Innholdsfortegnelse for March - April 2019 i frankie Magazine

the concept of ‘time out’ sent shivers down our pre-pubescent spines. Sitting quietly in one spot while we ponder all the things we’ve done wrong? No thanks – we’ll make the bed and stop piffing spitballs at our brothers, sorry Mum! But as time marched on and we got the hang of household chores (and saliva-covered missiles somehow lost their charm), we found a new appreciation for a little time out. A moment to take a quick breath and regroup; a break from the never-ending hustle and bustle. No longer a dreaded punishment, we’ve come to realise that time outs are an essential and happy-making part of life. They could be big (a jaunt across the globe to try on a new home); small (burying your nose in a dreamy…

Who are you and what do you do? I’m a photographer based in Belarus. I mostly work on independent documentary projects and make portraits. The topics I’m particularly interested in are gender, womanhood, physicality and memory. Tell us about this project, White Dress. Marriage is the greatest concern for many women of different ages, social statuses and backgrounds in Belarus. Being married, and having a family and children, are still regarded as important indicators of a woman’s personal success. A popular belief endows the wedding gown with a mystical power to preserve a happy marriage forever – as long as you keep it. When I first created this project, I was reflecting on the theme of women’s memory, thinking about recollections that are purely feminine and can’t appear in a…

We’ve come a long way in breaking down societal taboos, yet for many of us, death remains a difficult subject to broach. In Annie Bolitho’s experience, it’s not that we’re uninterested in talking about death – it’s that we lack the ritual and place to do so. Annie is the facilitator and organiser of the not-for-profit Death Café Melbourne. Four times a year, a dozen strangers gather over tea and cake to speak honestly about their experiences with the five-letter word. Together, they share personal stories, ruminate on philosophical questions, and help each other deal with the practical side of death – things like organising wills and funerals. Above all, Annie sees the get-togethers as a free and open space for discussion. “I try to build relationships between people so…

Mojo Juju is fierce. It’s impossible to break eye contact with her album cover, or look away from the mesmerising film clip for its titular song, “Native Tongue”. The intensity of the imagery matches the record itself: a blend of soul, blues and hip hop that draws heavily on Mojo’s personal experience as a queer woman of colour with Indigenous heritage. “I wanted to tell my grandmother’s story about her relationship with her parents,” Mojo explains. “Her father was Wurundjeri and her mother was white, and they weren’t allowed to be together. These things have a lasting effect.” Having grown up around music – her maternal grandmother was a soprano and grandfather played the trumpet – Mojo acknowledges the inevitability of following such a career path. “It was my most…

When Oli Reade’s uncle passed him a bottle of salvaged ink to muck around with, he didn’t think too much of it – after all, every artist appreciates free supplies. Then he learned there was 80,000 litres of the stuff, just sitting in tanks on the outskirts of Melbourne. Oli’s uncle, a chemist at the Close The Loop recycling facility, had unwittingly handed him a business plan. “The ink is a by-product of discarded printer cartridges they crush at the plant,” Oli explains. “They can reuse the plastic in road bitumen, but have no use for the ink. So heaps has just been collected over time and burned off as energy every now and then.” Once the initial excitement over a potentially endless supply of free ink had passed, Oli…

INVISIBLE INK Often tied to espionage, war and power struggles, invisible ink has a long and storied history. Take the humble lemon, for instance, which has long been used to transfer secret messages. A note written in its acidic juice will disappear when dry, only to reveal itself once heat is applied to either side of the paper. The ol’ lemon juice ink-plus-open flame trick was used to deliver messages between desert towns across the Arab world from 600CE, right up until World War I. Most infamous is the case of the WWI Lemon Juice Spies – a German immigrant and an English baker who joined forces to report British troop movements to the Germans using the innocuous citrus fruit. As decades passed, governments devoted more resources to creating new…

PHILLY COWDREY DESIGNS My jewellery reflects my lifelong passion for textiles and craft. You’ll find bold shades aplenty here, along with graphic patterns and playful shapes, all made in Sydney. I also offer a bespoke service with custom designs for special occasions.phillycowdreydesigns.etsy.com BLUE BEETLE CO. Our polymer clay studs are fun and quirky decorations for your lobes. If you need a conversation starter, look no further. Each little pop of colour is handmade, meaning no two pairs are alike. Plus, we always have something new in store.bluebeetleco.com.au FRINGE MYRTLE We make an eclectic assortment of colourful wooden jewellery, inspired by the Australian bush and its curious critters. Based in Sydney, we love celebrating the wealth of unusual flora and fauna around us, using sustainably sourced materials.fringemyrtle.com.au LUNAR DEESIGNS We could…

