Actually, it's anything from quiet. My head is buzzing with ideas, thoughts and inspiration; my heart is singing and the world around me seems crazy and surreal...
We're back. If it's seemed a little quiet here at the life between buildings projects, it's not that we've slackened off. The internet went down in the last four days of our residency at Bundanon. Gasp. Horror. Just how did some of us cope... Well, it was tough. Believe me. But we survived. And we're now back grappling with the real world and yearning for quiet solitude, strolls along the river bank, wanders through the bush, and endless hours of creativity. Oh to be back in creative la la land again...
Anyhow, give us a few days to readjust back to the chaos of life and we'll tell you more about our last few days, along with some reflections about our residency.
In the meantime, pop on over to alittlehummingbird's and benjamin's photos to get a small taste of some of the things we captured on digital film.
Showing posts with label dan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dan. Show all posts
Thursday, May 15
Friday, May 9
Art and Environmental Sustainability discussion
I've reached a turning point in my creative practice and I'm confused about where to go next (you might want to read more about this over in a little hummingbird land). Reduce, reuse, recycle and educate is a mantra I've adopted in most areas of my life - transport, food consumption, communal living etc... Yet when it comes to art, I'm full of contradictions: I often use chemically-based paints on newly-acquired sweatshop-made canvasses; I'm creating material objects that people can add to their collection of consumerables
So what does it mean to make environmentallly sustainable creative work? Is it simply about the material we use? Or is it about artistic intention?
Jules, Rhi and I over the next few hours will chat online about our ideas on the function of art and their relation to environmental sustainability. Feel free join in with us!
So what does it mean to make environmentallly sustainable creative work? Is it simply about the material we use? Or is it about artistic intention?
Jules, Rhi and I over the next few hours will chat online about our ideas on the function of art and their relation to environmental sustainability. Feel free join in with us!
Thursday, May 8
Bundanon - Day Nine
I bounced out of bed at 7am yesterday, despite my insomnia pushing my body through until about 3am the previous night (crawling into bed at 5:30am isn’t unheard of around these parts either – who needs sleep at times like these!). Aside from wanting some alone time to reflect, I was keen to spend the morning by the river… To think about where I’m at, maybe take advantage of the soft morning light (for photography), but mostly just to meditate and soak up my surroundings. I was surprised at the amount of bird life by the shore – willy wag tails, magpies, wrens, kookaburras, king fishers, crimson rosellas all within a few metres of each other. To be a part of that! Wow!
Of course I wouldn’t dream of breaking the Bundanon Artist’s In Residency ‘no swimming’ rule, so I just…um…errr…danced naked across the sand and dipped my toes in? Yes, that’s what I did. The cold certainly didn’t force a sudden intake of breath as I dived in. And I didn’t shout songs of excitement to the birds as I spooned handfuls of icy water over my head. Neither was I able to experience the cool rush of water swirling around my naked body… so… um… yeah I just sat…. oops, I mean danced… and imagined all of the things that might have happened if I’d swum… As I basked in the sun pretending to let my imaginary drenched locks of hair dry, I watched a willy wag tail flit along the shores, glancing quizzically every so often in my direction (HA - he reminded me of the raven and goat that Boyd obsessively painted as a symbol of voyeurism). I wrote in my journal, took a few photos and breathed in deeply… Ah!
Anyway, it seems the sheer power of imagination made for a sensational day. The dreams of an entirely imaginary morning swim refreshed my mind and soothed my spirit. On returning to my studio, a few tangible ideas for writing began to emerge. Fingers itched. My pen began dancing wildly across the room. And so I wrote! Words. On paper. There’re still very raw, but I’ve started. It’s all very exciting.
Let me explain my excitement: I wasn’t sure how much writing I’d actually do while down here. Having experienced intense writer’s block in the last few months, I’d made the decision to focus on photography, painting and sculpture during the residency. In the lead up to the residency, however, I felt like my blockage was starting to dissipate. This was mostly due to a rediscovery of my passion for letter writing. Through a series of letters to a friend, I found words began flowing from my fingers again. It was a fascinating process. And prompted me to commit, while at Bundanon, to daily blogging and scrawling out morning pages. It’s still a slowly unravelling process, however, and I decided to only write creatively if my fingers started itching to throw words on the page. No expectations. No pressure. But this morning my fingers started itching! Hoorah!
These ten days have taught me a lot about my creative process. Like Julian, ‘lounging about, unwinding, enthusiastically talking up ideas, and idly noodling’ – and I’d add, debating hardcore issues, cooking, reading, watching movies and teasing Jules himself – has been crucial for getting the creative juices flowing. Yet so often I’ll feel guilty if it isn’t immediately obviously that what I’m doing is directly productive towards my end goal. Here I’m learning that so much time for me is spent thinking conceptually about an idea – planning, discussing, exploring abstractly - the nitty gritty craftsmanship of creating a work, words on paper, paint on canvass, emerges much later. I love creating first in my head and bouncing those ideas around, exploring all the options and thinking laterally for further options… So talking, lounging around, cooking etc. are really important and valid! Hmm… brains are such strange things…
Speaking of my brain, the contents of it are currently sprawled across our newly acquired second art studio. Not actual brain bits, of course, just a symbolic representation. With paper, textas, nails and creative enthusiasm, I created a giant mind map of our song cycle/installation when I got back from my river adventure. It isn’t often that I have so much space to spread out, so why not! I also thought it was time for the group to start focusing in on our project. What was actually achievable? What ideas should we keep exploring? Were there actual components that we could start writing/composing? Who wanted to do what? What was the scale of the project? I figured having a central space to summarise our ideas – one drawing board rather than five – would be useful for 1. Ensuring that we are on the same wavelength, 2. Nutting out some achievable goals for the final four days of our residency, 3. Ensuring that we found a model that allowed each one of us to use our strengths to their advantage.
Our discussion in the evening demonstrated just how far we’ve come in finding a collaborative model that seems achievable, despite all our initial concerns. We’re finding ways of working together. We’re moving forward. There are still challenges ahead, but I think we’ve reached another turning point. I’m really excited.
We’re going on an adventure tonight… To sleep in the rundown shack across the paddock – the one in which the Swiss artist built her embroidery installation. A night of creative storytelling, poetry reading, insomnia, mandolin playing and – if Rhiannon actually manages to find her way ‘home’ this time – chocolate munching!
Dammit I don’t want to go home…
Of course I wouldn’t dream of breaking the Bundanon Artist’s In Residency ‘no swimming’ rule, so I just…um…errr…danced naked across the sand and dipped my toes in? Yes, that’s what I did. The cold certainly didn’t force a sudden intake of breath as I dived in. And I didn’t shout songs of excitement to the birds as I spooned handfuls of icy water over my head. Neither was I able to experience the cool rush of water swirling around my naked body… so… um… yeah I just sat…. oops, I mean danced… and imagined all of the things that might have happened if I’d swum… As I basked in the sun pretending to let my imaginary drenched locks of hair dry, I watched a willy wag tail flit along the shores, glancing quizzically every so often in my direction (HA - he reminded me of the raven and goat that Boyd obsessively painted as a symbol of voyeurism). I wrote in my journal, took a few photos and breathed in deeply… Ah!
Anyway, it seems the sheer power of imagination made for a sensational day. The dreams of an entirely imaginary morning swim refreshed my mind and soothed my spirit. On returning to my studio, a few tangible ideas for writing began to emerge. Fingers itched. My pen began dancing wildly across the room. And so I wrote! Words. On paper. There’re still very raw, but I’ve started. It’s all very exciting.
Let me explain my excitement: I wasn’t sure how much writing I’d actually do while down here. Having experienced intense writer’s block in the last few months, I’d made the decision to focus on photography, painting and sculpture during the residency. In the lead up to the residency, however, I felt like my blockage was starting to dissipate. This was mostly due to a rediscovery of my passion for letter writing. Through a series of letters to a friend, I found words began flowing from my fingers again. It was a fascinating process. And prompted me to commit, while at Bundanon, to daily blogging and scrawling out morning pages. It’s still a slowly unravelling process, however, and I decided to only write creatively if my fingers started itching to throw words on the page. No expectations. No pressure. But this morning my fingers started itching! Hoorah!
These ten days have taught me a lot about my creative process. Like Julian, ‘lounging about, unwinding, enthusiastically talking up ideas, and idly noodling’ – and I’d add, debating hardcore issues, cooking, reading, watching movies and teasing Jules himself – has been crucial for getting the creative juices flowing. Yet so often I’ll feel guilty if it isn’t immediately obviously that what I’m doing is directly productive towards my end goal. Here I’m learning that so much time for me is spent thinking conceptually about an idea – planning, discussing, exploring abstractly - the nitty gritty craftsmanship of creating a work, words on paper, paint on canvass, emerges much later. I love creating first in my head and bouncing those ideas around, exploring all the options and thinking laterally for further options… So talking, lounging around, cooking etc. are really important and valid! Hmm… brains are such strange things…
Speaking of my brain, the contents of it are currently sprawled across our newly acquired second art studio. Not actual brain bits, of course, just a symbolic representation. With paper, textas, nails and creative enthusiasm, I created a giant mind map of our song cycle/installation when I got back from my river adventure. It isn’t often that I have so much space to spread out, so why not! I also thought it was time for the group to start focusing in on our project. What was actually achievable? What ideas should we keep exploring? Were there actual components that we could start writing/composing? Who wanted to do what? What was the scale of the project? I figured having a central space to summarise our ideas – one drawing board rather than five – would be useful for 1. Ensuring that we are on the same wavelength, 2. Nutting out some achievable goals for the final four days of our residency, 3. Ensuring that we found a model that allowed each one of us to use our strengths to their advantage.
Our discussion in the evening demonstrated just how far we’ve come in finding a collaborative model that seems achievable, despite all our initial concerns. We’re finding ways of working together. We’re moving forward. There are still challenges ahead, but I think we’ve reached another turning point. I’m really excited.
We’re going on an adventure tonight… To sleep in the rundown shack across the paddock – the one in which the Swiss artist built her embroidery installation. A night of creative storytelling, poetry reading, insomnia, mandolin playing and – if Rhiannon actually manages to find her way ‘home’ this time – chocolate munching!
