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High Adventures in the Great Outdoors

Music and Fragrances

There are quite a few commonalities between music and fragrances in that at closer inspection, both are based on harmonious compositions and notes that have been arranged and blended together in a concerted manner – all of which has been done to portray the composer’s vision that transcends the vehicle itself and is enhanced by the active engagement of the recipient.

Not unlike music, fragrances are a very personal thing every time I come across a new range that intrigues me, not unlike with music, I dig deeper to learn more about its evolution and the background of the creators.

Case in point: Goldfield and Banks.

Having fallen in love with the botanical side and the aromas of terra australis, one French-Belgian by the name of Dimitri Weber set out to capture his interpretation of the very essence of this sunburnt country. The result is a collection of gender-free fragrances, the common denominator of which is that their ingredients are unique to down under and have been channelled in this manner before,

What I specifically like about Dimitri channelled his alchemy is that he not only creates unique new fragrances but marries the tried and tested approaches of the old world via collaborations and consultations with established perfume houses with new influences to create an olfactory experience that is far from novelty territory, which is where similar endeavours often end.

If Goldfield & Banks’ range was music, it would be old school West-Coast punk rock as it reminds me of coastal walks, forests in spring and steamy heat and its implications all pervaded by a distinct DNA. While this might sound contradictory, it makes perfect sense once you indulge in the perfumes.

Given the aforementioned, it is not further wondrous that the name of Goldfield & Banks is an ode to one of Australia’s first botanist and naturalist s, i.e. Joseph Banks, whose life’s work was focussed on the documentation and collection of Australian plants and its botanical richness.

Not unlike music, fragrances can create an ambience and take you on a journey. Take for example Goldfield & Banks’ Pacific Rock Moss, which is an homage par excellence to the marine climate of Australia’s East Coast and summery nights courtesy of the melange of coastal moss and cedar wood.

The Wood Infusion expression  has, well, a telling name as the focus is firmly set on the wood prevalent on Fraser Island – think sandalwood, iris and oud wood, resulting in a dense, ambery  yet creamy complexity comparable in music terms to All.

Then there is my favourite of the trio, i.e.  Velvet Splendour, which could not only be a great name for a glam rock band but is also the olfactory equivalent to a Van Gogh painting with its aromas of sunburnt wildflowers  and mimosas, accentuated by delicate leathery notes and spicy highlights.

Not unlike music, fragrances can be loud and boisterous or subtle and delicate and what I like about Goldfield and Banks is that their fragrances effortlessly cover the whole claviature.

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image from company website

Drummer Queens

Lyric Theatre

Sydney, Australia

February 10, 2021

Quite a telling name Drummer Queens is, i.e. an all-female cast showcasing a tour de force in terms of powerful rhythms based on drumming, tap dancing and everything in between. In a well-choreographed manner, this original Australian brings to the fore not just a musical but also physical feats and hijinks.

Empowering in every sense of the word, the Sydney incarnation of the eight percussionist is comprised of a smorgasbord of musical styles and genres, pushing boundaries of what is commonly perceived to be possible and with high energy radiating consistently from stage.

The pedigree, backgrounds and professional expertise of each performer outside the confines of mere drumming shines through, e.g. orchestral engagements, actively and professionally playing instruments, acting and other related artistic stage incarnations.

With the better parts being reminiscent of the fantastic Korean Nanta show, minus the inventive use of household and other utensils, Drummer Queens is a vibrant and engaging evening full of rhythms, groove and musicianship and the audience seemed to revel in every ounce of energy with every reverberating beat and was eager to join in with clapping whenever prompted. An example par excellence for a banging time and our human response to sound and expression through performance art

Greenlights

Matthew McConaughey

Hachette Publishing

Love him, hate him – fact is that you’d be hard pressed to find anyone not remotely familiar with his face or some of the flics he has starred in.

Greenlights is McConaughey’s memoir where he reminisces about his first fifty years on this earthround by basing his experiences around the metaphor of traffic lights and his quest for “green lights” and the way he works around amber and red ones to help them eventually turning green.

Based on this concept, one learns about McConaughey’s upbringing and his formative years, before he launched his career via low-budget independent films, plateaued and the trials and tribulations on his road to super stardom and A-league celebrity status. Needless to say, there are quite a few engaging stories to be found when it comes to the highs and lows, which are amplified by McConaughey conveying them in a credible manner so the reader gets the impression that he is truly opening up about what moves him and his idiosyncratic perspective on the world.

Greenlights adds a storytelling string to McConaughey’s bow and there is more to be found than the mere recounting of occurrences as he infuses his stories with nuances of wit, self-deprecating humour and melancholy, without running danger of fabrication or sacrificing consistency.

Given his view on things and his outlook, the gist and takeaway is that his career is not only the product of raw ambition, work and grit but has been forged to a large extend due to his mindset and blind trust that the universe will set him up alright.

