As if there aren’t enough challenges already for the modern girl to contend with, I’ve found another: maintaining your dignity (and swimwear) while tumbling through the surf with a kayak on your head. If I hadn’t shaken off the previous night’s wine haze from my friends’ wedding, the cold sea-water rushing up my nostrils sure did the trick. Since I was in Byron I thought I’d join a group of backpackers at yucca-framed Wategoes Beach to paddle with dolphins - the perfect wind-down to a big weekend. But sea-kayaking, it turns out, is a different beast to flat-water paddling, and best attempted with one’s sense of balance intact. Because getting through the breakers is all about angles, and well, geometry and I never got past first impressions. Once out into the even swell, I reasoned, things should improve. They don’t. Feeling ever more the gangling fool, I upturn the kayak, emptying my fellow-paddler in the wet. Woops, must’ve been all that wine. Though we don’t see any dolphins, our very suntanned guide, Cameron, who with arms like the Cape Byron lighthouse could paddle to the horizon and back before breakfast, spots a rare loggerhead turtle. After nearly three hours paddling against swell and current, my arms are ready to drop off. Steering back through the surf, the break whisks us side-on and out we tumble again, gulping sea-water and pushing through exhaustion up onto the hard lovely sand. But not without first checking the location of swimwear. With just a few bruises, I can report I’ve suffered far worse dumpings.
Monthly Archive for July, 2007
There is a reason why I like watching the trailers before a movie - and that’s because every so often (if you’re in the right type of cinema) a 3 minute gem will appear before you which takes the opportunity to tug at your heartstrings right then and there and still deliver a promise of so much more.
One such preview which has stirred me lately is Once, an….wait for it… Irish musical starring lead singer from The Frames, Glen Hansard, and young Czech actress and musician, Marketa Irglova. Apart from falling into a very rare genre, this movie has earnt a World Cinema Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and looks to be a very special insight into two fairly ordinary lives made special by their relationship with music and with each other.
Hitting select theatres on August 30, the movie Once is definitely a one of a kind.
She may have been the bad guy, but she was still a hero. Glamorous, cunning and clever, Carmen had the world in the palm of her hand as she disguised herself in countries I had not even heard of at 10 years of age. With nothing more to go on than the name of an obscure currency or the colour combination of a foreign flag, I developed a lasting awe for the diversity of cultures around the world.
So why, in these age of ease of travel and frequency of crossing cultural boundaries, does it seem like the countries of the world have become a commodity with not much besides their age old landmarks offering a distinction? It seems like people only go to Thailand, ‘South America’, London, Prague or ‘Europe’. It seems like there is no glamour or glory in travel unless you’re doing a fast track world tour which could only be a blur of highlights by the time the weary traveller returns.
I guess this post is a reminder, if only to me, that there is nothing less glamorous in taking the world a piece at a time and really sitting with the culture of a place until it means something to you. And there is nothing less adventurous in crossing the Tasman instead of the Atlantic. As Irish author George Moore once said, ”A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it‘.
the cory story
Nobody with their head screwed on properly disputes the proliferation of the internet, or its capacity to allow people to communicate instantaneously through text, images and videos. Sometimes I am amazed by the actual affect it has in people’s lives through stories I’ve heard, particularly this one.
If you believe the word on the street, American teenager Cory Kennedy is an “Internet It girl”, and even the ‘c’ word is being thrown around; Celebrity. At the tender age of 17, her popularity has risen to worldwide, gargantuan proportions, and it all started with someone taking her picture at a concert.
With her charmingly bedraggled style, she caught the eye of photographer Mark Hunter back in 2005 at a concert. He posted her image on his site, they became friends and she went to intern with him, attending parties, taking photos and being photographed. Visitors to Mark’s site started noticing Cory and the hits spiked when her image was posted. One blogger wrote, “I can’t take my eyes off of her. She’s got something that intrigues me.” Cory eating a sandwich, Cory waiting in line at the supermarket, Cory taking a photo. Continue reading ‘the cory story’
The chance to tell your own story amidst a media and political brou-ha-ha is a luxury often not granted the subject in question. In the case of Palm Island, its residents have for many years been dealing with a range of community problems, from poorly implemented public programs, to widespread alcoholism, incompetent services and, essentially, a lack of community pride. These struggles and other tragic events have often been waged in the media spotlight, at least for brief stints. In an attempt to help rebuild the community’s pride, Australian Red Cross recently organised for iconic Brisbane-based photojournalist, Tim Page, to visit the island with his cameras and hold workshops over four days to teach the locals how to capture their own stories. For a community with a strong sense of oral and visual storytelling, the chance to hold a camera and point it at scenes relevant to them so they may share their hope and pain is a rare and beautiful thing. A touring exhibition of their works is in the making. Communities in other parts of the world have benefited in small and large ways by similar opportunities, for example, the work done by Kids With Cameras in Calcutta, Haiti, Jerusalem and Cairo. Kids With Cameras was inspired by Zana Briski’s Academy Award-winning documentary, Born Into Brothels, where she spent time teaching children who lived in brothels the art of finding their voice through the lens. The children’s work was exhibited in galleries and has since been published in books, with Zana’s most recent book, Brothel, launched in New York this month. The charity is still going strong and is encouraging energetic souls worldwide to propose workshops in communities that might benefit from this non-threatening form of community building.
