Off The Leash - November 2020

Winner, 2019 NT Media Awards, Best Magazine or Lift Out GOLDEN BOWLS

FINAL FLICKS

WENDY MATTHEWS

Darwin International Laksa Festival returns

Last days of Deckchair Cinema's 2020 season

Acclaimed singer's first post-pandemic performance

NOVEMBER

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MUSIC

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PERFORMING ARTS

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VISUAL ARTS

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BOOKS & FILM

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FOOD & DRINK

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COMMUNITY

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

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Open every night

ART I HOMEWARES BUSHFOODS | TEXTILES CAFE I FASHION I BOOKS LYONS COTTAGE, 74 THE ESPLANADE WEEKDAYS: Café - 7:30am-3pm GALLERY & STORE - 9AM-4PM SATURDAY: 9AM-2PM ABORIGINALBUSHTRADERS.COM (08) 8931 6650

Deckchair Cinema is one of the most iconic cinemas in Australia. Nestled in the remnant rainforest below the cliffs right beside the harbour you can find beautiful tropical tranquility right in the heart of the city. Come and enjoy carefully curated eclectic films at the cinema where stars light the screen.

• • • • •

Mook Moook by Dale Austin, Dingo Cockatoo Aboriginal Culture

Eclectic selection of films every night of the week Food served every night from select local caterers Licensed kiosk with a great selection of local products Deckchairs, cushions and insect repellent provided Book online at deckchaircinema.com

P A U L H E R O N 0421 060 838

Experienced & Trusted Property Advice

deckchaircinema.com

SELLING

PURCHASING

LEASING

YOU'LL YOU'LL NEVER NEVER KNOW KNOW WHAT WHAT YOU YOU MISSED...

MISSED... ENROL ENROL NOW! NOW!

WWW.ADULTSHORTCOURSES.COM

Arts

Cooking

Pottery

Baking

Watercolour

Pastries

Drawing Painting Photography Mosaics Guitar

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Sewing

Computer

Spanish

Sewing Essentials

Adobe Photoshop

Massage

Italian

Garment Making

Adobe InDesign

Meditation

Language French Greek

Chinese

German

Hand Sewing

Adobe Lightroom

Thai

Mandarin

Patchwork Quilting

Computer Basics

Cake Decorating

Japanese

Pasta

Korean

Excel

Indonesian

www.adultshortcourses.com Facebook: Darwin Adult Short Courses

Phone: 0452 135 400 1 Nemarluk drive, Ludmilla, NT 0820

Health

SpiritualDevelopment Yoga

IMPORTANT MESSAGE Events listed in this edition of Off The Leash are subject to change.

The situation around COVID-19 is evolving and information provided within this publication is correct – to the best of our knowledge – at time of print.

INSIDE

OFFTHELEASH.NET.AU E: editor@offtheleash.net.au T: 08 8941 7413 offtheleashmag

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GPO BOX 2325, Darwin NT 0801

We recommend you refer to individual event websites and social media accounts for the most up-to-date information.

apologise in advance for this edition of Off The Leash.

That might seem like a pretty strange thing for an editor to say, but trust me, this magazine is set to bring on a serious case of cravings. All. Month. Long.

Our front cover is graced by one of my most favourite dishes – a dish that wasn’t even on my radar prior to moving to the Top End many years ago, a familiar story for many that have made the Top End their home.

James Parker to hear all about it. Get your flick fix and soak up this gorgeous seaside cinema before you have to wait until next year!

F R OM T H E

r o t i d E

The humble laksa is put front and centre on the menu throughout November, as the Darwin International Laksa Festival returns to celebrate these delicious, steaming bowls of goodness. I for one can’t wait to start my Laksa Food Tour, and I know I’m not alone in this…

Although 2020 has been a strange one, the end of the year has certainly crept up on us, with Christmas events popping up left, right and centre. The Tactile Arts Christmas Craft Fair provides the perfect opportunity to purchase festive creations from local creatives, whilst Darwin Waterfront is transformed into a Christmas Wonderland. Confession time – I’m a Christmas nut – so this makes me very, very happy.

And music, sweet, sweet music – there’s so much to wrap your ears around this month! The incredible Wendy Matthews has picked the Top End for her first post-pandemic show, Caiti Baker releases her second album, and Arafura Music Collective performs gorgeous chamber music to inspire reflection.

AROUND TOWn | 5 Food & Drink | 7 BOOKS & FILM | 8 Visual Arts | 12 Youth | 14 Performing ARTS | 15 Music | 17 calendaR | PULL-OUT

Crafty Christmas | 5

I mentioned I was a Christmas nut, so it's my duty to let you know Darwin Chorale is belting out a few carols in end of year show, Season’s Greetings. I'll more than likely see you there.

In OTL news, our little team is very proud to be recognised as a finalist in the Best Magazine or Lift Out category in the 2020 NT Media Awards – we wish all nominees the best of luck.

And on the subject of our little team, we’re on the hunt for a new team member to join the OTL family. See the listing below for more info.

Munupi ARTS POP UP Christmas Sale | 12

Enjoy November, everybody. It’s sure to be deliciously festive. *orders a laksa, buys carols tickets*

The time has also come for the Deckchair Cinema to wrap its 2020 season. They’ve somehow pulled off the impossible this year, so we had a chat with GM

Chamber Music for Optimism | 17 OTL is proudly supported by Tierney White Managing Editor and Development Manager

Anna Dowd Writer

Sarah Novinetz Graphic Designer

Off The Leash Inc. acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, learn and work. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

Distributed to remote Indigenous communities with the assistance of

PART-TIME GIG

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@marrawuddi opening

Rolling clouds snapped by Susie Clarke

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Any excuse to stay at the @crocodilehotel

We’re on the hunt for a talented team player with a degree or diploma in journalism or communications to join Off The Leash in Feb 2021.

Use our hashtag for a chance to see your pics here

Cover proudly sponsored by Darwin International Laksa Festival

Katherine Outback Experience

This role requires experience in writing, editing, fact-checking and subbing for both print and online publishing.

#REBOUND20

WINNER 2019 NT MEDIA AWARDS

Sound like you?

Email editor@offtheleash.net.au to request a position description.

APPLICATIONS CLOSE WED 25 NOV

Gotta love Top End pubs!

Best Magazine or Lift Out

Tropical wedding cake by @c_bella_m @darwinvisualarts

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

We recommend checking offtheleash.net.au updates. all care is taken to ensureininformation in is Off The Leash is correct, it is subject to change.

We recommend checking for offtheleash.net.au for updates.

As a not-for-profit organisation, Off The Leash relies on advertising revenue to underpin printing costs each month. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, printing a hard copy edition of OTL will be assessed on a month-bymonth basis for the remainder of 2020.

November 2020

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FEATURE

GOLDEN BOWLS

By Tierney White

Steaming bowls of delicious fragrant broth, teeming with fresh herbs and spices, noodles, vegetables and melt-inyour-mouth meats make laksa November’s dish of the month, as the humble Southeast Asian staple is celebrated at the second ever Darwin International Laksa Festival.

Laksa Food Tour WHEN INFO

DAILY UNTIL THU 26 NOV DOWNLOAD THE APP!

Darwin International Laksa Festival WHEN SUN 29 NOV | 3-9PM AT CHUNG WAH SOCIETY COST FREE INFO darwinlaksafestival.com.au

here’s a lot to love about life in the Top End. The never-ending summer, with the Dry season during the winter months and steamy thunderstorms and moody clouds in the Wet. The friendly people that reside here. The close connection to culture of our First Nations people.

We are proud to celebrate our multicultural community, our weekend markets a melting pot of culture and cuisine, showcasing the flavours of the world. But if there’s one dish that has won the hearts of both Top Enders and visitors to our little slice of paradise, it’s laksa.

Many a Top Ender will agree that the unassuming laksa can scratch an itch like no other. Something quick for lunch? Laksa. Want to impress your interstate visitors? Laksa. Need a feed after a big night? Laksa. A versatile dish equally enjoyed from a weekend market stall or in a sophisticated restaurant. And no-one does laksa in this country quite like Darwin.

Although traditionally a savoury dish, other laksa-inspired feeds feature on the menu, including unexpected desserts such as laksa ice cream and panna cotta.

An active member on the Activate Darwin board, Hanna says they’re hoping this year’s festival attracts more entrants.

Known as the laksa capital of Australia, Darwin’s close proximity to Asia and our wonderful international community that have made the Top End their home, means we have the most authentic recipes hitting our tastebuds – recipes that have been passed down through generations.

“This year, we have gone out of our way to identify people who didn’t enter last year’s festival, as we started noticing other crowd favourites that didn’t enter. If I’m gonna [sic] win, I want to win fairly – not because the best laksa in Darwin didn’t know about it!”

Local hospitality business owner Jason Hanna, owner of food haunts including CHOW in Darwin and Good Times Bar & Grill in Palmerston, says laksa is a must on the menu.

These warm bowls of deliciousness are a culmination of local produce, with fresh ingredients sourced from local markets and pastes made from scratch. Most of Darwin’s restaurants source their noodles from a man called Shing Hee Ting – affectionately known as Mr Ting – who produces over 700kg of fresh noodles. Every. Week.

“Most food is Asian-inspired, and we’ve been able to get a lot of fantastic Asian cooks on the team who consistently create great quality, authentic dishes. I love laksa – it’s just a really popular dish, particularly at lunch,” Hanna says.

“It started on the menu out at Palmerston, so having it at the other venues made sense. It’s all made in one place and transported to each business, but each one adds extra ingredients and flourishes so they have their own stamp on it. It’s a popular seller everywhere we go.”

This month, you’re invited to embark on a delicious, month-long culinary journey, to sample the best laksas Darwin has to offer.

Food enthusiasts can track their Laksa Food Tour and vote for their favourites in the People’s Choice Award through the Darwin International Laksa Festival app. This scrumptious month winds up with a day-long family event at Chung Wah Society, where a select panel of judges decide on the winner of the highly coveted 2020 Golden Bowl.

Last year’s winner, Jason Chin of Chok’s Place, says he’s received a significant increase in trade since winning the honour in 2019.

“It’s been a really positive year – business has been very good since the win. Everyday I’m seeing new faces and people coming in to try our laksa.

Normally, we would do 10-15 laksas a day but I’ve been doing up to 60 per day. I’ve had to cap laksas, to be honest, just so we can maintain the quality and keep consistent,” he says.

