Author: We Know Melbourne

Dressmaker Costume Exhibition

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Costumes from the box office hit film, The Dressmaker, will be on display in an exclusive exhibition held at National Trust’s Rippon Lea House and Gardens from April 22, 2016. Take a rare glimpse into how whimsy, glamour and humour are used in the creation of these stunning costumes. Developed by The National Trust Victoria, in in partnership with Marion Boyce and Film Art Media, the exhibition will take you behind the scenes of  the film into the inner world of the costume department with footage of the costumes being created and stories behind the corsetry and art finishing. When: 22 April until 31 July 2016 Where:  Rippon Lea House and Gardens, 192 Hotham St, Elsternwick Visit the Dressmaker Exhibition website.

Break Room – Giveaway

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Melbourne has a new way to destress and it involves smashing a lot of things. Dreamed up by entrepreneur Ed Hunter, The Break Room has just opened in Collingwood, after relocating from Brunswick and it’s already a hit (no pun intended) . The rules are simple. Enter the break room and smash everything into smithereens. You are given a baseball bat, 6 plates, 6 wine glasses, 6 cups and 1 carafe, so get creative. Smash them on the floor Greek wedding style, throw them at the wall or throw them in the air to wack them with the baseball bat. The choice is yours. Breakers must wear long pants and long sleeves, and you’re given protective gear before entering the room. Safety still does come first. You also have the choice of 10 minutes for $50 or 90 minutes for 30 minutes, but of course if you’re really needing to release you’ll be done smashing your goods in 5. As an exclusive for We Know Melbourne readers, we have one double pass to giveaway to the Break Room. …

Academy Kitchen & Bar

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Walking into Academy Kitchen & Bar, we were warmly greeted by the friendly waitresses and informed that we would be seated at one of the best tables in the house. It was a cooler Thursday evening and we were there to try out the new Autumn menu.  We had a choice of either picking our own dishes or leaving it up to the masterful hands of head chef, Will Manning. We of course love surprises so went for the latter. The first dishes to come out were the pumpkin gnocchi with butternut pumpkin sauce, pickled shimeji and crispy onion rings, and the salmon terrine with dill creme fraiche, saffron aioli, caperberries and sorrel.  The pumpkin gnocchi was light and  flavoursome, and coupled with the creamy butternut sauce topped with the crunchy onion rings, it felt like the perfect winter indulgence dish. In tasting the salmon, it was the saffron aioli that stood out for us and had us wanting more. Both considerable sized dishes, we were surprised that these were just part of the ‘snacks …

Comedy Hypnosis! Entranced – MICF Review

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Last week we went to see Isaac Lomman and his hypnosis show, as part of the Comedy Festival. Watching him tap into the minds of some volunteers making them do certain tricks had us entranced.  Isaac said we experience hypnosis every single day of our lives. Was this true? Is this real or fake? Were these volunteers put aside earlier in the show and given scripts? We asked ourselves these questions as we watched the beginning of the show unfold. Isaac was determined to prove that hypnosis is very possible. Guiding us through his process, he put his volunteers in a trance-like state, where they responded quickly to his commands in their own unique ways, each displaying a different way of doing the action. We watched people sleep, laugh uncontrollably, and respond to tasks that involved the audience. Overall the show was very entertaining and funny.  It was refreshing to see a comedy about people “sleeping” and doing things that we would never do ourselves unless under a magic spell. Highly recommended for all ages and …

Ella – A Tribute by Kelsey James

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During her 60 year career, Ella Fitzgerald lived an extraordinary life that has earned her place in music history. The inspiration that shone so brightly through the voice of Ella will find it’s new vessel in Kelsey James, a vocalist whose projects include the Furbelows, her own Quintet and her original project. When: 24 – 25 April 2016 Where: Bennetts Lane Jazz Club Visit the Bennetts Lane Jazz Club website here.     

