Innholdsfortegnelse for September-October 2016 i frankie Magazine

When I was a Helen who stood at half the height of the averagely-heighted Helen of the present, I adored many of my mother’s magazines. Sure, there were instructions on How To Treat Your Husband Right and Reducing Your Waistline For Him, but this tripe aside, what they also had was an intense focus on the private life of people like my mother. I remember, in large part, reading those periodicals of my childhood not as a call to excel in domestic labour, but in domestic creativity. It’s not badto take pleasure in small and beautiful things. To think about one’s kitchen garden or one’s sewing kit or toolbox is not necessarily to think about how one can serve others better – it’s to indulge that fairly ancient human urge…

Right up until I turned 16, I always looked five years older than my age. Primary school was very confusing. I was a tall, awkward squinter with well-pronounced frown lines that made me seem ‘mature’. The façade crumbled as soon as I opened my mouth, though. I might have had the face of a well-developed young lady, but my social skills were right on par with my age. When I entered my late teens, things evened out. Puberty took long service leave, I stopped growing, and everyone around me caught up. My face has looked more or less the same ever since. In the scheme of things, this isn’t a big problem. I walk around looking five years younger than I am, and I get a lot of kindly looks…

Hello! What’s the Guide to Computing project all about? It takes some of the most fascinating computers from the early days of our computing history and presents them as new, showroom-fresh models. Where did your fascination with computers and their evolution come from? I love the analogue aesthetic. Knobs, dials, buttons, switches – it’s a tactile thing. Put me in front of something with buttons on it and I’ll want to play with it. Technological advances have moved us away from these kinds of interactions, and I miss it. What did you want to highlight with this series? Design in computing – i.e. the way the machines look – was very much a consideration way back when. I think people assume it all began with Apple and the Mac, but…

WRITING A MEMOIR I lived in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina, and started writing about my life at that time. I kept going back through my history, and couldn’t just brush over the fact I used to be in this band – it was pretty important to a lot of people, and important to me. I realised that’s what the book had to be about. A lot of that time in my life was really hard and painful, so I avoided it and was defensive about it. I didn’t think it was the most interesting thing about me – I didn’t want to feel my life was over at 23. But it was good to be in really deep and finally get some perspective and understanding. THE LIGHT…

IT Before I re-watched IT (which, FYI, is a TV miniseries based on Stephen King’s novel, not technically a film), I managed to convince myself that I would not be afraid – not even a teeny-tiny bit. “I think I was only scared the first time because I was an idiot and because I was 12,” I found myself reasoning as I hit play. But then I spent the next three hours whimpering, covering my face and sometimes yelling, “Oh no, I remember this part!” before running out of the room. IT is still creepy as heck. Tim Curry in clown make-up as Pennywise is still the stuff of nightmares. A demonic being preying on children’s fears (and luring them into stormwater drains) is just plain messed up. Hold me.…

It all started as a total joke, says Chastity Belt’s frontwoman Julia Shapiro. The Californian native – who took up guitar at age 12, the same time she started getting into punk – formed the band with her close friends when they were at college in Walla Walla, Washington. “There was this contest,” she explains, “a battle of the bands for this frat, and we thought it would be funny if we entered. We put this song together about wearing a lot of eyeliner and stealing cigarettes from our mums. We called it ‘Surrender’. After that, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s not that hard,’ and I just started to write joke songs.” Chastity Belt is the result of that joke: a chilled-out four-piece who write tunes about mansplaining, nip-slips and…

“think of it as paid work, but the pay just comes later” When faced with an invitation to join a group of strangers for canapés, chardonnay and networking, there are those who high-five and plan their elevator pitch, and those who hyperventilate and plot their escape. These handy tips are for the latter group – the hyperventilating Houdinis. SMILE, EVEN WHEN YOU’RE CRYING INSIDE Imagine walking into a room where one person is scowling and another is smiling. You’re going to approach the one with the dumb grin, right? So be that person. You need only tweak the muscles in your cheeks to turn that nervous frown upside down. Practise in the mirror before you go, and try to make your eyes smile while you’re at it – it’ll be…

Dear frankie, It’s my usual habit to set you aside somewhere safe after you arrive in my letterbox, then retrieve you like a long-lost friend when I need some effective frankie-loving. Tonight, after a horrendous break-up, I went to envelop myself in your pages and the delightful concept of congee. Approximately three minutes later, I had a bowl of plain old steaming oats-and-water porridge. However, the healing effect was just as apt. Thank you, dear frankie. Catherine x Dearest frankie, I came across the article “Welcome to Swan Lake” and my heart stopped. It was to this place, by the “heart-shaped lake”, that I went every January with my family and friends since I was nine. As us children grew older and the idea of renovations and new management loomed,…