Picnics are often a good idea in theory, until the time comes to packing and the effort of finding a flask for the iced tea or any tupperware lids that match the tupperware bottoms overwhelms the simplicity of the plan. A new store in James Street at Burleigh Heads has decided to take the last-minute stress out of enjoying good picnics by providing all the treats any decent picnic might need - like picnic baskets, blankets, gourmet deli treats, and games galore. Aptly christened Picnic at Burleigh, the store offers different hampers, from high tea, to barbeques, classic deli delights and cheese platters. The games for sale are cleverly over-sized, to give that frivolous Alice-in-Wonderland feel that comes from playing like a child outdoors, so expand your toy collection with giant domino blocks and pick-up sticks, snakes and ladders, and the old favourite, paddle ball. The cafe is also decked out with newspapers and magazines galore and a long communal trestle table for those wanting to dine-in, but the true concept of the store is to encourage people to get outdoors and enjoy simple pleasures, and I’m pretty sure, last time I checked, picnics and pick-up sticks were high on the ’simple pleasure’ list.
Well as of right now, there’s no excuse. They’re available free, or for a small fee. Granted, pulling those copious reams of paper from the letterbox is a great bicep workout. And the walk to the recycling bin (go straight to one of the above links if your eyebrows just raised at the thought) adds steps to your daily journey. These little signs aren’t new or hard to get. They can even be fun to make. So it continues to surprise me how many people - some of my esteemed thinking friends included - don’t have one. It’s called junk mail for a reason. (Though I prefer ‘postcards from the Tarkine’.) If you haven’t already, just say no!
Thirty years after her death, the musings and insights of the writer Anais Nin still have significant meaning. The essence of her diaries, particularly this extract, seems to resonate even more today amidst globalisation, the internet and improved communication technology; and reinforces the importance of creating real connections with people.
The secret of a full life is to live and relate to others as if they might not be there tomorrow, as if you might not be there tomorrow. It eliminates the vice of procrastination, the sin of postponement, failed communications, failed communions. This thought has made me more and more attentive to all encounters, meetings, introductions, which might contain the seed of depth that might be carelessly overlooked. This feeling has become a rarity, and rarer every day now that we have reached a hastier and more superficial rhythm, now that we believe we are in touch with a great amount of people, more people, more countries. This is the illusion which might cheat us of being in touch deeply with the one breathing next to us. The dangerous time when mechanical voices, radios, telephones, take the place of human intimacies, and the concept of being in touch with millions brings a greater and greater poverty in intimacy and human vision - The Journals of Anais Nin 1944-1947
The 1990 film, ‘Henry & June’ was based on The Journal of Love — The Unexpurgated Diary of Anais Nin, 1931-1932. This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Anais Nin in Los Angeles where her ashes were scattered over Santa Monica Bay.
Must admit I didn’t actually know anything about Tom Dixon, before seeing his “Design: What Not To Do” talk last night at GOMA. Even though I know nothing about furniture design, it was still a fascinating talk as he hit on topics about craft, manufacturing, materials, process and business. I particularly liked his seemingly unintentional interfaces with sustainability ideas. He may never have set out be a ‘green designer’ but he demostrates how the ideas of sustainability and efficiency just makes smart business sense, design sense (and common sense). Some of the interesting things he highlighted were - Continue reading ‘tom dixon at GOMA’
They say when someone dies, a library is lost. When thoughts of the mind reverberate in the echo of a heartbeat, some people get goose bumps, others walk outside and start running. Some people capture these moments in music. Others embrace. Some people write. Others make books. In August and September, Noosa Regional Gallery will run its Books 07: The Search for the Impossible program, which offers designers, artists, researchers, curators and arts industry professionals the chance to explore the theory and practice of the artists’ book. Both a weekend of interaction style sessions are offered as well as two days of workshops about book making. I once made a book with Japanese style knot binding. It was one of the most intimate and impressionable creative experiences of my life, as I found the joy of giving is in the time you spend with the gift and not just in its giving. With a little place I like to call my second home, a short 20 minutes drive away, a weekend or four days away might be just in order.