The worst thing about housework is that it’s never finished. No matter how much hair you pull out of the shower drain, the demonic forces of entropy will always conspire to replace cleanliness with filth. Certain tasks are more soul-destroying than others, though, so here is my ranking, from least to most horrible, of the inescapable hell that is household chores. COOKING I know some people who would rather chip bunions off the feet of an angry rhino than make dinner. They are baffling to me. Cooking is the perfect chore: it’s only as hard as you make it, and at the end you get to eat some food. The reason I include it here is because you have to clean up after you cook. No one wants to scrape…

Oh, frankie. The reminiscing! I’m sure as an ’80s toddler I paddled in a blow-up duck ring in the pool photographed by Kate Berry for issue 87’s “OK Motels”. I remember I was petrified of the pool plug! But I must say, the sight of the quintessential breakfast window was the real winner. Before children, my husband and I roadtripped up the Queensland coast, and our only selection criteria for a motel was that it had to have an old-school breakfast window! Thank you for the memories. Sofie xx Dear frankie, I’ve been reading your pages, but have you been reading my mind? I’ve been snipping magazines and creating collages in my friends’ birthday cards for so long, and I was overjoyed to see a section of issue 87 dedicated…

A lot of people want to retire young these days, and they’re aggressively pursuing frugal fiscal policies or risky investment strategies to get there faster. The problem? They’re spending so much time plotting their path that they haven’t considered what they’ll do when they get there. They’re racing towards the edge of an existential crisis. Like so many before them, they’ll end up latching onto the first hobby they find and spending directionless days beading bracelets or making rocking horses from plywood. More power to them, I guess. My strategy is the opposite. I’m spending all my time planning what I’ll do in retirement; how I’ll fritter away those winding days. I have grand plans. (The flipside of this strategy, of course, is that I’m yet to work out any…

I hate clothes shopping. I would rather fish out the wet food that doesn’t quite make its way down the kitchen sink, or pop the lid off a jar of sauerkraut first thing in the morning, or participate in market research about my bowel movements every day for the rest of my life than go clothes shopping. I’ve even fantasised about inheriting a small fortune from the elderly, childless widow across the road, just so I’d have enough money to employ a stylist to miraculously deliver clothing to my doorstep. Sadly, that option seems unlikely, and therefore, I must shop. Professional athletes psychologically prepare before a big race, and I do the same before I enter the world of retail. While they manifest crossing the finish line in record time,…

AVAHLOU IN A SENTENCE: Unique handmade jewellery inspired by animal prints, clashing colours, glitz and glam // WHAT WE SELL: Ear candy! A wide range of stud and drop earrings for a night out, bridal party or just to let everyone know you like to keep it cool. We also sell necklaces, rings, lanyards and soon, wall art // PRICE POINT: From $12 to $55 // WHAT MAKES THE SHOP SPECIAL: Our love of colour, patterns, texture and pushing the fashion boundaries makes us stand out from the crowd. You’ll be able to spot a pair of Avahlou earrings a mile away! // FIND US: instagram.com/avahlou GEORGIE DAPHNE IN A SENTENCE: Handcrafted pieces that bring botanical beauty into home sweet homes // WHAT WE SELL: Round cushions, art prints, and…

I once had a ‘psychic’ tell me success would come once I’d popped out a few babies. “Spirit wants you to have it all,” she told me brightly, while I shrank back into my seat. “There are three souls waiting for you.” Three? I mean, fuck. I have severe doubts about psychics in general, especially the ones who channel invisible guides, but lady, read the room. I chose not to dim her enthusiasm by telling her that, while I think rugrats are cute, I wasn’t even sure I wanted a baby, let alone a minivan full of them. Instead, I played along as she continued to paint my future life, and my future children’s personalities, then left with regret about more than just my unshakeable interest in the mystical forces…

Modelling wasn’t the expected career path for a self-confessed “community girl” like Perina Drummond. The 31-year-old founder of Jira Models – a modelling and talent agency for Indigenous faces – hails from the Torres Strait, a place far removed from the fashion industry hubbub in Australia’s major cities. But growing up in a creative household, among family who sewed everything from curtains to dresses, Perina decided early on that she’d pursue a career in fashion. She moved to Brisbane to attend a boarding school at age 12. “Job prospects back home would be very low after school,” she explains. “So I had to make the hard choice to move away.” A few years on, she signed to a Brisbane modelling agency, landing sporadic modelling gigs and winding up a state…

