Arlon, who co-designed free activity space, The Studio at the Art Gallery of SA, reveals what inspires him.
What does your idea of the perfect day look like?
I would get up early and go for a run and move my body. Back home I’d put some music on whilst getting ready, before heading out to have some breakfast with my family, followed by lunch with friends/family – preferably somewhere with an open fire. Then I would head for a windy drive through somewhere, go for a bike ride in the sun and maybe a walk near the beach before heading to British Raj (the best!) for dinner. To finish the day, I’d watch some live music or have a dance party with my son in the lounge and then to bed – that sounds like a pretty good day to me.
What is a wonderful moment of kindness you have experienced?
Kindness happens all the time – it’s pretty hard to narrow it down to one moment. I feel mostly, humans are pretty kind and once you start looking for it, kindness pops up everywhere. One of my favourite quotes is, “how can you be the best part of someone else’s day” – Ben Crowe. This is written on my fridge and too many people have been the best part of my day too often to single it down to one moment.
What is your favourite photograph?
This is an image of me, around the age of 4 on the Cockle Train at Victor Harbor. I’ve always loved this photo – there is sense of joy, wonder and excitement on my face which makes me smile when I look at or think about it.
If you could own any piece of art, what would it be?
Any painting from Cy Twombly’s Bacchus Series. The expressive mark making by Twombly has always interested me. I might need to build a separate room to hang it, they are massive paintings… or I’m getting in touch with Tutti Arts and buying an artwork from one of their artists.
Here’s $500. You have to spend it in the next hour – what are you buying?
I’m calling up one of my friends to buy an artwork from them. There are so many incredible artists in Adelaide. I reckon I’d be able to buy a work and hang it on my wall within the hour.
A cafe or bar in SA you’d recommend?
Hmm… maybe Juans Torta Cantina. It’s a Mexican inspired sandwich bar, which is located in the old Hawker Street Cafe building in Bowden. Great food, wonderful people. You can even bring your dog, and they have Friday night drink specials.
What was the last film or TV show you watched?
The last film I watched was Hachi, based on a true story. We’ve just adopted a dog who’s named after the dog from the film. It’s a great story about loyalty and companionship and has some beautiful moments in it. Last TV show I watched – a Bluey episode with my son (maybe Keepy Uppy?). We don’t watch heaps of TV, but when we do, it’s normally Bluey. I’m not sure who enjoys the episodes more, my three-year-old or me….
Favourite way to unwind?
I really like mowing the lawn or sitting in the sun and drawing. A nice smelling incense or candle also helps me to unwind, or building and watching a campfire is one of my favourite things to do.
Subscribe for updates
Last book you read?
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. The book is memoirs from his life and the text is accompanied by hand-written notes and photographs from his experiences. Throughout the book, there are lessons and suggestions on how to navigate through certain aspects that you may face. I’ve just started reading Ben Crowe’s book Where the Light Gets In: Simple, playful and profound perspective shifts to change your life. So far, this book is about perspective and how you can re-frame experiences to have positive outlooks on them.
Last song you listened to?
Ride on Broccoli Cowboy by the South Australian band Slowmango. It’s the opening track to their album Hyper Colour Miscellaneous, which won Best Release at the 2023 SA Music Awards. Throughout my work with the art collective ‘The Bait Fridge’, I’ve been fortunate enough to work closely with the exceptional humans who are in this band, they make incredible music.
The Studio: Make An Impression is a free activity space for visitors of all ages to create their own work of art in response to the Monet to Matisse: Defying tradition exhibition. It’s open until November 8.
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.
