Away (August)

The bathhouse is a multi-storeyed fact. You cannot wish it away. The bathhouse exists on services rendered. It’s not the same as changing schools. Still, you have to pass disguised through the gates. Like everything about the past, the bathhouse has its own rules. You cannot brush them away. Two bombs fell on Japan in August. You cannot wish them away. Greasy monsters come to clean away their shit. It’s only ever temporary. You survive by declining their gifts, No-Face and his fool’s gold. You will put away foolish things. You will learn your true name and name Illusion, now.

3 of 10: 'Spirited Away' by Hayao Miyazaki (2001)

Miyazaki (July)

Hayao Miyazaki piloted a film set in interwar Melbourne and to that end sourced any available images from the period. The T&G Building is white as ice-cream. Every facet of Manchester Unity picks up a glint of sunlight. Impeccably drawn hooded cars carry mystery passengers. All that survives are a few dozen short scenes and hundreds of sketches. (NGV St. Kilda Road. Starts July 28) Storyline: ten year-old savant Sue-Sue sees magical happenings. Submarines in the bay come and go undetected. Mushrooms burst into flame and cloud. Gallery-goers may listen to the proposed soundtrack, Glockenspiel Mozart, through earplugs in situ.