eARTh emag Issue 2 October 2013

Issue 2 ~ 2013 Dedicated to Fes�vals

Tono Red Sky Performance Photograph by Don Lee

fortunate to come from the Teme-Augama-Anishnaabe (People of the Deep Water) in Temagami, northern Ontario, and to welcome you to this second edi�on of eARTh emag about inspired art.

My own roots are a driving force as I am from Temagami. I grew up among 1600 islands with nature all around me. How I grew up has informed the vision of Red Sky Performance – all of our produc�ons are �ed to nature, nature being sen�ent and living.

I also write in my roles as Director of Indigenous Arts at The Banff Centre, and Founder and Ar�s�c Director of Red Sky Performance, a world-renowned Canadian-based crea�on and touring company of contemporary world Indigenous performance in dance, theatre and music.

Red Sky has garnered an interna�onal reputa�on for collabora�ng on landmark projects with some of the most pres�gious Indigenous ar�sts and companies from around the globe for over 13 years. Our produc�ons have been described as ‘ravishingly beau�ful’ and ‘stunning’; the same could be said of our percep�on of earth as witnessed in ‘The Great Mountain’ produc�on (2012) about the transforma�ve power of nature, and the courage it takes to see the world with new eyes. The play focused on young people’s capacity to address pressing environmental issues and to recognize their own ability to make a difference to the future of the planet.

It also highlighted the enormity of courage and confidence required to move society’s mountain of mindsets. Red Sky’s produc�ons con�nue to underscore the value of global collabora�ons and the enduring sen�ence of nature. Like eARTh emag and its readership, Red Sky recognizes that the natural world, indeed, has tremendous beauty and spirit at its core.

Peace on earth 3

ISSUE 2: October 2013 TITLE: Peace on earth THEME: Fes�vals TEAM eARTh EDITOR: Sandra Conte DESIGNER: Alana Hall WEBMASTER: Declan Holt SOCIAL MEDIA ADVISOR: Zandalee 4

inspired art

COVER IMAGE: Mama Kin and John Butler, Woodford Folk Fes�val, December 29, 2012, Photograph by Kester Sappho.

BACK COVER IMAGE: Woodfordia Village Green, 2012/3, Treelumina�on Adam Stacey and Crew, Bell Tower by Trevor Spohr, Photograph by Mar�n Ollman.

The Views expressed in contributed ar�cles are not necessarily the views of eARTh emag. We respect freedom of speech for writers.

on eARTh’ is the theme for the second edi�on of eARTh emag and we welcome a sea of subscribers from almost every country in the world – how great it is to be on the same page!

True to eARTh’s interna�onal mandate, this issue unfurls stories of ar�sts with roots in the USA, Malta, Yugoslavia, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada and numerous places in between. As the last edi�on for 2013 and in the leadup to end of year fes�vi�es, a ‘fes�ve’ theme evolved from the ‘Peace on earth’ �tle. Indeed, it is a �me when many ‘environmentally aware’ events take place and eARTh is excited to partner with the established Woodford Folk Fes�val (WFF) and ‘hand-hold’ with the inaugural Boomerang Fes�val (BF).

The interna�onal Woodford Folk Fes�val, ‘a fes�val of fes�vals’, hits its twenty year anniversary at the pris�ne Woodfordia site (the Fes�val will have been going for a total of 28 years, this year) which a�racts and accommodates world renowned acts. Such was the case for our ‘First Word’ writer, Sandra Laronde of Red Sky Performance who a�ended the then separate Fes�val of the Dreaming on the Woodfordia site some years ago. eARTh thanks the Jinibara People for welcoming all to the land on which the WFF takes place. Look out for the program release on October 19 at www.woodford.folk.fes�val.com Our covers, front and back, pay tribute to Woodfordia with a poignant lead image taken by Kester Sappho, when Mama Kin joined John Butler on stage in December 2012.

Both ar�sts con�nue in their commitment to global and na�onal fes�val circuits - while Butler aligns with environmental causes, Mama Kin dedicates to plumbing the depths of the human condi�on in her composi�ons and vocals, (read more in ‘The Peacemakers’).

It is with great an�cipa�on that we welcome the inaugural Boomerang Fes�val on October 4-6, only a few days a�er we upload the emag.

Hats off to the inimitable Rhoda Roberts, (who incidentally was Founda�on Director of the aforemen�oned Fes�val of the Dreaming), for cura�ng a program of 133 acts on the chosen fes�val site of Byron Bay, where punters will be welcomed by the Bundjalung of Byron Bay Arakwai People.

Read more about both world class fes�vals, replete with Indigenous and interna�onal acts; eARTh emag salutes their drawing power combined with ethical and environmental leadership. For eARTh subscribers who are unable to be punters at either WWF or BF, eARTh will bring fes�val reviews in the fabulous eco-fashion oriented issue released February, 2014.

Stay ‘cool’ and follow eARTh emag at facebook.com/earthemag

Peace on earth

5

John Butler

by Mar�n Ollman, courtesy Woodford Folk Fes�val

6

inspired art

Peace~Makers and Shakers

by Sandra Conte

There are things in this life, I would rather not sacrifice - John Butler Trio From ‘Losing You’ re-recorded as a single by John Butler & Mama Kin in support of the ‘Save the Kimberley’ campaign

Peace on earth

7

cap�va�ng, independent ar�sts take to numerous interna�onal stages, playing fes�vals and touring with an unflagging commitment to their music. John Butler and Mama Kin also connect as singer/songwriter musicians, more recently in duo spots and even guerilla gigs under their ‘Brave and the Bird’ moniker.

Under that banner, their first official performance took place in 2011 at the ‘Gimme Shelter’ annual fundraiser for the homeless in the outdoors of the Fremantle Arts Centre, Western Australia. It is indica�on of where the priori�es lie for these highly successful musos.

Since then, they have produced live recordings from fes�vals, recorded and released a ‘single’ to raise awareness for an environmental issue, and Butler recently played on three tracks of Mama Kin’s latest, mesmerising album, ‘The Magician’s Daughter’.

These ar�sts share far beyond the stages of their respec�ve gigs where they join each other for one or two songs, some�mes to a sea of followers of seemingly biblical propor�ons - take a look at the cover of John Butler Trio’s ‘Live at Red Rocks’ album or, if you were part of the Woodford Folk Fes�val 2012/13, the trek toward the chosen venue was an experience akin to ‘The Great Crusade’. While nothing religious was happening, there was a palpable, spiritual connec�on between the singer/songwriters and with their followers.

At both ‘Red Rocks’ and Woodford, Mama Kin graced the stage for one or two duets with John Butler and similarly, Mama Kin has invited Butler to guest spots during her live performances; they are always sensi�ve, spirited deliveries such as at the Port Fairy Folk Fes�val or what has been referred to as an ‘O�awa Guerilla Busk’ - when weather

8

inspired art

had destroyed the O�awa Bluesfest stage and the event was cancelled, the ar�sts took it to the streets so as not to disappoint revellers. Be warned though, if you Google the fan base internet uploads of such duets, you’re best to set aside a few hours as you become entranced and thread through pop-up performances do�ng the world wide web map.

Singularly or together, these ar�sts have their fingers firmly planted on a universal pulse; their convergences being a treat of combined energy and lyricism with strong social content embedded in their musical messages – their onlyoriginal song choices o�en deliver an empassioned plea, Butler for the environment and Mama Kin exploring the social landscape.

Australian-resident, with varied cultural backgrounds, Mama Kin (aka Danielle Caruana) is of Maltese heritage and Butler was born in the USA, they embrace a globe tro�ng life without borders. Mama Kin has played to interna�onal audiences across Europe, USA, Canada, New Zealand and na�onally. She has also supported The Cat Empire, Gurrumul, The Waifs, and of course, John Butler Trio. So, too, has she recently played the Darwin Fes�val and been overseas joining ar�sts on their tours, along with winding up her own second album, ‘The Magician’s Daughter’, na�onal tour followed by an October 4 gig at the Caloundra Music Fes�val. Who can resist Mama Kin’s conjuring powers? Certainly not Butler – he is companioned with a strong, determined and beau�fully ar�culate fellow singer/songwriter who weaves a magical stage presence with uniquely delivered lyrics, combining a strength and vulnerability that cuts to the core of the human condi�on.

Meanwhile, the John Butler Trio has not long wrapped up

Mama Kin

by Lisa Businovski

Peace on earth

9

a United States tour with Mama Kin along for some of the songs and their offspring for part of the ride.

Both ar�sts have since returned to their homebase in Western Australia to quietly savour the environment’s ‘win’ in that the government has backed away from its original plans for a gas refinery construc�on at James Price Point in the Kimberley region. Indeed, when the decision was freshly handed down, the message was the masthead of the John Butler Trio website*, such is the musician’s connec�vity to the fight for jus�ce for the environment.

In advoca�ng for global harmony, peace and environmental protec�on, the ar�st’s involvement with causes such as The Wilderness Society, the Save Ningaloo Reef campaign and the Save the Kimberley campaign, lend a high profile hand including par�cipa�ng in protests and peaceful marches, (again in rela�on to the proposed gas refinery construc�on at James Price Point).

During consecu�ve headlining performances by the John Butler Trio at Red Rocks, Butler has worn his environmental ethic on his sleeve, highligh�ng the “Save the Kimberley” campaign and how a par�cular American company was partnering in the proposed refinery. The cap�ve audience could partake of pe��ons available for signature at every entrance and exit point of the venue. There in 2011, Butler was joined by Mama Kin for a two-song encore including ‘Losing You’ which they recorded as a duet and released via iTunes to raise awareness around that pris�ne Kimberley region and the environmental flash point, (which interes�ngly was only some 60 kilometres from Broome, where the two first met). Sales from the release contributed toward the Broome Community No Gas Campaign, to bolster protec�on of the region from exploita�on.

