It’s a busy week for Sydney’s culture scene with the launch of two
massive events, Sydney Writer’s Festival and Vivid Sydney.
So rug up, get off the couch and explore your wonderful city!

Monday 18th

Sydney Writer’s Festival

Sydney’s Writers Festival kicks off today, with a huge selection of talks, readings, performances and more. The festival events are located all over Sydney, with some events already sold out. We recommend the Nights At The Wharf program filled with slam poetry, sound and laughs.

WHAT: Sydney Writer’s Festival
WHEN: 18th – 24th May
WHERE: Various locations
HOW MUCH: Prices vary via swf.org.au

– –

All Lost in the Supermarket

A dark comic storytelling with songs. All Lost in the Supermarket is a heartfelt tale about the politics of language, the horrors of shopping and how a man once lost 46 minutes of his life (and mind) in the Bondi Westfield car park.

WHAT: All Lost In The Supermarket
WHEN: 7pm
WHERE: Bondi Pavilion Theatre
HOW MUCH: FREE, rsvp via eventbrite.com

– –

Comedy Now: An evening with the Bondi Hipsters & Lawrence Leung

WHAT: Comedy Now: An evening with the Bondi Hipsters & Lawrence Leung
WHEN: 6:30pm
WHERE: Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre
HOW MUCH: $10/$15 available on the door

Tuesday 19th

Information Chart VI(a), Ink on paper, 2014, 30x30cm (cropped)

Imaginary Science – Jack Stahel

Imaginary science is a creative examination of the human mind and a domain that finds itself between contradictory modes of thought. Communicated through organic and introspective processes of drawing and collecting, it encourages a conception of mind as both a process and a spectrum.

WHAT: Imaginary Science – Jack Stahel exhibition
WHERE: Kudos Gallery – 6 Napier St, Paddington
WHEN: 5pm
HOW MUCH: Free

– –

Real Talk: Bankstown Poetry Slam

Real Talk is a spoken word theatre showcase produced through a series of spoken word workshops facilitated by Ahmad AL-Rady and Yasmine Lewis -involving young local talent from greater Western Sydney. The workshops are aimed at exploring the theme of respectful relationships through the medium of poetry.

WHAT: Real Talk: Bankstown Poetry Slam
WHERE: Bankstown Arts Centre – 5 Olympic Pde, Bankstown
WHEN: 6:30pm
HOW MUCH: FREE, rsvp via email, bankstownpoetryslam@gmail.com

– –

Wednesday 20th

Alex Pye, Thanks for Nothing, 2015 (cropped)

Alex Pye: Thanks for Nothing

The story of a country girl who moved to the big smoke to try and make a name for herself.

WHAT: Alex Pye: Thanks for Nothing
WHERE: 107 Projects – 107 Redfern St, Redfern
WHEN: 6pm
HOW MUCH: Free

– –

Yarramadoon Debaters Night: Cats vs. Dogs

For the students of Yarramadoon, it’s home. On Wednesday May 20th, a class of your favourite comedians go back to (junior) school for a night of semi-educational presentations, and most importantly, a fierce debate on the contentious topic ‘CATS vs DOGS.’ Featuring the likes of Hannah & Eliza Reilly, Ben Jenkins, Michael Hing, Zoe Coombs Maar + a performance by Marcus Whale.

WHAT: Yarramadoon Debaters Night: Cats vs. Dogs
WHERE: Giant Dwarf – 199 Cleveland St, Redfern
WHEN: 8pm
HOW MUCH: $15 + bf via eventbrite.com

Thursday 21st

Ishmael Marika, Gulka, 2014

On This Site

Curated by Kate Blackmore and Sian McIntrye, On This Site features works by Australian artists from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, offering anti-colonial cultural critiques and provocative new ways to read dominant productions of Australian national identity. With this exhibition, Blackmore and McIntyre hope to contribute to the discussion on decolonisation from a non-Indigenous perspective, creating a space for self-questioning and unsettlement. Held in conjunction with Reconciliation Week, On This Site will also attempt to generate a renewed dialogue around the meaning and relevance of reconciliation in Australia. Artists include, Karla Dickens, Ishmael Marika, Claudia Nicholson, Christopher Pease, Joan Ross, Salote Tawale, Garry Trinh.

WHAT: On This Site Exhibition
WHERE: Verge Gallery
WHEN: 6pm
HOW MUCH: Free

– –

Studio Stories: Get Your Poetry Up and Out There

From the traditional route of print publishing to performing, blogging and youtubing, hear about how to get your poetry out there. Featuring Elizabeth Allen (Vagabond Press), Fiona Wright (Giramondo Publishing), Michelle Cahill (Mascara Literary Review) and Ahmad Al Rady (Bankstown Poetry Slam).

WHAT: Studio Stories: Get Your Poetry Up and Out There
WHEN: 6:30pm
WHERE: Parramatta Artists Studios – Level 1 & 2, 68 Macquarie St, Parramatta
HOW MUCH: Free

– –

Twin Peaks screening

Every Thursday night at the Rose we’ll be delving further into the world of Twin Peaks in the upstairs bar. Grab your mates and curl up on the couch for some spine tingling David Lynchian weirdness. There’ll be steaming pots of mulled wine and mulled cider, lots of whisky to sample and best of all, percolator coffee and cherry pie straight from the Double R Diner.