Throughout history, graphic design has proved itself as one of the best means to instigate a change in society and communicate the urgency of action. In the “love your earth” design competition, Designboom and DA (Design Association Japan) are looking for graphic artworks that will raise awareness about environmental issues and provoke positive change. The graphics will be used during 100% Design Tokyo 2007, where this year’s theme is Love. It will run from October 31 to November 4th at Jingu Gaien, Tokyo. The competition is open internationally, free to enter, and closes in September - anyone can enter, so give it a go!
Wake up! Rise up! Get it up! Green up! Stand up! Shake it Up! Big up! Clean it up! Listen up! Sex it up! Surf’s up! Pump it up! Roll it up! Light it up! Drink up! Eat up! Dress up! Rip it up! Heat up! Live up! Be Up!
Musician, filmmaker, publisher, promoter of the ‘power to the peaceful’ mantra and regular visitor to Australian music festivals, Michael Franti has initiated a new interactive, music and arts event called the Up! Festival, launching internationally in Australia in September. A socially and environmentally conscious artist, Franti often flexes his musical muscle to send strong messages. The aim for the festival is to inspire people to “…integrate creativity, media, environmental impact, activism and humanity through self-expression, music and art.”Franti says, “My goal is to put on a kick-ass f*cking show! When people leave the festival, I want them to feel inspired and motivated. We are living in an era of cynicism. One thing that kills cynicism for me is a healthy dose if fun.” The festival will work with environmental groups to recycle, offset energy used with carbon neutralising and wind farms.
A five-part series called “Altered Oceans,” about a profound disturbance in the ecology of the world’s oceans, has won The 2007 Grantham Prize for excellence in reporting on the environment. The purpose of the Prize is to encourage outstanding coverage of the environment, to recognize reporting that has the potential to bring about constructive change, and to broadly disseminate the Prize-winning story to increase public awareness and understanding of issues focusing on the environment. The Prize is awarded annually to nonfiction work done in North America during the previous calendar year in newspapers, magazines, and books and on television, cable, radio, and online. I came to learn this off the National Geographic website, an amazing resource for any human who wants to learn about the history and state of the natural environment and our dynammic and fragile relationship with the rise and fall, sea breeze and shorebreak, heartbeat and thunder roll of its existence. It also teaches you how to react to a 20ft shark tugging on your calf. Great stuff.
Buildings have always been canvases and spaces for art but in Liverpool, Richard Wilson is taking that idea a little further. His work “Turning The Place Over” has made a derelict building into a fascinating artwork that is quite a feat of engineering. It was launched on June 20, 2007 and will run until the end of next year when the building is set for demolition. It’s a massive (8m diameter) “cut out” of building façade, which is constantly rotating on a specially designed giant rotator often used in the shipping and nuclear industries. The rotating façade acts as a huge opening and closing window, offering glimpses of the interior. I can’t help but be impressed and respect the creative thinking needed to take an idea and make it a reality in any design process, and this artwork is a spectacular example of that.
The situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate with more loss of lives, with even more hardship to Iraqi civilians. The serious divisions within Iraq, unleashed by the war itself, have not been reduced. The Iraqi government has made no significant steps towards reconciliation and accommodation between the warring parties. This is a situation that cannot be controlled by military force. The troop surge, such as it was, failed. There were over half a million Americans in Vietnam. They failed. With only a fraction of that number in Iraq it should be no surprise that continued reliance on military means is not succeeding. More and more Americans are coming to accept that withdrawal must take place. Senior and highly respected Republican Senators are deserting President Bush on this issue. The original objectives are almost entirely forgotten. There is no talk of Iraq establishing a benign, American style democracy that will spread to the rest of the Middle East. Our withdrawal must be carefully planned, as a precipitous withdrawal in a week or a month would add to the chaos. And as the Baker-Hamilton Committee reported to Congress, all regional players, including Iran and Syria, must be drawn into discussions before we leave. Diplomacy now offers the only chance of a withdrawal accompanied by relative calm and peace. One of the things we should say to the Americans, quite simply, is that if the United States is not prepared to involve itself in high level diplomacy concerning Iraq and other Middle East questions, our forces will be withdrawn before Christmas.
I encourage you to support GetUp’s campaign for a change in policy. Add your voice below to the thousands who have spoken already. If enough speak, the Government has to listen.