Dammit I don’t want to go home…
Sunday, May 4
Bundanon - Day Six
Food is something I'm very passionate about. Vegan cooking and talking about food ethics is a huge part of my existence. So the idea that was thrown around yesterday about a song cycle focusing on the narrative about the last meal of someone who is about to die (in response to "the last moments of life") has been haunting me...
In conjunction with this idea, I've been thinking about how we could present the song cycle + images (our major group project) in a more cohesive way than a conventional concert setting with screen back drop, or a concept album with accompanying cover art. One idea I've had is a "dinner party installation". The installation would be the creation of a dining room, which would stand alone as an exhibition. The room could reflect the life of our protagonist (eg. through the selection of books on the bookshelf, type of decor, meal choice) as well as being a space to present some of our Bundanon work - there's the potential for a lot of symbolism and layers, which is something we've all been drawn to in the last week...
At various times throughout the exhibition viewers could participate in a "meal sitting". The "meal sitting" would be the presentation of the song cycle, which would occur concurrently with the serving of a four course meal which we've cooked ourselves: the last meal of our character (the singer) is actually shared with dinner guests (the audience, who become performers in the installation)... The meal courses could define the structure of the song cycle and perhaps we could explore different narrative techniuqes so that the drama unfolds in a way that the viewers don't realise this is the last meal until desert... We've been watching a few different films which play with manipulating the psychology of the viewer and exploring with non-linear narrative and these ideas seem to be influencing a lot of my ideas...
Aside from the obvious biblical connotations (which Boyd himself has explored throughout his works), there are also many connections with various films and plays (eg. Chocolat, The Last Supper, Delicatessen). And there is an interesting irony in the fact that food is usually associated with human connection and building community, but in this context it highlights separation and loss.
I think it's a fun idea to at least explore and it would be interesting to set ourselves some environmentally challenges when creating the room: eg. all the furniture might be hard rubbish; food might be vegan...
In conjunction with this idea, I've been thinking about how we could present the song cycle + images (our major group project) in a more cohesive way than a conventional concert setting with screen back drop, or a concept album with accompanying cover art. One idea I've had is a "dinner party installation". The installation would be the creation of a dining room, which would stand alone as an exhibition. The room could reflect the life of our protagonist (eg. through the selection of books on the bookshelf, type of decor, meal choice) as well as being a space to present some of our Bundanon work - there's the potential for a lot of symbolism and layers, which is something we've all been drawn to in the last week...
At various times throughout the exhibition viewers could participate in a "meal sitting". The "meal sitting" would be the presentation of the song cycle, which would occur concurrently with the serving of a four course meal which we've cooked ourselves: the last meal of our character (the singer) is actually shared with dinner guests (the audience, who become performers in the installation)... The meal courses could define the structure of the song cycle and perhaps we could explore different narrative techniuqes so that the drama unfolds in a way that the viewers don't realise this is the last meal until desert... We've been watching a few different films which play with manipulating the psychology of the viewer and exploring with non-linear narrative and these ideas seem to be influencing a lot of my ideas...
Aside from the obvious biblical connotations (which Boyd himself has explored throughout his works), there are also many connections with various films and plays (eg. Chocolat, The Last Supper, Delicatessen). And there is an interesting irony in the fact that food is usually associated with human connection and building community, but in this context it highlights separation and loss.
I think it's a fun idea to at least explore and it would be interesting to set ourselves some environmentally challenges when creating the room: eg. all the furniture might be hard rubbish; food might be vegan...
Saturday, May 3
early morning rambles...
Jules, Rhi and I were still up to the wee hours of this morning... I'm sure the mountains of chocolate have something to do with it... but night owls we are three...
Part of our conversation evolved quite organically into ideas for the group song cycle. Here is the freely flowing random list:
* Five sections which revolve around 5 different characters. One of these is the narrator who speaks from a very objective perspective. Eventually the viewer would realise this is not authorative though, but simply one of the five perspectives.
* A death narrative involving a climbers last few hours of life
* Human rights issues told from different perspectives (the apology, issue in tibet)
* celebrating the banal (rather than dramatic) eg. Gail Priest's orpheus project
* Setting ourselves parameters with which to work within. eg. "not using the letter e"
* A provocation of Dan and Rhi's vegetarianism: a song cycle devoted to "meat"
* Exploring issues of food (eg. the cook, the theif, the lover, chocolat, delicatessen, the last supper) It's a banal topic, and a focus here at bundanon
*Food topic has potential to explore different perspectives: food ethics, wastage, recipes, health, enjoyment, restaurants...
* A narrative about the last meal of the prisoner
* Explore different writing styles: shopping lists, recipes, restaurant reviews, eating list
* Structure of working as a group: strict time limit; five sections - five characters; follows set logic, rotate each aspect
* Each section within a set could follow the ABCDE structure of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Activating event, Belief about that event; Consquences of that belief; Disputing the belief; evaluating the disputing...
* everyone does an element of visual; text; music. This might flatten our expectation. Perhaps we could just do one section each. But this seems like an easy, safer, less interesting option?
*Regarding narratives: interested in twists
* Regarding narratives: interested in perspectives
* Also interested in gender issues. ie. set the music for any type of singer. Keep text androgynous. (eg. 'written on the body' by jeanette winterson; the film 'orlando')
* using one of R. Dahl's short stories for adults (eg. murders husband and eats the evidence...
* using fake cows as a chorus (OK so we were starting to get a little sleepy by this stage)
* a comedy about Arthur Boyd's "illegitiamate son starring Jim Carrey (yep, real sleepy)
* a comdey entitled 'All creatures great and boyd' (barely able to keep one eye open...)
* a drama based on the plot of the Da vinci code – boyd reveals a secret just before his death… the religious imagery in his paintings actually reveals the path to hidden treasure (half an eye...)
* a drama about Bundanon's living arts centre actually being a secret cult rather than a home and work space for artists (I can just see the others...)
* a drama about the living arts centre and Boyd's legacy actually being a secret research laborartory where artists are subjected to invasive experiments... (oh dear, it's 3 am...zzzzzzzzzzz)
Part of our conversation evolved quite organically into ideas for the group song cycle. Here is the freely flowing random list:
* Five sections which revolve around 5 different characters. One of these is the narrator who speaks from a very objective perspective. Eventually the viewer would realise this is not authorative though, but simply one of the five perspectives.
* A death narrative involving a climbers last few hours of life
* Human rights issues told from different perspectives (the apology, issue in tibet)
* celebrating the banal (rather than dramatic) eg. Gail Priest's orpheus project
* Setting ourselves parameters with which to work within. eg. "not using the letter e"
* A provocation of Dan and Rhi's vegetarianism: a song cycle devoted to "meat"
* Exploring issues of food (eg. the cook, the theif, the lover, chocolat, delicatessen, the last supper) It's a banal topic, and a focus here at bundanon
*Food topic has potential to explore different perspectives: food ethics, wastage, recipes, health, enjoyment, restaurants...
* A narrative about the last meal of the prisoner
* Explore different writing styles: shopping lists, recipes, restaurant reviews, eating list
* Structure of working as a group: strict time limit; five sections - five characters; follows set logic, rotate each aspect
* Each section within a set could follow the ABCDE structure of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Activating event, Belief about that event; Consquences of that belief; Disputing the belief; evaluating the disputing...
* everyone does an element of visual; text; music. This might flatten our expectation. Perhaps we could just do one section each. But this seems like an easy, safer, less interesting option?
*Regarding narratives: interested in twists
* Regarding narratives: interested in perspectives
* Also interested in gender issues. ie. set the music for any type of singer. Keep text androgynous. (eg. 'written on the body' by jeanette winterson; the film 'orlando')
* using one of R. Dahl's short stories for adults (eg. murders husband and eats the evidence...
* using fake cows as a chorus (OK so we were starting to get a little sleepy by this stage)
* a comedy about Arthur Boyd's "illegitiamate son starring Jim Carrey (yep, real sleepy)
* a comdey entitled 'All creatures great and boyd' (barely able to keep one eye open...)
* a drama based on the plot of the Da vinci code – boyd reveals a secret just before his death… the religious imagery in his paintings actually reveals the path to hidden treasure (half an eye...)
* a drama about Bundanon's living arts centre actually being a secret cult rather than a home and work space for artists (I can just see the others...)
* a drama about the living arts centre and Boyd's legacy actually being a secret research laborartory where artists are subjected to invasive experiments... (oh dear, it's 3 am...zzzzzzzzzzz)
Friday, May 2
Bundanon - Day Four
Putting on our rainbow thinking caps…
Conversation at the 'muso's cottage' is rarely trivial. And I don't think we'd have it any other way. From politics, critical theory, and ethical values, to the current romantic pursuits of certain group members, our daily creative activities are constantly interjected with stimulating, vibrant, humorous and challenging topics of discussion. Take this morning for instance. I step out of my bedroom. Stretch. Yawn. Rub eyes. Search for a clean teacup. Instead of being passed the pot of tea, I’m thrown a handful of questions. Full pelt. Did I think it important to really know someone for an artistic collaboration to be successful? And what models of collaboration are most meaningful to me? The questioner was thrown back a definite NO from me. I think fruitful collaboration – regardless of the model – is possible with anyone. She caught it gracefully, and immediately threw back some further questions. This time I caught them in my cereal bowl and let them soak up some tasty breakfast goodness before responding… For me, good communication is key…
Speaking of which…
When it comes to working on our creative project, I’m feeling we – as a group –struggle with effective communication. We are finding it difficult to reach consensus on a variety of decisions. And this prevents us from moving forward with confidence. Mind you, I don’t think it is just about communication: we have quite a spectrum of life perspectives – a wide range of political and social viewpoints, music tastes, ethical values etc… and very different approaches to the creative process. This makes decisions that respect each individual viewpoint (a vital thing) difficult and time consuming.
