Off The Leash August 2017

AUGUST

20 17

Celebrating 10Years in 2017 MEGA MUSIC AWARDS – NIMA

DARWIN FESTIVAL #DFEST17

VISUAL ARTS EXTRAVAGANZA

Dan Sultan, Baker Boy, A.B. Original and more

Stringing up the lights, so you can let your hair down

Showingcasing Indigenous art, art centres and galleries

MUSIC

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PERFORMING ARTS

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VISUAL ARTS

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BOOKS & FILM

•

CULTURE

•

FOOD & DRINK

•

COMMUNITY

Yo u r fre e what ’s o n g u i d e TO TH E TO P E N D

"I write about the sky, the earth, tears, the heart…”

– Tan Dun

DSO in association with Darwin Festival present

Wolf Totem Date: Sat 26 Aug, 7.30pm Venue: Darwin Convention Centre

dso.org.au | 8946 6214 2

INSIDE

OFFTHELEASH.NET.AU

/OTL.magazine

ugust is a massive month in the Top End, with locals and visitors coming out to play for 31 dry, sunny days and balmy nights.

Darwin hosts a number of national awards this month, including the National Indigenous Music Awards. Dan Sultan, A.B. Original, Paul Kelly and Triple J Unearthed winner Baker Boy are just some of the big names heading your way – see page 4.

F R OM T H E

r o t i d E

The explosion of colour that is Darwin Festival lights up our capital city with 18 days of spectacular cabaret, comedy, theatre and music, insightful panel discussions, artist talks, and plenty of interactive performances to get your booty shakin’. Off The Leash is proud to be a partner of Darwin Festival, taking you behind the scenes with special artist interviews and loads of hot picks throughout this edition. Keen to experience Kakadu culture? Head to the Mahbilil Festival in Jabiru – see Festivals.

Experience a rock n roll party like no other with uber fab fashionista Uta Uber Kool Ja or bust out some moves at Dance Darwin Dance, Darwin Festival’s participatory dance program. If a slower pace is more your groove, join a walking or bike tour to explore Darwin’s history and culture – you can even have a peek inside some Darwin homes. The Darwin Insect Festival, Create a Useless Thing (Family Challenge) and Beer and Build are all part of National Science Week – see Around Town.

@OTLmag

#OTLmag

E: roslyn@offtheleash.net.au T: 088941 7413 GPO BOX 2325, Darwin NT 0801

Dance is a big feature this month. Sydney Dance Company stops by while local favourites Tracks Dance present Man Made. Mary Anne Butler’s powerful new play The Sound of Waiting continues, New York’s undisputed queen of the underground Penny Arcade makes her Darwin debut and the scintillating BLANC de BLANC is set to sizzle – see Performing Arts.

There’s a huge celebration of visual arts as Australia’s most prestigious Indigenous art prize, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA), celebrates its 34th year. SALON17 is a must-see companion to NATSIAA, and the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair returns with a showcase of visual art, film, fashion and conversation. All of Darwin’s galleries host significant exhibitions this month, with many pop-up shows to be discovered – see Visual Arts.

AROUND TOWn | 5 FESTIVALS | 9 Performing Arts | 10 FOOD & DRINK | 14 YOUTH | 19 BOOKS & FILM | 20 Word on the Street | 23 Visual Arts | 24 Music | 28 calendaR | PULL-OUT

MAN MADE | 11

Local favourites B2M support You Am I at the Darwin Festival Santos Opening Night Concert – we had a chat to frontman Yellow Simon ahead of the gig.

ARIA award winning artist Ed Keupper brings his one man request fest to the Top End and Darwin’s WWII Oil Storage Tunnels host six unique performances. The Darwin Symphony Orchestra performs Wolf Totem as part of Darwin Festival.

In news from OTL HQ, we welcome back Music Editor Liz Trevaskis and thank outgoing Acting Music Editor Chelsea Heaney.

SALON17 | 24

TUNNEL NO. 5 | 30 OTL is proudly supported by Roslyn Perry Managing Editor and Development Manager Rosa Ellen Editorial Assistant

Anna Dowd Visual Arts contributor

Sarah Novinetz Mike Frier Art Directors

Zoe Beatty Graphic Designer

Liz Trevaskis Music Editor

DARWIN

Distributed to remote Indigenous communities with the assistance of

AUGUST

20 17

Celebrating 10Years in 2017 MEGA MUSIC AWARDS – NIMA

DARWIN FESTIVAL #DFEST17

VISUAL ARTS EXTRAVAGANZA

Dan Sultan, Baker Boy, A.B. Original and more

Stringing up the lights, so you can let your hair down

Showingcasing Indigenous art, art centres and galleries

BOOKS & FILM

•

CULTURE

•

FOOD & DRINK

•

COMMUNITY

Yo u r fre e what ’s o n gu i d e TO TH E TO P E N D

#dfest17 launch

VISUAL ARTS

•

#apregionalpitchfest

MUSIC

•

PERFORMING ARTS

•

g a m l t o # TO SEE YOUR PICS HERE

Cover proudly sponsored by National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA)

@offtheleashmagazine @ntlibrary

@artback_nt

MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR 2015

Baker Boy; image Matthew Mastratisi, mvm media

NT Media Awards

AUSTRALIAN WEB AWARDS 2015

Not-for-profit winner Caroline from GYRACC rocks a skirt made @creativeaccomplice; helen orr of recycled OTL mags at Junk Fest

@darwinsymphonyorchestra

@darwinfringefestival

Although care istotaken to ensure information in Off TheisLeash is correct, it is subject to change.

We recommend checking offtheleash.net.au for updates.

Although all careall is taken ensure information in Off The Leash correct, it is subject to change.

We recommend checking offtheleash.net.au for updates.

Keep your eyes peeled for the Festival frond throughout this edition for #dfest17 events.

3

FEATURE

NATIONAL INDIGENOUS MUSIC AWARDS

NIMA

by Rosa Ellen

Gawurra

IT’S BEEN A BIG YEAR FOR INDIGENOUS MUSIC. THIS MONTH THE NATIONAL INDIGENOUS MUSIC AWARDS (NIMA) WILL SET THE STAGE ON FIRE WITH HIP-SHAKING ROCK N ROLL, SUBLIME SINGING, POWERFUL HIP-HOP AND A BIG DOSE OF CULTURE.

Electric Fields

his year’s line-up covers so many genres and up-and-coming artists, you better be sure to get your spot on the Darwin Amphitheatre lawn – the 2017 NIMAs is an event you’ll want to say you were at.

Big acts like Dan Sultan, hip-hop duo A.B. Original, Busby Marou, Thelma Plum and Gawurra have all released

new albums while rising stars including the NT’s Baker Boy, Emily Wurramara and lush electronic duo Electric Fields, have released EPs. “This is going to make it a really competitive awards, which is exciting,” says Mark Smith, Executive Director of MusicNT. As the first Yolngu-rapping singer and dancer to grace Australian air waves, Danzal Baker – aka Baker Boy – has made a splash with his uplifting, bravado-filled Cloud 9 and will perform at the NIMAs for the first time as the winner of Triple J’s Unearthed NIMA competition.

“It was kind of a shock when they first told me,” Baker told Off The Leash in between flights from his hometown of Milingimbi to Melbourne.

Baker Boy has won national attention with his deft dual-language lyrics and stage presence, but back home, Cloud 9 passions are running even higher.

4

Emily Wurramara

“When I call my dad and I ask what’s happening at home, he says ‘oh it’s going good. Some of them heard you on the radio.’ I’ve also got phone calls from Elcho Island where all the kids there are just blasting Cloud 9 and walking through the streets in the middle of the night and singing along.”

Like Emily Wurramara and Alice Springs folk-rockers Apakatjah, Baker Boy is one of a number of artists to sing in language in a growing range of music styles – and the lyrics hit home.

“It seems that’s the style now, singing language in commercial music,” says Dion Forrester from Apakatjah, who sing in Luritja “and a bit of Pitjantjatjara and Arrernte.”

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Emily Warramurra has been touring her debut EP Black Smoke, a pared-back, honeyed folk-roots collection sung in English and Anindilyakwa, the language of Groote Eylandt. "'Black Smoke’ is about sitting around a campfire and connecting with the souls around you. Smoke traditionally is very healing, it gets rid of the negative energy, it calls out to ancestors,” says Wurramara.

Though she lives and gigs in Brisbane, Wurramara returned to Groote earlier this year to teach music classes to girls.

Baker Boy

I see some little sisters and little aunties doing it too.”

This year Wurramara performed with Lean Flanagan and Dan Sultan for the show 1967: Music In the Key of Yes and she agrees it’s been a politically significant year, with the anniversaries of the 1967 referendums that allowed Aboriginal people to vote and the Uluru referendum on Aboriginal recognition.

“It’s been very political, in regards to all the marches. The Invasion Day march was insane, and what’s happening with the NT Royal Commission.”

“If I had my way I’d just get on a boat from Numbulwarr (all the time),” she laughs.

In 2016 NIMA headliners A.B. Original – rappers Briggs and Trials – released

“I’m the only female from Groote who sings and plays instruments and I’m hoping that when I go back

WHEN At COST Info

their politically charged album Reclaim Australia including the powerful single ‘January 26’.

This year the duo is joined by Paul Kelly, Sultan, Flanagan and 2016 NIMA winner Gawurra, plus a bevy of firsttime NIMA artists.

“Just getting up there and meeting people and being a part of the NIMAs will be an amazing honour for us,” says Apakatjah’s Forrester, who will perform with band member Jonathan Lindsay-Tjapaltjarri Hermawan.

“You’ve got a lot of up-and-coming bands on the scene at the moment from all over Australia, all different styles of music and we’re all kicking goals.”

SAT 12 AUG | 7PM | GATES 6PM DARWIN BOTANIC GARDENS AMPHITHEATRE $35 | $28 CONC | FREE U 12

nima.musicnt.com.au

AROUND TOWN

STATEMENT Earrings

Workshop

‘Get It On!’ Indigenous Textile & Fashion Exhibition

WHEN INJALAK ARTS SENT A CALL-OUT FOR ‘SOMETHING WEARABLE’ CREATED FROM three metres of their famous hand printed fabric, the response was resounding.

With fans of their Indigenousdesigned prints now based around the world, the sewing offers came from as far afield as Europe and Asia.

NOT SINCE THE 1980s HAS THERE BEEN SUCH A TIME FOR STATEMENT EARRINGS – THOSE flashy, dashy, shoulder-grazing pieces whose statement might be nothing more than a giant exclamation mark.

WHEN At COST Info

TUE 1 – MON 28 AUG | LAUNCH EVENT SAT 12 AUG, 6-8PM ABORIGINAL BUSH TRADERS FREE | BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL FOR LAUNCH

aboriginalbushtraders.com

and is one of a handful of Aboriginalowned textile designers whose fabrics have become something of a fashion statement in Darwin.

On project, where they could show their design and sewing talents and promote the hand-crafted skills of ‘slow fashion’.

While it’s common for Darwin locals to get the hand printed fabric made into clothes while on holiday in nearby Bali or Southeast Asia, attention is turning to locally produced clothes.

25 participants were then selected and posted three lengths of Injalak fabric to create their designs by the due date, to be included in the August exhibition.

“People who have visited the arts centre are spreading the word about Injalak,” says Liz Martin, the gallery coordinator for Aboriginal Bush Traders, where the resulting collection of clothes will be exhibited this month in Darwin.

“The brief was to make something wearable,” says Martin.

The Gunbalanya art centre has been producing its distinctive, richly detailed screen prints for decades

Professional and emerging designers, home sewers and students were invited to participate in the Get It

“Some people have created a mini fashion collection. Entries have come from around Australia as well as the US, Italy and India.”

If you have something you’ve sewn from Injalak or other art centre fabric, wear it to the exhibition’s launch event to be in the running for a best-dressed prize – slow fashion that quickens the pulse.

The crafty artist will lead an earringmaking workshop using her signature method of varnishing cut cardboard shapes with layers of tissue and glue, then decorating them with striking patterns.

“I really like bright colours and a bold, graphic style because I’m a graphic designer by trade and have always made things,” Martin says.

Martin was making polymer jewellery to sell at her market stall when she found herself experimenting with recycled materials like cardboard boxes. She soon realised big earrings

With her sister Elizabeth, the designer is currently completing an artist’s residency at the Territory Wildlife Park and finding inspiration in patterns from the natural world like feathers and leaves.

“It might be a texture or a colour combination…I really love patterns, I find it really calming to paint them.”

Working with accessible materials, Martin hopes participants will leave the workshop with the skills to make their own personal pieces, as well as one or two pairs to take home on the day.

As for the trend in jumbo earrings, Martin believes it’s not going anywhere.

“They seem to be really popular! In Darwin you can be a little bit out of the loop about what’s going on, but I’m definitely seeing it on Pinterest and other places.”

WHEN SUN 6 AUG | 1-6PM At ACCOMPLICE STUDIO COST $80 Info creativeaccomplice.com.au

Q &A with uber fab fashionista Uta Uber Kool Ja

YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THE FAMOUS CELEBRITY AFTER PARTIES. WELL, GET THE CHAMPAGNE ON ICE BECAUSE Uta is inviting you to hers and it's going to be wild. Off The Leash caught up with Uta ahead of her H Hotel revelries.

What was it that you're famous for again?

Didn’t you Google me? Actually, wait, don’t do that. I’ve only recently learned how to do that myself and there is a lot out there on the Internet, and it’s not very nice. Let’s just say my career has spanned pop stardom, fashion design, Uta Uber Kool Ja; Michael Wilson for The West Australian

Darwin designer Sarah Martin has made more than a few statements with her stylish, handmade earrings made from recycled cardboard, and now she is taking them to the people.

were the perfect canvas for her bright designs.

contemporary artistry, punk rock and more lawsuits than I care to remember. All of it though has been fun and fabulous and if anyone says otherwise, I’ll sue them.

make her the centre of the party universe if she wants to bring a party from "yawn" to "call the police.” But the number one rule of my parties? “Say yes!”

We hear you love a good party.

What's more fun – the party or the after-party?

Hotel or at home – where’s the most fun to have a party?

Some people may not know that I am a very spiritual person, a Nudist Buddhist – so I do like to always find myself in the present moment.

So the "after party" always seems to hold the key to the future, which I like to dwell in. There is always an after-party after the after-party, after the party. I’m very in “the now”.

I have not had a home since 1984 (thanks to all those lawsuits and ex-husbands), so thank goodness for the kind hoteliers worldwide that continually house me and my long suffering manager, George. Luckily, the mini bar has every single food group that someone of my celebrity status needs.

What makes a hostess with the mostess. Any tips for how to get a party from mild to wild?

Definitely one must wear – no, inhabit – an outfit that screams ‘Kaleidoscopic Pheromonic’ (my new fashion line). I have dabbled in quantum physics, so I know a hostess’s fashion statement needs to

WHEN

At COST Info

FRI 18 – SUN 20, TUE 22 & WED 23 AUG | 7PM & 9PM H HOTEL $36 | $32 CONC

darwinfestival.org.au

5

Talking Through Walls

COME THE BUILD UP, IT SEEMS LIKE DARWIN’S ARCHITECTURE RANGES FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS. AN ULTRAmodern apartment block that shuts its windows to the sea breeze and heats up like a pizza oven, or a 60-year-old house that barely requires air-con.

Architect Katy Moir is used to the contradictions in our built tropical environment, but rather than lament over what’s wrong with urban architecture, she wants to get people

thinking about the whole picture: past, present and future.

Talking Through Walls is an architecture tour that explores all the different buildings that Darwin people call home. It was a hit when it started two years ago and returns this festival with three different tours on offer.

With renewed calls to improve the CBD back on the agenda, Moir’s tour of the city centre will “provide some historical context of what’s happened

in the CBD before” and unveil the distinct architectural styles that make up the city.

The first weekend of walking tours are led by Larrakia man Robbie Mills, who will explore the social and historical landmarks of Darwin’s traditional owners.

“I’m really keen to show examples of a situation where someone is living in an old, well-designed tropical home without air conditioning and, on the other side of the spectrum, to show people who are living in probably quite modern apartments which are very reliant on airconditionings,” she says.

Moir’s bike tour of Darwin homes is also geared towards locals and visitors alike and will feature apartments as well as houses.

Larrakia: Culture, History and Knowledge

WHEN SAT 12 & SUN 13 AUG | 4-6PM

Home: Tropical Living

WHEN SAT 19 & SUN 20 AUG | 3-6PM

Darwin CBD: Revitalisation

WHEN SAT 26 & SUN 27 AUG | 4-6PM At COST INFO

MEET AT BROWN’S MART $25 darwinfestival.org.au

NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK

WHEN At COST Info

SAT 12 – SUN 20 AUG VARIOUS LOCATIONS VARIOUS scienceweek.net.au

A WORLD WITHOUT CHOCOLATE OR A WORLD WITHOUT MIDGES – WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE? YES, OF COURSE THIS IS A TRICK QUESTION! Midges are pollinators and essential to fertilising South America’s cacao crops, which produce a significant amount of the world’s chocolate.

“So without midges, we wouldn’t have chocolate,” says Sarah Bonney, organiser of the first Darwin Insect Festival, part of National Science Week.

If you’ve ever questioned the utilitarian value of some insects, Bonney hopes the Insect Festival, held at Charles Darwin University, will provide answers and get children and their adults curious about the many species of the insect world.

6

SUSTAINABLE HOUSE DAY

A larger kind of predator is the focus at the Territory Wildlife Park, where

a new Croc Headquarters will be launched.

Funded by National Science Week, the interactive project is set to be the first comprehensive display centre about crocodiles and their management in the NT. If science to you means competitive team games á la Robot Wars, the Create A Useless Thing (Family Challenge) might fit the bill.

