hap·pen·stance

(hāp’ən-stāns’)
n. A chance circumstance.

Issue #2 is out now, and we’re ready to bring the ruckus!

Come and get dirty with us on Thursday 12 November from 6pm at GOODGOD Small Club, 55 Liverpool Street, Sydney (entry through La Campana.)

$15 on the door nets you a copy of Happenstance issue #2, and the chance to check out bands like Pee Wee and Dora Maar. Plus,… our cover girl the lovely Del Lumanta will DJ.

And of course, there’ll be complimentary refreshments and Grolsch happy hour for a limited time! Yeah! But get in early to avoid disappointment.

See you there!

SNEAK PEAK HERE
ORDER ISSUE 2 HERE

64 PAGES OF PUNS, NOW WITH MORE CATS

Nah, we wish we could make a magazine that awesome! But the second issue of Happenstance comes pretty close, if we do say so ourselves. We’ve absorbed all the feedback from our inaugural issue, and crammed it all in to make the second Happenstance a bigger, badder media experience.

FAT IS BACK

Back fat, not so much. Happenstance is now a whopping 64 pages, filled with more of the things you loved. In this issue’s Bedroom Safari, local artist, printmaker and all-round nice girl Del Lumanta invites us into her prizewinning bedroom. Rough Pages is back due to popular demand, with sketchbook submissions from Luke Kopycinski, Jacob O. Rolfe, Rodrigo Luff and Evan Shipard. Meanwhile, Michael Bay’s slopfest Transformersgoes tête à tête with Stephen Sommers’ GI Joe in the latest Versus. But most importantly, we’ve kept it all homegrown, yet expanded our minds a little: most of our content is Sydney-sourced, but we’re keeping an eye out on a national scale.

ADDED GOODITIVES

Our second issue takes us into previously uncharted territory with new sections. We’ve bumped out a sweet little gallery section for you to ogle, treasure, rip out, stick up, or make origami out of: whatever floats your boat, it’ll be prettier with work from Rebecca Murphy, Sean Batchelor, qwux, Jessica Klingelfuss, Renee Anne, Megan Dell and Natalie Perkins. And we’ve fattened up on the fashion stakes, with a visual story highlighting some of Australia’s best and brightest clothes crafters, featuring Saint Augustine Academy, Pedro Garcia, Ellery and heaps more.

SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT

Like any good time, the feature stories in issue two are longer, stronger and more satisfying. Rebecca Leaver talks to Sydney-based street artist and mindbender Adam Norton to explore the effects of art attacks in public spaces, Oliver Downes turns off MTV to find out what’s happening with local independent music labels, while Henning Kirkeby ponders why a pretty young lady is cutting and stuffing dead rodents.

LEAN, MEAN AND GREEN

Have you pre-ordered your copy of issue 2? Because chances are it’ll show up at your place on the back of a bike. We’ve teamed up with the good folks at the Sydney Bicycle Film Festival to go green, and they’re very graciously delivering the first 25 pre-orders in Sydney via push bike this weekend (17th-18th October)… Nice!

WE STILL WANT YOU

Like our first issue, all our contributions, both written and visual, are sourced from local up-and-coming creative types. Do yourself a favour, and pick up Happenstance to see how you can get involved in celebrating a creative local culture. We’re here for you.

SNEAK PEAK HERE
ORDER ISSUE 2 HERE

With a huge surge of iphone apps bombarding us from every direction, it’s great when you finally come across one that stands out from the rest.

Vote Earth is a call for strong action on climate change to world leaders as they meet for the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen this December.
What’s clever about this little app is that in order to cast your vote against climate change, you need to use your own energy by spinning the Vote Earth dynamo (a wheel that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.)

Free app for free thinking by Holler Sydney. Download it here.

Requires OS 3.0 or later.

On 09.09.09, advertising creatives Shane Dawson and Ben Birchall found themselves out of a job.

This is their story.

Ice Cube really is a pimp. First made evident via the Goodyear Blimp (or at least Ice Cube claims) and now by the new Nike SB ad. A throwback to 1993, being 10 years old, single kick skateboards, scuffed knees, and Ice Cube on that ironic tip.

Look out for the alternate endings.

Okay, let’s be honest here. Australian television has produced some shockingly bad humour. Sure there have been great shows running, but when you look at some of the fails that have slipped onto our screens… skitHOUSE, The Wedge, ROVE… need I say more?

When I came across this video, I didn’t really know what to expect. Who the hell is Mark Catanzariti, anyway? Well, he’s just a regular guy who’s making a reality show on himself becoming a famous television personality.
This has got just the right amount of deadpan humour and sarcasm I have come to love in truly great Australian comedy.

I started this episode not knowing anything about it.
By the time I finished, I couldn’t wait to see the next one.

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Welcome to Happenstance magazine’s spanking new website!

Happenstance is a Sydney-based arts, design, lifestyle and culture quarterly committed to contributing to a culture of continual improvement in the local creative community. Our website will be a reflection of our commitment by complementing the magazine with more timely content and updates. Subscribe to our RSS feed here to stay tuned in, or contact us here to submit material or feedback.

Happenstance launched on Friday April 24, at Chippendale’s Serial Space. With performances by Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys, Dead Farmers and DJ Libre, the crowd quickly hit capacity. Early birds snatched up the 150 limited edition hand-screened logo print tote bags stuffed with goodies, and everyone got their hands on the inaugural issue of Happenstance magazine. If you missed out on the launch, grab a copy of Issue #1 here.

A huge thank you to everyone who came out to support us and made the night an extremely memorable one! We are now busy behind the scenes, looking forward to dropping a bigger, badder Issue #2 in July. Word is bond.