Pecha Kucha on tonight! - March 29

Pecha Kucha Sydney Volume 3 is on tonight. Presenters will include:

Mel Young - Contemporary Jewellery
Kate Bezar - Editor, Dumbo Feather
Lou Weis - Artist
Kate Porter - Environmental Engineer
Matthew Taylor - Animator
Leanne Rule - AGDA Cockatoo Island Project
Brendan Cowell, Alice Babidge - Wharf2Loud, STC
Lisa Cahill - Glass Artist

Where: Commercial Travellers Association, 19-29 Martin Place, under the 'Mushroom'. Bar opens at 6pm, presentations start at 7pm.

W: Pecha Kucha Sydney info: http://www.gravestmor.com/wp/pecha_kucha.php

Akina exhibition at Kinokuniya 14-27 March

View Akina's The Teddy Bear's Picnic exhibition at the Kinokuniya bookshop gallery from 14-27 March 2007.

Level 2, The Galeries Victoria, 500 George St, Sydney

Akina website: http://www.akina.com.au

Bholu products

Bholu is the work of Australian designer Jodie Fried. The products are bright and funky looking.

"Bholu products are designed in Australia and brought to life by traditional Gujarati women artisans from the remote desert communities of The Rann of Katchchh, Western Gujarat, India. Each piece is hand embroidered using traditional techniques, giving each product its own unique and original personality.

The philosophy behind Bholu is about creating products that we love and live with, while benefiting people we work with along the way. By using their traditional skills, the women artisans gain an income, hence independence and opportunity.

Bholu designs are simple, textural and bold and are designed for contemporary interiors and modern day living. Bholu products include cushions, throws, slippers and journals all made from wool felt with silk hand embroidery stitching. Further we are introducing a new kids range called "Bholu Bubalahs" featuring individual drawings from underprivileged children in India."

W: http://www.bholu.com/

Tezuka: the marvel of manga at the AGNSW

"TEZUKA Osamu is acknowledged as an artistic master, and is revered as the figurehead of the manga and anime industries in Japan. In the West he is best known for Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion which were serialised internationally for television in the 1960s.

Manga is the Japanese word for comics and print cartoons. Manga is respected both as an art form and as a form of popular literature. Manga has a huge global following and has had a major influence on international comics and animation.

Tezuka Osamu (1928-1989) drew over 150,000 pages of manga and created over 700 manga titles during his lifetime. His work is acclaimed for its complexity and originality and his drawings showcase an extraordinary calligraphic dynamism.

Tezuka: the Marvel of Manga is a tribute to the importance and depth of Tezuka’s creativity. The exhibition features over 200 original works from the late 1940s to the late 1980s including black and white ink drawings as well as colourful designs for covers and posters.

Philip Brophy, curator of the exhibition and Australia’s leading authority on Japanese manga and animation and said “This is the first time Tezuka’s original drawings have been seen outside of Japan. The exhibition presents the unique power and importance of the manga form within Japanese culture”.

Organised by the National Gallery of Victoria in association with Tezuka Productions in Tokyo, the exhibition features work from the two main streams within Tezuka’s prolific output; his manga for children and youth-based audience (including Astro Boy, Jungle Emperor and Princess Knight), and his gekiga (drama pictures) that are more seriously toned, adult orientated narratives (including Crime and Punishment, Buddha and Phoenix)."

Associated programs include:

Studio Ghibli free film series
Wednesdays 2pm & 7.15pm, Sundays 2pm
21 February to 29 April 2007
Broadening and expanding the horizons of the artform of anime (Japanese animation), Studio Ghibli is one of the most significant animation studios in Japan. Established in 1985, it continues in the philosophical tradition of Osamu Tezuka, the visionary creator of Astro Boy, producing magical, award-winning animations by renowned directors such as Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and others. This film series, screening in conjunction with "Tezuka: The marvel of manga", is a comprehensive showcase of the output of Studio Ghibli and includes such classic titles as The cat returns (2002), Spirited away (2001) and Kiki's delivery service (1989).

23 February to 29 April 2007
Art Gallery of New South Wales

W: http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/whats_on?eventid=2179

Fashion Photography Exhibition - MLC Centre

The MLC Centre is holding a Fashion Photography exhibition till the 30th March featuring images from bikinis to couture.

W: http://www.destinationfashion.mlccentre.com.au/index.asp

Stella McCartney for Target Australia

The Stella McCartney for Target collection was launched on Monday March 12 in selected Target stores in Australia. I popped in at the Burwood store around 9.30am. By this time, the racks were bare, the mannequins were stripped bare and there was a largish group of women standing around waiting for customers to return their unwanted items from the change rooms.

If you're still keen to look at the collection, you can either go online and view the images, or go to the Broadway Target store on April 5th (new Broadway Target store officially opens), as the website says they'll have the full collection there.

W: http://www.designersfortarget.com.au

Harbour Bridge 75th Anniversary

The Sydney Harbour Bridge had it's 75th Anniversary yesterday. It was closed to vehicles and opened for the public to walk it. It was a nice day, not too sunny or humid. Did the walk in the late afternoon and the trains to get to Millers Point Station were frequent and not very crowded, and walking on the bridge was pleasant and not too crowded either. Lots of people taking photos and just enjoying the view.

W: http://www.ourbridge.com.au