“It was a surprise to win the Golden Bowl. We were a late entrant, so didn’t qualify for the People’s Choice Award and weren't listed. It was an honour to be judged the winner by the panel, including Jimmy Shu and Diana Chan, who won MasterChef.

“To be honest, I think it gave us a lot of respect in the community – we don’t really promote our laksas, but it felt pretty great to be crowned last year’s winner. I felt like I had the right to say I make the best laksa in Darwin!”

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Photos: Darwin International Laksa Festival

Get those tastebuds ready, loosen your belts and embrace the flavours of Asia, right here in D-Town. It’s laksa time!

AROUND TOWN

Crafty Christmas IT’S THAT TIME of year again.

Yep, time to start the Christmas shopping. If you’re keen to purchase handmade gifts from Top End creatives, including unique Christmas décor, round up the troops and head along to this year’s Tactile Arts Christmas Craft Fair!

“It’s normally held in July to celebrate the Dry season, but we put off holding it until September to keep an eye on COVID. We had a lot of requests from the artists – they were really needing to have an outlet for their creativity and to connect with the community again.

Held annually in the air-conditioned comfort of the Darwin Convention Centre, it’s the most popular Craft Fair on the Tactile Arts calendar, attracting crowds of over 4,000. But the ante is being well and truly upped this year, with not one, but two days of Christmas fun to get those festive feels flowing.

“The Territory seemed to be in a pretty safe place, comparatively, and Darwin Waterfront were fully supportive to have Dragonfly there, given our Mothers’ Day event normally held there had to be cancelled, so we went for it!”

Tactile Arts’ General Manager Tessa Duke says the decision to run the event over two days came from the extraordinary success of September’s Dragonfly Craft Fair.

“Our last craft fair, Dragonfly, was phenomenal, we had no expectation of what that event was going to be like and it was off the charts,” she says.

The Tactile Arts team is small but mighty, and with great support from a team of volunteers and the desire for a craft fair from the Top End community, Dragonfly was one of the biggest yet, with many creatives selling out of their stock.

Duke hopes the two-day format for the Christmas Craft Fair will have a similar effect.

“The application phase had a

tighter turnaround to give stallholders maximum time to create their goods. Some stallholders will be joining us for either the Saturday or Sunday, as they sold out at Dragonfly and wouldn’t be able to make enough stock in time, which keeps it accessible for the artists and interesting for visitors who come on both days.”

With everything from ceramics to fabrics, functional to fine art, and all things in between, there’s plenty to explore. If the promise of unique, handcrafted items putting dollars in the pockets of locals wasn’t enough, perhaps two days of rolling activity will tickle your fancy.

“We’re looking at presenting public programming over the two days which is designed to appeal to families with kids of all ages, and to those who might want a bit more of a relaxed experience including a bar and live music. We encourage everyone to come join us and soak up the festive spirit, all in air-conditioned comfort!”

Tactile Arts Christmas Craft Fair WHEN SAT 21 & SUN 22 NOV | 9AM-3PM AT

DARWIN CONVENTION CENTRE

COST

$5 SINGLE ENTRY | $8 BOTH DAYS | FREE U16

INFO

tactilearts.org.au

Get Cookin’

AT INFO

Are you a bit hopeless when it comes to cooking?

Not sure how to fillet a fish? Got no idea what a colander is? If you could use a bit of help in the kitchen, there’s a Darwin Adult Short Course for you.

DARWIN LANGUAGES CENTRE adultshortcourses.com

Quick and Easy Chinese Learn how to make your favourite, quick and easy, Chinese dishes.

meals, which can be re-created at home to satisfy those Thai food cravings.

class. With these tasty treats, you’re sure to impress your friends at your next dinner party.

fillets are then poached, pan fried or deep-fried into beautiful meals.

WHEN THU 5 NOV | 5.30-8PM COST $50

WHEN TUE 10 NOV | 6.30-9PM COST $50

WHEN SAT 14 & 21 NOV | 1-3.30PM COST $90

WHEN TUE 24 NOV | 6.30-9PM COST $55

Indonesian Cooking

Quiches and Flans/Tarts

Cooking 101 In this two-session cooking workshop, learn the foundations to help you create easier and better dishes, plus chef tricks of the trade.

Fresh Pasta, Gnocchi and Sauces

Learn how to cook a mouth-watering Indonesian feast, including soto ayam and potato fritters. Once it’s prepared and cooked, you and your classmates reap the rewards with a delightful group lunch. Bagus!

WHEN SAT 7 NOV | 1-3.30PM COST $50

Taste of Thai Learn quick, light and simple Thai

WHEN TUE 17 & WED 18 NOV 6.30-9PM COST $95

Cook Fish Learn how to make a selection of sweet and savoury pastries, such as delicious quiches and fancy fruit flans or tarts, utilising the art of short-crust pastry. Sweet.

Get your friends together and learn the art of pasta making. Over a bowl of freshly made pasta, discuss sauce options, how to account for dietary requirements, and chat through any questions that pop up. Bon appetit!

WHEN THU 12 NOV | 5.30-8PM COST $50

Pastry and Dessert Masterclass Perfect your pastries and desserts in this sweet two-session master-

WHEN WED 25 NOV | 6.30-9PM COST $55

Learn how to clean, fillet, cut and prepare a whole fresh fish. Your

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Light Up the Waterfront

LISTINGS

Is it just us, or has the festive season snuck up with lightning-fast reindeer speed? The whole family’s invited to discover a Christmas Wonderland amongst the lush green Parklands of Darwin Waterfront, as the magic of Christmas comes to life every night until the end of the year.

WHEN EVERY TUE 27 OCT –

TUE 1 DEC | 6.30-8.30PM AT DARWIN LANGUAGES CENTRE COST $395 INFO adultshortcourses.com

Too Much Stuff Recycling Flea Market Reduce, reuse, repurpose, restyle and recycle at this sustainable market. Learn to make beeswax wraps, jewellery and weave baskets, or bring a clean empty jar for fresh local honey.

WHEN SUN 1 NOV | 9AM-12PM AT ALAWA HALL COST FREE INFO facebook.com/

toomuchstuffdarwin

DIY Dream Animate Did you have a bizarre, memorable dream during lockdown that you’d like to see as an animation? In this five-week workshop series with Levin Diatschenko, learn the basics and help you develop a short animation using FlipaClip — a cartooning app for mobile phones and tablets.

WHEN THU 5 NOV – THU 3 DEC 5-6.30PM AT UNTITLED GALLERY + STUDIO COST $40 COURSE | $10 SINGLE INFO darwincommunityarts.org.au Open House: Wavertree Sustainable House Day Owner Andrew Spiers, who designed his own home, takes you on a tour of his award-winning Wavertree House. Features include high airflow, low thermal mass, off-grid solar, louvres and more.

WHEN SAT 7 NOV | 8.30-11AM AT DARWIN RIVER (ADDRESS

SUPPLIED UPON BOOKING)

COST $15 INFO coolmob.org

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WHEN FRI 27 NOV, 7PM

Panel Discussion - Long Live the Louvres? The Future of Tropical Architecture in the Top End Join the Environmental Centre of the Northern Territory for a lively sunset discussion from an esteemed panel, as they talk through and debate the current

state of play around architecture in the Top End.

WHEN SUN 8 NOV | 5-7PM AT LOUVRED LOUNGE,

AUDIT HOUSE COST $17 INFO coolmob.org

2020 Eric Johnston Lecture Thomas Mayor The annual Eric Johnston lecture has been a part of the NT Library’s events calendar since 1986. This year’s speaker is Thomas Mayor, a proud Torres Strait Islander man and advocate of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Thomas’ lecture is titled When the Dreaming Becomes Us. WHEN WED 11 NOV | 5.30-7.30PM AT NT LIBRARY COST FREE INFO ntl.nt.gov.au Guitar for Beginners Learn the basics of playing guitar, with simple chords and rhythms from one of the best teachers getting around, Josh Thomas. This four-week course is designed for beginners with no previous knowledge.

WHEN EVERY SAT, 14 NOV – 5 DEC

1-3.30PM AT DARWIN LANGUAGES CENTRE COST $150 INFO adultshortcourses.com

Inside Outside - November Students learn hand-building techniques in this fun workshop with Ingrid Gersmanis, using clay slabs, coils and plaster moulds.

Decorate your clay creation using impressions from natural and other found objects.

WHEN SUN 8 & 15 NOV, 1-4PM

SUN 29 NOV, 1-5PM

AT TACTILE ARTS COST $285 | $265 MEMB INFO tactilearts.org.au

Tension Release Exercises Tension and trauma release exercises (TRE) are a simple set of exercises that activate the natural reflex of stretching or shaking, which releases muscular tension, calming down the nervous system and relaxing the body and mind.

WHEN EVERY MON | 7PM AT CASUARINA LIBRARY

MEETING ROOM

COST $12 INFO nebula.net.au

DAILY, 7-10PM

AT DARWIN WATERFRONT COST FREE INFO waterfront.ny.gov.au

Round up the little ones as the

Take a Spin Level 2 This six-week pottery course is suitable for those who have completed a beginner’s course with Adult Short Courses or elsewhere. Step-by-step instructions and guidance will have you practicing your throwing skills with specific projects. Material and tools provided – just bring your creative self!

light switch is flicked on at the official launch – we hear Santa himself will be there to celebrate, and he’ll be back for a few sneaky visits during December. Get excited everybody – Christmas is coming!

Feel Good Friday with Daisy Buddhist teacher Daisy McClelland guides you through simple meditations to create mental peace and well-being. Tune into this 45-minute livestream class and start your weekend in Zen mode.

WHEN EVERY FRI | 10.30-11.15AM AT ONLINE COST $8 | FREE MEMB INFO meditateindarwin.org Handbuilding with Clay There’s just something very therapeutic and satisfying about moulding clay with your hands!

In this four-week course, dive into different creative techniques.

Participants rave about the amazing creations and sculptures that they build. This course includes clay, glazing and firing.

WHEN EVERY WED | 6.30-8.30PM AT DARWIN LANGUAGES CENTRE COST $300 INFO adultshortcourses.com

Get Job Ready Come along to these free sessions, where you can use the library’s laptops to create or update your resume, search and apply for jobs.

