Blog — Page 83 of 275

Vincent Ergo

Controlled Chaos Productions

107 Projects

Sydney, Australia

March 13, 2021

There are venues that seem to be custom-made for certain artistic incarnations and while 107 Projects is an artist led multidisciplinary creative, cultural and community organisation that has served as the forum for a myriad of diverse events and workshops, with its multi-levels, nooks and crannies, it proves to be ideal for an immersive theatre experience, where audience members are invited to freely roam through the space to explore the trials and tribulations of Vincent van Gogh.

Zeroing in on the tail end of van Gogh’s life, Controlled Chaos Productions created a truly enveloping world where the creative whole is much more than the sum of expertly executed sound and lighting design, costumes and the acting skills of the ten performers.

The journey starts with a complimentary drink at ‘The Night Cafe’, a haunt Vincent and other derelicts used to frequent, where one is invited to ease into the experience before traveling with van Gogh through the streets of France, catch a glimpse of him at the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole and get an intimate impression of his passions and desires by not only encountering the women he pursued, but through active interaction with the key figures of his life.

The fact that each participant has the opportunity to have an idiosyncratic experience with different options and narratives happening simultaneously in differently themed rooms, including private experiences where audience members become part of the performance, only adds to the appeal.

Having experienced quite a few immersive theatre performance before, Vincent Ergo proves to be one of the more inspired ones with utmost attention being paid to detail and a commitment to enabling the audience to have a great time while roaming through the set, e.g. by enabling them to enjoy some of van Gogh’s more prominent paintings through visuals and projections, without solely relying on the performances.

Summa summarum and without giving away too much as I do not want to spoil the experience, Vincent Ergo is a fantastic immersive experience based on a well-thought out script with an immensely talented cast. It should thrill both art aficionados as well as those keen to feel actively involved in a theatrical play with the guarantee that each person will end of with a unique experience.

I cannot wait to see what Controlled Chaos Productions will tackle next.

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image courtesy of Controlled Chaos Productions

Thus Let Us Drink Beer – Camperdown (Wayward RSA HAZY IIPA) versus Newtown (Young Henry’s

“Carry on, my wayward son…”, indeed.

When it comes to quality craft beers, Wayward Brewing is at the forefront of the Australian brewing institutions, not merely with its distinguished and accolade decorated core range but specifically with its limited, special releases.

I have been waiting with bated breath for Wayward to channel its alchemy in a new IIPA incarnation and while it has taken far too long, it has finally hatched – the RSA Double Hazy IPA.

As the name suggests, this baby’s hoppy bitterness is counterbalanced by a triumvirate of Simcoe, Amarilla and Rakau hops – which in another order gave birth to the acronym this juicy beer goes under -  set against a backbone of citrussy nuances and stone fruity highlights.

There are piny, resinous flavours blending in with grapefruity notes, which form a delicious melange of juicy haziness.

I could have done with a tad more astringency, as Wayward’s RSA is almost too smooth for my taste. However, when I teamed it with an Octomore 8.3, it proved to be a heavenly more-ish companion.

Let’s switch from Kansas to the Wu Tang Clan and ….”a dream with plans to make B.R.E.A.M.- Beer Rules Everything Around Me.”

We have covered Young Henry’s before and for good reason as they are not only one of the most support worthy breweries out there with their foci set on both community mindedness and sustainability, but also have refined a kick ass core range of brews.

Their “Brewer B-sides” comprises their limited edition range, which in the past has produced such fantastic emissions as a Pink Floyd themed Dark Blueberry Sour or an ode to Van Halen and Diamond Dave with their collaboration with Sydney’s Brix Distillery, i.e. the rum and raising brown ale known as “Rumming with the Devil”.

The most recent YH’s Brewers B-sides is an a tour de force in terms of hoppiness, i.e. an  East Coast Double IPL and a less subtle homage to the hip hop stalwarts from Staten Island.

I love the melange of orange nuances as it weaves in citrussy highlights, piny accents and hints of chocolatey, sweet maltiness. Despite the relatively high ABV of 7%, it is a dangerously more-ish, perfectly sessionable lager.

One of my favourite Young Henry’s releases is the limited edition dark ale, aptly named “Motorcycle Oil”, which in an ideal world should have become the official Motorhead beer instead of the abominations that flood the market.

Originally incepted as a winter beer – Australian winter that is – this is one of the better porter beers I have had the delight to sample, as its trademark roastiness is backed by a dominant piny American hoppiness and an excellently calibrated bitterness.

powerHouse Books – Art of Sneakers and Art on Deck

powerHouse Books is one of the more interesting publishing houses as with its diverse portfolio, it covers a range of areas from pop cultural phenomena via books zeroing in on celebrities to fine art, with the common denominator being the endeavour to break through the stasis of the publishing industry and to challenge notions and perceptions.

With over twenty-five years and an array of fantastic release under its belt, powerHouse Books has firmly established itself on the firmament of quality publishers in the realm of illustrated books on culture.

