One for the Road: Colour – Travels Through the Paintbox

by Kelly Amabile on

This book beckoned me from a front table at Artisan Books on Gertrude St. in Melbourne’s Fitzroy neighborhood. The 2006 paperback version I bought has the bold cover shown here, although I’ve seen several other versions of this book that was originally released in 2002. Regardless of what it looks like, Victoria Finlay’s Colour: Travels Through The Paintbox is a masterpiece. Just as I enjoy looking at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers again and again, so too will I delight in returning to passages from this multicolored exploration of our world.

From ochre to violet, Findlay unearths every possible facet of the rainbow. Her research takes her to Spain, for Consuegra’s Saffron Festival (yellow), to lapis lazuli mines in Sar-e-sang, Afghanistan (blue), and to Mexico, in search of the purple of the Mixtecs (violet). Finlay takes the reader along on this magical journey as she creates a spectacular canvas loaded with pigments, dyes, gems and stones. Her quest to uncover the history and origins of color reveals a rich palette that stretches to every corner of our planet. It would be wonderful to see a map painted to match the discoveries from her color expeditions.

How Many Movies Have You Watched On One Flight?

by Kelly Amabile on

I’m not exactly embarrassed to admit this, but I’m not sure if it is something to be proud of either?! On a recent 13-hour Qantas flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles, I managed to watch five movies in a row, and could have probably snuck in a sixth if my eyes were not so weary. And for some reason, I feel compelled to admit that I engaged in this obscene in-flight marathon film fest. I’m actually quite curious to know about the movie-watching habits of other long-haul fliers out there.

Who else will ‘fess up?

I had only planned on watching one movie, and then figured I’d pop some Sudafed Nighttime pills to knock me out. But the drugs never kicked in after my own private screening of No Reservations. Or maybe deep in my psyche I knew that I just HAD to watch Blades of Glory before bedtime. After that, I blame it on the seat — I just couldn’t get comfortable. Or was it that burning desire to watch License to Wed and Evan Almightly?! By the time I got to Borat I had really surpassed my (or any normal sleep-deprived human’s) film-viewing limit and should have certainly been fast asleep…but once you start watching that movie, you just can’t stop. My cranium hurt and my eyes were surely bugging out of the sockets by then, but I had to know if Borat would ever get his dream date with Pamela!

So who else has been hooked by their in-flight entertainment system? Please tell me that I am not the only who has denied herself sleep on a plane in order to catch up on all the romantic comedies and mockumentaries she’d been missing? I had brought a good book with me on the plane, as well as my laptop, so I could organize the photos from my trip. Instead, the in-flight entertainment system got me good, proving to be a much stronger drug than the decongestant I thought would have brought me at least a few good hours of sleep.

Journey Girl and Melburnalia: Theatrics on Flinders Lane

by Kelly Amabile on

Ahhh, the stories I have to share about my recent two-month stay in Melbourne. It’s such a fantastic place. But until I get my arse in gear and bring those tales your way, let me at least suggest one spot you should check out if you’re headed to the Victorian capital in the near future:

fortyfivedownstairs is an art space located on fabulous Flinders Lane in Melbourne’s central business district. The venue features a constant lineup of cool exhibits and theatrical performances. Two of their upcoming productions are travel related, so I felt obliged to let ya know about them straight away:

Beginning October 24, the theater will showcase a one-woman Australian musical called The Journey Girl. Emma Caldwell plays Annie, “an adventurous young Aussie woman attempting to conquer the world with nothing more than a backpack and a map.” Next up is Melburnalia, which debuts on November 1. The play weaves together five short works (by local writers) into a single journey through the diverse suburbs of the city.

I’d sooooo love to see both these theatrical explorations, and after living in Melbourne for awhile, the second one sounds especially interesting. If you live there, or will be traveling through town, be sure to check out the lineup at fortyfivedownstairs, and tell us what you think.

Where on Earth? Week 25: Melbourne, Australia

by Martha Edwards on


You guys are good. Our first commenter, Lea Woodward, successfully guessed that this is indeed Melbourne, Australia shortly after we posted this photo, and commenters Simon, Kev and our own Kelly backed up Lea’s guess by identifying buildings in the photo. Great work! Though my next cityscape will be more difficult–you can bet on that.

I visited Melbourne last March, just when this gorgeous city was settling into Autumn, as us North Americans are doing now. I got this shot after a quick tour around Melbourne with my gracious hosts, and though I didn’t have a tripod with me, I improvised by balancing my camera on the ledge of the bridge.

Stay tuned for next week’s Where on Earth!

Photo of the Day (4/30/07)

by Iva Skoch on

This is fun stuff from our Gadling Flickr photo pool. An artist painted over a waterfall fountain backdrop in Melbourne. The fountain was shut off, due to drought. But, as they always do, the rains came. Check out the full-sized picture, here.