10

inspired art

John Butler and Mama Kin, separately and together, make music that stands up and o�en fights for something to be heard. The lyrics of Butler’s ‘Treat your Mama’ or ‘Kimberley’ and their joint recording of ‘Losing You’, highlight their respec�ve passions – his for the environment and hers for plumbing the depths of the human condi�on. The la�er is underscored in the joint composi�on ‘Jenny’, which con�nues to see them engage in�mately with audiences, big and small, around the world – eARTh’s current cover photograph by Kester Sappho, shows the ar�sts during a performance of the song at the Woodford Folk Fes�val in December 2012.

As Independent ar�sts and as a duo, they are unstoppable.

When ‘due�ng’ on the stage or in the studio supported by band members, they make a certain kind of peace by shaking the tree regarding social conscience. They’ve composed and sung for the plight of the environment while also addressing the needs of the social and musical landscape, as is evidenced in their 2005 co-founding and establishment funding of the JB Seed grant program, which from 2010 became known as The Seed. Their co-directorial mission is that of the other supporters for The Seed – to encourage social, cultural and ar�s�c diversity in Australian society.

Indeed, The Seed is one of few Australian philanthropic organisa�ons able to make grants to individuals, especially on an annual basis.

Whatever the se�ng, Red Rocks, the banks of the Hudson River, the streets of O�awa or the outdoors of Fremantle, performing as their Brave and the Bird duo, Butler and Caruana are dedicated peacemakers who happen to be ‘man and wife’. Music is their ar�stry and, perhaps, their alchemy. * In April 2013 the public announcement came that the Woodside corpora�on would no longer be developing a gas processing plant at James Price Point in Western Australia. For an interes�ng ‘read’ in rela�on to the process go to www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-19/supreme-court-deliversdecision-over-gas-hub-approvals/4896184

Support ar�sts who support so many others johnbutlertrio.shop. musictoday.com/ musicplug.com.au/ shop/mama-kin/ musicplug.com.au/ shop/john-butlertrio/

John Butler Trio Crowd Photograph by Mar�n Ollman

JOHN BUTLER TRIO

MAMA KIN

A pos�ng on JBT website bids a sad farewell to Nicky Bomba from the Trio, given his burgeoning arts prac�se with ‘The Melbourne Ska Orchestra’ but as Nicky states, “I’m sure we’ll jam again at a fes�val somewhere soon”. The website also tells fans to stay tuned for the announcement of the new drummer.

Mama Kin has received an Australian Independent Record Labels Associa�on AIR Award nomina�on for Best Blues and Roots Album.

She is also par�cipa�ng as an Ambassador in the October 18-20 Oxfam Trailwalker Perth with the ‘Sole Mamas’ team, one of 350 teams, walking 100km in 48 hours from Kalamunda to Chidlow.

www.johnbutlertrio.com

www.mamakin.com

www.theseedfund.org

www.facebook.com/mamakinband Peace on earth 11

The sun rises on 2013 at Woodford. Photographs by Mar�n Ollman

12

inspired art

Celebrating 20 years at Woodfordia

by Sandra Conte Woodford Folk Fes�val this year celebrates 20 years at the Woodfordia site (the fes�val itself is into its 28th Year). Many a seasoned punter may well remember the first site at Maleny, where the celebra�ons some�mes had to contend with torren�al summer rains. Since the fes�val moved to the larger site of what is idyllically termed ‘Woodfordia’, the weather has provided only a few ‘off-year’ challenges.

Fes�val environmental leanings such as The Plan�ng Fes�val of mid-year are part of the ongoing commitment to restore, revive and repay the site with tender loving care. You can read the Environmental Statement at the website.

In terms of fes�val sustainability, this entails more than physically caring for country and can relate to the requirement for fes�vals to con�nue through good succession planning via crea�ve partnering.

eARTh e-mag is par�cularly honoured to be an e-media partner for the 2013/14 Woodford Folk Fes�val and will be pos�ng exci�ng stories following the program release in October and in the lead up to the event. We will also have our social media bu�erfly, Zandalee, twee�ng from the event.

Saluta�ons to the Fes�val team, especially Bill Hauritz for his exper�se as a fes�val ‘Godfather’ figure, (that �tle being employed as a term of endearment and mark of respect); also the crew under long-serving General Manager, Amanda Jackes. They say it takes a village to raise a child – certainly, it takes a team to raise a village, and the earthfriendly annual events which have been delivered with an enduring spirit and a fresh programming, every year, from the current Woodfordia site for 20 years – “Happy Birthday Woodfordia”!

www.woodfordfolkfes�val.com www.woodfordfolkfes�val.com/buy-�ckets.html Peace on earth

13

Clockwise: William Barton and Shane Howard, 20 years Solid Rock anniversary set, Mar�n Ollman selfportrait, Julia Gillard and Bob Hawke, Children’s Fes�val. Photographs by Mar�n Ollman

14

inspired art

New Kid on the Woodford Block

by Sandra Conte new to the crea�ve landscape of Woodfordia is photographer Mar�n Ollman, whose work not only graces our back cover but throughout two of our stories. eARTh asked Mar�n a few ques�ons about this fes�val and why he now savours the role of ‘repeat photographer’, he has also generously shared a gallery from his Woodford por�olio.

How long have you been photographing the Woodford Folk Fes�val?

This year will be my second, I will be doing it for the rest of my life which makes me happy.

What would be the top five ‘best moments’ for you in your photographs at Woodford and why?

3 minutes of silence - powerful pause to remember and respect; Shane Howard 20 years Solid Rock anniversary set; Julia Gillard and Bob Hawke ‘shoo�ng the breeze’ on stage; Fes�val Director Bill Hauritz and former Rolling Stone Tour manager Sam Cutler (Interview); Sunrise over the Glasshouse Mountains on New Year’s Day 2013.

Mar�n’s prints are available through

www.techosapien.com

The Returning Boomerang

by Sandra Conte

Billed as ‘A New World Indigenous Fes�val for all Australians’, the inaugural Boomerang Fes�val runs from October 4-6, 2013.

The line-up is balanced with an interna�onal flavour a�rac�ng a stream of ar�sts and punters to Tyagarah Tea Farm, (the home of Bluesfest), Byron Bay, NSW, Australia, with camping available on Arakwal Bundjalung Land.

16

inspired art

‘The Chooky Dancers’ are return performers at Fes�vals directed by Rhoda Roberts Photographer Michael Richards

Peace on earth

17

CULTURAL WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned that this ar�cle may contain images and names of Aboriginal people who have passed away.

Boomerang Festival 2013 of Byron Bay Arakwai People are extending a ‘Welcome to Country’ to open the fes�val and the message from the Arakwal ‘Buberline’ Elders, as found in the fes�val programme states, “We want to see Country how it used to be. We want to con�nue to look a�er Country and want it to look a�er us.

We want our people to be back on Country, caring for and using Country like we always have. We want to share parts of our culture with the wider community so they learn about and respect Country like we do. We want everybody to work together to keep Country clean and healthy.”

BOOMERANG FESTIVAL CURATOR AND DIRECTOR, is the inimitable Rhoda Roberts (pictured), a member of the Bundjalung na�on, Widjabul clan of Northern NSW and South East QLD, founder and formerly Ar�s�c Director of the once annual Interna�onal Fes�val The Dreaming based at Woodford QLD; she was also the Ar�s�c Director of the Sydney Dreaming Fes�val and the former Ar�s�c Director of the Fes�val of the Dreaming staged in the lead up to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. With Rhoda’s wealth of experience, and knowledge of country, it is no wonder that the inaugural Boomerang program is replete with 133 performances and cultural experiences scheduled over three days and nights; the predictable result will be that punters, like the veritable returning boomerang, will be coming back for more of what will be an annual event 18

inspired art

at the same loca�on. Rhoda recently launched the Fes�val program in which she states the event will be, “a fes�val that celebrates not only culture across all genres and ages but is commi�ed to honouring protocol and sharing the deep intellectual strength of Aboriginal knowledge from across Australia and that of other first peoples across the globe”.

“On a personal note, the rela�onship with landscape, country and kin is the keystone to developing broader understanding and tolerance. Many of our performers, knowledge keepers and elders represent the clans of the Bundjalung from the Clarence River in the south, to the Logan River in the north and inland as far as the Great Dividing Range at Tenterfield and Warwick. Come and meet our mob in the Bundjalung Way or join us for a ‘cuppa’ with the Elders in our Tea Room, who tell their stories of their homelands that now include the regions of Evans Head, Lismore, Casino, Kyogle, Nimbin, Woodenbong, Byron Bay, Ballina, Coolanga�a-Tweed Heads, Murwillumbah, the Gold Coast, Beaudesert and Warwick. Experience the profound, the mesmerising and... uniquely Australian”.

BOOMERANG FESTIVAL PRODUCER, Peter Noble states in the Program, “Our team, volunteers and media partners are thrilled to be con�nuing some of the long-term rela�onships we established with our first na�ons ar�sts at Bluesfest over its 25-year history. It’s a �me for us to pay homage and our respect to the late Dr. Yunupingu who wowed audiences with Yothu Yindi at Bluesfest – our sister fes�val – in 2003 and 2006. It was a �me we saw the shi�ing sands of music and the many collabora�ons musicians develop who were and are simply colour blind.

It’s this collabora�ve approach that is highlighted and con�nues with many of our ar�sts working together, including Gurrumul, David Bridie with Frank Yamma and the concert series Wantok plus many more. So let’s experience together what has sustained the world’s oldest living culture, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia and welcome other world cultures to this extraordinary event”.

Gurrumul headlines at the Boomerang Fes�val, Photograph by Adrian Cook

BOOMERANG also showcases ARTISTS such as Archie Roach, Shellie Morris, Thelma Plum and The Medics, in what is an interna�onal program of music, comedy, film and workshops through to fire gatherings, song circles, dance par�cipa�ons, ecology of the land, knowledge walks and thought-provoking cultural conversa�ons.

