A shift in Christmas Tradition

Shift your thinking about what to give people for Christmas. 
Its not the stuff you give but the thought you invest in the gift that counts. 

[This is not my idea but an idea that was sent to me via the net. 
I have slightly edited the copy to be more general but overall it is a perfect 
SHIFTAZINE idea but I can not take credit for it.]

Shifting from 2011 to 2012

Inside and Outside_it works

I was at an auction house recently. 
 It was full of all sorts of stuff, filling the entire floor space and all the corners of the old warehouse. 
While wondering through the aisles of this space I came upon rows of suitcases, trunks, bags, stacked one upon
each other reaching to the pressed tin ceiling. 
It struck me that the use of old suitcases was a great storage idea that created a wonderful visual for an interior 
while suppling storage and allowing people to recycle and engage suitcases and old trunks.

The Joy of Remembering

There is a JOY in remembering things that have brought us JOY. 
 It is a small but precious JOY that sits inside oneself and brings a smile to one's lips quickly. 
Celebrate JOYDAY every year on the 25th November. 
(Apologies for this late posting for JOYDAY but I have been very busy with 'undercurrent2011'. 
Check it out at www.undercurrent2011.com.au)

Good Brother Better Coffee Best Furniture

NEWCASTLE, ONCE A CULTURAL BACKWATER, IS NOW THE HOME OF AN ONGOING FLOURISHING SCENE OF ART, STREET ART, CREATIVE INITIATIVES, 
BUT NOW IT IS ALSO THE PLACE WHERE THE BEST CAFES ARE JUST POPPING OUT OF THE FOOTPATHS. 
WHAT IS REALLY COOL IS THERE IS ALWAYS A SHIFT OF A KIND IN THE WAY THESE CAFES CREATE THEIR STRONG INDIVIDUAL PERSONALITIES. 

AT THE SEASIDE END OF KING STREET, NUMBER 40 TO BE EXACT, A CAFE NAMED ‘GOOD BROTHERS’ PLANTS SOME OF THE BEST REINVENTED, 
REINVIGORATED FURNITURE I HAVE SEEN IN A LONG TIME. 
THEY HAVE TAKEN OLD PARKER FURNITURE CHAIRS, RIPPED OUT THE SEATS 
AND MADE THEIR OWN BACKING FROM OLD WOOD PANELS, WHICH IS TOTALLY ENGAGING. AND THE COFFEE IS GOOD TOO! 
THE GOOD BROTHERS ESPRESSO HOUSE_40 KING STREET NEWCASTLE NSW 2300

Song or lament?

Why does a bird’s cage evoke such a sense of beauty when they are in reality tiny little prisons? In a lane way known as Angel Place in Sydney, hundreds of vintage birdcages have been suspended high above the tarmac. The sound of sweet bird songs is present. It is all very strange, unexpected, beautiful and sort of sad. It is special.

Cages hold birds in but sometimes they hold danger out.

Shift yourself down there and feel lots of different emotions all at the same time. And talking about emotions please take the time to read the poems of Maya Angelo and Juan Antonio Rodriguez on the following pages.

shiftazine is 2

shiftazine is two years old and is reaching the world with followers in Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France Germany, Greece, Italy, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Tunisia, USA, UK.

Thank you and keep enjoying and shifting. Σας ευχαριστούμε και συνεχίστε και μετατόπιση. Grazie e continui godere
e spostarsi. Gracias y guarde el gozar y el desplazar. Вы и держите насладиться и перенестись. Merci et continuez à
apprécier et décaler. Obrigado e mantenha-o apreciar e desloc. Danke und halten Sie zu genießen und zu verschieben.

A voice in the darkness

Chalk drawings are living things. 
They are constantly changing, shifting, thrilling, exciting, enabling, disappearing. 
Illuminated by the beaming light of a Tuesday night opening at the Damien Minton Gallery, 
the scribbling of a street artist attracted as much attention as the art on the walls inside.

Chalk drawings bring joy and life to our streets. They are not locked away. 
They are made to delight us or just give the maker a voice. They rock !