Australia’s Young Inventor of the Year Taj Pabari will guide adults-and-kids teams to build, test and reinvent a crazy, new ‘useless’ machine.

For beer-drinking adults, the Beer and Build is a similar challenge albeit with alcohol. A local inventor will be on hand to guide participants to build a machine from everyday items, such as the beer bottle you’ve just finished.

There are many more walks, talks, health labs and even Darwin Festival performances taking part in the NT’s National Science Week activities this year, so be sure to check out the program for this hands-on celebration of science.

Darwin Insect Festival

WHEN SAT 12 AUG | 10AM-2PM at CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY COST FREE

Create a Useless Thing (Family Challenge)

WHEN SAT 19 AUG | 5-7PM at ACCOMPLICE COST $20 FAMILY

Beer and Build

WHEN SUN 20 AUG | 7PM at SIX TANKS BREWING CO. COST $5

igh energy and water prices are just two reasons why a sustainable house is an increasingly attractive prospect for Top Enders. The others are that sustainable homes make the most of our tropical environment and gardens.

wanted a gander at a tropical ecofriendly villa, this is your chance to get an up-close look.

The best way to learn and experience what a sustainable house looks and feels like is on the popular Sustainable House Day, an openhome tour organised by the Environment Centre NT’s CoolMob group.

Minimal energy use is a key requirement for sustainable homes in our climes, so there will be a lot of cooling tips to pick up on, as well as renovation ideas, home-grown innovation and garden design.

This year’s selection of homes offers a wide range of examples to inspire, including stylish architecturallydesigned houses, solar powered rooftops, abundant gardens and lowbudget modifications that everyone can try.

If you’ve ever admired a terrifically sustainable-looking house and garden in the northern suburbs or

Visitors will tour each home, see what the homeowner or architect has done to create a beautiful, efficient and comfortable tropical home, and have the opportunity to ask questions and see demonstrations.

Check the CoolMob website for more details, as the participating houses will only be listed in the week ahead of the event.

WHEN At COST Info

SUN 20 AUG | 10AM-3PM VARIOUS LOCATIONS FREE

coolmob.org

How To Be a Rockstar

Spandex, sequins and killer dance moves collide in this part disco, part mock training session physical comedy show. Kids, pull on your best rock ‘n’ roll outfit and get ready to release your inner rock legend.

Pesona Indonesia

LISTINGS

Darwin’s Indonesian community will present dancing and live music from its rich cultural traditions in this annual community festival at the Darwin Waterfront. Eat authentic Indonesian dishes from a myriad of regions, while enjoying the country’s vibrant culture and arts, including musical performances and fashion parades from the local Darwin community.

WHEN At COST Info

Our Common Threads

Want to improve your sewing skills or learn from scratch? Head along to these community sessions for some female only craft time.

EVERY TUE | 10AM–1PM THE HEIGHTS DURACK COMMUNITY CENTRE FREE | MATERIALS PROVIDED darwincommunityarts.org.au

EVERY SAT | 4-9PM CHAMBERS CRESCENT CARPARK, MALAK malakmarketplace.org.au

Kundalini Yoga And Meditation

Kundalini Yoga combines a dynamic blend of physical postures, breath work, meditation, mantra and relaxation, helping to strengthen and balance the nervous system.

WHEN SUN 6 & 13 AUG | 8.10-9.40AM AT CHARLES DARWIN

UNIVERSITY GYM, CASUARINA COST $18 INFO facebook.com/ kundaliniyogadarwin

Artists’ Craft and Tea

Creative folk of all skill levels and mediums are invited to use the space at the brand new Durack Community Centre. Bring your tools, your work and get inspired over a cuppa with colleagues.

EVERY THU | 6-7.30PM THE HEIGHTS DURACK COMMUNITY CENTRE FREE palmerston.nt.gov.au

Mindil Beach Sunset Market

As the sun dips into the Arafura Sea feast on cuisines such as Thai, Sri Lankan, Greek or Indian, take a wander through the palm lined boulevards for unique pressies and enjoy live entertainment.

WHEN

AT COST INFO

EVERY THU, 5-10PM | EVERY SUN, 4-9PM MINDIL BEACH FREE mindil.com.au

Circus Workshop

Step right up! Learn circus skills such as hula-hoop, diabolo, poi, devil sticks, spinning plates, staff and juggling with Mr Morris and Trinket from The Burning Circus.

Suitable for all ages.

WHEN EVERY SAT | 9-10AM AT DARWIN SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB COST $10 | $5 CHILD INFO theburningcircus.com.au

LETS DANCE Tango Practica

Hosted by the Northern Tango dance community, join fellow tango dancers to practice, refine technique, build musical skill, inspire each other, talk tango and spend another night of the week enjoying tango.

WHEN AT COST INFO

EVERY MON | 7-9PM MALAK COMMUNITY HALL $5 facebook.com/nthntango

No Lights No Lycra

EVERY WED | 6-7PM HAPPY YESS THEATRE, BROWN’S MART $7 nolightsnolycra.com

Argentine Tango

Tango is a fun, social activity that can be danced by anyone, regardless of age or physical ability. It’s an improvised dance, and one that will exercise your mind as well as your body.

ACCOMPLICE RESIDENCY SPACE Hatha Yoga

waterfront.nt.gov.au

Create balance within the body and mind with Hannah van der Wal.

Aqua Zumba

WHEN EVERY MON & WED | 6-7.15PM COST $15

WHEN EVERY SUN | 9AM COST $12 ADULT | $8 U 15

WHEN EVERY THU | 7-9PM AT COCONUT GROVE HALL COST $12 | $15 TWO CONSECUTIVE CLASSES INFO facebook.com/nthntango

Milonga

Join the Northern Tango community for a night of social Argentine Tango dancing.

WHEN AT COST INFO

FRI 25 AUG | 8-11PM COCONUT GROVE HALL $5 facebook.com/nthntango

DARWIN FESTIVAL darwinfestival.org.au

Dance Darwin Dance

This moving and grooving participatory dance program will have you up and shakin’ that booty in no time.

You Should Be Dancing Darwin

Bust out the grooves you didn’t even know you had at these interactive all-in dance celebrations.

WHEN FRI 11 AUG, 5.45PM | SAT 12 &

SUN 13 AUG, 5.30PM AT SUNSET STAGE, FESTIVAL PARK COST FREE

Bey Dance – Dance like Queen B Flashmob Workshop

Meaning ‘big endurance’, jump on your bike for a full, half or mini Fondo. There’s an event to suit competitive, amateur and recreational cyclists of all abilities.

WHEN SUN 20 AUG | 7AM COST FREE

Mums & Bubs Yoga

Integrating Asana practice with breathing and meditation, this class is suitable for mums and dads with bubs aged from six weeks old to before crawling.

WHEN EVERY TUE | 10-11AM Cost $10 | BYO MAT

DARWIN COMMUNITY ARTS darwincommunityarts.org.au

Malak Community Garden

Work on those green thumbs with these free garden workshops.

PALMERSTON LIBRARY

palmerston.nt.gov.au/library

Storytime

Say goodbye to quiet libraries! 1-5 year olds and their caregivers will love singing, dancing, listening to stories and engaging with puppets in these fun, interactive sessions.

WHEN EVERY TUE & THU | 10-10.45AM COST FREE

Nursery Time

WHEN COST INFO

EVERY MON | 10AM-1PM FREE facebook.com/dcacommunity gardennews | 8945 7347

Beats & Clips

Want to improve your audio recording or editing skills? Be it for film, music or digital storytelling, these workshops can help you upskill.

WHEN EVERY MON | 3-7PM COST FREE

You're never too young to enjoy reading. Treat your baby to songs, puppets, nursery rhymes and movement to enhance their early literacy development. Suitable for 0-1 year olds.

Malak Community Shed

WHEN EVERY WED | 10-10.45AM COST FREE

WHEN EVERY THU, 1-3PM | EVERY

SAT, 9.30AM-12.30PM COST FREE

Promoting creativity, sustainability, social cohesion and a sense of community, head along for some free weekly workshops featuring local and international artists.

Code Club

Coding is a great skill to help kids live in the digital age. This program is part of a nationwide network of volunteer-led, creative coding clubs

Release your inner Beyoncé disco diva.

WHEN THU 24 – SUN 27 AUG | 5PM AT MEET AT ADINA VIBE HOTEL COST $20

A weekly dance jam in the dark – no teacher, no steps to learn, no alcohol, no talking – no worries! Just dancing and great tunes. Perfect for all ages, shapes and sizes. No need to book either, just turn up when you're in the mood for a boogie.

WHEN AT

COST INFO

EVERY SAT | 10AM & 11AM FREE askus@palmerston.nt.gov.au 8935 9999

DARWIN WATERFRONT

Join the Zumba pool party for a cool calorie burning dance fitness session at Darwin's Wave Lagoon.

waterfront.nt.gov.au

Darwin’s first organic market includes street bistro from around the world, locally grown produce, handmade arts and crafts, live entertainment, clean living education and a health hub.

WHEN COST BOOK

creativeaccomplice.com.au

SAT 5 AUG | 4–8.30PM DARWIN WATERFRONT FREE

Malak Marketplace

WHEN AT

INFO

WHEN AT

COST INFO

SAT 12 AUG, 11AM | SUN 13 AUG, 1PM BROWN’S MART THEATRE $20 | $60 FAMILY

Top End Gran Fondo

GENERAL

WHEN AT

COST INFO

WHEN

AT COST

for kids aged 9-12 years. Code Club is free but places are limited, so bookings are essential.

Nomad Art Gallery Highly regarded Darwin Art Gallery

[ZØGMA] CUBE

For Sale

Discover a brand-new playground for percussive dance in unexpected locations.

WHEN VARIOUS TIMES AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS COST FREE

For more information Contact 0428 308 793 7

20 AUGUST | 7pm WWII Oil Storage Tunnels 27 AUGUST | 3 Concerts Cutta Cutta Caves

MIRIAM LIEBERMAN

with Yoris Wilson & Netanela Mizrahi

WWW.TICKETBOOTH.COM.AU www.miriamlieberman.com.au KULTUR KIOSK Pty Ltd

8

FESTIVALS

Darwin Festival Lights up, hair Down 18 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF FESTIVAL FUN IS COMING YOUR WAY.

Woodlock

his month’s Darwin Festival sees a hot line-up of cabaret, comedy and music, plus some of Australia’s best theatre coming to town. There’s panel chats to fire up your imagination, artist talks, architectural tours, a stunning array of visual art, and interactive performances to get you up and in the action.

Kicking off with the Santos Opening Night Concert, settle in for an evening under the stars on Little Mindil Lawns with Aussie rock legends You Am I and local favourites B2M. Civic Park once again transforms into a fairy-lit wonderland with the iconic Big Top under the stars, The Lighthouse, in Festival Park. Bring your family, meet up with friends or even make some new ones as you get your fill of food from around the world at one of the many food stalls. Don't forget to check out The Aurora Spiegeltent, just a short stroll along the glittering path to Parliament Lawn where the scintillating BLANC de BLANC awaits.

Across town at the beloved Railway Club, the Festival has selected a fantastic line-up of Australian music acts to perform intimate gigs every Friday and Saturday night. Singersongwriter Ali Barter kicks things off

on the opening weekend with her delicate, harmonic folk rock, laden with attitude. She’s followed over the weeks by Cambodian Space Project, Robbie Miller, Woodlock and Tijuana Cartel, with a different local support act featured each night.

For a thrilling performance of a different kind, you don’t need to step inside a venue. In the unassuming streets of Darwin’s CBD, circusmakers perform daredevil acts on whatever takes their fancy in Bodies Over Bitumen. This ticketed show asks audience members to meet at the Mitchell Centre before taking a tour through the streets to watch amazing feats performed on the poles and bitumen around them.

Keen for some Festival afterpartying? Check out the pulsing Club Awi, open late on Fridays and Saturday nights at Happy Yess with local and visiting DJs to ease you into the wee hours.

Darwin Festival is stringing up the lights so you can let your hair down this August!

WHEN THU 10 – SUN 27 AUG Info darwinfestival.org.au

Local Heroes

FREEF STUF

Santos Darwin Festival Opening Night Concert

Featuring Tiwi Islands band B2M and Aussie rockers You Am I. WHEN

AT

THU 10 AUG | 6.30-9PM | GATES 5PM LITTLE MINDIL LAWNS AT MINDIL BEACH

Welcome to Country

The Lee family leads this ceremony acknowledging the Larrakia custodians of the land we call Darwin.

Magpie Goose season is made the most of at Mahbilil and bush tucker demonstrations are a highlight for many. You can learn

WHEN

AT

FRI 11 – SUN 27 AUG, EXCEPT MONS | 6.30PM & 8PM FESTIVAL PARK

City of Darwin Teddy Bears’ Picnic

Get teddy ready and join the family activities with MC Andi Egan, Darwin Festival guests, artists and local talent.

WHEN SUN 13 AUG | 9AM-12PM AT THE ESPLANADE

Darwin Laptop Orchestra Workshop

Create musical instruments, compose music and perform live – all on a laptop!

WHEN FRI 11 AUG | 5.45PM AT FESTIVAL PARK

WHEN SAT 19 AUG | 12.30-3.30PM AT HAPPY YESS

Lunchbox series

emBARK!

Every Thursday and Friday, the Lunch Box Series offers a taster of the festival with a 45-minute performance by a Festival artist at Raintree Park in the mall.

WHEN EVERY THU & FRI | 12.45PM AT RAINTREE PARK

Mahbilil Festival abiru’s annual Mahbilil Festival comes during Gurrung season in Kakadu, when the climate is still hot and dry and flocks of magpie geese are out, but the thunderclouds are building. The festival features the traditional arts, music and food of the cultures that live in and around Kakadu National Park and Jabiru, for a one-day gathering in the park beside Lake Jabiru.

In Festival Park, local musos will play free gigs at the Rimfire Energy Bamboo Bandstand including Serina Pech, Ben Evolent, the Dukes and the Mills Sisters.

how to cook the bird, and other traditional foods, on coals and in a traditional gungerre ground oven, before making a meal of it at the end of the day.

The festival is also a chance to see pandanus weaving up close and to learn the basics of the art from local ladies. Likewise, spear making is a popular demo, and an opportunity to ask questions about traditional craftsmanship.

NT artist Techy Masero created Mahbilil’s trademark lanterns, which float above the lake, and in the evening will have maps projected over them, as well as photography

This mini festival for mini humans returns with a world of play, exploration and participation including science, robotics, arts and culture.

WHEN TUE 22 – THU 24 AUG | 5.30-7PM AT DARWIN CIVIC CENTRE

from local Indigenous artists and the Jabiru Area School.

This year’s music line-up will feature local and interstate bands playing bush reggae, folk and hip-hop – confirmed so far is the ever-popular Bininj Band from Croker Island and local newcomers Black Rock Band.

Keep an eye out for additions to the line-up closer to the festival!

WHEN At COST Info

SAT 26 AUG | 2PM-MIDNIGHT JABIRU FREE

mahbililfestival.com

9

PERFORMING ARTS

BETWEEN TINY CITIES IT SOUNDS LIKE THE PLOT OF THE BEST DANCE MOVIE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN – TWO B-BOYS FROM DIFFERENT CITIES AND UTTERLY DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE FACE OFF IN A BREAKDANCE BATTLE TOWARDS AN UNLIKELY COMMON GROUND.

Between Tiny Cities isn’t a breakdance film but a dance theatre piece and is closer to real life than any movie.

it on more of a whim. It takes a rare person that sees it and thinks, ‘this is what I’ve got to do’.”

each b-boy sounding the other out in the territorial – and humorous – showmanship of the dance form.

The work began three years ago as an exchange between Darwin breakdance crew D-City Rockers and Tiny Toones, from Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh.

One of those rare individuals was Erak Mith, who as a child joined Tiny Toones, a not-for-profit that uses breakdancing to engage and educate children in Phnom Penh’s impoverished city neighbourhoods.

“It’s about me and Erak. It’s a duo and pretty much the journey we’ve been on. What it means to be two different b-boys from two different countries, two different worlds, pretty much.

How they interact and how their relationship changes over the course of the show.”

Although the two crews practised the same specialised, highly skilled and competitive art of b-boying, their crew members couldn’t have come from more different backgrounds, says dancer Aaron Lim. “A lot of the kids who became the original members of the Tiny Toones were all just kids off the street. They just gravitated towards Tiny Toones founder KK. In Australia, people do

“He saw a show from Tiny Toones, saw them breaking in the street, and then that’s all he did,” says Lim. “He went to the crew and then just started training with them at the school.”

Mith stars with Lim as the two protagonists of Between Tiny Cities,

Q &A with New York's undisputed queen of the underground Penny Arcade OFF THE LEASH WAS RATHER THRILLED TO CORRESPOND WITH LEGENDARY NEW YORK PERFORMER PENNY ARCADE IN the lead-up to her Darwin debut with Longing Lasts Longer, a hilarious and biting satire of contemporary culture and its consumerist obsessions, such as cupcakes and nostalgia.

We understand your reaction to the cupcake phenomenon – but what about artisanal toast (which is now a thing)…

I love to eat! And I live my life like a nine-year-old with money – cookies, cake, candy. I’m obsessed with them too, but the infantilisation of society that has taken place where we are hypnotized, not by great culture – books, music, ideas – but by highly fetishised food products is depressing. Nothing spells the end of Western civilisation more than four grown women oohing over a tray of heavily decorated cupcakes.

10

Nick Power, one of Australia’s leading contemporary hip-hop dancers choreographed the work to original beats by Jack Prest – whose music also features in Tracks Dance’s Man Made.

