Pecha Kucha a great success!

With the city's temperature still hovering around 31 degree's at 8pm last night, the organisers of Melbourne's first Pecha Kucha night couldn't have asked for a better way to kick off their event. Created by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham (Klein Dytham architecture) in 2003... it offers a place for designers to come together to discuss and show their work to the general.

The Blue Diamond Social Salon & Cabaret, Level 15, 123 Queen Street set the scene, with spectacular views over the city. Eureka Tower was fiercely debated, with a few passionate members of the audience arguing over the height of the penthouse floors! Could it really be 3.5 metres???

Within the stampede of architects, were tattoo artists, jewelers, photographers, cartoonists and some very unique fashion designers... With each speaker permitted to show 20 images, for 20 seconds - providing for 6 minutes 40 seconds - the next presenter was up before you had time to blink, keeping presentations very novel and fresh. Some complained this was too much time, other wanted more...

Pecha Kucha (Japanese for the sound of conversation) was undoubtedly a hit. We even saw one of our interior photos published in the new Melbourne Design Guide... funny we had never submitted it! Hmmm.... long live creative license!

Did someone say Christmas cards?

It seems that Christmas has snuck up on us once again...

With the Spring Racing Carnival now a distant memory, Melbourne is gearing up for what will be a great 2006 Holiday Season. The city itself is looking superb with Bourke St. Mall a flood of overhanging stars, and blazing colour!

Each year we've thought to create a catalogue of our favourite pics for gift ware... Limited edition prints, cards and calendars and this year it's finally happened!

With the recent success of our DVD and calendar series launched in September, it seems retail may indeed be the bread and butter we seek.

We don't need to tell you how much work goes into producing this series as any creative would know. But we're out and proud, as they say to be offering something uniquely different to our clients, friends and family this Christmas.

Oliver had free reign to design his personal favourite photography into these stylish cards, and the orders have been steadily increasing. We thought we'd missed the boat this year, but it seem Melbournian's love they're parties so much so, they've all forgotten Christmas is only 6 weeks away! Cheers to a very Merry Christmas :)

Royalty in Melbourne?

How often have you driven past the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens and not given the spectacular architecture and surrounding gardens another thought?

It is one of the few buildings in Melbourne that can be said to have truly maintained their original function of hosting exhibitions from construction through to the present day.

The famous 'Great Hall' has many typical features seen in exhibition buildings: a spectacular dome, great portal entries, fanlight windows and a cruciform floor-plan. Surrounded by carefully designed gardens, it still is as much of a pleasure to stroll through as it was when designed by Joseph Reed and built in the late 1900's.

This appointed World Heritage site is the first non-Aboriginal cultural site in Australia to win a listing. Defined as a place that is important to all peoples of the world, the Royal Exhibition Building is of special significance to Melbournians (even if they don't realise it!)

Little has been written about the sculptures surrounding the main building... however we did manage to find this tidbit of information.

"In front of the Royal Exhibition Buildings is the Hochgurtel Fountain, with its three colossal figures, half man, half fish supporting the first ledge.

Above the first ledge four boys dance hand in hand, representing commerce, industry, science and arts, with symbolic designs shown over their heads.

Hochgurtel’s design was selected by the Gardens Committee in 1880, who invited designs for a fountain to be built for the Exhibition. It is made from Portland cement on a frame of stone and iron."

Oliver captured a few sculptural details that many would not stop to notice.