If you go to Damien Minton Gallery on Great Buckingham Street in Redfern, 
you will always find a grand selection of chalk drawings surrounding the gallery itself. 
The art just grows out of that place. 61-63 Great Buckingham Street, Redfern, Australia. 
www.damienmintongallery.com.au

Brown is not boring

Earth, hearth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, stability, simplicity, comfort, chocolate, autumn, skin, fascism, stone, and of course, soil. 
You can grow a beautiful effect out of the use of the colour brown. 
The first recorded use of brown as a color name in English was in 1000_Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill (Page 191)

How to establish a dialogue

A friend of mine told me the other day that they did not understand or know how to establish a dialogue with colour. Well, its a matter of being observant. Just take a look at these tiles which are usually dismissed as crappy old floor tiles. We foolishly don't regard them, but just LOOK at them and at the colour palette within. IT'S BEAUTIFUL!

Springs Anew_Broken but beautiful

When you chip or crack a lovely cup or saucer its a crying shame. 
You reluctantly throw the object away or you hold onto it hoping it will fix itself somehow. 
Well our deepest little wish of still being able to have this lovely thing in our lives has come true because of a generous, 
and delicate person by the name of Raphael, who takes what some people might see as junk or old tat and transforms it into beautiful pieces. 
He glues and stacks and crafts the discarded ceramics and porcelain, gluing little gold feathers on the backs of the brooches, 
edging the broken bits with delicate, mock gold trims.

Loving the process, loving the end result. From broken to beautiful.

Evocative, Amusing, Delightful

EVOCATIVE: Trigger a feeling or sense of something; Bringing strong images to mind; 
Call up spirits, feelings, memories, energies to mind; 
REMINISCENT; SUGGESTIVE; EXPRESSIVE; VIVID; GRAPHIC; POWERFUL; HAUNTING; MOVING; POIGNANT.

DELIGHTFUL: Causing delight; Charming; PLEASURABLE; ENJOYABLE; LOVELY; PLEASANT;
 ENTERTAINING; SATISFYING; WONDERFUL; FABULOUS; GRAND; BRILLIANT.

AMUSING; Causing laughter or providing entertainment; Provide interesting and enjoyable occupation for someone; 
FUNNY; WITTY; LIGHTHEARTED; ENGAGE.

A new range of fabrics called Pearl'n'Jack, just launched this week in Sydney Australia, has taken its inspiration from imagery of the past. 

For enquires or to look at the range of tea towels, beautiful pillows, table clothes, fabrics, covered furniture (reclaimed, reinvented, remarkable!) 
just visit Seasonal Concepts 122 Redfern Street Redfern NSW 2016 Australia.www.pearlnjack.com.au

Enjoy!

In everything they make, say and do.

One sunny Saturday I found my way to a cafe that made my toes curl with Delight. 
The Rollerdoor cafe located on Beaumont Street, right next to the Hamilton train station in Newcastle, 
will bring a warm and truly happy moment to your day with the care they infuse in everything they do, say or make.

Open seven days a week, manned by fourteen creative and productive people in total, who are either students, artists, musicians 
or full time chefs who make almost everything that is enjoyed by all who pass through the Rollerdoor.

I spoke with Tarzi who manages the Rollerdoor cafe but is soon to depart, as she is about to have a dear little one in eight weeks. 
Fiona and Phil Smart started the place two and a half years ago. 
It is frequented by all, and everyone from kids having their breakfast before school through to the wise retired ones as well as those essential subcultures.

I immediately loved the overall look of the Rollerdoor cafe and its SHIFTAZINE sense.
 There is a sense of wit and inventiveness in how the whole place has been put together.
 It is both hip and homey at the same time. It clearly speaks whatever language you want to hear.
Murals, beautiful murals, cover the exterior. 
The food is cooked by local boys and girls and its as delicious as anything I have enjoyed anywhere in the world. 
The full attention of the staff is only equal to the full flavour of their coffee.

Rollerdoor cafe is opened from 6am to 5pm during the week and 7am to 4 pm on the weekend.
You can ring them on 4969 1786.

