Culture news

Like a lot of girls I adhere to the cliche of having a shoe fetish. It's a shallow and expensive habit I'll admit, but adorning my feet with works of art has really become an obsession. People close to me know this - I receive all sorts of shoe paraphenalia on gift giving occasions, like a calendar dedicated to shoes (one shoe for everyday of the year!), shoe postcards, etc. I think you get the point - I know my shoes. Which is why a whole exhibition dedicated to shoes caught my attention. As part of Sydney's 12th International Design Festival at the Powerhouse Museum, you can be taken on a curatored guide of the museum's unrivalled shoe collection this Saturday 23rd August. Expect to see shoes made from every material possible, shoes made for supermodel strutting, and shoes centuries old. Tickets are available through Moshtix.

Ah, Lego. The lazy man's brick and mortar. I'm proposing that builders use Lego to construct everything from now on. The world would be a much better place. Not enough room on the train? Build another carriage. Housemate ate all your Tic Tocs? Build a fort in your backyard with no windows or doors and only dry biscuits inside and keep that pesky person inside until they realise Tic Tocs are worth their weight in gold. Boyfriend thinks he looks good with a red beard? Switch his head for someone else’s sans fire truck whiskers. I could clearly go on forever. The Lego brick is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. I suggest instead of paying a labourer the next time you need renovations done - do it yourself with Lego. You'll save money and you'll have the craziest coloured bathroom this side of the seventies.

If you’ve ever fancied yourself to be a bit of an undiscovered talent with the humble pencil and paper, then perhaps its time to step out of your sheltered doodling-on-the-train box and into the life drawing class at Sydney’s Arthouse Hotel.  Sure, the whole drawing naked models in a room full of strangers business may initially seem more like a nightmarish scene from the Armageddon then an idyllic evening of artistic accretion - but that’s the whole point. Life drawing is as much about overcoming embarrassment as it is exploring the dynamic intricacies of the human figure. The Arthouse’s Dome Restaurant and Gallery Bar is an attractive recluse for the relaxed sessions, overflowing every Monday night from 6 – 8.30pm with amateur artists ranging from businessmen to university students. Entry is $3 at the door and drinks are well-priced, but you do have to bring along your own materials. Definitely worth a visit.

Above is a preview for America's take on Kath and Kim. What do you think? Does it translate? Is Australia's fave mother and daughter tainted forever? Would you watch it??

Way loads of music, acts, entertainment, gigs, stalls and art coming up this September for the Shoreditch Shuffle. Get more info & books tickets in advance by checking our their site. Lets hope the weather's good... X

Facebook has overtaken Myspace in the battle of the social networking websites, according to internet market research company comScore.
Seen as the more mature and sophisticated older sibling in the family of personal websites, Facebook, with its multilingual platform, saw more than 132 million people log on in June, whilst Myspace’s declining figure of 117.5 million users sees it becoming second best.
Personally, I’d choose Facebook over Myspace any day. Facebook just seems a lot cleaner and easier to navigate, and long lost primary school friends are much easier to find with full names compulsory upon signing up. And no one appreciates the “NEW PICZ COMMENT PLZ” bulletins that litter Myspace’s home page.

I’m currently moving apartments and have become crazy, gung-ho obsessed with the process of hunting down vintage furniture and revamping it with a modern perspective. My current supplier squeeze is Liz’s Antique Hardware – an interior designer's dream and a plumbers nightmare, encapsulating more than a million pieces of salvaged hardware, circa 1850 to 1960. Located in the L.A’s historic Miracle Mile district, the concept was born in 1979 when Liz stumbled upon “a 4000 square foot warehouse in Chicago filled to the brim with objects collected at garage sales, abandoned buildings and flea markets by a local picker.”

With each piece organised in chronological order, be sure to follow the doorknobs, mail slots, hinges, latches, knockers, bells, racks, switch plates and other rusty items ("Rust is good--we don't polish anything," notes the owner) and head upstairs to discover The Loft - a unique gallery space supporting emerging and established artists from California and beyond.

Even if hardware ain’t your thang, this engulfing haven is full of surprises.