Diary Notes
September 2008
Melbourne
Melbourne Winter Masterpieces Art Deco 1910 – 1939, 28 June – 5 October
The exquisite Art Deco 1910 – 1939 exhibition comes to the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) direct from London’s famous Victoria and Albert Museum. The exhibition will feature more than 300 major works of Art Deco in art, jewellery, fashion, film, architecture, cars, photography and furniture. Highlights include precious Deco gems from Cartier, exquisite fashion by Chanel, pristine vintage vehicles and original architectural elements from the foyer of the Strand Palace Hotel, London.
More information: www.ngv.vic.gov.au
Media contact: Kitty Walker, NGV on (03) 8620 2411
Wicked, Regent Theatre, from 9 July
The Broadway hit Wicked is delighting audiences at Melbourne’s magnificent Regent Theatre. Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and is based on the best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire. According to the storyline, long before Dorothy dropped in, two other girls met in the Land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two unlikely friends end up as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch makes the most spellbinding new musical in years.
More information: www.wickedthemusical.com.au
Media contact: Howie and Taylor Publicity on (03) 9654 3431
Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, 1 - 7 September
Melbourne Spring Fashion Week 2008 will take over the CBD from 1 to 7 September, celebrating the latest looks for spring and summer and Melbourne’s hottest retailers, boutiques, laneways, bars and venues. Highlights include: catwalk parades; millinery workshops; film festivals; river cruises; race days; exclusive retail events; lively panel discussions; exhibitions; seminars; and after-parties.
More information: www.mmsfw.com.au
Media contact: Lainie Blusztein, Haystac, on (03) 8689 2249 or email l.blusztein@haystac.com.au
Australian Football League (AFL) Finals Series, 5 - 27 September
The 2008 Toyota AFL Grand Final Week will be filled with free activities for football fans. Federation Square will come alive for the entire week from Monday 22 September with fashion shows, football clinics, high profile player appearances and much more. The week concludes with the 2008 Toyota AFL Grand Final at the MCG on Saturday 27 September, with the big game being broadcast live at Federation Square on the big screen.
More information: www.afl.com.au
Royal Melbourne Show, 18 - 28 September
Springtime in Melbourne is show time, and this year Victoria’s largest public event - the Royal Melbourne Show - celebrates its 153rd year. Showcasing agricultural and rural excellence, the Melbourne Showgrounds are transformed into an 11-day celebration bringing country and city together. Wood chopping, sheep shearing, milking and blacksmith displays are just some of the highlights for the show-going public. It’s the place to see prize-winning horses, sheep, goats, cattle, alpacas and chooks, just a stone’s throw away from the CBD. There is also the largest dog show in the Southern Hemisphere with over 4,500 canine entrants.
More information: call (03) 9281 7444 or go to www.royalshow.com.au
Melbourne Fringe Festival, 24 September - 12 October
The Melbourne Fringe Festival spices up the city's cultural calendar with an entertaining program of groundbreaking and daring performances ranging across all art forms. The festival will flourish as a score of vibrant artists showcase their talents with more than 230 fresh acts in more than 100 venues across the city. From comedians to cabaret, the festival will transform the cityscape, including Federation Square. The North Melbourne Town Hall will also house the ever-popular Festival Club which boasts a different star-studded entertainment line-up every night and is guaranteed to push the boundaries of the imagination. Some of the Fringe events are free, with the average price for shows around $15.
More information: call (03) 9660 9600 or go to www.melbournefringe.com.au
Media contact: Michelle Buxton, Buxton Walker Publicity on (03) 9537 7155 or 0419 134 278 or email michelle@buxtonwalker.com
Australian University Games, Melbourne, 28 September - 3 October
The Australian University Games is a multi-sport event attracting more than 5,500 participants across 29 sports from all of the nation’s universities. Now in its 15th year, the 2008 event will showcase the best of Australian university sporting talent. The Games are the flagship event on the university sporting calendar when more than 40 universities compete for the coveted title of overall champion.
More information: www.unigames.com.au
Waters of Tuvalu: A nation at risk, Immigration Museum, 5 August – 16 November
Waters of Tuvalu: A nation at risk is the world’s first exhibition project, focusing on the tiny Pacific island nation of Tuvalu (the world’s smallest nation after Monaco) and its people, who are suffering the immediate effects of human-induced climate change. The exhibition will include Tuvaluan cultural heritage objects from the Melbourne’s Tuvaluan community and from Museum Victoria’s collections – such as woven mats, fans and a scale model of a traditional island canoe – as well as photographs and information on the history and community of Tuvalu.
More information: www.museumvictoria.com.au
Media Contact: Amanda Linardon on (03) 8341 7136 or alinardon@museum.vic.gov.au
Butterflown of love, Fernando Palma Rodrĺguez, Heidi Museum of Modern Art, until 26 October
Fernando Palma Rodríguez was the inaugural international artist-in-residence at Heide Museum of Modern Art from March to May 2008. During his residency he created an interactive installation, Butterflown of love, for Heide’s Kerry Gardner & Andrew Myer Project Gallery, which is on display from 5 August – 26 October 2008.
Butterflown of love is Palma Rodríguez’s passionate offering to Australia; an expression of thanks for his time spent here. Inspired by the environment of Heide and the artist’s personal experiences of Melbourne, the exhibition is also infused with elements relating to his background as a Nahua Mexican.
