Place of Assembly photo batch

A facade of Schoolhouse Studios: 97 Nicholson Street, Collingwood

There's no place like school: Say farewell to Schoolhouse Studio

Place of Assembly was officially opened last Wednesday as a final tribute to the 120-year-old building

Schoolhouse Studios is a local hub of arts community which houses 85 artists from varied arts disciplines.

The place has an orchard garden with swings, a chicken coop and a pop-up bar every Friday night. With a plethora of artists, Schoolhouse Studios is like a—well, a school, with such a warm community that involve in a daily interchange of ideas. Needless to say, this is a paradise for artists. Unfortunately, this haven is ephemeral; the end of 2012 is also an end for this vibrant community.

It started well when Alice Glenn and Elizabeth Barnett leased the property at 97 Nicholson Street. The property has stood for more than 120 years as a tannery, monastery, technical college, and Sophia Mundi Steiner School. Since 2011, it has become an artistic community called Schoolhouse Studios, managed by Glenn and Barnett.

The studio extends across several buildings with bleak classrooms that have been transformed by the resident artists into radiant art studios. “We’re blessed with the site definitely,” shares Glenn. “The people have made Schoolhouse Studios what it is.”

Community is seen as a fundamental element which distinguishes Schoolhouse with other art studios. However, they have to keep in mind that this is just temporary as the site is going to be replaced by new townhouses.

And thus, instead of releasing the property reluctantly, Glenn and Barnett threw out a party to bid the studio farewell. The result is Place of Assembly, an exhibition presented through a collaboration between Schoolhouse Studios’ resident artists and 15 guest artists in association with Melbourne Festival. The exhibition opened on Wednesday 10 October and will continue until Saturday 27 October.  

Both Glenn and Barnett embrace it with optimism. “It’s just a great opportunity for artists to come here and work in an environment that is gonna be pulled down,” says Glenn.

This has somewhat inspired the artists; one of the art installations by Zoe Scoglio tries to link geological instruments with the demise of the site, as written on its placard that it is “intended to prepare the Schoolhouse Studios for its imminent passing from structure to rubble.” This installation consists of four rituals which call for the spectators to participate. One of the rituals invites the viewers to “break-off” a chunk of the studio wall and wear it as a pendant, while the other invites viewers to join in a sound parade to “encourage the ghosts to find new homes”.

Other installments combine multiple arts disciplines: architecture, painting, sculpture, performance, video, and more—all assembled in a one of a kind odyssey that unfolds the reminiscence of the buildings. At least that is what Glenn is hoping from the exhibition, “what I hope to achieve was just an exciting sort of adventurous place where people could come … and also been exploring the building and the site itself.”

“Hopefully people would come away with a sense of ‘how beautiful this place is’,” says Glenn.

And yes, indeed. Sara Josephine, a student whom a jewellery maker in her spare time, undoubtedly thinks so. “I think it’s [the exhibition] very unique and odd,” says Josephine who really admires Glenn’s installation: a collage of more than 300 people cut off from the pages of National Geographic. “It’s quite a rare experience to see such a community and I guess it will be better if they keep the building and keep the arts alive.”

Sadly, there is nothing Glenn and Barnett can do to prevent the demolition. They have been looking in a couple of factories and warehouses to relocate the studio. “We’re hoping to find a site that will house everybody, so that everyone can move together,” admits Glenn.

“Mainly, we wanna keep the community together.”

At the end, the most precious thing that needs to be preserved transcends the orchard garden, the chicken coop, the pop-up bar, and the walls of the studio. Schoolhouse Studios wants to preserve its own community.

A is for Alpine

Source: Frankie magazine (issue 44)

A is for Alpine and astounding. We’re not talking about the mountain—Alpine is an electropop sextet Melbourne band with two frontwomen, Phoebe Baker and Lou James, bringing the gentle but cold breezy voices that are emblematic of the band’s trait. Alongside with the singers are Christian O’Brien (guitar), Ryan Lamb (bass), Timothy Royall (keyboards), and Phil Tucker (drums); who work solidly in creating the synth character of Alpine.

The name of the band insinuates something that is related to Europe—or Switzerland. Their bond with the country seems even more prominent; the band was once called “The Swiss” and they even released an EP on 2010 titled Zurich. Although Alpine associates with the infamous frigid snow-coated mountain, Baker admits in an interview, “When I think of Alpine I think of this kind of fresh clean beauty which kind of reminds me of…not fresh like zesty…more like how you feel as if you have just had a nice swim.”

Their debut album, A Is for Alpine that was recently released on August 10, practically proves what the frontwoman says. It is fresh, smooth, clean, and rejuvenating. With a nice casual tempo (like a synchronised swimming), most songs are dominated with crisp guitar riffs. It is quite mild and not as loud as Zurich. However, A Is for Alpine doesn’t stir up sentimentality because the drumbeats are danceable.

Baker and James’ vocals give the band a signature. Despite their passionless vocals, oddly enough these have captivated the listeners; such as Hands with its unique swinging vocals and Lovers 1’s breathy vocals.

