Introducing ... Chapter House Lane

In an earlier post, I alluded to an exciting project I've been involved with for the last couple months: Chapter House Lane.

Tucked away in a laneway next to St Paul's Cathedral in the heart of Melbourne's CBD, is a recently launched contemporary art gallery.  Originally a disused window front, Chapter House Lane has been transformed to inspire curiosity to passer bys and art critics alike.  As a not-for-profit association, we've relied on donations of over $3,000 with the aid of crowd-funding website, Pozible.  A number of generous sponsors and friends have also assisted us along the way, and for that, we are extremely grateful.  A key objective of the space is for it to be a means for emerging and establishing artists to display their works for free.

Behind the scenes, a small group of us with a mixed skill set (think freelance writer, art curator, lawyer, graphic designer, tax consultant and industrial designer) have been working hard to get this space up and running.   After countless meetings, several buckets of paint, many late nights, and a large amount of elbow grease, Chapter House Lane finally launched on Thursday November 10 with a grand opening party.

With approximately 120 guests in attendance, the night was a huge success, showcasing watercolour portraits  from Justin Lee Williams' Midnight Mountain Dancing exhibition.  The exhibition is on til 2 January 2012.  Ch-ch-check it out when you get a chance!

This one's for you, Holly.

Dear Holly,

Please come visit already.  Hope these pics are tempting you.

From Justin

This is a picture I took last week of Faux Pas playing a neat audio/visual/intergalactic-themed set at The Cube at ACMI

This one I took a few nights later. It was an intimate gig held just by this bridge in the middle of nowhere.  Getting here was tricky and it was my first time riding a bike in a year.  I was a bit wobbly on my bike.  Now I know how you and Charlotte felt when you first rode that bike around the cemetery in Norrebro (straight after you had bought your bike). 

ps. hope all is well

New Chapter, New Project

Très exciting project I'm working on at the moment!  Click here for more!

Awesome People Hanging Out Together

The title sums it up perfectly.

Video Hits

I've been really hooked on creating videos in the past year.  I made this one a couple months ago as a result of experimenting with my new camera and lens. The tracks on the video are from my current favourite band, Beach Fossils. Their music is blissful and perfect for road-trips.

Thaipusam Festival: A colourful and painful celebration

Earlier this year, during my brief stay in Kuala Lumpur, I decided to join the masses and venture out to the Batu Caves to witness and experience one of the most confronting yet beautiful festivals of my life: the Thaipusam Festival. The Thaipusam Festival is the most significant Hindu display in Malaysia, having been held annually at the Batu Caves since the late 1800s. Before the festival day, pilgrims, mostly of Tamil Indian descent, line the streets to see a statue of Lord Murugan make its way to the Batu Caves. The procession is large and colourful, comprising of a wide variety of devotees who go to different lengths to express their devotion.

Pound the Ground

Yep, that's right, she's not just balancing a bunch of stuff on her head, but she's also got a skewer through her cheeks.

Do not go to the Thaipusam Festival if you don't like crowded places, loud noises, or get grossed out by body piercings. It's estimated that over one million devotees and tens of thousands of tourists were in attendance of the festival this year. Numerous groups of musicians, drummers and dancers energetically expressed their faith, adding to the carnival feel of the event. Stalls were set up for devotees to shave their heads and paint their heads yellow. Women, bearing a rainbow of flowers in their hair paraded around the festival in their shimmering traditional outfits.  Food stalls appeared everywhere, cooking up an assortment of delights that I had never seen before.  And, to keep the kids happy, an amusement park filled with rides, games and balloons was established.

Chair swing for the kids, and big kids like me!

At first, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement and colour of this festival.  But then, you see things that remind you that this is a deeply reverential event.  For instance, there were men carrying elaborate and heavy frameworks on their shoulders (called 'kavadis'), which were attached to them by hooks throughout their bodies.  They had to carry these frames up 272 steps to the Batu Caves...after walking several kilometres from the city.

Ouch! Apparently these devotees feel no pain when they do this, and that no blood or scars appear when they remove the skewers.

Then there were the devotees who, whilst experiencing spiritual and devotional trances, deliriously carried pots of milk on their heads up to the caves.  Many of these devotees had skewers pierced through their cheeks and tongues, and looked like they were on the verge of collapsing.

Carrying milk up to the caves

The way to the Batu Caves

I followed the large procession up the 272 steps to reach the Batu Caves.  Here, after days of illustrating their faith, endurance and penance, devotees lay down to rest, recover and eat, and they were duly congratulated by their loved ones.

Inside the Batu Caves, after wriggling my way through others up 272 steps.

Brickin' Sweet

Nathan Sawaya's Art of the Brick exhibition, currently on display at Federation Square, is a visual feast of LEGO masterpieces not to be missed.  Hailing from New York, Nathan Saways is an inspirational creative genius.  As a disenchanted contract lawyer, he decided to leave the legal profession and become a full-time artist. Since then, he's constructed numerous people, dinosaurs, portraits and sculptures all from little bits and pieces of LEGO.  In doing so, he's broken gallery records around the world.  Not a bad career change if you ask me!