Arguably, no event quite matches the deep exchanges through the many oral and visual delights set before the audience.

Check out the Festival Program www.boomerangfes�val.com.au www.facebook.com/boomerangfest

Peace on earth

19

Shellie Morris plays the Boomerang Fes�val October 4 and 5

SHELLIE MORRIS Shellie Morris, Boomerang star, has played the world over. She performed her song “Swept Away” at the opening of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver with the Black Arm Band – a collabora�on of Australia’s top Indigenous ar�sts and jazz musicians including ar�sts such as Archie Roach. Shellie also features in the Australian film ‘Murundak - Songs of freedom’, a documentary on Aboriginal protest music following The Black Arm Band from the concert halls of the Sydney Opera House to remote Aboriginal communi�es of the Northern Territory. Singing with the Black Arm Band, Shellie is featured on their tracks along with the Yanyuwa Songwomen of Borroloola.

Shellie’s release of Ngambala Wiji li-Wunungu [Together We Are Strong] is a career highlight and is being flagged as her most important work to date, a�er all, it is the first album by an Indigenous

Shellie with the Yanyuwa Songwomen of Borroloola

Australian contemporary female singer/songwriter, sung en�rely in Indigenous languages of the Gulf Country.

In working with family members from Shellie’s Grandmother’s country in Borroloola on Ngambala Wiji li-Wunungu [Together We Are Strong], there is a merging of Shellie’s contemporary vocals with that of her ancient ancestors.

Deeply connected to her homeland of Australia, Shellie outlines on her website, how the emo�onal connec�on she felt during her first adult visit to country had her burst into tears. She goes on to explain, “There’s something about the desert in Australia, it feels so untouched and like it was when it began.”

Through her in�mate musical storytelling, Shellie is commi�ed to her work among Indigenous communi�es; she is also an ambassador for the Fred Hollows Founda�on (an organisa�on undertaking blindness preven�on in Australian Aboriginal communi�es, Asia, Africa and the Pacific) and an ambassador for The Jimmy Li�le Founda�on (established to help improve kidney health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communi�es).

www.shelliemorris.net

Moana and the Tribe

Rako Dancers

MORE BOWS TO BOOMERANG eARTh e-mag, proud to be hand-holding with the Boomerang Fes�val, is excited by the number and quality of acts Boomerang is pulling out. Come along and check out the interna�onal stars - Moana & the Tribe (NZ), Quique Neira (CHILE) and Rako Dancers (ROTUMAN/FIJI), to name a few.

S�lls from ‘Reel Injun’ (at le�) and ‘Maiden Indian’, showing at BIIFF

Canadian ‘Warriors’ The inaugural Boomerang Interna�onal Indigenous Film Fes�val [BIIFF] runs Friday October 4 to Sunday, October 6 with a set of films represen�ng Aboriginal Canada.

‘Boomerang’ has joined the acclaimed Canadian imagineNATIVE film and Media Arts Fes�val to bring screenings never seen before in the southern hemisphere.

22

inspired art

by Canadian awardwinning filmmaker and actor Gail Maurice and producer Denise Bouldoc, the series of films and shorts delve into a slice of life of Aboriginal Canada with the theme of ‘Warriors’. As such, the films contain sci-fi, comedy, drama, documentary and anima�on from established and emerging filmmakers and mul�-media ar�sts. Filmmaker and producer, Maurice and Bolduc will be appearing at Boomerang to share their experiences and host a number of Q&A sessions.

At BIIFF you can learn how Sylvester Stallone, Boris Karloff, Daniel Day Lewis, Burt Lancaster and even William Shatner have all ‘painted up’ to play ‘the Indian’.

Fes�val Director Rhoda Roberts says, “I have always loved the work of Marlon Brando, but seeing how instrumental he had been challenging the Academy Awards with Sacheen Li�lefeather in ‘Reel Injun’ made me see another layer to this complex man and his cra� and indeed that of Clint Eastwood. Make sure you come along to see the film element of Boomerang, you are bound to learn something new.”

You’ll be sure to view some amazing scenery, the landscapes of Canada, the lessons of the wild and experiences of the filmmaker and actor depic�ng Indigenous knowledge and connec�ons to country.

For outlines on all other films featured at Boomerang or to view the full program go to www.bit.ly/1bRsv7T

THE FILMS Reel Injun, a Feature from Director Neil Diamond (Cree). The film was honoured with a pres�gious Peabody Award. Featuring Clint Eastwood and Adam Beach, ‘Reel Injun’ is a documentary about the evolu�on of the depic�on of First Na�ons people in film, from the silent era to today.

A Red Girl’s Reasoning is where a female vigilante seeks revenge in this social commentary on violence against Indigenous women. Directed by Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, an emerging filmmaker, actor, writer and ac�vist. ‘A Red Girl’s Reasoning’ was a winner in Vancouver’s Crazy8s film compe��on.

Maiden Indian follows three women on a journey from the mall toward a deeper understanding of self. The Ephemerals are a collec�ve of Winnipeg ar�sts and curators who aim to interrogate percep�ons of Indigenous iden�ty through aspects of material culture. From mall to museum, three women s�tch together customary and trendy signifiers of Indigenous iden�ty.

Denise Bolduc is Vice-Chair of the imagineNATIVE Film

Gail Maurice

+ Media Arts Fes�val. Denise is an arts leader with an extensive background across a number of disciplines as an ar�s�c director, presenter, producer, researcher, and consultant. Denise was awarded the 2009 Aboriginal Businesswoman of the Year award. She is currently working on two documentary films, one honouring the life of Cree dancer/choreographer, Rene Highway.

A Mé�s filmmaker, Gail is proud to speak her language Cree/Michif. Gail began her career as an actor but branched into filmmaking in 2004 and founded Assini Produc�ons in 2006. Gail’s latest film, Misawac Kawi Na’wapami�n [Un�l we meet again], was shot en�rely in Cree/Michif in Northern Saskatchewan using non-actors to capture the authen�city and nuances of the language and culture.

Peace on earth

23

From the series A�es�ng 2002-2010 by Nici Cumpston Ring tree, Nookamka Lake 2008, Inkjet archival print on canvas, hand coloured with watercolours and pencils

‘A�es�ng’ photographic series by Nici Cumpston

by Sandra Conte

Ringbarked, Nookamka Lake 2008, inkjet archival print on canvas, hand coloured with watercolours and pencils

Nici Cumpston.

Photograph by Jon Gray

Nici Cumpston is the Associate Curator, Australian Paintings, Sculpture and Indigenous Art at the Art Gallery of South Australia. As an acclaimed artist Nici has been selected for numerous solo and group exhibitions; her work is represented in national and international collections and she is the recipient of many awards.

26

inspired art

Have you ever stood before a piece of art and wept?

With the work of Nici Cumpston, it’s hard not to.

Her painterly photographs of riverscapes turning to parched land before your eyes, tell a story of an ongoing journey with the river to which the ar�st is bound.

connected to the Murray and the Darling River systems through my Barkindji family and since 2000, I have been documen�ng the backwaters and inland lake systems in the Riverland of South Australia”.

“I have found many ‘signs’ in the landscape, Aboriginal artefacts and trees that bare witness to Aboriginal occupa�on and reflect the connec�on people have had with this place over many tens of thousands of years”.

“Interes�ngly, most of the remaining trees bear scars, depic�ng canoes, shields or coolamons. There are also many ring trees, which were made by tying young branches together to form a ring shape.

As the tree grows the ring remains a ‘sign’ within the tree branches. A few trees have scars as well as rings and some trees have more than one ring. These trees are always near places of abundance, where there is a lot of food, fresh water and protected shelter”.

Nici began photographing the backwaters of the River Murray in 1999-2000 as part of a journey she went on with a group of women for a project en�tled ‘Weaving the Murray’. In mee�ng many family members for the first �me on this journey, the ar�st discovered her own Barkindji family to be connected ancestrally to the Murray River and the inland lakes in what is now known as the Murray Darling Basin. It is the loca�on where, depending on the seasons, they would travel inland to find food and gather to share informa�on.

In 2007, the Australian government stopped the flow of fresh water in to Lake Bonney in an a�empt to keep water in the River Murray due to the ongoing drought condi�ons in the Riverland of SA. The lake is fed from the River Murray through a backwater known as Chambers Creek.

Nookamka rushes, Lake Bonney 2008 inkjet archival print on canvas, hand coloured with watercolours and pencils

Nici explains, “The town of Barmera is situated on the lake and draws a lot of people to the town as this is the town’s main a�rac�on. While researching informa�on about the area, I came across an ar�cle posted on the internet by the Barmera Visitor Centre on Wednesday December 21, 2005”.

Peace on earth

27

“It is an historical account of Lake Bonney, Barmera and in the ar�cle it states, ‘While building the northern approach to the bridge, the bones of hundreds of na�ves were unearthed and went into the structure.’ My first reac�on was to dismiss it and move on, there are all sorts of accounts like this and a lot of ar�cles are wri�en in this manner but I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind. How can someone write something like this as a throwaway line, like this is normal prac�ce to use the bones of human beings to build a structure? Whose bones were they and why were they there, was it a grave site or were the people massacred? All of these ques�ons came into my mind”.

Nici’s images reflect an uneasy undercurrent to the beau�ful lake.

She states, “Having some insight and understanding of what has happened to Aboriginal people around the shores of the lake enables a differing opinion to hopefully show through. The work ‘Tree Stumps’ is an oddity, there are so many trees and they are all dead. There is not one living tree in the whole place. I stand there and wonder what on earth has happened and why? It is like a scene from a holocaust. The Aboriginal people from this area were witness to this destruc�on and I wonder how it was for them. I can feel the loss and terror when reading such sordid accounts of past history”.