Scribbling their way through the Melbourne lettering scene as solo creatives (and often unknowingly being hired to work the same jobs), Eliza Svikulis, Kate Pullen, Wanissa Somsuphangsri and Carla Hackett are now the Letterettes. Having found themselves seated together at an annual Christmas card gig amid gift tags, sparkles and baubles, a crafty idea was born: to officially join forces and manage the growing demand for live typography as a team. “I hadn’t even finished my sentence before Carla excitedly exclaimed, ‘Yes, I’ll be in a band with you!’” Eliza says. Kate and Wanissa were just as keen, and before they’d even finished their shift, a brainstorming session exploring names and costume ideas had begun. “Rather than competing with each other, we decided it was wiser for us to come…

Imagine a blanket that never wears out – one that magically reweaves into a spiffy new affair each time it gets too old and raggedy. Sounds far-fetched, right? Yet that’s essentially what Brisbane-born sisters Karina and Sam Seljak have created. The pair have always been close friends and super-keen to collaborate, despite initially embarking on rather different paths – Sam studied economics and journalism at university then worked for an Indigenous creative agency and ran a Brisbane arts space, while Karina studied fashion design and moved to New York City for a fashion internship. There, Karina fell into Brooklyn’s local food production scene, much of which was based around closed-loop principles that side-step waste by recycling and reusing the same resources over and over again. “We would go in together…

BE UPFRONT All guests have a use-by date, so make sure you let your host know ahead of time when you’ll be arriving and departing their abode. Will it be a fly-by-night visit for the weekend? Or are you planning on putting down roots for a month? Now’s not the time to go fuzzy on the details – after all, there’s nothing fun about having to ask your mate when they plan to hit the road. FOLLOW THE RULES If you’ve ever lived in a sharehouse or dorm, you’ll know this: expectations differ wildly when it comes to daily routines. You’re on their turf now. Ask your host about things like noise, curfews and what should go in the dishwasher. If they’re penny-pinching, don’t leave the heating on all night.…

Before I begin, a disclaimer: What I’m about to tell you goes way beyond sexual preference. It’s not about sex at all. It’s more primal than that – this is great ape stuff. I am obsessed with boobs. My family tells me that I’m a staring mouth-breather. It’s true, but unintentional. I regularly zone out and stare off, mouth open, brain quiet. Ten per cent of the time I’m staring at the wall; the other 90 per cent? Boobs. I have tiny boobs. They’d be more than a handful if I were to date a Smurf. I once got fitted for a bra at Myer and the attendant told me that because my boobs sit far apart on my broad chest, I need a D cup, not an A. Ecstatic,…

SEPTEMBER OCTOBER This artwork was created in my Beijing studio. I used printed maps that I bought from a bookstore and a piece of stainless steel panel. I moulded the maps with my hands to imitate a mountain range – using a process of trial and error – then I photographed it. It took about a month to complete, from making the set to taking the photos. This piece imitates marvellous spectacles like the Tianchi crater lake on the border of China and Korea. I used the map as a material to simulate ‘natural’ mountain scenery, where the beautiful shape of the mountains and their hollow shells form a paradoxical relationship. This is exactly how I feel about the state of the world today. We’re living in the reality…

WHY IS THIS BUS SEAT WET? Has it been raining recently? YES: Then it’s probably rainwater from someone’s umbrella – nothing to worry about. NO: Oh… umm… well… it could be a lot of things… like… wine… or… yoghurt… or… cough syrup… or… cervical mucus. Maybe just sit there and pretend nothing’s wrong. Marinating in wet bus seat juices is the only way to maintain your dignity now. IS THAT A TIME-TRAVELLING WAR CRIMINAL SITTING RIGHT OVER THERE? You might think this sounds a bit far-fetched, however I once spent a solid 20 minutes trying to figure out whether Heinrich Himmler was on my bus and what he might be doing there. Note: I’ve seen him twice since. Please report any sightings to me. IS THIS BUS FULL OF FARTS,…

When people move cities, everyone promises to stay in touch.“Have a nice trip! Besties forever.” Then a whole bunch of life happens. Your conversations stagnate. You stop using Skype. Friendships become memories of friendships that belong to a different version of yourself. Around two years ago, I left my home city for Melbourne. I waved my housemates goodbye, had multiple going away dinners, and then, afterwards, we mostly kept in touch. But, with one big exception, all my friendships changed, morphed and dampened in intensity. They turned into the types of relationships you have with people who you’ve known forever, but whose day-to-day life is, at current, a total mystery. Then there was Gemma. Even when we lived in the same city, worked in the same office and spent most…

