Category: Blog

Women’s Work: Brisbane showcases its biggest display of women’s street art

Brisbane’s biggest display of women’s street art, Women’s Work, is taking place at the Outdoor Gallery Exhibition from now until 1 December 2019.

Curated by Brisbane Art Matriachs! (BAM), a collective of up-and-coming female arts leaders working towards bridging the gap for women exhibiting in public spaces, Women’s Work celebrates the empowering artforms and originality of female creatives through a series of outdoor installations, guided tours and talks. This exhibition is grounded in the belief that the work of all women, within the realm of the domestic and beyond, is invaluable.

Among the artists exhibiting are contemporary Aboriginal artist Rachel Sarra whose colourful artwork, on display in Brisbane’s Irish Lane. Her piece, entitled Energy, is a gorgeous mix of shades of pink, purple, blue and orange, depicts dynamic energies radiated by creative women.

Artist and illustrator Mosessa, who is influenced by nature and inspired by mythology and folklore, has her Botanic Beast series showcased in King George Square, featuring floral motifs symbolising womanhood with an Australian twist.

Women’s Work also features artwork from Tori-Jay Mordey, an emerging Indigenous Australian illustrator and artist. Her artwork entitled Siblings 2, which was projected onto the William Jolly Bridge for five nights, is a combination of copper etching prints that features a portrait of the artist herself and her brother with parts of their faces harmoniously merged with their parents.

Tori-Jay Mordey said: “Growing up in a diverse family with our mother being Torres Strait Islander and our father being English, it became clear to me how different we all were, but at the same time I wanted to emphasise how similar we are too. Because it’s not as simple as saying we’re different because of skin colour.”

Brisbane City Council’s Outdoor Gallery transforms Brisbane’s laneways and city streets into imaginative, curious and engaging spaces. Comprising light boxes, banners, vitrines and evening projections, the Outdoor Gallery displays art outside in city streets, instead of inside on gallery walls.

Women’s Work is on display at various outdoor spaces in Brisbane, as part of the Outdoor Gallery, until 1 December 2019

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyles including sustainable and green living. She also offers content services to businesses and individuals at Rosamedea.com

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Shovava creating nature and wildlife-inspired fashion with elegant and majestic Wings Scarves- Life & Soul Magazine

If you have a strong resonance for birds and the air elemental, Shovava’s handpainted and digitally printed scarves will certainly give you wings.

The Australia-based label is the creation of designer Roza Kamitova. Inspired by the incredible beauty of nature, the artist’s observations are meticulous and detailed as reflected in her bright, intricate and graceful depictions of various birds and their feathers in Shovava’s Wings Scarves range.

Roza Kamitova says: “I observe nature and find inspiration in the smallest details. Maybe it’s a butterfly’s wing or the patterned cell structure of a leaf. Maybe it’s a feather or a raven perched on a tree limb. I take in what I see in the natural world and then create my pieces.

“My ideas are born of long solitary walks in the jungle, through bristling fields or along almost pin-drop quiet stretches of sand. I have many kinds of birds visiting me everyday. My scarves are created using age-old artists’ techniques of craftsmanship and painting combined with the marvels of the latest technology.

“Shovava’s trademark winged scarfs reflect that soaring imagination and embody a sense of individuality, power, freedom, and adventure.”

Made from natural materials including silk and cotton, Shovava ensure that their materials are ethically sourced and use recycled materials, where possible. While Roza Kamitova creates the designs in her Byron Bay studio, a team in India print the scarves using digital textile printers.

Shovava was born in 2011 out of the desire to create “unique and thoughtful pieces of wearable art” for women who had “grown tired of the assembly line ‘cookie cutter’ designs” that are prolific in the fashion world. Having spent eight years working in the fashion industry in New York, the nature-inspired designer Roza Kamitova began selling handmade and hand painted tops made from recycled men’s tees on the streets of New York, before her move to Byron Bay began her journey with Shovava.

In addition to the Wings Scarves, Shovava also sells a range of swimwear, mens and womens t-shirts, skirts, leggings and dresses in nature prints via their online store.

Images Credit: Shovava

Shovava

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about sustainable lifestyle and green living for publications, and offers content services to planet-friendly businesses. Find out more at Rosamedea.com 

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Around the World in 80 Eco Spas: Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa, Richmond, South Africa

Life & Soul Magazine’s Travel Guide to Eco Spas will whet your appetite for a vacation that brings healing to holidaymakers in accommodations that work in harmony with the planet.

15. Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa, Richmond, South Africa

The African wilderness is a place of serenity, harmony and balance where Mother Nature remains largely untouched and her animal kingdom roam freely. Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa has made it possible for holidaymakers seeking a private sanctuary to experience this unique landscape and setting at its wellness and wildlife retreat in South Africa.

Nestled in the heart of the forest valley in KwaZulu Natal, Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa is set within a 5,000 hectare reserve in Richmond, along the banks of the free flowing Mkomazi River and majestic sandstone cliffs. Around one hour’s drive from Durban, the reserve consists of undulating plateaus and hills, steep densely wooded slopes, valleys and a large central basin. As rich and diverse as its landscape, the reserve is also home to wildlife including giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, leopards, blue wildebeests and African wildcats, in addition to more than 300 species of birds including the African Crowned Eagle.

To share this space with such beings is a pleasure and a blessing for those who vacation at Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa. Naturally the eco lodge and spa exists in complete harmony with its surroundings. The lodge – which has been constructed using natural and local materials including wood, glass, sandstone and recycled bricks – operates without electricity, instead utilising a generator and solar power for its energy requirements.

The interiors of Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa, achieved using only environmentally-friendly paints and products, borrow from classic colonial African style – an inviting blend of luxury and homely comfort. Each room complete with private wooden deck serves as a window to the reserve, featuring stunning views of the river and mountains in the distance. In keeping with the way nature intended the area to be, the rooms have no modern conveniences such as air-con, TV, fridges or kettles, encouraging guests to be at one with Mother Nature and her animal kingdom.

With the great wider wilderness on the doorstep, guests can enjoy nature trails, birdwatching, star gazing and fishing self-guided or via guided trails, as well as game drives with local experts. Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa balances adventure with relaxation, offering guests spa facilities including a rock plunge pool, Jacuzzi, steam room and holistic treatments for rejuvenation or relaxation.

At Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa there is an emphasis on local heritage – the lodge itself largely staffed by locals enabling guests to experience local knowledge and wisdom that you won’t find in a guide book, and to sample regional cuisine made from locally-sourced ingredients.

Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa is one of nature’s playgrounds that the imagination can envisage and go to great lengths exploring, and to be up close and personal with it physically, whether you’re native to South Africa or from further afield seeking a special retreat, is a treasure.

Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyle including sustainable and green living. She also offers content services to businesses and individuals at Rosamedea.com

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Courtney Mattison: Ocean advocate and artist using ceramics to depict the fragile beauty of coral reefs and threats it faces — Life & Soul Magazine

Sculptor and ocean advocate Courtney Mattison creates ceramic installations that depict the fragile beauty of coral reefs and the human-caused threats they face to “move us to value the blue planet we live on in ways that scientific data often cannot”. In her Our Changing Seas series, Courtney Mattison provides an artistic impression of what […]

Courtney Mattison: Ocean advocate and artist using ceramics to depict the fragile beauty of coral reefs and threats it faces — Life & Soul Magazine
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The Doors of Tunisia- Authentic Traveling

It’s nearly impossible to visit Tunisia without noticing the beautiful doors. They’re everywhere. I often found myself lost in an ancient medina only to look at my camera roll and realize I’d spent the last 30 minutes taking pictures of doors.

In Tunisia, doors are symbolic reflecting the fortunes and happiness of the families living inside. They are generally built of palm wood reinforced with sheet metal. They are decorated with black studded nails to create complex geometric patterns. Occasionally some doors come with more floral patterns owing to the European influence.

When I visited Tunisia, I was just blown away by these doors. They’re so beautiful, and every city I visited tended to have its own unique style and color. Most doors are blue, but I saw yellow, turquoise, red, and white.

Some of the most common symbols on the doors are the crescent star, minarets flowers, and fir trees. Some of the doors have large archways allowing for a person to enter on a horse without dismounting.

Many will claim that the best doors are in Sidi Bou Said – the Santorini-like coastal town just outside Tunis – but I found that beautiful doors are located throughout the country. You just need to wander down the right side street to find the real treasures.

Most of the doors have two knockers – one for the men and one for the women. The ones on the left are used by the women, and the ones on the right are used by the men.