In her con�nued documenta�on of the area through photography, Nici outlines how “as the water receded it revealed the original campsites and further evidence of Aboriginal occupa�on. As I walked around the trees that were once surrounded by water I could see the scars that remained from canoe trees, coolamans, shields as well as ring trees that indicate the boundary for different language groups, signs that tell us this is a safe and plen�ful place of abundance. The roots were washed away from the trees that have long ago died, making the ring barked stumps look as though they are dancing along the foreshore, celebra�ng and singing for our ancestral land. There is a midden in this area

28

inspired art

that runs to at least two metres deep and is at least 400 metres long. It is a sight of gathering and is one of the many gathering grounds where people from many different language groups would have come to share informa�on as well as to trade goods.

It is ancient and I believe should be acknowledged officially as a protected and significant site. At this stage there are signs indica�ng that this area is of cultural significance but it doesn’t indicate what is what and that we shouldn’t walk on this area.

Precious turtles endemic to the lake and many species of fish were under serious threat during the drought. The town suffered as the sulphuric acid rose to the surface of the mud and it stank, many many fish and other birds and animals died and added to the stench. People couldn’t sell their homes and businesses closed as the tourism trade dropped right off”.

While the floods and big rains north in Queensland, some 18 months months ago, brought a slight reprieve, filling the River Murray and allowing water back into the lake, the water has risen and the campsites are no longer evident.

Nici explains her ongoing commitment to photographing the river’s journey is because “I s�ll believe that it is of major importance for Aboriginal people to try to get an archaeological survey done on the area to ensure that our history can be shared and recognised. I con�nue to visit and photograph the area as I am interested in the stories that I can see hear and feel in this significant place”.

See Nici visit Lake Bonney and explain her prac�ce in ‘Colour Theory with Richard Bell’, an eight-part art series presented by ar�st and ac�vist Richard Bell, featuring the work of eight outstanding contemporary Indigenous ar�sts (the series is available on DVD through Dymocks bookstore).

www.nicicumpston.com

Top: Tree Stumps, Western Shoreline – Nookamka, 2007, inkjet archival print on canvas, hand coloured with watercolours and pencils Bo�om: Nookamka – Lake Bonney, Inkjet archival print on canvas, hand coloured with watercolours and pencils

Peace on earth

29

5 October – 8 December Flinders University City Gallery State Library of South Australia Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery (Special Exhibi�ons) South Australian Museum Curated by Heidi Pitman and Fiona Salmon Spinifex (Triodia sp.) is a tough, spiky, tussock grass that thrives in poor soils and covers more than 20 per cent of the Australian con�nent. While providing habitat for rep�les, birds and small mammals, it defines much of the country’s arid landscape. Tradi�onally spinifex has been an important resource for Aboriginal people – foremost as a source of resin and as a building material for windbreaks and shelters but also for fishing and trapping, as fuel for fire, for medicinal and other innova�ve applica�ons.

Comprising material culture, historic photographs and contemporary works of art – including important works from Flinders University and South Australian Museum Collec�ons – Spinifex Country explores the enduring significance of spinifex to Aboriginal people and their communi�es while also reflec�ng ways in which this uniquely Australian grass has taken hold in the imagina�on of non-Indigenous ar�sts.

The exhibi�on features the work of Jimmy Baker, Maringka Baker, Angkaliya Cur�s, Beryl Jimmy, Elizabeth Nyumi, Ngupulya Pumani, David Miller, Lance Peck, Jenny Sages, Nungalka Stanley, Wingu Tingima, Bernard Tjalkuri, Elsje van Keppel, Roy Underwood, Nyankulya Watson Walyampari, Ilka White, Ginger Wikilyiri and new pieces commissioned for the project by Shirley Macnamara, Sandy Elverd and Tjanpi Desert Weavers.

www.flinders.edu.au/artmuseum/exhibi�ons www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/explore/exhibi�ons 30

inspired art

���������������� � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � ��������������������������������� �������������������������������� ����������������������������������������

������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������� ������������������������������������������ ����������� ��������� ��������� ��������� ������������ ���� ������������� ������ ��� ���� �� ���������� ���������� ������ ����� �������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������� ������������������������������������������������ ����������������������������������������������������������������� ����� ��� ������ ����� �������������������� ������ ���� ������ ����� ��� �������������������������������������������

� �� � �� ��� � � �� � � � � � �������� ���� ���� ���������������� ���������������� �� �� �� �� ��������������������������������������������

Peace on earth

31

Clockwise from top: Long Reef Beach #2 Long Reef Exhibi�on, Cast Glass Object, 2010, diam. 52cm, H10cm Photograph by Emma Varga Antarc�ca-Iceberg #1 Antarc�ca Project, Cast Glass Object, 2012, H40cm Photograph by Emma Varga Antarc�ca Icebergs Antarc�ca, Orne Harbour, December 2012 Photograph by Emma Varga

32

inspired art

Emma Varga, Glass Artist

A Reflective Practice

by Sandra Conte

glass sculptures have the appearance of something exquisitely frozen in �me. Fascina�ng to the viewer, gallery-goers can o�en be seen ‘up close and personal’ to the works as if searching for an embedded object. It is the same degree of cri�cal enquiry the ar�st herself conducts when taking inspira�on from nature, whether it be by travelling through the large scale icebergs of Antarc�ca or looking outside her Sydney studio window to the aqua�c reserve she has interpreted in her Long Reef series – a place the ar�st is well aware of for its ecological significance and as being under threat due to global warming.

Emma has an eye for detail and passion for the ‘mul�ple-layers-fusing’ technique she has developed over the past 15 years with her glass prac�ce. She describes her ongoing commitment to this rigorous process – “It enables me to create and to gain control over three-dimensional images inside large transparent glass objects. To make each of these sculptural objects, it is necessary to cut thousands of �ny glass elements from clear and transparent coloured glass sheets and combine them with glass frits and stringers. The sculptural glass objects are made from 20–400 thin, transparent glass layers; glass mosaic elements, colored frits and stringers are assembled on each sheet, according to a complicated three-dimensional plan. These are then fused together in stages. It takes two weeks to fire and slowly cool down large sculptural works, then a further two weeks to grind and polish all of the surfaces to perfec�on. Only then is it finally possible to see the inside; all the fine details and veillike structures floa�ng in the sea of clear glass”.

Born in Yugoslavia, Emma holds a BA (Visual and Applied Arts with majors in Glass design and ceramic sculpture) from the University of Applied Arts in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Following gradua�on, Emma worked for fi�een years, in coopera�on with European glass factories, to create her unique art work, during which �me she was ac�ve in symposiums and was the recipient of numerous awards.

Reloca�ng to Australia in 1995, Emma con�nued to freelance and retained her interna�onal linkages through overseas travel as a guest teacher in Zurich, Budapest and London, Turkey, Florida and New Zealand. She is also a proud recipient of the Australia Council for the Arts Visual Arts Grants in 2006 and in 2012 for new work, the la�er based on her research of Antarc�ca towards her three solo exhibi�ons at Kirra Galleries, Canberra Glassworks and Jam Factory, Adelaide in 2013-14.

Antarc�ca forms a powerful inspira�on for Emma’s latest series and aligning her photographic images of place with the art piece provides a direct reflec�on of how the ar�st has arrived at the resul�ng work. Research through her trip log book, drawings

34

inspired art

and photography, inform Emma’s final rendi�ons in glass which capture the wilds of Antarc�ca. Emma states that her link to nature is through her process, “All my work is from the heart – I respond with strong emo�ons to everything around me, especially nature, and then translate it into glass”.

With the picture-window from Varga’s Sydney studio there is a clear view of bush, beach and sea so it is li�le wonder that the ar�st and her prac�ce abound with natural inspira�on. Her ‘Long Reef’ series, (pictured on page 32 as Long Reef Beach #2) reflects Emma’s recep�vity to the Long Reef Aqua�c Reserve, in all its brilliance and beauty, outside her studio window.

Ever-ac�ve, this year alone, Emma has had mul�ple exhibi�ons:PRIMA, during February and March; she was represented by

Sikabonyi Gallery at WIKAM in Vienna in March; held an esteemed solo exhibi�on ANTARCTICA – Icebergs at MELBOURNE, Kirra Galleries in July-August; along with exhibi�ons at VIENNA, Künstlerhaus Wien, 2013 and SYDNEY, Australia, Sabbia Gallery.

The solo exhibi�on ANTARCTICA at Canberra Glassworks (September 25 - November 14) is all about the ar�st’s immersion in Antarc�ca through cast and assembled works, mainly major objects being icebergs and installa�ons alongside which will be a number of Emma’s original photographs, made during the research trip to Antarc�ca in December 2012.

Emma is also showing a (new) collec�on of works inspired by Antarc�ca as presented by Kirra Galleries from October 31 - November 3, 2013 at the 20th SOFA Chicago, IL. She will also present on her 40 years in glass, at SOFA Chicago VIP Conversa�on on Saturday, November 2, 2013 at 11am in the VIP Conversa�on Space on the show floor.

Of equal note is that Emma is the only Australian whose work has been selected for the pres�gious triennial Kanazawa Interna�onal Glass Exhibi�on 2013 opening in Kanazawa, Japan in October.

Wherever Emma exhibits, be it Yugoslavia, Australia, Illinois, the view may change but her art work and prac�ce remains one of reflec�on, the audience response one of fascina�on and the corporate response one of acquisi�on – a work from the Antarc�ca Exhibi�on at Kirra Galleries has been acquired for the permanent collec�on of the Na�onal Gallery of Australia in Canberra and another from the Long Reef Exhibi�on has been acquired for permanent collec�on of the Powerhouse Museum (Decora�ve Arts and Design) in Sydney. Emma is also represented in the Na�onal Art Glass Collec�on, Wagga Wagga, Australia; Australian Art Trust, Melbourne; Kaplan/Ostergaard Glass Collec�on at Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, California; The Museum of Applied Art in Belgrade, Serbia; Glassmuseum Ebelto�, Denmark and numerous major private collec�ons in Australia, USA, Europe, Asia and Africa.