WHAT: Twin Peaks Season 1, Episode 3
WHEN:  7pm
WHERE: The Rose Hotel – 52 – 54 Cleveland St, Chippendale
HOW MUCH: Free

– –

Caravan Slam

The open mic slam poetry night is back for the month of May. Anyone can perform, and renowned Sydney poet, Michele Seminara joins the night as the feature poet.

WHAT: Caravan Slam May
WHEN:  7pm
WHERE: Camelot Lounge – Marrickville Rd, Marrickville
HOW MUCH: $5 on the door

– –

Ted X Youth

Aimed at those aged between 16 and 26, TEDxYouth@Sydney will feature a range of presenters from the main stage with a carefully curated selection of an additional eight speakers aimed at the youth audience.

WHAT: TedX Youth
WHEN: 9am – 1pm and 2pm- 6pm
WHERE: The Drama Theatre at The Sydney Opera House
HOW MUCH: $40, register at tedxsydney.com

Friday 22nd

Vivid Sydney Begins!

Vivid Sydney began in 2009, a celebration of light and the fact we live in the most beautiful city in the world. Nowadays Vivid is about more than just a feast for your eyes. This year it the Vivid name seems to be in and amongst all the great culture around Sydney for the 18 days of the festival. Vivid Live has an stella line-up of music, mostly but not limited to the Opera House. Vivid Ideas is fostering the creative community across Sydney, through a extensive programs of talks and ideas sharing programs.

WHAT: Vivid Sydney: Lights, Music, Ideas
WHERE: Various locations
WHEN: 22nd May – 8 June
HOW MUCH: Light Feast: Free,
Vivid Music/Ideas: Various

– –

MCA Zine Fair

Calling all Zinesters! That’s we call them these day. The MCA have teamed up with Vivid Sydney to bring you a weekend full of all things slow and self published in magazine form. There will be zine making, shopping and talking across the three days.

WHAT: MCA Zine Fair 
WHERE: National Centre of Creative Learning, MCA
WHEN: Fri 22 May 5-9pm, Sat 23 10am-6pm, Sun 24 10am-6pm
HOW MUCH: Free

– –

Biggie Smalls

Featuring some bright and colourful artwork from Tarik Ahlip,  Mechelle B. , Josie Cavallaro , Rosie Deacon , Chris Dolman , Lynda Draper , Marc Etherington , Rachael McCallum, Kevin Platt, Thomas Quayle, Paul Williams and Louise Zhang.

WHAT: Biggie Smalls Exhibition
WHEN: 6pm
WHERE: Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre
HOW MUCH: Free

– –

Death

‘Death’ focuses on the ways in which we process and deal with death and mortality; practically, emotionally, physically and psychologically, rather than the moment or meaning of death. ‘Death’ is an unromantic look at some of the many facets of death including a suicide pact in the suburbs of Perth, subverting a fear of death with faux enlightenment, talking to the dead through white noise and the vestigial in elation to the embodiment of memory, archive and grief.

WHAT: Death, exhibition
WHEN: 6pm
WHERE: Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre
HOW MUCH: Free

Saturday 23rd

Caitlin Doughty, Foreign Bodies

Caitlin Doughty: Foreign Bodies

Caitlin Doughty, author of the memoirs Smoke Gets In Your Eyes is coming to the Sydney Writers Festival. Doughty has been death obsessed since the she was young and now works as a death professional. From the cult YouTube series ‘Ask A Mortician’ this is sure to be a enlightening talk. For all those were intrigued by the father in My Girl and wanted to know more, this is for you.

WHAT: Caitlin Doughty: Foreign Bodies – Sydney Writer’s Festival
WHEN: 10:30am
WHERE: Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre
HOW MUCH: FREE

– –

Other Worlds Zine Fair

Other Worlds Zine Fair aims to create an alternative space for the exhange of art and ideas. This year the program will expand across three days to include heaps of zines, exhibitions, talks, workshops, and more.

WHAT: Other Worlds Zine Fair
WHEN: 11am – 4pm
WHERE: Glebe Town Hall – 160 St Johns Rd, Glebe
HOW MUCH: FREE

– –

People of Letters

Where writers, performers and well-known Australians are paired off and invited to write ‘a letter to my other half’. The stage will be awash with warmth and curious tales of affection, from Leigh Sales & Annabel Crabb, Zoe Coombs Marr & Kate Jinx, Katie Wighton (All Our Exes Live In Texas) & Sue Wighton and more.

WHAT: People of Letters
WHEN: 4:30-5:30pm
WHERE: Pier 2/3 Club Stage, Walsh Bay
HOW MUCH: FREE

– –

Heritage Open Day

This Saturday sees Australian Technology Park open up some of Sydney’s most unique and well-preserved heritage, to bring the city’s amazing industrial history alive for a new generation of Sydneysiders.

Activities on our free Heritage Open Day will cover off everything from local food truck faves like The Little Hopper to guided walking tours of the site and recreations of life at the Eveleigh Railway Workshops (which The Smithsonian Institute has praised as one-of-a-kind).

WHAT: Heritage Open Day

WHEN: Saturday 23 May 2015 from 10am until 3pm

WHERE: Australian Technology Park, Eveleigh

HOW MUCH: Free

Don’t forget to tune in to Arvos on FBi for more Culture Guide– each weekday at 4:30pm