COST $20 INFO salsitadarwin.com.au Argentine Tango Practica

WHEN EVERY WED | 2-4PM COST FREE

WHEN EVERY TUE | 7-9PM AT STUDIO 13, COCONUT GROVE COST $10, CASH ONLY INFO facebook.com/nthntango

LET’S DANCE

Movement Medicine

Samba Choreography Series

WHEN EVERY SUN | 10-11.30AM AT NIGHTCLIFF COMMUNITY

WHEN TUE 3, 10 & 17 NOV

BEGINNERS 6.30-7.30PM, ADVANCED 7.30-9PM AT RIX KIX ARTS COST $15 B | $25 A INFO facebook.com/ espiritodosamba

Milonga: Tango Dance Party WHEN FRI 27 NOV | 8-11PM AT COCONUT GROVE

Salsa Classes WHEN EVERY TUE | 6.30-8.30PM AT DANCE WORLD STUDIO,

WOOLNER

CENTRE COST $15 CASH INFO movement.magic @yahoo.com

COMMUNITY HALL

COST $10, CASH ONLY INFO facebook.com/nthntango

DARWIN WATERFRONT waterfront.nt.gov.au

Waterfront Beach Club This popular new event is here to stay until the end of the year! Kick back on a sun lounge in the lush Waterfront surrounds and bask in the tropical atmosphere, as you indulge in some of Darwin’s tastiest food and drink offerings.

WHEN DAILY | SUN-THU, 10AM-8PM

FRI & SAT, 10AM-9PM

COST FREE

Aqua Fitness in the Wave Lagoon It’s the coolest way to burn calories.

Take a splash each Sunday morning with an aqua fitness class in the Wave Lagoon at the Darwin Waterfront. A dedicated instructor guides you through a body conditioning, pool-based aerobic program.

WHEN EVERY SUN | 8.30-9.15AM COST $12 | $8 U15

PALMERSTON LIBRARY palmerston.nt.gov.au/library

Storytime Sing, dance, listen to stories and engage with puppets at these fun and interactive sessions. Suitable for children aged 1-5 years. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

WHEN EVERY TUE | 10-10.45AM COST FREE

MUNUPI ARTS Pop Up Christmas Sale

THU 12 – SUN 15 NOV, DARWIN Experience the original work of over 40 artists from Tiwi’s Pirlangimpi Community on Melville Island at this special Darwin showcase.

Vic Arcade, Smith Street Mall, Darwin THU 12 – SAT 15 NOV, 10AM-5PM SUN 16 NOV, 10AM-2PM

munupiart.com | facebook.com/munupi.arts instagram.com/munupiarts Lydwina Tipomitari, ‘Kulama Design’, 2020, Natural Ochres on Linen, 210x40cm

&

DRINK LISTINGS

FOOD

Just Go With the

EBB & FLOW WHEN DAILY AT 1/52 MARINA BLVD, CULLEN BAY INFO Look them up on Facebook

s time goes on, and we become more aware about the state of our planet, the shift towards sustainable living gains more momentum, with many considering alternative ways of living to reduce our impact on the Earth.

myself, and have worked in hospitality for about 15 years. After I went vegan, I had this dream of opening a restaurant or a café,” she says.

With this in mind, many have adopted the vegan lifestyle, consuming only food that is sourced from plants. But where, oh where, to dine plant-based in Darwin? Introducing Ebb & Flow, Darwin’s new vegan restaurant.

“Last year, I realised that Darwin didn’t really have anything vegan.

Being a plant-based person myself I knew there was a market for it. Every other city has several choices – an abundance of choices, actually. As soon as I saw the venue, it felt right – the name Ebb & Flow evolved from finding the right place.”

Owner and Manager Di Goitia, who co-owns the restaurant with her Perth-based sister Liz, says they opened their new digs to fill a gap in the market.

Take a stroll along the wooden deck on Cullen Bay and you may be tempted – vegan or not – by the chilled out Bali vibes emanating from Darwin’s only vegan restaurant.

“I’d always wanted to work for

As relaxing island beats play in the

background, it’s easy to kick back and while away the hours on one of the handcrafted, whitewashed sun lounge booths.

Tuck into plant-based dishes – such as the beetroot and walnut burger, to-fish and chips or creamy mushroom garlic linguini – that will satisfy the plant-based and non-plant-based among us.

“People are willing to try new things and that’s what I’m super-excited about. I don’t like to ask people if they are vegan, but everyone’s very welcome to come in and try some plant-based food,” Di says.

The drinks list has also been thoughtfully curated, with wine, beer and spirits from vegan-certified businesses.

Live music gigs occur on the regular, and other exciting things on offer (ahem, picnic platters!) make Ebb & Flow a very welcome addition to the Top End foodie scene.

Di and Liz’s perseverance in uncertain times has resulted in a new restaurant and bar by the bay that can be enjoyed by all.

International Food Fair Get ready to fill those bellies...

Postponed from earlier this year, the Buddhist Society of the Northern Territory invites you to treat your taste buds to tantalising foods from Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Burma, India, Thailand and more. With free entry and live performances, it's a fun flavour-filled afternoon for the whole family!

WHEN SUN 29 NOV | 4-7PM AT BUDDHIST TEMPLE LEANYER COST FREE

“We often don’t pursue things because of fear – it almost stopped me from doing what I truly wanted to do. And even though COVID happened this year, I knew it was now or never,” Di says.

Poolside Saturdays @ Cossies Spend your Saturdays kicking back and catching some rays – cocktail in hand – around the lagoon pool at Cossies Poolside Bar and Bistro. See ya poolside!

“To me, it’s more than just a restaurant. I love seeing people coming in and trying new things, and enjoying what we’ve created!”

WHEN EVERY SAT | 11AM-6PM AT COSSIES POOLSIDE BAR

& BISTRO

COST FREE | $10 COCKTAIL

SPECIALS INFO facebook.com/ cossiespoolside

PepperBerry

Pairings ENJOY A SELF-GUIDED dining experience to delight the senses, every Friday and Saturday evening at the new PepperBerry Restaurant in Hilton Darwin, with a tantalising menu prepared by Hilton’s executive chef alongside the 2020 release of Penfolds wine.

Peruse the wine and dine menu at your leisure, including chargrilled squid with spicy chipotle aioli and native saltbush dust paired with a chilled glass of chardonnay, and chai-poached pear with gorgonzola, candied walnuts and honeycomb crumble with a full-bodied glass of Cabernet Shiraz. Chin, chin!

Penfolds 4-Course Premium Wine Dinner @ PepperBerry Restaurant WHEN FRI 20 & 27, SAT 21 & 28 NOV | 7-10PM AT PEPPERBERRY RESTAURANT COST $129 INFO darwintickets.com.au | facebook.com/pepperberryrestaurant

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&

JERVOIS ROAD, DARWIN WATERFRONT

COST INFO

CINEMA

$16 | $12 CONC | $10 MEMB | $35 FAM deckchaircinema.com | 8941 4377 | GATES 6PM, FILM 7.30PM

The Translators

The world is crying out for a new model of leadership, but what is it? One woman thinks she has the answer. Australian CEO and ‘dreamer’, Fabian Dattner, leads an international group of 76 female scientists on an Antarctic voyage designed to transform them “into the sort of leaders they want to be.”

WHEN TUE 3, FRI 6 & TUE 10 NOV Rams This Agatha Christie-style mystery centres on nine international language experts, hired to translate the final book of a Dragon Tattoo-esque trilogy into their native tongues for its global release. With the stakes so high, the contemptuous publisher has them on lock-down until the task is completed. When the first 10 pages leak online, everyone’s a suspect.

WHEN SAT 7, WED 11 & SAT 14 NOV The Leadership

In remote Western Australia, two estranged brothers, Colin (Sam Neill) and Les (Michael Caton), are at war. Raising separate flocks of sheep descended from their family’s prized bloodline, the two men work side by side, yet are worlds apart. This is your last chance to catch a flick on the big screen for 2020 – head along to the closing night screening and help the Deckie crew clear out the rest of the ice cream!

WHEN THU 12 & SUN 15 NOV

(CLOSING NIGHT)

Final Flicks wise person once said, “all good things must come to an end”. With the arrival of November comes your last chance to catch some fab flicks on the big screen at our beloved Deckchair Cinema.

“We experimented a bit to get the right number, just to make sure everyone could safely distance.”

Another huge achievement for the cinema can be seen by all, up on the big screen.

aka DIFF 2020: Take One – the first physical international film festival to roll out in Australia since restrictions were lifted. Parker says DIFF Manager Blandine Ruffo should be commended for her efforts during such uncertain times.

Another wise person also once said, “good things come to those who wait”, and our fingers are crossed film fanatics can look forward to returning to the Deckie in 2021 for a full season of cinematic gems.

“The new projector for the cinema – it was such a huge deal for us. We saved for a really long time, and it’s immediately noticeable how good it looks. We can screen earlier than we’ve ever screened before,” Parker says.

“It was incredible. The festival was received really well by our audience and Darwin in general, who just really appreciated having that level of festival and that amount of entertainment available to them,” he says.

“We noticed more younger kids coming through last month’s holiday program and, as I don’t have kids myself, I wasn’t quite sure what impact the earlier screening would have. But you can really notice more children coming to the cinema – even though it’s just half an hour, it’s made a really big difference.”

“Blandine did an incredible job even scheduling a festival, considering in March we were told there wouldn’t be events for six months. Then she managed to pull off an international film festival, and really involved everyday local artists, including bands and painters throughout the festival, which was fantastic.”

In what has been a challenging year, there have been silver linings for the team at the Deckie. General Manager James Parker says opening the doors was an achievement in itself.

“It was hard. Getting everything in place to meet the regulations and keeping our customers and staff safe. We can usually fit in 420 but we dropped down to about 200, and we’ve now been able to bump up to 230, which feels comfortable,” he says.

Another feather in the cap of the Deckchair’s 2020 season is the Darwin International Film Festival,

LOOKING BACK ON THE 2020 NT WRITERS FESTIVAL

8

Photos: Tim Nicol

Photo: Paz Tassone

Deckchair

PART-TIME GIG

NT WRITERS' PRESENTS

Editorial Assistant

We’re on the hunt for a talented team player to join Off The Leash in 2021.

If you love the arts, culture and community of the Top End, and are available three days per week, we want to hear from you!

Leni

Shilton ALICE SPRINGS-BASED author Leni Shilton took out the Best Fiction Book for Walking with Camels – The Story of Bertha Strehlow at this year’s Chief Minister’s Book Awards. We caught up with her for a chat.

Congratulations on your amazing win. Tell us about your awardwinning book!

Walking with Camels is a verse novel re-imagining the life of Bertha Strehlow, which centres on the years she spent with her husband, Ted Strehlow, in Central Australia in the 1930s. Through poetry, she recounts her adaptation to vast desert country, the miscarriage of her first child, and her transformation through these experiences.

