Stilgherrian » Arts

Review: Fiona Hall’s “Force Field”

Stilgherrian — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:05:41 +0000

I’ve always liked the witty, organic forms of Fiona Hall’s sculpture. A massive collection of her work, Fiona Hall: Force Field, currently fills two floors of Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art. It’s an almost overwhelming but immensely satisfying journey through her mind.

The photograph shows details from “Tender”, a collection of birds’ nests made from shredded US dollar bills. They’re incredibly realistic — especially in the exhibition environment where they’re collected into museum-style glass cases with each species’ nest labelled with its scientific name on the front of the case, the banknotes’ serial numbers listed on the back.

Other works include the finely-detailed sculptures of Paradisus Terrestris made from sardine cans, Scar Tissue, Understorey, Cell Culture and Leaf Litter. There’s also a smattering her photographs, and something about bees.

Cell Culture and many other works such as Dead in the Water are constructed from myriad tiny glass beads threaded on fine wire, shaped with loving attention to detail into precise organic forms. Photographs do not do them justice — you must see them in three dimensions, walk around them, revel in their reality. A video shot on a tropical field trip with botanists in search of blooming water lilies reveals Hall’s passion for getting it right.

Hall’s work explores the boundaries between the natural and the man-made with subtlety and humour. Works like Leaf Litter show how the global plantscape has been shaped by human economic “needs”. I’m still bubbling with the thoughts it triggered the morning after.

Fiona Hall: Force Field is at Sydney’s MCA until 1 June 2008. Free entry. Give yourself at least an hour for just this exhibition, let alone what else the venue offers.

[Photograph: Details from "Tender" 2003-2005; Image from Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery via UTS Gallery.]

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What you can do with copyrighted works

Stilgherrian — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:04:59 +0000

I’ve just been reminded that the best Australian source for information on copyright is the Australian Copyright Council, especially their information sheets on permissions, compliance and infringement and websites, the internet and software.

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Marcus Westbury on the web

Stilgherrian — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:35:41 +0000

The wonderful Marcus Westbury, creator of the TV series Not Quite Art (amongst any other achievements) now has a web presence at www.marcuswestbury.net. Enjoy.

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Everything is better on ice…

Stilgherrian — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 06:03:30 +0000

When I went to Thailand last year, Thai Airways International was generally excellent — except for their choice of in-flight movies. Sorry, but even after a couple glasses of wine and several brandies High School Musical is a piece of shit.

I’d originally guessed that it was only screened because it somehow matched the Thai sense of sentimentality. But no. I soon discovered it was such a success — it even won an Emmy! — that Disney made a sequel with the imaginative title High School Musical 2.

I was really, really hoping that was going to be the end of the story. But no (again). Touring Australia in April and May is… High School Musical: The Ice Tour.

Sadly, this show doesn’t involve the dentally-perfect racially-balanced lead characters in some meth-fuelled rampage but… yes… ice skates. Somebody get me a bucket.

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Metal Pole Critter

Stilgherrian — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:00:06 +0000

This happy little chap was found on a lamppost near ’Pong’s favourite tunnel under the railway in Newtown, Sydney. There are others in the vicinity, and I may seek them out for your enjoyment.

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Sometimes I want to be a writer…

Stilgherrian — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:02:44 +0000

I enjoy writing (and talking about the things I write about) far more than I enjoy farting about with technology. For me the technology is a means to an end, not the end itself. But do I really want to be a writer full time?

Sometimes I do. Especially on days when things haven’t gone so well with clients. Then on other days I read stuff like Hugh MacLeod’s piece the quiet life of a writer yak yak yak. Explaining how he loved Hemingway and Graeme Greene, he says that even though their books were very different their daily routines were pretty much the same.

Basically, they’d live somewhere cheap, quiet and relatively conducive to getting a lot of writing done. The Florida Keys and Cuba in Hemingway’s case, the South of France in Greene’s.

They’d get up early each morning, then write diligently till noon.

Then they’d head for their local café, drink gallons of booze for hours on end, and stagger home late at night.

Then they’d do the same thing the next day. And the next. And the next. For years on end. Women came and went, friends came and went, children came and went, money and fame came and went, but the daily writing-booze combo remained the great constant.

I’m not sure I like the idea of staggering home drunk every night, but as somebody who likes to write, likes his beer, and likes the simple life, I can’t say I find their overall Modus Operandi unappealing.

On a sunny Friday morning in Sydney, in the city’s most beautiful time of year, I think I agree.

And now, back to reading a company’s office manual so we can build them a CRM system…

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All you need is 1000 True Fans

Stilgherrian — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:10:27 +0000

“A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author — in other words, anyone producing works of art — needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.”

