Merry Xmas to You All!

A very merry Xmas to our readers, friends and colleagues – sometimes you are all three of those things rolled up in one!

We appreciate your faith and support and look forward to doing even more  fabulous things next year.

Please celebrate 2013 and the New Year just like our Black Mermaid – with joy and heart, mind and arms wide open.

See you in 2014!

Body of Work Casino Collection Launch

A few weeks ago we were honoured and privileged to have been invited to attend a special event in Sydney – the launch of the 2014 Body of Work Casino Collection, which was held in the Trivett Bespoke showroom in Alexandria. Our connection to the event was the incomparable Hannah Fraser (AKA Hannah Mermaid) who served as a model for some of the exquisite photographic pieces on display. Hannah also has the reputation as being the world's foremost professional mermaid, marine eco-warrior, performer and model. She is truly a pioneer in all things mermaid. But that night, it was all about the photographer Bob Armstrong and his art.



To give you some background…

Body of Work (BOW) is a series of photographic books that retail between $250 and $500 each. They are coveted collectors' pieces and are distinguished by the brilliant photography and production standards. Each photo is tactile. For example, a shell and pearl girdle on one of the models feels like crunchy shells on a beach. You can also feel smooth cool lustre of the pearls.

BOW is an Australian brand but best known overseas because in the seven years of its existence it has accumulated 117 international awards for design, photography and incomparable print reproduction. In the last two years BOW has won all the top prizes known as Bennys (14 in all!) in the art print section of the American Premier Print Awards, which are to print what the Oscars are to films.

On the night in question we walked like James Bond amongst the Aston Martins, Rolls Royces, Bentleys and McLarens,  nibbling on delicious truffle infused canapés and suppressing our desire to caress the body work on the cars, which would have resulted in trails of finger- and perhaps even fin-prints (depending on who was doing the touching) over the paint job. 

Displayed in between the prestige vehicles were the new photographic pieces in the Casino Collection. These portraits and full length poses were nearly life size (1500 x 1000mm) and are amongst the world's most exclusive collections of photographic artwork masterpieces. For the first time they were available for sale or rental. The starting price is $25,000.

Amongst the beautiful people and the beautiful things on display was the largest book in the world, which opens to an impressive 1.5 metres x 3 metres. You can imagine how delicately and tenderly we handled it – this is certainly not a book for children to turn the pages. Ultimately, BOW is known for its creative flair and refuse to compromise in the pursuit of excellence. 

In 2014, similar events are scheduled for Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Chicago. We were luck to have been invited to the inaugural one!

Photographic credits: Bob Armstrong and Trivett Bespoke except where otherwise stated
(1) Bob Armstrong introducing BOW 2014 Casino Collection in the Trivett Bespoke McLaren Showroom
(2) Hannah Mermaid (photo credit: Jozef Szekeres)
(3) Image from the BOW photo shoot in December 2013 for the 2015 Casino Collection
(4) One of the luxury cars that Jozef got to sit in.
(5) Bob Armstrong with models Hannah Fraser (sans mermaid tail) and Anna Bliss who flew in from LA for the launch.
(6) Another image from the BOW photo shoot in December 2013 for the 2015 Casino Collection

For further information and high resolution photographs please contact Fiona Barraclough on +61 467 801 367.

And here are our special personal shots:

(1) Jozef and Hannah in the chassis of one of the cars during an audience participation sectionof the evening (smoke machine and special effects and all)
(2) Jozef and Julie with Hannah

THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF BOB ARMSTRONG

The Ledger Awards Announced for 2014

The Ledger Awards, established to acknowledge and promote excellence in comic arts and publishing in Australia, are being re-launched in Melbourne in April 2014. Inaugurated in 2005, they return after a five-year hiatus with a new structure and a new major sponsor: Supanova Pop Culture Expo Fully independent and run as a not-for-profit annual event, they are named after the pioneering Australian cartoonist Peter Ledger (1945 – 1994).

Gold, Silver and Bronze Ledgers will be presented for outstanding comics work published in the calendar year 1 January to 31 December 2013. Two Platinum Ledgers will also be awarded to acknowledge individuals whose contributions to comic art, publishing and community in Australia have helped shape the art form in a meaningful way.

For more information visit: http://ledgerawards.org
The call for entries information is here: http://ledgerawards.org/long-list-2013/ 

Inkers and Thinkers Symposium

The University of Adelaide will be holding the Inkers and Thinkers – The Evolution of Comics Symposium on Friday 14 April 2014. It is being organised by the Discipline of Media with the assistance of the J M Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice. 

This is an inter-disciplinary symposium, so researchers from all disciplines, artists and writers will be presenting 20 minute talks about some aspect of the comics medium they feel needs to be discussed as we push on well into the 21st century. Comics as become well entrenched in the Australian cultural landscape in the past decade and it’s here to stay and only get better. Comics veteran (and Comics Masterclass team member and coach!) is giving the keynote speech, where he will talk about the state of comics publishing in Australia and where he think it needs to go 

For more information go to: http://www.inkersandthinkers.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inkers-and-Thinkers/627408450630622

Twitter: https://twitter.com/InkersNThinkers

Remember, it is on the Friday before Ozcomicon Adelaide next year, so you may want to go attend that as well.