine Award in 2006 and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2007.

“Leaves dramatises the stresses of this desolate situation with unblinking insight and quiet, rueful humour.” – Paul Taylor, Independent.

Writer: Lucy Caldwell
Director: Rachel Chant
Assistant Director: Samantha Hickey
Set and Costume Designer: Isabel Hudson
Lighting Designer: Benjamin Brockman
Sound Designer: Nate Edmondson
With Harriet Gordon-Anderson, Bobbie-Jean Henning, Poppy Lynch, Simon Lyndon and Amanda Stephens-Lee.

Previews: 9, 10, 12 July.
Opening night: 13 July.

During 2013, the Ngala Nanga Mai pARenT group program, in partnership with Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation NSW (ANTaR NSW) and in association with the Head On Photo Festival, delivered a project titled Underexposed.

Through activity funding provided by Recognise, Underexposed engaged mothers of Aboriginal children from La Perouse and surrounds in a 9 week participatory photography project.

The project sought to encourage and celebrate a visual mode of storytelling from women whose voices are usually silenced or pushed to the margins.

These women’s perspectives and narratives are told through photography.

Places are limited to 10 people and we only have few spaces available, so don’t miss this opportunity.

If you are supporting a person with mild to moderate intellectual disability that wants to lose weight, learn about nutrition and be healthy, then this is the time to help them more!

We do boxing and circuit training.

Please book your place before coming to the sessions.

BBR Festival is proud to announce the 4th annual weekend bustling with appreciation for everything French. Held over Bastille Day weekend, the 4 day open air festival boasts an array of artistic events and delicious stalls for punters across Circular Quay Foreshore and Customs House Square.

Paying homage to France’s National Day (La fête nationale), the BBR Festival celebrates Le “Quatorze Juillet” in style with an array of live concerts, traditional French cabaret, French films, food and exciting cooking masterclasses with French chefs! Oui, s’il vous plaît!! Last year’s festival attracted 350,000 people over the 3 days. This year is expecting to go above and beyond with an additional day of celebration, more attractions, stalls and entertainers.

BBR Festival brings the best of French and European food, culture and entertainment to the heart of Sydney. Celebrate Bastille day like the Frenchies, eating and drinking your way around Europe, dance with can-can girls, see real snow and ice sculptures run around a traditional Swiss village!

The BBR Festival is a family fun weekend like no other.

See website for full details of the exciting weekend of celebration ahead.

For the first time KSGoW and Maker Press present a portfolio of limited edition Heliographs (a solar exposure process used in the production of limited edition prints) by renowned Australian artist Idris Murphy.

Accompanied by a series of drawings completed over the last two years following the trail of Idris’ recent residencies and travels throughout Australia and Europe.

In this body of work, Christopher Walters takes the empty landscape to new limits, pushing the boundaries of the idea of emptiness in both place as well as the photo medium. Pushing photography to its limits Chris experiments between the border between nothingness and minute detail.

At first encounter the soft Minimalist compositions appear to be boundless but on closer inspection these horizontal vistas are underpinned by a strict geometry. They fly in the face of the Australian obsession with figures in the landscape. Although there is nothing that could be identified as figurative, the images themselves pulsate with human presence. They are empty of all things human yet their glowing, tingling surfaces are unified by the horizontal.

Christopher Walters is a commercial photographer with origins in Fine Art Photo Media having studied at the Sydney College of the Arts. His love of Architecture and Fine Art Photography has led him to his professional career in Architectural representation and also as a film director. In the past decade, Chris’ focus has been concentrated on his commercial work and developing his highly successful media company. Fine Art has always been at the core of Christopher’s practice and although the rigidity of Architecture has been a constant.