Social Media Experiment: Check out Rhinocerous in Love, have a Rhino sketch done by local artist Joelie Croser… and maybe win an IPAD 2 for your efforts!

Blinded By Love, by Joelie Croser

One of the highlights of the OzAsia Festival calendar this year is Rhinocerous in Love, the Australian debut of an experimental drama that has reinvented modern Chinese theatre. The director Meng Jinghui is a bit of a renegade, pushing boundaries of what contemporary Chinese theatre is all about, and is known as the Tarantino of Chinese theatre!

The Adelaide Festival Centre has asked young people like me to help spread the word about Rhinocerous in Love by becoming “Rhino Helpers”. The original idea is that the person who has the most tickets sold through BASS citing their promo code wins an IPAD 2 (with WI-FI + 3G + 32GB valued at $839) – but the AFC are happy for me to take a slightly different approach.

I’m more interested in being a Rhino Helper in terms of this being a great social media experiment. I thought I would give the incentive that if I am the most successful Rhino Helper, I will give one of my ticket buyers the IPAD 2 instead.

I’ve also enlisted the help of my favourite local artist, the lovely and talented Joelie Croser, who was behind the Handbook for Girls exhibition at Urban Cow Studio I blogged about last year, to help make this competition more fun.

If you buy tickets through BASS (in person/on phone 131 246/online http://bit.ly/ng88FI) to Rhinocerous in Love using my code (RHINOCHERIE), email me at cherie@figtreemarketing.com.au with a concept involving a Rhino, and Joelie will sketch this. I’ll post each sketch on my blog in the lead up to the competition closing date (tickets have to be purchased using the code by 9am, 13 September). Then, I’ll produce a final post on opening night of Rhinocerous in Love  (16 September) containing all sketches and asking you to vote for your favourite sketch.

The person who comes up with the concept for the most popular sketch will win the IPAD 2, if I end up being the most successful Rhino Helper.

For example, my first ticket buyer (love you Mum!) asked Joelie to sketch a Rhino blinded by love (see above). This Rhino is walking a tight rope with eyes firmly shut, and cheeks blushing with the flush of love. Can you think of something equally zany, creative and quirky?

In addition, if you buy tickets using my code, you save $5 off the normal adult price for viewing this show. So, get your creative juices flowing! Joelie and I can’t wait to see some of the Rhino ideas you come up with!

Below are the steps to follow in full to take part in this competition. If you have any questions about this process, email me at cherie@figtreemarketing.com.au

Who says girly girls can’t be feminists too?

I love art that has whimsical beauty with an edge.

Joelie Croser’s latest solo exhibition, A Handbook for Girls, a collection of vintage-style illustrations of modern women in a time where they can bake cupcakes and kick ass too, perfectly captures this style. It also reminded me of a debate I had recently with a friend who believes that girly girls and Stepford Wives types are anti-feminist.

Now, I love the colours hot pink and purple and I’ve been known to get excited over the cute names of nail polish shades. But I’m also opinionated as hell and rarely back down in a debate – hardly typical girly girl material. So I definitely think a girl can be ultra feminine and a feminist too!

I think Joelie’s exhibition is an amazing argument for this point of view.

My favourite picture is of a woman who is equal parts demure and totally in charge of her sexuality. (Incidentally, this picture also helped inspire the title of this blog and is part of its banner image).