So says Kevin Kelly, founder of Wired magazine, in his latest essay 1000 True Fans.

It’s worth reading the full essay to completely grok what he’s on about. But in brief, a “true fan” is someone who’ll purchase anything and everything you produce.

They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can’t wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans…

Kelly’s point is that the Internet allows you to find and stay in touch with True Fans cheaply and easily — globally. He gives some useful numbers to help think it through, and opoints to some examples which are already working.

The trick is making direct contact with the fans out there in the long tail, converting a thousand Lesser Fans into a thousand True Fans.

Assume conservatively that your True Fans will each spend one day’s wages per year in support of what you do. That “one-day-wage” is an average, because of course your truest fans will spend a lot more than that. Let’s peg that per diem each True Fan spends at $100 per year. If you have 1,000 fans that sums up to $100,000 per year, which minus some modest expenses, is a living for most folks.

One thousand is a feasible number. You could count to 1,000. If you added one fan a day, it would take only three years. True Fanship is doable. Pleasing a True Fan is pleasurable, and invigorating…

Of course that magic number might not be 1000 for you. It might be 500 or 5000. But the principle is the same.

Kelly has researched the history of this, too. He’s discovered a First Monday essay from 1999 where John Kelsey and Bruce Schneier call it the Street Performer Protocol. And in 2004 author Lawrence Watt-Evans used this model to publish a novel — adding a chapter a month through fan subscriptions. There’s plenty more examples.

He also points to Fundable, a web-based organisation which…

…allows anyone to raise a fixed amount of money for a project, while reassuring the backers the project will happen. Fundable withholds the money until the full amount is collected. They return the money if the minimum is not reached.

Kelly reckons that an artist shouldn’t find it too hard to nurture 1000 True Fans globally. It certainly beats poverty. And it’s certainly made an impact upon my thinking! [full essay]

[Update: By an odd coincidence, this is my 1000th blog post -- and it has "1000" in the title. Is that significant, do ya think?]

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Mini Review: The Fabulous Punch & Judy Show

Stilgherrian — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:33:23 +0000

OK, I don’t see much theatre these days. But when I do, I usually stumble across something special. And so it was with The Fabulous Punch & Judy Show.

In many ways this is perfectly a standard Punch & Judy show, apart from using live actors instead of puppets. And apart from three actors playing Punch simultaneously, including Arky Michael. And apart from the gay angle, with Punch’s masculinity under threat from an attractive youth.

And apart from a most disturbing version of a Sherbet song.

Written by Brent Thorpe, who also plays Punch, and directed by Anthony Skuse, this play is a dark, wittily delicious one-act treat. ’Pong’s photos show off the simple but effective staging. I suspect it’ll be swamped by other, higher-profile Mardi Gras fare, but it deserves to pull audiences.

The Fabulous Punch & Judy Show is playing at the Cleveland Street Theatre, 199 Cleveland Street, Redfern, until 29 February.

[Disclosure: My old friend Garry Finch is stage manager and he gave us tickets, but I wrote this of my own accord.]

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Two facts relating to Ginger Nuts, and an old story

Stilgherrian — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:21:50 +0000

The headline says it all.

Rhys McDonald has designed a Ginger Nuts t-shirt, on sale for about AU$25. This isn’t especially astounding news, but I wanted to finish the night’s blog postings with a picture and it was the only one handy.
I am one of only 3 members of the Royal Order of the Gingernut — something which I’m still proud of, so I’ll tell you the old story… and show you an embarrassing photo.

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far away, I was a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), an international organisation dedicated to the study and recreation of pre-17th century European History.

Hard-core members of the SCA take it Very Seriously Indeed. It’s far more than the occasional feast in medieval clothing. The SCA has the richness and complexity of a miniature medieval society. Globally, it’s a set of feudal kingdoms, and the Kings and Queens really do rule with absolute power — well, within the boundaries of the game, and for only a few months each.

I was one such hard-core member for a decade or so, with a particular interest in medieval heraldry — both the art and science of designing people Arms (heraldic insignia), and the ceremonies and protocol of the Royal Court.

That’s my SCA alter ego in the photo, Gereint Scholar. The green over-garment is the uniform of a working herald. The sidelight tells me it’s early morning, so I was probably making routine announcements to the populace, and the tankard probably contains beer. The purple cap was my constant companion. I’m wearing two medallions. One is the “silver” (actually pewter) Leaf of Merit, given for service, and the other is a slowly-disintegrating Arnott’s Gingernut biscuit.

You see, some time earlier, at another SCA event, I had been silly. No, really, I had been silly.