One of the areas that powerHouse has been covering since 2002 are sneakers and by partnering directly with the respective brands, has been key to the success of their emissions, with specifically taking things to the next level when it comes to visual appeal and aesthetics. In essence, it felt like powerHouse was closer to the core than other publishers that were merely documenting what was already out there.

An example par excellence for the craft powerHouse Books channels its alchemy in is the Art of Sneakers, which is in essence an homage to the creative minds of sneaker creators, who took cues from the Jordan generation to push the envelope further. What makes Art of Sneakers interesting is that it tackles the sujet not only from a fashionist viewpoint but elaborates from angles such diverse as sports, music and art and how the design and influences of sneakers have been informed and influenced by other art forms like e.g. sculpting and origami.

A two way street really, as The Art of Sneakers showcases how sneaker art is in turn influencing other art forms and by that not only makes for colourful eye candy on your coffee table, but serves as a source of inspiration not merely for sneaker heads but for anyone remotely interested in art at large.

Art on Deck is another excellent powerHouse Books, which exemplifies their strengths when it comes to brand collaborations. The focus in this case is on Supreme and how their approach to the creation of their unique skateboard range created a new genre. Art on Deck not only documents all the rare decks, but also shows them in action in their natural habitats.

Supreme’s collaboration are being shed light on via interviews with artists including names like Kaws, Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami, Jeff Koons, and Raymond Pettibon, framed by contextualised essays and photography.

High Adventures in the Great Outdoors – I scream “ice cream”!

There is a reason why many is song is dedicated to ice cream and more often than not literally, and not merely metaphorically. There is not only the classic “Like ice in the sunshine” by Beagle Music Ltd., which became synonymous with Langnese, but Van Halen’s, Blur’s and Tom Waits’ odes to the “Ice Cream Man” as well as Raekwon’s, Master P’s, Lil Pump’s and other hip-hop artists’ thinly veiled ice cream related allusions to less savoury pursuits.

There are regions on this earthround where there is never not ice cream season. Not unlike pizza, even if it is not great, ice cream is usually still good, tasty and usually indulgent, full of calories, sugar and other nasties.

When you scan your supermarket of choice these days and peruse the pints, bars, pops, sandwiches, and other frozen treats, the range of offerings has never catered to a bigger spectrum of tastes, quality of ingredients, packaging claims, and even nutritional value.

While it is usually easy to avoid the worst offenders in terms of lame product claims, it can get tiring to look at the details and largely, healthy ice cream still sounds like contradiction per se.

However, ice cream has come a long way and healthier options are becoming more commonplace and the pointers I usually go by is to look at fewer and more recognizable ingredients and the sugar versus fat trade-off.

After quite a bit of trial and error, I came across FroPro, which does not sacrifice flavour, the creamy and rich experience that is tucking into a pint, yet pretty much eliminates nasties.

What I like about FroPro is that it is much less sweet yet less grainy and bland than other ice cream brands that pride themselves with being healthier alternatives.

The FroPro “singles” come in an array of flavours, with the salted caramel being a favourite, and despite the full flavour it lacks artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols – instead it gets its filling and satisfying qualities from the high protein content.

While ice cream will remain to be a sometimes food, the flavour rich FroPro formula nalls what a healthier ice cream experience can look like.

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image from company website

Water of Life – Seppeltsfield Road Distillers

With gin distilling having exploded in both demand and offerings and no end in sight when it comes to mushrooming, methinks we are nearing two hundred gin distilleries on terra australis.

It is always nice to come across a new one that adds new nuances when it comes to channelling their alchemy in the creation of bright, fresh, exciting, and delicious craft gins. – made with forbearance, assiduity, and the highest quality additives.

Incepted by the Durdins, i.e. a juniper-berry juice loving couple, and named after the picturesque, palm-lined stretch of road in the Barossa valley, Seppeltsfield Road Distillers have firmly established themselves on the firmament of premium gin crafters.

Merely two years after the release of its first emissions, Seppeltsfield Road Distillers are drowning in accolades and awards – both on national and international stages, so it was high time if their gins live up to the hype.

Now, for the uninitiated The Barossa Valley is one of the most renowned wine-producing regions in the Southern part of Australia, with shiraz being their pre-eminent grape variety.  Needless to say, I was intrigued about what Seppeltsfield Road Distiller’s Shiraz gin was going to be like.

In a bid to create nuances of soft tannins resting on a backbone of complex and rich shiraz fruit flavours, macerated shiraz grapes are infused with hints of juniper, cinnamon and orange along with botanicals like starflower and lemon-limey cilantro.

Having tried and road-tested the Seppeltsfield Barossa Gin both in a Negroni, G & T and neat, I must say that it is an excellent sipper and dangerously more-ish.

I harbour a weak spot for distilleries that are committed to provenance and the way Seppeltsfield Road Distillers are distilling grape spirits and enhance them with idiosyncratic locally sourced botanicals is an example par excellence for not merely swimming fairway in the waves of the gin craze but take things to the next level not only with their gins but also their gear, with their still having been custom-made for their operations.

I cannot wait to visit and sample their Barossa Brandy.

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image from company website