The Lightness of Joy

Purple_violet and indigo are not purples

Was Now Is

Sydney Design 2011 as usual, was full of exciting, inventive, original ideas brought to life by both the young fledglings and the older, more experienced designers of most of the design disciplines in found and engaged with our world. Not only were the cultural institutions such as the Powerhouse Museum and Object Gallery full of projects, concepts, new visions and responses to
the modern society, but also the laneways of Zetland were bubbling with delightful solutions.The pieces that have been featured in these pages were all apart of a show named ‘REFORM’ and was a part of the Sydney Design 2011.

The show was a brain child of the fortynine. The following text has been taken from a informative brochure that accompanied the ‘Reform’ show held in Tosh Lane, August 6 & 7 2011.
‘Reform emerged from discussions surrounding our shared intentions as a collaborative studio, and playing them off the theme of Sydney Design 2011 - is old new again? With a broad common brief to guide our
design work, we set about exploring both individually and as a group, frequently coming together to share our progress.

The majority of the works in ReForm are a collaborative effort borne out of the studio philosophy of the fortynine. The broad range of skills within the fortynine results in the work integrating numerous ways of thinking, designing and constructing.
The bulk of materials for the project were discarded on the streets and lane ways of Sydney and collected over time by all contributing designers.

The fortynine frequented wide-ranging council clean-ups and material re-dispersal organisations, adding to an already overflowing garage with a plethora of resources, ReForm has focused on re-using materials, parts and fixtures whereever possible, virgin materials have been kept to a minimum and in most pieces consist only of surface finishes and fixtures.
www.fortynine.com.au info@thefortynine.com.au

On the (garagesale)trail

I AM VERY INTERESTED IN THE WHOLE OLD FASHION IDEA OF A GARAGE SALE. THE NOTION OF RECYCLING HAS BEEN AROUND FOR EVER AND NOW WE HAVE THANKFULLY SHRUGGED OFF THE LAST RESIDUE OF THE 80S AND ALL THINGS BIGGER, AND NEWER AND MOST EXPENSIVE. ON APRIL 10TH 2010, SYDNEY CITY COUNCIL ALONG WITH OTHER SYDNEY COUNCILS PROMOTED AND
ENCOURAGED A SATURDAY WHICH FOCUSED ON THE GARAGAESALETRAIL. PEOPLE HIT THE STREETS MANNED WITH A MAP AND LOCATIONS OF ALL THE REGISTERED GARAGE SALES. IT WAS A HEAP OF FUN AND EVERYONE CHATTED TO EACH OTHER REGARDLESS BEING A FRIEND OR STRANGER.
LOVE THAT! I LOOKED UP WWW.GARAGESALETRAIL.COM.AU AND FOUND A GREAT PROFILE AND EXPLANATION OF THE IDEA.

Colour me Joy

A short b(l)ack and sides

Redfern Street in inner Sydney was always a little on the thin side for a place to take a coffee and have a chat with friends or locals, until now that is. 

 In the past six months there has been an explosion of cafes, restaurants, and wonderful new stores full of beautiful pre loved things.

The cafe COFFEE, TEA & ME opened just a month or so ago, and it has changed the sense of the hood for the good, better, best. 

Now one finds a strip of Redfern Street full of the most interesting people taking their coffees, sitting on the most charming pre loved, pre used objects 
that work very well as cafe furniture_An old wooden ironing board serves as a table for four, bicycle seats that have been placed on top of stools, 
kindergarten tables and chairs all offer you a place to sit and watch the hustle and bustle of the street.

93B Redfern Street, Redfern Sydney. www.coffeeteaandme.com.au t: 02 9008 7121

Find JOY wherever you can

I know I bang on about the notion of JOY, but really it is a very important thing in our lives. 
It does not take much to generate it, and the effect of it can last a life time. 
It is both a concrete and abstract notion at the same time. 
It can occur accidentally, or through the conscious act of a person, or just by observing one's surrounds.

Remember to celebrate what brings you JOY on the 25th November. 
It will honor my dear boy Jack, who brought us all so much joy and who inspired JOYDAY in the first place.

We shift...

Boats come and go,from ancient places – to lands of myths. Surrounded by blue of the waters and the skies, we slide through these elements sometimes fluid, sometimes blown by the winds of fate.

Always we bob to the surface.