Grow a little

Waste is something we do, rather than something that exists.  Salvage an object that has been cast away and reinvent its role.  
By creatively re-using and recycling resources, anything can have a second purpose.  There is a pleasure to be found in the process of re-using an object, 
in creating something new from something old. 
A beautiful shape, unusual colours, with a story to tell, can be resurrected.  
A little imagination is all you need to breath new life into old things.  

There is a pleasure in growing your own food too. So this is a win win idea.  
Grow a new way of thinking. Have a look at ‘Grow it Local’ site for information and ideas about growing your own lovely herbs, and vegetables.

Fleur's Melbourne

Many words have been spoken and written about the lane way and cafe culture of Melbourne which has evolved over the past decade.  
But I am always of the belief that one picture is worth a thousand words.  
Fleur, a wonderful image maker, featured in a shiftazine article entitled "Fridge Jury'
 visited down south awhile ago and created this photographic essay. Hope you like it.

The delights of self expression

Like beautiful strange fruit and flowers that spring up over night, many an example of self expression finds itself taking root in the inner city streets of Sydney.  
These creations sometimes stay in plain view for a long time, becoming a part of the urban landscape, 
and other times their presence is fleeting.  
So always keep your eyes open to the surprises that you might find on the streets.

Issue N.6 : An Internal Life

The diary of an inner city pig

Saturday: This little piggy went to Redwater markets (Redfern, Sydney), 
Sunday: This little piggy stayed at home (renovated terrace), 
Monday: This little piggy had a latte (at Tapeo), 
Tuesday: This little piggy had none (was watching his weight), 
Wednesday: This little piggy worked out in Redfern Park.

Don't forget to embrace joy in your life and celebrate it on JoyDay 25th November, every day. 

Treating time Lightly

When is a plate not a plate?  When it is a clock.  
This wonderful example of shiftazine thinking has been designed and produced by an Australian company called 'Lightly'. 

Inventive, exciting, beautiful things have been born out of an original thought of Cindy-Lee Davis. 
And as directly quoted from the Lightly site "Cindy-Lee Davies launched Lightly in 2005 with an acclaimed range of home-wares and lighting inspired by doilies and lace.
 Marrying the aesthetics of traditional craft with cutting edge technology, 
she established a new decorative style dubbed “Nanna Technology” that has 
since become a signature throughout Lightly's work."

Lightly clearly rocks. Go see for yourself at www.lightly.com.au.

Set a spell

There is something magical about a comfortable lounge chair.  It calls out to you to take a load off. 

To just relax, even if it's for only a moment.  
But lounge chairs do not have to be big, and beige, and 'cutting edge modern' to be the star of the room.  
These two examples illustrates the fun that can be had with an old chair that has been recovered with funky tea towels found at the Paddington Antique Centre (Brisbane) 
or a fabulous fabric from the 'Pearl & Jack' collection from Seasonal Concepts (Sydney). Make your own new soft place to land.

Bagging some JOY

The idea of turning black rubbish bags into a large sculpture that found its place at the Asia Pacific Tri Annual at GOMA in Brisbane brings me JOY.  
Almost everything has potential to be something else. Shift a little more. 

Drawing on Joy

Drawing is one of the first things we all do when we are babies.  
It is an endeavour that brings us JOY from almost Day One...
so why do most of us stop as we grow up?  
Remember the things that brings JOY and celebrate on 25 November, every year.

Open for renewal

CREATIVITY IS THE KEY THAT OPENS THE DOOR TO NEW  POSSIBILITIES . NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION. 
AND RENEW NEWCASTLE IS THE END RESULT OF THIS COMBINATION OF OBSERVATIONS.

The disused David Jones department store found in the heart of the Newcastle CBD is now populated with a group of wonderful, 
original artists and crafts people all selling their wares and all using a space that would just be going to waste.

