Laundry Day

Today was Laundry Day in our household so we trotted down to our local to do a bit of washing. It's called My Beautiful Laundrette. This is a quite a fitting name I think, probably the most beautiful laundrette I've ever been to anyway. They seem to take some pride in their appearance, everything co-ordinated in shades of blue and white and their top-loading machines are called 'Speed Queen'. What more could you want.

Afternoon in the park

So about ten minutes down the road is Melbourne Museum and Carlton Gardens, which as it turns out is a very nice place to spend a sunny afternoon.

Market day

Today we went to the Rose Street Market in Fitzroy. I've been wanting to do this since stumbling upon it whist googling Melbourne things when I was back in the lovely Bethnal Green. It lived up to expectations, quite small but in a good cosy way. It had a nice relaxed atmosphere and all the stalls were of high quality and quite reasonably priced. I could have quite comfortably bought a fair amount of things for myself and others, however I was good and only bought some earrings.

Market day breakfast.

Ingenious floor advertising.

This makes me want to live in Mexico. Don't ask me why it just does.

En route to the market. Big creepy baby on building.

I don't know who Mary is but she has nice colours and I like her poster.

New neighbourhood

My friend Emily (previously seen skulking around Chapel Street Bazaar..) described me yesterday as "A lady with superfluous knowledge..." and I liked it so much I wrote it down. So here it is for you. 

Anyway I've been exploring my new neighbourhood since we moved house last week and so far I like it. It reminds me a bit of London which is always good in my opinion, I think I can go as far to say that Melbourne is my favourite city so far in Australia. Although this may change as I do still have a few to visit... I've got back into taking lots of photos of things that attract my eagle eyes, so here are some to show where I've been poking around recently.

I hope that if I ever lose my glasses (if I ever have to wear them that is..) someone does this for me!

Possibly the most excitingly decorated street corner in the area I'd say.

Trotter door handle. Really good and ever so slightly wrong all at the same time.

I had to stop myself from going in this shop. I feel it would be bad for the saving.

This person has Freddie Mercury in their back window. That is all I need to say.

Incidentally when I was younger our cat was named after him, although it was a girl...

When I get a car I'm going to put him in my back window too.

This combination of colours and font reminded me of a Ed Ruscha painting which is very pleasing especially when in an abandoned Thai restaurant.

I have a bit of a morbid fascination with hair. Those of you who know me will know about this. I think I should work in this shop although I'm not sure my hair fascination is quite what their customers are looking for... unless they want to cut theirs off and give it to me to make into something for their mantlepiece that is.

 

This looks like the beauty salon in Grease. That alone is reason enough for me to go there and have some rollers put in as far as I'm concerned.

Wig Sale

I walked past this yesterday and it made me chuckle, and I was ever so slightly tempted to go and have a browse. I did however, refrain...

Ranjani Shettar

Ranjani Shettar  - National Gallery Victoria

I went to the National Gallery Victoria last week and fell upon this show, I've never heard of the Indian artist Ranjani Shettar before but I was pretty impressed with her work. It's been ages since I've been to see some proper 'art' in a gallery so it was very refreshing to find something I could connect too.

'Heliotropes'

Some of her work reminded me of Louise Bourgeois - her use of organic globular forms which had a sensuality about them. She uses a wide range of media very successfully, the use of natural materials which have a semi permanent quality particularly interest me as I like that they are constantly evolving and changing with the environment so in theory are never complete.

This piece is mainly made of vulcanised latex which is one of my favourite materials to use, I love that the rubber darkens with age and eventually will start to decompose, giving the work a 'shelf life' as it were. However it could also develop into something much more interesting as it ages and become a whole new piece in itself. 

'Sun Sneezers Blow Light Bubbles'

The shadows cast all over the floor and walls turn the gallery space into a canvas which totally envelops you in the piece as soon as you enter the room. This piece is steel, muslin, tamarind kernal paste and lacquer, again I love the organic materials and,  similar to latex, the non colour - the piece is an unbleached ochre hue which almost isn't a colour at all. Like the shade of unbleached calico and natural latex, it has a air of some sort of bodily secretion or something biological that I can't quite put my finger on. The tamarind paste and lacquer work together in the piece, there is a hand made aesthetic which I think really adds to it, although the materials also contradict each other. The tamarind evokes thoughts of earthyness and decomposing similar to the latex, however the lacquer confuses this with the idea of preservation and varnishing.

Melbourne

So after having the great idea of starting a blog I have managed to neglect it massively... and only ever made two posts. Well in 2012 all that is going to change! (in theory..) 

I have been in Australia since May last year and after also spending a couple of months in New Zealand we are now in Melbourne. Spent just over a month living with a lovely Aunt and family but have now branched out and moved into a flat (shared with a tattoo studio) in Fitzroy.

Just some things I've seen around the city that have caught the attention of my eyeballs:

This building is on Chapel Street, it is amazing! I want to live in it, although perhaps not in Chapel Street. It was built in 1890 as Prahran Arcade but now has a horrible JB Hifi on the ground floor and as far as I can gather the top floors are residential as it apparently used to be a hotel. One day I want to live in a house that looks like this.

This is inside Chapel Street Bazaar, It is possibly one of the best places I've ever been - this photo does not do it justice. It is a small warehouse/large shop type thing with lots of different vintage/antique concessions of furniture, jewellery, fashion, art, homeware, textiles... the list goes on. I could spend hours in here (although I want to buy everything so this is very unhealthy!) If you are ever in Melbourne and have a liking for this type of thing I urge you to GO! If anyone is familiar with the Flying Duck Shop that used to be in Greenwich - imagine this but about 20 times bigger and better! I was quite restrained and only bought a couple of headscarves for Christmas presents and a handbag. If I could furnish my whole house (preferably the aforementioned property) from this place, I would! 

Saw this the other day on our way to the South bank to have lunch, I love it's nostalgic feel and the rich colours that make it look like it's an overexposed photo.