Banish po-facery…

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

We are aware/have been informed that there are some peeps out there who find the Poo beyond the pale.

For clarification purposes we wish to point out that here at glasscentralcanberra the Poo is viewed as a bona fide artwork of (often) performative/provocative intent and, notwithstanding his lost wax cast crystal pedigree, we celebrate the inherently abject (and loaded) allure he inevitably brings to his ever shifting, site specific ‘placements’.

There are any number of accepted/respected precedents in this ‘genre’ (Gilbert and George, Piero Manzoni, to name the most obvious) and the Poo is certainly not lacking in material, or indeed conceptual, gravitas.

terra-nullius-not

An early manifestation: Megan Bottari, Terra Nullius, not (2007) lost wax cast crystal, shadow.

The Poo, in fact, actually made his debut in 2004 (when he made an appearance as a lurker in Megsie’s grad work.) There are moves afoot to give him his own website…

The Bangkok files, hobbled…

Megsie’s latest sojourn in Bangkok (yep, another happy visit to the dentist∗) was a tad circumscribed by knee/foot/injury (moonboot-o-rama) biz but she nonetheless managed to at least touch base with a few of her favourite things. Exercise being out of the question, and general roaming simply not an option, she stuck to her three guiding principles for meaningful cultural engagement abroad; food, art and the cocktail hour. First stop, of course, was Isao for some serious sushi…

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Fabulous, as ever.

This trip had turned into one of those peculiar scheduling glitches where Megsie flew out just a nanosecond prior to Sammy Jo and Iain flying in for a quick R&R at the Hideout…during which time the Favourite Son-in-law would be celebrating his birthday. So of course Megsie – always mindful of observing important family festivities – marked the occasion by taking herself off on the day to Nahm, David Thompson’s recently awarded #1 restaurant in Asia (immediately after which she skyped him to let him know how wonderful his birthday lunch had been.)

It’s at the Metropolitan (just next door to the Banyan/Vertigo/Moon Bar); classically understated and chic. And one of those circumstances in which we take umbrage at the TripAdvisor prattle.  It’s the downside of ‘best-of’ awards of this sort – all the smug, whinging (patently middle-class) nay-sayers arrogantly feel the need to put the boot in. And frankly they should be utterly ashamed of themselves.

[We’d be rounding them up and sending them in over-crowded shipping containers to less-than-ideal destinations across the globe for a dose of serious reality. Get a grip, people, and cultivate a modicum of civility and gratitude. n(Ed)]

One eedjit was even sneering about the decor. God give us strength – because it was lovely, in a comfortably dignified, trad-contemporary-fusion kind of way. The staff were sweet, the food was delicious. We can only assume that the whiners expect/demand fussiness and gilded frou-frou. But Nahm clearly doesn’t go in for putting on unnecessary side. And they certainly eschew preposterous plating up. The food is simply presented, almost homely. And yes, of course there are cheaper options (street food, et al) but it’s certainly no more expensive than yer average café feed in Oz. And let’s not be vulgarians and talk about portion size; we all know that size isn’t everything, especially when it comes to food. At Nahm they practice an elegant sufficiency that frankly we should all adopt as a matter of course. So if you’re a chubby upwardly mobile self-indulged look-at-me-look-at-me wannabe or an indiscriminate bogan (…well, same thing really) then for godsake do Nahm a favour and don’t go there. Just a thought.

Anyhoo (thanks for your patience while we got that off our chests!) Megsie and her faithful dining companion (the widely-travelled Poo) enjoyed a delightful lunch, kicking off with a Siamjito (a whiskey-based cocktail in deference to the birthday boy)…

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All in all, a perfect communion of texture and flavour. And the Siamjito was so good (premium Thai whiskey, brown sugar and lemon grass) that we finished it all off with another.  Happy birthday Iain(!)

Over at the BACC (Bangkok Art and Culture Centre) we caught the annual White Elephant Art Award…

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Lots to see, from the political…

Jakkrit Srisongkram, Wake up, Thai people, oil, litho pencil, pencil

Jakkrit Srisongkram, Wake up, Thai people, oil, litho pencil, pencil

…to trad nostalgia…

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Phanida Prommetta, Kanok (Thai pattern), weaving

Phanida Prommetta, Kanok (Thai pattern), weaving

…(to shades of Megsie and Pa!)…

Sornchai Kongwun, Life Partner, acrylic on canvas

Sornchai Kongwun, Life Partner, acrylic on canvas

…(even shades of McCubbin)…

Paiboon Thamruangrit, Dinner at Kok Sithon, acrylic on canvas

Paiboon Thamruangrit, Dinner at Kok Sithon, acrylic on canvas

The most interesting interconnecting thread was the painterly homage to the crafts, so beautifully realised in the White Elephant Prize winning work…

Niwat Chootoun, Rythm of Life, acrylic on canvas

Niwat Chootoun, Rythm of Life, acrylic on canvas

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…and one of the Excellent Award recipients…

Nuntapong Sinsaurut, See Thai, acrylic on canvas

Nuntapong Sinsawut, See Thai, acrylic on canvas

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It’s always a ripper gallery to visit (right next to the Siam centre.)

Not much in the way of glass this trip, except at Megsie’s hotel, which was way into laminated plate architectural inclusions (favoured generally right across town)…

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…even the wall of the pool…

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…where Megsie was obliged to pass a fair bit of time (you know, resting her leg)…

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Still, there was no stopping her from scaling the heights to Sirocco for her favourite cocktail, a Rose Old Fashioned out on the Mezzaluna Terrace. Didn’t bother with the Skybar (too many steps and they don’t serve the Rose concoction) – besides which the Mezzaluna Terrace is higher and nowhere near as frenetic…

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Too, too divine.