Actually three people had been exceptionally silly, and Queen Anastacia decided we were to be punished. Now Anastacia likes Gingernut biscuits, specifically the ones made in Australia by Arnott’s. Everyone knows this, and gives her packets of them every time she visits. Far too many packets of them. This had become a running joke throughout that particular event, so Her Majesty decided to continue the joke.

Me and my two accomplices, Reynardine du Clifford and Robert Gordon of Ravensbrook — i.e. the usual culprits — were summoned before the Queen. Our punishment was given: we were inducted to the Royal Order of the Gingernut, and were commanded to “wear this biscuit until it falls from its string”.

It was a delightful piece of Royal Silliness. The assembled populace laughed at our expense. We laughed too. And by the end of the weekend Robert had spilt beer on his gingernut, dissolving it, and Reynardine spent too long in the rain, dissolving his.

I, however, was conscious of the Royal Order’s status as, well, a Royal Order. I chastised them for not taking care of their award insignia. I resolved to take good care of mine…

I wore my gingernut on its string with pride, at every SCA event, constantly, for a year — until eventually it cracked irreparably and did, indeed, fall from its string. There was much sadness.

[Photo: Stilgherrian (Gereint Scholar) and an unknown bystander at the Shire of Stormhold's Island Sea War, Maldon VIC Australia, 9 January 1988. Photograph Copyright 1988 Peter Ryan (Gwynfor Lwyd).]

Stop Press: Yes, we can confirm that the tankard contains beer. I’ve found another photograph taken even earlier in the morning when I’m just emerging from my tent. I have not yet started duty as herald, so I’m not wearing the green over-garment — but I can be seen holding the tankard in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other. Since the SCA’s rule is “no post-17th Century technology on site”, I would have decanting the beer into the tankard rather than take a modern bottle on-site.

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So, who’s for Chairman Rudd’s Australia 2020 Summit?

Stilgherrian — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:54:04 +0000

Chairman Rudd’s got a clever strategy going, unless it’s just a coincidence. The usually-secret Red Book warns of approaching “challenges” like climate change, an aging population and the economic growth of India and China. Then we announce the Australia 2020 Summit.

As any management consultant will tell you, develop a shared vision and folks will endure short-term pain — like interest rate rises and having to change the light bulbs.

Actually I’m not that cynical about it. I’m quietly enthused. After a decade of Howard’s backward-looking short-term thinking we seriously need to look to the future. Fast. Of course, back when Barry Jones was science minister we had a permanent organisation to keep watch, the Commission for the Future. Maybe I’ll read Lessons from the Australian Commission for the Future: 1986-1998 [PDF file] when I get the time. But I digress…

If Chairman Rudd wants 1000 of our “best and brightest” in Canberra on 19-20 April, who should they be?

It’s flattering that Nick Hodge and Peter Black nominated me, bless their sycophantic little hearts. And I’ve already gained four votes at Bloggerati. I’d love to be part of this Summit, sure, because I’d be Fighting the Hallucinating Goldfish hands on. However I have a few more modest suggestions…

Before I name names, though, a reminder about the categories, and some thoughts on the type of people we need to see.

We’re choosing 100 people to work on each of 10 topics:

Future directions for the Australian economy — including education, skills, training, science and innovation as part of the nation’s productivity agenda
Economic infrastructure, the digital economy and the future of our cities
Population, sustainability, climate change, and water
Future directions for rural industries and rural communities
A long-term national health strategy — including the challenges of preventative health, workforce planning and the ageing population
Strengthening communities, supporting families and social inclusion
Options for the future of indigenous Australia
Towards a creative Australia: the future of the arts, film and design
The future of Australian governance: renewed democracy, a more open government (including the role of the media), the structure of the Federation and the rights and responsibilities of citizens
Australia’s future security and prosperity in a rapidly changing region and world.

Maybe that’s not the best breakdown, but that’s what we’re stuck with. I guess it’s what the focus groups are saying.

So how do we pick the people? I reckon:

The majority should be under the age of 40, with a significant number under 30. This is about the future.
The majority should be people most of us have never heard of, not people in the news every week. This is about fresh ideas. This implies that communities need to start identifying and nominating them now.
No-one anywhere in the selection process should ever starting thinking about quotas. None of this 1970s crap about “we must have equal numbers of men and women,” or “make sure there’s a few Asian faces in each group.” The selection should be on talent alone. I’m well aware that’s the most controversial of my suggestions, but if you’re still measuring gender or ethnicity at all it means you’re still classifying people into those categories.
Don’t confuse “opinion” with “vision”. I won’t expand upon that point, or I might rule myself out!
No-one should get a guernsey simple because they did Great Things in some field some time in the distant past. Yes, we need people with experience, but current experience — people who are shaping the future already, and who deserve a wider audience.