FAKING IT WON’T HELP YOU MAKE IT Something I now know to be true is that you’re much more resonant when you're being authentic and honest. When I was first starting out, I tried really hard to be what I thought I should be; to be the person I thought the world would want. I would have been more powerful and compelling just being the person I am, though. That's when things really connect. People usually like it way more than if you’re trying to be some fancy-pants. CREATIVITY NEVER SLEEPS The strangest place I’ve found inspiration is a Ken Burns documentary about the First World War. A couple of years ago, I went through a really bad patch of insomnia. I used to fall asleep watching those Ken Burns…

Eighteen months ago, I hauled my shit halfway across the world and discovered something important about everyone who lives in the Pacific: we’re significantly funnier than literally everyone else. When I moved to the United States of Terrible Politics, I figured there’d be a period of cultural re-adjustment. Some time to get used to the lack of real coffee and Vegemite. But I didn’t expect to spend 90 per cent of my days explaining that everything I say is a kind of, sort of joke. “Nah, I totally love train delays,” does not always read as sarcasm, and my constant stream of self-deprecating commentary has led many unsuspecting Americans to reassure me that I am “worthy”. There’s something about life at the bottom of the globe that makes it hard…

Here’s some depressing news: even in the farthest reaches of the universe, the Me Too movement has reason to exist. Humanity now has the ability to spy on something close to the beginnings of creation; a journey through time as well as space. But just like everywhere else, it seems most of that time and space is reserved for guys. No one told Dr. Rachael Livermore that when she first got started in astrophysics, though. For her, it began the old-fashioned way: by being a total nerd. “I got into it through science fiction,” Rachael says. “I used to read vociferously when I was a kid. I had a single mother who couldn't keep up with my reading habit, so she would just pick up whatever she could find in…

CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS BY SALLY ROONEY Rooney’s debut is a great example of the confusion, intensity, love, fear and self-absorption that defines the relationships of your 20s. Frances is in an on-again, off-again – mostly off-again – relationship with her best friend, Bobbi. Their power-plays alone make this a wonderful, if painful, novel on love. Then they meet a captivating couple, and so begins a tale of adultery so raw and vulnerable that it feels it must have been written from life. One second you’ll want to shake some sense into Frances; the next you’ll pitifully empathise with her shitty millennial decisions. JUST KIDS BY PATTI SMITH It’s no bodice-ripper, and there are no glistening abs or maidens in distress, but Just Kids is woven with the kind of genuine…

I was born in a Port Moresby hospital in Papua New Guinea in 1979. The week I was born, there was a strike at the hospital, and all the babies were packed off to different places. I was wrapped up and put in a taxi, and sent to the home of Adele and Hartmut Hensch. Adele was English and had been working at the hospital as a nurse. She and Hartmut had four school-aged children, and were living in Papua New Guinea because he was the international rep for a German company. One week with them turned into a few months, then, when they wanted to leave the country a year later, they decided to adopt me. We went back to Germany for a couple of years, then moved to…

Where is it? 25 Preston Street, Preston, Melbourne. Describe Arepa Days in a sentence. Carolina Talero: A piece of who we are. Santiago Villamizar: Our fifth child, made out of corn, coffee and love. Tell us a bit about your backgrounds. CT: We came to Australia 13 years ago from Colombia. Our plan was to study master’s degrees in communication design and IT, and after finishing them we worked in those fields for a couple of years. But then we fell in love with the café concept – and Santiago was determined to find a place to sell South American arepas and coffee. Our first café, SONIDO!, came to life in Fitzroy in 2010. It was our baby before Sol (4), Coco (stillborn) and Mar (1) came into our lives.…

People aren’t cruel. Sometimes, they’re just a bit stupid. When you’re first diagnosed, some people will cry and fiercely grab hold of your elbows (it’s always the elbows). Others will become the suburban Florence Nightingale and decide they’re your “special cancer buddy”, when it’s really just about gaining cred. These people aren’t mean. They just don’t know any better. Which is why you need to… …use your cancer dog whistle. This is a fantastic tool all cancer sufferers will deploy, whether they know it or not. You’ll use phrases, relate anecdotes and answer questions in the same language you want to come back at you. Whether that’s raw profanity or spiritually enlightened positivity, you’ll quickly weed out the people who aren’t on your page. Those who can’t cope will back…