The Dance Mum

I have been a dancer since I was four years old and my brother is also a dancer, however it wasn't until my brother started competing that I encountered the dance mum - the thing every dancer fears!

If you're a daughter of a dance mum then you are under the pressure of your mum living her dream through you as she sprays you with bronzer that is two shades too dark for your skin and practices face expressions with you for your tap routine. If you are a competitor then you must also be scared of the dance mum for you are her enemy and she will judge you more then the adjudicator as she attempts to murder you with her eyes.

I've watched the TV show Dance Moms before and I found it just as entertaining as Toddlers and Tiaras or Honey Boo Boo but I just thought all that dance muminess was for the cameras and everything was a little exaggerated because it was reality TV... I was wrong.

I went to help my brother last week with competitions. We are at the same dance school and love it -our teachers are amazing, the girls are extremely talented and their mothers have a normal amount of enthusiasm.

However my nightmares of dance mums became realised as I walked through the communal change room that smelt of fake tan, and glittered with tacky and very sparkly costumes. As I walked through the dance mums took a break from violently forcing hair pins into their daughters buns to stare at me - I was being judged and I wasn't even competing!

I went to the toilet in a state of nervousness only to hear a lady behind me shouting at her daughter "you need to learn the difference between your creepy smile and your nice smile!" - I ran into the cubicle for shelter.

I went backstage again and watched as a mother pinned the final touches to her daughters tutus and saved other pins surely for voodoo on dolls that represented competing teams.

I went into the audience and watched but as the night went on I felt myself getting more competitive with every category that our dance school danced in! I was judging every tanned ten year old that walked past me! 

It wasn't until I was backstage besides the trophies seriously considering to steal some or on the stairs contemplating whether to "accidentally" push the 12 year old in front of me down them that I realised I was way too into it!! For those five hours of competitions I too became a dance mum! I am ashamed to admit it, but I did! 

So maybe we all have a little bit of dance mum inside us because we just all really really want to win.

-A

People Profile: Ryan Pola.

Ryan Pola, a funky Fine Arts student, is an avid creator of beauty and all round interesting guy. Seeing firsthand his activeness in creating art and beautiful responses on his Instagram and Facebook page, I thought it would be valuable to pick his brain by asking him a few questions:

When did you realise you wanted to be involved in art? Around the time I was sixteen, (I think). I had always been inclined to draw and paint and all those creative things, but it was around sixteen and when I was in maths class that I started replacing formulas with pencils and fractions with paints. I was over the restrictive methods we were being taught and decided I felt more instinctive aptitude to the arts.

When are you most productive? I would have to say when I am sitting alone in my bedroom while either having a horror movie playing in the background or listening to a certain few albums.

What is one thing you are really good at? Eating and watching TV series in rapid succession.

What is your favourite medium to work in? My favourite medium started off being watercolours, which then shifted to graphite a year or two years later. Then graphite was infused with oil paints, which became a bit of an interest for a while. Lately though, I have been fixated with collage. I wonder what my favourite medium will be next because at the rate I am going I’m due for a change soon.

In what do you find inspiration/motivation? Music plays a huge role in my inspiration. Florence + the Machine will always have a soft spot in my heart with their beautiful lyricism and “Ceremonial” sounds. Lana Del Rey, not the remixed Lana you will hear on the radio, but the Lana who went under pseudonyms and the Lana who sings about the beauty and ugliness of the American Dream. Marina + the Diamonds for the birth of the ego that was ‘Electra Heart,’ which came to interpret and be a satirical representation of ‘the Archetypes.’

What fascinates you? When I say this I do not want you to think of it in its present tense, or what it has truly been or will be, and when I say I love, I do not always or necessarily mean I like it.  

America. I have this undying love for America and what it represents. America, and its American Dream and it’s fascinations with the Bonnie and Clyde and the products it’s society can produce. The fame and the poor and excessive need for all that you can have. My fascination started with 1950’s America and everything it contained, which eventually branched out to encompass the rest of America. The concept of America is heavy and is dark, it is truly mesmerizing and I feel seduced by it. I never want to be a part of it though; I’ve looked at it too much and studied it way too deeply to want to be a part of something that can be so destructive.