What was the inspiration behind it?

A number of years ago while visiting the Strehlow Research Centre, I found some photographs of Bertha taken in 1936. I was intrigued because she was being carried on a stretcher on the side of a camel.

I wanted to know more, and what

APPLICATIONS CLOSE WED 25 NOV Email editor@offtheleash.net.au to request a position description.

I learnt resulted in a PhD and a published book!

What did winning the award mean to you?

It is such a thrill to have Bertha’s story recognised through this award because it means there will be more readers for Walking with Camels and more people reading poetry. I am honoured be recognised among such fabulous writers and grateful to the NT Writers’ Centre and to the judges of NT Chief Minister’s Awards.

Are you working on anything else at the moment?

I am currently working on a book of collected poems entitled Voices, which is a meditation on voice and silence. Through a series of cameos, the poems explore moments alone in nature, surrounded by birdsong, and what is revealed when we really listen.

If we were to take a look on your bookshelf, what kinds of books would we find there?

I read a wide range of genres including poetry, fiction and non-fiction. My bookshelf includes Apeirogon by Colm McCann, Where the Fruit Falls by Karen Wyld, Capriccio: A novel by Dina Davis, Anthology of Australian Prose Poetry and Arelhekenhe Angkentye Women’s Talk – Poems of Lyapintneme from Arrernte Women of Central Australia.

Any Territory writers you’re enjoying at the moment?

Earlier this year I had the enormous privilege of reading and launching Dani Powell’s stunning debut novel Return to Dust, which is an exploration of grief and the gift of healing.

NORTHERN TERRITORY WRITERS’ CENTRE

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

I’ve also recently completed Peace Crimes – Pine Gap National Security and Dissent by Kieran Finnane, which is a gripping account of court proceedings of a group of peace pilgrims in Alice Springs who were defending terrorism charges.

INFO uwap.uwa.edu.au instagram.com/lenishilton

Kids’ Classics: The Soldier’s Tale SAT 14 NOVEMBER 9:30AM & 11AM CDU THEATRE A dark folk tale of a man, his violin, and the devil.

$5 - $ 2 5 DSO.ORG.AU/BUY-TICKETS 08 8946 6488

Photos: Paz Tassone

9

17 Tue

Mon

5 Cooking 101 6 Take a Spin Level 2 6 Waterfront Beach Club 6 Storytime 6 Samba Choreography Series 6 Salsa Classes 6 Argentine Tango Practica 19 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals 19 Jam Nights

23 6 Tension Release Exercises 6 Waterfront Beach Club

Sun

18 Wed

Tue

5 Cooking 101 6 Handbuilding with Clay 6 Waterfront Beach Club 6 Get Job Ready

24 5 Cook Fish 6 Take a Spin Level 2 6 Waterfront Beach Club 6 Storytime 6 Salsa Classes 6 Argentine Tango Practica 19 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals 19 Jam Nights

See Feature 4

19 Thu

Wed

6 DIY Dream Animate 6 Waterfront Beach Club 14 Geek Squad 19 Thursday Live @ Dom’s

25 5 Fresh Pasta, Gnocchi and Sauces 6 Handbuilding with Clay 6 Waterfront Beach Club 6 Get Job Ready 14 Skate Nights PART-TIME GIG Editorial Assistant applications close!

Mon

13 Aboriginal Bush Traders’ Painting Sale (last chance)

30

4 Darwin International Laksa Festival

6 Tension Release Exercises 6 Waterfront Beach Club

29 6 Inside Outside 6 Aqua Fitness 6 Movement Medicine 7 International Food Fair 13 Home (last chance) 17 Times of Change 19 Crystal Robins 19 Last Sunday Jam

20 Fri

Thu

6 Feel Good Friday 6 Waterfront Beach Club 7 Penfolds 4-Course Premium Wine Dinner 12 45th Katherine Prize Opening & Award Presentation 15 Backstage Storyprojects 19 Daryl Barba 19 Live Music at Hotel Darwin 19 Friday Knock Offs @ Dom’s

26

4 Laksa Food Tour (last chance) 6 DIY Dream Animate 6 Waterfront Beach Club 13 The Road (last chance) 14 Geek Squad 19 Thursday Live @ Dom’s

See Visual Arts 13

See Food & Drink 7

7 Poolside Saturdays @ Cossies See Food & Drink 7

21

Sat

Fri

5 Tactile Arts Christmas Craft Fair 5 Pastry and Dessert Masterclass 6 Guitar for Beginners 6 Waterfront Beach Club 7 Penfolds 4-Course Premium Wine Dinner 14 LAUNCH Night Series 15 Backstage Storyprojects

27

7 Penfolds 4-Course Premium Wine Dinner

6 Light Up the Waterfront 6 Feel Good Friday 6 Waterfront Beach Club 6 Milonga: Tango Dance Party 19 Daryl Barba 19 Live Music at Hotel Darwin 19 Friday Knock Offs @ Dom’s

PART-TIME GIG

Editorial Assistant

We’re on the hunt for a talented team player to join Off The Leash in 2021.

If you love the arts, culture and community of the Top End, and are available three days per week, we want to hear from you!

APPLICATIONS CLOSE WED 25 NOV Email editor@offtheleash.net.au to request a position description.

22

Sun

5 Tactile Arts Christmas Craft Fair

6 Aqua Fitness 6 Waterfront Beach Club 6 Movement Medicine 19 Seaside Sessions

See Music 17

17 An Evening with Wendy Matthews

See Around Town 5

28

Sat

6 Guitar for Beginners 6 Waterfront Beach Club 7 Penfolds 4-Course Premium Wine Dinner 13 DVA Exhibitions (last chance) 13 Open Spaces 2020 (last chance) 14 LAUNCH Night Series 14 Cosplay Meetup 17 Season’s Greetings 19 Clifton

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

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.

Sat

Sun

19 Seaside Sessions

6 Too Much Stuff Recycling Flea Market 6 Aqua Fitness 6 Movement Medicine 19 First Sunday Blues

Sun

Thu

5 Quiches and Flans/Tarts 6 DIY Dream Animate 6 Waterfront Beach Club 8 Rams 12 Munupi Arts Pop Up Christmas Sale 14 Geek Squad 19 Thursday Live @ Dom’s

12

6 Panel Discussion – Long Live the Louvres?

6 Inside Outside 6 Aqua Fitness 6 Waterfront Beach Club 6 Movement Medicine 19 Seaside Sessions 19 Dom’s Bar 1st Birthday

8

1

Calendar See Music 19

7 Wed

5 Indonesian Cooking 6 Open House: Wavertree 7 Poolside Saturdays @ Cossies 8 The Translators 12 Lindsay and Friends (last chance) 14 LAUNCH Night Series 15 In A Land Far, Far…Today and Fat Sam’s Gang 15 Robert in Crisis (last chance)

11 6 Eric Johnston Lecture – Thomas Mayor 6 Handbuilding with Clay 6 Waterfront Beach Club 6 Get Job Ready 8 The Translators 14 Skate Nights

2 Mon

Fri

6 Tension Release Exercises 6 Waterfront Beach Club

13

6 Feel Good Friday 12 Munupi Arts Pop Up Christmas Sale 12 Danny Murphy, Max Bowden & Cecily Willis (opening) 13 DVA Exhibitions (opening) 18 Settle Down Sessions: Caiti Baker and a Night with Mary of the North 19 Daryl Barba 19 Friday Knock Offs @ Dom’s

3 Tue

6 Take a Spin Level 2 6 Storytime 6 Samba Choreography Series 6 Salsa Classes 6 Argentine Tango Practica 8 The Leadership 15 Robert in Crisis 19 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals 19 Jam Nights

Wed

6 Handbuilding with Clay 6 Get Job Ready 15 Robert in Crisis

15 In A Land Far, Far…Today and Fat Sam’s Gang

4

20

20

14

5 Pastry and Dessert Masterclass 6 Guitar for Beginners 7 Poolside Saturdays @ Cossies 8 The Translators 12 Bone Dry, Loose Group (last chance) 14 LAUNCH Night Series 15 PIVOT(ALL) 18 The Soldier’s Tale 19 The So-Called Friends

Sat

NOV See Visual Arts 12

12 Munupi Arts Pop Up Christmas Sale

Sun

See Visual Arts 13

See Performing Arts 15

15

8 Deckchair Closing Night

6 Inside Outside 6 Aqua Fitness 6 Movement Medicine 12 Munupi Arts Pop Up Christmas Sale 15 PIVOT(ALL) 19 Seaside Sessions

5

Thu

5 Quick and Easy Chinese 6 DIY Dream Animate 14 Geek Squad 15 Robert in Crisis 19 Thursday Live @ Dom’s

6

Fri

6 Feel Good Friday 8 The Leadership 12 45th Katherine Prize (opens) 13 The Road (opening) 13 Home (opening) 15 In A Land Far, Far…Today and Fat Sam’s Gang 15 Black Spot Comedy 15 Robert in Crisis 19 Daryl Barba 19 Crystal Robins 19 Friday Knock Offs @ Dom’s

Tue

10

Mon

9

5 Taste of Thai 6 Take a Spin Level 2 6 Storytime 6 Samba Choreography Series 6 Salsa Classes 6 Argentine Tango Practica 8 The Leadership 19 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals 19 Jam Nights

Mon

6 Tension Release Exercises 6 Waterfront Beach Club

16

6 Tension Release Exercises 6 Waterfront Beach Club 15 NT Performing Arts Awards

See Books & Film 8

Rams

VISUAL ARTS GYRACC

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

BONE DRY, LOOSE GROUP Andre Tipungwuti and his work 'Jilamara Design', 2020, natural ochres with acrylic binders on canvas, 120x80cm

MUNUPI ARTS

Pop Up Christmas Sale If you’re after a unique gift for a special someone this Christmas, or would like to treat yourself, this month’s pop up from Munupi Arts boasts a wide selection of beautiful original artwork from the Tiwi Islands.

big 10-day exhibition and show, but that was shortened this year.

Throughout 2020, works have been sold online which of course isn't how we normally operate,” he says.

Showcasing the art of over 40 artists from the Pirlangimpi community on Melville Island, this special pop up gives Tiwi artists the opportunity to showcase and sell their work in what has been a challenging year.

With the cancellation of the highly anticipated Tiwi Art Sale and an unexpected shift into a digital world, art exhibitions normally enjoyed in well-lit rooms with like-minded arts enthusiasts have been experienced on the screens of phones and computers. But nothing compares to the in-person experience, taking in each piece hung respectfully on the wall, true to size.