Right, time for some names. Here’s my first 5, and I’ll add more over coming days. I’ll list each one with suggested topic numbers in [square brackets].

Dr Dick Quan, tutor in community medicine and tireless collector and promoter of modern art. [5, 8]
Human rights lawyer Julian Burnside, who’ll help find the right balance in government. [9].
Producer and festival director Marcus Westbury, creator of Not Quite Art (amongst other things). [8]
Sociologist Mark Bahnisch of Larvatus Prodeo fame. [6, 9]
Futurist Mark Pesce. Yeah I’ve been reading his stuff again lately, but there’s vision. Plus if I don’t mention him the bloggerati will cast me into the outer darkness. [2, 8]

I haven’t listed anyone for topics 1, 3, 4, 5 or 7 because I know bugger all about them. And while I have a passing interest in topic 10, I don’t know any of the players. Any thoughts? And what do you think my my choices?

Melbourne’s Neil Mitchell has already labelled this Summit a “wank tank”, but then talkback hosts always seem to want action immediately with thought and analysis later (if at all). Discount him. Still, if you want this Summit to matter, and if you want to get your people there, then you need to take the right action.

Talking amongst ourselves is all well and good. But to nominate someone you need to get in touch with the selection committee by… well, we don’t know yet. Stand by.

Oh, and if you’re going to nominate me, category 9 please.

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Czech artists on trial for fake nuke

Stilgherrian — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:12:56 +0000

Six members of the Czech art group Ztohoven, based in Prague have been charged with “spreading false information” and face up to three years in jail for hacking a TV broadcast and inserting images of a nuclear explosion.

The hack took place on 17 June 2007, when viewers watching webcam shots of Czech mountain resorts saw an explosion in the Krkonose or Giant Mountains.

Even though they’re being charged with a crime, the group was also awarded the NG 333 prize for young artists by Prague’s National Gallery together with a cash prize of 333,000 koruna (around AUD$21,000).

Hat tip to Boing Boing.

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How to kill a chocolate bunny

Stilgherrian — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 11:27:54 +0000

What can I say about this wonderful short film? It’s hauntingly beautiful, well photographed with excellent colour grading — and just a little bit creepy.

Hat tip to tiny gigantic.

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Everyday poetry

Stilgherrian — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 03:06:21 +0000

My Facebook status says: Stilgherrian is considering. All things considered. Suggest three.

My friend Matt says: Three huh? Pop Rocks; Hopscotch and a Stopwatch.

He’s pretty clever, I think. Now, whatever happened to Pop Rocks?

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Thailand’s worst fruit carving

Stilgherrian — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 23:40:26 +0000

One of Thailand’s traditional handicrafts is fruit carving. Indeed, it’s impossible to go to any Thai community event without seeing a plethora of intricately-shaped melons and carrots to delight the eye.

In this photograph, ’Pong demonstrates that he’s the worst fruit carver that Thailand has ever seen.

I dunno, maybe his creativity was stifled by the fact that it was early in the morning. And I suppose there’s only so much you can do with a hotel butter knife.

Nonetheless, I do recommend you check out his post about Thai alternative music.

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Rooftop song at Gallery 26

Stilgherrian — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:33:23 +0000

Jeffrey Hamilton was right. If the newly-opened Gallery 26 is just a flash in the pan, it’s a very bright flash. Last night’s opening party was a wonderful event. My head hurts.

Yes, that’s a woman with a guitar singing on the gallery’s roof, the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background. A little later there was fire-twirling too — though the pimple-cam can’t do it justice. There was also a violin-guitar duo playing Beatles covers, and bellydancers from Ghawazi Caravan.

Steve McLaren, the artist behind the gallery, knows how to throw a party.

I particularly liked Steve’s mixed-media pieces I looked into the fire but I couldn’t run and Slash and burn and the people it replaces, which are currently on display in the “featured artists” room upstairs.

Another highlight — apart from Jeffrey’s stunning-as-usual stained glass — was Isabella Mackay’s What You Already Know (pictured). Her complex combination prints, using collagraph and aluminium etching on Magnani paper, have a rich texture that doesn’t receive justice from this tiny image.

My only criticism is that the photography isn’t as strong as the rest of the work. The strongest were Paul Vanzella’s large-scale prints on canvas. Bold and graphic with a painterly feel. The rest, though, didn’t tell me anything new. Competent, certainly, but not outstanding. However I do set high standards for photography (apart from my own, of course).

As one patron said, at the very worst you can say that a piece is “good”, and most of it is much better.

The range of works on display is huge — too many for me to run through now. If you’re in Sydney, I encourage you to explore.

Gallery 26 is open 10am to 6pm, 7 days a week at 26 Alfred Street, Milsons Point.