As such, countries all around the world are apprecia�ng, exhibi�ng and reflec�ng on the crystal clear connec�ons glass ar�st Emma Varga is making to the environment.

L-R: Studio and View Emma Varga in her studio, 2008 Photograph by Alex Yukon Icebreaker At Glacier Antarc�ca, Neko Harbour, Polar Pioneer Icebreaker, December 2012, Photograph by Emma Varga Long Reef Rocks #1 Long Reef Aqua�c Reserve, Northern Beaches of Sydney Research for Long Reef Exhibi�on, 2010 Photograph by Emma Varga Under Water Turquoise #3 Antarc�ca Exhibi�on, Under Water series, Cast Glass Object, 2013, diam. 48cm, H9cm Photograph by Emma Varga

Peace on earth

35

36

inspired art

Kim Schoenberger, Latched with Love, 2013 (detail)

Tea Treasures

by Sandra Conte

has a penchant for recycling and will show it at her solo exhibi�on in 2014.

Currently working on a triptych of three x 50cm square latch hook mesh works containing 4032 holes, each requiring 1008 tea bags, Kim says, “Folk o�en find it intriguing when my artworks contain recycled tea bags, then come the ques�ons – What, used tea bags? How do you use them? Why used tea bags? Wouldn’t they tear? Do you use all of the tea bag, how do you dry them?”

“I first started working with recycled tea bags in 2002, which led to my solo exhibi�on ‘Expressions of Love’ in 2010 – eight years in the making. ‘Expressions of Love’ explores the connec�on between mother and daughter, grandmother and granddaughter, an unbroken chain of wisdom and knowledge shared across the genera�ons. It looks at how that sharing was celebrated with a cup of tea and how the genera�ons before us wouldn’t discard anything that would find a life in new ways. I created a quilt, made cushions, plaited a rag rug, I even kni�ed with them. Thousands of tea bags were collected and used, all sewn on my Singer treadle sewing machine given to me by my mother on my 16th birthday”.

“Working with the recycled teabags, u�lising the skills that have been passed down to me, I was reminded of just how

fragile the past is and how important it is to preserve these wisdoms for the future”.

Kim Schoenberger at her treadle sewing machine, Photograph by Lindsay Ham

“My late, dear mother, Rosemary, was the forerunner in collec�ng the used tea bags for ‘Expressions of Love’. This �me, I extended my tea bag call to friends and family, and the wider community via email and social media. Rosebed St Gallery in Eudlo, Queensland, Australia, responded by extending my tea bag ‘call-out’ via the gallery e-newsle�er and set-up a display in the gallery to which I have had an overwhelming response. Tea bag dona�ons are coming in thick and fast, from far and wide and I now have three coastal collec�on points with libraries, galleries and even the local Kureelpa Spinners and Weavers group are collec�ng tea bags for me!”

“Selected artworks from my 2010 ‘Expressions of Love’ exhibi�on are currently on tour in a group exhibi�on en�tled ‘Teasing the Domes�c’ with the Artslink Queensland 201314 Touring Exhibi�on Program”. ‘Expressions Of Love II’, Kim Schoenberger solo exhibi�on will be at the Noosa Regional Gallery, January 22 to February 16, 2014.

www.kimschoenberger.com Peace on earth

37

Detail from the Woodford Folk Fes�val 2013/14 poster design by Gavin Ryan

Monster-fun at the Woodford Folk Festival!

by Sandra Conte 38

inspired art

to this year’s Woodford Folk Fes�val with your inner monster!

Don’t take that as an invita�on to misbehave, it’s about ge�ng in touch with your crea�ve side at this family-friendly fes�val, which has a dedicated Children’s sec�on.

Look at the detail on the fes�val poster (pictured) and you’ll see a sea of symbols and images represen�ng the pool of ideas at the heart of the event, conjuring up the refreshingly ‘old-worldy’ words of - pilgrimage, journey, rhapsody, ar�stry, balladry, mystery, generosity, tradi�on, lore and melody.

The 2013/14 Fes�val theme takes inspira�on from the Mahatma Gandhi quote, “The only devils in this world are those running around in our own hearts, and that is where all our ba�les should be fought”. As such, five through to 11 year olds have been working with the Woodford Folk Fes�val on ‘The Monster Project.’ Primary school children have produced drawings and exhibi�ons of their monsters, while teenagers have taken inspira�on from those images towards helping with the produc�on of giant monster puppets to be designed and built by Kneehigh arts company with Woodford Fire Event Director, Joey Ruigrok van der Werven. The monster puppets will feature in the Fes�val’s Spectacular and Ceremony events such as the Opening

Ceremony, nightly street processions and the Fire Event.

Younger ar�sts whose designs have been handpicked as inspira�ons of the monster puppets, will be invited to be part of the Opening Ceremony to provide an ambassadorial welcome.

Maybe by engaging with your inner monster you can think about ways of being responsible for your environment, making good choices with your lunch boxes by avoiding plas�c packaging, or how to keep fes�vals rubbish-free.

Every li�le bit helps and many fes�vals, like Woodford, do their bit to keep things sustainable and green, so don’t let your monster let them down.

Look out for the Woodford Program Release on October 19.

You can also explore the monster crea�ons on the Woodford Folk Fes�val facebook page.

www.woodfordfolkfes�val.com

Arora: A Brand New World When envisioning the fantas�cal world of Arora, webcomic creator Zach Karpsten found the greatest source of inspira�on in Planet Earth – with its varia�on and harmonious logic it was a perfect star�ng point for crea�ng a new terrain of make-believe.

40

inspired art

Crea�ve visionary, Zach Karpsten, leaps out of his mind and into the clouds of his fantasy world Arora.

Image by Studio Frabjous

ZACH KARPSTEN is a mul�media ar�st, musician

and composer and holds a Diploma in Fashion Design.

He is currently filming a documentary �tled ‘1001 reasons to be happy’. Later this year, Zach’s ‘Avarice’ themed contribu�on will be published in a graphic novel series based on the Seven Deadly Sins. Zach takes commissions on request, to enquire email zach@studiofrabjous.com

Peace on earth

41

imagining a new world, one must observe the environment and I’ve found that it’s essen�al to inves�gate the workings of nature and how man-made objects interact with it”. These are the words of animator, graphic illustrator and online designer Zach Karpsten (Z.A.K.) – the creator of Arora – a webcomic and world in which the people live on flat islands floa�ng in the air.

Each slab of land in Arora has its own centre of gravity with inhabitants living on each side. With this simple premise, a lot of things about the world become apparently different from our own planet – like how the water flows, how the sun interacts with the land, how people travel and such.

Zach explains, “It’s good to design the nature before the civilisa�on, because the civilisa�on will always be defined by its environment. One appealing quality of an imaginary realm is that any issues you no�ce in our world, you can find a solu�on for in the fic�onal world and use it as a role model.”

Following a principle of yin-yang and contras�ng elements, Zach designed the land of Arora to incorporate both angled and curved lines. Zach says, “Buildings decorate the landscape surrounded by lush vegeta�on, crea�ng a complemen�ng design of rough shrubbery and geometric architecture; the most prominent visuals revolve around colour. I love crea�ng different ligh�ng environments and, in par�cular, I’m exploring the inclusion of ‘God rays’. They really show the impact that light has on the atmosphere, and I find it adds so much depth.”

The five elements in Arora are Earth, Water, Light, Nature and Air which (in this world) is the lack of any element.

42

inspired art

The significant feature of an element is that it is infused with life – which means all of the elements are strongly integrated. For example, the water in this realm has the ability to absorb light, so that when night falls and the air thins, small par�cles of glowing water float up, illumina�ng the dark landscape.

The people don’t have advanced technology, but instead rely on the elements to aid their lifestyle. “The principles I’m incorpora�ng focus on integra�ng with, rather than domina�ng, the environment, for example, they use the naturally occurring mul�-direc�onal gravity to generate power,” says Zach.

“My main character is called ‘Axa’. Just like the other people of this world, she was born fully grown and fully aware, with the ability to speak and explore. Unlike her kin, she was born in the centre of an island as a child of the land. Everyone is born with their own direc�on of gravity, living on one of the two sides of each floa�ng island. However, Axa was born with the ability to switch her direc�on of gravity, allowing her to explore every corner of the realm – which sa�sfies her excep�onal curiosity.”

www.zachula.deviantart.com

www.arora.com

Gravity Turbine

by Zach

Main character Axa is startled by a nature spirit on Arora

Peace on earth

43

eARTh emag asks Zach the deeper ques�ons about life on Arora: You men�on the people are awakened, what possibili�es or implica�ons does this present?

Each person is born with the capability to speak, observe and process things intelligently, so the audience gets to see what it might be like to hear the thoughts of a child witnessing a thunderstorm for the first �me, or any excep�onal ac�vity, such as swimming. This is something we all take for granted by the �me we can confidently communicate.

How is the civiliza�on governed?

Much like the various regions in our world, each island is appointed a single mayor, who takes care of their people based on any new issues that may arise. Since the islands are separate, there is no king or overlord of mul�ple islands.

Does Arora face any ecological challenges and will any of these mirror or point to Earth’s ecological challenges?

Nature doesn’t really do anything wrong; it’s only when people become heavily reliant on it or try to manipulate without foreseeing the consequences that issues arise. The people of Arora work in tune with nature, so there is no real danger of deple�on or pollu�on (as we’ve seen repeatedly on Planet Earth). The only real challenge becomes one of defying the dichotomised gravity to transport and deliver resources.

Is there conflict? Are there forces at work threatening the balance?

