In This Issue: Melbourne Art Fair 2012 comes to town, Angels & Airways collaborate with Director William Eubank to bring you “Love”, help preserve Australia’s artistic heritage with the new “Watercolours of Namatjira” iphone app, Brisbane’s “Love TV” goes global, design your own skateboard deck for charity at Sidewayz Exhibition, and Cam Bulter performs at the ACMI.

MELBOURNE ART FAIR COMES TO TOWN

Melbourne’s premium art fair is staging its opening night “Vernissage” on the 1st of August at the World Heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens.

Each year the art fair presents contemporary work from hundred of fresh and well established artists, represented by dozens of local and international galleries. The programme consists of Artist Commissions, Project Rooms in various galleries throughout the city displaying a variety of artworks, in addition to free public lectures and forums featuring artist and curators. Some of this year’s hosting galleries include the c3 Contemporary Artspace, Death Be Kind, Gertrude Contemporary, and the Centre for Contemporary Photography.

Whether you’re in the business of art, like debating about art, or just an appreciator of fine things, the Melbourne Art Fair has something for everyone.

Tickets to the Vernissage are selling fast, to secure yours and find out more about what’s on offer head to http://www.artfair.com.au/

ANGELS AND AIRWAVES BRING YOU “LOVE”

Newly minted Regency Film Distribution has announced the release of its first film “Love”, a space odyssey directed by William Eubank, set to the score of Angels and Airwaves.

Shown through the eyes of Lee Miller (Gunner Wright, J Edgar), the story revolves around an astronaut who becomes stranded in orbit when he loses contact with Earth. Desperately trying to hold on to his sanity and grapple with the growing feeling of claustrophobia and alienation, the protagonist makes a strange discovery on board the vessel. The film explores themes of hope and humanities need for connection, and the important stories we each have to tell and share with the world.

William Eubank has been awarded “Best Director” at the 2011 Athens International Film Festival for “Love”, and now brings his debut work to Australian cinema on 30th August, 2012.

Check out the trailer for LOVE at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiYmAixzpMg

LOVE TV

Quite possibly the most ambitious and bold art export of 2012, Love TV features Rebecca McIntosh in the guise of Aphrodite, as she interviews musicians and tv celebrities about love and passion, and in which of the world’s many cities they’ve experienced it.

Since the show’s conception in Brisbane in early 2011, McIntosh has interviewed the likes of Powderfinger’s Ian Haug, and The Mighty Boosh’s Noel Fielding, as well as contemporary author Augusten Burrough, and is now taking her project to New York city. Locals are encouraged to nominate celebrities they would like to see interviewed about their love for the Big Apple, with interviews to be projected onto large screens for the public to view, and also be made available via the Love TV website and social media pages.

For more information on this globe trotting talk show visit
http://www.lovetv.com.au

NEW APP KEEPS ART AND SPIRIT OF NAMATJIRA ALIVE

Big hART, Australia’s longest standing arts and social change organization, and the Namatjira family have come together to develop and launch “Watercolours of Namatjira”, an iPhone and iPad app that allows users to paint like Australia’s iconic artist Albert Mamatjira.

Celebrating Big hART’s 20th year with the launch of the app, Artistic Director Scott Rankin professed “The contemporary watercolour movement is struggling to survive which is a particularly significant issue considering it is built on thousands of years of national cultural heritage. In order to provide something young people in Australia’s remote and disadvantaged communities would be proud of, we needed to create something that was relevant. And, in doing so, we are helping keep the spirit and the art of Albert Namatjira alive all over the world.”

The app costs as little as $2.99, and all sales will go to the Namatjira School of Watercolours, to help with training and establishing Australia’s future watercolour artists. So if you want to play a part in preserving Australia’s artistic heritage download the App at http://itunes.apple.com/cy/app/watercolours-of-namatjira/id511590761?mt=8

SIDEWAYZ 2012 EXHIBITING IN AUGUST AND OPEN FOR ENTRIES

Starting out in 2007 as a small charity exhibition, Sidewayz managed to capture the attention of both Sydney's art collectors and youth, and with a lead up exhibition the following year taking place at MTV Galleries with Brad Eastman (Beatsman) as curator its obvious these guys are only going to get bigger.

What makes these exhibitions unlike any other is that all artworks are created on skateboard and snowboard decks, with auctions taking place on the night, and online, so you can drop in from anywhere and everywhere.
Proceeds from this year will go toward Marrickville Youth Resource Center, and Voice; a not-for-profit organization working with homeless children in Cambodia.

If you’d like the challenge of designing your own artwork on a skateboard or snowboard, Sidewayz will provide a recycled deck for you to use, but all entries must be made by 9th August via rsvp to hello@sidewayzart.com.au. Opening night will take place at Global Gallery on 16th August, with the Auction Night taking place on 22nd August.

CAM BUTLER "SAVE MY SOUL" SCREENING AT ACMI

Cam Butler (Ron S. Peno & The Superstitions etc) is set to play a special screening of 5 videos created for his recent album “Save My Soul” at Melbourne’s ACMI on Thursday 30th August. Having commissioned four directors from across the globe, including Berlin and Kabul, to construct stunning visual documentaries of each track on the album, Cam will be playing solo electric guitar along to the videos and the album’s layered orchestral music.

Cam Butler commented “I am very excited to be able to perform and screen the Save My Soul videos at ACMI because the sound is superb, the seating is excellent for the audience and of course ACMI is custom built for presenting films beautifully.”

The performance will take place at Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), Federation Square, August 30th at 7:45pm. Ticket prices are set at $15.

Save My Soul is available exclusively at concerts, online at www.cambutler.com and at http://cambutler.bandcamp.com