Traversing the ever-impressive Harbour Bridge

The children were keen to walk all the way across the bridge and it turned out to be a perfect activity for a beautiful Mothers' Day morning. I think they were all inspired by the soaring steel.....

designEX returns to Melbourne this year

Cradle Design was excited to receive passes to the 2011 designEX the other day. It is being held in Melbourne this year, from 13th-15th April, and we would urge anyone in the vicinity to visit.

As Australia’s leading design and architecture event, designEX presents the best in contemporary and classic designs. This trade only event has been at the forefront of the design and architectural arena for 23 years. A profession crowd attends to be informed and inspired as they discover the latest products and design trends from local and international studios and brands.

Register on-line before 5pm on Tuesday 12th April to receive a free entrance pass.

Tracey Emin on display at the LoveART Gallery

We have just returned from a trip over the bridge to Art Consultant Amanda Love's fabulous house in Woollahra to see the Tracey Emin exhibition, "Praying to a Different God". Emin became notorious in the 1990's as one of the Young British Artists, or YBAs, who were nurtured by Charles Saatchi and upset the public sensibility with exhibitons of rather confronting work - infamous examples were Damien Hirst's shark preserved in formaldehyde and Tracey Emin's unmade bed.

More recently, Emin's work has been more introspective and intimate, often involving whimsical drawing and embroidery. The works in "Praying to a Different God" utilise neon, embroidery and drawing to explore what it is to be human. Each piece contains poignant and heartfelt meassages about hope, love, self, past and future.

Former arts lawyer Amanda Love established LoveART, an independent Art Advisory that specialises in sourcing contemporary art form all over the world. She hosts occasional events and exhibitions in her beautiful Victorian home in Sydney. A series of huge, white-painted rooms that are minimal while blessed with period grace and a sleek white box rear extension provide a perfect but intimate setting for displaying art. We were jealous!

Unfortunately, the show closed today. If you are in Australia, click here to see a clip of Emin and Love being interviewed at the Woollahra house for ABC's Art Nation last November.

Could your street be Sustainability Drive?

Origin Energy has launched Sustainability Drive, a competition that will see 20 homes on each of 4 streets win a share of $1million worth of sustainable energy technology and expertise. The prize could be spent on solar panels, energy audits, energy efficient hot water systems and electricity with GreenPower for 12 months.

The 4 streets will aim to show how energy-efficient products and small changes to the way we use energy could help reduce our impact on the planet without costing the earth.... or our lifestyles.

To find our how to nominate your street, visit the competition website