Apart from rare bridges connec�ng some of the islands, they are geographically disconnected, so the risk of war is absent, resul�ng in a very peaceful world. However, a certain fellow has a master plan which would result in the islands merging thus crea�ng havoc as they collide and bringing the threat of confronta�on between the different kingdoms. Axa’s innate and extraordinary ability to learn gives her the opportunity to outsmart the antagonist. Being able to traverse either side of the land allows her to accumulate informa�on and skills like no other.

44

inspired art

Arora landscape

Peace on earth

45

Aligning with the stars

by Sandra Conte

Ar�s�c pairings with the landscape can produce inspired results. are those who do not necessarily class themselves as ar�sts, in the strict sense, but produce outcomes imbued with a real edge, borne of everyday experiences – take ‘snapper’, Kester Sappho, who is the tour manager for John Butler Trio and whose work features on eARTh’s cover – here, Kester has captured the rela�onship and respect between two independent but married ar�sts, explaining to eARTh e-mag, “The cover image was taken on December 29, 2012 at the Woodford Folk Fes�val. During the show, during the set, John tends to invite Danielle (Mama Kin) up to guest on a song they’d wri�en together called ‘Jenny’; it’s an amazing song and one of my personal favourites. John was playing the Intro. and I hopped on stage and hid behind the drum kit and snapped the pic. I’m not sure what they were talking to each other about but I just 46

inspired art

liked the energy and natural comfort between the two of them”.

Unencumbered and fresh in her approach to photography, Kester’s images reveal an effortless, �meless quality.

Some of Kester’s band shots are also to be found inside Mama Kin’s latest ‘album’, ‘The Magician’s Daughter’; she also recently took a photo of John Butler communing with the Colorado environment – “It was taken in Boulder. CO. at a point called ‘Royal Arch’ in the Chautauqua Na�onal Park.

John’s guitar tech. likes to hike and suggested we hike the mountain, so the three of us did. It was definitely a highlight of the tour for us all. Again, I just snapped the image as John stood on this li�le ju�ng ledge. It wasn’t a posed shot. I like taking pics. when people don’t know or when they’re just

Above: Kester Sappho, ‘selfie’, on the streets, USA Right: Kester Sappho’s photo of John Butler, Boulder, Colorado, 2013

Peace on earth

47

in a moment. I feel like you get a more realis�c portrayal of the subject when they’re unawares. I am not a professional photographer. I own several cameras which I bring along on tour with me. I would love to learn more about how to use my fancy digital SLR but I can’t find the �me; I’ve always had a passion for music and photos. I am a self-confessed stalker and I love the Instagram APP. I just like to document life in images and capture moments in �me. I have an Instagram (kester_sappho) if people are interested in taking a ‘gander’ at what I do. ~~~~~ Ar�s�c pairings can result in rich benefits for both par�es. Take the selfappointed ‘Grandmother’ of performance art, Marina Abramovic who has interna�onal gravitas. It took a recent ‘collabora�on’ with one of her fans, Lady Gaga, for Marina Abramovic and the ‘Abramovic Method’ to reach so many more people in the world. Gaga can be seen immersed in this Method – a series of exercises designed to heighten a par�cipant’s awareness of their physical and mental experience in the present moment – holed up in Abramovic’s spartan art studio and pris�ne wooded surrounds in upstate New York, curling up with what appears

48

inspired art

to be an oversized crystal, standing blindfolded in water while the rain drops around her, si�ng s�ll on wooden chairs, back-to-back with Abramovic above the stream, or naked in the forest – it makes for rive�ng, near vicarious viewing about how performance art and ar�sts can engage with their immediate environs.

While Abramovic has always appeared to be a�uned to her environment, once Gaga entered her world and this footage was released, the number of youth embracing Marina’s performance art and the Abramovic Method increased considerably, as Marina herself acknowledges.

Find out more about The Marina Abramovic Ins�tute (MAI), which will be the first space dedicated to prac�cing the Abramovic Method, which prepares par�cipants to both perform and observe long dura�onal work. For more about the Abramovic Method, see website (bit.ly/176oqto) and the video from Bonsai TV (bit.ly/14z2ZVO). Visit Marina Abramovic Ins�tute on Twi�er (@hudsonMAI), Facebook (facebook.com/MAIhudson), and Tumblr (maihudson.tumblr. com).

CULTURAL WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned that this ar�cle may contain images and names of Aboriginal people who have passed away.

Academic Viewpoint

Locality Rules

by Dr Chris�ne Nicholls

Spa�al Rela�onships in Indigenous Australian Visual Art and Mathema�cs, with specific reference to the work of Dorothy Napangardi

Dorothy Napangardi, 2009, Sandhills, acrylic on linen, 91 x 91 cm, Private Collec�on Adelaide

Peace on earth

49

Dorothy Napangardi, 2007, Mina Mina country, acrylic on linen, 152 x 76cm, Private Collec�on, Alice Springs

following ar�cle, about the rela�onships between the game of AFL 1 and Indigenous mathema�cs, which is largely founded on spa�al rela�onships rather than number, as is the case in the dominant culture, is in a sense only nominally about AFL, at which Indigenous Australian players frequently excel. Success in AFL is highly dependent on the ability to nego�ate 360 degrees of space, and accurate judgement of one’s own loca�on and the loca�ons of others, within that space. Here’s a link to the ar�cle, where you are 50

inspired art

free to comment 2 .

This facility with spa�al rela�onships also plays itself out in the spa�al aesthe�c of many Aboriginal ar�sts, par�cularly desert-dwellers, and par�cularly those whose early lives were spent living outdoors. The ar�st Dorothy Napangardi, who passed away earlier this year, but whose family have given me permission to use her name and work, exemplifies this spa�al aesthe�c par excellence.

Dr Chris�ne Nicholls holds the posi�on of Senior Lecturer, Australian Studies, specialising in Indigenous Australian languages and visual art at Flinders University; she is also one of two Humani�es post-graduate coordinators.

Born in the late 1940s or early 1950s in the bush in the Mina Mina area, west of Mt Doreen and Yuendumu, 400 kilometres or more north west of Alice Springs, Dorothy Napangardi was the child of Jeannie Lewis Napururrla and Paddy Lewis Japanangka. Dorothy Napangardi remembered her early childhood days in the bush, surrounded by her closely-knit extended family, as a �me of uncondi�onal happiness and freedom. Napangardi’s mother, Napurrurla, had been married previously, and already had a daughter by her first marriage, an older sister for Dorothy. Later, a younger sister and two younger brothers were to come along. As a young child, un�l Dorothy reached the age of about seven or eight, the extended family travelled around the Mina Mina area, living on the plen�ful bush tucker that grew there, and drinking from its soakages and claypans.

This, her salt lake country, is the principal subject ma�er to which Napangardi always returned in her magnificent, o�en huge, artworks, through which she conveyed a unique spa�al aesthe�c. Napangardi had the ability to organise space so that colours danced rhythmically across the en�re canvas.

Napangardi’s composi�onal skill and her ability to evoke a sense of undula�ng movement across a large expanse of canvas par�cularly characterise her more accomplished later works. The op�cal effects produced in her remarkable works were achieved by Napangardi’s use of pa�erns that set up a field of movement, not unlike Op-art (indeed, her work has been compared to that of Bridget Riley), so that the eye

moves – or dances – around the chequered, radia�ng area of the canvas rather than focussing on any single point of the canvas. These effects mirror the immense shimmering vista of Dorothy Napangardi’s beloved homeland, Mina Mina, and the nearby salt lake also on her family’s estate.

Dorothy Napangardi’s success as an ar�st lies in this ability to evoke a strong sense of movement across her canvases, an effect that she achieved as a result of her remarkable spa�al sense and composi�onal ability. In all of Dorothy’s works this sense of oscilla�ng movement is evident, although in her earlier works it was not developed to the level of refinement that she achieved in her later Mina Mina canvases.

Napangardi’s grid-like, apparently three dimensional pa�erns, also evince mathema�cal gi�edness in the area of spa�al rela�onships, and her ability to nego�ate the cardinal direc�ons with ease. This area of mathema�cs is emphasised in tradi�onal Warlpiri socialisa�on and educa�onal prac�ces, and Dorothy’s mastery of this was second to none.

[1] AFL is an Australian football code and stands for the words Australian Football League (AFL) is the highest-level professional compe��on in the sport of Australian Rules football, see wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Football_League [2] www.theconversa�on.com/its-�me-we-dra�-aussie-rules-to-tackle-indigenousmathema�cs-15032. Please note that there is no charge to join The Conversa�on, and no payment is required at any point (it is the all-Australian Universi�es website, aimed at dissemina�ng contemporary university research to a much wider audience than usual).

The Conversa�on does insist, however, that people who leave comments must join prior to doing so, in order to prevent inappropriate comments or spam.

Peace on earth

51

Dr. Tamsin Kerr by LisaSista Photography

The Currency of Birdsong The Currency of Birdsong project commenced with an October 2012 invita�on to 32 ar�sts to par�cipate in an ar�s�c research project to culminate in the open day at the Cooroora Ins�tute with workshops, performances, talks, exhibi�on, wri�ngs, and images, as well as a catalogue documen�ng the collabora�ons between this material, sound, and thought research. Talk and performances, a demonstra�on, shared lunch and workshops took place on World Environment Day, 9 June 2013 as part of the Floa�ng Land Fes�val’s satellite event in Cooroy.

Writer and Cooroora Ins�tute Co-Director, Dr Tamsin Kerr, was also involved in the parallel Balance Unbalance Interna�onal Conference 2013 in the Noosa Biosphere, where she introduced ar�st sessions and presented an excerpt from her paper, ‘The Currency of Birdsong,’ to an audience in awe of her whimsical, poignant and ar�culate tale:-

we used wild birdsong as an indicator of success and status? Instead of asking about jobs or money, we might ask of any process: “yes, but does it produce birdsong?” The currency of birdsong would be seasonal, diverse, and biogeographic; bird habitats would be more important than banks; value would be �ed to the ritual of everyday’s dawning and twilight; outside life connected to local places.