What's the difference between longing and nostalgia – and is either healthy?

Nostalgia is a wistful, sentimental yearning not only for the past, but for who we were in that past.

Longing is a persistent sense of loss that attaches to us, our values, our history. We all experience moments of nostalgia – for instance the late summer days when my mother and grandmother canned dozens of bottles of grape jam and the whole house smelled delicious. But I know I am not going to go out and spend eight hours making grape jam! Yet in our culture today, every experience and every product is being endlessly recycled for our momentary entertainment, with everyone choosing from the same menu, drawn from history's midden.

Handle bar moustache? Check! 1930s pocketbook? Check! Artisanal kimchi?

Check! Meanwhile, an untenable future looms.

What object, book or idea do you wish would make a return to our modern day lives?

The idea of an arc of development would be very welcome. Our current idea of ‘instant’ everything is so boring. A ‘Young Turk’ writer or painter used to be 45 years old, not 25. Childhood would be another

Between Tiny Cities is one of a few shows in the Darwin Festival to engage Southeast Asia this year, offering Top End audiences a chance to see a rare collaboration.

“It just seemed like a very obvious thing. Cambodia’s pretty close,” says Lim.

WHEN WED 23 – SAT 26 AUG | 7PM At CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY THEATRE COST $36 | $32 CONC Info darwinfestival.org.au

great idea. Nine-year-olds are now teenagers with dyed hair, sexy outfits and kitten heels. Also I wish they would stop making rock t-shirts for toddlers! A two-yearold in a Ramones t-shirt freaks me out. Let your children find their own heroes!

Can there still be a counter culture in Western society?

In a hyper capitalist society the counter culture is forced to operate in the cracks. All of the symbols of the counter culture have been co-opted by the mainstream. There has also been the commodification of rebellion.

The Eagles said it succinctly in the song 'Boys of Summer': Out on the road today, I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac / A little voice Inside my head said, "Don't look back. You can never look back."

Read the full Q&A with Penny Arcade at offtheleash.net.au.

WHEN At COST Info

FRI 11 & SAT 12 AUG | 7PM THE LIGHTHOUSE $36 | $32 CONC

darwinfestival.org.au

WHEN FRI 11 AUG, 7PM | SAT 12 AUG,

2PM & 7PM At DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE COST $42 | $38 CONC Info darwinfestival.org.au

Q &A with comedian Kuah Jenhan

Hello, Goodbye and Happy Birthday TWO CELEBRATIONS AT “THE BOOKENDS OF LIFE” LEAD PROCEEDINGS IN HELLO, GOODBYE AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY – BIRTHDAY PARTIES FOR AN 80-YEAR-OLD AND AN 18-YEAROLD. But while the theatre audience is invited to listen in to these gatherings, rich with the familiar patterns of conversation, speeches, life advice and humour, the actors onstage are hearing something else – each is wearing a set of headphones.

Director Roslyn Oades calls the unusual performance technique ‘headphone verbatim’ and has been pioneering it in Australia with collaborators from the community.

“It falls into the genre of creative non-fiction in that, like a documentary filmmaker, I spent two years making field recordings with final year high school students and people over the age of 80,” she says.

“I spent a long time interviewing people from those age groups, as well as going to as many 18th, 80th, 90th and 100th birthday parties as I could. Those audio recordings became my source material.”

Oades then edited the material into a one-hour collection of voices spanning the wide generation gap, and created scenes that would work on stage.

“What they’re hearing in those headphones are the original

recordings with real life people. They are repeating those words they’re hearing as precisely as possible. Real human speech.”

The result is “something extremely authentic and familiar,” while recreating naturally poignant moments that might go unnoticed in real life.

Oades was inspired to create Hello, Goodbye and Happy Birthday after going to an 18th and an 80th in close succession, and began thinking about the ways the two age groups were similar – both often in institutions with people of the same age – but looking at life from widely different vantage points.

To investigate the idea, the senior actors play the voices of the teenagers and the younger actors play the voices of the people in their 80s and 90s.

“I find it a great way of creating empathy of different age groups,” says Oades.

“I think it takes great courage to grow profoundly old.”

COMEDIAN KUAH JENHAN’S SHOW LIKE THIS LIKE DAD WAS inspired by his very traditional Chinese father. Off The Leash caught up with the sought-after Malaysian comedian ahead of his Darwin Festival run.

What is it about your dad that made you want to do a comedy show about him?

My dad maintained a zero-positivereinforcement policy but was silently supportive! I think it is not so much what he said and who he was, but rather what he didn't say and who he wanted to be seen as, that is the driving force of this show. In his silence, I saw humour in the family!

You had a successful run at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) with a show about your time in Uzbekistan – how did you end up there (Uzbekistan, not Melbourne)?

Actually, I went to Uzbekistan partly because of Melbourne! I was booked for a season at the MICF but was going through a writer's block. I had become numb to the daily happenings in my

country, Malaysia. Desperate to write something, anything, I was counting on going to a place I knew nothing about in a region I knew nothing about to see if I could jolt myself back to life and fortunately it worked. I had a great time in Uzbekistan and in Melbourne sharing my stories.

How does Malaysian humour compare to other countries where stand-up comedy is popular?

In my opinion, humour very often translates across country as long as it is in the same language.

The main differences are the stories/observations originate from Malaysia, or from a wider worldview, Asia. However, in the context of Asia, Malaysia is fast becoming a hub for budding comedians ready to take on the world! What's different about Malaysia (in the Asia comedy scene) is that the local population often make up a majority of the audience as opposed to expats and these audiences come to a show having watched popular stand-up comedy specials, be it on the internet or Netflix, and they demand quality and we push ourselves to give them that.

Like This Like Dad

WHEN TUE 15 – THU 17 AUG | 6PM At HAPPY YESS COST $30 | $26 CONC Info darwinfestival.org.au

TRACKS DANCE PRESENTS

Man Made TRACKS’ LAST DARWIN FESTIVAL SHOW, LANDED, FOLLOWED THREE CHARACTERS RETURNING HOME TO DARWIN AFTER A LIFE away from it. Emotions, belonging and connection to place are a crucial theme of the company, but this year’s production might come as a surprise – Man Made is a show starring only men.

Inpex workers, security guards, tradies, policemen, cattlemen – the male-dominated professions of the Territory don’t sound like experiences that would translate into contemporary dance, but that’s the test Tracks directors David McMicken and Tim Newth set themselves.

“It was more of a challenge,” says Newth.

“It felt a bit funny going, ‘ok we’re going to make an all-male show.’ But the very first day when we actually

got the cast together and there were 25 males in the room from the ages of 11 to 70 something, was something very special.”

To assemble their cast, Tracks called out for men of all ages who wanted to be part of a contemporary dance performance, as well as a core group of professional dancers, all of whom are originally from the NT. “We said specifically, this is for you – to look at yourself as a man. We got more participants than expected,” says Newth.

Exploring different types of masculinity, from boy to manhood, the performance disavows stereotypes and uses dance inspired by sometimes-ordinary activities.

“There’s always a fear of the dance experience for men,” says McMicken.

“There’s a sense of you shouldn’t put yourself out on display so much or if you are then you’re a bit cocky.

Whereas to perform you have to put yourself out there.”

With choreography by Tracks dance animateur Kelly Beneforti, the show stars Tracks alumni Aaron Lim and Josh Mu, with music by beat makers Jack Prest and James Mangohig, who will weave their original tracks into soundscapes created by McMicken.

WHEN FRI 11 (PREVIEW) – SUN 13

AUG | WED 16 – SUN 20

AUG | 7PM At FROG HOLLOW PARK COST $35 | $20 CONC | $12 PREVIEW Info darwinfestival.org.au

11

FRINGE ART & VIKINGS

Festival

review

a week in Darwin

BLANC de BLANC Champagne sparkles, eyes glimmer and the sensual and salacious combine for an adultsonly evening of breathless abandon featuring the finest cabaret and acrobatic talent from around the world.

LISTINGS

WHEN THU 10 (PREVIEW) – SUN 27 AUG AT THE AURORA SPIEGELTENT,

PARLIAMENT LAWN COST $55 – $78 INFO darwinfestival.org.au

course of one crazy day. Masters are lusting after their servants, servants are outwitting their masters, and disguise and duplicity are everywhere – but will there be a happily ever after?

WHEN

COST

THU 10 AUG, 11AM | FRI 11 AUG, 7.30PM $64 | $59 CONC, MEMB | $20 U 18

The Umbilical Brothers – Speedmouse

It's legendary and it's live. The Umbilical Brothers' most loved show returns – their live action, fast paced, rewind, slow motion, frame-by-frame adventure where two men create the impossible out of a microphone and a unique physical ability that has no equal.

WHEN SAT 12 AUG | 8PM COST $49.90 | $44.90 CONC

BROWN’S MART THEATRE brownsmart.com.au

The Sound Of Waiting

An allegory for a world which has closed its door on humanity, Mary Anne Butler’s The Sound of Waiting explores themes of resilience, humanity, hope and displacement – posing the central question: as a global community, where do we go to from here?

WHEN UNTIL SUN 6 AUG COST $35 | $25 CONC, GROUP 8+

DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE yourcentre.com.au

Kitty Flanagan – Smashing

You may have seen her on The Project, the hit TV series Utopia or The Weekly with Charlie Pickering.

Now’s your chance to see Kitty Flanagan live as she smashes love songs, sex, algorithms, chimps, clowns and psychics.

WHEN FRI 4 AUG | 8PM COST $54.90 | $49.90 CONC, GROUP 10+

Opera Australia – The Marriage of Figaro

12

Mozart's brilliant comic opera follows the adventures of a wealthy Sevillian household over the

Circa – Troppo

This explosively funny beach party is set to thrill and delight the whole family.

Colourful and energetic, funny yet insightful, Troppo is full of wonder, comic misadventures and circus.

WHEN FRI 18 & SAT 19 AUG | 7.30PM COST $42 | $35 CONC, MEMB | $20

U 18

Sydney Dance Company - Frame Of Mind

A double bill of powerful, personal and poetic dance, Frame of Mind features the smash hit Wildebeest by Australia’s own Gabrielle Nankivell and the multi award-winning Frame of Mind from Rafael Bonachela in a gripping evening of dance that is bound to sweep you off your feet.

First Peoples continue to echo in the present.

WHEN

AT COST

TUE 15 – SUN 20 AUG | POST SHOW TALK, SAT 19 AUG BROWN’S MART THEATRE $36 | $32

Bodies Over Bitumen

Three interdisciplinary circus makers take you on an intriguing journey through Darwin’s laneways, alleys and hidden corners. Follow the troupe as they move through the city creating a riveting, daredevil performance from found objects.

WHEN WED 23 – SUN 27 AUG | 6.30 & 8.30PM AT MEET AT THE MITCHELL CENTRE COST $36 | $32 CONC

Playreadings

Hear a reading of two new one-act plays from promising young Darwin playwrights Ciella Willams and Cj Fraser-Bell.

WHEN FRI 25 AUG | 5.30-7PM AT HAPPY YESS COST $10

by Leah Shelton Leah Shelton’s Terror Australis played at ACCOMPLICE Arts Space, as part of Darwin Fringe Festival.

DARWIN – WHAT HAPPENED? WHEN I AGREED TO BRING MY HILLS-HOIST AND GRINDHOUSE CABARET UP TO THE DARWIN Fringe, little did I know I was going to experience one of the city’s weirdest cultural traditions, meet a bunch of great people, and see a heap of subversive fringe art. I feel like I’ve had a one-week, highoctane download, capped off at the aftermath of the Viking Funeral watching a boat smolder and men in fur dancing.

We arrived very late in the hot balmy evening on a Sunday night, the airport still packed and as lively as if it were peak hour – perhaps it was. After spending our first couple of days working solidly to transform ACCOMPLICE Arts Space into a theatre, it was time to venture out.

First up was Brown’s Mart. We saw No Exit, an incredible text by JohnPaul Sartre, directed by Tony Rive with Josh Cameron, Michaela Davis and Becky Gethen playing three damned souls in a hellish purgatory.

The simplicity of the work, staged with three chairs and minimal lighting, laid bare the text, and the actors clearly relished the complexity and depth of the work. I left the theatre feeling suitably dark and nihilistic, but this was quickly offset by a visit to the Brown’s Mart toilets where I stumbled upon VINspired.

And VINspiring it was! This collection of Vin Diesel quotes and Facebook posts (meant to be viewed with your pants down) felt like part-homage and part-pisstake to a musclebound man who obviously also inspires millions. Definitely a great experience to have in the toilet.

With my limited time I tried to consume as much art as possible.

The stunning sound installation Halo Halo gave me the chance to lie inside an open canvas tent listening to a Filipino woman’s experience of moving to Darwin for love – incredibly engaging and a human story that left me wanting more. The beautiful and evocative Heavenly Creatures exhibition placed me right in the desert landscape, and Trumpageddon Looming was a grand mess of abstract political commentary and an experiment in interactive art. Regan Lynch, an exlocal Darwinian, was endearing and ridiculous in Regan Lynch Does it In Public and I’d happily watch him do it in public again.

I only wish I could have seen more.

But for now, here’s to you Darwin, and your mess of Vikings, activists, artists, absurdists and awesome people. Can’t wait to come back soon.

Next on the agenda was Fascisimo, hosted by punk banjo-wielding

Artback NT presents

8 September – 21 October 2017 Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts & Culture Centre Stuart Highway, Katherine

WHEN SAT 26 AUG | 8PM COST $64 | $59 CONC, MEMB | $20

U 18

www.gyracc.org.au 08 8972 3751

DARWIN FESTIVAL

Tuesday–Friday: 10am–5pm Saturday: 10am–3pm Closed: Sun, Mon & Public Holidays

darwinfestival.org.au

HART

In this powerfully moving piece of verbatim theatre, audiences listen to survivors of the Stolen Generation in their own words. Their compelling recollections and insights are a poignant reminder that the effects of this country’s treatment of our

activist Shel “Shocked” O’Toole and her sidekicks Kevin “Bloody” McCarthy and “Rebellious” Rob Under-Smith. This was an outrageous, outspoken protest gig and I felt like I had dropped into the heart of the activist movement in Darwin. It was anarchic and angry and celebratory. Highlights for me included Shel’s ballad to Trump “keep your hands off my cat”; and the show-stealer, a question-answer style duet between two generations, Kevin McCarthy as the protector of the budget (singing “we really can’t afford to save the planet”), and a young girl in the audience asking simple questions that our politicians continually refuse to answer.

Niningka Lewis, Teapot, 2013, Itara: River red gum and acrylic paint, 270x120x90mm

This is an Artback NT touring exhibition developed in partnership with Maruku Arts. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

This exhibition has been audio described.

KEEP CALM AND

SING New Members Welcome darwinchorale.org.au | darwinchorale@gmail.com

REHEARSALS Tue 7.00pm to 9.30pm TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Sat 10.00am to 12noon Supported by City of Darwin

NEW MEMBERS AND VISITORS WELCOME Ron Roberts (Music Director) 0418 857 744 Carol Atkinson (President) 0408 322 539 darwincitybrassband@gmail.com

darwincitybrassband.org.au

NORTHERN TERRITORY WRITERS’ CENTRE

8941 2651 ntwriters.com.au executive@ntwriters.com.au Workshops | Monthly Events | Opportunities 13

FOOD & DRINK INFO responsiblecafes.org

TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE CAFES SPRINGING UP IN DARWIN AND THINK ABOUT THIS – IN 20 YEARS, PRETTY MUCH EVERY single one of their paper take away cups will still exist in landfill at Shoal Bay tip – even the ‘biodegradable’ ones.

The recent ABC TV program War On Waste drew many people’s attention to the awful reality of our coffee consumption, that three billion disposable cups and lids are used each year in Australia and most will spend decades in landfill, their plastic lining refusing to decay. This includes so-called biodegradable cups, which are rarely disposed of in a composting facility.

Responsible Cafes, a national notfor-profit initiative to get people to use bring-your-own cups, was one of the organisations featured by War on Waste’s Craig Reucassel.

Since it aired, 2,500 more cafes have signed up to the initiative, agreeing to offer a discount to customers who bring their own cups. But it’s not the businesses that Responsible Cafes think should lead the charge, it’s their customers.

Tropical Kitchen

JAMIE LEWIS LEADS GUIDED TOURS OF DARWIN’S PARAP and Rapid Creek markets as part of Darwin Festival this month, followed by a cooking class and plenty of good conversation over lunch.

“The Tropical Kitchen Market Tour is an interactive experience that draws from my memories of Singapore, the cultural landscape of Darwin, and of course, the market itself,” says Lewis.

“It is storytelling layered with a guided encounter with market produce, people, sounds, smells and textures.”

14

Lewis is reluctant to name a favourite market stallholder, but there is one who is close to her heart.

LISTINGS

Choose to Reuse “Our approach is that consumers start that conversation with their cafes,” says Responsible Cafes’ Jo Horsley.

“We understand that there’s a lot of pressure on café owners, it’s a hard business. Margins are really low – it’s got to come from consumers to say ‘I will come to your café if you encourage bring-your-own cups’.”

GENERAL Women In Thoroughbred Racing NT – 2017 Darwin Cup Carnival Luncheon

Join media personality and MC Simon Marshall for a three-course lunch, with live music by Jimmy Sogalrey and special guest speakers.

There are 20 Top End cafes registered with the Responsible Cafes website at time of print. Lucky Bat in Nightcliff has one of the more generous discounts going round – one dollar off when you bring your own cup.

WHEN AT COST INFO

Lucky Bat barista Bill Stevenson has detected there’s been a pick-up in not just bring-your-own-cup use, but in a rejection of plastic in general.