More information: www.heide.com.au/exhibitions.php
Media contact: Magda Petkoff on (03) 9328 4522 or magda@purplemedia.com.au
Correspondences, Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), until 2 November
Correspondences brings together the work of two visionaries of independent cinema: Spanish director Víctor Erice (The Spirit of the Beehive) and Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami (The Wind Will Carry Us), exploring the powerful parallels in their interests and ideas. Featuring film, photography and new work created especially for the exhibition, Correspondences represents the long distance creative dialogue and intimate rapport that developed between Erice and Kiarostami. During the exhibition’s run, ACMI will also present a cinema retrospective program of Kiarostami’s work.
More information: www.acmi.net.au
Media contact: Claire Butler on (03) 9663 2415 or Claire.butler@acmi.net.au
Regional
Kangaroo Hoppet, Falls Creek, 30 August
The Kangaroo Hoppet is Australia's premier long distance cross country ski
race, and a member of the prestigious Worldloppet series of international
cross country ski events. Held annually at Falls Creek on the last Saturday in August, the 42 km Kangaroo Hoppet provides skiers of all ages and abilities with an
unique opportunity to ski the Bogong High Plains of Victoria's Alpine
National Park. For those who do not feel up to the challenge of the main race, there are the shorter 21km Australian Birkebeiner and 7km Joey Hoppet events starting shortly after the main event.
More information: www.fallscreek.com.au
Media contact: Ian Talbot on 0418413718 or skipress@wix.com.au
Kyneton Daffodil and Arts Festival, 4 - 14 September
Starting on the first weekend of September (and spring), the festival highlights include: a daffodil flower show; open gardens; old time ball; street parade; antique fair and arts show; concerts; one-act plays; fun run; and ferret racing. These events will be held in various venues around Kyneton. The main feature of the spring flower show will be the daffodils, but the show also includes a competition for camellias and other cut flowers, pot plants, floral art and children’s work. The flower show is open to the public from 1–5pm on Saturday (4 September) and from 10am 4.30pm on Sunday (5 September).
More information: call (03) 5422 2282 or go to www.kynetondaffodilarts.org.au
Spring Migration Festival, Yackandandah, 5 – 7 September
Join in the fun of Yackandandah’s annual gay and lesbian festival which commences with a special ‘meet and greet’ welcome on Friday and continues with performances by popular Melbourne artists. Join the locals and visitors from all over Australia at this colourful event’s dance parties and ‘shop till you drop’ sessions.
More information: call (02) 6027 1114 or go to www.springmigration.com.au
Tesselaar Tulip Festival, Silvan, 11 September – 8 October
Welcome spring at a European-style celebration that features fields of colourful tulips, blooming daffodils and freesias, along with traditional Dutch food and music. Located in Silvan, the festival opens from 10am to 5pm seven days a week. Entry costs $15 for adults, $12 for concession and children under 16 years of age are admitted free. For groups of 10 or more, tickets cost $10 per person.
More information: call (03) 9737 7777 or go to www.tulipfestival.com.au
Ararat Australian Cymbidium Festival, 12 - 14 September
Cymbidium orchid lovers from across Australia will converge on Ararat - renowned as 'the orchid city' - when it hosts the Australian Cymbidium Show at the Ararat Performing Arts Centre. This year's show will present hundreds of Cymbidium orchids on display in the historic hall. The spectacular display of orchids will feature new hybrids, some vintage favourites and specimen plants grown by the best hobbyists and commercial orchid growers from around Australia.
More information: call (03) 53550281 or go to www.visitararat.com.au
Australian Yukigassen Championships, Mt Buller, 13 September
Held in Australia for the first time in 2007, Australian Yukigassen Championships returns to the slopes of Mt Buller this winter.
Originating in Japan, Yukigassen (Japanese for “snow battle”) is the sport of competitive snowball fighting. Mt Buller is the only place in the Southern Hemisphere to host an annual Yukigassen tournament, with the other events held in Norway, Japan and Finland.
More information: www.mtbuller.com.au
Media Contact: Helen Vatzakis on (03) 5777 7822 or helen.vatzakis@skibuller.com.au
2008 Mildura Country Music Festival, 26 September - 5 October
The 26th annual Mildura Country Music Festival is Australia's biggest showcase of independent entertainers with more than 100 country music artists, including a mix of perennial Mildura favourites, award-winners, hit-makers and rising stars. The festival offers music lovers more than 800 hours of free entertainment and is held in 24 venues across Mildura and surrounds. The diamond in the crown will be the live concert and radio presentation of the Southern Stars, the Australian Independent Country Music Awards, which recognise the achievements of the independent recording artists during the past year.
More information: call1800 039 043 or go to www.milduracountrymusic.com.au
Annual Spring Show, Stawell Orchid Society, 26 – 28 September
The popular Stawell Spring Show, held at the Stawell Entertainment Centre, is considered the largest orchid show held in regional Victoria. This year’s theme is ‘summer, autumn, winter and spring’. On show will be colourful orchids of different genera arranged in large individual displays. Gardeners will be able to buy orchids and enter the floral art competition.
More information: call (03) 5358 2146.
Timbercorp Tour of the Murray River, 31 August - 7 September
This popular eight-day road cycling classic, the longest in Australia, will weave its way through the picturesque Murray River region. More than 100 internationally-rated professional cyclists from Australia and overseas will join the fast-paced race, which includes 14 individual stages in two States. Hundreds of supporters, crew and media will converge on the Murray River region to follow this event which will visit Echuca, Moama, Barham, Kerang, Cohuna, Euston, Merbein, Wentworth, Mildura, Ouyen, Patchewollock, Swan Hill, Manangatang, Balranald and Robinvale. The Timbercorp Tour of the Murray River is the third event in the Caribou Cup Series and is also part of the National Teams Cycling Series.
More information: www.caribou.net.au