When I’m with a guy, I tend to become addicted to his many smells. Because, of course, a man doesn’t produce just one smell. His hair produces one, his neck produces another, his armpits produce another still… and then there’s a whole symphony of smells that he directs, hopefully, towards the toilet. (Fortunately, I haven’t dated any men who pride themselves on the pungency of their farts, but I do believe they’re out there, somewhere, feasting on buckets of beans right now.) Reeking armpits are my absolute favourite. My last boyfriend, a Hebrew teacher and drummer (yes, the ‘cool teacher’ – the one whose identity is bound to his ponytail), attended weekly soccer practice, after which he would come to my house. “DON’T SHOWER,” I yelled in the doorway. He…

Palliative care is a field of medicine where we focus on people’s symptoms and how their illness is making them feel, rather than curing the underlying pathology. Say, for example, they’re a patient with cancer: they’ll be admitted under the oncology team who look after the treatment of their cancer, while I come along and say, “Is your cancer giving you any pain? Are you having any trouble breathing? Any trouble with your appetite or fatigue?” I then come up with a medical treatment plan in conjunction with the oncologists or the relevant treating team. It’s often thought that we only work with patients in their final days, but it could be anywhere from the last few hours of life to people who still have many months, or even years,…

  Tell us a bit about yourself. My name is Laurie and I’m a mostly-self-taught ceramicist working from my home studio in Perth. My work is colourful, humorous and a little bit irreverent. Were you always a ceramicist, or were you trained in something else beforehand? It was actually only four years ago that I signed up for a ceramics short course at TAFE – it was like a summer workshop where you go in and play with clay, then come away with some dodgy little Christmas presents for your family. I’d worked with polymer clay before that, making miniature sculptures and necklaces, but the tactile nature of the finished glossy pieces and that delicate ‘chimey’ sound they have when you tap on them was very satisfying to me. Talk…

Where is it? Level 2, 322 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Describe Hello Heartbreak in a sentence. A place to find the work of some amazing local artists and makers, while also being surrounded by plants and a squishy-faced cat named Mimis. Tell us about your range of products. How do you decide what to stock? I choose products completely on a feeling; a connection I have with the piece. If it makes my heart burst the minute I see it, it makes its way into the space. I don’t ever stop to consider how well something may or may not sell – but as a general rule, if you see something you really love, you should grab it because it usually doesn’t get restocked. Right now you’ll find ceramics, weaves, pins…

I’ve always had a love of animals, and that led to a love of animal-related wearables. I have around 50 dog-themed brooches, collected slowly over about five or six years. Most of them are Scottish terriers, or terrier-style dogs. They’ve generally been nabbed online or at markets, but I’ve collected quite a few in my travels around the world, too. They seem to be easier to get in America – not a lot of things were made in Australia in the numbers they were overseas, so buying online is an easier way to find them. I keep them in a little Scottie dog tin on my dresser (of course!) so I can see them when I get dressed. I like to keep my collection on display so they all get…

Ghana is not the kind of place where women become pilots. In fact, in the West African republic, where antiquated gender roles are often still the norm and poverty frequently forces girls with big dreams to live small, the country only crowned its first lady flier seven years ago. When Austrian-born filmmaker Monika Grassl heard about the man who trained that pilot, and the non-profit Ghanaian aviation school the pair then created to teach other girls to fly, she began planning a documentary. “I wanted to make a film that shows a positive image out of an African country – young women becoming pilots and going their own way,” Monika says. The film, Girls Don’t Fly – released earlier this year and currently doing the rounds of international film festivals…

ELLE DS PHOTOGRAPHY I shoot weddings, engagements, parties and portraits for families of all shapes and sizes. Based in Adelaide, but happy to travel anywhere, my snaps capture the quiet, quirky, tender and otherwise unseen little moments of your special day.elledsphotography.com MARY MARY STUDIO We’re a Melbourne-based duo of passionate, enthusiastic and energetic flower lovers. Using seasonal blooms and surprising combinations of colour, we create modern and striking floral arrangements that are just that little bit different.marymary.com.au THE THINKTREE Greeting cards, gift tags, writing sets and prints for any occasion (or no occasion at all!). Our paper products celebrate life’s special moments and adventures with a unique blend of fun, colour and quirk. Printed in Australia on recycled paper.thethinktree.com.au MEL BOULDEN PHOTOGRAPHY My wedding snaps tell an honest story, full…

Former physiotherapist Erin O’Callaghan always knew she wanted to grow veggies. But, despite keeping small-scale vegetable patches and feeling a constant itch to be outside more, it was going back home to care for her ailing grandmother that finally gave her the push she needed to pursue her farming urges. “My grandparents were sheep and broadacre cropping farmers,” she explains. “That’s a pretty tricky area to get into, so I started looking into different options.” After getting her certificate in permaculture and working on some other small-scale farms on the coast of New South Wales, Erin set up her own market garden, RAD Growers, just outside her hometown of Albury. The farm smells like crispness, according to Erin. “But that might just be because it’s so cold at the moment,”…