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When Graffiti isn’t Graffiti

2012-07-13T05:17:58Z

In my lookout for new Graffiti Art I’ve come across a new trend, signs that look like Graffiti but in fact appear to be commissioned by the businesses nearby.

Interestingly, the image is not always associated with the business but appear to just simply brighten an otherwise plain space. I particularly like the surfer as an example of this.

A Good Barista Makes All The Difference

2012-07-04T03:15:08Z

Brisbane has quite a few boutique coffee roasting companies and one of these, “The Coffee Roaster”, is next door to our office in West End.

When it first started to serve coffee last year I tried them. To be honest, it wasn’t great, and so I returned to my regular cafe for my daily caffeine hit. This year however I was enticed back when a couple of people from the office indicated that the coffee was vastly improved.

What I found was a smoother more enjoyable coffee served up with a generous dollop of humour.

So what changed?

The secret lies in the skilled baristas now working there. Liz, Marianna and Jake turn out a consistently well brewed coffee. This coupled with their knowledge of what people normally order has made all the difference.

As the trainer on the baristas course I did said, “A good barista makes or breaks a cafe”. So if you want a good coffee, roasted locally and are around West End then drop in.

Gas Stripping Tower

2012-05-23T09:27:40Z

As you walk along the river bank near Davies Park in West End you come across a large metal tower. Reminiscent of a lighthouse, it sits in a small grassed area surrounded by large fig trees behind a high metal fence . But what is it?

According to the article on “Your Brisbane: Past and Present” this is the Gas Stripping Tower used by the South Brisbane Gas & Light Company in 1912. It’s the only one of it’s kind left in Australia and it’s job was to “purify” the coal gas by stripping out ammonia and tar.

Walking past, none of this is evident. The only signage appears to be on a small monument near the tower, but access to it, along with the tower is restricted by the relatively recent addition of the fence.

It takes a walk along the fence line a reasonable distance from the tower to find out why access is restricted. It appears that a number of the huge fig trees have Phellinus noxius, a fungus that can kill large trees. The council, rightly so, is concerned that large branches or even the trees themselves may fall unexpectedly and so access has been restricted.

What is disappointing is that none of this is obvious to the casual observer. It’s unfortunate that the Brisbane City Council hasn’t provided appropriate signage near the tower outlining the history of this unique and unusual piece of history, or the plight of the trees.

Used Ferraris and Gold Bullion Accepted

2012-05-17T02:50:25Z

We recently promised a friend of ours the best lasagne in the world. When we finally took her to Elio’s Osteria their lasagne had alot to live up to. It didn’t disappoint.

We were first introduced to Elios by our good friends Adrian and Janet, both of whom are big fans of the lasagne. Even after living in England for a few years, they say they have not had a better lasagne.

It took a couple of trips to Elios before we tried it ourselves. Not because we didn’t believe it was that good but because there were so many other great dishes to tempt us. When we did try it, we agreed it’s brilliant. The lasagne has a rich bolognese sauce with beautiful fresh pasta layers topped in melted cheese.

When it comes time for desert, the standout for us is their bread and butter pudding. Nothing like the bread and butter puddings of old, theirs has a wonderful blend of caramel and apple with pieces of bread that are more akin to donuts than your morning toast. It’s to die for.

To top off the wonderful food the services is fun and friendly, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. They seem to take pride in being a bit quirky. You just have to look at the sign at the counter – “Used Ferraris and Gold Bullion Accepted” – to see this.

If all this sounds tempting, book yourself a table. Just remember to leave room for desert.

Grey is the real Crime

2012-05-02T23:42:50Z

I found this collection of graffiti just off Vulture Street in West End recently.

The old man and the bird in a sack image reminded me a lot of a puzzle game I played a few years ago, Machinarium.

These sort of quirky images are what I find really interesting. They take a rather bland, and in this case boring grey wall and give it character and life.

As someone said using Scrabble tiles, “Grey is the real art crime”.

Sushi & Yum Cha. What a combination.

2012-04-26T04:46:08Z

Many, many years ago I was first introduced to Sushi. This didn't go as well as my friends had hoped, as while the sushi was probably very nice, being presented with rather large thick pieces of raw fish wasn't that easy to get my head around as a novice.

While in Victoria, I figured I should give it a second chance when we found a local sushi restaurant that had recently opened. Fujisan became a regular Friday evening meal option and to this day is the standard by which I measure all sushi.

When we returned to Brisbane, the hunt was on to locate a replacement. By now, the "train" style sushi restaurants were popular and while some were good, they were never brilliant.

The other Asian food experience I enjoy is Yum Cha. The disadvantage of this however is that you end up waiting for your favourite steamed dim-sims or pork buns to come past on a cart.

So, it was with delight that I walked out of my first experience at Ginga at The Emporium in the Valley. While it maintains the "sushi train" style of delivery for it's sushi, it also provides an à la carte menu for many of my favourite options at Yum Cha. Add to this that the sushi is extremely fresh and I believe they've created a great mix.

A change of graffiti

2012-04-24T13:07:05Z

Last year I posted about how I felt that Graffiti can add character to a building and even become a way of recognising the business within even if it’s not directly related to it.

So I was a little surprised when wandering recently to find that the previous graffiti had been replaced.

I love the colour and vibrancy of the first piece combined with the simplicity of the sleeping boy.

The second piece is seen properly when you walk into the little courtyard/garden beside the building. Again, it’s more art than graffiti and has a wonderful quality to it that reminds me of some of my favorite Anime like “Spirited Away” and “9”.

The Crow

2012-03-29T22:45:32Z

Down the road from our office is a stage props company. Over the last year I've seen some interesting and creative pieces in the loading area but recently, some of it spilled into the street.

The first time I saw the crow sitting on the parking sign, I initially mistook it for the real thing. It was only on second glance that I realised it was one of the props.

I'm a big fan of things that make you not only look twice, but make you stop and think.

Save West End

2012-03-29T23:22:20Z

In my recent wanderings into the more residential parts of West End I came across a couple of houses with posters entitled "Save West End – West End, Many Stories, not 30 Storeys".

Reading the information about this campaign on the website www.savewestend.org it appears to be a community action to have a say in the draft plan by Brisbane City Council for West End. From what I gather, the plan is to take into account an increase in the number of residents in West End and includes the increase of height restrictions for buildings, in some cases now allowing 30 storeys. It's this increase in height that is identified as one of the key problems by the community campaign.

One of the things I love about West End is the atmosphere of the older homes, the characteristics of the shops and the overall eclectic nature of it. Replacing it with multi-storey residential and business blocks will have a significant impact on all of this.

The problem we face however, is as our population continues to grow, we are also increasing the area our city takes up. This "urban sprawl" eats into our remaining "wild" places, something that I expect many residents in West End would also agree isn't acceptable. If we are to limit our impact on the environment, then we need to consider high density living. In other words, building up, not out.

If we intend to continue our population growth and not impact on the environment, the challenge is how to do it while maintaining the "atmosphere" many of us look for in residential areas like West End.

Can Graffiti add character in a good way?

2012-03-29T23:22:46Z

In a previous post I talked about the "art" of Graffiti so when I came across this piece in my recent wanderings, I had to share it.

The piece is on the side of a small shop and by the looks of it, it's been there for a while. I love the feel of the piece and how it seems to fit within the character of the building and the business within. In fact, this was confirmed when I showed one of the others in our office and they immediately identified the name of the business.

So can good graffiti contribute in a positive way to the character of a space? I believe so and this piece seems to achieve both enhancing it's space along with becoming iconic for the business within.