Knittin', sparrin' and jazzin'

For a good, old-fashioned bit of science plus controversy, try the public lecture about coal seam gas at the Academy of Science this Tuesday 3 July from 6pm. It's all dreadfully civilised (G&Ts served up beforehand, old boy) so there are unlikely to be fisticuffs or pistols at dawn, but you should get a nice overview of the issues.

If you want less serious verbal sparring, there's a whole week of impro comedy this week at Improvention. Lots of public gigs every night until Saturday 7 July with some well-known names from TV.


The film festival season is about to start, too. First cab off the rank is the Arab Film Festival from 12-15 July at the National Film and Sound Archive. There's also a Russian Film Festival from 14 to 19 September and the Canberra International Film Festival in November (details not out yet).

And then there's the music. This is not the first year of the Capital Jazz Project at the Street Theatre, but this is the first time I've seen them actually put out some useful promotional material. There are programs in the free postcard stands around town and online, of course. They've got a great line-up, all at the Street Theatre between 3 and 12 August.

For an informal jazz taster, with dancing (or a dance floor at least), try the Sunday Jazz Afternoons at the Brassey Hotel on Sundays (truly!) from 3 pm until 6 pm. The Brassey is an odd old-fashioned hotel in Barton that seems to be trying to boost its image a bit. They've got a great line-up (including some of our Merimbula Jazz Festival favourites) so it looks promising...

Perhaps you just feel like staying at home and being creative? If you have a talent for crafty fabric plantlife, then donate it to the Great Gallery Garden, apparently a flowery, crafty installation being organised by the Tuggeranong Arts Centre. They're also running a whole stack of related workshops in August and September.

If you're not quite that creative, but can knit rectangles (about my skill level), help create Canberra's longest bookmark - the plan is to stretch it from the Dickson library to the Civic library.

Mulled wine and metamaterials

This Thursday, 14 June, get your science on with Australia's top two scientertainment performers at the Phoenix on West Row (bus interchange). You'll have stand-up maths from Simon Pampena and science rock cabaret from Ology (formerly Great Big Science Gig), plus apparently "hydrophobic nano-enabled metamaterials". What's not to like? See you there from 9pm.

This Sunday, 17 June, take a stroll through German tradition with a lantern walk in Glebe Park from 5.00 - 6.30 pm. It's to mark St Martin's Day, which is actually in November, but in keeping with the upside-downness of Australia the organiserse seem to have followed the season not the calendar. That's going to make the gluehwein (BYO mug) and twinkling lanterns much more appealing!

As an update to the Garema Place ice-rink, the organisers have now released more details. Saturday nights in July will be ice-skating themed movies (Ice Castles, for sure!!) and Sundays will include 'cultural experiences' related to various countries/regions - presumably also with ice-skating connections, though I for one didn't know that India was famous for ice rinks...

And later, keep an eye out for Short + Sweet (22 August - 1 September) at the Canberra Theatre Centre. It's theatre for the Twitterati - ten minute plays about anything at all. And if you're feeling creative, you can get involved as an actor, writer or director.

Schnitzel and Ginger - bring on the sparkle!

Every Monday at 6.30 pm you can try out some Schnitz & Giggles at the Hellenic Club in the city. It's apparently a bit like 'Whose line is it anyway' performed by a bunch of experts from Impro ACT. As you'd expect from the name and venue, there are deals on schnitzels, as well as group lasagne.

Just in case you're not going to the Merimbula Jazz Festival on the long weekend (if not, why not? In Full Swing is playing!) you can console yourself with the Handmade Markets at the Convention Centre on Saturday and Sunday.

On the weekend of 23 and 24 June it's all glamour at the National Dancesport Championships at the AIS Arena. Not normally the kind of event to make it to this blog, but I'm going as part of a friend's bucket list, so thought some of you might like to share the joy of sparkly hair gel and flesh-toned lycra. You know you want to...

If you really can't bring yourself to go along, maybe try the Lifeline Bookfair (southside) at the Auditorium at Vikings Erindale on the same weekend. Less sparkle, more cerebral, except in the chick lit section.