Always at an arm’s length I will love the concept of America and will continue to look at it like a child with a magnifying glass over an ant mound. 
What do you wish you had been told ages ago? Stop caring so much and it all works out anyway. 
If we interviewed you again in 5 years, what is one achievement you would love to be able to tell us about? That I am now supreme ruler of the universe. 
Find out more about Ryan's art making here:  
Website: www.ryanpola.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ryanpola Instagram: @ryanpola
Ryan is exhibiting works from his collage series "Dark Paradises" in the MUST Container Festival this year. Opening night is Friday the 1st of August at Monash Clayton Campus. A few of us from Mosaik will be attending and encourage you to come have a wine or two ! 
Further details can be found on the Facebook event.

-B

Centre of Your Universe

 Wax Witches is a solo project by Australian musician Alex Wall from the Gold Coast, Queensland. Alex moved to Brooklyn’s underground scene to further his music and artistic talents. He now brings us Wax Witches’ second neo-punk, galactic space themed album, ‘Centre of Your Universe’. Different to the first album ‘Celebrity Beatings’, which had a more garage band recorded kind of feel, ‘Centre of Your Universe’, has a more studio-produced sound. Through the new experimental sounds, Alex launches his listeners into an adventure in a psychedelic space atmosphere.

The illustrative and relatable lyrics narrate a set of circumstances and emotions relating to the human condition and social affairs. Each track in the album articulates the dreams, aspirations and thoughts that relate to us all and which we encounter especially in our time of youth. Bringing out the vast creative imagination within our minds through his unique punk sound, this is definitely an album you can get lost in and just forget about the world. It allows the listener to feel comfortable in their own skin while knowing that someone out there can relate to how they feel in moments of anxiety, trouble, confusion – the gamete of human emotions really.

The choice of vibrant and fluorescent colours for the album cover, accompanied by the outlandish Alex Wall himself, in a space themed ambiance, certainly brings a face to the album. The album is a combination of dark and light listening. This is where we see some tracks, such as “Summer Suckers”, which serenades the fun atmosphere of summer time, the adventure of summer romance, the company of friends and just plain great memories. Other tracks such as “Social Introvert” and “Twenty Seven”, my personal favourites on the album, shed light on deeper and darker sentiments about the tougher and more solemn moments in life.

What I adore about ‘Centre of Your Universe’ is the fact that I can just get lost in each song and lyric, which unfolds. Much like traditional punk rock music from the 1970’s, the Wax Witches sound can be fast moving but surprisingly not aggressive. The lyrics and psychedelic sounds produce a real escape from the world. This kind of escape is a factor I highly appreciate and commend within music. I think this album really reveres the importance of music in provoking an emotional response in its listeners, and Alex Wall has really proven his abilities as an artist.

- D

Wax Witches - Centre of Your Universe 2014 Album Cover

Grab a copy of ‘Centre of Your Universe’ at any JB Hi-Fi store within Australia now. The rest of the world must wait until September 9th for the release.

You can like the Wax Witches page on Facebook and Tumblr for any updates on touring, merchandise etc. 

Watch Wax Witches Official Music Videos to "Summer Suckers"and "Social Introvert"

Happiness.

I think happiness is a decision. I think it is a lifestyle. People have control over whether they are happy or not. I think it takes a lot of mental strength and personal reflection to reach happiness, but it isn’t impossible to attain.

I am not disregarding personal struggles, trauma, and grief. I think that hardships strengthen the individual and help them understand the stark contrast between happiness and unhappiness. I understand that it is sometimes hard to feel happy when there is a lot of negativity in the world. But your mind has the power to overlook negativity, and disregard the pessimistic opinions and thoughts of others.

I would consider myself a happy person. I am only nineteen, and I’m still finding myself and what I stand for, but one thing I know I’ve developed is a very strong, optimistic outlook on life. I am constantly assessing my relationships with others, my personal thoughts and beliefs, and my views on the world. This constant criticising of my own life allows me to discover things that truly make me happy.