But I think if we ensure that strong communication strategies are in place then surely working together will gradually become smoother and more efficient? While I do feel my ideas and opinions are heard, I feel they are often misunderstood or misinterpreted. And I think I'm doing my fair share of misunderstanding as well... I think we all need to listen more carefully and clarify each other’s viewpoints more frequently. For example, I tend to show my emotions immediately; I’m quite a passionate person. I’m generally quite open with how I feel about an issue, but I think I can work more on demonstrating that my feelings about an issue are more fluid than they might seem. I tend to react from an intuitive viewpoint and then analyse and evolve my viewpoint as the conversation flows. Because I’m feeling misunderstood at times, I’m beginning to react by closing off emotionally. I’m then getting frustrated. I think I need to work on being clearer about my personal needs within the group… being more assertive…
Possible solutions? I’ve suggested reading a document I have on consensus decision-making, while Julian has suggested Edward de Bono’s six-hat approach. I like the sound of this. Basically, issues are considered from six different points of view each represented by a different coloured hat: white hat – attention to pure neutral data; red hat – intuition and feeling; gut feeling without justification being necessary; black hat – the logical negative, caution; yellow hat – logical positive; green hat – new ideas and furthering ideas; blue hat – process control, the metacognition…
Anyway, lots of food for our respective thoughts…
Chewing it over…
We’ve discovered the bitter taste of church hymnbooks. Literally. Over the last few days Ben has been incorporating book pages into the papery bark of a tree in the amphitheatre for an installation and a photo series so we all spent some time helping him. A good technique required us to chew the pages in our mouths first and then paste the soggy pages between layers of bark. As we helped him, ideas for incorporating this into a bigger installation began to emerge…
While trying to hold back the occasional gagging reflex, we also spent this time chewing over ideas for a larger group project. As Rhi mentioned yesterday, I’m ready to sink my teeth into something more solid. Having had a few days to relax, and explore the property and a few emerging ideas, I was ready to come together as a group and start honing in on a project(s). We didn’t have de Bono’s hat strategy at this point so it took a while for the conversation to move forward. From my perspective, I felt a strong need to explore more group work opportunities; the beauty of this residency for me, at least, is the opportunity to actually collaborate with other artists. I’m not really interested in working solo: I can do this at home in my own studio.
Julian and I shared with the group our emerging ideas for a song cycle we’ve working on. The interest in working on a group Song Cycle began exciting us. So by the end of the day (and well into the night for the night owls amongst us), we were pleased that today a pivotal point was reached! Hoorah! A commitment to collaboratively write a song cycle… It will be really interesting to see how the next few days pan out. I’m really excited about the project. And I like the ideas that have emerged so far. I’ve never written text for music (except for a few songs my brother and I have written for family functions…) so it will be a very new challenge for me personally. Bring it on!!
Emerging Projects
As I begin summarising the emerging ideas of the group, I’m excited to see how far we’ve actually come in only four days…
Song Cycle | Music – Julian, Rhi, and Serena; Text – Ben, Dan, Serena; Visual – Ben, Dan, and Julian
Tomorrow we plan to start working on this project, generating ideas and gathering material. We’ll probably work in smaller groups and alone for the most part…We’ve decided to initially explore the theme of ‘Last moments of life’ and see where it takes us. We also decided to work as collaboratively as is possible. ie. We’ll all have input in each other’s work…
Song Cycle | Julian (music) and Dan (text)
Jules and I are still exploring themes and ideas. We’re interested in working in a way where the text and music feeds off each other, rather than a situation such as me writing a text for which Julian might then set to music. So far ideas have centred on notions of authority: the questioning of power structures and systems; different political structures; authorities in music and writing etc… and then ways we might be able to play with that in the work. Some examples include democratising the creative process: sharing this with the performer and audience; experimenting with non-linear structures and narratives: eg. Performing different songs simultaneously in different rooms so the audience could choose which order they view the songs… hmmm many more ideas to explore…
The Red Installation/Photo Series | Ben + others
Ben is still wrapping things in bright red wool – tractor parts, wood, burrawang leaves, and trees. He’s also got Serena and I knitting red scarves (eek!). Aside from serving as a series of installations around the property – intrusions and interventions on the landscape – the wrapping is in preparation for a photo series. As far as I understand, the red theme is quite symbolic. Rarely seen in the Australian bush, usually serves as a warning sign: poisonous mushrooms, red back spiders etc… or perhaps it’s simply a reflection of Ben’s connection with his root chakra… (cheeky grin!)
The Book Tree Installation/Photo Series
When Ben isn’t wrapping things, he’s sneaking pages of books amongst the papery bark of a tree in the amphitheatre. Again this project is emerging as both installation and a photo series… Exploring themes of decay and intrusion, the project is starting to extend beyond Ben’s original vision. We all spent a few hours today helping him to insert pages of the books onto the tree (I discovered chewing them first helped the process!) and as we did this other ideas began to emerge… Perhaps I could explore painting on the tree with natural ochres? How could my bark paintings relate to this installation? It was fun working collectively and we were intrigued at the different methods that emerged… oh and we’re using recycled materials, which will literally decay over time…
Photo Series | Rhi + others
This project focuses on looking at the beauty of detail…
Rhi is currently indulging and delighting in her obsessive-compulsive streak by collecting hundreds of close up images from the bush and sorting them by colour (Ben, Dan and Julian are also taking images to contribute to this project). She plans to build some larger images by using these as ‘mosaic tiles’. One idea she wants to experiment with is the image of a naked woman… She might also look at working with Dan to write some text/music to incorporate into the artwork… Tomorrow Ben, Rhi and I are going to work together to take some shots for Rhi’s naked woman, which she will then pixilate and use to then build up her mosaic image (no guesses as to who get to take all their clothes off!!)
Bundanon Community of Artists | Rhi + Dan (and others?)
This project is still in the ideas stage. We haven’t yet talked too much about directions in which we can head. But we’re keen to look at interviewing some of the artists who’ve worked/lived here with the intention of creating a radiophonic work (with Serena’s and Julian’s help?). Our motivation is a desire to explore the importance of community… (the Bundanon community and the larger surrounding community)
Solo Flute Work | Serena
Serena has been working on a solo flute piece. We spent the other night listening to some solo works by Matthew Bienek and talking about what we thought constituted a quality flute work. She is open to the idea of incorporating this into a bigger group project if appropriate.
Bark Painting | Dan
I’ve finished priming some of the bark with white paint and in the next few days will start painting. I’m thinking about using some of the other bark for sculptures. I’m also keen to explore incorporate some of my ideas with Ben’s installation…
Art and Sustainability | Dan (+ others)
I’m really interested in researching ideas about sustainability in art with the idea of developing some projects over the next few months. Being web-addicts, Julian, Rhi and I have decided to initiate this research by holding an online debate between the three of us over the next few days. I think this will be a really interesting and fun way to explore different ideas and concepts.
Time lapse Photography | Julian
Julian’s current idea is to recreate or model some of Arthur Boyd’s images using time-lapse photography, particularly the sceneries that Boyd obsessively created (eg. Pulpit Rock). There is the potential for sound/music as well…
The Cow project
We’re all still quite traumatised by the baby cows (who are still crying and moaning for their parents). Serena has made some sound recording of the cows, while Dan and Jules – who spent the afternoon with them – have taken some images. Whether we do anything with this footage remains to be seen… but the separation of mother and child has certainly made a huge impact on many of us!
Cloud Animation | Jules
Jules has been working on an animation of cloud pictures using time lapse techniques...
hhmmmm... perhaps there are things I've missed??
PS.
Jules has finally found phone reception! Down on the sandbank of the river. Mind you in the time it took to make three long phone calls, the tide began creeping in significantly. And so when Jules turned to head back home he discovered he was standing on a small sand island...
Conversation at the 'muso's cottage' is rarely trivial. And I don't think we'd have it any other way. From politics, critical theory, and ethical values, to the current romantic pursuits of certain group members, our daily creative activities are constantly interjected with stimulating, vibrant, humorous and challenging topics of discussion. Take this morning for instance. I step out of my bedroom. Stretch. Yawn. Rub eyes. Search for a clean teacup. Instead of being passed the pot of tea, I’m thrown a handful of questions. Full pelt. Did I think it important to really know someone for an artistic collaboration to be successful? And what models of collaboration are most meaningful to me? The questioner was thrown back a definite NO from me. I think fruitful collaboration – regardless of the model – is possible with anyone. She caught it gracefully, and immediately threw back some further questions. This time I caught them in my cereal bowl and let them soak up some tasty breakfast goodness before responding… For me, good communication is key…
Speaking of which…
When it comes to working on our creative project, I’m feeling we – as a group –struggle with effective communication. We are finding it difficult to reach consensus on a variety of decisions. And this prevents us from moving forward with confidence. Mind you, I don’t think it is just about communication: we have quite a spectrum of life perspectives – a wide range of political and social viewpoints, music tastes, ethical values etc… and very different approaches to the creative process. This makes decisions that respect each individual viewpoint (a vital thing) difficult and time consuming.
But I think if we ensure that strong communication strategies are in place then surely working together will gradually become smoother and more efficient? While I do feel my ideas and opinions are heard, I feel they are often misunderstood or misinterpreted. And I think I'm doing my fair share of misunderstanding as well... I think we all need to listen more carefully and clarify each other’s viewpoints more frequently. For example, I tend to show my emotions immediately; I’m quite a passionate person. I’m generally quite open with how I feel about an issue, but I think I can work more on demonstrating that my feelings about an issue are more fluid than they might seem. I tend to react from an intuitive viewpoint and then analyse and evolve my viewpoint as the conversation flows. Because I’m feeling misunderstood at times, I’m beginning to react by closing off emotionally. I’m then getting frustrated. I think I need to work on being clearer about my personal needs within the group… being more assertive…
Possible solutions? I’ve suggested reading a document I have on consensus decision-making, while Julian has suggested Edward de Bono’s six-hat approach. I like the sound of this. Basically, issues are considered from six different points of view each represented by a different coloured hat: white hat – attention to pure neutral data; red hat – intuition and feeling; gut feeling without justification being necessary; black hat – the logical negative, caution; yellow hat – logical positive; green hat – new ideas and furthering ideas; blue hat – process control, the metacognition…
Anyway, lots of food for our respective thoughts…
Chewing it over…
We’ve discovered the bitter taste of church hymnbooks. Literally. Over the last few days Ben has been incorporating book pages into the papery bark of a tree in the amphitheatre for an installation and a photo series so we all spent some time helping him. A good technique required us to chew the pages in our mouths first and then paste the soggy pages between layers of bark. As we helped him, ideas for incorporating this into a bigger installation began to emerge…
While trying to hold back the occasional gagging reflex, we also spent this time chewing over ideas for a larger group project. As Rhi mentioned yesterday, I’m ready to sink my teeth into something more solid. Having had a few days to relax, and explore the property and a few emerging ideas, I was ready to come together as a group and start honing in on a project(s). We didn’t have de Bono’s hat strategy at this point so it took a while for the conversation to move forward. From my perspective, I felt a strong need to explore more group work opportunities; the beauty of this residency for me, at least, is the opportunity to actually collaborate with other artists. I’m not really interested in working solo: I can do this at home in my own studio.