The following text is from the Renew Newcastle website: "Founded to help solve the problem of Newcastle’s empty CBD, 
Renew Newcastle is a not for profit company limited by guarantee, 
and has been established to find short and medium term uses for buildings in Newcastle’s CBD that are currently vacant, disused, or awaiting redevelopment." 
GET INVOLVED AT renewnewcastle.org/get-involved 

A wall to bespoken about

Another exemplar of WALLISM.  Keep your eyes peeled...there are hundreds of instances of this contemporary art movement all around you. Shift a little.

Jar Aglow

In December Shiftazine looked at jars as vases.  Well how about looking at jars as lights.  This lateral thinking is so delightful and encourages the joy of being inventive and resourceful.  Just love it! 

News Paper = Wall Paper

An inventive and lateral eye and mind saw a wonderful opportunity in the form of news paper and turned it into wall paper.  
Karmen, a graphic designer, and Bardan, a chef, exercised a shiftazine kind of thinking when they took Chinese newsprint and 
made a wonderful bedroom for their new nest with it.

Another Dialogue

Old door steps or even front terraces of renovated terraces of the 1970s often had small, squared shaped tiles put on them.  
These tiles have become forgotten, ignored and even a little hated.  
But they hold a world of colour.  
The palettes in this article where found in the tiles seen below them.  
Short of colour inspiration? Bored with the palette de jour?  
Just go a find your own...just look around on the street.

Martyn Thompson Framed

New energies, new connections, new year, new hopes, new inspirations, new perspectives, new works from photographer Martyn Thompson.

Martyn’s new photographic exhibition ‘Falling in love at the Institute’ at Dinosaur’s gallery space in Sydney’s Redfern 
was his proclamation of falling in love...with art all over again. 
The new images, a fusion between photography and painting, are homage to the energy of the old masters and 
the beautiful elaborate frames that so often embrace the paintings. 

The exhibition echoes the overall romanticism of the old world.

JILL CAMPBELL of Campbell and Co Framing and Gallery was responsible for the beautiful frames used as a part of this delightful collection of still lives.

www.martynthompsonstudio.com : info@martynthompsonstudio.com Tumblr: http://martynthompsonstudio.tumblr.com

Good Design doesn't have a 'used by date'

HAROLD DAVID CONTRIBUTES TO  SHIFTAZINE THIS WEEK WITH AN PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY WHICH FOCUSES ON AN INTERIOR DESIGN DRIVEN BY A GREAT EYE 
AND A SMALL BUDGET.  

YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPEND BIG TO ACHIEVE A HUGE END RESULT. THANKS HARRY FOR YOUR CONSTANT INSPIRATION. JUST LOVE YOUR WORK!

Decalcomania

A DESIGN PREPARED FOR TRANSFER ONTO ANOTHER SURFACE, SUCH AS THE WONDERFUL LITTLE FOLK FOUND ON A WALL IN WEST STREET, REDFERN OR 
BEAUTIFUL MAHALIA, WHO WAS SPOTTED ON HER WAY TO A VERY HIP ART EVENT AT DAMIEN MINTON GALLERY ON ELIZABETH STREET, REDFERN.  
BOTH CAUGHT MY EYE. 
BOTH ARE CHARMING AND THOUGHTFUL IN THEIR DESIGN AND APPLICATION.

The New 'ISM' : WALLISM

THE 20TH CENTURY WAS AWASH WITH ‘ISM’ SUCH AS ‘FAUVISM’, ‘CUBISM’, ETC.  
BUT THE 21ST CENTURY HAS BEEN FLOUNDERING IN A SEA OF ‘ANYTHING GOES’ VISUAL RHETORIC. 
THEN ONE DAY IT HIT ME, WE ARE NOW IN THE TIME OF WALLISM. 
THIS IS THE ART OF THE STREET, AND OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE A NEED TO SPEAK VISUALLY. 
OR MAYBE ITS THE TIME OF THE BEAUTIFUL VISUAL ACCIDENT.