THU 3 AUG | 12.30-3.30PM SKYCITY DARWIN $220 | $195 MEMB wtrnt.com.au

“We have had a little bit of a thing about plastic straws… so (concern) is definitely on the increase,” he says.

“Primarily from regular customers, once they know they can bring a Keep Cup they bring them all the time.”

SPAGHETTI SQUASH paghetti squash appears at Rapid Creek Market throughout the Wet and Dry, but has periods of absence.

It has a fairly long growing period and when it does reappear at local stalls, it gets snapped up pretty quickly.

“Por-Por (which means granny), who can be found making paw paw salad at Parap on Saturdays and then at Rapid Creek selling her produce on Sundays, is built very much like my own grandmother back in Singapore.

She has the same cheeky smile!"

Market Tour & Lunch

WHEN SAT 26 AUG | 9AM-1PM At PARAP MARKET WHEN SUN 27 AUG | 9AM-1PM At RAPID CREEK MARKET COST $150

Cooking Class & Dinner

WHEN THU 24 – SUN 27 AUG | 4.30- 9.30PM At ACCOMPLICE ARTS SPACE COST $175 INFO

darwinfestival.org.au

On its own terms, spaghetti squash is a pale, fibrous gourd with little flavour. But baked, seasoned and then raked with a fork, its stringy squash flesh turns into incredible golden spaghetti-like shreds.

Rapid Creek

Market

or peanut butter fruit, spaghetti squash really lives up to its name and its pleasing tangled texture means you can use it as an actual spaghetti substitute – without having to engage a novelty kitchen gadget like a spiraliser.

Raw Food Classes

If you’re sticking to Darwin market produce, then use the fine young Asian eggplants, available all year round, for an Arrabiata-type sauce, or make a ratatouille with eggplant and okra. Buy it local from the market and give it a twirl!

WHEN SUN 6, 20 & 27 AUG | 11AM- 3PM AT QUANDONG CRESCENT, NIGHTCLIFF COST $120 | BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL INFO theholisticenthusiast.com

Squash

one spaghetti squash 2 cloves garlic, crushed with the back of a knife salt and pepper olive oil 25g butter Preheat your oven to 170-180 degrees. Use a solid, sharp knife to cut the squash lengthwise in

Dinner Under The Stars

Join MC Nicole Stevens to raise awareness around Kidney Health and money for Royal Darwin Hospital whilst dining on three courses by Little Miss Korea chef Chung Jae Lee.

It is a bit of novelty vegetable but unlike other fruits named for manmade foods, like chocolate pudding

SPAGHETTI

Learn how raw foods can heal your body and how to incorporate more of them in your daily life. Watch the process of making mouth-watering dishes and enjoy eating them afterwards.

two. Scoop the seeds out then place squash cut-side up on a baking tray. Drizzle the squash halves generously with oil, salt and pepper and place a garlic clove in the hollow of each. Cover with a sheet of foil and bake for 40 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden-brown. Wait for the squash to cool a bit, then use a fork to easily scrape out the spaghetti-fied flesh into a bowl and stir in butter. Serve a tomatobased sauce over the spaghetti, with parsley and parmesan.

WHEN SAT 19 AUG | 6.30-9.30PM AT AUSTIN LANE, DARWIN COST $195 INFO facebook.com/ littlemisskoreadarwin

Malak Community Dinner

Embrace Darwin’s diverse culture with a night of food and entertainment.

WHEN MON 28 AUG | 6-8.30PM AT DARWIN COMMUNITY ARTS, MALAK COST $5 | $10 FAMILY | FREE FOR VOLUNTEERS INFO darwincommunityarts.org.au

Aug 3-4-5 | Botanic Gardens | FREE

A FREE performance for the whole family, based on the traditional Japanese tale of the Bamboo Cutter’s Daughter. Bring a picnic rug and hamper and join us for a magical night set in the George Brown Botanic Gardens.

Thurs 3 rd , Fri 4 th & Sat 5 th August 6:30pm George Brown Botanic Gardens Free performance www.corrugatediron.org.au

ELECTION NOTICE

August Events Aqua Zumba in the Wave Lagoon every Sunday 9am (45 minutes) Get water active with weekly Aqua Zumba classes. $12 for adults and $8 for children which includes all day entry to the Wave Lagoon. Free for seniors in August as part of seniors month.

Top End Gran Fondo Sunday 20 August | 7am start | free Gran Fondo, meaning “big endurance”, is a long-distance, timed cycling event that welcomes competitive, amateur and recreational cyclists of all abilities.

For more information visit www.topendgranfondo.com

DO YOU WANT TO VOTE EARLY ?

Early voting centres open from Monday 14 August Check ntec.nt.gov.au for locations

Got an opinion?

Make it count.

Vote.

ALL v ot can v ers ote early

Free Movie Under The Stars The Good Dinosaur Saturday 26 August | from 7pm | free Experience the magic of a moonlite cinema every month during the dry season.

Sundays Live at the Lagoon Every Sunday | 12pm to 4pm | free Pack a picnic or enjoy offerings from local retailers as you sit and unwind to the sounds of a different musician each week.

All events are alcohol and glass free. waterfront.nt.gov.au

2017 NT COUNCIL ELECTIONS SATURDAY 26 AUGUST

ntec.nt.gov.au 1800 698 683

facebook.com/NTElectoralCommission @NTElecComm

Authorised by Iain Loganathan, Northern Territory Electoral Commission, 80 Mitchell St Darwin NT 0800

15

16 Wed

Tue

7 No Lights No Lycra 7 Nursery Time 7 Hatha Yoga 11 Like This Like Dad 11 Man Made 12 BLANC de BLANC 12 HART 19 Skate Night 21 Rocksitting at NT Library 30 Tunnel No.5

22 21 SPUN: Home

5 Uta Uba Kool Ja 7 Our Common Threads 7 Storytime 7 Mums & Bubs Yoga 9 emBARK! 12 BLANC de BLANC 32 Cris Derksen Trio 31 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals See Visual Arts 26

17 Thu

7 Mindil Market 7 Artists’ Craft & Tea 7 Argentine Tango 7 Storytime 7 Malak Community Shed 9 Lunchbox Series 11 Like This Like Dad 11 Man Made 12 HART 12 BLANC de BLANC 21 Poetry and Coffee 26 Yirringinkiri Pwoja (last chance) 30 Tunnel No.5 31 Australian Art Orchestra 31 Tami Neilson

Mon

See Books & Film 21

28 26 Get It On! (last chance) 7 Tango Practica 7 Hatha Yoga 7 Malak Community Garden 7 Beats and Clips 14 Malak Community Dinner 31 Monday Music Jam

18 Fri

Wed

9 Lunchbox Series 11 Man Made 12 Circa – Troppo 12 HART 12 BLANC de BLANC 21 Sea Sick 26 Out of the Art Room (opens) 29 Dragon 31 Felix Riebl 31 Skinnyfish Sound System 31 Robbie Miller 31 Loud at the Library 31 Open Mic Nite

23 Tue

5 Uta Uba Kool Ja 7 No Lights No Lycra 7 Nursery Time 7 Hatha Yoga 9 emBARK! 10 Between Tiny Cities 12 BLANC de BLANC 12 Bodies Over Bituman 19 Skate Night 31 Modern Maori Quartet

29

7 Our Common Threads 7 Storytime 7 Mums & Bubs Yoga 31 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals 31 Open Mic Night Katherine

See Around Town 5

5 Uta Uba Kool Ja

19 Sat

5 Uta Uba Kool Ja 6 Talking Through...

6 Create a Useless...

9 Darwin Laptop Orchestra...

11 Man Made 12 Circa – Troppo 12 BLANC de BLANC 12 HART 14 Dinner Under The Stars 19 Garment Workshops 20 DAAFF Film Gala 21 Sea Sick 27 Black & White (last chance) 31 Camp Cope 31 Woodlock

Fri

25 Thu

See Around Town 6

24

7 Milonga 7 Bey Dance 9 Lunchbox Series 10 Between Tiny Cities 12 BLANC de BLANC 12 Bodies Over Bituman 12 Playreadings 14 Tropical Kitchen 26 Etan Pavavalung (last chance) 26 Out of the Art Room (last chance) 31 Dappled Cities 31 Tijuana Cartel 31 Open Mic Nite 31 Loud at the Library

Wed

7 Mindil Market 7 Artists’ Craft &...

7 Argentine Tango 7 Bey Dance 7 Storytime 7 Malak Community Shed 9 Lunchbox Series 9 emBARK! 10 Between Tiny Cities 12 BLANC de BLANC 12 Bodies Over Bituman 14 Cooking Class & Dinner 20 DIFF Program Launch 27 Of Time & Space (last chance) 31 Modern Maori Quartet 31 Diesel See Around Town 7

30

Got a suspected leak at home? Use our $200 Leak Find and Fix rebate

livingwatersmart.com.au 7 No Lights No Lycra 7 Nursery Time 7 Hatha Yoga 19 Skate Night

20

Sun

5 Uta Uba Kool Ja 6 Beer and Build 6 Talking Through...

6 Sustainable House Day 7 Mindil Market 7 Aqua Zumba 7 Top End Gran Fondo 12 HART 12 BLANC de BLANC 14 Raw Food Classes 20 DAAFF Film Fundraiser 21 Sunday at CDU 26 Darwin Art Trail 28 Miriam Lieberman 31 Leo Rondeau

Thu

29 DSO: Wolf Totem

See Music 29

31

7 Mindil Beach Sunset Market

7 Artists’ Craft & Tea 7 Argentine Tango 7 Storytime 7 Malak Community Shed 26 Monster Galore! (last chance) 31 Mall Tunes

See Performing Arts 11

11 Man Made

21

Mon

7 Tango Practica 7 Hatha Yoga 7 Malak Community Garden 7 Beats and Clips 20 Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten 21 Jelanan 31 Gouldian Bar 31 Monday Music Jam

Sun

27

Sat

26

12 Bodies Over Bituman 14 Raw Food Classes 14 Tropical Kitchen 21 Wild Words 25 UnDiscovered (last chance) 26 Into The Water (last chance) 26 Behind the Wire (last chance) 27 Miriam Lieberman 30 Topology 31 Yirrmal and the Milyawutj

6 Talking Through...

7 Mindil Market 7 Bey Dance 7 Aqua Zumba 12 BLANC de BLANC

6 Talking Through...

7 Bey Dance 8 2017 NT Council Elections 9 Mahbilil Festival 10 Between Tiny ...

12 BLANC de BLANC 12 Sydney Dance Company 12 Bodies Over Bituman 14 Tropical Kitchen 19 Garment Workshops 21 The Good Dinosaur 25 Headshots (last chance) 27 Crossing Streams (last chance) 31 Clairy Browne 31 Gold Class

See Around Town 7

AROUND TOWn Books & fILM Performing Arts FESTIVALS Visual Arts YOUTH Food & Drink Music

offtheleash.net.au

Although all care is taken to ensure information in Off The Leash is correct, it is subject to change. Not all events can be listed on this calendar, so we recommend checking offtheleash.net.au for updates.

Tue

Wed

12 The Sound of Waiting

4 NIMA

See Feature 4

Tue

7 Our Common Threads 7 Storytime 7 Mums & Bubs Yoga 21 Tunnel No. 5 Program Launch 31 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals

8

7 No Lights No Lycra 7 Nursery Time 7 Hatha Yoga 19 Skate Night 26 Monster Galore! (opens)

2

Sat 5 Get It On! 6 Talking Through...

6 Darwin Insect...

7 You Should Be...

7 How To Be a Rockstar 10 Penny Arcade 11 Hello, Goodbye and...

11 Man Made 12 BLANC de BLANC 12 The Umbilical Brothers 19 Garment Workshops 19 Skate Park League 24 DAAF 26 Annie Moors 31 Confidence Man 31 Cambodian Space Project

12

3 Thu

7 Artists’ Craft & Tea 7 Mindil Beach Sunset Market 7 Malak Community Shed 7 Argentine Tango 7 Storytime 7 Malak Community Shed 12 The Sound of Waiting 14 Cup Carnival Luncheon 19 Bamboo Moon 31 Mall Tunes (every Thu)

13

Sun 6 Talking Through...

7 Mindil Market 7 Kundalini Yoga...

7 You Should Be...

7 How To Be a Rockstar 7 Aqua Zumba 9 Teddy Bears’ Picnic 11 Man Made 12 BLANC de BLANC 24 DAAF 25 Hot! (last chance) 26 Annie Moors (last chance) 31 Ngarukuruwala

4 Fri

5

Sat

7 Pesona Indonesia 7 Malak Marketplace 7 Code Club 7 Malak Community Shed 7 Circus Workshop (every Sat) 12 The Sound of Waiting 19 Garment Workshops 19 Bamboo Moon 19 Skate Park League 21 FlicNics (every Sat) 21 Write Here 27 NCCA (opens)

Mon

7 Tango Practica 7 Hatha Yoga 7 Malak Community Garden 7 Beats and Clips 8 Early voting opens for 2017 NT Council elections 30 Tunnel No.5 31 Monday Music Jam

14

livingwatersmart.com.au

Do the 3-Step Leak Check to find hidden leaks. If you find one, use our $200 Leak Find and Fix rebate to fix it.

Toilet leaks can be sneaky and costly. Stop flushing your money away.

12 The Sound of Waiting 12 Kitty Flanagan 19 Bamboo Moon 26 Portrait of a Senior Territorian (last chance) 27 Crossing Streams (opens) 27 Of Time & Space (opening) 28 Ed Kuepper 31 Gouldian Bar 31 Loud at the Library 31 NT News Live on Fridays 31 Open Mic Nite (every Fri)

See Music 30

30 Tunnel No.5

In Darwin, we’re using more water than can be captured and supplied.

“I’m quiet and I run slow.

Can you find me?”

See Performing Arts 12

Calendar AUGUST 2017

1 Mon

7 Our Common Threads 7 Storytime 7 Mums & Bubs Yoga 12 The Sound of Waiting 26 Get It On! (opens) 27 Black & White (opens) 31 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals

7 Leaks are the second biggest area of water waste in Darwin homes, after over watering of gardens

livingwatersmart.com.au

Fri

7 Tango Practica 7 Hatha Yoga 7 Malak Community Garden 7 Beats and Clips 31 Monday Music Jam

11 7 You Should Be...

9 Lunchbox Series 9 Welcome To Country 10 Penny Arcade 11 Hello, Goodbye and...

11 Man Made 12 The Marriage of Figaro 12 BLANC de BLANC 24 DAAF (opens) 24 NATSIAA 25 Headshots (opens) 26 Into The Water (opening) 26 Behind the Wire (opens) 26 Yirringinkiri Pwoja (opening) 27 Papunya Tula (opening) 31 A.B. Original 31 Ali Barter

6

Sun

31 One Tropical Day

Wed

5 Statement Earrings Workshop 7 Mindil Beach Sunset Market 7 Kundalini Yoga & Meditation 7 Aqua Zumba 12 The Sound of Waiting 14 Raw Food Classes 31 First Sunday Blues

9

Tue

7 No Lights No Lycra 7 Nursery Time 7 Hatha Yoga 19 Skate Night 21 French Film Night 24 DAAFF Fashion Show 26 Before the Clearing (official opening)

15

11 Like This Like Dad

7 Our Common Threads 7 Storytime 7 Mums & Bubs Yoga 12 HART 12 BLANC de BLANC 30 Tunnel No.5 31 Shellie Morris & Friends 31 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals

See Music 31

DARWIN FESTIVAL

10

Thu

7 Artists’ Craft &...

7 Mindil Market 7 Argentine Tango 7 Storytime 7 Malak Community Shed 9 Lunchbox Series 12 The Marriage of Figaro 12 BLANC de BLANC 24 SALON17 (opens) 26 Etan Pavavalung (opening) 26 Annie Moors 27 Jenni Kemarre....(opens) 27 Black & White (opening) 27 Crossing Streams (opening) 27 NCCA (opening) 28 DFEST Opening Concert

See Performing Arts 11

Get It On!

@littlemoodesigns

@laura_schipp_jewellery

@twirlgirlboutique

@dizzymisterpatterns

@carmylizryan_create

@sewanista

@a_tropical_daze

@adornedbynicole

@samookdesigns

Indigenous Textile and Fashion Exhibition | 1st-28th August hosted by An exhibition of clothing and accessories from Injalak Arts ‘Get it on! 2017 project. Featuring works from 40 collaborators made from hand-printed fabric designed by Indigenous artists from Injalak Arts.

LAUNCH & AWARDS NIGHT

Saturday 12th August 2017 6.00pm - 8.00pm

Additional prizes for best dressed so get frocked up in your hottest NT Indigenous fabrics!

This is a free ticketed event.

Visit http://www.ticketebo.com.au/getiton2017 to register.

VENUE

Aboriginal Bush Traders Lyons Cottage 74 The Esplanade, Darwin

EXHIBITION DATES

Tuesday 1st - Sunday 27th August Monday - Friday: 9.00am -4.00pm Saturday - Sunday: 9.00am - 3.00pm

thursdaY 5-10pm sundaY 4-9pm

Free

live entertainm ent

Free Fire shows

60+ intern ati Food stallonal s 100+ arts & CraFts BYo

Mindil VIP $15pp

Style!

SunSet in ce rved ViP spa · Private rese s ir a s & ch · Styled table h ice it w y · esk ) (ByO Drinks

www.mindilmarket.com.au events@mindil.com.au 18

aboriginalbushtraders | injalakarts.gunbalanya aboriginal_bush_traders | injalakarts www.aboriginalbushtraders.com

KRISTA WALKER Makeup Artist follow

KRISTA WALKER’S INSTAGRAM FEED FEATURES SO MUCH OF HER ELABORATE ARTWORK, IT’S HARD to believe the 17-year-old finds the time to produce it, especially as she has to wash it all off afterwards.