Julian and I shared with the group our emerging ideas for a song cycle we’ve working on. The interest in working on a group Song Cycle began exciting us. So by the end of the day (and well into the night for the night owls amongst us), we were pleased that today a pivotal point was reached! Hoorah! A commitment to collaboratively write a song cycle… It will be really interesting to see how the next few days pan out. I’m really excited about the project. And I like the ideas that have emerged so far. I’ve never written text for music (except for a few songs my brother and I have written for family functions…) so it will be a very new challenge for me personally. Bring it on!!
Emerging Projects
As I begin summarising the emerging ideas of the group, I’m excited to see how far we’ve actually come in only four days…
Song Cycle | Music – Julian, Rhi, and Serena; Text – Ben, Dan, Serena; Visual – Ben, Dan, and Julian
Tomorrow we plan to start working on this project, generating ideas and gathering material. We’ll probably work in smaller groups and alone for the most part…We’ve decided to initially explore the theme of ‘Last moments of life’ and see where it takes us. We also decided to work as collaboratively as is possible. ie. We’ll all have input in each other’s work…
Song Cycle | Julian (music) and Dan (text)
Jules and I are still exploring themes and ideas. We’re interested in working in a way where the text and music feeds off each other, rather than a situation such as me writing a text for which Julian might then set to music. So far ideas have centred on notions of authority: the questioning of power structures and systems; different political structures; authorities in music and writing etc… and then ways we might be able to play with that in the work. Some examples include democratising the creative process: sharing this with the performer and audience; experimenting with non-linear structures and narratives: eg. Performing different songs simultaneously in different rooms so the audience could choose which order they view the songs… hmmm many more ideas to explore…
The Red Installation/Photo Series | Ben + others
Ben is still wrapping things in bright red wool – tractor parts, wood, burrawang leaves, and trees. He’s also got Serena and I knitting red scarves (eek!). Aside from serving as a series of installations around the property – intrusions and interventions on the landscape – the wrapping is in preparation for a photo series. As far as I understand, the red theme is quite symbolic. Rarely seen in the Australian bush, usually serves as a warning sign: poisonous mushrooms, red back spiders etc… or perhaps it’s simply a reflection of Ben’s connection with his root chakra… (cheeky grin!)
The Book Tree Installation/Photo Series
When Ben isn’t wrapping things, he’s sneaking pages of books amongst the papery bark of a tree in the amphitheatre. Again this project is emerging as both installation and a photo series… Exploring themes of decay and intrusion, the project is starting to extend beyond Ben’s original vision. We all spent a few hours today helping him to insert pages of the books onto the tree (I discovered chewing them first helped the process!) and as we did this other ideas began to emerge… Perhaps I could explore painting on the tree with natural ochres? How could my bark paintings relate to this installation? It was fun working collectively and we were intrigued at the different methods that emerged… oh and we’re using recycled materials, which will literally decay over time…
Photo Series | Rhi + others
This project focuses on looking at the beauty of detail…
Rhi is currently indulging and delighting in her obsessive-compulsive streak by collecting hundreds of close up images from the bush and sorting them by colour (Ben, Dan and Julian are also taking images to contribute to this project). She plans to build some larger images by using these as ‘mosaic tiles’. One idea she wants to experiment with is the image of a naked woman… She might also look at working with Dan to write some text/music to incorporate into the artwork… Tomorrow Ben, Rhi and I are going to work together to take some shots for Rhi’s naked woman, which she will then pixilate and use to then build up her mosaic image (no guesses as to who get to take all their clothes off!!)
Bundanon Community of Artists | Rhi + Dan (and others?)
This project is still in the ideas stage. We haven’t yet talked too much about directions in which we can head. But we’re keen to look at interviewing some of the artists who’ve worked/lived here with the intention of creating a radiophonic work (with Serena’s and Julian’s help?). Our motivation is a desire to explore the importance of community… (the Bundanon community and the larger surrounding community)
Solo Flute Work | Serena
Serena has been working on a solo flute piece. We spent the other night listening to some solo works by Matthew Bienek and talking about what we thought constituted a quality flute work. She is open to the idea of incorporating this into a bigger group project if appropriate.
Bark Painting | Dan
I’ve finished priming some of the bark with white paint and in the next few days will start painting. I’m thinking about using some of the other bark for sculptures. I’m also keen to explore incorporate some of my ideas with Ben’s installation…
Art and Sustainability | Dan (+ others)
I’m really interested in researching ideas about sustainability in art with the idea of developing some projects over the next few months. Being web-addicts, Julian, Rhi and I have decided to initiate this research by holding an online debate between the three of us over the next few days. I think this will be a really interesting and fun way to explore different ideas and concepts.
Time lapse Photography | Julian
Julian’s current idea is to recreate or model some of Arthur Boyd’s images using time-lapse photography, particularly the sceneries that Boyd obsessively created (eg. Pulpit Rock). There is the potential for sound/music as well…
The Cow project
We’re all still quite traumatised by the baby cows (who are still crying and moaning for their parents). Serena has made some sound recording of the cows, while Dan and Jules – who spent the afternoon with them – have taken some images. Whether we do anything with this footage remains to be seen… but the separation of mother and child has certainly made a huge impact on many of us!
Cloud Animation | Jules
Jules has been working on an animation of cloud pictures using time lapse techniques...
hhmmmm... perhaps there are things I've missed??
PS.
Jules has finally found phone reception! Down on the sandbank of the river. Mind you in the time it took to make three long phone calls, the tide began creeping in significantly. And so when Jules turned to head back home he discovered he was standing on a small sand island...
Wednesday, April 30
interventions + sustainability
I just came across this interesting blog that explores the relationship between contemporary art and notions of environmental sustainability. Lots of interesting stuff relating loosely to some of the things that both Rhi and I are interested in exploring for our LBB project...
Some of the entries also talk a little about process-driven art compared with the commodity of art, which relates to a conversation the five of us had last night about collaborative models, post-modernist theory and artistic motivation.
Rhi: some stuff relating to your intervention ideas, which are worth checking out as well...
xD
Some of the entries also talk a little about process-driven art compared with the commodity of art, which relates to a conversation the five of us had last night about collaborative models, post-modernist theory and artistic motivation.
Rhi: some stuff relating to your intervention ideas, which are worth checking out as well...
xD
Tuesday, April 29
Bundanon at last + email shenanigans
Well, we've made it! Our first day of our Bundanon residency... With two weeks of exploring, experimenting and workshopping collaboratively who knows where we'll end up! How exciting! The property is spectacular. What an honour. We've been fairly silent in the blogosphere in the weeks leading up to the residency: mostly from ridiculous work loads, but also a few hesitations about the project itself... Below is a conversation that we had in the comfort and privacy of email. It was interesting that as some of us became a little daunted by the project we reverted away from the public writings of our blog...
Dan wrote:
when can we meet again for next chat session... lots to chat about methinks...
Serena wrote:
What did you have in mind to talk about Dan?
Dan wrote:
re talking: logistics and crunch time for project ideas.
Ben wrote:
'crunch time for project ideas' is at least worth a shot... and seems to be where people are it, in light of Rhi's last post.
Any thoughts welcome, as it would be good to go into this weekend with an idea of how best to use it.
B
Dan wrote:
Hey guys,
I think the biggest thing we need to sort out is what we are actually hoping to achieve in Bundanon. We need to finally decide whether our initial idea of a "site-specific artwork" is feasible, realistic and still inspiring people.
My feeling is that these 2 weeks would be best spent as an initial exploration and workshopping of ideas. Given that the blog hasn't really taken off and that we've only really had 2 meetings about the project I don't feel I have enough idea about everyone's creative work and the way that they work to be able to head down to Bundanon and "make a high quality art work" in 2 weeks. I don't think it is a realistic goal and I think we will put far too much pressure on ourselves.
I'd be more keen to go back to our initial proposal and use this time as an exploration for working together. Explore a few different creative approaches, ideas etc. and then at the end of the 2 weeks look at what we've got, write a few reflective articles about "the collaborative process" to be published in a few different magazines and then decide if we have enough material and energy to put together a collaborative art work in the future. Perhaps even use the time to do some research on site-specific art work itself!!
My reluctance to still commit to an "end product" is three-fold:
1. 2 weeks is a VERY short time frame to come up with a complete product. Especially considering I've never worked with any of you before (except Rhi!). We'd have to be damned kick-arse for the proposed piece of art to be worth anything...
2. I have major issues attempting to create a "site-specific" art work. In my reading I've discovered just how politically-laden the word is and come to the realisation how naive we as a group are about the art form. I think it will be very difficult creating a piece of art in a new art form for the first time in only two weeks without it being ill-informed and naive
3. My approach to the creative process is very spontaneous and intuitive. I'd want to find a method for working in our group that caters for this approach in conjunction with approaches that suit others better. It is mostly by doing, being, talking, reading that I become inspired and productive. We've barely had any time to be together as a group since last year when we put in our application. So it won't really be until we're actually there that ideas will come rolling and bouncing for me. I need more flexibility to be able to feel comfortable with this project.
So this is where I'm at. Possibly not what some of you wanted to hear. But I'm still confident we can find a solution that suits everyone and respects everyone's needs and creative approaches.
Cheers,
Dan
Julian wrote:
Hey there,
I'm not feeling too dissimilar, Dan. My feeling is that our 'collaboration' should really properly begin with the residency.