Link: https://www.authentictraveling.org/doors-of-tunisia/

Dar Ya Tunisia
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STUDIO 10 Versatile colour combinations for hotels and cruise ships

The collection Studio 10 is a source of inspiration. Ten versatile colour worlds, each of which standing strongly for itself, lead to new room concepts. The collection book consists of 23 high quality articles which have been developed specially for the international contract business.

At the centre of the collections are the two sophisticated jacquards Niva and Calito; they dominate the collection with their impressive designs. Enriched by high quality wool fabrics, beautiful transparent fabrics and functional dimouts and blackout the collection becomes universally useful for up-market hotel furnishing as well as the furnishing of cruise ships.

The upholstery fabrics complement the concept perfectly. Next to the classically structured upholstery fabric Finn there is of course also an upholstery fabric from our functional DELIGARD collection (Deste DELIGARD). The 3D-knitted fabrics Flux, Drop and Haze are the eye-catchers of the collection. They differ from normal upholstery fabrics by the interaction of an innovative knitting technique and a soft voluminous weft. This gives the material extraordinary volume.

The colour themes are diverse. The trend colour coral in combination with petrol gives a modern and exciting appearance. Warm burnt colours in combination with beige give a modern statement. A deep majestic changeant blue meets blushed rosé. Deep and confident is the combination between a deep burgundy red and cool brass tones.
Pistachio and royal blue meet in a modern and courageous way. Classical colour worlds such as silver grey, nature colours and black & white complement the concept.

To order your book call 702.622.8321 or email nisha@nishadesigns.com

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On Trend: Resurrecting the Sublime

At first sight, the Pure Spiritual trend might awaken preconceived ideas about organic materials and earth-based dyes. But on closer inspection, what differentiates Pure Spiritual from other nature-based trends is its ability to go far deeper. Instead, this trend also shows how technology can be embraced for the greater good, and what opportunities exist for individuals to use technology in a way that intersects with nature.

It’s a trend which reconciles the past with the present, evocative of a recent project that similarly explores the natural world. Resurrecting the Sublime is an ongoing collaboration which “allows us to smell extinct flowers, lost due to colonial activity.” The work of many, the project is created by artist Dr. Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, smell researcher and artist Sissel Tolaas and the team at biotechnology company Ginkgo Bioworks, encompassing engineers and researchers led by Director Dr. Christina Agapakis, with the support of IFF Inc.

It all started with specimens of three flowers stored at Harvard University’s Herbaria, which each had small amounts of DNA extracted from them. Using this DNA, the Gingko team predicted and resynthesized gene sequences that had the potential to encode for fragrance-producing enzymes. With these findings, Tolaas was able to use identical or comparative smell molecules in her own lab to reconstruct the flowers’ fragrances. 

Outside its origins in the lab, the project has taken on a physical form and appeared in galleries around the world. From a solo exhibition as part of the Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne to group shows at the Centre Pompidou, the Barbican Centre and beyond, previous iterations of the installation have included a vitrine with smell diffusion, limestone boulders and animations. While the project’s foundations focused on our olfactory system, the overall experience actually engages multiple senses.

In the context of today’s global conversations surrounding climate change and sustainability, Resurrecting the Sublime feels more pertinent than ever. While the collaboration began with the question, “Could we ever again smell flowers driven to extinction by humans?”, it invites audiences to not only reflect on what we’ve lost, but what we must sustain for the future.

Header photo: Resurrecting the Sublime by Christina Agapakis (Ginkgo Bioworks Inc.), Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg & Sissel Tolaas, with support from IFF Inc, Courtesy of Harvard University Herbaria © Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc., The Herbarium of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. Heimtexblog

Nina Jung

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Samhain~Halloween — ravenhawks’ magazine

Samhain is pronounced sowen, soween, saw-win, saw-vane or sahven, but not sam-hayne. Other names for Samhain include Samhuin, Samain, Saman, Oidhche Shamhna, Hallowe’en, Halloween, Hallows, Hallowtide, Shadow Fest, Allantide, Third Harvest, Harvest Home, Geimredh, Day of the Dead (Feile na Marbh), Feast of the Dead, Spirit Night, Candle Night, November Eve, Nutcrack Night, Ancestor Night […]

Samhain~Halloween — ravenhawks’ magazine
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