I try to steer clear of any negativity. If people let off a negative energy, I simply spend less time with them. I like to think that I am my full self around the people I know. I think that has aided in the happiness that comes out of my friendships. It is so hard to keep up an appearance, so just be yourself from the beginning, and you’ll attract like-minded people who accept you for who you are.

My all-time favourite book, The Last Lecture (by Randy Pausch), is one of the biggest influences on my optimistic outlook on life. I won’t go into too much detail, but it is such an inspirational read, and Pausch’s journey allows you to take notice of how many opportunities you can involve yourself in during your life, and provides so many wonderful life lessons. I think I’ve read The Last Lecture over five times in the past two years. It’s so great.

I think that the key to reaching a state of happiness is finding your passion in life. Working towards your passion allows you to seek out new opportunities, involve yourself in different communities, and meet new people.

I think, though, that there is a certain social pressure to ‘find your passion’ and ‘know what you want to do with your life’ at such a young age. Although, what some people don’t quite realise is that living your life fully, marveling over as many small and large passions that you may have – whether they be hobbies, topics that you hold strong opinions on, or simply things that make you smile – can lead to unlimited opportunities, and draw you towards a more positive sense of self. There is no finite definition of what it is that comprises ‘happiness’.  

I, personally, can tell when someone is passionate about something because I can have a conversation with them for such a long time without even saying a word, and their tone of voice is different, hand gestures are used more frequently, and their eyes smile. I love listening to people talk about what they love.

Constantly search for your purpose in life. Stay positive, and learn from experiences. Work towards becoming a better you, and always smile. Happiness will find you.

- N

Australian Tapestry Workshop.

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting the Australian Tapestry Workshop. The ATW, formerly the Victorian Tapestry Workshop, has operated in its South Melbourne headquarters since 1976, constantly collaborating with artists, interpreting their concepts through woven compositions. The workshop has enabled an ancient craft to evolve into a contemporary art form, allowing it to remain one of the few producers of hand woven tapestries in the world while also becoming Australia’s largest creator of public art. The workshop has 

crafted over 400 tapestries to date, all of which are displayed in renowned public and private collections.

Untitled 1977

Mike Brown 

Woven by Iain Young &Alan Holland 

The Schiaparelli Project 1998

Alum Leach - Jones 

Woven by Irene Creedon 

Furthermore, each tapestry has been produced with Australian wool, dyed on-site in one of the 370 colours specifically created for and by the workshop.Recently the workshop has been weaving a number of commissions, including a tapestry titled Sorry designed by Juan Davila for the centenary of the dome in the State Library of Victoria (where it can now be viewed.) The workshop has also just finished a commission by his Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to translate one of his watercolours into a unique tapestry. Upon my visit, however, I got to see the production of Catching Breath designed by Brook Andrew, an ambitious tapestry being woven in two separate parts, to be joined upon its completion.  

The studio space is completely inspiring with natural light beaming from the skylights above, illuminating the traditional architecture of the building and the bright colours that weave in and out of the tapestries in work.  The workshop radiates an atmosphere of serenity as it encompasses the perfect harmony between art and craft, old and new. 

The Australian Tapestry Workshop has kept an amazing practice alive in Australia while also continuing to source Australian wool. It was a privilege to see the weavers in work and I hope the Australian public continues to support such an amazing organization.    

To show your support for the Australian Tapestry Workshop you can donate to the Give an Inch campaign http://www.givenow.com.au/austapestry

http://www.austapestry.com.au

262-266 Park Street
South Melbourne Victoria 3205
Australia

P (61 3) 9699 7885
E contact@austapestry.com.au


ATW is open to the public Tuesdays to Fridays, 10am-5pm.

You can visit the retail shop and the galleries for free, or pay $5 entry for a studio viewing.

Guided tours of the Workshop are available on Wednesdays at 11am and Thursdays at 2pm, which go for approximately 45mins - 1 hour and cost $10 per person. Bookings are essential for guided tours.

- A