This is it folks, the one we've been waiting for: The Fold an exhibition of new work by HML favourite Nathan Gray. And we love it, not just because we love Nathan's work (and we do) but also cause it's really really local and we only have to cross the road to see the show.The Fold runs from the 27th of July to the 17th of August at Joint Hassles
2a Mitchell Street Northcote 3071
Opening night :Friday the 27th 6-8pm,
then from Thursday til Saturday 12 - 5pm.
And because Nathan and his band of merry pranksters want to wow your ears as well as your eyes make sure you make it to one of the performaces on throughout of the show.
Sat 28th July 2pm halfman/halfmoffarah
electronic/vocal improvisation duo with Chris Hill
Sat 4th August 2pm snawklor
(electro acoustic/acoustic/field recordings/trumpets) the decade old musical collaboration with another HML fave, artistic multi-tasker extrodianaire Dylan Martorell
Sat 11th August 2pm the fold ensemble a trio that includes the superb soundscape stylings of Julie Burleigh and genius electro protege Blake Sonic Richardson-Gray.
AND If you feel like making a comparative analysis of the paper scene you have one week to see things from a distincly NYC perspective in PAPER SWORDS at Third Drawer Down Gallery in St. Kilda. The show has been c0-curated with Brooklyn's Cinders Gallery and explores a current group of artists working primarily on paper, a medium that has been one of the gallery's main focuses. Artists include John Orth (see "flood" above), George Ferrandi, Kevin Hooyman, Matthew Feyld, Julien Langendorff, Zachary Rossman, Allyson Mellberg, Jeremy Taylor, Logan Macdonald, Justin Williams, Kelie Bowman, Diane Barcelowsky and Sto, all part of a generation that has embraced simple tools such as pencil, pen, paint, and collage with influences from the usual suspects of comics, popular culture, punk rock, and psychedelia. Cinders Gallery is an artist-run space that has existed in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn for 3 years.
Finally it's finished.. and well before the end of winter no less. 
If you are anything like us you'll harbour a reverance for all things stationary related that borders on obsessional. We love it. No we mean we really love it. Meals have been skipped in order to buy magazine holders, rent cheques have 'dissappeared' in lieu of matching pencils and notepaper, and we wont even identify the body parts that have been sold off to cover the cost of self inking stamp sets. So we were delighted to find this beautiful letter carrier hand crafted from the pages of vintage childrens books that didn't cost a bomb. Even nicer to find inside a short typed note from the maker who may not have identified themselves but did identify the age-old "conflict between sacrilige and good intention" involved in destroying the old to make the new. Sadly it appears that these puppies are no longer available on the retail market, but thankfully this one provided us with a workable template to make our own customised envelopes for our pen pals, should the mood or the children's book strike us.
This intriguing invite turned up in the hml mailbox today and given its heady combo of faux wood grain veneer and mash-up allusions we got pretty excited. We know nothing about it other than its tag line - 25 artists, 40 pieces 1 big exhibition. But we trust wood panelling and we're giving it a big thumbs up and recommending it as a show of the week. For all you young folk there's also a big opening party this Thursday night ,with dj's and the like, and all proceeds from the paltry $5 entry fee are going to the Wilderness Society's Forest Campaign, so you can feel righteous as you write your self off.
It's not that we don't love design, or even the festival, it's just that it's cold and damp and we have just recovered from the Scarf Festival and are about to launch into the Film Festival. 
Above we have her brother Matt somewhat reluctantly sporting one of her most recent 'creations'. Meanwhile Ramona's normally bleak and empty landscapes seem to be sprouting odd looking trees. Actually it's still pretty bleak but at least there is shelter now! Maybe Spring is on its way (is it just us or is this winter dragging on forever?)
and these are Ramona's...
Dell Stewart and Adam Cruickshank are really brilliant and super cool Melbourne arteests who sometimes work collaboratively under the moniker Sleep Club. For the next few weeks you can enjoy their open-ended exploration into slumber at their exhibition in the aptly titled gallery de jour Utopian Slumps. Taking the form of an imaginary club house for invisible somnambulists, the entire gallery space has been transformed into a pillow-laden dreamland, complete with double bed, flickering animations and bedazzled pillowcases. You'll be happy to know that they also come highly rated by the reigning queen of textile craft Miss Penelope Durston, a recommendation hard to ignore. It sounds and looks most excellent and these two really do produce great, witty, work. We're so excited in fact that we're actually clearing a bit of space in the schedule to head on down to Easey street, Horlicks filled thermos in hand to take a nap amongst the artworks.