I was chatting to Luke Jaaniste, one of my long-standing collaborators, and we both agreed that some of the most enjoyable and indeed productive times during our COMPOST days were when we simply went away somewhere for a week or two with no expectations but a great willingness to chat, absorb, play, explore and simply hang. We'd take gear, instruments, books, scores, DVDs and during that time ideas would start to flow organically, from the 'site' or the source if you like. I think for everyone's sanity it would be good to lower our expectations for Bundanon and likewise see it as a journey or process rather than as the only time in which to make a finished product.
Regarding Bundanon's expectation of what we'll do there, keep in mind that Damian Barbeler went to Bundanon in, I think, 2002 and he's only just handed in the piece that he started there a week ago. So I don't think there's any pressure to finish anything right away.
Regarding site-specific artwork, installation and environmental art I have a suggestion. Luke J has spent the last 5-10 years exploring the form and has offered to present to us a 3-hour lecture with images. All we'd need to do is cover the cost of him coming to Bundanon and put him up for a night or so. I'd estimate it'd cost about $50 for the train ticket from Sydney and food. This way we'd get some historical context and understand just exactly what world we'd be entering into. What do you think?
Jxx
Ben wrote:
hey all,
I'll start by pointing out how much I'm really looking forward to this, especially as the time draws nearer, just so anything to follow might be taken in the tone and spirit intended (ie excited and cheerful!)
Exploration and workshopping of ideas is likely to be a big part of our time at Bundanon, and the best balance of chatting and 'doing' should hopefully emerge early on. This should give each of us the chance to work in the way that we each work best - time to be inspired, time to create, time to reflect.
One thing I was quite puzzled by was the "make a high quality art work in 2 weeks" part of your email Dan. I don't really know where 'complete product' came from... it's not something I'd ever thought feasible or that any of us had expected. Far from it! My understanding has always been that this was a brain-storming, idea-forming and material gathering window, with the rest of the year to then hone/develop these ideas and the material into tangible 'outcomes'. Even if we were going in with some possible ideas as to the form of a particular project(s), I never heard it suggested we would have something done and dusted by the final day there.
Regarding the blog and the suggestion that 'it didn't take off' - I've got a few thoughts on that one. I figure people are finding it difficult to find the time for it, so perhaps briefer, more frequent posting is more appropriate? Also, given the resistance to having too much of an idea of outcomes before we go in, then there's in a way not so much to actually discuss there at the moment. My hope is that as our ideas flow and we come up with concepts and spark off each other, more post ideas will flow - moving from conceptual to actual.
The idea of it being a place for sketches and the like still appeals to me, and that's something that will flow from our Bundanon stay as we gather such material and come up with just such sketches. It may serve a stronger purpose once we are away from Bundanon and back working by ourselves, but in parallel - ie i would really hope to see comments on any parts of any works that people put there for discussion.
I'm quite keen to keep the pressure off too, but for me that will mean having a few ideas of things i would like to do/try, then exploring further those that come up while we're there. I too find inspiration in things i read/talk about/ see etc, but at some point need to turn that into something and it will help to have an idea of what form will best suit a group project. I have no intention of 'imposing' these on anyone and don't see this curtailing anyone's personal flexibility, it might just mean I'll be doing a few things that won't necessarily fit into a final group work - fine by me!
Out of curiosity, and in light the most recent emails, are people at least aiming for a concrete(ish) idea of what vein our project(s) are going to be in by the end of the fortnight? I'd personally be in favour of that and think that our difficulty in all meeting up would make that quite important for us to take the momentum of the fortnight with us.
I'd like to hear more about Dan's problems with 'site-specific' but am happy to wait until we next see each other - or perhaps you could point us to any material that might be appropriate reading in the meantime?
Julian, how much notice to you think Luke would need? It certainly sounds like a good idea if we're going to go down that path, but the sense from Dan's email is she's not as keen for that as perhaps before. We should decide on that soon though, as Bundanon have made it clear they're pretty cool about that sort of thing PROVIDED we alert them to it beforehand, which i'm happy to do. Maybe we could even flag it as a possibility with them?
On one hand D and J seem at first glance a long way from where Rhi seems to be at (as per her last post), but on a practical front the gap is probably not really such a big deal - we'll all be there in just over two weeks anyway, and given that's likely to be the next time we'll see each other, it seems to be the best time to work all these things out.
With a yummy meal in our tummy, a glass of red and an amazingly inspirational backdrop - and two weeks to explore all this and more - I think we'll all be pinching ourselves as to what a great opportunity we have. I'm really excited about it and hope people aren't getting too stressed out; we're friends above and beyond all this and i'm really pleased to have been included in this - anything that comes out of it is is simply a bonus on top of a great couple of weeks together.
You guys are all neat by the way, if i hadn't reminded you lately.
Bxx
Rhi wrote:
Thanks Ben! You rock.
I think we all agree we won’t have a shiny finished product at the end of two weeks.
But what do we expect to have? As Ben mentioned, I don’t think that on a practical front Dan’s and Julian’s ideas are so far off from mine. Let me clarify a point in my last post: rather than saying we needed to agree on an expected outcome, I should have said we needed to be sure our expectations for the residency aligned (an expected outcome could be no outcome? a collection of materials?): I was worried that what I saw as differences in expectations could easily lead to tension.
After Blackheath though I was under the impression that everyone was leaning towards a site-specific artwork - am glad I raised the issue…
So, while we’re all getting our expectations on the table.
At the end of two weeks I hope we’ll have a good collection of ideas, inspiration, material etc. I also want to have an idea of a finished product(s) we might aim for (for which we might aim – just for you Ben!) and a commitment to work towards this. If the ideas we come up with don't spark with everyone (and I don’t expect we’ll know until partway through our stay) then I also think it is possible for just some of us to commit to a project or projects.
By the way, I like Dan’s suggestion that one outcome could be writing a few articles on the collaborative process for a few magazines – but am also hoping for more…
I’m also interested in Dan’s concerns about site-specific artwork: (the musicologist in you never sleeps!) I know that terms applied to art forms tend to come burdened with histories and layers of meaning, and without a comprehensive understanding of these it would be easy to create something naïve and uninformed. I think I feel less constricted by this than you Dan, because I’ve been using the term (as lay-people tend to do), much more loosely. I'd been thinking of it as an artwork that relates to a specific site… so maybe I should use another term… place-focused? geographically-inspired? locationally-stimulated?
By the way: I’d love, but don’t necessarily expect, to produce something kick-arse. There are many aspects of art that are like a trade – you have to practise in order to become better, and I know I need to be working towards a commitment to make sure I put aside the time to practise. We are all going to be pracising collaboration - and there needs to be places and spaces in which artists are allowed to experiment (and fail) in order to produce artists that have the skills to produce quality art… and in my mind Bundanon is one of those places...
Two points in regard to the blog:
Are people committed to contributing to this? It would be good to get a realistic idea view of where people are at. If anyone is reluctant can they say so now? Likewise if people see it as being on hold until after Bundanon…
If everyone is still keen, should the last emails from Dan, Julian, Ben and me all go up there?
Some random creative ideas I’m mulling over at the moment:
Five senses art. If at some point some one were to create a site-specific artwork I would be interested in engaging all the senses… expect maybe taste… or maybe also taste… how many artworks are there that include smells? I’m also interested in this from the aspect of wanting to exercise some control over an audience’s reactions in terms of creating a particular mood or ambiance… I find the power of music to manipulate emotions fascinating and would at some point like to explore this further. In a way it fits into our discussions on perspectives. If two people saw the same room from different angles with different lighting and different music playing and different smells but were told the same story, how would their reactions compare? What if the story was different and everything else was the same.
Art within art. I’ve pasted an Arthur Boyd self-portrait below. There is also an Albert Tucker photo of Arthur Boyd in front of this self-portrait that “captures the sense of the shared creative environment in which the 1940s portraits were painted”. I like the idea of art that becomes environment and environment that becomes art… photos of artworks and their interactions with the creator/the audience/the environment would be one way to explore this.
Dan wrote:
well it's good to hear we're vaguely on the same wavelength... but I have to admit now I'm terribly confused because it seemed so clear to me that there was a push at the Blackheath workshop to decide on what we were going to create... anyway, it doesn't matter. It's clearer now... and a huge relief...
so just to clarify :
AIMS:
1. to workshop, experiment and explore ideas collaboratively;
2. explore collaborative process itself;
3. research site-specific/environmental art;
4. assess materials gathered/created at end of 2 weeks
5. decide on possibility of future project at end of 2 weeks
Serena: what are your thoughts?
D
Serena wrote:
Hey All,
Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and perspectives on it all and thanks to ben for the organizational email (which I’ll look at today);
As I said, Rhi pretty much summed up how I feel about things.
I am looking for the 2 weeks to be a major ‘gathering of material’. For me, this will include spending time composing music, writing stuff for radio and hopefully recording for radiophonic/installationy type stuff. If we go for the radiophonic work for ABC then I’m concerned I won’t be recording at a high enough quality because I don’t have the microphones required. I’ve been doing pretty serious research on this and it looks like I need to spend about $800, which is a lot of money for something I’m unsure how much I will use outside of our project.
I’d really like to have us all working on material for a set project or projects - ie I don’t see much point in me composing music for a string quartet if that music won’t get used in one of our collaborative projects. So that’s why I’d like to work out what we think we are working towards.
Looking back to our group proposal it appears we have said we will:
In terms of ideas that fit in with the above, I’m interested in:
I know I am going to have very, very limited time outside of Bundanon. So while I certainly am not aiming for a finished product in the 2 weeks (impossible!) I will be realistic and say that my ability to be part of a major project that takes up a large amount of time is pretty limited.
I’m more interested into a creative response to place and environment than a heavily researched theoretical ‘site specific’ approach – though this is influenced by the fact that I have found it difficult to find good writings about site specific artwork and most of what I have found is about artforms I’m not working in.
Dan wrote:
do you mean "place and environment" from a physical perspective? A physical environment? As opposed to "place and environment being a community of people or a more abstract idea. And what do you mean by a heavily researched theoretical approach?