Malcolm Fraser AC CH
Former Prime Minister of Australia
“Oil is our god. I don’t care if you worship Buddha, Jesus, Allah, whoever. They actually worship petroleum”. This is the opening line from the trailer for the film A Crude Awakening. Winner of seven international awards around the world it aims to highlight we are running out of cheap and readily available oil. I’m sure many cinemas will not pick it up, so look out for it at your local video shop or order it online. Closer to home and in Melbourne Conservo petrol station has opened. Conservo markets itself as a “green” service station, offering biofuel blends and organic products. The fuels offer a blend of biodiesel and ethanol products suitable for a wide variety of cars. Continue reading ‘the fuel fossil.’
Today was cold. And I loved it. Every chill that penetrated my spine was relieved with a high pitch shriek of noise. Everywhere I look people are screwing their face up in pain - with a wondrous smile - looking each other in the eyes and calling out, “It’s sooooooo cold!” - emotions filling the air. The energy is alive. And really it wasn’t that cold! Consider our friends in Khanty Mansyisk, Siberia. That’s right Khanty Mansyisk. It’s a place where you can get berries. Forests and swamps support rich vegetation, including cranberries, cowberries, blueberries, currants and blackberries, as well as cloudberries, dog rose hips, bird cherry, rowan berries. If I’m beginning to sound like Forest Gump with Shrimp - I understand. The median temperature in Khanty Mansyisk in January is 18 to 24oC. Winter with average temperatures below freezing last for up to seven months - October to April. Snow covers the region for about 6 months of the year. The warmest time in the area is July, the average daily high in July is 15.7 to 18.4oC. I think that’s what we experience today. Well Foster + Partners has just released their plans today for the a new ecological tower in Khanty Mansyisk. Piercing the skyline the tower will create an elegant and crystalline landmark, providing crucial new amenities for its locals - a place for living, working and leisure, sheltered from the harsh Siberian climate. The design of the tower is follows strong principles of sustainable design and will be an example for future development. It maximises daylight and solar gain, reducing the reliance on artificial lighting and heating through the cold winter months.
Who could have believed that wooden computer accessories could be a sign of what would otherwise seem to be a very plastic future?
Set to launch in October, the UK’s PC World announces the first truly carbon-neutral mass-market PC, which is said to use between 13 and 17 % of the energy consumed by a standard desktop PC. And its manufacturers hope that its release could signal the reverse of our growing trend to embrace and devour power-hungry appliances, with little thought to their environmental effects.
Bringing back last century’s ‘push button’ technology, this PC negates the need for LED power lights. The hard drive doesn’t contain an internal fan, as the power pack sits externally like a laptop, reducing the need for cooling. External casing is made from recycled materials like aluminium drink cans and used plastics. And the piece de resistance is the wooden screen, mouse and keyboard casings, made from plantation beech, ash or sapele grown in Africa, Germany and the US. Continue reading ‘e co-mputer’
Most of us are guilty, to some degree, of overlooking that which is under our noses in favour of the far-off and exotic. When I (sheepishly) realised that I’d gone camel-back through the Western Sahara, but hadn’t got as far as Fraser Island, I set myself a challenge: to discover more of south east Queensland. Since then, I’ve spent many weekends on Moreton Bay and discovered that this puddle on our doorstep can indeed feel like a world away. Home to countless islands, 40 nautical wrecks, hard coral quays, dolphins, turtles, dugongs and a vivid history, you could fill a year of weekends with new experiences. Go sand-tobogganing down the world’s tallest stabilised sand dune on Moreton Island, explore the Sand Hills or Desert on foot, or hand-feed the dolphins at the Tangalooma resort. Hop a ferry to Straddie for the day and visit the Blue Lake or reed-fringed Brown Lake (visual bliss), or go whale-watching from Point Lookout. Experience rugged isolation with a walk on South Stradbroke’s ocean beach. Go diving on Flinders Reef, where there are more species and varieties of corals than any other single reef on the Great Barrier Reef! Charter a boat and head for Peel Island’s Horseshoe Bay, which gets bobbing most sunny weekends with day-sailors. Continue reading ‘what are you doing next weekend?’
Having spent the last 3 days in an aerial classroom, and another 2 days to come, I have a newfound respect for rope access workers. High-Q is a brisbane based company that offers rope access services and IRATA certified training, both locally and internationally. Rigging, ropes, ascending, descending, diversions, re-belay’s, aiding, and rescues are all part of the game. This adds a unique perspective to my photography as it allows me to be in environments that are often perceived as high risk because of the height and exposure.
