I love the work that Roundangle does. Their multi-sensory adventures are challenging and fun. This one was at the Melbourne museum, and made for the under-five crowd. So i invited Isabella and Lynne to join me and we had a lovely day.

At the beginning of the show, we were invited to crawl past the cardboard city, through the plastic-filled tent into the forest of the senses. Most adults thought this was a children-only affair, but Ilan and i agreed that we were definitely going to join in this adventure.

Plus the stage manager insisted that i “Crawl Through the Tent Michael!!”

(i paid my $2 and i’m not missing a single moment!)

They taught us the Indigenous phrase for ‘welcome to country’ – WoMinJaika – and as each group called out their part of the word, we were called to our part of the journey.

A forest fairy made us all into seeds, growing us with sun and water and love, sharing the treasures of native Quandong and Lemon Myrtle. An old woman of the mountains showed us how to make soup with Mountain pepper leaves and Old Man’s Weed.

A delightful honey bee took us into the flower forest and showed us how to sprinkle our pollen on the flowers. This was really fun.. huge flowers that opened up and produced fruit as we showered our pollen.

And then the spirit of the rocks, who brought his very small puppet mate along to share wattle seeds. (Really yum seeds and great puppet work!)

Afterwards Lynne said one thing she liked was that they weren’t doing that hyper-energetic, super-lively “children’s theatre” thing, but rather playing to a crowd of all ages, and telling warm engaging stories with a sense of kindness and humour. i think by the end of it, most of the adults had learned to join in as well.

i wish it was on again soon: i’d tell you to go and see it. Especially if you can take children along with you. Great work Roundangle people!

Bunjilaka: WhatsOn Display Page.

This is extraordinary.

Listen to the story about a woman who taught a 27 year old Nicaraguan man how to understand language for the first time. “Something about his eyes caught her attention.” She uses sign to communicate, and he echoes everything she signs – right back at her. “Visual echolalia.” She could see intelligence in his eyes, but realised that he had no language; he didn’t even know he was deaf.

“What have you been doing for 27 years?” she wonders.

Listen for the moment when everything changes. It brings tears to my eyes when i hear what happened.

(function(){var s=function(){__flash__removeCallback=function(i,n){if(i)i[n]=null;};window.setTimeout(s,10);};s();})();

via Words – Radiolab.

From the people at Radiolab. These 2 men make radio that seems to flow in a kind of liquid conversational story. The narrative is so beautifully woven from multiple voices, without signalling when the voice changes.

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So Amarina and i went to see Jamie Lidell at the East Brunswick club. i’m still reeling with the pleasure of the experience. He is funny, fabulous and so funky! Did we dance? Oh Yes. Everybody danced.

A good, well-balanced set of old and new. i’m so glad he played one or two of the solo numbers – the ones where he builds up the entire song using his voice and some kind of loop pedal / electro board thingie. The one i recall is “The City”.

The rest of the set, he plays with a fantastic drummer and this astonishingly energetic keyboard guy, who went topless and sweaty at the first opportunity (it was a hot evening). In contrast Jamie kept the black and silver vinyl jacket on all night, occasionally flashing us the neon heart blinking away from the inner lining.

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Here are some videos showing his enchanting and soulful vocal beats. Not as good as live, but hey.

The official vid of Multiply

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i just found this entry from Dellywood. Yay for Dell she caught the photo finish at the [Secret Location] Cup Day Derby. i have some photos too from last year’s Billy Cart Rally but haven’t put them anywhere public yet. i heard rumours that the guy who won had been training for months. He was a wild-card re-entrant after being knocked out early on. He is also the one who filmed all the other races by following on his skateboard; and for that i think his victory was so well-deserved.

Eastment St Derby 2010 on Vimeo on Vimeo

Here’s some footage from 2009, shot by Man Monkey Durphy. The winner that year was top3 in 2010 as well, i believe.

Dan also has 2009 shots on flickr, here in a slideshow.

The Age has photos from 2009 here.

Hope they run it again and again.

Too much fun.

Sleepy from dellstewart on Vimeo.

Ooh Look, Nathan and Shelley made a movie. It’s funny. Do we get to vote in Tropfest? Where are the other entries then?

It’s A Pony from Justin Batchelor- BATCHEDIT on Vimeo.

Shortlisted for TROPFEST 2011

with
Nathan Godkin
Glen Hancox
Lou Endicott
Troy Larkin
Pier Carthew
Bevan Sly
Shelley Lang

Five Friends take possession of a 97″ television from a dodgy Russian street side salesman. Hilarity ensues.

It’s A Pony on Vimeo on Vimeo

via Its A Pony on Vimeo.

Have you seen the Air Orchestra? Directed by Virginia, in concert with the songroom. Apparently this was on TeeVee.

Hilarious and super adorable!!

via YouTube – Air Orchestra.

Links:
The Songroom does amazing things. i think they’re at the Abbotsford Convent.

i can’t help it. Silly videos make me laugh. This one comes via the amazing Glen. Thank you Glen. A scary eighties number with Big Shoes.

i think i discovered this on the same night as i was introduced to the whole “Literal Lyrics” thing.. eg for Total Eclipse of the Heart: For some reason Sony has banned you tube from playing the video in Australia. This one works because there’s a TV and a cat. No, she’s not as good a singer as Bonnie.

Here’s another collection of literal lyrics videos, including [you have been warned] The Rickroll Himself.

Hilarious. Ricky pushes all the wrong buttons for his opener at the Golden Globes. Nice work. i especially liked his comments about The Tourist, as he acknowledges the unfairness of the joke: “i haven’t even seen the film, but who has?” Implying the Globes run on bribery won’t get him any fans with his employers, but he brought plenty of his own special kind of boundary-crossing laughter. And let’s face it, everyone’s talking about it so they won’t mind too much.

i’m sure he really did have lawyers look at the scientology joke beforehand.

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Following the shooting in Tucson i found this speech by Robert F Kennedy from April 1968 – after the assassination of Martin Luther King. It’s really worth listening. Very much of its time, yet still very relevant. You can also find the full transcript over here.

via YouTube – Robert F. Kennedy speech ~ Mindless Menace of Violence.

i liked what the sheriff said after the shooting: all this violent, hateful and abusive rhetoric that fills the tv and radio channels of the US mass media may well be free speech, but it can have consequences.

(Found the Kennedy speech via ‘The only adult in the room‘ – an unabashed fan site for the current president of the US (POTUS) – one of the commenters posted it.)

Not sure how long this will stay on the youtubes: it’s an illegal upload, after all. But here’s the first half of the first episode of series 7. Mark and Jeremy are as awful as ever. We’re at the hospital. Definitely NSFW!!

There are many factors contributing to the comic genius of Peep Show. The awkwardness at the heart of the characters and every scene. The obvious chasm between how people want to be seen, and how they appear to the world around them. But mostly, the way people talk inside their own heads, blurting their hypocrisy and duplicity at us, and only momentarily concealing it from those around them.

i like the way Mark and Jeremy are portrayed thinking so very loud while other people are talking, drowning out the other’s voice – it’s ridiculous and self-absorbed.

..and then i catch myself doing it, in my own life. Whoops.

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They have a page on Wikipedia, so it must be real. And you can find plenty more illegally ripped video excerpts on the interwebs.