This is exactly what I'm not comfortable doing.
I won't be able to decide what we think we are working towards until we actually start working together. For me these kinds of decisions will evolve throughout the course of the two weeks
D
Serena wrote:
Re creative response:
I’m approaching the idea of “place and environment” merely as instigators of creativity and inspiration. So I don’t necessarily mean “place and environment” from a physical perspective” or from “community idea”. I just mean my ideas will be driven by being at Bundanon. The end work won’t necessarily reflect this particularly closely but it will be what is inspiring me.
For example the four musical compositions I wrote for Illawarra Sea Stories are written to reflect 4 different beach places. I suppose that would be a ‘response to a physical environment’ but it was also driven by my knowledge of each place (which contains more than just the physical).
BEN – you know 4 works I’m talking about. Can you add an explanation?
Re “heavily researched”
A more ‘heavily researched theoretical approach’ – would require reading and research. I think that’s interesting but I’m probably more inclined just to go for an unresearched creative response (purely due to time constraints – my primary interest being in creating art work, not in doing research).
Re working on material:
In terms of you not wanting to agree before the project what it is we will be working on – I’m fine with that given that we’ve all tried pretty hard to work this one through and haven’t reached an agreement. I have a preference for doing it the other way, but if you don’t want to go down that path I’m happy to accommodate that.
Does that clarify?
Dan wrote:
yep, that all makes perfect sense! cool cool!!
Serena wrote:
Ace!
Ben wrote:
I'll try on the 4 works explanation...
What I think Serena means is that you don't listen to the pieces and necessarily go "hey, that sounds just like Kiama in winter, or Bulli in summer", or "that's a sea serpent", yet it's in there - it's about a starting point and a framework, a kernel of truth from which the works sprout and beyond which pretty much anything can happen.
These places and times are carried in there in the way it seems S wants Bundanon to be 'in there', they are a product of and interaction with a 'place and environment' that is both sensory and more, that is the visible and the hidden. It's the social and the natural, but also the ephemeral. Beyond that, it's the vibe/spirit/call it what you will. So it's not just "here's the sound of a wave/ a tree in the wind being (re)produced", but "here's the feeling you get from these things, in this place, at this fleeting moment".
I think I made this point at Blackheath, but I believe our different needs/preferences partly reflect our approach to art, but also the forms in which we are working.
Photography is very much site-based, although I'm planning on messing around with that more than I usually do. It's often responsive, and steered by the moment.
Words are fairly malleable, so writing can spring out of the blue and needs only rely upon itself to make a certain amount of sense, which can then change according to contexts. This is simplistic, but more true I think than for music, where the language is dependent on performance, which has a form and a time and a location that's not as flexible.
Although I don't compose music, my understanding is that it relies to an extent on a 'framework' of sorts, an understanding of what instrumentation it's for, which will depend on:
a) inspiration and sounds that emerge in one's head, and the translation of this into a tangible form, but also
b) practicalities - who is going to play this? how will it be heard?
Writing and photography has its own central form to begin with, which can then mutate into various directions. Music seems to need to start further down the track and need more of a guiding principal.
It's in these differences and crossing-points that friction can occur, but don't forget that friction is the point at which sparks occur.
meanwhile.... Rhi asked in her email:
Bxx
Serena wrote:
Well put Ben – I think you’ve mastered the words thing better than I and were able to add some helpful stuff in.
Dan wrote:
some of my photography is probably a good example of this ben. It's very abstract and texturally-based but often contains the essence of a place hidden in there somewhere...
yeah, I guess all this conversation should all go on the blog... it's far less daunting in an email though... less eyes on it.... if I get a burst of energy on the weekend I'll post them up...
D
Serena wrote:
My computer wouldn’t let me open this … maybe you can bring it to Bundanon. I’m interested in looking at photos and then trying to ‘translate’ those into music/sound or composition (and no, I’m not getting into the whole composer/creative artist/sound artist debate, let’s not go there).
Ben wrote:
you should be able to see it here Serena, through the magic of the interwebs...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daniellecarey/2178047262
Serena wrote:
Oohhh. Lovely. Great movement Dan.
Dan wrote:
when can we meet again for next chat session... lots to chat about methinks...
Serena wrote:
What did you have in mind to talk about Dan?
Dan wrote:
re talking: logistics and crunch time for project ideas.
Ben wrote:
'crunch time for project ideas' is at least worth a shot... and seems to be where people are it, in light of Rhi's last post.
Any thoughts welcome, as it would be good to go into this weekend with an idea of how best to use it.
B
Dan wrote:
Hey guys,
I think the biggest thing we need to sort out is what we are actually hoping to achieve in Bundanon. We need to finally decide whether our initial idea of a "site-specific artwork" is feasible, realistic and still inspiring people.
My feeling is that these 2 weeks would be best spent as an initial exploration and workshopping of ideas. Given that the blog hasn't really taken off and that we've only really had 2 meetings about the project I don't feel I have enough idea about everyone's creative work and the way that they work to be able to head down to Bundanon and "make a high quality art work" in 2 weeks. I don't think it is a realistic goal and I think we will put far too much pressure on ourselves.
I'd be more keen to go back to our initial proposal and use this time as an exploration for working together. Explore a few different creative approaches, ideas etc. and then at the end of the 2 weeks look at what we've got, write a few reflective articles about "the collaborative process" to be published in a few different magazines and then decide if we have enough material and energy to put together a collaborative art work in the future. Perhaps even use the time to do some research on site-specific art work itself!!
My reluctance to still commit to an "end product" is three-fold:
1. 2 weeks is a VERY short time frame to come up with a complete product. Especially considering I've never worked with any of you before (except Rhi!). We'd have to be damned kick-arse for the proposed piece of art to be worth anything...
2. I have major issues attempting to create a "site-specific" art work. In my reading I've discovered just how politically-laden the word is and come to the realisation how naive we as a group are about the art form. I think it will be very difficult creating a piece of art in a new art form for the first time in only two weeks without it being ill-informed and naive
3. My approach to the creative process is very spontaneous and intuitive. I'd want to find a method for working in our group that caters for this approach in conjunction with approaches that suit others better. It is mostly by doing, being, talking, reading that I become inspired and productive. We've barely had any time to be together as a group since last year when we put in our application. So it won't really be until we're actually there that ideas will come rolling and bouncing for me. I need more flexibility to be able to feel comfortable with this project.
So this is where I'm at. Possibly not what some of you wanted to hear. But I'm still confident we can find a solution that suits everyone and respects everyone's needs and creative approaches.
Cheers,
Dan
Julian wrote:
Hey there,
I'm not feeling too dissimilar, Dan. My feeling is that our 'collaboration' should really properly begin with the residency.
I was chatting to Luke Jaaniste, one of my long-standing collaborators, and we both agreed that some of the most enjoyable and indeed productive times during our COMPOST days were when we simply went away somewhere for a week or two with no expectations but a great willingness to chat, absorb, play, explore and simply hang. We'd take gear, instruments, books, scores, DVDs and during that time ideas would start to flow organically, from the 'site' or the source if you like. I think for everyone's sanity it would be good to lower our expectations for Bundanon and likewise see it as a journey or process rather than as the only time in which to make a finished product.
Regarding Bundanon's expectation of what we'll do there, keep in mind that Damian Barbeler went to Bundanon in, I think, 2002 and he's only just handed in the piece that he started there a week ago. So I don't think there's any pressure to finish anything right away.
Regarding site-specific artwork, installation and environmental art I have a suggestion. Luke J has spent the last 5-10 years exploring the form and has offered to present to us a 3-hour lecture with images. All we'd need to do is cover the cost of him coming to Bundanon and put him up for a night or so. I'd estimate it'd cost about $50 for the train ticket from Sydney and food. This way we'd get some historical context and understand just exactly what world we'd be entering into. What do you think?
Jxx
Ben wrote:
hey all,
I'll start by pointing out how much I'm really looking forward to this, especially as the time draws nearer, just so anything to follow might be taken in the tone and spirit intended (ie excited and cheerful!)
Exploration and workshopping of ideas is likely to be a big part of our time at Bundanon, and the best balance of chatting and 'doing' should hopefully emerge early on. This should give each of us the chance to work in the way that we each work best - time to be inspired, time to create, time to reflect.
One thing I was quite puzzled by was the "make a high quality art work in 2 weeks" part of your email Dan. I don't really know where 'complete product' came from... it's not something I'd ever thought feasible or that any of us had expected. Far from it! My understanding has always been that this was a brain-storming, idea-forming and material gathering window, with the rest of the year to then hone/develop these ideas and the material into tangible 'outcomes'. Even if we were going in with some possible ideas as to the form of a particular project(s), I never heard it suggested we would have something done and dusted by the final day there.
Regarding the blog and the suggestion that 'it didn't take off' - I've got a few thoughts on that one. I figure people are finding it difficult to find the time for it, so perhaps briefer, more frequent posting is more appropriate? Also, given the resistance to having too much of an idea of outcomes before we go in, then there's in a way not so much to actually discuss there at the moment. My hope is that as our ideas flow and we come up with concepts and spark off each other, more post ideas will flow - moving from conceptual to actual.
The idea of it being a place for sketches and the like still appeals to me, and that's something that will flow from our Bundanon stay as we gather such material and come up with just such sketches. It may serve a stronger purpose once we are away from Bundanon and back working by ourselves, but in parallel - ie i would really hope to see comments on any parts of any works that people put there for discussion.
I'm quite keen to keep the pressure off too, but for me that will mean having a few ideas of things i would like to do/try, then exploring further those that come up while we're there. I too find inspiration in things i read/talk about/ see etc, but at some point need to turn that into something and it will help to have an idea of what form will best suit a group project. I have no intention of 'imposing' these on anyone and don't see this curtailing anyone's personal flexibility, it might just mean I'll be doing a few things that won't necessarily fit into a final group work - fine by me!
Out of curiosity, and in light the most recent emails, are people at least aiming for a concrete(ish) idea of what vein our project(s) are going to be in by the end of the fortnight? I'd personally be in favour of that and think that our difficulty in all meeting up would make that quite important for us to take the momentum of the fortnight with us.
