twenty sixteen

Hey guys, what's up? Since I've been checking in so much this week (ha! Well, comparatively), I thought I'd catch you up on what's been happening round these parts in the beginning of 2016. By all accounts it's been a shitty year so far in world news, and we find the joy we can in the everyday.

At the start of the year we ventured to Kelly Tarlton's aquarium...

We made pals with manta ray, found Nemo and needless to say - had a blast. Before long we went to see the French spectacle Carabosse, Garden of Fire at the Auckland Domain....

This little girl in white cotton dress danced her heart away to these ethereal musicians playing a mix of French techno and Maori taonga

The Auckland Museum made sure she put on a real show that night.

That brings us to around April. Next up - families on both sides visit, Argentinian and English...

The DL..

Hey guys, what's the haps? It's about time I gave anyone who still hangs around the DL with what's been going on in my life. Here's the highlights...

In June we spent a magical long weekend in Melbourne and fell in love..

...we fell in love with Smith Street Alimentari in Collingwood

...we fell in love with the art of expression in Fitzroy

...we fell in love all over again with Marty Scorsese

...Alex fell back in love with Chinotto, and introduced me to this new flavour

...we fell in love with the architecture and character of the city

...and its amazing eateries

....but most of all, the architecture and history. My god, how I've missed history.

We'll be back, Melbourne!

Like For Like

Never not loving Miss Moss. South African blogger Diana is always on the mark with her stylish finds and vintage discoveries. Every so often she treats us to an art/fashion mash-up and her latest offering inspired by the new Valentino Pre-Fall 2015 collection is a doozy. 

I don't consider myself a girly girl, but these couture gowns are ridiculous. Stars and galaxies on capes and tulle? Oh my days.

Lev Feliksovic Lagorio, Moonlight Sealandscape

Karl Nordström, Trädgård, Grez (Garden, Grez)

H. Ahtela, Thaw

Anshelm Schultzberg, Vinterdag i Ludvikatrakten (Winter Day Near Ludvika)

Inari Krohn, Winter Night

Gottfrid Kallstenius, Villa D'Este at Sunset

August Strinberg, Storm Landscape

See more Miss Moss colour comparisons here.

the hidden mother

‘This was a practice where the mother, often disguised or hiding, often under a spread, holds her baby tightly for the photographer to insure a sharply focused image.’ - The Hidden Mother.

Fascinating but creepy! I suppose it was the only way a mother could ensure getting a good image of her baby in a time when making a photograph was a laborious process, but weren't they concerned about the lumps kind of spoiling the effect somewhat? Not to mention being totally sinister.

via A Cup of Jo and the Retronaut

goldfish salvation

Colossal is a goldmine (ah, pun!) of wonders, and this artist / sculptor of goldfish is right up there at the top. Riusuke Fukahori paints onto a layer of resin, before pouring a layer on top and painting again, repeating this until a detailed 3D image is built up. I'm sure Fukahori isn't the first person to think of this - it's certainly a popular technique in photography right now - but I think it's very effective, and extremely well executed here. The depth and quality is amazing, and that embedded pourer in the first image adds such realism, he fooled me into thinking it was a photo at first!

See photos of Fukahori's work for his Goldfish Salvation exhibition at the ICN Gallery in London, shot by Dominic Alves here.

the neu romantic

Dreamlike worlds or sci-fi movie scenes? Artist Kim Keever actually creates these eerie miniatures inside a 200 gallon fish tank, and turns them into large scale photographs. They are definitely reminiscent of the Romantic painters. What an amazing idea.

Found via Anthology