EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Luke Smith
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Luca DiSmith
EDITOR El Luco
WRITERS 6000times, Rhys Bradley, David Brennan, Luke Smith, Empire of Perth, Charlotte Hamlyn, Sophia Flynn, Zachary Kussin, Michael Reynolds, , Larry Rivera, Grace Slatyer, Ben Watkins, David Weir, Adam Zorzi
PHOTOGRAPHERS Al Duckett, Justin Linney, Tom Mahoney, Bianca McCliver, Mark Peter, Luke Smith, Zachary Kussin, Michael Reynolds, , Larry Rivera, Grace Slatyer, Ben Watkins, David Weir, Adam Zorzi
ILLUSTRATORS Luke Smith, Sophia Flynn, Luca DiSmith
Company Director Luke Smith Publisher Louise Bannister Business Manager Di Williams
Strange Light Press
Strange Light is published by Strange Light Press. Strange Light Press is an imprint of Morrison Media PostOffice Box 823 Cottesloe, WA, 6011 Telephone : +61 4 9284 2886 Fax : +61 4 9284 2885
Views expressed by authors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Copyright is reserved, which means you can’t scan our pages and put them up on you website or anywhere else. Reproduction in whole or part ir prohibited. Email Addresses are published for prefessional communication only.
Aust and NZ Distributor Gordon & Gotch.
www.strangelight.com.au
/4
|Sunday Funday | /6 | Lights and Music |
/10
| Loud Noises |
/16
| Abandoning Perth |
/20
| Maphead |
/24
| Coffee in the Suburbs |
/30
| Ski Cortina |
/40
| South West |
/52
| Wild Wild West |
/72
| Great Man of History | /90 | Bearded Mans | /98 | Pinballs |
/109
| Stupidity is a Rusted Car |
/120
3
CONTENTS
| Taking it from the Streets |
STREETS taking it from the By Zachary Kussin São Paulo’s Choque Cultural Gallery prides itself
art, that have been transferred to canvases. More
commissioned street artists to apply their talents to
on exhibiting works of pop art, photography, and
inspirational than angry, they’re a far cry from “tag”
murals rather than on building façades or concrete
sculpture by Brazil’s top contemporary artists. But
graffiti—hastily sprayed words on outdoor property
barriers. Although the artistic style of the outdoor
its current exhibit, Coletiva Choque, featuring works
that convey social and political messages. São Paulo is
artwork is preserved, some argue that moving
by the artists Zezão, Jaca, and Presto, looks like it’d
not the only place where street art has made the leap
it indoors and changing its scale compromises
be more at home on the walls of a favela. It consists of
from the inner city to the gallery. Exhibition spaces
its integrity and mission. Indeed, during Choque
large, colorfully embellished murals, known as street
in Los Angeles, London, and New York City have all
Cultural’s Trimassa! street-art exhibit last fall,
vandals broke in and spray-painted pichação, or tag
cultural pride in his compatriots—especially those
with him in a street art collective named Lastplak,
graffiti, all over the works to protest the mainstream
who might not ever make it to a gallery or museum.
says that his own preparation for the group’s recent
marketing of the art form. Street artists themselves
By moving their work indoors, they fear that they will
show in Los Angeles helped him produce more
are ambivalent about shifting their venue. Eltono, an
lose touch with their original artistic missions and
sophisticated, polished work. Putting finer artistic
artist from Spain who paints geometric designs on
the thrill of making art on unconventional surfaces.
materials to use, like paintbrushes instead of spray
houses, fences, and vans, likes to surprise passersby
But they also recognize that gallery representation
cans, he learned to hone his technique. In the process,
with creative designs in unsuspected locations.
can legitimize their art and win them new fans. CES
he reached audiences who had never heard of him,
Speto, a Brazilian native who favors painting large
53, a Rotterdam-based collaborative artist who likes
or of Lastplak, who began to follow his gallery work
and colorful illustrations of religious iconography,
to mix pre-Colombian motifs with a hip-hop esthetic
as well as Lastplak’s street work, which now includes
Amazonian scenes, and tribespeople, seeks to instill
along with the styles of the 8 other artists that work.
a giant Noah’s ark illustration on the front of a
6
LIGHTS AND MUSIC
lights and music
member of Audageous. But Ben admits he is just the same. “Most of the time when people ask me for
By Empire of Perth The Aston Shuffle hits Perth and Villa this Saturday as a part of their national tour ‘Won’t Get Lost’. The house electro duo feature alongside local favourites, Sun City, Jus Haus? and Audageous. Last week Empire of Perth’s Sara Mattsson met up with Audageous, alias Ben Robinson, to discuss travelling, fictional biographies and to get the low down on what DJing is all about.
night during a break
bios I just make things up,”
from completing the last
he laughs. “I’m actually
chapters of his Master
pretty disappointed that
thesis on the coastal
they didn’t put the one up
vulnerability in Lancelin.