I'd like to hear more about Dan's problems with 'site-specific' but am happy to wait until we next see each other - or perhaps you could point us to any material that might be appropriate reading in the meantime?
Julian, how much notice to you think Luke would need? It certainly sounds like a good idea if we're going to go down that path, but the sense from Dan's email is she's not as keen for that as perhaps before. We should decide on that soon though, as Bundanon have made it clear they're pretty cool about that sort of thing PROVIDED we alert them to it beforehand, which i'm happy to do. Maybe we could even flag it as a possibility with them?
On one hand D and J seem at first glance a long way from where Rhi seems to be at (as per her last post), but on a practical front the gap is probably not really such a big deal - we'll all be there in just over two weeks anyway, and given that's likely to be the next time we'll see each other, it seems to be the best time to work all these things out.
With a yummy meal in our tummy, a glass of red and an amazingly inspirational backdrop - and two weeks to explore all this and more - I think we'll all be pinching ourselves as to what a great opportunity we have. I'm really excited about it and hope people aren't getting too stressed out; we're friends above and beyond all this and i'm really pleased to have been included in this - anything that comes out of it is is simply a bonus on top of a great couple of weeks together.
You guys are all neat by the way, if i hadn't reminded you lately.
Bxx
Rhi wrote:
Thanks Ben! You rock.
I think we all agree we won’t have a shiny finished product at the end of two weeks.
But what do we expect to have? As Ben mentioned, I don’t think that on a practical front Dan’s and Julian’s ideas are so far off from mine. Let me clarify a point in my last post: rather than saying we needed to agree on an expected outcome, I should have said we needed to be sure our expectations for the residency aligned (an expected outcome could be no outcome? a collection of materials?): I was worried that what I saw as differences in expectations could easily lead to tension.
After Blackheath though I was under the impression that everyone was leaning towards a site-specific artwork - am glad I raised the issue…
So, while we’re all getting our expectations on the table.
At the end of two weeks I hope we’ll have a good collection of ideas, inspiration, material etc. I also want to have an idea of a finished product(s) we might aim for (for which we might aim – just for you Ben!) and a commitment to work towards this. If the ideas we come up with don't spark with everyone (and I don’t expect we’ll know until partway through our stay) then I also think it is possible for just some of us to commit to a project or projects.
By the way, I like Dan’s suggestion that one outcome could be writing a few articles on the collaborative process for a few magazines – but am also hoping for more…
I’m also interested in Dan’s concerns about site-specific artwork: (the musicologist in you never sleeps!) I know that terms applied to art forms tend to come burdened with histories and layers of meaning, and without a comprehensive understanding of these it would be easy to create something naïve and uninformed. I think I feel less constricted by this than you Dan, because I’ve been using the term (as lay-people tend to do), much more loosely. I'd been thinking of it as an artwork that relates to a specific site… so maybe I should use another term… place-focused? geographically-inspired? locationally-stimulated?
By the way: I’d love, but don’t necessarily expect, to produce something kick-arse. There are many aspects of art that are like a trade – you have to practise in order to become better, and I know I need to be working towards a commitment to make sure I put aside the time to practise. We are all going to be pracising collaboration - and there needs to be places and spaces in which artists are allowed to experiment (and fail) in order to produce artists that have the skills to produce quality art… and in my mind Bundanon is one of those places...
Two points in regard to the blog:
Are people committed to contributing to this? It would be good to get a realistic idea view of where people are at. If anyone is reluctant can they say so now? Likewise if people see it as being on hold until after Bundanon…
If everyone is still keen, should the last emails from Dan, Julian, Ben and me all go up there?
Some random creative ideas I’m mulling over at the moment:
Five senses art. If at some point some one were to create a site-specific artwork I would be interested in engaging all the senses… expect maybe taste… or maybe also taste… how many artworks are there that include smells? I’m also interested in this from the aspect of wanting to exercise some control over an audience’s reactions in terms of creating a particular mood or ambiance… I find the power of music to manipulate emotions fascinating and would at some point like to explore this further. In a way it fits into our discussions on perspectives. If two people saw the same room from different angles with different lighting and different music playing and different smells but were told the same story, how would their reactions compare? What if the story was different and everything else was the same.
Art within art. I’ve pasted an Arthur Boyd self-portrait below. There is also an Albert Tucker photo of Arthur Boyd in front of this self-portrait that “captures the sense of the shared creative environment in which the 1940s portraits were painted”. I like the idea of art that becomes environment and environment that becomes art… photos of artworks and their interactions with the creator/the audience/the environment would be one way to explore this.
Dan wrote:
well it's good to hear we're vaguely on the same wavelength... but I have to admit now I'm terribly confused because it seemed so clear to me that there was a push at the Blackheath workshop to decide on what we were going to create... anyway, it doesn't matter. It's clearer now... and a huge relief...
so just to clarify :
AIMS:
1. to workshop, experiment and explore ideas collaboratively;
2. explore collaborative process itself;
3. research site-specific/environmental art;
4. assess materials gathered/created at end of 2 weeks
5. decide on possibility of future project at end of 2 weeks
Serena: what are your thoughts?
D
Serena wrote:
Hey All,
Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and perspectives on it all and thanks to ben for the organizational email (which I’ll look at today);
As I said, Rhi pretty much summed up how I feel about things.
I am looking for the 2 weeks to be a major ‘gathering of material’. For me, this will include spending time composing music, writing stuff for radio and hopefully recording for radiophonic/installationy type stuff. If we go for the radiophonic work for ABC then I’m concerned I won’t be recording at a high enough quality because I don’t have the microphones required. I’ve been doing pretty serious research on this and it looks like I need to spend about $800, which is a lot of money for something I’m unsure how much I will use outside of our project.
I’d really like to have us all working on material for a set project or projects - ie I don’t see much point in me composing music for a string quartet if that music won’t get used in one of our collaborative projects. So that’s why I’d like to work out what we think we are working towards.
Looking back to our group proposal it appears we have said we will:
- exploring the concept of ‘place’ and ‘environment’ collaboratively and across our different artists disciplines
- explore specific sites at Bundanon and/or Riversale – eg river, forest homestead
- engage in ‘specifically designed crative tasks’ – inc improve and research
- possibly create an installation, music performance, video footage, photographic footage
- web-based discussion (which we’ve started, but seem to have shifted to email)
- finished product of all/any of the following: multi-media event, DVD/CD-ROM of critical and creative texts, music and images, 20 to 40 minute radiophonic work for ABC; website/blog; articles for Resonate.
In terms of ideas that fit in with the above, I’m interested in:
- composing music inspired by Bundanon – ideally this would go towards either a radio piece we were writing or a concert we were putting on - again this is something it would be best to know now, so that when I’m down there writing I am writing for the correct instrumentation
- doing radio stuff on the bundanon homestead kitchen – the sounds that can be made there, the role of kitchens across the life of the building (ie how much the role of the kitchen has changed). We’ll need to organise access to the kitchen if this is something we decide to do.
- Doing fictional creative writing inspired by Bundanon – but I haven’t worked in this discipline for a long time so I have a few reservations about it. Perhaps it is worth a shot.
I know I am going to have very, very limited time outside of Bundanon. So while I certainly am not aiming for a finished product in the 2 weeks (impossible!) I will be realistic and say that my ability to be part of a major project that takes up a large amount of time is pretty limited.
I’m more interested into a creative response to place and environment than a heavily researched theoretical ‘site specific’ approach – though this is influenced by the fact that I have found it difficult to find good writings about site specific artwork and most of what I have found is about artforms I’m not working in.
Dan wrote:
Serena: "I’m more interested into a creative response to place and environment than a heavily researched theoretical ‘site specific’ approach"
do you mean "place and environment" from a physical perspective? A physical environment? As opposed to "place and environment being a community of people or a more abstract idea. And what do you mean by a heavily researched theoretical approach?
I’d really like to have us all working on material for a set project or projects - ie I don’t see much point in me composing music for a string quartet if that music won’t get used in one of our collaborative projects. So that’s why I’d like to work out what we think we are working towards.
This is exactly what I'm not comfortable doing.
I won't be able to decide what we think we are working towards until we actually start working together. For me these kinds of decisions will evolve throughout the course of the two weeks
D
Serena wrote:
Re creative response:
I’m approaching the idea of “place and environment” merely as instigators of creativity and inspiration. So I don’t necessarily mean “place and environment” from a physical perspective” or from “community idea”. I just mean my ideas will be driven by being at Bundanon. The end work won’t necessarily reflect this particularly closely but it will be what is inspiring me.
For example the four musical compositions I wrote for Illawarra Sea Stories are written to reflect 4 different beach places. I suppose that would be a ‘response to a physical environment’ but it was also driven by my knowledge of each place (which contains more than just the physical).
BEN – you know 4 works I’m talking about. Can you add an explanation?
Re “heavily researched”
A more ‘heavily researched theoretical approach’ – would require reading and research. I think that’s interesting but I’m probably more inclined just to go for an unresearched creative response (purely due to time constraints – my primary interest being in creating art work, not in doing research).
Re working on material:
In terms of you not wanting to agree before the project what it is we will be working on – I’m fine with that given that we’ve all tried pretty hard to work this one through and haven’t reached an agreement. I have a preference for doing it the other way, but if you don’t want to go down that path I’m happy to accommodate that.
Does that clarify?
Dan wrote:
yep, that all makes perfect sense! cool cool!!
Serena wrote:
Ace!
Ben wrote:
I'll try on the 4 works explanation...
What I think Serena means is that you don't listen to the pieces and necessarily go "hey, that sounds just like Kiama in winter, or Bulli in summer", or "that's a sea serpent", yet it's in there - it's about a starting point and a framework, a kernel of truth from which the works sprout and beyond which pretty much anything can happen.
These places and times are carried in there in the way it seems S wants Bundanon to be 'in there', they are a product of and interaction with a 'place and environment' that is both sensory and more, that is the visible and the hidden. It's the social and the natural, but also the ephemeral. Beyond that, it's the vibe/spirit/call it what you will. So it's not just "here's the sound of a wave/ a tree in the wind being (re)produced", but "here's the feeling you get from these things, in this place, at this fleeting moment".