From bejewelled eyes and neon feather duster lashes to terrifying zombies with stitched-together skin, Walker is happy for her make-up art to be both beautiful and ghoulish.

“As a kid I had buckets of paints and pencils, so gradually as I got older I just changed to doing it on myself instead of a canvas or paper. It’s definitely more 'art' than trying to look prettier or change how I look. It’s like

transforming me or a model into an art piece,” the Darwin High student tells Off The Leash.

Walker started posting her otherworldly make-up on Instagram and began quickly building a whole new skill set in visual media.

“I’ve learned lots of Photoshop and photography skills from doing it. It all just combines into the one final product.”

It also got her a job at a local beauty salon and work in youth theatre productions.

Garment Workshops

@kristakayemua

Inspired by visual artists on Instagram as well as music videos, Walker uses professional cosmetic body paint and glitter, producing her creations after school or for photography assignments at Darwin High, where there’s no shortage of willing models.

WHEN At COST Info

EVERY SAT 5 – 26 AUG | 1-4PM DARWIN COMMUNITY ARTS FREE

facebook.com/nteenfashion

Over four Saturdays in August, supported by City of Darwin, Bankier leads intensive workshops with the goal of creating a garment to enter in the NTeen Fashion Festival, with the possibility of going on to the Apex Australia Teenage Fashion and Arts Festival in Perth in November.

“I’m impressed by someone who has a design in their head and knows that’s what they want to make,” Bankier says.

Not everyone can stick to the fourweek course, but those that do commit learn a precious new set of skills that many keep for life.

GENERAL

Skate Nights

Head to Jingili on Wednesday nights for free music and skating at the park. Not just for skateboarders, newbies and all are welcome and there’s spare board and helmets available.

WHEN At COST Info

EVERY WED | 7-9PM JINGILI SKATE PARK FREE

facebook.com/ launchdarwin

Compete in skate, scooter, or BMX competitions held by the Skate Park Leagues and City of Darwin.

The Skate Park Leagues host events focused on embracing skate park culture and bringing the community together. Check the website to register for heats. Free giveaways and prizes on offer.

WHEN SAT 5 AUG | 11-4PM At KATHERINE SKATE PARK WHEN FRI 12 AUG | 11-4PM At JINGILI SKATE PARK COST Info

FREE

skateparkleagues.com

“To make my own cosmetic line would be a big dream…Lots of cosmetic companies don’t have a big range of colours, they’ re not very experimental. Something business and make-up related would be amazing.”

Two of Bankier’s younger Darwin sewers attended her community workshops in their pre-teens and two years later are accomplished sewers, one even set on becoming a fashion designer.

“We take them from an idea for a design through every stage to making a finished garment.”

Skate Park League

“I definitely want to work in theatre and movies,” she says.

IN JUST FOUR LESSONS, DIXI BANKIER CAN TEACH SOMEONE HOW TO SKETCH A FASHION design, cut it out, sew it and be model-ready for the runway – all from scratch.

“Most have never touched a sewing machine, have never pinned anything in their life or used a pair of scissors to cut out fabric – so it’s a fairly intensive, fast way to get them to make something,” says Bankier.

LISTINGS

YOUTH

“Most often, attendees think they know what they want to make but when it comes down to it, to choose the fabric that will suit, to choose the colours – they have no idea of all the design principles. We try to give them a quick lesson on what goes together.”

CORRUGATED IRON YOUTH ARTS PRESENTS

BAMBOO MOON taged at twilight in the leafy Botanic Gardens, Bamboo Moon is based on the ancient Japanese story The Tale of Princess Kaguya and stars a youthful cast from Darwin’s Corrugated Iron.

The story – or monogatari– was written in the 10th century and follows the trials of a moon princess as she comes of age on Earth.

As a baby, Princess Kaguya’s mother reluctantly hid her in a stalk of bamboo on Earth, to be found by a poor bamboo cutter.

The experience of putting a garment collection together for the NTeen Fashion Festival is close to the real hurl and burl of a professional show Bankier insists, and getting through to the Perth festival is a real achievement.

“It’s one of the oldest Japanese tales in history. Sort of like our Jack and the Beanstalk,” says director Kate Kelly.

“The experience of doing it and becoming involved in the fashion parade is what it’s like anywhere in the world.”

To tell the magical story, Corrugated Iron Youth Arts is using an arsenal of skills including circus, music,

“When your family is pulling you one way but you want to stay true to who you are.”

movement and traditional drama, and have enlisted the help of the Australian Japanese Association of the NT (AJANT), who have helped contribute a traditional Japanese fan dance, music and costumes.

A live harpist and Japanese percussionist will evoke the spirit of the material, while the script has been adapted by local playwright Cj Fraser-Bell.

“Our core cast is aged from 14 to 25 and then the other kids (the youngest is seven years old) are fleshing out the circus and village scenes in the forest,” says Kelly.

The three free performances will also feature Japanese activities such as origami and are ideal for kids and adults. Take a picnic and enjoy the mysterious story of Kaguya in Darwin’s tropical moonlight.

WHEN At COST Info

THU 3 – SAT 5 AUG | 6.30PM DARWIN BOTANIC GARDENS FREE

corrugatediron.org.au

19

&

Deckchair JERVOIS ROAD, DARWIN WATERFRONT

CINEMA

COST $16 | $12 CONC | $10 MEMB | $35 FAM (2 ADU, 2 KIDS) BOOK deckchaircinema.com.au INFO info@deckchaircinema.com.au | 8981 0700 | GATES OPEN 6PM

Cambodia's

Golden Era Of Rock n Roll

DIFF PROGRAM LAUNCH THE HOTLY ANTICIPATED PROGRAM FOR SEPTEMBER’S DARWIN INTERNATIONAL FILM Festival will be launched with Warwick Thornton’s irrepressible new doco We Don’t Need A Map. The very personal film-essay examines the deeper meaning behind the symbol of the Southern Cross – whose contemporary incarnation is often as fuzzy blue ink beneath the skin of a sunburnt bicep.

In 2010 Thornton dared to question the nationalist overtones of the Southern Cross, which was appearing on tattoos and bumper stickers across the country post-Cronulla riots.

“I was up for Australian of the Year and a journo asked me ‘what are your fears for the future of Australia’,” Thornton recalls.

Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation Film Gala INFO

20

darwinaboriginalartfair.com.au

“I said, ‘I’m worried that the Southern Cross has been slowly turned into some sort of swastika’.”

As seems to happen in Australia when someone calls out racism, “a lot of people chucked a tantrum,” says Thornton.

“A lot of people who get paid to be racist wrote little bits about it and it kind of scared the hell out of me.

What I do with fear is I turn it into anger, and what I do with anger is I turn it into energy and then I need to stand up and say something.”

In the film We Don’t Need A Map Thornton leads viewers through the many different cultural understandings of the five sacred stars.

“There’s so many different Aboriginal languages and cultures in Australia,

YEARS AFTER HE DIED, ALBERT NAMITJIRA’S COPYRIGHT WAS SOLD BY THE NORTHERN TERRITORY PUBLIC TRUSTEE FOR JUST $8,500, AND IS NOW PRIVATELY OWNED BY A SYDNEY FAMILY. The story of Namitjira’s artistic legacy and who should benefit from his copyright is the subject of The Namitjira Project, the feature of the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation’s (DAAFF) Film Gala.

The project started out as a piece of theatre, examining Namitjira’s life and work through a touring one-man play, and is now part of a campaign to restore Namitjira’s copyright to his family.

extremely multicultural pre colonisation. What’s our mob’s perspective? What’s the saltwater, Yolngu perspective on the Southern Cross. What do they use it for?”

The journey, which took him around the continent including the Top End as well as home in Central Australia, helped him resolve the issue of the icon somewhat, he says.

“You can’t own it, you can’t (use it to) shut down everyone else around you.

And even Aboriginal people know that we aren’t the only people to see it. You can see it in New Zealand, in Patagonia. And there are Indigenous people in these places who have their own perspective of it.”

CAMBODIA’S ‘GOLDEN ERA’ OF ROCK N ROLL LASTED FOR LESS THAN A DECADE BEFORE IT WAS tragically snuffed out by war and the murderous Khmer Rouge regime, but its legacy is enduring.

“The daughter of an army tank driver who has survived the war and abject poverty, to sing her way to the world's stage with one of the most unique repertoires of folk, rock and cosmic pop.”

Influenced by 60s surfer rock, psychedellica, girl groups and traditional folk songs, the enormous output of music during the 1960s has never faded in popularity among Cambodians.

Based in Phnom Penh, Poulson and the band were party to much of the material and archival films used in Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten and love the film.

Bands like the Cambodian Space Project (CSP) and Dengue Fever have helped make the music known beyond Southeast Asia, and now the feature documentary Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten, unveils the fascinating story behind the golden era of rock n roll.

Directed by American John Pirozzi, the film features the singers and musicians who survived the Khmer Rouge’s brutal murder of artists – and includes some terrific archival footage of popular films and concerts.

In a separate Railway Club show for Darwin Festival, CSP front woman Srey Channthy will be singing her favourite Golden Era songs, plus originals, with band member Julien Poulson, in an acoustic set.

We Don't Need A Map

“Channthy is the phoenix that has literally risen out of the ashes,” says Poulson.

Despite being celebrated by white Australia and made a citizen, along with his wife Rubina, Namitjira suffered from the punitive laws of the country and was sent to jail before his death in 1959.

expert Colin Golvan, will discuss the issues in the film.

WHEN THU 24 AUG | 7.30PM COST FREE

His iconic watercolours of Western Arrernte country forged a painting tradition that continues today through artists at the Iltja Ntjarra Many Hands Art Centre, including through Namitjira’s descendants, some of whom will be at the Film Gala.

After the screening, a panel including ambassador of the Namitjira Project Hetti Perkins, Namitjira family members and intellectual property copyright

The most famous of the golden era singers is Sinn Sisamouth, whose smooth vocals often paired with the beautiful Ros Sereysothea for duets and “whom Prince Norodom Sihanouk named the ‘Golden Voice of Phnom Penh’," says Poulson.

“Channthy's personal favourite is (songstress) Pan Ron as her style was much more playful and risque than the others and is something that is distinctly Khmer, but clearly influenced by sixties soul and French Ye Ye Pop.”

Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten WHEN AT COST INFO

MON 21 AUG | 7.30PM DECKCHAIR CINEMA $16 | $12 CONC darwinfestival.org.au

Cambodian Space Project

WHEN SAT 12 AUG | 8PM AT RAILWAY CLUB COST $35 INFO darwinfestival.org.au

This year’s Film Gala also features Ella, a doco about Ella Havelka, the first Aboriginal dancer accepted into the Australian Ballet in 2012, as well as a collection of short films from art centres across Australia.

The Namitjira Project

WHEN SAT 19 AUG | 7.30PM | GATES 6PM COST $25

Ella

WHEN SUN 20 AUG | 7.30PM COST $16 AT

DECKCHAIR CINEMA

Ella Havelka

Tunnel No. 5 Program Launch

Tunnel No. 5: A Festival of Underground Music is a series of underground concerts staged within Darwin’s haunting WWII Oil Storage Tunnels. The launch features Scott Hicks' music documentary Highly Strung.

WORDS & IDEAS THIS YEAR’S WORDS AND IDEAS COMPONENT OF DARWIN FESTIVAL INCLUDES AN INTERESTING MIX OF LOCAL STORYTELLING, HISTORY AND SCIENCE. A favourite on the festival program, Darwin’s live storytelling night SPUN is this year themed around the idea of ‘home’ – and all the ways we find it.

Six local storytellers will share their true, personal stories on stage at The Lighthouse about their experiences of home. A loaded concept, or the joy of family? A place of safety or a surprise destination?

SPUN is dedicated to unearthing the Territory’s diverse stories to a wide audience and will likely sell out, so be quick if you want tickets.

NT Library artist-in-residence Sarah Pirrie brings a uniquely Darwin activity to a festival audience with her Rocksitting at NT Library.

If you’ve ever wanted to take part in this odd tradition, which legend has it was started by a group of journos in 1974 and involved copious amounts of alcohol, now is your chance – minus the drinking.

Pirrie will have portable rocksitting placemats for participants to watch the sunset and share stories about the coast.

To further stir up the grey matter, the free Sunday at CDU program brings together panels of leading Australian and international thinkers and writers for one thought-provoking afternoon.

LISTINGS

Spun 2015

WHEN AT COST INFO

French Film Night

GENERAL Write Here – Darwin

On the first Saturday of the month across the country, people get together to write for two hours as part of Write Here. It’s a chance to get out of the house and get some writing done in the company of other enthusiastic writers.

WHEN SAT 5 AUG | 2-4PM AT ACCOMPLICE RESIDENCY SPACE COST $5 | INCLUDES COFFEE & TREATS INFO creativeaccomplice.com.au

Spun: Home

FlicNics

Rocksitting at NT Library

WHEN WED 16 AUG | 5.30PM AT NT LIBRARY COST FREE

Sunday at CDU WHEN AT

COST

SUN 20 AUG | 2-6PM CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY THEATRE FREE | BOOKINGS REQUIRED

INFO

darwinfestival.org.au

Showcasing everything from comedies to popular animated movies for kids, Goyder Square transforms into a free outdoor cinema every Saturday evening of the Dry. Screening this month is Despicable Me 2, Big Fish, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Buddy.

WHEN EVERY SAT | 7PM AT GOYDER SQUARE, PALMERSTON COST FREE INFO palmerston.nt.gov.au

Q &A with journalist & author Alanna Mitchell

AWARD WINNING CANADIAN JOURNALIST ALANNA MITCHELL SPENT THREE YEARS ON THE HIGH SEAS WITH SCIENTISTS TO WRITE HER BOOK ABOUT THE crisis happening to our oceans. Off The Leash caught up with Mitchell to talk about her one-woman show on the subject, Sea Sick.

Image: Chlöe Ellingson

The Good Dinosaur

Bring a blanket or chair, pack a picnic or grab a treat from a local restaurant and visit a world where humans and dinosaurs live side by side in the computer-animated comedy adventure film The Good Dinosaur.

WHEN SAT 26 AUG | 7PM AT DARWIN WATERFRONT COST FREE INFO waterfront.nt.gov.au

Festival guests like Alanna Mitchell will join ABC’s Robyn Williams and academics to discuss science and art, journalism and climate change, as well as ‘questions for the nation’.

WHEN TUE 22 AUG | 8.30PM AT THE LIGHTHOUSE COST $25

TUE 8 AUG | 6PM DECKCHAIR CINEMA $16 | $12 | $10 DFS MEMB deckchaircinema.com

What was it like turning your written words into something to be performed on stage?

I worked with two Toronto directors, Franco Boni and Ravi Jain. It all started with my stories of being with the scientists. But they kept asking:

Enjoy the French movie Je Fais Le Mort, along with French cheese and wine at this monthly Alliance Française de Darwin event.

WHEN AT

COST INFO

WED 9 AUG | 6.30PM CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY, BUILDING BLUE 5 $20 | $14 STUDENT, MEMB afdarwin.org

NT WRITERS' CENTRE

8941 2651 | ntwriters.com.au

Poetry and Coffee

Connect with fellow poetry lovers and share your favourite verses, or your own originals. No criticism, just enjoyment. Simply turn up and drink coffee in the relaxing company of poetry.

WHEN THU 17 AUG | 10-11AM AT EAT AT MARTINS, COCONUT GROVE COST FREE

Wild Words

Jalanan

This Indonesian rock documentary tells the captivating story of three gifted, charismatic street musicians in Jakarta.

WHEN AT COST INFO

The stage is wide open for anyone to perform poetry, prose, song lyrics or even a blog! An afternoon of word-ly appreciation every last Sunday of the month.

WHEN SUN 27 AUG | 3-5PM AT RAILWAY CLUB COST $5 | FREE FOR PERFORMERS

MON 21 AUG | 7.30PM DECKCHAIR CINEMA $16 | $12 | $10 DFS MEMB deckchaircinema.com

why did you do that? Why did you want to know that? How does it all fit together? There was a chalkboard in the room and as they asked these questions, I would leap up and start writing things on the board. I would say: well, you can’t understand this until you understand that. Actually putting those words on stage, though, was absolutely terrifying. I’m still in agonies before I go on stage. Every single time.

Do we have a right to be hopeful about the future of our oceans?

Things are getting much worse, much faster. You can look at the state of the Great Barrier Reef and get a really good sense of what’s going on in the ocean as a whole. It will take a lot to turn things around, but I think it’s still possible.

Darwin is a population by the sea – do you think coastal dwellers are more in touch with the ocean's health?

No question! Everywhere I’ve been in the world, people who live on the coast have a deep connection to the ocean.

I’m from the prairies in the heart of North America, but I spent every summer at my grandmother’s house on the Pacific Ocean, rummaging around for barnacles, examining the creatures that lived in the tidal pools, clambering over driftwood logs. It’s that connection coastal people have with the ocean that gives me the most hope that we can come up with new ways of living on our planet.

Sea Sick

WHEN FRI 18 & SAT 19 AUG | 6.30PM At DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE COST $36 | $32 CONC Info darwinfestival.org.au

21

EF

Malak Marketplace ORGANIC FARMERS MARKET

4-9pm Every Saturday Farmers Market, Food Stalls, Arts & Craft, Entertainment, Health & Education, Yoga & Market Tours Sat 29 April to Sat 28 October Chambers Crescent Car Park, Malak www.malakmarketplace.org.au

22

WORD ON THE STREET

Assault YOUR Ears WELCOME TO ASSAULT YOUR EARS, A MONTHLY COLUMN DEDICATED TO PODCASTS. Do you remember the other stories from your day when you heard Nelson Mandela was released from prison? Or when 9/11 took place?