An entertaining, nicely illustrated tome that sheds light on McConaughey’s approach to life, which in the current turbulent time comes as a welcome, easy-to-digest  literary pause button.

Goya: A Portrait of the Artist

Janis Tomlinson

Princeton University Press

Claiming that coverage on the life and times of Francisco Goya has been patchy – at least outside the confines of the Spanish language, would be an understatement par excellence. It was about time for an in-depth biography, which Goya scholar Janis Tomlinson now provides.

Given Tomlinson’s expertise on the subject, it is intriguing to read how traditional notions and interpretations of Francisco Goya y Lucientes’s oeuvre are not only being challenged but counterpointed and debunked via an exhaustive array of hard facts, personal letters, court documents and previously unseen early sketches of Goya.

Tomlinson masterfully centres Goya and contextualises his artistic emissions around the upheavals that came with the age of transformation and instability of Spanish society and politics.

The result is a nuanced portrayal of an artist that contrary to popular belief is much less that of desolate, depressed soul infatuated with darkness and death, but one that has many facts all of which are powered by his ambition for invention, change and pushing the boundaries.

Sharing meticulously researched insights, Tomlinson’s critical thinking never results in an overly authoritative style but manages to trigger one to revisit his oeuvre with fresh eyes and reinforces the appreciation for Goya’s art, which has lost none of its impact and is as relevant as ever two centuries after his departure.

Brutal Aesthetics

Hal Foster

Princeton University Press

Given the barbarism of the first half of the twentieth century, i.e. the devastation and aftermath of World War II, the Holocaust, genocide as well as nuclear warfare and its implications, many not only turned to religion but the question that was raised within artistic circles was how art can help to navigate through such unprecedented turbulent times.

The outcome is a stream of modern art that can be referred to as  “brutal aesthetics” , which in essence is an artistic equivalent to the circumstances.

By approaching the topic from different angles, i.e. through the lens of the philosopher Georges Bataille, the painters Jean Dubuffet and Asger Jorn, and the sculptors Eduardo Paolozzi and Claes Oldenburg, Foster sets out to decipher art, define its very core and look for its essence to rise from the ashes.

The result is an immensely interesting study of historical and contemporary artistic practices, with often surprising recurring commonalities as far as themes and stylists devices are concerned, which sheds light on the directions artistic endeavour took from 1945 onwards and what role subversive, positive barbarism and creative destructivism played.

Specifically the section shedding light on how some artists masterfully manipulated art to not only invalidate the brut but being ambiguous to expose the culprits.

Foster manages to only highlight the merits of such manoeuvres but also unearths contradictions and artists whose undertakings (and the possible implications and reception thereof) were not thoroughly thought through.

The Formative Years

Iconic venues pt. 

On terra australis, there are quite a few iconic venues.

When it comes to medium-sized ones, Sydney’s style Enmore Theatre is amongst my favourite for shows. Given that it was erected at the beginning of the century, it is not only heritage-listed but also one of the longest running theatres in the Southern hemisphere. Designed by architects Kaberry and Chard it was originally incepted during a period where Australia was on a quest to determine a “national style”, which was influenced by both classical as well as the contemporary styles prevalent in the old world of the time and eventually resulted in the Enmore’s unique melange of art deco, Edwardian and art nouveau styles with its trademark rendered masonry and raised parapet.

Closely linked with the cultural and arts buzz that Newtown radiates, I have seen some of my favourite live shows there. As The Enmore is often chosen for secret or side shows of bigger acts, I was fortunate enough to witness acts as diverse as Bob Dylan, Dizzie Rascal, Icehouse, Lilly Allen, Sonic Youth, TLC and Oasis in its beautiful, intimate environment.

Apart from being a venue for performances, the late twentieth century saw The Enmore being used by the local community with the advent of independent thinking and activism, e.g. for local acts and performances in support of community interests. Location-wise, while being located outside Sydney’s CBD, it is easily reachable via public transport.

The State Theatre located smack bang in Sydney’s central business district is another heritage-listed theatre, where it hosts film screenings, live theatre and musical performances, and on an annual basis the formidable Sydney Film Festival.

Designed by the architect Henry Eli White in the late 1920s, who has an extensive track record of designing theatres, the State Theatre is a feast for the eyes as with its fly-tower stages, balconies and extravagant interior. With its Baroque details, a Gothic Hall, mosaic tiling, tiered seating and doomed ceiling it is a magnificent and ornate venue, which is an exercise par excellence when it comes to consistent composition, down to the street frontage.

I witnessed some fantastic shows there, including seeing Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds stage-side as well as comedy shows that could not have found a grander ambience. The cherries on top is a four-tonne heavy crystal chandelier as well as one of the bigger Wurlitzer organs in the Southern hemisphere.

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photos from respective venue website

pictured: Enmore Theatre (top), State Theatre (bottom)