I think I made this point at Blackheath, but I believe our different needs/preferences partly reflect our approach to art, but also the forms in which we are working.
Photography is very much site-based, although I'm planning on messing around with that more than I usually do. It's often responsive, and steered by the moment.
Words are fairly malleable, so writing can spring out of the blue and needs only rely upon itself to make a certain amount of sense, which can then change according to contexts. This is simplistic, but more true I think than for music, where the language is dependent on performance, which has a form and a time and a location that's not as flexible.
Although I don't compose music, my understanding is that it relies to an extent on a 'framework' of sorts, an understanding of what instrumentation it's for, which will depend on:
a) inspiration and sounds that emerge in one's head, and the translation of this into a tangible form, but also
b) practicalities - who is going to play this? how will it be heard?
Writing and photography has its own central form to begin with, which can then mutate into various directions. Music seems to need to start further down the track and need more of a guiding principal.
It's in these differences and crossing-points that friction can occur, but don't forget that friction is the point at which sparks occur.
meanwhile.... Rhi asked in her email:
"If everyone is still keen, should the last emails from Dan, Julian, Ben and me all go up [on the blog]?"I think this would be a good idea, and I'd also be interested in Dan posting those Real Time links she emailed us yesterday, as I think there's some crucial points in them quite central to our projects worth some comments.
Bxx
Serena wrote:
Well put Ben – I think you’ve mastered the words thing better than I and were able to add some helpful stuff in.
Dan wrote:
some of my photography is probably a good example of this ben. It's very abstract and texturally-based but often contains the essence of a place hidden in there somewhere...
yeah, I guess all this conversation should all go on the blog... it's far less daunting in an email though... less eyes on it.... if I get a burst of energy on the weekend I'll post them up...
D
Serena wrote:
My computer wouldn’t let me open this … maybe you can bring it to Bundanon. I’m interested in looking at photos and then trying to ‘translate’ those into music/sound or composition (and no, I’m not getting into the whole composer/creative artist/sound artist debate, let’s not go there).
Ben wrote:
you should be able to see it here Serena, through the magic of the interwebs...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daniellecarey/2178047262
Serena wrote:
Oohhh. Lovely. Great movement Dan.
Friday, February 29
site-specifity in finland
Here's an interesting article recently published by RealTime magazine about the antifestival in Finland last year.
- Dan
- Dan
bloggity blog blog blog...
Why blog? Is there really a point to writing about our creative work when we could just get on with creating it? At our workshop last weekend, we all seemed to agree that documentation is a crucial aspect of the lifecycle of an artwork. And much of our work in the arts community involves either the documentation of artworks (eg. ABC Classic FM and AMC) or documentation about artworks (eg. Arts reviewing, interviewing etc.): it’s something we’re all fascinated by. Documenting work means it can maintain a life after its completion. It also provides a potential resource for those interested in the creative process.
But blogging allows us to do much more than this. Joining the blogosphere – a complex web of thoughts, dialogue, and imagery – means that we can collaborate without the need to be physically together. This is essential given LBB artists are spread between Sydney, Canberra and the Blue Mountains. And I think more than anything it is simply an efficient means of gathering our material together in one place where the five of us can easily access it.
So it’s probably best to see our blog as a virtual scrapbook: a place to workshop ideas, share sources of inspiration, explore concepts and analyse theory.
And this scrapbook won’t be text-based. We plan to publish documentation about the project using sound, text and image (both stills and video).
Last Saturday afternoon some of us spent time exploring these ideas to make sure we were all on the same wavelength in terms of blogging, particularly because not all of us have blogged before. We identified five different kinds of entries and decided to use the following tags for categorising our materials:
admin: These entries relate to the logistics of our residency at Bundanon and administration of the website itself.
workshop: A large proportion of blogging will be devoted to documenting the actual materials of our creative work and our methodology. And with the blog being a place to store ‘sketches’ of our work, we can then provide feedback on each other’s material and ideas through discussion.
inspiration: links to other work – quotes/images/sound – that inspires our own work.
reflection: an examination of our motivation for participating in the project, exploring the ‘why’ of the project. Also, reflections on our progress with the project. How do we feel about the progress we’re making? Are our achievements successful? What is working? What isn’t?
theory: Material relating to the history and theory of site-specific installation and environmental art.
collaboration: approaches to the collaborative process
There’s a few other tags we decided to use as well to make sure the materials on our site are categorised logically and are easily accessible.
These include:
ben, dan, julian, rhi, serena (this means we can easily access material we’ve written ourselves)
sound, text, image (again, we can easily access material relating to one type of medium)
And the beauty of a folksonomy system of tagging means that material can exist in more than one category...of course, we’ll be adding more as we need to as well!
But blogging allows us to do much more than this. Joining the blogosphere – a complex web of thoughts, dialogue, and imagery – means that we can collaborate without the need to be physically together. This is essential given LBB artists are spread between Sydney, Canberra and the Blue Mountains. And I think more than anything it is simply an efficient means of gathering our material together in one place where the five of us can easily access it.
So it’s probably best to see our blog as a virtual scrapbook: a place to workshop ideas, share sources of inspiration, explore concepts and analyse theory.
And this scrapbook won’t be text-based. We plan to publish documentation about the project using sound, text and image (both stills and video).
Last Saturday afternoon some of us spent time exploring these ideas to make sure we were all on the same wavelength in terms of blogging, particularly because not all of us have blogged before. We identified five different kinds of entries and decided to use the following tags for categorising our materials:
admin: These entries relate to the logistics of our residency at Bundanon and administration of the website itself.
workshop: A large proportion of blogging will be devoted to documenting the actual materials of our creative work and our methodology. And with the blog being a place to store ‘sketches’ of our work, we can then provide feedback on each other’s material and ideas through discussion.
inspiration: links to other work – quotes/images/sound – that inspires our own work.
reflection: an examination of our motivation for participating in the project, exploring the ‘why’ of the project. Also, reflections on our progress with the project. How do we feel about the progress we’re making? Are our achievements successful? What is working? What isn’t?
theory: Material relating to the history and theory of site-specific installation and environmental art.
collaboration: approaches to the collaborative process
There’s a few other tags we decided to use as well to make sure the materials on our site are categorised logically and are easily accessible.
These include:
ben, dan, julian, rhi, serena (this means we can easily access material we’ve written ourselves)
sound, text, image (again, we can easily access material relating to one type of medium)
And the beauty of a folksonomy system of tagging means that material can exist in more than one category...of course, we’ll be adding more as we need to as well!
Wednesday, January 30
In the beginning...
If we were to go back to the start – where this all began – we’d find two girls, a kayak and an idea. Throughout 2006, Rhi and I were training for a kayak endurance race. Many mornings were spent (before work) paddling on Sydney Harbour working our biceps while soaking up – from a comfortable distance – the early morning chaos of inner city working professionals. Being on the water also gave us a unique perspective of a lesser-known Sydney: homeless men fishing from the wharf with self-made fishing rods, riggers working on the wharf at Cockatoo Island, old mansions nestled along the shores of Lane Cove River…
The harbour, with its vibrancy, chaos and intricate buzz, gave us energy to keep powering forward. But it also fed our creativity. Although I suspect mostly it was simply the time our training afforded us to bounce ideas back and forth across the kayak. Either way, much inspiration was found during our long paddles. Many new ideas formed: a book to be written, a story to be told, a blog to form, a project to implement, an organisation to begin. How often did we suddenly realise our paddles were lying dormant across the kayak while we excitedly chattered about our latest creative endeavour!
One morning we were lamenting the lack of people we knew who were interested in talking about music – talking deeply about it, tearing it apart and dissecting its layers, exploring its darkest secrets… and so, after a bunch of emails were sent to friends, acquaintances and a few randoms, our Nerd Music Nights began!
At the initial Nerd Music Night we explored the music of Liza Lim, while drinking red wine and enjoying the vegan goodness Rhi and I enthusiastically cooked up for our new friends. And since then we’ve found ourselves emersed in many critical listening and focussed discussion nights, supporting the presentation of each others creative practices, enjoying vibrant colourful (and at times rather raucous!) dinner parties, adventuring in the wilderness of Australia and spending far too much time guzzling beer after gigs and concerts while arguing, bitching and ranting about all that is art…
Curiousity began to grow about our own creative practices: Were there crossover points in our personal approaches to creativity? What would it be like working together to create art? How could we work together? What would we create? Eventually another idea emerged…
…And so here we are…
Where will this new idea take us? Who knows! But it is with great excitement that we begin working creatively together and we invite you to follow our creative process through reading this blog. Stay tuned!
- Dan
The harbour, with its vibrancy, chaos and intricate buzz, gave us energy to keep powering forward. But it also fed our creativity. Although I suspect mostly it was simply the time our training afforded us to bounce ideas back and forth across the kayak. Either way, much inspiration was found during our long paddles. Many new ideas formed: a book to be written, a story to be told, a blog to form, a project to implement, an organisation to begin. How often did we suddenly realise our paddles were lying dormant across the kayak while we excitedly chattered about our latest creative endeavour!
One morning we were lamenting the lack of people we knew who were interested in talking about music – talking deeply about it, tearing it apart and dissecting its layers, exploring its darkest secrets… and so, after a bunch of emails were sent to friends, acquaintances and a few randoms, our Nerd Music Nights began!
At the initial Nerd Music Night we explored the music of Liza Lim, while drinking red wine and enjoying the vegan goodness Rhi and I enthusiastically cooked up for our new friends. And since then we’ve found ourselves emersed in many critical listening and focussed discussion nights, supporting the presentation of each others creative practices, enjoying vibrant colourful (and at times rather raucous!) dinner parties, adventuring in the wilderness of Australia and spending far too much time guzzling beer after gigs and concerts while arguing, bitching and ranting about all that is art…
Curiousity began to grow about our own creative practices: Were there crossover points in our personal approaches to creativity? What would it be like working together to create art? How could we work together? What would we create? Eventually another idea emerged…
…And so here we are…
Where will this new idea take us? Who knows! But it is with great excitement that we begin working creatively together and we invite you to follow our creative process through reading this blog. Stay tuned!
- Dan
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