What’s so sweet about being 16? “Freedom, experimentation, fun,” according to Brian Ritchie, Artistic Director of Mona Foma and ex-Violent Femmes bassist, as he describes Tasmania’s summer festival of music and art’s sixteenth edition.
Exhibitions at Footscray Community Arts (FCA) benefit from a large window at the gallery’s rear, looking out at the Maribyrnong River and Melbourne’s skyline.
On a sunny day, the view sparkles, and the art beams back under the rays. Now, bring colour into it: Bright, on show until 12 December, turns the space into a full sensory delight.
Last year, I uploaded a vlog with my first 100 days in Lille, which I’ve since made private because 1) I feel like it wasn’t very good as one of my first vlogs and 2) I had way too many personal thoughts floating around in those subtitles. But here we go again – more meanderingly melancholy musings on living in the cold north of France, this time my last 100 days in the city.
Writer Yazmin Bradley touches on the pressure on authors under the commercialisation of Bookstagram – how can we reclaim the creative process from capitalism? She also explores working with her grandmother on her memoir and the possibilities of Substack for creativity.
I’m currently travelling and working in the south of France (a temporary digital nomad, i guess). I based myself in Autignac, in the the département de l’Hérault en région Occitanie, for July… swimming, walking, eating (not filmed: markets, canoeing, cinemas). Bless this place, it’s really special.
I moved to France a year ago and this summer, in between living situations, I decided to stay in the south of France before finding a new home (thanks to Airbnb monthly discounts equalling rent payments!). In month two, I lived in Avignon, Provence. The city walls trapped in the 40-degree heat in a pretty stifling way. But there’s something about giving way to feeling hot and sweaty after months of grey cold. I love living a season (of the year and of live) in-between like this. Life is a house of cards, but nothing has collapsed by temporarily removing myself from the thick of life (read: busyness, opportunity, happenings) for something a little simpler, just for a little while.