And then it was straight back to the Hideout, there to hang out with Sammy Jo and Iain for the shortest imaginable time before they, too, took off again…

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Gotta love Eden.

Happy snaps, and more from the BACC exhibition, here.

∗ ps. we love Dr Sunisa at Bangkok Smile Dental Clinic, BIG TIME.

Meet the Murrays: part 1, Bali Hai, not…

We’ll clear the decks before launching into the kultchasphere for 2014.

The most significant heppenin’, it goes without saying, was the Family Summit called by the favourite son-in-law…

And naturally the Gang followed the typical protocols of such meetings (ref. APEC) and made sure there was a commemorative shirt for the fellas (the ladies received a GLRB piece to mark the occasion)…

brothers in arms

The Gang was really looking forward to meeting the in-laws – but have to confess we weren’t at all enamoured with the destination. Bali has never appealed to us in the slightest, but needs must and it was more to do with family biz after all. Granny fractured her ankle and was a last minute withdrawal.

We took off with mixed anticipation. And have to say that Bali was just as we imagined (…as a tourist destination, it made Merimbula look good) but the focus of the trip (the convergence of the in-laws) certainly made up for that. We stayed in a villa with three staff and a car and had a fabulously funny xmas (spot the Poo)…

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…and a lovely relaxed and enjoyable time (except when caught in traffic snarls whenever we ventured out.) Accommodation-wise, it would have to be said, we were blissfully in the pink…

Snaps for week one here.

Loving the dentist, unbelievable…

Whoever thought going to the dentist could be something to look forward to!?!

Well, it is when you go to Bangkok. Megsie packed the Poo and took off for her second visit without a trace of angst. She loves those guys at Bangkok Smile Dental Clinic – they’ve cured her of that mortal dread that’s clung since childhood. So gentle, so sweet – who’d have thunk it!! Brilliant.

This time she and the Poo lived high – as in hung out on roof tops; doing the rounds of Bangkok’s sensational roof top bars…

The Poo at Sirocco

The Poo at Sirocco

The Poo at Skybar

The Poo at Skybar

Checking out the Skybar from Ku De Ta

Checking out the Skybar from Ku De Ta

…and sniffing out some fabulous eateries…

The Poo at Hide and Seek

The Poo at Hide and Seek

So it was all about the good life, really; daily lapping…

Megsies lap pool

…eating…Duck confit at Hide and Seek

Isao

…(it helped that the best sushi joint in Bangkok, the Isao, was across the lane from her hotel!!)…

the Jackie

…relaxing (foot massage at Chatuchak)…

foot massage at Chatuchak

…and generally loitering with no particular intent with mates…

Rick and Suellen

Rick and Suellen

And it wasn’t all beer and skittles – she caught up with some culture…

Karin Philolyabut at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre

Karin Philolyabut at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre

Karin Philolyabut, detail 1

Karin Philolyabut, detail 2

Noppadon  Vivoonchatapun, old clothes

Noppadon Vivoonchatapun, old clothes

Sanitas Pradittasnee

Sanitas Pradittasnee

…soaked up the street scenes…

Thai boxing at the mall

Thai boxing at the mall

…and just had a bloody good time.

Needless to say she’s hanging out big time for her next appointment.

Lots more happy snaps here.

Annual pilgrimage…

Back in April the Gang packed the Poo and took off for what’s become our annual pilgrimage to Burma (this time via Bangkok.) Possibly our last, sad to say, because the Muzzbotts have since been relocated to Bali (lacks a certain caché, eh.)

Anyhoo, we had a ripper time; Bangkok was extreme…

hold on to your snatch

…as one would expect – from the abject (plastic poo at street stalls)…

[…and don’t even think of comparing these to the Poo which, being cast lead crystal, is so in another class. n(Ed)]

street stall detail

…to the über sophisticated (cocktails at the Skybar)…

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Megsie, Ging and Sammy Jo at the Skybar

And yes, it wasn’t all alimentary – although we were rather taken with the public loos…

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…we did also manage to swing past our fair share of viz arts as well…

Vichai Sitheratn

Chairat Sangthong

…most specifically at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. Great city, fab people. The only downside being the disconcerting prevalence of unprepossessing western men trailed meekly by palpably resigned Thai women. It’s shaming, this Great Australian Ugliness. Yes, we know, it’s not only Aussies – plenty of fat Germans, Brits, Yanks and allsorts – but that doesn’t make it any more palatable, does it?

We managed to escape to the crumbling charm of Mayanmar, where thankfully the sleaze has not (yet) infiltrated. This trip found us washed up in the Andaman archipelago…

poo goes paddling

beach from Megsie's cabin

Beach day on Andaman

…via Kaw Thaung, the Noosa of Myanmar…

Kaw Thuang

Kaw Thuang, the Noosa of Myanmar

street stall Kaw Thuang

Crackin’ brekky.

Back in Yangon we hung around our usual haunts…

skyping Pa

…doing what we do best…

lunch at the Governor's Residence

…plus lots of exciting extras, like dining at the House of Memories where General Aung San’s office has been aspic’d in time…

Megsie

General Aung San's desk

lunch at House of Memories

…and Megsie managed to muster some bloggo focus, sniffing out another glaaaass, as Nige would say, factory/showroom. (You’ve got to admire her dedication to the cause)…

Megsie at the glass factory show room

If any of you have a hankering for Burma, get there quick is our advice. The carpet baggers have well and truly moved in and change is sadly seismic. Mind you, even as the Burmese pick up bad habits from the west they do manage to maintain their inimitable smiley face – it takes the edge off, eh…

universal language

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