Zines!

After 10 episodes of Friends in the City, the most logical step is to attempt world domination. I've internally debated the practicality of robotic warplanes versus the simplicity of a zine. The zine won, and here it is.

Zine issue #1 contains two of your all-time favourite episodes of Friends in the City. The photographs were proudly printed by Ryan at Big W and then excitedly glued onto recycled card by me. Strict quality control ensures the maximum number of confused smiles per page.

It's on the shelf at Sticky Institute and Smells Like Zines. If they're not within hopping distance, let me know.

View from the warplane

friends in the city 10 - ceilings

The night sky in the city is usually bland. Stars need to punch through a few layers to see the ground. Lofty buildings narrow our field of view even more, shrinking a landscape of sky into a parcel of space. A nice voluminous ceiling is the cure, creating the illusion that inside is as big as outside.

The next episode may be something completely different. You'll know on April 15th

kuala lumpur concrete superstar

Petronas Towers

A family of condominiums

Little India

penang market

cycling out of bangkok

Initially, we were weaving through screaming horns and exhaust. Two hours later, we were winding through narrow paths in the rainforest. I have never seen such a transformation on a bicycle ride. The process was gradual:

The chaotic roads soon became one-metre wide laneways. We stopped for scooters and dodged dogs. The rusted sharp corners of corrugated metal walls also kept us in the middle of the path.

The laneways funnelled into wide roads, but with no traffic and flanked by fields of green vegetables.

These soon shrunk again, but this time into muddy rainforest trails with the occasional concrete slab.

We stopped for ice tea at a temple and tom yom soup under a pandanus roof. Our return river crossing was via boat instead of bridge. We stumbled back into the hotel room, muddy and wonderfully exhausted.

Wat Chalor

A very old temple in someone's backyard!

khao san road - tourist ghetto

Cheap beer and bad tattoos - Khao San Road is a true tourist ghetto. Red-eyed backpackers order breakfast at 2am. They chose from menus of pies and pasta, rather than pad thai. The westernism is only trumped by the clambering tuk-tuk drivers. We enjoyed some sweet pineapple, bought some genuine fakes, then left.

percussion

CMC is the biggest producer of percussion instruments in the world. Their factory is the first arena of mass production I have ever seen. We followed the transformation of a splintered piece of chopped wood into a beautiful conga. The percussion, automation and human touches all mesh together efficiently. Seeing the process made me think about the people behind the products on the shelves.

bangkok - first impressions

The Skyrail efficiently cruises over the khlongs - small canals and bodies of water dotted between properties. Narrow, uneven bridges arch over the green and brown. The most surprising sight is the way the plots of rectangular land are used. Some have geometric rows of crops, broken up by a single, over-sized house. Others have a few tumble-down shacks and a playground, improvised from the local flora. Occasionally, a monochrome shock of identical roofs obliterate the green. These are housing estates on the outskirts of the city. The houses are all from the same mould. They appear pushed together, as if fearful of invasion from the surrounding fields.

friends in the city 9 - kindness

Time always seems scant in the city, so kindness has to be efficient. It is more time effective to donate electronically, rather than shift through a wallet to give the destitute some coins. In addition, the homeless never seem to have their electronic banking details handy, and getting a receipt is difficult.

"My strong buttress roots will protect you from those graffiti hooligans"

"I'll watch your lunch while you play"

Next episode of "friends": April 3rd (It's a long way off, but there'll be other stuff in the meantime)

friends in the city 8 - allure of the spectacle

"In .......,

Concrete jungles where dreams are made of,

There's nothing you can't do,

Now you're in ......."

With an endorsement like that, maybe we should all go.

A rollercoaster through skyscrapers. Japan wins.

Next episide of friends:  March 11th

friends in the city 7 - perfection

 People don't like being boring, but being interesting is perilous - it can easily turn into an exercise of pointless self-indulgence. Even when you find that little drop of individuality, it might eventually become fashionable or ridiculous (or both). The best thing to do is simply maintain perfection.

"...and, passengers, on the right is an example of the perfect road"

"a sun with an on/off button would be perfect"

Next episode of "friends": March 6th

friends in the city 6 - illusion

When you look closely or stand back from your usual point of view, illusions appear all over the city. I seem to collide into a lot of them, but that may be because I'm easily confused. The illusion adds a nice layer to an otherwise boring walk to the bakery.

If you don't like green plants, I suppose the obvious thing to do is paint them blue.

A discount souvenir doing a particularly good impression of a kangaroo.

Next episode of "friends": 26th february

friends in the city 5 - safety

Cities keep themselves safe in a few different ways. It's usually to best to try and prevent bad things happening in the first place. If that can't be done, we can at least be entertained by the security footage. As a final measure, putting up a barrier between the bad stuff and everyone else might be the best option.

Anyone in a wheelchair must stay within this box. Others can then watch closely. If he/she gets out of the box, all hope is lost - because rolling is faster than running.

Solitary confinement


A coloured flag fence and ropes kept this menacing hand secure. It was in Perth, but I had previously seen it in the other side of Australia (here). The creator is this clever fellow.

Next episode of "friends": February 19th

friends in the city 4 - couples

If a city is more extravagant, it has more couples - because two is always better than one. Dubai only seems to construct buildings in duplicate (except for the Burj Khalifa, which is really just two buildings on top of each other). Maybe trios will be the next big thing. Saying "I live in a triplex" sounds very trendy.

Shadow puppets from the top of DNA Tower

"You are my rock"

Next episode of "friends":  February 12th

friends in the city 3 - pathways

A good pathway has a slight curve, some green edging and maybe some crunchy leaves underfoot. Cities have always got a few of these, often in a park right in the middle of town. They may make your journey a little longer, but they're a nice break from the monotonous roadside footpath. I hope that every city has someone in charge of the these pathways. Even though it is surely a job for love, not money, I hope he or she is paid handsomely.

Sydney

Brisbane

Melbourne

Next episode of "friends": February 5th

friends in the city 2 - escape

People pay a lot of money to feel like they've escaped the city. Trendy bars turn outside inside and inside outside. Nightclubs turn inside into a brain explosion. Find whatever escape suits you, just make sure you can get back easily.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

Lift off!... as soon as we get a green light

A mosquito trapped by a belly full of blood.

Next episode of "friends": January 31st

friends in the city 1

I'm a bit scared of big cities. I wouldn't say that they chill me to the marrow, but I definitely don't feel comfortable in them. Survival in the city requires the ability to block things out. The volume of your music player is turned up above the squealing traffic and the stinky gutter-fumes need to waft through, unnoticed. I'm more accustomed to amplifying the outside world, rather than muting it.

A lot of clever people seem to think that facing your fears is a good idea. That doesn't really work if, like me, you're also scared of being scared.

I now live in a big city. In order to subdue my fears, I've decided to find some friends - in particular, friends who are the city.

These three were a little wary at first, but soon we were discussing the craftsmanship of fine shoes and satchels.

The horizon - a most trustworthy companion.

A friendly place to rest. The ground is even padded if you roll off.

Next episode of "friends": January 26th