We use money as an easy exchange mechanism for goods and services, but why does it also buy us value and status? The shared resource of birdsong might make us all rich, placing value upon the ecoregion, the real, and the wild.

Birdsong has proven human health benefits, links us to nature’s everyday with immediacy, and offers beauty in a broken world.

Moving slowly, another soap opera emerges in the daily dramas of birdlife; we recognise alarm calls, and then see the hawk. The boas�ng egos and the gentle reassurances might form the intent, but there is magic, ar�stry, and pure joy in the song. In listening, we find a natural s�llness of place, and a wilder power than that which we derive from our limited human economies.

– Dr Tamsin Kerr, Cooroora Ins�tute

52

inspired art

Stephen Guthrie and Lindy Atkin – Bark Lab Growth, Installa�on @ Urunga Parade, Floa�ng Land Fes�val 2013

Floating Land Festival ~ Outdoor Gallery ~ Photographs by Sandra Conte

Taking in the beauty of the outdoor gallery of the Floa�ng Land Fes�val, (May 31-June 9) at the principal ac�vity site of Boreen Point on Lake Cootharaba, I allowed my path and camera to be led by a bird that appeared to be taking in the installa�ons.

Viewing the sea of works alongside my feathered friend was nothing short of cap�va�ng.

Here’s a glimpse of the installa�ons which were on display for the dura�on of the Fes�val as near to A Bird’s Eye View as eARTh e-mag can provide.

Words from Floa�ng Land, Nature’s Dialogue Program, 2013. www.floa�ngland.com.au Peace on earth

53

Judy Barrass

Converging Reali�es, Installa�on@Urunga Parade Converging reali�es explores the possibility of crea�ng a new hybrid landscape of mixed reali�es and experiences and draws a�en�on to the reciprocity of our rela�onship with nature. The ar�st used chairs as a metaphor, they were clearly constructed, and some�mes coated in paint, but they remained steadfastly organic, ques�oning the place of man as either an alien presence or part of the natural world. Projec�on and light reflec�on (best seen at night) added a further dimension to the story. A new reality being forged from the convergence of old and new and the opposing or symbio�c contribu�ons from mankind and nature. A new hybrid reality is born from converging reali�es.

Stephen Guthrie and Lindy Atkin – Bark Lab

Growth, Installa�on@Urunga Parade Bark Lab is a crea�ve collec�ve offshoot of Bark Design Architects and is led by local architects Stephen Guthrie and Lindy Atkin. Bark Lab focuses on crea�ve collabora�ons through their everyday design processes and listens to nature’s dialogue by reading the site and landscape. From the man-made to the organic and back, Bark Lab reconnected people with the natural environment with a series of par�cipatory physical constructs that would ‘grow’ and provide an inextricable link to the landscape.

54

inspired art

Elizabeth Poole BIRD iView. Installa�on@Boreen Parade Elizabeth finds inspira�on from the fragile and visually fragmented Australian bush. The project was created around spiderwebs, which are constructed in such a way that they are visible to birds, preven�ng them from flying into the webs. Her project was inspired by a German glass company which has imitated the spider’s natural intelligence by superimposing a special UV reflec�ve, linear pa�ern coated into the glass. This is only visible to birds, poten�ally saving millions of bird deaths from collision. Her work represents the visible and invisible aspect of our landscape. BIRD iView explored how humans con�nue to u�lise nature’s intelligence and use sustainable technology based on this informa�on.

James Muller, Michel Tuffery, Detail from Reading Clouds – Floa�ng Middens, Installa�on@The Esplanade 26

APIS (Honey Bee), ArtMakers Noosa Ellen Appleby, Liana Volpe, Linda Perry and Lane Sladovich, Installa�on@Boreen Parade Four ar�sts who primarily prac�ce in ceramics and mixed media created an ephemeral installa�on of sculptural beehives on the foreshore at Boreen Point. Insects such as bees play a cri�cally important role in the balance of the ecosystem and food produc�on. These sculptural hives represented the increased urbanisa�on and separa�on of society with nature and the plight of the bees.

The first collabora�ve artwork by James Muller (Australia) and Michel Tuffery MNZM (Aotearoa – New Zealand), this installa�on acknowledged the history, physical geography and naviga�onal links of the wider Pacific region and its peoples, holding two registers.

‘Reading Clouds’ considered ideas of percep�on, sensory cartography and how genuine knowledge of place can define movement in physical and cultural forms.

The sculpture responded to the elements of wind, water and light. Floa�ng Middens is a literal reference to the shell being a revered child of Tangaroa, a well-known creator God embedded throughout Pacific mythology and the use of the hyper-sized shell forms are a reference to an archeological midden and prior occupa�on. From shore to sky, Reading Clouds – Floa�ng Middens defined a trace between the past and present. Both installa�ons exerted natural materials and manmade technologies and transformed from day to night with video projec�on or LED ligh�ng.

Simon McVerry, A Tail of a Fish and a Fishery, Installa�on@The Esplanade 22 Simon’s aspira�ons include the guiding principles of protec�on of the environment, care of people and sustainable use of resources. A tail of a fish and a fishery tells the story of the Mullet, the watery world it lives in and of the people who have worked and s�ll work in this local fishery. This project, in collabora�on with Julara, emphasised the importance of the local mullet and local sustainable fisheries, dispelling common misconcep�ons on this fish species.

Peace on earth

55

‘Earth’ Friends: a slow collaboration Ilka Blue and Chloe Pringle have been ‘earth’ friends for a long �me. Their crea�ve collabora�ons have taken many forms over the years, with recent work circling issues of species ex�nc�on and how this impacts Culture. As Chloe points out “less is said of the grief and loss that ex�nc�ons create. Unacknowledged death of this scale, ripples out into the collec�ve unconsciousness and creates an impoverishment of soul”.

Ilka runs Latorica, a transdisciplinary studio working at the intersec�on of cultural and biological diversity. Chloe is the crea�ve talent behind ‘Imagino�ons’, a gathering place to share earthy realms that are touched by other worlds and reali�es. Both Ar�sts are highly alert to the sacred connec�ons between humans and the more-than-human world, and they work to strengthen these connec�ons for the health of the greater community.

Their first significant collabora�on on ex�nc�on was a requiem created to honour the 44 species that became ex�nct during Ilka’s 18 month research period for her Masters. Chloe produced a suite of illustra�ons and Ilka threaded them into her thesis like a hymn.

The striking owl image pictured here is the result of their latest collabora�on.

Ilka was planning the “Slow Wing” workshop (an intense explora�on of culturalbiological ex�nc�on) and asked Chloe to create a representa�ve image for the poster. Chloe says, “I wanted to illustrate graphically the �me when a being is s�ll with us, yet vulnerable. A liminal between �me. Owls have symbolised such �mes far back into story, so I chose to draw the Powerful owl (Ninox strenua) as an echo of both her own place, and ours.”

Visit www.latorica.net and www.imagino�ons.net to contact the Ar�sts or subscribe for updates on future projects.

Chloe Pringle, Powerful Owl, Pencil on paper, 2013

56

inspired art

The Sounds of Silence?

Sandra Conte reviews

BIRDING THE FUTURE

by Krista Caballero and Frank Ekeberg

Peace on earth

57

Stereoscopic cards inform ‘Birding the Future’ par�cipants about the loss of species surrounding them.

u�lising an outdoor soundscape and stereoscopy (3D imaging), ‘Birding the Future’ is a ‘must’ but not just for bird watchers and listeners. The Queensland Australia Series was presented at the Balance-Unbalance Interna�onal Conference in Noosa, Queensland, Australia, May 31 – June 2, 2013 and proves to be a powerful project.

Interes�ngly, it can be customised by commissioning collaborators Krista Caballero and Frank Ekeberg, to research the status of birds in any li�le corner of the world.

‘Birding the Future’ is an interac�ve installa�on with informa�ve didac�cs and quirky par�cipant tools. It pays

58

inspired art

tribute to and hope for our diminishing bird species. The installa�on takes you through the historical relevance of birds, current research and concerns for the future. With the explana�on that research es�mates almost a third of all bird species will have disappeared by the end of this century, this is, indeed, a wake up call!

Caballero and Ekeberg are interested in the global significance of birds as important symbols in art, song and ceremony, discussing how across culture and con�nent, birds have been seen as “message bearers” able to communicate the future, announce changes in weather and warn of coming disaster.

The exhibi�on didac�c outlines how research indicates “We are living through the ‘Sixth Ex�nc�on’ where loss of species and biodiversity is occurring at an alarming rate.

Many animals possess a perceptual accuracy that by far surpasses that of humans as well as our technological devices. In certain indigenous communi�es, birds are seen to be barometers of environmental health and so one must be able to recognise, observe and interpret changes or varia�on in bird song and behaviour in order to properly respond.

Such indigenous and local knowledge has been vastly underrecognized, but can aid in the process of disaster preven�on in effec�ve, par�cipatory and sustainable ways.

The interdisciplinary project poses a variety of ques�ons: - What might happen in the future as the messages of birds are increasingly being silenced? What does it mean that we are only able to see and hear ex�nct species through a technological device? How can knowledge gained via technology be combined with tradi�onal ecological knowledge in order to increase awareness of our role in the natural environment?

