Thursday, December 8, 2011

Woman’s Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011 - SFS On-board for the Final

Woman's Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011, thirty finalists, thirty Australian country girls putting their hopes on the line.. I am certainly getting the feeling that the beauty pageant has returned to Australia and is here to stay for the immediate future at least.

Yes this pageant has cast its net very wide indeed to let the girls who are not closeted in the city; a chance for country girls to shine and perhaps be the next Miranda Kerr, a country girl herself; top modelling talent is out there!

This was a very well run show (other than the inclusion of the very annoying steady cam operator who was everywhere-all-the-time); how so many young contestants managed this hours long final with its pretty complex E-on-its-back runway is a mystery to me but they did and they did it well. Or perhaps it had something to do with family support which I am pleased to say was very much in evidence on the night.

It is tough on the contestants, you do have to put your heart and hopes on the line. Congratulations to winner Belinda Adams and all the contestants; you are all winners in Street Fashion Sydney's eyes! I am very much looking forward to following the careers of those who made it through (and some who will make their own way). And I am equally looking forward to Miss Country Girl Australia in 2012.

Contestants before the final,  Woman’s Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011 600-MCGA_Adj_21

Katie Jones Woman’s Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011_26

Opera House in background, Woman’s Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011 _110

Karlee O’Donnell Winner 2010 Miss Country Girl Australia 2010_5193_62

Picture by Soyoun Kim, 600-CountryModel14

Woman’s Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011 Casual Wear, 600-MCGA_Adj_5251_119

Casual Wear, Woman’s Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011 j_5280_148

Picture by Soyoun Kim 600-CountryModel13

Bikini Round, Woman’s Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011_223

Bikini Round, Woman’s Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011_252

Contestant in gown, final stage, Woman’s Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011_307

Winner Belinda Adams in her Gown, Woman’s Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011_270

Winners Group Photograph, Woman’s Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011_387

Winners Group Photograph, Woman’s Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011 _391

Belinda Adams, Winner Woman’s Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011

The Adams, Winners Parents, Woman’s Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011_Adj_5538_405Winners Parents, Mr & Mrs Adams.

Contestand and Mum, Woman's Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011_396

Family Portrait runner up, Woman’s Day Miss Country Girl Australia 2011_402
All pictures copyright Kent Johnson and Soyoun Kim 2011 for Street Fashion Sydney.

Miss Country Girl Australia
www.misscountrygirlaustralia.com.au

Woman's Day www.womansday.ninemsn.com.au

Chic Management www.chicmanagement.com.au

Scoop Management www.scoopmanagement.com.au

Sea Folly www.seafolly.com

Forever New www.forevernew.com.au

Friday, December 2, 2011

Street Fashion Sydney's Photography & Art Roundup, Nov-Dec 2011

Looking at photography and art over the last 4 weeks; or something like that...

Well I clearly did not make it to every photography show in town in the last month but I did make it to a few and some other art events as well including Elodie Silberstien's White Ribbon Day performance piece which I had the pleasure of shooting the promotional photographs for..

But lets go back to the 11 11, always an important calandar day (forget fashion parades at Northies...) and the launch date for what I think it would be fair to call the most recent installment in North Sullivan's ongoing urban/community portrait project. This time titled 'Doorstop Portraits in Glebe' it was a porch project incorporating the immediate architecture or the 'sitters' front porch or veranda; all shot on an iPhone 4 (!!!) and beautifully printed. I have long admired much of the council housing of the Glebe area and North has captured this architecture as beautifuly as he has the residents themselves. Some of the shots are a wee tad on the sentimental side but what can I say, they work! Lovingly crafted community projects like this is something Sydney needs more of. You can still see much of the show online here, 'Doorstop Portraits in Glebe'.

North Sullivan Portrait Show

Next up I attended 'Round 2' A.R.P Artists Residency Program on Oxford Street. I am becoming a big fan of Rachel Park's work since first seeing her installation piece at SNO in 2010. lets face it anyone who can use that much toilet paper is MORE than a legend in their own bathroom and Rachel is taking it to the world!

I can't say I felt the same about Anna Laerkesen's photographs from her 'Strangelands' series, one of which you can see reflected in the mirror in the gallery shot below. It was the first of two occasions reported here where I was quite deeply conflicted over what I saw, on this occasion a fairly low technical quality & inconsistency of approach to the photography that seemed to undermine the artist's intent. Or perhaps it was just me... How can you love waving toilet paper and be deeply conflicted over a few photographic prints? Well it's all in how you look at it.
Photography and Art Patrons at Round 2 A.R.P Artists Residency Program Oxford Street _4875_815

I also took a look at Cherine Fahd's laneway text art which scopes about a modern paranoia; of course there were a few jokes made at the arts expense but I suspect Cherine would have been quite OK with that.
03 Cherine Fahd, Fear Of Parking..

04  Rachel Park at ARP Oxford Street 600-RachParkj_4869_809

On 26th November as part of White Ribbon day Memorium #2. This would have to be one of the first times where part of the art was the delivery of information about the death of women (and some men) from domestic violence! The procession began with Patricia rather aptly singing Summertime (and the living is easy) from Porgy & Bess "...It deals with his attempts to rescue Bess from the clutches of Crown, her violent and possessive lover, and Sportin' Life, the drug dealer."
05_ Elodie Silberstein, Memorium #2 performance Newtown _4961_901

06_ Elodie Silberstein and Patricia Alvarez Memorium #2 performance St Stephens  600-Adj_823

07_  Memorium #2 performance St Stephens Newtown _4972_912

08_Elodie Silberstein and Patricia Alvarez Memorium #2 performance St Stephens 4888_828

Next was Dan Stock's 'Echoes of Unknown Thought' at index space; large prints of Dan's photographs of rare (mostly military use) Valves; which for those of you unfamiliar with the history of electronics were the larger less stable precursor to the transistor-which eventually made portable computing possible! And this was the second look-at-photography this month that left me feeling a little uncomfortable with the technical side of the art process.

Still I got more of an impression that Dr Dan Stock was more of a fan of the Valve and the giant (or fairly large) prints were more of an Homage, a bloody big fanzine to 'The Valve' which was great as I am quite a big fan myself! Not to mention is was nice to talk to someone who knows that William Shockley (along with John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain) invented the first-world-powerhouse, the Transistor. And that Steve Jobs actually invented nothing at all...
09_Dan Stock's artist Portrait at solo show, Echoes of Unknown Thought

10_Alex Wisser portrait, solo show at MOP Gallery _5035_975

And on Friday night I attended Alex Wisser's first solo at MOP gallery in Chippendale. Alex's large scale giclée prints were as beautiful and intoxicating as the works themselves; empty rooms, a distant past 'found' in the present as these homes were placed on the market.

The A.R.P., Dan Stock's, and Alex Wisser shows are on NOW!