Art Centre Manager Guy Allain says, like many, they’ve had to find new ways of doing business.

“Our normal way of doing business has been a bit challenged – the year’s been disrupted. We normally come to Darwin each year in August with dancers and artists for a

“This pop up sale gives the people of Darwin a chance to purchase some original Tiwi Island art, and 100 percent of sales go directly back to the artists and the Art Centre.”

The colour palette of Tiwi Art is limited to yellow, red, white and black ochre, reflecting the tradition of natural and found pigments.

These are the naturally occurring raw materials, with heat applied to yellow ochre to burn or “cook” becoming reds.

Allain says he didn’t want to miss the opportunity for the artists to be able to have an exhibition in Darwin.

“For us, we’ve tried to find other ways to display the work and we thought, coming up to Christmas, people may like to purchase artwork as a gift or for themselves,” he says.

“It’s really a Christmas sale, so artworks will also be going a little cheaper than normal – it’s a great chance to get a very good deal!”

WHEN THU 12 – SAT 15 NOV,

BONE DRY EXPLORES current and future water issues and concerns in the Katherine region. Loose Group is a fluid community of Katherine artists who come together to collaborate and share knowledge and ideas, including Danny Murphy, Fiona Campbell, Helen Aland, Izzy Ibis, Jayne Nankivell, Kate Ganley, Mandy Tootell and Toni Tapp-Coutts.

The group has been collaborating for over 30 years, started by Bonnie Stephens and Gillian Banks.

Issues traversed in Bone Dry include fracking, contamination

Helen Aland, 'Even the Wealthy', 2020, mixed media

and drought, conveyed through various media including sculpture, ceramics, painting, photography, textiles and installation.

UNTIL SAT 14 NOV

45th Katherine Prize The longest running art prize in the NT returns for its 45th year.

Made possible by the continuing generosity of Jeanette and Brian Lambert, Katherine Town Council and presented by GYRACC, the Katherine Prize features the works of artists from across the Territory.

Prizes include the $5000 Jeanette and Brian Lambert Award and the $2000 Katherine Town Council Award.

10AM-5PM | SUN 16 NOV, 10AM-2PM AT VIC ARCADE,

SMITH STREET MALL, DARWIN INFO munupiart.com

WHEN FRI 6 NOV – SAT 19 DEC

Danny Murphy, 'Ceramic Jug', 2020, 30x15cm

Max Bowden, 'Gary', 2020, oil on canvas, 20x13cm

Danny Murphy, Max Bowden & Cecily Willis

TO CELEBRATE THE end of 2020, Paul Johnstone Gallery showcases the works of three extraordinary artists in one exhibition, Danny Murphy, Max Bowden and Cecily Willis. Together, these artists exemplify the extraordinary creative talent that resides within the Northern Territory.

YOUTH EXHIBITION:

FRI 20 NOV – SAT 19 DEC

OPENING NIGHT & AWARD

PRESENTATION: FRI 20 NOV, 6-8PM

Danny Murphy, 'Earthly Delights', 2019 Katherine Prize Winner

PAUL JOHNSTONE GALLERY

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

LINDSAY AND FRIENDS In 2019, Paul Johnstone Gallery hosted Lindsay Malay’s first exhibition. Held in conjunction with Warmun Art Centre, the show was a sell-out, with many collectors curious about Linsday’s style. Due to COVID-19, Lindsay has spent most of 2020 on his grandmother’s country at Yulumbu (Tableland Station).

Isolated in the Wet season and stranded in the Dry, Lindsay’s works have been painted about country, on country, using his extraordinary artistic ability to teach his family about law and culture.

12

UNTIL SAT 7 NOV

Lindsay Malay, 'Going Home' (detail), natural ochre and pigment on canvas, 150x150cm

Cecily Willis, 'Striped Pyjamas', 2020, red stoneware clay and low fired glaze, two parts, 26x26x9.5cm, 21x2x9.5cm

Cecily and Danny are both exceptional ceramicists, whose works have been shown and collected across Australia, while admired artist Max Bowden presents an intimate selection of oil paintings, executed in and around Darwin.

WHEN FRI 13 NOV – SAT 12 DEC | OPENING FRI 13 NOV, 5-7.30PM

ABORIGINAL BUSH TRADERS

CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY

Lyons Cottage, 74 The Esplanade, Darwin | 8942 4023 aboriginalbushtraders.com

Building Orange 12, CDU Casuarina Campus | 8946 6621 | cdu.edu.au/artgallery WED–FRI 10AM-4PM | SAT 10AM-2PM

MON-FRI 9AM-4PM, SAT 9AM-3PM

ABORIGINAL BUSH TRADERS’ PAINTING SALE Aboriginal Bush Traders, located in the historic Lyons Cottage on Darwin’s Esplanade, is a 100% not-for-profit organisation committed to selling ethically sourced and sustainable products that directly support local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

A proud member of the Indigenous Art Code, when you shop with Aboriginal Bush Traders, you are directly supporting community arts centres and independent artists. This month in the gallery, they are taking up to 25% off all paintings. Head along and snag yourself a bargain!

UNTIL MON 30 NOV

Wayne Eager, 'West MacDonnell Ranges' (detail), 1994, oil on ply, 30x214cm

Bitumen & DirT Wayne Eager: 30 Years in the Territory

This is a survey exhibition of paintings and prints by prominent Alice Springs-based landscape artist Wayne Eager. Featuring 78 works from public and private collections around Australia, including 13 from Charles Darwin University Art Collection, the exhibition charts Eager’s career since he first arrived in the Northern Territory in 1990.

UNTIL SAT 20 FEB, 2021

DARWIN VISUAL ARTS

Ground Floor, Harbour View Plaza, 8 McMinn St, Darwin | 8981 9351 | dvaa.net.au TUE - FRI 12PM-5PM | SAT 10AM-3PM

Tess Tipungwuti, 'Pukamani', ochre on canvas, 45x70cm

UNTITLED GALLERY+STUDIO Unit 3/1 Clocktower Caryota Crt, Coconut Grove darwincommunityarts.org

Waterology

Left: Jenny Shepherd, 'Water 1', 2019, Etching ink on paper, 35x24cm

by Jenny Shepherd

WED-FRI 11AM-4PM | SAT 10AM–2PM | CLOSED PUBLIC HOLIDAYS Sheree Cairney, The Road Car Carcass'

The

Road THE ROAD IS a multi-screen video artwork, which explores our sensory unravelling as we move from structured urban landscapes to the transcendental expansiveness of ancient deserts. The piece invites the viewer to experience the beauty and madness of our remote red heart.

WHEN FRI 6 – THU 26 NOV | OPENING FRI 6 NOV, 6-8PM

Capturing the feeling of seas and oceans has been artist Jenny Shepherd’s occupation for a while. She has used many mediums, including drawing, painting, photography and printmaking to experiment with the texture and changing light on the colours of water.

Sculpture Out of the Ordinary

by Peter Percy Peter doesn’t look at a pile of rubbish or scrap materials as the average person would. He sees shapes and parts of things that stir the imagination, wondering what those now unwanted pieces of treasure achieved in their lifetime.

Collecting and blending discarded “things” to resurrect them, Peter encourages the viewer to stop and engage in discussion about the makeup of the piece, and search for the familiar.

Waterology records the process and progress the artist has made to date. By exhibiting this work, Jenny wants to represent the feelings – not just the visual impression – of oceans.

WHEN FRI 13 – SAT 28 NOV

OPENING FRI 13 NOV, 6-8PM

WHEN FRI 13 – SAT 28 NOV

Right: Peter Percy, 'Mallacoota', 2020, mixed media

TACTILE ARTS

OUTSTATION

DAILY 10AM-4PM

TUE 10AM-1PM | WED–FRI 10AM-5PM | SAT 10AM-2PM

19 Conacher Street, Fannie Bay | 8981 6616 | tactilearts.org.au

2/3 Parap Place, Darwin | 8981 4822 | outstation.com.au

OPEN SPACES 2020 STEVE GOUGH

HOME IS WHERE the heart is, home truths, a long way from home, homeward bound, bringing it home, home sweet home. After a year when many of us have been homebound, Tactile Arts is celebrating the end of a challenging and surprising 2020 with a Members’ Exhibition musing on the meaning of home.

CREATED AS THE WORLD was responding to the pandemic, these works depict the breadth and vitality of the natural environment. Open Spaces 2020 serves to remind us of many the ways in which flora and fauna inhabit the natural world, regardless of the concerns of humankind.

Gough demonstrates his appreciation of the nuance of nature. From the cosmic alignment of planets to the delicate antennae of butterflies, Gough highlights the enormity, diversity and inter-relatedness of the universe.

WHEN FRI 6 – SUN 29 NOV | OPENING FRI 6 NOV, 5.30PM

UNTIL SAT 28 NOV

HOME

Sandra Kendall, 'Scrubfowl', 2013, watercolour on paper, 46x22cm

OPENING FRI 13 NOV, 6-8PM

Steve Gough, 'Magpie Geese at Darwin River', 2020, oil on board with gold leaf, 30x20cm

13

YOUNG DESIGNERS LAUNCH DARWIN PUT the call out to emerging creatives to design some custom skateboard decks and scooter grips, and the results were impressive to say the least.

Meet 16-year-old-artist Isabelle (Izzy) Craven and 22-year-old digital creator Yunus D Surtie!

Yunus: My favourite medium to work with is graphic arts; I love to sketch, paint, do animations and Photoshop work on my tablet and computer… I think it’s the medium of the new age and, when done correctly, can be used to create some breathtaking work.

How long have you been creating art?

Izzy: I’ve been creating art ever since I was little. I’m glad over the years I’ve gotten the time to improve and figure out my style and mediums I’m comfortable with.

What inspired your design?

Izzy: I’m a total movie buff so the inspiration for this piece came from a series of my favourite psychological films such as Shutter Island, Donnie Darko, Disturbia and Gone Girl. This piece represents the paranoia I get from watching these types of films, hence the eyes everywhere, always watching.

Yunus: I am very new at creating artwork for the public to view, I started in March 2020. However, I have been a creative from a very young age and have expressed my ideas through visuals mediums all my life.

Yunus D Surtie

Favourite medium to work with?

Izzy: I think my favourite would be acrylic because it’s easy and effective when painting. I have also gotten into digital art this year when creating commissions for clients.

