Ho ho ho

Christmas decorations went up in Ivanhoe straight after Melbourne Cup week and people have returned to in-store shopping after pivoting to online during the pandemic.

I’ve only just started doing some shopping for friends and family and I’m often opportunistic if I’m out and about and see something on the spot that might fit the bill given I’m time-poor. I bought a KK present for my annual besties get together while buying flowers for my neighbour yesterday at French Blue Flowers in Heidelberg. I also picked up a panettone for Christmas from Leo’s while buying some groceries for her as we missed out a couple of years ago when we left things too late. I’m planning on also buying a triple smoked ham early from Aldi if I get the chance.

Image: Heide store x David Shrigley tea towel

If you’re local, Ivanhoe Primary is holding its Christmas market on Sunday 26 November and Heide Museum of Modern Art in Bulleen has collaborated with Third Drawer Down – I love the sentiments of this tea towel (above) available from the Heide store. The Big Design Market, which I always miss due to December birthdays in my family, is also on the weekend of 2 – 4 December at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton.

If you’re a fan of First Nations artwork – the Desart online Christmas Marketplace supporting Aboriginal Art Centres of Central Australia is currently on but will finish soon. For me, I’d love tickets to see Bangarra Dance Theatre perform ‘Yuldea’ at the Victorian Arts Centre next year.

Image: e.g.etal Cloud earrings by Daehoon Kang

These ‘cloud’ stud earrings (above) hand made by Korean Australian jeweller Daehoon Kang at e.g.etal have also caught my eye. Speaking of clouds, I am heading to the land of the long white cloud – New Zealand – this week for work. I’m looking forward to the cultural experience – kia ora to any kiwis out there! I’ll see you all on the other side.

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Forest of Hope

It’s the name of the immersive art and sound installation opening on Friday 5 August at the Yarra-me Djila Theatrette at the Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub with large scale paintings by Anne Bennett, projections and sound recordings by Jutta Pryor and original music by bass artist Scott Dunbabin and flautist Megan Kenny. Given the somewhat depressing State of Environment report released by the federal government last week, it sounds like a welcome antidote and where there is action being taken, there is always hope.

Image: HeideMoMA

The 2022 Banyule Art Salon opens the same night from 6 – 8pm and is Banyule’s biggest community art exhibition with this one also dedicated to the great outdoors – forest bathing has kept most of us sane over the past few years and personally I feel very grateful to live in a municipality where park life is abundant.

I’ve long been fascinated by the moon, the stars and the evening sky and I’m not the only one. Night Paintings at Darebin Creek by Fran Lee opens on 26 August at Loft 275 also at the Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub while the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra’s ‘Across the Stars‘ September concert and ‘Nightscapes‘ December concert will be held across the road at the Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School Performing Arts Centre.

In nearby Bulleen, Double Moon by Korean artist Jaedon Shin (pictured above) opened at Heide Musuem of Modern Art last month and runs until October while Tyama: a multisensory experience of nature has opened at the Melbourne Museum and looks quite spectacular and means ‘a deeper sense of knowing.’ Our First Nations people have a different relationship to Country and Bangarra Dance Theatre’s latest production SandSong: Stories from the Great Sandy Desert also looks just as visually amazing.

While there’s another month of winter, there are blossoms and wattle on the trees and if next Sunday is just as nice weather-wise, it will be a fun day out at the Eaglemont Village Heritage Day with bookings already open for the Red Rattler steam train rides and the Eaglemont Village Market also on that day – the Art Deco village is one of my very favourite places in Banyule to visit.