How’s Your Day tells you a story you don’t know from a day we all probably remember. It’s a unique and clever concept that starts with an iconic event we all (mostly) recall, before shifting the focus to a different, significantly less well known story from that exact same day.

A non-narrative driven podcast, each episode of How’s Your Day is short and sharp. The use of sound is subtly but effectively woven into episodes, and the bouncing

Comics’ Corner

back and forth between stories is delicately balanced. How’s Your Day is a tender look into the lives of others at a point in time that we were all collectively affected.

Unfortunately for us, those behind How’s Your Day have no plans to release any new episodes outside of the ones already out there.

The mammoth task that came with trying to find a suitable story from below the surface of a big news event took its toll – in fact, this decision to not make another episode was made before the podcast was even released.

Soak up all nine episodes from How’s Your Day, it’s a ripper.

You can listen to How’s Your Day, on iTunes or your favourite podcast app.

Jess Ong works as a Communications Manager in the arts and the private sector, and is also the Creative Producer of local storytelling night, SPUN. She is the host of the SPUN Stories podcast and moonlights in the world of freelance.

FOLLOW spunstories.net |

@jess__ong

Sammy J

Darwin Festival Funnies

IF YOU LIKE YOUR STAND UP SMART, ANGRY AND FULL OF DUBIOUS ADVICE TO THE WORLD’S GENTRIFIERS, THEN the sharp, biting satire of visiting New York comic and performance artist Penny Arcade will get you thinking, laughing and questioning your life choices. Arcade will take you on a memorable, revolutionary stroll into the world of politics, pop culture and urban planning. As Molly might have said, “do yourself a favour and catch this act”.

FESTIVAL FRENZY IS WELL UNDERWAY IN THE TOP END AND NOTHING SIGNALS THE GREAT VIBE OF DARWIN MORE THAN THE Darwin Festival – and it’s not just the grown-ups who will be wowed by this year’s line up, with oodles of family-friendly performances and activities on offer.

The free Santos Opening Night Concert is a great way to get the whole gang into festival spirit, followed on opening weekend by the annual City of Darwin Teddy Bears’ Picnic. A much-loved favourite for Darwin’s tiny tots, they won’t be disappointed with a jam-packed morning of music, art and crafts, tea parties, pony rides, circus, special guest appearances from festival performers and more.

A world of interactive play awaits kids at emBARK!, with Lego marble mazes, dancing and a storytelling session under the Tree of Knowledge. Check out Number Please, a fun interactive installation in Festival Park where the kids can find old phones and explore the world of telephony with Professor O’Brien.

There are loads of opportunities for families to ‘shake their sillies out’.

Starting at 5.30pm, everyone in the family can boogie on down to You Should Be Dancing Darwin.

Melbourne-based comedian Tessa Waters brings her smash hit show How to Be a Rockstar to Darwin.

It’s all about the classic rock

City of Darwin Teddy Bears' Picnic; image Elise Derwin

star entrance, power poses, and signature rock star dance moves.

I’m totally in!

Tommy Little is on top of his game.

A baby-faced veteran of 10 years on the Australian stand up scene, he is a supremely polished and talented performer. His routines are fast, clever and well crafted. A real crowd pleaser, Tommy Little will charm, delight and occasionally disgust his audience, all the while wearing a cheeky grin. A sure fire hit.

Circa is performing their fun, whimsical and exhilarating acrobatic performance Troppo.

Marooned on a deserted tropical island, there’s lots of silliness as the performers ‘go troppo’ – something we are all too familiar with in the Top End! In a Dark Dark Wood is a contemporary retelling of Hansel and Gretel for kids aged six and over. In this adaptation, Pippa and her brother Mo take off into the woods to a world with no rules and endless ice cream – but all is not what it seems!

In addition to the fabulous events on offer, one my family’s favourite things is to head to Festival Park, chill, soak up the atmosphere, grab a delicious dinner from one of the gourmet food stalls and catch up with friends while the kids play.

Happy Darwin Festival everyone!

Tessa Waters is one of the emerging stars of character comedy. Her ultra-high energy style and the wildly florid misfit caricatures in her two shows, WOMANz and How to be a Rockstar, sit proudly alongside the character comedy of Martin and Ackroyd’s crazy guys, Bobcat Goldthwait’s early endearing and anarchic work, and Tracy Ulman.

Libby Larsen Travel is, and has always been, Libby’s passion and she believes that this shouldn’t stop when you have kids.

Libby knows that the best travel advice and tips come from other parents and so she started Growing up Troppo. It has loads of inspiration about hip places to stay, play and eat with kids that importantly parents love too.

FOLLOW growinguptroppo.com | @growinguptroppo

with a volunteer on stage each night – plucked and chosen by her based on audience pre-show surveys. The show has won rave reviews elsewhere and, if believed, her show will revel in the absurd, awkward and embarrassing. An intelligent and warm look at the how, why and what we’ll do on a date. Not to be missed.

Sammy J's Hero Complex looks to be a return to form for the comedian.

Best described as a magical realist, nerdy, autobiographical stand up, the show details the story of Sammy J’s discovery of the Phantom comics and the impact on his life.

A whimsical tale that promises to delight.

My pick of the comedy is the UK award-winning duo EastEnd Cabaret. Their risqué songs and deviant character pieces are hilarious and disturbing in equal measure. A night of naughty laughs and guilty pleasure looks guaranteed.

INFO

darwinfestival.org.au

The dark horse of the festival is definitely Bron Batten’s innovative Onstage Dating. This show involves Batten going on an actual first date

SHOWCASING TOP END COMIC WRITING AND LOCAL STAND-UP PERFORMERS WHO ARE GRILLED TO REVEAL THEIR INFLUENCES, FAVOURITES AND FOIBLES. Will Crawford is an up-and-crawling comic.

He moonlights as a land rights lawyer and policy activist.

23

VISUAL ARTS

NATSIAA

Nyarapayi Giles, 'Warmurrungu' (detail), synthetic polymer paint on linen; 34th Telstra NATSIAA

2017

WITH TWO BRAND NEW AWARD CATEGORIES, AUSTRALIA’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS AND LONG running Indigenous art award is a star on the country’s cultural calendar that just keeps burning brighter.

“This year’s awards celebrate the poignant narratives that represent Australia’s unique Indigenous voices and we’re thrilled to see a new wave of artist submissions thanks to these new award categories,” says Scholes.

Since its genesis in 1984, audiences, artists, collectors and curators have flocked to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) to immerse themselves in the best contemporary Indigenous art from the previous 12 months.

Scholes says the Multimedia Award, which includes photography, graphic design, film, audiotape and other digital content, was created due to the sheer number of entries that didn’t fit neatly into existing categories.

Luke Scholes, Curator of Aboriginal Art at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, says adding the Telstra Multimedia Award and the Telstra Emerging Artist Award this year is about reflecting and responding to contemporary artistic practice – an ongoing aspiration of NATSIAA.

He says the Multimedia finalists – an animation by Mervyn Street of Western Australia, and a family film collaboration from South Australia – represent only a small portion of the breadth of entries received.

Likewise for the Emerging Artist category, which replaces the previous

Youth Award. The category is now open to artists of all ages, in the first five years of their artistic career.

“There is a large proportion of Aboriginal artists who begin their artistic careers later in life who we felt it’s important to include and acknowledge,” Scholes says.

“Artists who were previously eligible for the Youth Award can still enter, but we can now include the great number of older emerging artists to gain exposure on a national stage and launch their career.”

WHEN SAT 12 AUG – SUN 29 OCT |

AWARDS NIGHT FRI 11 AUG, 6PM At MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY

OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY COST FREE Info magnt.net.au/natsiaa

Margaret Baragurra, 'Karntanu' (detail), 2015, acrylic on canvas; Bidyadanga Art Centre

Salon17 AUSTRALIANS DO LOVE A CHEEKY RENEGADE – SO WHEN THE IDEA FOR AN EXHIBITION of works rejected from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awards (NATSIAA) was born, it was a winner from the outset.

Conceived in 2013 by Darwin gallerists Matt Ward of Outstation Gallery and Paul Johnstone of Paul Johnstone Gallery, the show draws on the original French idea of exhibiting works rejected by the jury of official awards.

This is Salon des Refusés Territory style – a curated selection of paintings, sculptures, works on paper, digital, textile and mixed media by 58 Aboriginal artists submitted but not selected for the high-status NATSIAA.

24

Johnstone says a renegade show was never their intention, but audiences instantly embraced the exhibition as a chance to get their own judge on.

SALON 2016

“Viewers of NATSIAA can come here and question the choices the official judges made. The show allows free discussion about the merits of the works included into NATSIAA compared to those at the SALON.” But everyone’s a grinner at the end of the day, with all works at SALON17 for sale and another opportunity to promote the richness and diversity of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art realised.

“One of the best outcomes is that all these wonderful works that weren’t accepted initially can still go on display. The artists win and the viewers win."

WHEN At

COST Info

THU 10 AUG – SAT 30 SEP CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY FREE

salondesrefuses.com.au

DARWIN ABORIGINAL ART FAIR GET YOUR FINGER DIRECTLY ON THE PULSE OF INDIGENOUS ARTS AT THE DARWIN ABORIGINAL ART FAIR (DAAF).

Now in its 11th year, this three-day bonanza of visual arts, workshops, film and fashion boasts a massive multi-arts program, all under the one very big roof.

With a slow mosey around the fair you can tour over 60 Indigenous owned Community Art Centres from remote desert and coastal regions, to rural and urban communities.

From your punter off the street, to international art collector, buying art here is a chance to support Aboriginal artisans at the source according to DAAF Foundation (DAAFF) chair Franchesca Cubillo.

“It’s imperative as a country we support authentic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, design and craft, and ensure artists are fairly

remunerated for their incredibly unique talent,” says Cubillo.

This year the program looks at the intersection of contemporary Indigenous art and the world’s oldest continuing cultures.

Back by demand is the fashion show From Country to Couture – celebrating the fusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander textiles with high-end fashion. There’s something big happening in this space, and you’ll want to check it out.

The same goes for the prolific emerging multimedia scene showcased this year at the inaugural Indigenous Film Festival hosted by the Deckchair Cinema.

Throw in art workshops for adults and hands-on kids’ art stations, and you’ve got a truly immersive, annual snapshot of our Aboriginal arts scene.

DAAF

WHEN

At COST

FRI 11 & SUN 13 AUG, 10AM- 4PM | SAT 12 AUG, 10AM-5PM DARWIN CONVENTION CENTRE FREE

From Country To Couture – DAAFF Fashion Show WHEN WED 9 AUG | 7.30PM At SKYCITY DARWIN COST $50 | $35 STANDING

Info darwinaboriginalartfair. com.au

Jump aboard the Darwin Indigenous Art Hop On, Hop Off Bus on Sat 12 and Sun 13 Aug for free travel between DAAF and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. Departs daily every 30 minutes.

Art U&T

ABO Timothy Cook, 'Kulama' (detail), four panel ochre on paper, 116 x 158cm

YIRRINGINKIRI PWOJA WHEN AT INFO

FRI 11 – THU 17 AUG | OPENING FRI 11 AUG, 10AM-12PM DOUBLETREE BY HILTON (REFLECTIONS ROOM) facebook.com/jilamara | munupiart.com

Yirringinkiri Pwoja brings together several generations of Tiwi Islands artists showing works at the annual Tiwi exhibition in Darwin. With a limited colour palette transmuted by an explosion of yellow, red and white ochres, the works on show demonstrate the exuberant visual celebration of the worldview of the Tiwi people.

MAGNT

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 19 Conacher Street, The Gardens | 8999 8264 | magnt.net.au | MON–FRI 9AM-5PM | SAT & SUN 10AM-5PM

TJUNGUNUTJA:

FROM HAVING COME TOGETHER

Comprising over 130 paintings, rare cultural artefacts and historical ephemera, this startling exhibition provides an extraordinary insight into the genesis of the contemporary Aboriginal art movement, revealing the largest and most important collection of early Papunya paintings in the world.

WHEN SUN 18 FEB 2018 Charlie Tjaruru Tjungurrayi, ‘Medicine Story or Man Dreaming’ (detail); collection of MAGNT

HOT!

UnDiscovered

Highlights from the MAGNT art collection.

Photographic works by Michael Cook.

WHEN UNTIL SUN 13 AUG

WHEN UNTIL SAT 27 AUG

Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre Stuart Highway, Katherine East | 8972 3751 | gyracc.org.au | TUE–FRI 10AM-5PM | SAT 10AM–3PM

Jilamara Arts, Munupi Arts and Ngaruwanajirri

Situated to the north of Darwin, the Tiwi Islands are home to a myriad of artists. Every August three island art centres hold a collaborative exhibition in the Darwin Festival, this year titled Yirringinkiri Pwoja.

Off The Leash spoke to art centre managers Jackie Hocking of Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association, Guy Allain of Munupi Arts and Joy Naden of Ngaruwanajirri about the art centres that form this well-reputed annual major event.

How long have the centres been in operation?

JH: Jilamara became incorporated in 1989.

GA: In 1990 the Yikikini Women’s Centre and Pirlangimpi Pottery were incorporated under the name Munupi Arts and Crafts Association.

JN: Ngaruwanajirri has been operating since 1994.

How many artists are represented?

JH: Up to 50 artists are represented

by Jilamara.

GA: Munupi has over 200 registered artists with about 40 very commited artists, of a total population in Pirlangimpi of approximately 370 people.

JN: 10, a mixture of able and disabled carvers.

What is the vision and core values of the centres?

JH: Jilamara’s vision is that Tiwi art and culture is strong and lives through our young people, and that our art centre is a creative place where artists work, learn and grow together with respect, shared experience and knowledge. Our art is traditional and of a high quality.

GA: Munupi Arts and Craft is a vibrant social enterprise supporting the people of Pirlangimpi to express and celebrate their unique identity and knowledge. Our arts and cultural programs help to relieve Info

GYRACC

Artists at Munupi Arts

poverty, suffering and distress by raising social esteem, encouraging young people and providing training and employment in a safe and healthy space for artists and others to work.

JN: Ngaruwanajirri started as a supported employment program for Tiwi with a disability. The workshop, now an art centre, strives to provide a safe, calm and creative environment for some of the most disadvantaged members of the community.

In addition to your annual Darwin Festival event, do the centres work together for other joint exhibitions or collaborations?

JH: We all sell work during the annual Tiwi Grand Final Art Sale in March on Bathurst Island, as well as at the biennial TARNANTHI festival in Adelaide.

How can people visit the art centres?

JN: To visit Ngaruwanajirri Arts, Tiwi Tours come by plane and ferry from Darwin to Bathurst Island.

JH: To visit Munupi Arts and Jilamara Arts you can catch a charter flight to Melville Island.

Do you sell work in Darwin Galleries?

JH: Jilamara has regular exhibitions with Nomad Art Gallery and Outstation Gallery.

GA: Munupi has exhibitions and representations in the NT including Nomad Art Gallery, Northern Centre for Contemporary Art and Outstation Gallery. Munupi also has ongoing representation with various commercial galleries in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Victor Harbor, Greece, France and Singapore.

JN: Nomad Gallery sells carvings, paintings and silk scarves from Ngaruwanajirri.

facebook.com/jilamara | munupiart.com

MAYFAIR GALLERY

7 Harriet Pl, Darwin | 0421 983 995 | facebook.com/mayfairdwn WED–SAT 12-6PM

42ND KATHERINE PRIZE This annual event encourages Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents of the Northern Territory to develop their art practice and showcase their skill to the region.

Prizes awarded include the $5,000 WHEN UNTIL SAT 2 SEP

Brian and Jeanette Lambert Art Award, the $2,000 Dr Peter and Kathleen Short Craft Award, the Godinymayin Youth Award and the People's Choice Award.

Sue Carmody, 'Waterlillies in Bloom', acrylic on canvas; winner of the Brian and Jeanette Lambert Art Award 2017

Headshots

Image courtesy of Ha Ha

Darwin artists Chayni Henry, David Collins and Jesse Bell are joined by interstate contemporaries Matthew Newkirk, Ben Frost and Ha Ha for an exhibition of new and existing works responding to the theme headshots. The exhibition includes opportunities to see live painting at the gallery.

WHEN FRI 11 – SAT 26 AUG

25

DARWIN ART TRAIL

TACTILE ARTS

Various locations | darwinarttrail.com.au

19 Conacher Street, Fannie Bay | 8981 6616 | tactilearts.org.au TUE–FRI 10AM-4PM | SAT & SUN 10AM-4PM

DARWIN Art Trail

Into The Water Through the storytelling of contemporary fibre artists of the larger Maningrida region, this exhibition presents a world abundant with totemic ancestors and beings, animals and the various

technologies used to hunt. The exhibition features installations and fibre sculptures by senior artists alongside work from a new generation of weavers.

Vera Cameron, 'Barlangu', 2016, pandanus and natural dyes

WHEN FRI 11 – SUN 27 AUG | OPENING FRI 11 AUG, 4-6PM

NORTHERN TERRITORY LIBRARY

Parliament House | Corner Bennett and Mitchell Street, Darwin ntl.nt.gov.au TUE, THU, FRI 10AM–5PM | WED 10AM-8PM | SAT & SUN 1–5PM

With six private studios open to the public, the Darwin Art Trail provides an opportunity to talk with and purchase work directly from the artists – including from Debra Senjuschenko at Gallery 105 in Howard Springs. Senjuschenko is a self-taught silversmith, lamp-worker and chainmaille artist, designing modern and contemporary jewellery. Her pieces are clean yet rustic for an individual look.