Markit

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Markit returns to Federation Square on Sunday 8 May 2016  with over 100 Australian independent designers. Drawing an eclectic mix of designers out of their workspaces for the day – ceramicists, jewellers, shoemakers, illustrators and micro fashion studios – Melburnians will be able to pick up limited-edition pieces, one-off gifts and handmade objects of beauty that won’t be found on any high street. The day will be a chance to meet your favourite Australian designers in person and find out more about the design processes behind the wares. For those seeking out original, unexpected design pieces made with the environment and ethics in mind – this is your dream-shopping day all in one place! When: 10am -5pm, Sunday 8 May Where: Federation Square Visit the Markit website here.   

Incomplet – MICF Review

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It’s not that often you go to a stand-up gig and the comedian has flown in as the only passenger on a private jet just to be with his audience. Michael Bowley’s Incomplet is an unashamedly, unfinished eclectic collection of thoughts and experiences of a comedian 12 years, 3 months and 13 days in the making. The show is super educational, particularly for the internationals in the room. Bowley explains the four different types of “mate”, which means I now have to go over the last eight months in my head to see if anyone has referred to me as “your mate”. There are also top tips about how to be socially responsible/morally reprehensible depending on whether or not you’re ok with using a credit card the late former tenant of your house has been approved for. Someone sat next to me described Bowley as “a real cutie”, and he definitely comes across as this nice guy. This makes his occasional moments of dark humour all the more funny. These little surprises create a great balance in the show. There are times where Bowley …

Women Like Us – MICF Review

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Ellen Briggs and Mandy Nolan are two funny, funny ladies. Straight-talking independent women who shoot straight from the lip and keep the stories coming, the kind of sparkly, charismatic women who, if you met at a dinner party you would be enthralled, chin in hands as they deliver one funny, entertaining tale after the other. Armed with a repertoire chock full of Mum jokes, Mullumbimby hippy digs and witty, intelligent tales about waxing, trying on clothes and having to deal with snooty shop assistants, (and that’s just the tip of the iceberg) their humour is warm, sometimes politically incorrect and always entertaining. Too often there is a lot of pressure on women in the traditionally male-dominated industry of stand up to prove themselves. Ellen and Mandy knock it out of the park without having to resort to the lowest common denominator, minimising every day first world struggles of middle-class women, inviting the audience to laugh about every day trivial things and reaching a connection with everyone within five minutes of hitting the stage. They are …

Melbourne Knowledge Week

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Expand your mind and connect with other innovative thinkers at Melbourne Knowledge Week. This year will see over  60 events  explore the themes of innovation, creativity and technology shaping our future. Take part in a workshop, listen to a talk or even build your own robot. Some highlights include: Life in the cyber-physical world In this hands-on workshop, the audience will get an opportunity to interact with robots, and new technologies from the labs and research departments of Deakin University to discover the new cyber-physical world. Canopy: Melbourne green roof forum Canopy is the event where practitioners at the cutting edge of urban greening share knowledge about what it takes to get greenery onto Melbourne’s city streets, rooftops and walls. Crytoparty Concerned about online surveillance? Want to protect your privacy? Bring your phone or laptop and learn about tools that help you deter digital snoops. Making Data Sing How do we transform millions of lines of data into stunning and intuitive visualisations? This fast-paced event explores the ways that traditionally off-limit data is moving towards an …

Wine & Chocolate Fest

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Wine and chocolate lovers you’ll be in a gourmet paradise at this year’s Wine and Chocolate Festival. Sample wines from some of Australia’s best wine producers and  nibble on some chocolate from premium local artisans. Want to learn about how  the two go together? There’ll  be plenty of experts available on the day to teach you all about quality chocolate and wine, and how the two can be so deliciously paired together. In case that wasn’t enough, there’ll also be cider, beer, liquor, cheese, gelato and  coffee  suppliers showing off their high-quality artisan products, masterclasses, entertainement plus signature coffees and cocktails created by Liquid Infusion for attendees to enjoy. A day of pure decadence! When: April 30 Where: Seaworks, 82 Nelson Place, Williamstown Visit the website here.