I wrote for Parklife. I think
Ben is a busy man. v he
I said I was a part-time
says. Soon to be a graduate
werewolf for something.”
civil engineer after six
Ben also values his
years at UWA, he has
privacy: “I try my hardest
already secured a job and
to distance myself as a
is due to start in a couple
musician.” The artist page
weeks. Moreover, he is
on Facebook is updated
preparing for plenty of up-
with everything he does
coming gigs.
musically, but he tries to keep his personal page
I get the impression that
limited in that respect. “I
Ben doesn’t take himself
get quite frustrated,“ he
too seriously. The fake bio
explains. “I guess I’m a
on Audageous’ MySpace
major source of it myself,
site is a good example. Ben reveals this was his cousin David’s composition, who at an early stage was a
I caught up with Ben in Leederville last Tuesday
11
lights and music
but people are spamming
then [Shape] was sort of
you out on Facebook
the biggest nightclub in
pages to go to events.”
Perth. It was huge!” Ben supported new acts every
2008 was the year Ben
Saturday night, and he
had his first gig. It
describes it as the most
was an end-of-exams
enjoyable year of his life.
party for UWA, down at the OBH in Cottesloe.
After one year as a
The hosts Ignition
resident at Shape, Ben
and Borgeoius Bogan
departed Australia to
had invited American
do some solo travelling.
electro duo LA Riots and
He got a job on a
Parisian disco house
backpacking cruise
king Joakim. “They were
around Turkey and
at the time massive
the Greek Islands. He
electro producers,” Ben
then travelled to Rome,
explains. He played at
London, Edinburgh,
Shape nightclub that
Berlin and Prague,
same night. The host
across to North America
Josh McAuliffe from
and finished off in South
Tick Tock [the label]
America. “I actually
liked what he heard and
played a show when I
offered Ben residency
was in Berlin,” he said.
at the nightclub. “Back
The record label Kitsune
lights and music
Records, who he came in contact with during his time at Shape, organised the gig. Maybe that is why he picked Berlin as his favourite city out of his year overseas. “Ooh, I want to live in Berlin so badly!”. Today Ben works with Tick Tock and Metric Promotions, who he says “awesome guys”. “I play at Cheek every second
“You want to spend all your time on playing music, but it’s not always easy,”
Wednesday, and at Father every now and then.” Ben also started working for Boomtick a short while ago. “As a kid Ambar was my favourite venue, and I always wanted to play there, so now I am and I couldn’t be happier.” The charm of what he does lies in the power of choice, and of course — having fun. “I like the freedom of playing other people’s music when I’m out.” He adds with a laugh, “… and I like good parties.” When DJing, it’s mainly about interpreting the music he likes. “It doesn’t have to be any artist in particular”. He says to pre-plan a whole set makes it hard to give the crowd what they want. “I suppose that is what
To mark the 35th anniversary of the shell toe, adidas has given friends and fellow sneaker lovers from the music, art and fashion worlds the chance to create their own unique pair of Superstars, resulting in a 35-strong collection of shoes in celebration of one of the world’s most recognizable and ubiquitous fashion items.
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By 6000times Built 1946, abandoned 1985. 34 years of life for a power station seems kind of short. Call this part two, as most of this building has been featured before on 6000times. A trip back down to Fremantle really was worth it just to view the North West section of the structure, which I hadn’t previously seen. Yes, Fremantle. Home of John Butler, Luc Longley, and about 24 thousand freaks. Far out
man. I haven’t seen that
the most accurate and
many freaks permanent
succinct way possible.
chatting yesterday
“Because it looks
with a particularly
better”, I offered. “Yes,
logical aquaintance
you are correct”, my
of mine, I came to a
nerdy associate replied.
decision. “From now
Black and white photos,
on, every photo I ever
look better. Black and
take for the rest of my
white film, even more
life will be in black and
so. Impeccable logic.
white”. Analytically, he
Without pecc, the very
asked “why?”, with an
best photos of all are
intense, Vulcanic raise
black and white, film,
of his eyebrows. Already
and taken with
doubting my considered
I had planned to write
decision, I would need to
an amusing rant about
convey my reasoning in
colour vs black and
20
Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, one of the world’s oldest
year-round use. Ice is groomed in both summer and
and most stylish ski resorts, sits 3 hours from Venice
winter for skating, curling, and “ice-bouldering”—
and can be reached via a steep and winding road. The
an adventurous indoor climbing activity similar
town is nestled in a valley at approximately 4,000 ft.