Ring by Debra Senjuschenko

WHEN SUN 20 AUG | 10AM-4PM

DVAA

Darwin Visual Arts Association Woods Street, Darwin | 8981 9351 | dvaa.net.au | WED–FRI 12-5PM | SAT 10AM–3PM

BEFORE THE CLEARING (Vor Der Sauberung)

Out Of The Art Room

Using hand-coloured etchings, original journal entries and artefacts collected along Leichhardt’s original path, artist Simon Normand illuminates the disparity between the facts of Ludwig Leichhardt’s epic journey from Queensland through the gulf country and Kakadu to Port Essington in 1845 and what was ultimately reported.

For the third year, the dynamic Arts Educators of the NT (AENT) hosts an exhibition featuring diverse works by members from all over the Top End. This vibrant selection of works ranging from drawings and paintings to sculpture and jewellery helps support AENT’s role in promoting the value of educating through art.

WHEN FRI 18 AUG – SAT 2 SEP | OFFICIAL OPENING FRI 25 AUG, 6.30PM

WHEN UNTIL SUN 1 OCT | OFFICIAL OPENING WED 9 AUG, 5.30PM

Janie Andrew, ‘Fibre Sculpture’; photo by Wendy Gibson

POP-UP EXHIBITIONS Various locations around Darwin

Behind The Wire

Providing Northern Territory prisoners with an opportunity to exhibit their works of art to the public, this exhibition showcases some of the creative products made in correctional facilities.

WHEN

At Info Angus McIvor, 'David Hewitt' (detail), 2017; courtesy of Araluen Arts Centre

Selina Nadjowh-Manme, 'Bush Foods', hand screen printed fabric, Injalak Arts

Etan Pavavalung, ‘Lying Down to have a First Look at the Earth’ (detail), 2013; courtesy Taipei Fine Arts Museum

Annie Moors, at work at the Free Space Studio

The Portrait of a Senior Territorian Art Award and Exhibition

‘Get It On!’ Indigenous Textile and Fashion Exhibition

Etan Pavavalung

Annie Moors – Transforming The Lighthouse

The Portrait of a Senior Territorian Art Award and Exhibition shares stories of senior members of the Northern Territory community, through the beauty and simplicity of portraiture painting.

WHEN UNTIL FRI 4 AUG At DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE Info yourcentre.org.au

26

A celebratory exhibition of clothing and accessories, created by 40 collaborators from Australia and beyond, all made with fabric designed and hand-printed by members of Injalak Arts, Gunbalanya (Oenpelli).

WHEN

At Info

TUE 1 – MON 28 AUG | LAUNCH EVENT SAT 12 AUG, 6-8PM (BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL) ABORIGINAL BUSH TRADERS

aboriginalbushtraders.com

Paiwanese artist Etan Pavavalung endeavours to represent the culture of his tribe in a variety of media, bringing to Darwin an exquisite series of works carved and painted on wood planks created using an artistic style that involves wood engraving as a form of relief printmaking.

WHEN

At

Info

THU 10 – FRI 25 AUG | MON–FRI 9AM-5PM CDU WINDOWS GALLERY, CASUARINA CAMPUS

cdu.edu.au/artgallery

Emerging Indigenous artist Annie Moors transforms the Darwin Festival Lighthouse with a new artwork. Watch Moors and mentor, local artist David Collins, in action.

WHEN THU 10, SAT 12 & SUN 13 AUG

| 8.30AM-12PM At THE LIGHTHOUSE, FESTIVAL PARK Info darwinfestival.org.au

FRI 11 – SUN 27 AUG | MON- SUN 9AM-3PM FANNIE BAY GAOL

darwinfestival.org.au

Monster Galore!

Fuelled by an enormous love of beasts but a discreet despair for humanity, artist Marlene Kranz has found relief in the company of friendly monsters – many of whom came to life on her travels, looking at more charming art.

WHEN

At Info

WED 2 – THU 31 AUG | MONSTROUS HIGH TEA SUN 13 AUG, 3PM LUCKY BAT CAFE

marlenekranz.com

PAUL JOHNSTONE GALLERY

OUTSTATION

Harriet Place, Darwin | 8941 2220 | pauljohnstonegallery.com.au | TUE–FRI 10AM–5PM | SAT 10AM–2PM

2/3 Parap Place, Darwin | 8981 4822 | outstation.com.au TUE 10AM-1PM | WED–FRI 10AM-5PM | SAT 10AM-2PM

Nawurapu Wunungmurra & Djirrirra Wunungmurra

PAPUNYA TULA ARTISTS

BLACK & WHITE

Nawurapu Wunuŋmurra, 'Waŋupini' (detail); photo Tim Acker

An immersive exhibition exploring themes of identity, renewal, family and the natural world. Nawurapu Wunungmurra draws on his knowledge of sacred clan designs in his depictions of Wangupini on larrakitj (memorial poles).

frames her brother’s installation with a series of dynamic works on board.

Also known for its re-emergence annually, Yukuwa is a distinctive symbol used within Yolngu culture.

Djirrirra Wunungmurra is well known for painting her namesake Yukuwa – the yam plant – and

WHEN TUE 1 – SAT 19 AUG | OFFICIAL OPENING THU 10 AUG, 5PM

A Survey

Lucy Loomoo Nungurrayi, Untitled (LN1605097), 2016, acrylic on linen, 61 x 55cm

Jenni

KEMARRE MARTINIELLO

The art from Papunya Tula Artists is the language of country. In this outstanding exhibition, the artists reflect and draw on aspects of the spiritual that are born through association with place and community. Signature works from both distinguished and emerging artists convey the power of culture through painting.

WHEN FRI 11 AUG – SAT 2 SEP | OPENING FRI 11 AUG, 11AM

Leading glass artist Jenni Kemarre Martiniello’s incredible glass works blend centuries old Venetian glass canework techniques with millennium old traditional Aboriginal weaving practices, expressing her personal responses

as a contemporary urban Aboriginal woman to her traditional country.

This is a dual venue exhibition presented by Outstation – art from art centres and Paul Johnstone Gallery.

WHEN THU 10 AUG – SAT 2 SEP Jenni Kemarre Martiniello, 'Green Reeds Eel Trap', 2016, hot blown glass with canes

Visaitp

Par ES I GALLER

NCCA

Northern Centre for Contemporary Art Vimy Lane, Parap | 8981 5368 | nccart.com.au

WED-FRI 10AM-4PM, SAT 9AM-2PM, OR BY APPOINTMENT

NOMAD ART GALLERY

Vickers Street, Parap | 8981 6382 | nomadart.com.au MON–FRI 10AM–5PM | SAT 9AM–2PM

KARRIDJOWKKE together five established KUNRONJ Bringing women artists from the Kuninjku

CROSSING STREAMS

homelands of western Arnhem Land, Deborah Wurrkidj, Jennifer Wurrkidj, Susan Marawarr, Helen Lanyinwanga and Melba Gunjarrwanga, the exhibition features their fabric designs, bark paintings, lorrkon (hollow logs) and prints.

WHEN FRI 4 – SAT 26 AUG | OFFICIAL OPENING THU 10 AUG, 3PM Susan Marawarr, 'An-gujechiya (Fish Trap)' (detail), ochre pigment on stringybark, 110 x 40cm Jacky Green, ‘Australia Story’, acrylic on canvas; image courtesy the artist

OPEN CUT

Through painting, portrait photography and a historic timeline graphic, artists and activists Jacky Green (Borroloola) and Therese Ritchie (Darwin), together with anthropologist Sean Kerins, endeavour to give voice and political determination to members of Borroloola community impacted by the McArthur River Mine.

FRAMED – THE DARWIN GALLERY

Present Tense

55 Stuart Highway, Stuart Park | 8981 2994 | framed.com.au MON-FRI 9AM-5.30PM | SAT 9AM-4PM | PUBLIC HOLS 11AM-3PM

Showing experimental paintings and 2D works by participants in an art therapy program for Aboriginal men from the Tennant Creek Men’s Art Centre.

WHEN SAT 5 AUG – SAT 2 SEP | OFFICIAL OPENING THU 10 AUG, 6PM | ARTIST TALKS SAT 12 AUG, 12PM

Of Time & Space

Recognised internationally as an artist who captures the real heart and soul of the outback, Arthur Hamblin’s exhibition will be a fitting climax to the Darwin Cup Carnival season, with horses featuring prominently in his paintings. The exhibition will be opened by Peter Moody, former trainer of Black Caviar.

Arthur Hamblin, ‘In The Mitchell Grass’ (detail), oil on canvas

WHEN FRI 4 – THU 24 AUG | OPENING FRI 4 AUG, 6.30PM

27

MUSIC

B2M LOCAL RNB LEGENDS B2M ARE BACK AT THIS YEAR’S DARWIN FESTIVAL, supporting celebrated rockers You Am I. It’s another big gong for the group, following an overseas tour and ahead of a new album due out next year. Frontman Yellow Simon gave Off The Leash the goss.

B2M have toured throughout Australia and Asia over the last 10 years – but this year you took your music further afield than you’ve been before – to Ireland. Why Ireland?

We were invited by a group of traditional Irish musicians which gave us an opportunity to collaborate and share our culture with the Irish people. We were blown away by the similarities of our cultures, and our music connected well with theirs.

about your home on the Tiwi Islands?

The Irish people are very welcoming which made our music easy to receive, in turn this made our time in Ireland very memorable.

Amazingly, we found a few people who had been to the NT and had heard of the Tiwi Islands. We even had dinner at an amazing restaurant called Uluru. We got to have kangaroo steaks and barramundi – in the middle of Ireland. The owner of the place was so happy he gave us free dinner and asked us to name a new cocktail he’d made, so we called it Budju Juice.

How did the Irish like your music?

Were they interested to find out

You’re just about to head back into the studio to

work on a new album, what can you tell us about this upcoming recording?

Project Songlines is something we’ve been thinking about for a while. It involves recording traditional chants from cultures around the world, including ours, and putting these ancient songs to catchy beats everyone can enjoy.

It’s about making culture cool for everyone and teaching young ones their identity through infectious beats. Seeing Mark Grose (Managing Director, Skinnyfish Records) dancing all tribal in Discovery is how we will measure the success of Project Songlines come 2018.

s e l fi Pro

You opened the Darwin Festival in 2014 with Tina Arena – and you’re back this year performing the first show of the festival with You Am I at Mindil Beach. What will you have in store for us?

Hopefully we can put in a good solid performance for our Darwin fans.

I think they can expect the same B2M flavour with a few surprises.

Remember we dropped 'Billie Jean' at the Tina Arena concert and no one expected that, so I think people can expect something different this time around. An Ed Sheeran cover might do the trick, but who knows.

We'll have to see what happens on the night.

WHEN FRI 4 AUG | 7PM AT RAILWAY CLUB COST $32.50 INFO darwinrailwayclub.org

Ed Kuepper RIA award winning solo artist and founding member of legendary 70s protopunk outfit The Saints and post-punk originals Laughing Clowns, Ed Kuepper brings his one man request fest to Darwin this August.

28

You were in Darwin just over 12 months ago – have you been touring since then?

No, not exclusively, but I've done a few fairly unusual shows in that time, including a performance with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra which was fantastic and

opened up a few things for me. I like playing live and like to keep varying it a bit so that each of the shows has something distinctive about it. My intention is to enjoy – and mostly I do.

Tell us about the By Request Show that you’re bringing our way this year. Are there songs you hope will be requested? Something you’ve brushed up on – that no-one has yet asked for? (hint, hint dear reader!)

The By Request Shows are something outside of the way I normally tour, and I don't do that many of them. They hand over to the audience a degree of input and

interaction that isn't possible at my other shows – it's kind of giving something back to people that have supported me over the years. The shows are pretty spontaneous, and no, there isn't anything that I hope will be requested – well, apart from hoping that I don't get too many requests for songs I don't remember.

The intention of the show is to play what fans want to hear as opposed to what I want to hear.

a request for something I can't remember, but people are usually pretty cool with it, although there was one show where a woman broke down and cried because I couldn't remember a song. I had to draw on my psychoanalytical and guru healing skills to resolve that but you know, everyone went away a much better person at the end of the night, even if I didn't play the song.

What’s been the most surprising or delightful request that’s been made on this tour? Has anyone stumped you with a request?

People sometimes call out the most obscure B-side or album track that surprises me from time to time, but it's kind of flattering that people know them, so it's not something I complain about. Sometimes I get

Local fans will know that you provided the soundtrack to the 2015 film Last Cab to Darwin – is there more film work on the horizon?

There is. I can't reveal too much yet but it's a really different type of thing. A ghost/psychological horror film I guess would describe it, work hopefully starts later this year.

Darwin Festival Santos Opening Night Concert WHEN THU 10 AUG | 6.30PM | GATES 5PM AT LITTLE MINDIL LAWNS,

MINDIL BEACH COST FREE INFO darwinfestival.org.au

Miriam lieberman COMBINING CONTEMPORARY FOLK WITH WEST AFRICAN INFLUENCES, AUSSIE singer songwriter Miriam Lieberman brings her national tour to Darwin, celebrating the release of her fifth album Full Circle.

Drawing influences from the south of Mexico, peace festivals in Japan and performances in Ecuador and Istanbul, Lieberman has spent a significant amount of time studying traditional music in West Africa. Now proficient on the kora, a 21 string West African harp, Lieberman blends West African sounds seamlessly with her emotive voice and powerful lyrics.

Joined by local musicians Yoris Wilson on double bass and Netanela Mizrahi on violin and vocals, the trio then heads south to Katherine for performances in the Cutta Cutta Caves.

WHEN SUN 20 AUG | 7PM AT WWII OIL STORAGE TUNNELS COST $35 | $30 CONC | BYO CHAIR WHEN

AT COST

SUN 27 AUG | 3.45PM, 4.30PM & 5.15PM CUTTA CUTTA CAVES $30 | $25 CONC | BYO CHAIR

INFO

miriamlieberman.com.au

Leah Flanagan WITH A SUITE OF NEW CREATIONS, LOCAL SOUL SINGER Leah Flanagan returns home this August to play stages big and small.

You released your beautiful album Saudades last year – can you tell us a little about the album?

The title reflects the conceptual tone of the record. It’s a beautiful Portuguese word that roughly translates to a ‘longing for something’. The album took about two years to make and some of the songs are five years old, so it felt great to have them finally out in the world. Plus it had been six years between albums so it was about time I released some new material.

Leah Flanagan will be performing intimate parlour gigs around Darwin throughout August. If you are interested in hosting Leah in your home for one of these performances, find out more at: community.parlourgigs.com/ leahflanagan

You’ve been living in Sydney for the last few years, what are you looking forward

to most about heading home to Darwin in August?

I come home every year to visit the family. As much as I miss the lifestyle in Darwin I have to say my family and friends come first. I miss not being close to them.

You’ll be performing at the National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA) this year, as part of an incredible line-up that includes Dan Sultan, Paul Kelly and Aussie hip-hop duo A.B. Original. What’s it mean to you to perform at these awards?

I’ve never performed at the NIMAs before so am looking forward to the experience. The boys get a lot of hype and I’m sure they’ll be brilliant, but I’m most looking forward to seeing my little sister in song Emily Wurrumara perform – she’s just stunning.

National Indigenous Music Awards WHEN SAT 12 AUG | 7PM | GATES 6PM AT DARWIN BOTANIC GARDENS AMPHITHEATRE COST $35 | $28 CONC INFO nima.musicnt.com.au

There’s a new member of the Leah Flanagan fan club who’s been enjoying some intimate one-on-one shows lately – a new little baby boy!

I wouldn’t necessarily say my son is a fan as yet, he’s too young and all his music experiences have been inflicted on him at this stage. I hope he likes music, poor kid’s got no choice really.

What have you got planned musicwise over the next 12 months? Or will music take a back seat for a while?

I’m working on a few projects for 2018 and releasing another album later in the year, so as much as I am taking time off to be a mum I am still quite busy. The album is made up of the tracks I recorded with Jim Moginie in his studio so I’ve named it the Oceanic Sessions – stay tuned.

s e l Profi

DSO PRESENTS

MASTERSERIES 1

WOLF Totem

CHINESE COMPOSER AND CONDUCTOR TAN DUN IS BEST KNOWN FOR SCORING THE FILM Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, as well as composing the music for the medal ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics. He is a composer of great versatility and imagination who makes accessible creations, be it for the cinema, concert hall or opera house. Wolf Totem is no exception.

Based on Jiang Rong’s eponymous novel, Dun’s concerto is inspired by the story of wolves and their importance in the ecosystem, and has been described by British double bassist Dominic Seldis – who performed the world premiere of the concerto with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2015 – as ‘beautiful’ and ‘haunting’, and a musical score in which you can “almost smell and taste the countryside of China and Tibet.”

The world’s great orchestras have been lining up to perform Dun’s work, and now the Darwin Symphony Orchestra (DSO) performs his music for the first time in this extraordinary piece for solo double bass and orchestra, performed by one of Australia’s leading instrumentalists Stuart Thomson.

Alongside Wolf Totem, the DSO will perform Shostakovich’s Symphony

No. 9. When characterising his 1945 work Shostakovich predicted "musicians will like to play it, and critics will delight in blasting it."

Shostakovich was right. The public loved it and the Soviet officials hated it. Less than a year after its premiere, Soviet critics censured the symphony for its ‘ideological weakness’ and "failure to reflect the spirit of the people."

The people in power saw this symphony as a calculated provocation and made the composer’s life almost unbearable.

Shostakovich would not premiere another symphony until the death of his oppressor, Stalin, in 1953.