‘Birding the Future’ explores these issues and current ex�nc�on rates while specifically focusing on the warning abili�es of birds. An outdoor sound installa�on is paired with a stereoscopic image walk as par�cipants are guided through a walk of ex�nc�on. The sound material includes calls of endangered birds par�cular to the specific region, extracted to create Morse code messages that warn of disrup�on and urgency. The strict rhythmic pa�erns of the Morse code signal imposes a mechanized quality on the bird calls, underlining technological reproduc�on as the only means to hear certain species. Unmodified calls of ex�nct birds act as a memory of the past and point to

a future of less biodiversity. Projected rate of ex�nc�on for the end of the century is scaled down to the dura�on of the exhibi�on period by decreasing the density and diversity of bird calls. As different regions around the world can expect different rates of ex�nc�on depending on factors such as climate, geography, habitat pa�erns and human ac�vity, the ex�nc�on rate implemented into ‘Birding the Future’ is based upon projec�ons for the specific region in which it is presented.

A series of stereoscopic cards are created specifically for each site and offer a loose narra�on through the soundscape. On the back of the cards textual analysis including poetry, data and other relevant habitat and behavioral informa�on is included, while the composites on the front layer original content with found photographs.

U�lising a type of stereoscope that resembles birding binoculars, this viewing instrument has been chosen for its poten�al to heighten perceptual awareness and provide an historical link to human impact on the environment.”

To commission an installa�on rela�ng to your disappearing species and to learn more, go to www.birdingthefuture.net

Peace on earth

59

Stereoscopic cards inform ‘Birding the Future’ par�cipants about the loss of species surrounding them.

Krista Caballero (United States) is a transdisciplinary ar�st whose work unpacks cultural myths rela�ng to the “American” West, technology, gendered land use, and ideas of the sublime. Her work asks how we might imagine a future where shi�ing ecologies speak to opportunity and possibility. In 2010 she created Mapping Meaning, an ongoing project that brings together a select group of ar�sts, scien�sts and scholars for a five-day experimental workshop. Inspired by a photograph from 1918 depic�ng an all-female survey crew, this biennial gathering provides a forum for women to explore ques�ons of mental, social and environmental ecology. The third “Mapping Meaning” will take place in the summer of 2014. Caballero is currently the Associate Director of the Digital Cultures and Crea�vity Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. This undergraduate honors program brings together students from all majors to explore emerging technologies and their impact on the world.

Frank Ekeberg (Norway)

Frank Ekeberg and Krista Caballero presen�ng ‘Birding the Future’ in the Noosa UNESCOlisted Biosphere of Australia, 2013. Photograph Sandra Conte.

is an ar�st and researcher primarily working within the acousma�c arts. His work explores issues of solitude, fear, consciousness, memory and how human beings relate to each other and to their environment.

He uses almost exclusively natural sound as source material, and spa�al aspects of the sounds and the listening environment are integrated as an essen�al element of the work. Ekeberg has composed and designed sound for concert performance, dance, film, theater, radio plays and mul�media installa�ons, and has earned several interna�onal commissions and awards. His work has been presented in fes�vals, exhibi�ons and concert series in more than 30 countries around the world and can be found in numerous public and private collec�ons, museums and libraries. His PhD was in electroacous�c music composi�on from City University in London, UK. He currently resides in Tempe, Arizona, USA where he works as a freelancer.

60

inspired art

Ken + Julia Yonetani Crystal Palace: The Great Exhibi�on of the Works of Industry of all Nuclear Na�ons (USA), 2.1 x 1.6m (diameter) (Uranium Glass, Metal structure, UV lights), photo courtesy the ar�sts, Artereal Gallery and GV Art London

Powered Art

by Sandra Conte lights up your life? For a group of school students it was the ‘Crystal Palace’ installa�on on a gallery visit – the immediate vision of the illuminated room drew them in like moths to a flame.

Some fast talking about the uranium inspired and embedded glass installa�on quickly curbed the desire of those dying to touch it.

Collaborators in art and life, Ken and Julia Yonetani’s prac�ce is not only confined to intricate, haun�ngly beau�ful green-lit, mul�ple shaped chandeliers – you should check out their earlier Global Warming Performance piece a la John and Yoko Ono to appreciate the breadth and depth of their oeuvre.

However, the siren-like nature of the handbuilt, ‘glow in the dark’ lights, caused the children to first gasp, be beckoned and then flurry in consterna�on about which one they preferred, as if ownership were the objec�ve; following which they sat, hovered or circled near their selec�on of the best and brightest in their eyes, as if mesmerised and communing trance-like in the presence of a god of industrial power... and this is the reac�on the ar�sts hope for, certainly not nuclear, but a powerful one!

Indeed the magnificent installa�on en�tled ‘Crystal Palace’ makes crystal clear connec�ons as ‘the great exhibi�on of the works of industry of all nuclear na�ons’. Its �tle harks back to the original

Peace on earth

61

Ken + Julia Yonetani in an earlier Global Warming performance piece, Federa�on Square Melbourne, Australia

Crystal Palace building which that ever accessible ‘Wiki’ describes as, “a cast-iron and plate-glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibi�on of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace’s 990,000 square feet (92,000 m2) of exhibi�on space to display examples of the latest technology developed in the Industrial Revolu�on… it was at the �me the largest amount of glass ever seen in a building and astonished visitors with its clear walls and ceilings that did not require interior lights, thus a ‘Crystal Palace’”.

Equally astonishing as a ‘Crystal Palace’ is Ken and Julia’s samenamed major installa�on project that emerged as a response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant incident in Japan 2011. The work is comprised of 31 chandeliers in total, one for each country that has opera�ng nuclear power plants. The chandeliers are decorated with thousands of uranium glass beads replacing tradi�onal crystals, and lit with UV bulbs. The radioac�ve isotypes in the uranium reacts with the UV to form an alluring green glow. The viewer is prompted by total interac�on, the connec�on between uranium and electricity undevia�ng within a beau�ful and powerful aesthe�c.

The ar�sts have been working on this project since 2011. Some of the chandeliers have been shown in group and solo shows in 2012 at the following venues:- NKV Wiesbaden; 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney and Artereal, Sydney along with the Queensland University of Technology Art Museum (where I was fortunate enough to happen upon it with the aforemen�oned group of 8-16 year olds who took to it like their first disco!)

Julia explains, “All 31 chandeliers, however, have not been shown in their en�rety to date” and the ar�sts plan to complete the work during their residency at ZK/U Berlin in 2013, following which they had hoped to show all 31 works of art together in one venue and it seems such dreams do come true – the Crystal Palace installa�on will be shown in full (31 chandeliers, one for each nuclear powered na�on) for the first �me at the Singapore Biennale in October 2013.

www.kenandjuliayonetani.com

Another uranium-inspired work is ‘What the Birds Knew’, which relates to uranium mining in Australia and refers to the alterna�ve �tle for Akira Kurosawa’s 1955 post-war film ‘Ikimono no kiroku/’I live in fear’ where the protagonist, frustrated by his family ignoring the threat of nuclear radia�on in Japan, declares that the birds too would flee; ar�sts Ken and Julia Yonetani, similarly, share environmental concerns with the incident of uranium discovered in the Northern Territory in 1970, close to the Gabo Djang/Green Ant Dreaming Aboriginal site. The Kuwiniku people had objec�ons to the mining of their environment, feeling threatened by the fall out of the discovery and equally so by the disturbance to their tradi�onal lands which their beliefs held, would bring misfortune to all people. Uranium can do that as illuminated by the ar�sts’ ‘take’ on the Green Ant Dreaming.

Ken + Julia Yonetani What the Birds Knew (2012) (4a Centre for Contemporary Asian Art), 6 x 3.6 x 2.8m (Uranium Glass, Metal wire, UV lights), photo courtesy the ar�sts, Artereal Gallery and GV Art London

Peace on earth

63

Homeless in Sydney, Australia, Nina Ma�hews Photography

64

inspired art

Designing out homelessness State Library of Queensland (SLQ), Australia is challenging leading designers to step outside of their comfort zone and apply their way of thinking to new contexts.

Outside is a new talk series at SLQ, which invites local, na�onal and interna�onal designers and design thinkers to contemplate a problem outside their area of exper�se, offering new and unexpected solu�ons for discussion. The series launched on September 17, 2013, with panellists being asked ‘how might we design out homelessness?’

Chris�an Duell, Manager of the SLQ Asia Pacific Design Library, said people o�en talk about design in terms of end products, but some�mes it’s be�er to think about design as a process, as a way of thinking. “Design thinking is becoming increasingly recognised as a powerful process for crea�vely exploring the challenges of the 21st century, beyond the tradi�onal realm of designing products,” said Mr Duell.

“The Think Outside series puts this idea into prac�ce. We’re excited to start the series with such a complex issue as homelessness, and are curious to see what ideas our design thinkers come up with,” he said.

The design thinkers making up the September panel were typographer and designer Catherine Griffiths, cofounder of Holloway Eyewear Raffaele Persiche�, and QUT (Queensland University of Technology) Associate Professor Dr. Barbara Adkin. Each speaker had 10 minutes to present their ideas, se�ng the pla�orm for a considered debate and discussion to follow around the prac�cal implica�ons of these new ideas. There will be a total of three events in the Think Outside series.

Following on from the September presenta�ons, October speakers explore the challenge of crea�ng sustainable ecotourism and, in November, they take a look at possibili�es for a more ethical and sustainable economic system.

slq.qld.gov.au/whats-on Peace on earth

65

The Designing minds…Catherine, Barbara and Raffaele Catherine Griffiths “An independent designer and typographer, I live and work in Auckland and Paris. My por�olio is a mix of corporate communica�on design, selfpublishing, typographic installa�ons in public and private spaces and wri�ng on design. I collaborate with ar�sts, architects and designers, scien�sts and engineers, teach, give lectures and work with students. In 2009, Simone Wolf (Typevents Italy) and I conceived, curated and organised TypeSHED11, New Zealand’s first-ever interna�onal typography symposium. My response as designer and typographer is shaped by circumstance, an apprecia�on for content and meaning, the wri�en word, and the image. Space, light and sound, the materiality of things, and the landscape, are recurring elements in my design and art-based prac�ce” – