Polo

Patricia Piccinini has created a new way of filtering the world. Her art questions what happens to us when we recognise that we are just one animal among many. Patricia is best known internationally for her too-human animal sculptures, the collision of nature and insane genetic experimentation. Her sculptures are unsettling and grotesque, but with a mythological sort of beauty.

Patricia was born in Sierra Leone but raised in Canberra, and is now based in Melbourne. She has spoken about the ‘handicap’ of being an Australian artist – the tyranny of distance is a real challenge for Australian creatives, forcing us to work twice as hard to be heard.

I asked Patricia to share some lessons that art school cannot teach you. The recipe for success as a global artist, then, is taking these lessons on hard work, connections and believing in your worth, and multiplying them by 100.

Patricia

When a family of five purchased this Victorian terrace in North Melbourne, the original period home was in decent condition, but the rear ‘80s extension was dark and pokey, and the garden overgrown. 

Turning to Timmins+Whyte Architecture and Design, the clients requested a complete overhaul of the home, on a similar footprint. ‘Our clients wanted to live, cook, gather, lounge, read and socialise in one space, and wanted plenty of light and flexibility in the planning,’ says architect Sally Timmins.

The idea for the extension was to react against the heavy, dark features of the original Victorian house, while continuing the same sense of volume, expanse and generosity. This was achieved by introducing a new double-height living domain that provides transparency and views to the garden, designed by Mud Office, throughout. ‘The external landscaped areas feel like part of the living and kitchen space, as it is nearly

Once we can finally venture outside our homes, The Repose in Dubbo would be the first stop on our lists!

Regional city locals Jemima and Bede Aldridge own this skilfully renovated cottage with another couple, Ric and Moir Jones, who co-host guests on the property. Eighteen months ago, the four friends combined their love for hospitality and handmade design to transform the tumbledown house into one of the only boutique accommodation spots in the in-land city.

The plan was to open up the cramped layout and renovate the dilapidated house and courtyard, and outdated amenities, to unearth the best qualities of the heritage structure. Internal walls were removed to create a more  open-plan living space, while aged aluminium doors and old glass windows were updated to a contemporary living standard.

Like all good worker’s buildings built in the early 19th century, the toilet was originally in an outhouse disconnected from