Enlighten us
So much happening during Enlighten 2017 it's hard to narrow down our top picks. Head to the National Botanic Gardens for Luminous Botanicus III, for live music, performances and the gardens like you've never seen them before. Or up to the Arboretum to watch the sun set over the Brindabellas, with lights and music and refreshments on hand. Cruise around Lake Burley Griffin to check out how the big places are lit up this year. And then head to the Senate Rose Gardens to catch Lights! Canberra! Action!, the short film festival for emerging filmmakers. And of course, stuff yourself with all the great food at the Night Noodle Markets. Until March 12. There's so much on. All over the place. Check out the program at enlightencanberra.com.au
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Planting seeds
Through varied applications of photographic processes, Planetary Gardening explores the symbiotic relationships between the cultural and the chemical, the organic and the technological, and the agency of human and non-human actors.
Bringing together the work of 10 mid-career and established artists working nationally and internationally, the works in Planetary Gardening explore how artists have tended to the ecologies of the environment, society, and subjectivity, and considers the effects of our collective cultivation compulsions in shaping our planet and ourselves.
Join exhibition curators Ashley Lumb and Laura McLean in the Huw Davies Gallery for a talk at 2pm on Sunday, March 26. Free event. All welcome. The exhibition itself runs until March 26 at Photoaccess, Manuka Arts Centre.
Celebrity crush
Who hasn't had a moment with a hairbrush in front of a mirror pretending to be Madonna, or Adele, or Elvis? Faded Crush is an exhibition of video, print and mixed media works exploring fandom, celebrity and desire expressed through popular music cultures.
Artist U. K. Frederick brings into focus the personal experiences and emotions that underpin the mass production and consumption of popular music. The show comprises three series of works each reflecting on how individuals respond to celebrity and music. Her video mashups are edited assemblages of personal interpretations or tributes of familiar songs. Performed by everyday people in the sanctuary of their homes and then posted through video channels to an anonymous global audience, these renditions are both intimate and exhibitionist. At M16 Artspace, Griffith. Until March 19. m16artspace.com.au
Road trip
Head out to Bungendore Fine Art Gallery for Pathways in our Lives, an exhibition by friends Margaret Carr and Isla Patterson. The pair have been close for nearly 40 years and this exhibition showcases their love of Australian landscapes, animals and birdlife. Carr is creating works in many mediums and renowned for her delightful drawings of magpies. Patterson specialises in watercolours depicting the Australian landscape and way of life. Bungendore Fine Art Gallery, Ellendon St. Until March 30.
Open pages
A good excuse to hang in town next weekend is Festival Muse, a long weekend of intriguing people, literary loves and great food and wine, thanks to the coolest bookstore in town. Hear some of the Press Gallery's smartest women talk about life on the hill, or learn how queer stories get told in a predominantly straight world. Virginia Haussegger and her husband Mark Kenny talk all things home and away and Cupping Room chef Jerome Felix takes over the kitchen. And more. March 10-13. musecanberra.com.au for the full program.
Monster mash
The sudden and decisive end of World War II heralded a new era of atomic warfare and the idea of "mutually assured destruction" became a real possibility. Fears of communist invasion, nuclear devastation and a generalised omnipresent end-of-days feeling infiltrated western popular culture but led to a golden era in sci-fi cinema. Each Wednesday evening throughout March, the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia will explore science fiction from the "atomic age": the 1950s, where utopian visions of technology clashed with dystopian monsters and futures. The weekly screenings of rare, cult and otherwise little-seen cinema treasures from around the world feature exclusive restorations, 35mm and 16mm prints from the NFSA collection and international archives. Films include Godzilla: King of Monsters (March 8), On the Beach (March 15), The Return of Captain Invincible and The Incredible Shrinking Man (March 22), Invaders from Mars and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (March 29). Tickets $14. nfsa.gov.au