to rock-climbing. As a legacy of the 1956 games,
and is surrounded on all sides by slopes. The crags
Cortina claims Italy’s only Olympic bobsled track
and cliffs of the rugged Dolomite Mountainˆs do
and ski jump, both of which still host national and
somewhat limit the skiable terrain (especially for
international competitions. Decorating the slopes of
beginners and intermediates), however skiers have
Cortina are over 50 “rifugi,” small shelters built over
been flocking to Cortina for over 2 centuries to
the last century to shelter shepherds and hikers. (The Italian term roughly translates to shelter or refuge.)
In 1956, Cortina d’Ampezzo, served as the host city for
Today, these cozy refuges have been converted into
the seventh Olympic Winter Games. The open-air ice
pubs, restaurants and modest hotels. Their rustic
rink constructed for the games has been adapted for
interiors are complemented by roaring fireplaces
ski cortina
that warm wet boots and mittens while hungry skiers and snowboarders order homemade traditional Italian fare. Rifugio Pomedes sports a large wooden terrace where dining is delightful on mild days. While many rifugios are only open for lunch, some, like Rifugio Averau, serve dinner and a hearty breakfast for those staying in the 10 bunk beds of theCortina’s dedication to luxury has produced several highend, grand hotels. The Miramonti Majestic Hotel has been offering upscale accommodations since 1893. Located just outside the village, the sprawling resort maintains several outdoor spaces dedicated to the art of après ski including a piano bar, billiards room and a small cinema that are not restricted to hotel guests only. The slightly less grand Hotel Meublè Oasi is
ski cortina
located near the Faloria gondola, which services the Faloria peak (while there, stop for lunch at the Rifugio Capanna Tondi for fresh pasta and local wines). The hotel offers prices by the week, starting at â‚Ź335 based on double occupancy. Cortina is a culinary sanctuary for every skier and snowboarder that has endured lunches at North American lodges consisting of overpriced bland chili, soggy pepperoni pizza or mystery-cheese nachos. While Europe as a whole has a leg up on the meals that accompany a day on the slopes, Cortina and its slope-side rifugios are in a class all their own. Away from the slopes in Cortina proper are several. high-end restaurants, like Tivoli and El ToulĂ . Tivoli
43
E Y E W E A R
west SOU T H
south west
By Larry Rivera Western Australia’s wine
powerful reef breaks
region of Margaret River
to fun beach breaks.
encompasses not only
These features make the
the town of Margaret
Margaret River region
River but the region
a popular wine-growing
between Cape Naturaliste
and surfing destination.
in the north, Cape Leeuwin in the south,
The town of Margaret
and Busselton in the
River takes its name
northeast.
from the river than meanders just north
Augusta, the town
of the town centre and
nearest Cape Leeuwin
flows west to the Indian.
and the state’s south-
The river is believed to
westernmost point, is
be named after Margaret
where the Indian and
Wyche, cousin of
Southern Oceans meet.
Busselton founder John
Not only is the Margaret
Garrett Bussell. The
River region noted for
name Margaret River
its wines but more than
first appeared in an 1839
40 surfing locations
map of the region. The
along the coast provide
2001 Australian census
conditions ranging from
placed the population
51
south west
of Margaret River at
turned Margaret River
10,000. The population
into a surfing mecca.
explodes with more than
Margaret River hosts
500,000 visitors.
world-class surfing competitions such as
The region’s
the Salomon Masters,
Mediterranean climate
part of the men’s World
is conducive to the
Qualifying Series (WQS)
growing of high-quality
which attracts the cream
table wine grapes. of
of Calmer waters are
commercial vineyards
found at Meelup, Eagle
produce high-quality
Bay and Different surfing
table wines. Margaret
wconditions suit pro and
River wines are exported
amateur alike.
to many parts of the world. Margaret River
If new to the area, check
wine tours are available
at the Margaret River
from Perth and Margaret
visitor centre for surfing
River. Drop in at the
locations. And yes, there
Margaret River visitor
are fine diving and
centre at 100 Bussell
snorkeling locations as.
Highway for detailed
Bus and train services,
information on wines
or a combination of
and wine tours. The
them, are available from.
centre has a Wine
Perth to towns in the
Tourism Showroom.
Margaret River region.
Huge mountains of water
Huge mountains of water
along the coastline have
along the coastline.
53