By Sade Linda Blaise Waugh

LET'S TALK

NAIDOC MY NAME IS Sade and I am a young Aboriginal woman from North-East Arnhem Land, here in the Northern Territory. NAIDOC Week is important to me, my people, and the broader Australian community because it’s a time for all to come together to learn and celebrate the many cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

NAIDOC Week presents a time to enjoy and participate in cultural activities and events, providing an opportunity to gain an insight and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as our Country’s First Nations People.

Being Aboriginal myself, my culture has passed down thousands of years of knowledge, teachings and wisdom through the generations, and I am proud to share these traditions with Australians from the many cultures and walks of life that make up our country.

14

As Australians, we all belong in this country, and for Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander people, our connection to the Earth and to the land is fundamental to who we are.

NAIDOC Week is a national week bringing awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s achievements and their histories.

Cultural identity is very important to us and we are proud to be who we are and where we come from.

This week of celebration is a time to stand united as Australia’s First Nation’s People and to be acknowledged as Australia’s Traditional Custodians, ‘always was and always will be’.

I am beyond proud to come from a very rich and strong cultural background, and so proud of how far my people have come in this world. We can celebrate that there are different cultures in this world, that it is important to accept those that are different to you, and to acknowledge and learn from each person’s world.

WHEN SUN 8 – SUN 15 NOV INFO naidoc.org.au

INFO instagram.com/izzymareee instagram.com/ydsurtie

Photo: Helen Orr

Izzy Craven

Yunus: The feeling you would get when you are skating, cycling, or to describe that feeling when you are at peace. When you’re transported to a place where you feel free.

Free to wonder, look around in happiness, see the beauty of the world around you.

TYRONE REYNOLDS

You went from playing to volunteering – is volunteering or charity work something you’re passionate about?

Yes, I want to always be the best I can, and be a great leader for the younger generation.

LIBRARY

COST FREE INFO launchdarwin.com.au LAUNCH Night Series If you’re aged 12-17 and enjoy sports and meeting new people, you should join the LAUNCH Night Series Crew for the final tournament of 2020! Light meals are provided as well as transport home, if needed, within the Darwin district.

COST FREE INFO launchdarwin.com.au

INFO launchdarwin.com.au

Tell us about your involvement in LAUNCH Night Series?

I’ve been playing for quite a while now and have enjoyed every minute of it. I love being down there and interacting with the community this way.

WHEN EVERY THU | 3.30-4.30PM AT CITY OF PALMERSTON

STADIUM

Pro file

Tyrone answered a few questions for us.

Geek Squad If you’re aged 13-19 and have a love for all things geeky, from anime to gaming and everything in-between, then why not join Geek Squad?

Spend an hour with likeminded peeps and make new friends.

WHEN EVERY SAT | 7.30-9.30PM AT MARRARA BASKETBALL

Youth

18-YEAR-OLD Tyrone Reynolds, who grew up in Kalkarinji and now calls Darwin home, has loved every minute of being involved in the LAUNCH Night Series. So much so, he’s gone from playing to volunteering.

LISTINGS

YOUTH

What drew you to the LAUNCH Night Series?

Friends and peers of mine, also word of mouth – a lot of people talk about it.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I want to be some sort of mentor, involved with young people as a youth worker. I aspire to this sort of career because I know exactly what they are going through and can be of guidance to them.

With everything that’s happened this year, what’s one of the biggest things you’ve learned?

To be grateful of everything and to not take anything for granted.

What’s a perfect weekend look like for you in D-Town?

Hungry Jacks for dinner, playing basketball at LAUNCH night series and finishing off with a nice swim at Litchfield!

Skate Nights Head to Jingili every second Wednesday for free music and skating at the park. These fun skate nights include anything on wheels such as skateboarders, skaters, BMX bikes and scooters. Boards and helmets available, newbies and spectators welcome!

WHEN WED 11 & 25 NOV | 6-8PM AT JINGILI SKATE PARK COST FREE INFO launchdarwin.com.au Cosplay Meetup Whether you’re new to cosplay or getting ready for your next con, this Cosplay Meetup is for you! Share your knowledge and expertise on costume making or get advice from fellow makers, with some tools and equipment supplied. This is a relaxed opportunity to get creative, have fun and meet some new friends. All cosplayers and fans aged 15 years and over welcome.

WHEN AT COST INFO

SAT 28 NOV | 9AM-12PM CASUARINA LIBRARY FREE launchdarwin.com.au

Photo: Dina Campbell-McQuillan

Slide

into this double bill

Love Song. In. Three. Parts (previous production)

LIDE Youth Dance Theatre’s Dancers Co-Op and Company Two return to Darwin Entertainment Centre this month to present, not one, but two huge stage productions to round out 2020.

In A Land Far, Far…Today, 17 people go missing and a reward is offered, but sometimes you find what you’re looking for in the unlikeliest of places…

Hilaria Sharp sits alone with her trolley of random paraphernalia, as a parade of everyday strangers and fair weather friends come in and out of Bubbles’ Laundrette.

COMICS'

CORNER Photo: Paz Tassone

SHOWCASING TOP END COMICS AND LOCAL STAND-UP PERFORMERS

Richard Fejo

From the ‘Influencer’ to the ‘Most Organised Teacher on Earth’, everyone who enters is a known quantity. Or are they? And when things go awry, who can they really rely on?

Fat Sam’s Gang is a motley crew of misfits, united only by their crazy friendship. They have nowhere to go, and what’s more, they’re up to no good.

In an alleyway fashioned into a home, a gang of street urchins live rough but think big. The kooky chaos of their everyday lives is taken up a notch when they find themselves having to contend with

LOCAL COMEDIAN, MC and Larrakia man Richard Fejo is responsible for some of the newest comic initiatives popping up in Darwin. Will Crawford caught up with him to shoot the breeze and chat about Deadly Darwin.

You started Deadly Darwin two years ago. Tell us about it – how did it start?

2018 was an amazing comedy season that saw me travel and compete in Deadly Funny at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with local Larrakia legend, June Mills. Normie Grogan and I were working together as cultural educators, training doctors together since 2017, but we started attending events with Darwin Comedians, facilitated by Amy Hetherington.

Truth be told, I went to karaoke on the wrong night and Amy asked if I wanted to have a go on stage…

Initially I didn’t, but I went back, performed, and became addicted.

After a few shows with Normie,

a mysterious diamond necklace.

Not to mention, the hilariously humourless Superintendent Longbottom.

Be enraptured by SLIDE’s new worlds and come out braver, bolder and sparkling clean!

In A Land Far, Far…Today and Fat Sam’s Gang

LISTINGS

PERFORMING ARTS

Robert In Crisis Robert needs a bloody drink. His life was on the right track – career, wife, house, kids – the full shebang.

But now the missus has dropped a bombshell and a wild night with his mate has turned everything upside down. This compelling one-man piece by Scott Gooding is a darkly comedic journey through the complex interior landscape of one man trying to navigate keeping vital relationships in his life afloat, one way or another.

PIVOT(ALL) PIVOT(ALL) is a culmination of the 2020 Tracks Dance Choreographic Program, showcasing the evocative nature of dance and an insight into the behind-the-scenes creative process through artist talks. Enjoy six showings over the weekend.

WHEN TUE 3 – SAT 7 NOV | 7.30PM AT BROWN’S MART THEATRE COST $35 | $25 CONC INFO brownsmart.com.au

Backstage Storyprojects Just beyond the curtain lie hidden worlds of glamour, ghosts and secrets... Sneak BackStage with the makers of ATMOS as they wipe away the heavy makeup to expose the truth, lies, mishaps and magic of life in the theatre and our own lives. A combination of immersive theatre, audio storytelling, dance and performance, BackStage will surprise and delight.

NT Performing Arts Awards These grass roots, industry-led awards acknowledge and commend the many people who keep the NT performing arts scene alive. 2020 has been one heck of a year, but we want to celebrate our creative people and the important work they do. Everyone’s invited to this casual event to celebrate performing arts in the NT!

WHEN WED 4, FRI 6 & SAT 7 NOV 6-8.30PM

AT

DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT

WHEN MON 9 NOV | 5.30-6.30PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT

CENTRE

CENTRE

COST $25 | $15 CHILD INFO yourcentre.com.au

COST FREE INFO tracksdance.com.au

Desmo Lewis (stage name) and Micah Kickett, I approached them and was thrilled they were keen to form a group. I suggested Deadly Darwin so we could stay connected to Deadly Funny, and we all agreed.

our way, so I developed Black Spot Comedy as an open mic show to encourage membership to Deadly Darwin.

In 2019, we were ready to start our first show. I came across the Brown’s Mart expression of interest in their Indigenous Program promoting Indigenous performers, and applied. We’re still going today.

The core of Deadly Darwin has been Micah, Normie and myself but we all agree, the more, the merrier!

Recently, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal comedians joined forces to perform two sell out shows in Ebony and Ivory – can you tell us a bit about it?

I spoke to the Deadly Darwin crew about growing our group because we realised we were injecting healing through laughter, and recognised our need to grow. We thought if we could grow black comedy, we could heal ourselves

We were thrilled after running three shows that we’ve grown from three to eight new members.

We’ve been supported by June Mills and Darwin Comedians, and have been doing regular performances, including Ebony and Ivory. This mix of Indigenous and non-Indigenous comedians was a great success with two sold out shows… And there’s more to come!

What are your dreams for Deadly Darwin?

We’ve talked about touring in 2021 and look forward to some NAIDOC Week performances, but the big news is Deadly Darwin has an agreement with Happy Yess. We’ll hold two monthly Black Spot shows at the Happy Yess – our next show is focused on recruiting Indigenous women to join Deadly Darwin.

WHEN SAT 14 NOV & SAT 15 NOV

11AM-12PM, 2-3PM, 4-5PM

AT TRACKS DANCE STUDIO COST $15 | $10 CONC INFO tracksdance.com.au

WHEN FRI 20 NOV, 7PM, 7.30PM

& 8PM | SAT 21 NOV, 2PM,

2.30PM, 3PM, 7PM, 7.30PM

& 8PM

AT

DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT

CENTRE

COST $35 INFO yourcentre.com.au

Deadly Darwin is an inspirational game changer in our community that empowers us to determine the dialogue for us and for our broader community. It’s self-determination and reconciliation because it comes from our community – if we can increase performers, we can increase healing through laughter.

It’s very powerful and incredibly rewarding, so I’m always humbled and so deeply honoured just to be a part of it, with some amazing, incredible, supportive and wonderful people. It fills my heart with joy to be among friends and other comedians, and watch them succeed – I think this is how the world should be.

Black Spot Comedy WHEN FRI 6 NOV | 9PM AT HAPPY YESS COST $10 INFO facebook.com/ happyyessdarwin

15

INFO

corrugatediron.org.au

Farewell,

Jane!

After 15 years at the helm of Corrugated Iron Youth Arts (CIYA), outgoing Executive Producer Jane Tonkin reflects as her time at Corro draws to a close. orrugated Iron Youth Arts has been around since 1984, some 36 years. I came across the company in 1991 – first as audience, and working in the same building, and afterwards joining the Board. For the last 15 years, I have led this wonderful organisation, and as my tenure draws to a close, I have been doing a lot of reflecting.

I joined the team at the right time!

My predecessors did an amazing job establishing an organisation that works in collaboration with young people. The focus of the organisation has grown significantly – we are multi-art form working across the Top End, and we play a vital role in the NT’s arts ecology through arts training and employment.

16

I am immensely proud of the work we have done on our mentoring and training, and on building the employment opportunities for artists. Collaboration remains a core strength of how we operate.

The expansion that has happened during my tenure is extensive, and due, in no small part, to the team.

I have endeavoured to cultivate an organisation that knows where it’s going but acknowledges the different paths we all travel. This has built a culture of reflection, discussion, flexibility and responsiveness.

There is not the space here to reflect on projects and performances, but I love that CIYA’s work spans professional productions,

community celebrations, and free and accessible events. Activity is generated by young people, staff, and our teaching artists, and I have strived to maintain an element of spontaneity so we can respond to new ideas from young people.

Young people are a formidable force, full of ideas and attitude, questions and answers. Our workplace is enlivened by their presence – I am challenged by young people every day and I love it!

I am excited to see where CIYA heads in its next phase but choosing to leave the best job in the world is not something I do lightly.

Celebrate Your Year-End Events In Style

MUSIC

An Evening with

By Anna Dowd

Wendy Matthews When Wendy Matthews was four-years-old, she saved up all her pocket money to buy her first record. The year was 1964, the album, A Hard Day’s Night by the Beatles.

“I remember assembling the family in the living room insisting we have a dance party to this new record!”

The acclaimed Canadian-born Australian singer says for as long as she can remember, music was what moved her – it was all she was interested in. And so, from joining her first band at 15, it was what she pursued.

“It’s all I’ve ever done, it’s all I know how to do. Music has always been there for me.”

It’s this lifetime of musical immersion and artistry that Matthews brings to the stage this month for one evening at the Darwin Entertainment Centre.

FROM DARWIN CHORALE

IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL time of the year! Well, almost. As we power towards the end of what can most certainly be described as an unexpected year, the imminent arrival of Christmas is cause for celebration.

And what better way to bring on that Christmas cheer than with some carols?

The angelic voices of Darwin Chorale are set to fill the celestial space of St Mary’s Cathedral in end-of-year concert, Season’s Greetings.

Musical Director Nora Lewis says the upcoming Christmas concert features the carols we all know and love, and perhaps some a little less known.

“There are hundreds of carols that have not made our modern cannon.

I want to introduce the audience to some new ones that they are bound to fall in love with,” she says.

But with almost four decades in the music industry, seven ARIA awards, 19 hit singles and collaborations with artists from Cher to Tim Finn, she says there’s no way her younger self could’ve seen what was coming.

“I get young people asking for advice, saying ‘you know the way it works,’ and honestly, I don’t. Every person’s path is just so different, and also things are changing all the time. You’ve just got to keep doing it really.”

several decades in tow, Matthews says the Darwin show is their first gig in eight months because of COVID, which only adds to the excitement of reconnecting with a Top End crowd.

With a handful of songs from each of her albums, she says the acoustic trio sound should create a pretty intimate concert, somewhat reminiscent of visiting old friends.

“I love the audience in Darwin, they’ve always been just so appreciative and relatable.”

Not unlike the songstress herself, an Australian musical icon, still following the call of what moves her.

Pretty humble for someone with seven platinum albums, whose voice was once described by Peter Garrett as “to vocal chords what the Daintree is to the wilderness.”

CENTRE

With her piano and guitar player of

COST $49 | $45 CONC INFO yourcentre.com.au

WHEN SAT 28 NOV | 8PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT

deserve to be part of our annual celebration, just like the ones we all know.”

Darwin Chorale features the vocal talents of at 40-strong choir, the church setting presenting the perfect backdrop the carry their harmonies to the ears of audience members keen to get into the Christmas spirit.

When asked how she’d describe this year’s Christmas concert, Lewis doesn’t hold back.

“Unabashedly highbrow carols!”

So, head along for a night of music and song, as well as an impressive Christmas bells performance, in one of Darwin’s most beautiful churches.

WHEN SAT 28 NOV | 8PM AT ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL COST $35 | $15 U15 | FREE U10 INFO darwinchorale.org.au

CHAMBER MUSIC FOR OPTIMISM POSTPONED FROM MARCH and set in a new location at Darwin Entertainment Centre, Arafura Music Collective’s upcoming performance, Times of Change, centres on the effect of humanity on the natural environment and our responses to change.

Artistic Director Claire Kilgariff says she hopes the music can invoke a sense of reflection in the audience.

“In planning this performance early in 2020, after the bushfires, we adopted a reflective approach. As artists, we want to help promote change, with beautiful music and reflections on the climate,” she says.

“At that stage, who could have guessed we would then undergo a period of profound change imposed by responses to the pandemic?”

Photo: M&A Photography

Season’s Greetings

Press play on hit songs such as ‘The Day You Went Away’ and ‘I Don’t Want to Be With Nobody But You’, and it’d take some effort to find an Aussie who doesn’t recognise Matthews for the soulful expressive voice she is.

ensemble masterpieces, including Sydney composer Romano Crevici’s In Times of Change and a beautiful work from Sydney-based composer Alice Chance, Precious Colours. The latter is inspired by the Gamilaraay Dreaming story, How the Opal came to be, as told by Auntie June Barker.

The message is about treasuring and respecting our unique and delicate environment.

Although climate change may sometimes bring on a bout of the blues, the Arafura Music Collective is determined to keep the performance positive.

“The performance is a musical reflection on how we respond to change – we can choose to be positive and make our contribution to benefit our community and the Earth,” Kilgariff says.

musical responses for really dramatic change. We will play a work by Cambini, who ran a playhouse performance theatre in Paris during the terror of the French Revolution.

“This piece was written in a time of complete chaos, but the response from Cambini is a beautiful, perfectly classical period piece, that is ordered and structured – it’s fascinating to think it was written in a time when society was undergoing cataclysmic change.”

Times of Change WHEN SUN 29 NOV | 5PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE

COST $40 | $35 CONC | $7.50 U18

FREE U12

INFO yourcentre.com.au “These are some of the most beautiful carols ever written. They

The performance also celebrates AusMusic Month with small

“We’ve broadened the original format from March to include

facebook.com/ arafuraensemble

17

Photo: Duane Preston

By Anna Dowd

DSO PRESENTS

By Anna Dowd

The Soldier’s Tale Baker’s origins in a family of blues musicians, old western movies and living in the epic Top End environment were also major references for the album, which includes genres from country blues, to R’n’B and trip-hop.

“The whole journey of Mary as she narrates through the album is really an ode to the history, culture and land of the Northern Territory, especially with respect to the weather, which up here, rules.”

Mary CAITI BAKER’S STUNNING second solo album, Mary of the North, is an odyssey and an ode to the landscapes and stories of the Territory she loves.

This month, you’re invited to pull up a pew at Darwin Entertainment Centre’s (DEC) Playhouse Theatre as Baker performs the whole album for the first time ever.

“Mary is a spirit character of the north,” Baker says of the enigmatic title of her concept album.

“She’s a mood, a vibe, an energy.

She’s someone born here, someone

of the North

visiting. She’s a certain plant. She’s an element of myself. She’s all the things.”

Teaming up with local producer James Mangohig (aka Kuya James), the pair came up with the idea of creating a soundtrack for a movie that doesn’t exist yet. One monsoon later, they emerged with just that.

“It was very much inspired by James and his influences, from T Bone Burnett to Ludwig Göransson, who scored The Mandalorian and the Star Wars TV show, an amazing producer.”

Baker’s album release is the perfect way to kick off the Settle Down Sessions, a monthly night of music with Settle Down Records’ artists and friends at DEC. With guest appearances from fellow Settle Down Sisters including Stevie Jean and Serina Pech, and an all-Darwin, all-star cast of musicians, this is a one-of-a-kind night of music, dancing and storytelling not to be missed.

If this is the soundtrack, we can’t wait for the movie.

CRUNCHY TANGOS, WALTZES, rags and a deal with the devil…

Get the kids hooked on live music in this classic tale with a tropical twist!

Darwin Symphony Orchestra Ensemble has teamed up with DSO Young Artists Program musicians and performers from Milkwood Steiner School to recreate what Concertmaster Tara Murphy describes as a forever tale for all ages.

“It’s about realising that what you thought was not valuable, was actually the most valuable thing you had. In this case, it’s music and the soldier’s violin, which he sells to the devil.”

Murphy says while they use the original score written by Russian composer Stravinsky in 1918, they’ve added in some extras, adapting it for a younger Top End audience.

so we’ve changed the scenery a little bit, for example, Nightcliff Foreshore!”

Once described as the 19th century version of a Brothers Grimm tale, they’ve put their own lighter touch on it.

“It’s quite a dark tale in its original form, so we’ve lightened it up a bit and turned it into a rhyming verse.”

The latest in the DSO’s Kids' Classics series, Murphy says the aim is to inspire potential and existing young musicians, and with this piece, to introduce a narrative understanding of music.

“Sometimes it’s about movement, sometimes it’s about learning the different instruments – this concert is about being able to weave a story and music together, and just have a lot of fun along the way.”

“I’m not sure many young Territory people are very familiar with rolling hills and tiny European villages

WHEN SAT 14 NOV | 9.30AM & 11AM AT CDU THEATRE COST $12 | $7 CHILD | $28 FAM INFO dso.org.au

group of Top End and Central-based songwriters.

program’s funding partner, Tourism NT.

Program facilitator and participant, Dave Crowe (Sing Hum/Resin Moon), was instrumental in the creation of the retreat. He believes there’s a huge want and need for opportunities such as The Desert Sessions to encourage the sharing of ideas and creation of new material.

They were aided by Alice Springs musical legend Paul Ah Chee Ngala, who joined the group on the second day of the retreat to provide valuable industry insight and cultural consultation.