Furthermore, there’s nothing quirkier than the lyrics themselves. The typical of Alpine is their reverberant lyrics. There aren’t any clear distinctions between the verses and the refrains. Some songs even have meager sentences that couldn’t be identified as the verse. And they're also ambiguous, like in Gasoline and Hands ("There's gasoline in your eye" // "It's OK to feel the ring on my hands, my love, my enemy"). Almost as ambiguous as the lyrics is Hands’ risqué video clip which shows young women in skimpy outfits kissing their own hands.

The album itself

Nonetheless, it seems Alpine has learned from their previous EP, Heartlove, to repair their dictions in this album; recalling the moment when people argued on YouTube over the real lyrics (fans listened "I love catfood tonight" whereas the real lyric was "prowl like a cat through the night").

These factors (reverb vocals, ambiguousness, articulation) are again that charm people. It's either bland-emotionless or zestful-invigorating, depends on the listeners. At one point, though, the reverb vocals become addictive. Then again, who cares of ambiguousness and articulation if the music beats could lift you from your seats? A Is for Alpine provides the likeness of Zurich for fans; nevertheless it serves an outlandish flavour for Australia. Just as Paul LEster from the Guardian says, "Hands down the best Aussie band we've heard all year."

The mirror tells the truth

“I want to be a sea turtle, carrying my home wherever I go.”

Uplifting and visceral, The Mirror Never Lies has proven Kamila Andini’s artistry in moulding her directorial debut.

Sets in Wakatobi (Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia), The Mirror Never Lies brings the story of a 12-year-old girl named Pakis (introducing Gita Novalista) who keeps on believing that her long lost father is still alive. Pakis herself comes from a Bajo tribe; an Indonesian ethnic group who lives above the sea on stilts-houses and whose bread and butter comes from the ocean.

Along with the protagonist stands Lumo (Eko), an effervescent friend of Pakis who demonstrates to live life the way it is—as a naïve child. Pakis’ mother, Tayung (starring the eminent Indonesian star, Atiqah Hasiholan), on the other hand is adamant to believe that her husband has dead and decides to continue with life. Yet, with the presence of a dolphin researcher later in film, Tudo (award winning Reza Rahadian), she begins to disclose herself.

Hasiholan and Rahadian bestow souls upon their characters although their performances aren’t exceptional. Even though they’re the only professional actors in the film, it doesn’t deter the fact that they are dimmed by the chemistry between the pensive Pakis and cheeky Lumo.

"Who could not adore Lumo and his singing friend [when they attempt to court Pakis]? Such a funny and clever way to depict the emotional issues brewing or the adults as well as the children," says Shannon Keebaugh, one of the viewers.

Andini’s decision to use local amateur actors (Novalista and Eko) as the protagonists which seemed precarious onset proves to be the best approach for the film at the end of the day.

Adding more to the genuine characters are the striking shots. Andini succeeds to cover the eye-pampering scenic of Indonesian ocean. Several scenes which appear to be immaterial to the plot—such as the long-lasting part where Lumo plays with his pet bird—highlight the social lives of the Bajonese and become essential to form the entire film.

"In Indonesia, because we are an archipelago country, the sea is also our connector -- not our separator. I wanted to develop that. I wanted to develop a harmony between human relations," says Andini in an interview with FilmInk.

However, the slow-paced plot has a potential to doze off the audience. While MIFF recommends viewers of this film to be age 12+, the enigmatic substance of the film is unfathomable for teen viewers. Andini toys with the Bajo cultural element that generates several metaphors in the film. For instance, Tayung’s white mask conveys more than a mere make-up: it rather conveys Tayung’s sorrow of her husband’s death and guilt over her incapability as a mother to Pakis. This aspect then remains concealed until the end.

Still, The Mirror Never Lies worth the attention. The film’s atmosphere really portrays placidity, which is a rare dish among most-sought blockbuster films. Kamila Andini is definitely a new director to keep an eye out for. 

Review much?

So, after the overwhelming weeks of Melbourne Film Festival, it is finally over today. To tell you the truth, I was supposed to watch a fourth movie last Friday. It's a French movie titled The Intouchables. However, I utterly forgot that I had something on Friday at the exact time of the film. I couldn't do anything except cancelling my plan to the cinema. Alas, my ticket went to the hands of my sister's friend. Well, it was good because I didn't have to find another person to replace myself. And, mind you, the ticket is kinda pricey! So I wouldn't waste my money on something that I couldn't (or wouldn't) enjoy.

With the official end of MIFF, it also marks the dateline of my Film Review assignment. It is due today, and I've already submitted it yesterday around 11 PM. I will post my film review on this blog very soon, and I hope I could make several more for other movies that I've watched during MIFF and other ones that I just bought from JB Hi-fi. Thus, possible films that I'm going to review (or comment on) are:

Ruby Sparks 

(saw it 2 weeks ago during MIFF)

The Artist 

(just watched it last night and I literally choked in tears, it's made its way to my most favorite films)

   The Art of Getting By 

(haven't watched it, but I've bought the blu-ray already)

The Mermaid 

(a Russian film. original title: Rusalka)

Mine Vaganti

(the first Italian movie I've watched. Comic view of Italian contemporary views, yet visceral; another feel good movie)