Also featuring in this MasterSeries is Borodin’s In the Steppes of Central Asia and the ‘Polovtsian Dances’ from his opera Prince Igor, all under the baton of the DSO’s esteemed Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Matthew Wood.

WHEN SAT 26 AUG | 7.30PM AT DARWIN CONVENTION CENTRE COST $55 | $45 CONC | $25 U 16 |

$135 FAMILY INFO dso.org.au

DRAGON

ICONIC ROCKERS DRAGON ARE HITTING THE ROAD IN 2017 CELEBRATING AN Australian institution, the legendary TV music show Countdown. Expect smash hits such as 'April Sun in Cuba', 'Rain' and 'Are You Old Enough', as well as more chart toppers from the 70s and 80s. Dragon singer and bassist Todd Hunter spoke to Off The Leash.

You’re on tour around Australia this year playing not just your own hits, but the hits of The Countdown Years. Why did you want to celebrate the music from Countdown?

Well, in 1976 we were in Sydney, playing for food and the taxi fare home, with our minimal backline in the boot. Everyone hated the band, including us. No one knew our songs so the shows were agonising.

As soon as we were on Countdown everything changed.

What have you done to get back in the Countdown headspace?

All we had to do was start reverse engineering those great songs that everyone has in the back of their minds and it was easy. We did some Countdown Years shows in 2016 and they were great fun. This year a huge number of venues wanted to book Countdown shows so we said yes to everything.

What are your greatest memories of Countdown, as a guest or a viewer?

My most enduring memory is a party in a suburban garage in Adelaide in the late 70s. The sun was going down and Countdown was on the TV above the bar. The Sex Pistols came on with ‘God Save the Queen’ and I just knew that rock music had changed forever in an instant. It was unbelievingly exciting.

The Countdown years were a great period of Australian music, but what current Australian acts do you enjoy listening to? Who is making

music now that excites you as much as the music of the 70s and 80s?

I think Australian music is in great shape. You just need to find it. I’m currently listening to Spit Syndicate, Horrorshow, Jackie Onassis, Joyride and anything by Briggs.

Like other successful Kiwis Russell Crowe, Crowded House and Phar Lap, we claim Dragon as our own.

Can you please provide us with a definitive answer – are Dragon Aussie or Kiwi?!

Ha! We are our own League of Nations. We have two New Zealanders/naturalised Aussies, one Canadian and our only authentic Australian, Pete Drummond. So you might have to work it out, because we can’t!

WHEN FRI 18 AUG | 8PM AT SKYCITY DARWIN COST $55 INFO skycitydarwin.com.au

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TUNNEL Nº

DARWIN’S WWII OIL STORAGE TUNNELS WERE BUILT DURING THE WAR TO PROTECT OIL STORED IN DARWIN FROM JAPANESE bombing.

By the time the tunnels were completed the risk from bombing had gone and the tunnels never stored oil. Today tunnels five and six are open daily for visitors, and in 2015, Artistic Director and Melbourne based musician Anne Norman developed a whole new use for them. As a shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) player, always on the lookout for resonate spaces, Norman visited the tunnels and discovered their incredible acoustic powers.

Tunnel number five is approximately 172m long, 5m wide and 7m tall and sound travels along its length and width with clarity and strength – without the need for electronic amplification. In 2015, the Tunnel Number Five Festival of Underground Music was born out of an exquisite and unusual concert hall.

As Anisha Stitfold, Festival Producer explains, the beauty of the tunnels, and the atmosphere

ToP Up

CLASSICAL QUINTET TOPOLOGY, THE QUEENSLAND STATE AWARD WINNERS FOR EXCELLENCE IN Music Education at the 2015 APRA Art Music Awards, have teamed up with The Smith Family to deliver Top Up Music Education workshops in Darwin schools this August, culminating in a special performance at Darwin Festival.

Top Up brings together students and professional musicians, allowing them to explore, create and perform new music. Christa Powell and John Babbage from Topology spoke to Off The Leash about why the program is important, and why classical music is for all of us.

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Why is it important to teach classical music to all school children?

There is so much irrefutable research that shows a direct correlation between kids' engagement in music and their academic performance. Whether

A Festival of Underground Music

they create is not solely about the acoustics. It’s also about escaping noise contamination – and building beautiful community connections.

“If you like, it is also the fact that it is pure sound in an age of sound pollution. Once you get into the tunnels, there is no phone reception. The interference of electronic noise, such as mobile phones, is silenced – opening up the opportunity to focus on the aural sense.”

The history of the space also opened up an unexpected part of the project last year, with the reaction of the local Japanese community.

“It was almost like a ceremony of sound to dispel negative connotations associated with the space and replace them with the healing powers of musical and cultural collaborations. The music created a sense of safety from which the Japanese community could revisit this space with a renewed sense of purpose and place.”

Deborah Kayser and Nick Tsiavos

Each year the festival gathers a new group of daring improvisers and composers, to hear and play together, expanding on each other’s musical traditions.

“Tunnel Number Five’s overarching aim is to grow a diverse, deep listening network, which gathers annually in Darwin. It is made up of a multicultural cast, crew and supporters and this year CoArtistic Directors Anne Norman and Netanela Mizrahi have achieved this beautifully. Featuring 11 musicians spanning three continents, many more countries and life philosophies, they will play 12 instruments – all within the 13th instrument, the tunnel itself.”

Returning from solo recitals in the USA, sitar master Kabita Ghosh joins Darwin’s Ad Hoc Ensemble in re-workings of classical Indian music for sitar, chamber ensemble and voices. Melbourne based vocalist Deborah Kayser, double bassist Nick Tsiavos and percussionist Peter Neville also join the lineup.

“The underground space is further activated by dancers Luther Wilson and Zachary Wilson, with the ensemble playing with light, shadow and form within the space.

Jason Guwanbal Gurruwiwi explores ideas of homeland and connection to country, transporting the audience through a combination

WHEN SUN 27 AUG | 6.30PM & 8PM AT RIMFIRE ENERGY BAMBOO BANDSTAND, FESTIVAL PARK COST FREE INFO topologymusic.com/topup | darwinfestival.org.au

it's learning an instrument or experiencing a live performance, music and creativity have powerful effects on the brain – it improves problem solving and lateral thinking, promotes discipline and patience and has an overwhelming effect on one's overall well-being and mental health. Music and music education are beneficial to all young people on a very fundamental level, so any music experiences, not just classical, should be accessible to anyone no matter what their background is.

Can you tell us about the work you are doing with Darwin students, as part of this program?

We've been working with students from a few different schools over the last few months, helping them compose songs and instrumental works in preparation for a big performance at Festival Park. The two classes at Wagaman Primary School are writing one song per class, while there are some students

from Casuarina Senior College who have formed smaller groups or are writing songs on their own. We've also been working with Sanderson Middle School, Ludmilla Primary School and Manunda Terrace Primary. We're also really excited to have one of our Launchpad Composer mentorees from Darwin, Phoebe Wear, performing some of her original songs. It's going to be a great concert!

What have you gained from the experience? How have you seen students benefit?

It's been an exciting ride working with young people across the country, writing songs and igniting each person's natural capacity for creativity. Every student is different but we've found that their reaction to the workshops is always the same – once they've gotten over their fear and self-doubt they create some really beautiful music and come out of it all beaming with pride.

Topology

of ancient songs and new works inspired by Yolngu and Middle Eastern lullabies.”

The songmen left audience members in tears last year, with one concertgoer describing the performance as "an exquisite moment in time. Travel of mind and soul to a breathtaking degree.”

WHEN SUN 13 – THU 17 AUG | 7PM AT WWII OIL STORAGE TUNNELS, DARWIN COST $35 | $30 CONC | $140 FULL

CONCERT PASS (5 SHOWS) |

$120 CONC INFO tunnelnumberfive.com

AUGUST

GIG guide OTL's quick and essential guide to live music in the Top End. Rock on!

To find out more, head to offtheleash.net.au

/OTL.magazine

@OTLmag

Music has the power to connect us to the past. Singing the same songs our ancestors sang, listening to stories from a different age, music has the power to take us back.

In Tiwi + Jazz, past and present collide with even more force, when field recordings of Tiwi songs made over the course of 100 years combine with today’s voices of the Tiwi Strong Women’s Group and jazz instrumentalists.

The recorded voices of Tiwi

elders become the ‘hero’ of each piece, with the Sydney based jazz musicians and Tiwi singers performing a combination of newly composed works and improvisation.

Elders sing with their ancestors and tell stories of the songs’ provenance; past and present meet, meld and become one.

WHEN SUN 13 AUG | 7-8PM AT THE LIGHTHOUSE COST $38 | $28 CONC | $38.60 FRIENDS INFO darwinfestival.org.au

Image by Prudence Upton

#OTLmag

DARWIN FESTIVAL

darwinfestival.org.au

Santos Darwin Festival Opening Night Concert You Am I and B2M. WHEN

AT

COST

Ngarukuruwala – Tiwi + Jazz

THU 10 AUG | 6.30-9PM | GATES 5PM LITTLE MINDIL LAWNS AT MINDIL BEACH FREE

THE LIGHTHOUSE

Festival Park, cnr Smith St & Harry Chan Ave

A.B. Original

WHEN FRI 11 AUG | 9.30-10.30PM COST $40 | $30 CONC | $34

FRIENDS

Confidence Man

WHEN SAT 12 AUG | 9.30-10.30PM COST $36 | $32 CONC | $30.60 FRIENDS

Shellie Morris and Friends

WHEN TUE 15 AUG | 7-8PM COST $36 | $28 CONC | $30.60 FRIENDS

Tami Neilson

WHEN THU 17 AUG | 8.45-9.45PM COST $36 | $32 CONC | $30.60 FRIENDS

Felix Riebl

WHEN FRI 18 AUG | 7-8PM COST $36 | $32 CONC | $30.60 FRIENDS

Skinnyfish Sound System

WHEN FRI 18 AUG | 9-10PM COST $36 | $32 CONC | $30.60 FRIENDS

Camp Cope

WHEN SAT 19 AUG | 9-10PM COST $36 | $32 CONC | $30.60 FRIENDS

Leo Rondeau

With David Garnham & The Reasons To Live.

WHEN SUN 20 AUG | 9-10PM COST $36 | $32 CONC | $30.60 FRIENDS

Cris Derksen Trio

WHEN TUE 22 AUG | 7-8PM COST $25 | $21.25 FRIENDS

An Evening with the Modern Maori Quartet

WHEN WED 23 & THU 24 AUG | 7-8PM COST $36 | $32 CONC | $30.60 FRIENDS

Dappled Cities

WHEN FRI 25 AUG | 7-8PM COST $36 | $32 CONC | $30.60 FRIENDS

Clairy Browne

WHEN SAT 26 AUG | 7-8PM COST $36 | $32 CONC | $30.60 FRIENDS

Yirrmal and the Miliyawutj

Australian Art Orchestra – Water Pushes Sand

East meets West when endangered Chinese melodies fuse with modern jazz.

WHEN THU 17 AUG | 6.30-7.30PM COST $42 | $38 CONC | $35.70 FRIENDS

WHEN SUN 27 AUG | 7-8PM COST $36 | $32 CONC | $30.60 FRIENDS

SKYCITY

RAILWAY CLUB

Dragon

17 Somerville Gardens, Parap 8981 4171 | darwinrailwayclub.com

Ed Kuepper

Support Mitch King.

WHEN FRI 4 AUG | 7PM COST $32.50

Ali Barter

WHEN FRI 11 AUG | 8PM COST $35 | 29.75 FRIENDS

Gilruth Avenue | 8943 8888 skycitydarwin.com.au WHEN FRI 18 AUG | 8-10PM COST $55

Diesel

Returns to Darwin with his new album Americana as part of a national tour.

WHEN THU 24 AUG | 8PM COST $35 | $45 ON THE DOOR

GENERAL LISTINGS

Cambodian Space Project

Gouldian Bar

Robbie Miller

WHEN BAR OPENS 5.30PM | MUSIC

FROM 6.30PM AT FINCH CAFÉ, KATHERINE COST GOLD COIN DONATION INFO facebook.com/thefinchcafe katherine

WHEN SAT 12 AUG | 8PM COST $35 | $29.75 FRIENDS

WHEN FRI 18 AUG | 8PM COST $35 | $29.75 FRIENDS

Woodlock

WHEN SAT 19 AUG | 8PM COST $35 | 29.75 FRIENDS

Good music doesn’t end at the Berrimah line! Pizza available 6-8.30pm.

FRI 4 AUG FRI 21 AUG

BRAD COX BLUE CHILD COLLECTIVE

Tijuana Cartel

WHEN FRI 25 AUG | 8PM COST $35 | $29.75 FRIENDS

Gold Class

WHEN SAT 26 AUG | 8PM COST $35 | $29.75 FRIENDS

DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE

93 Mitchell Street, Darwin 8980 3333 | yourcentre.com.au

Opera Australia – The Marriage of Figaro

Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro is a brilliant comic opera that follows the adventures of a wealthy Sevillian household over the course of one crazy day – will there be a happily ever after?

WHEN

COST

THU 10 AUG, 11AM | FRI 11 AUG, 7.30PM $64 | $59 CONC, MEMB | $20 U 18

One Tropical Day

Icehouse, Jon Stevens, Kate Ceberano, 1927, Psuedo Echo.

WHEN SUN 6 AUG | 2-10PM AT DARWIN BOTANIC GARDENS AMPHITHEATRE COST $98.80 INFO ntix.com.au

National Indigenous Music Awards

Featuring A.B. Original, Paul Kelly, Dan Sultan and 2016 NIMA winner Gawurra, as well as performances from Numbulwar Red Flag Dancers, Leah Flanagan, Electric Fields, Apakatja and Emily Wurramara.

WHEN SAT 12 AUG | 7PM | GATES 6PM AT DARWIN BOTANIC GARDENS AMPHITHEATRE COST $35 | $28 CONC | $29.75

FRIENDS | FREE U12 INFO nima.musicnt.com.au

Tunnel Number Five

A Festival of Underground Music.

WHEN SUN 13 – THU 17 AUG | 7PM

AT COST

INFO

WWII OIL STORAGE TUNNELS $35 | $30 CONC | $140 FULL CONCERT PASS (5 SHOWS) | $120 FULL PASS CONC tunnelnumberfive.com

Miriam Lieberman

Performs tracks from her latest album Full Circle in a unique acoustic setting.

WHEN SUN 20 AUG | 7PM AT WWII OIL STORAGE TUNNELS COST $35 | $30 CONC | BYO CHAIR WHEN

AT COST INFO

SUN 27 AUG | 3.45PM, 4.30PM & 5.15PM CUTTA CUTTA CAVES $30 | $25 CONC | BYO CHAIR miriamlieberman.com.au

Darwin Symphony Orchestra – Wolf Totem WHEN SAT 26 AUG | 7.30PM AT DARWIN CONVENTION CENTRE COST $55 | $45 CONC | $25 U 16 |

$135 FAMILY INFO dso.org.au

Top Up Schools Program

Award winning quintet Topology team up with local students.

WHEN SUN 27 AUG | 6.30PM & 8PM AT RIMFIRE ENERGY BAMBOO BANDSTAND COST FREE INFO darwinfestival.org.au

Mall Tunes

Chill out with live music in the mall every Thursday.

WHEN AT COST INFO 3 AUG 10 AUG 17 AUG 24 AUG 31 AUG

EVERY THU | 12-1PM SMITH ST MALL FREE darwin.nt.gov.au/libraries METTAPHOR KEVIN MCCARTHY PHILIP SPENCER SCOTT MURPHY PHILIP SPENCER

Loud At The Library

Enjoy free live music at your local library every Friday lunchtime.

WHEN EVERY FRI | 12-1PM COST FREE INFO darwin.nt.gov.au/libraries

City Library

4 AUG METTAPHOR 11 AUG TRACEY BUNN 18 AUG SCOTT MURPHY 25 AUG CLARISSIMO

Casuarina Library 4 AUG 11 AUG 18 AUG 25 AUG

WAYNE CRISTAUDO ALAN BEAZLEY CHARLIE POWLING ANNA BOUSTEAD

NT News Live on Fridays – Tracey Bunn

Local favourite Tracey Bunn will warm the Brown’s Mart Courtyard for the last Live on Fridays before Darwin Festival takes off. NT News Live on Fridays returns Friday 1 September.

WHEN AT COST INFO

FRI 4 AUG | 4.30-7PM BROWN’S MART FREE brownsmart.com.au

JAM NIGHTS AND OPEN MIC Open Mic Nite by the Sea

Players of all persuasions and appreciators of live music welcome.

WHEN AT

COST INFO

EVERY FRI | 7-10PM DINAH BEACH CRUISING YACHT ASSOCIATION FREE dbcya.com.au

Monday Music Jam

Whether you are an established or emerging artist, bring your instrument and join like-minded musos.

WHEN EVERY MON | 7PM AT DARWIN COMMUNITY ARTS, MALAK COST FREE INFO darwincommunityarts. org.au

Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals WHEN AT COST

INFO

EVERY TUE | 7PM 2 ABALA ROAD, MARRARA $10 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP | $50 PER SEMESTER LEARNERS’ CLASSES darwincitybrassband.org.au

Sound engineer, PA system & backline provided.

WHEN SUN 6 AUG | 2.30PM AT PINT CLUB COST GOLD COIN DONATION INFO facebook.com/firstsunday blues

Open Mic Night Katherine

Music, poetry, spoken word and storytelling.

WHEN TUE 29 AUG | 7-9PM AT KATHERINE COUNTRY CLUB COST FREE INFO katherineregionalarts.org. au

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DARWINFESTIVAL.ORG.AU

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#DFEST17