Settle Down Sessions: Caiti Baker and a Night with Mary of the North WHEN FRI 13 NOV | 8PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE

COST $20 INFO yourcentre.com.au

MUSIC NT PRESENTS

THE DESERT SESSIONS

18

Adam Scriven, David Garnham, Darcy Davic, Verjon Bumanlag, Rachel Younger, Xavia Nou and Dave Crowe.

SEVEN SONGWRITERS, a pig with an identity crisis and Scruffycoco the Scottish deerhound… No, it’s not the beginning of a distasteful joke – it’s The Desert Sessions!

Presented by MusicNT, Tourism NT, Sing Hum Records and Gaga Music Publishing, The Desert Sessions Songwriters Retreat in September provided four days of collaboration, laughter and in-jokes, resulting in the creation of musical magic.

Held in the idyllic outback location of Ooraminna Station Homestead, home to The Drover’s Boy film set and half an hour from of Alice Springs, the retreat provided artists with the chance to get away from phone reception and work-life distractions to dedicate a few days solely to the art of songwriting.

With all the necessities taken care of, and plenty of talent to seek inspiration from, The Desert Sessions offered a rare opportunity to nurture both artistic creativity and relationships between a diverse

“One of the biggest roadblocks for songwriters is finding the time and space to really focus in on creativity. The Desert Sessions provide such a space in an inspiring, uniquely Territory location, whilst fostering new connections and learning new industry skills,” he said.

This year’s participants included Dave Crowe, Adam Scriven, Darcy Davis, David Garnham, Rachel Younger, VJ Bumanlag and Xavia Nou, each bringing their own unique sounds and skills to the table to write a group song for the

While tasked with producing a song that embodied that ‘Territory feeling’, each artist had time to work on their own songs, which they then showcased to the world – or at least, Alice Springs – at Epilogue Lounge on the final evening of the retreat.

Keep an eye – or an ear – out the next time you see one of these amazingly talented artists playing around town. You might just get to hear a product of The Desert Sessions for yourself!

INFO musicnt.com.au

NOVEMBER

By Zoya Godoroja-Prieckaerts

guide

Seaside Sessions

OTL's quick and essential guide to live music in the Top End. To find out more, head to offtheleash.net.au

/offtheleashmag

@OTLmag

#OTLmag

Darryl Barba Enjoy the acoustic sounds of local muso Darryl Barba on Friday nights and Sundays, as he plays some favourites of classic rock, country and blues, as well as some new original tunes.

WHEN EVERY FRI | 6-9PM AT THE FORESHORE

RESTAURANT & CAFE

Live Music at Hotel Darwin Catch live music from Glen Forner every Friday night and Matt Hellak every Saturday night in Hotel Darwin’s Beer Garden.

WHEN EVERY FRI, 6-9PM

EVERY SAT, 6-10PM

AT HOTEL DARWIN COST FREE Settle Down Sessions: Caiti Baker and a Night with Mary of the North WHEN FRI 13 NOV | 8PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE

COST $20 INFO yourcentre.com.au

Settle in under the green sails with a cool drink and an afternoon of music on Sunday afternoons at Darwin Trailer Boat Club. With two cocktails for $20 and world class sunsets, it’s the perfect way to see out the weekend!

WHEN SUN 1, 8, 15 & 22 NOV | 3-6PM AT DARWIN TRAILER BOAT CLUB COST FREE

Crystal Robins Enjoy live music from this talented local musician, as she strums original songs and chilled acoustic covers.

WHEN FRI 6 NOV | 6.30-9.30PM AT HUMPTY DOO GOLF CLUB WHEN SUN 29 NOV | 12-4PM AT RYDGES PALMERSTON An Evening with Wendy Matthews WHEN SAT 28 NOV | 8PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE

COST $49 | $45 CONC INFO yourcentre.com.au Season’s Greetings WHEN SAT 28 NOV | 8PM AT ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL COST $35 | $15 U15 | FREE U10 INFO darwinchorale.org.au

facebook.com/ caitibakermusic

The Soldier’s Tale WHEN SAT 14 NOV | 9.30AM & 11AM AT CDU THEATRE COST $12 | $7 CHILD | $28 FAM INFO dso.org.au The So-Called Friends

Clifton After a noticeable absence from Darwin’s local scene during 2020, Clifton has been behind the scenes crafting a new sound to match a mentality shift during the pandemic. Supported by local singer Crystal Robins and a DJ set by FordyFourr.

WHEN SAT 28 NOV | 9PM-MIDNIGHT AT HAPPY YESS COST $10 INFO facebook.com/

favourite musicians, performers and DJs. All your favourite cocktail creations from Drew are available, as well as giveaways from Dom. Rub shoulders with Nightcliff’s finest and enjoy a cheeky tipple. It’s a party.

WHEN SUN 8 NOV | 2PM COST FREE

Thursday Live @ Dom’s See what all the Thursday buzz is all about in Nightcliff and come kick it with Dom. Enjoy live local music acts or catch a story or two with one of Dom’s famous cocktails in hand.

Cheers.

WHEN EVERY THU | 6PM COST FREE – SOME EVENTS

DOWN

The Track

HAPPENINGS IN THE RED CENTRE

TICKETED

Friday Knock Offs @ Dom’s Kick back with a cocktail and beats from a live DJ, and bring in your weekend in Nightcliff. You can even try the 2020 Mango Cup awardwinning cocktail, the Territori-tini.

WHEN EVERY FRI | 4PM COST FREE

JAM NIGHTS AND OPEN MIC

Enjoy a couple of cold drinks and embrace the atmosphere of local live music at the Pint Club.

WHEN SUN 1 NOV | 2-5PM AT PINT CLUB, MARRARA COST GOLD COIN DONATION INFO facebook.com/ firstsundayblues

Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals WHEN EVERY TUE | 7-9PM AT 2 ABALA RD, MARRARA COST $20 ANNUAL INFO darwincitybrassband.org.au

Jam Nights Head down to the open mic night every Tuesday and jump on stage or sit back and enjoy the music.

WHEN EVERY TUE | 9PM AT NIRVANA COST FREE INFO nirvanadarwin.com.au

happyyessdarwin

Last Sunday Jam Times of Change WHEN SUN 29 NOV | 5PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT

2019 Lofty Awards

EVERY NOVEMBER, Watch This Space gets a bit Lofty. This year is no exception.

Named in honour of Pamela Lofts, one of the founding members of Watch This Space (WTS), The Loftys is, not only an annual award, but also a night to celebrate art, give recognition to a special individual from our Central Australian community, and to see out the end of a big year.

While the ceremonious giving of the prestigious and coveted Lofty Award is the main affair, that’s not all WTS has to offer. As always, there is live entertainment from local artists and delicious food made by loving home chefs, all of which is most likely followed by a real good boogie sesh, as seems to be the annual tradition.

CENTRE

Above all, the night is always surrounded by an air of community, and lots and lots of love.

COST $40 | $35 CONC | $7.50 U18 The So-Called Friends are five determined people from the swamplands of Ludmilla, with songs that skirt modern day maxims and plenty of stories to tell. Catch them at the Lucky Bat for a toe-tapping night of tunes and sweaty swaying dancing pleasure. Live music.

Wood-fired pizza. Cocktails. Fresh tap beer. Keen.

WHEN SAT 14 NOV | 8.30PM AT LUCKY BAT CAFÉ & PIZZERIA COST FREE

FREE U12

INFO yourcentre.com.au

Photo: Mimi Catterns

GIG

As for the Lofty winner, they receive a locally designed commemorative trophy commissioned by WTS, a lifetime membership to the organisation, inclusion in its 2021 program, and a $1500 cash prize.

What a haul.

Though we don’t yet know who this special someone is, we can be sure that they’ll have played a significant role in the ever-evolving creative culture of Central Australia, and that their achievements in the arts and contribution to the community are worthy of celebration. If you know someone in Central Australia deserving of such an award, head to the WTS website to nominate them.

The Loftys is free for anyone and everyone, welcoming new and old lovers and acquaintances of Watch This Space, as well as anyone wandering by. If you’re down in Mparntwe/Alice Springs at the end of November, don’t miss this much-anticipated event. It’s a hoot!

facebook.com/ arafuraensemble

DOM’S BAR facebook.com/domsbardarwin

Dom’s Bar 1st Birthday Everyone’s invited to celebrate the first exciting year of Dom’s Bar, with guest appearances from

Head along the Dinah Beach Yacht Club on the last Sunday of the month for live music by the sea.

WHEN SUN 29 NOV | 3-6PM AT DINAH BEACH YACHT CLUB COST FREE INFO facebook.com/dbcya

On top of this, WTS is launching some limited edition merchandise.

The grassroots organisation has commissioned a select few brilliant local artists to consider the legacy and position of WTS, treating the humble t-shirt as an art object itself. With a limited run of 25 prints each, these are sure to sell like hotcakes…

The Loftys WHEN SAT 28 NOV | 5.30PM AT WATCH THIS SPACE,

8 GAP RD, ALICE SPRINGS

COST FREE INFO wts.org.au

19 19

what’s your

brown’s mart story?

27 November - 31 December See the Waterfront light up every day and night at our Christmas Wonderland.

Save the date!

Light Up The Waterfront 6pm - 8pm | Friday 27 November Join us as we count down with Santa to the lighting of our Christmas Wonderland at the Waterfront.

Santa's Grotto

Brown’s Mart Theatre is turning 50 in 2022... and we want to hear your stories!

A love story? A ghost story? A disaster? A triumph?

Help inform our celebrations with your piece of Darwin arts history.

Visit Santa at the Waterfront! Santa has created a magical grotto on the Podium near Surf Dive n Ski

6pm - 8pm | Friday 11 - Sunday 13 December 6pm - 8pm | Friday 18 - Sunday 20 December 5pm - 8pm | onday 21 - hursday 24 December

Email projects@brownsmart.com.au or message us on Facebook.

celebrating

50 years

waterfront.nt.gov.au Image: LANT, Brown’s Mart Trustees, NTRS 766/P1, Box 33.

BITUMEN & DIRT

WAYNE EAGER 30YEARS IN THE TERRITORY 22 OCT 2020 20 FEB 2021

CDU Art Gallery Building Orange 12, Casuarina Campus www.cdu.edu.au/artgallery OPENING HOURS Wed to Fri 10am – 4pm Sat 10am – 2pm

Expedition (image detail), 1990, acrylic on linen, 167 x 73 cm, courtesy Wayne Eager.