Puffio

The Adelaide-based global carbon credit retailer Carbon Planet has signed on to sponsor this year's Festival Of Ideas as it makes inroads in its fight against climate change. Having also sponsored the Adelaide Film Festival earlier this year they're no doubt wondering how to get the message across to common folks like Puffio who have absolutely no idea what the heck this talk is all about. You want carbon? Burn a tree. You don't want carbon? Don't burn a tree; or ride a bicycle. Credit retailer not needed in either case. But since the Festival Of Ideas runs from Thurs 5 to Sun 8 July and brings together some 30-40 renowned public thinkers from around the world maybe they'll be in the perfect position to explain why the world needs this thing. And one more thing: sign the Kyoto agreement, little bald dude. You know it makes sense.

Just ahead of his first Australian tour with his twin brother, starting in June, Adelaide cellist Pei-Sian Ng won two prizes in the prestigious Royal Over-Seas League competition in London a couple of weekends ago. Pei-Sian has been awarded the 'ROSL Award for Strings' and the 'Tait Memorial Scholarship for an Australian Musician'. He performs on Sat 30 June at the Adelaide Town Hall.

It has been a long career, hasn't it? To celebrate Dame Edna's 50 years on the stage, and his own theatrical jubilee Barry Humphries performs a new show in Adelaide at Her Majesty's Theatre from Thurs 28 June. 'Back With A Vengeance' is the show in question, and it will feature some of Barry's favourite creations - Dame Edna Everage, Sandy Stone and Les Patterson in a show specially written and performed for Australian audiences. Which is nice, for Barry has been busily aiming his lancet like wit at the US market these past few years, so it will be nice to take a show of wry and laconic observation and witticism. Pass the gladioli!!

It may not be as visually spectacular as the annual migration of the reindeer, but the Parkside Nomadic Group are rather pleased they get to move inland for winter. From Fri 1 June you'll find Laura Wills 'Developments In Housing #2' in the Project Space at the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia in Parkside. 'Developments In Housing #2' is a collaborative progression from the large shelter installation by Laura Wills with Will Cheesman, found at the 'French Connection' exhibition at Bella Cosa Sculpture Park and Gallery during the 2006 Fleuireu Biennale, aand this second installation involves the construction of an urban shelter and setting made from locally sourced materials.

The Firm's 2007 series of concerts begin by exploring the work of a living postmodernist composer, the enigmatic and mystifying Hungarian Gyšrgy Kurt‡g. Usually the Adelaide musical institution known as the Firm go straight for the corpses of composers long deceased, but in the year 2007 they make an exception. The first concert of the series has come and gone, but the second features an exciting array of performers including visiting international violist Lila Brown from the US in concert on Mon 2 July who will be joined by cellist David Sharp and double bassist Harley Gray. Here are the enigmatic Firm duo of Quentin Grant and Raymond Chapman Smith, planning their next dastardly move.

'Look At Me' is an exhibition of student portrait works now on display at the Adelaide Central Gallery in Osmond Terrace, Norwood. Curator Margot Osborne has invited some of Adelaide's leading portrait artists to exhibit likenesses of notable South Australians in the exhibition 'True Portraits', so that's two variations upon a similar theme, at the same gallery. It's a good idea, what? In the same venue 'Look At Me' is a student exhibition of portraits to complement 'True Portraits', and vise versa. One of the students, Michelle Jones, chose her lecturer Anna Platten as her portrait subject, as you can see below.

'Met Tales' takes a querulous look at life in public and private spaces... at least, that's the intention. With a focus on life in the public and private spaces within a city 'Met Tales' exhibition showcases new artwork by established Adelaide artists Lucy Cardwell, Louise Flaherty, Hans Kreiner, Rachel McElwee, Tom Phillips and Beverley Southcott. The exhibition opens this very week in the Light Square Gallery at the Adelaide Centre for the ARTS.