I was lucky enough to go to TEDx Sydney last weekend, so am excited about TEDxCanberra in September. Tickets will go on sale in July, but there will be a special pre-sale release for TEDxCanberra newsletter subscribers.

In other 'later this year' news, the ice rink will be back in Garema Place from 29 June to 29 July. Bigger than last year, apparently, with a special area for the no-fear kidlets.

And finally, Dendy is doing a season of Hollywood classics every Monday for the next couple of months. I'm keen to see Doris Day in Pillow Talk on 9 July and Fred & Ginger in Swing Time on 16 July. Anyone want to join me?

It's all about the 30s

Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 May - 120 Birds is a fun looking history-of-dance show at the Street Theatre. Three dancers, archival 1920s-1930s film footage and costumes inspired by Florence Broadhurst. 

Thursday 31 May - Cotton Club event at Cabinet lounge bar in Manuka. With Spectrum Big Band and singer Sarah Byrne. Apparently two performances at 630 pm and 800 pm. And actually, now I read the website I realise this happens the last Thursday of every month (they have other music themes on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays). Looks worth a visit.

Saturday 2 June - Festa Della Repubblica at the Italian Cultural Centre (that out-of-place Tuscan tower just down the hill from the Parliament House potato masher). Includes everything you'd expect: food, coffee and an opera concert in the evening. Runs 11.00 am - 4.00 pm, with the concert at 6.30 pm.

Rumour mill - Apparently the 'summer blockbuster' exhibition at the NGA will be Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (hopefully his posters). I'm a bit excited about that!

Getting lost in exhibitions

I just saw a review of the Travelling the Silk Road exhibition that's at the National Museum of Australia until 29 July. I've been thinking for a while that it would be great to do the journey from Xi'an to Istanbul - now I can see it without the jetlag or traveller's tummy. The exhibition got a good review and is definitely on my to-do list.

They've also got a bunch of special events around the exhibition, including two concerts in May and a fantastic sounding night market on 15 June.

This reminds me, make sure you go and see 'Look: The Art of Australian Picture Books Today' at the Canberra Museum and Gallery (until 10 June). I saw it in Melbourne and it's brilliant, regardless of whether you have kids to drag along or not.

Get down and pumpkin

Just realised the Collector Village Pumpkin Festival is on this Sunday. The wheelbarrow race is definitely worth watching. Will have to ask them to run a 'best pumpkin soup' competition next year - I need me a Collector Village Pumpkin Festival prize ribbon...

German films and brain food

Thursday 3 - Sunday 6 May: German Film Festival. Ecstatic celebrations when I realise it's coming to Canberra for the first time. Crushing lows when I read further and find out that we're getting the serious, moody Germans, not the lighthearted fun ones (plus half of the films are at times I can't see them). However, it's still in German. Best option looks like a doco about the Alps.

Saturday 5 May: Handmade Market with an 'everything fashion' theme, at the National Convention Centre.

11-20 May: Canberra International Music Festival. Strangely much less contemporary music than in previous years, but still includes a series in some spectacular venues and a few interesting performances - see my picks below. Kudos too for the gorgeous designs used in the program and on the website.

Tuesday 15 May: Naturally Obsessed, a free film at the National Library about three graduate students and their ambition to become scientists. Put on by the US Embassy.

Friday 18 May: Blue Poles concert at the National Gallery of Australia. Jazz-ish group playing a world premier by Miroslav Bukovsky inspired by the Jackson Pollock painting. Concert starts at 6pm, tickets $39/$35.

Sunday 20 May: Sounding the Courtyards walking tour/CIMF event with concerts at the National Film and Sound Archives and at New Acton, plus architectural talks. I've done a couple of the Acton Walkways tours and they're highly recommended.

Friday 25 - Sunday 27 May: Eurovision! Straight from Azerbaijan to you. All the preview videos are online now, in case you want to spoil the surprise and start planning your votes... I'm just assuming the SBS schedule will be similar to last year, but check closer to the time.

Later:

• 9-11 June: Merimbula Jazz Festival (starring In Full Swing)
• 25 and 26 September: Mnozil Brass in Melbourne and Sydney (check out their clips...)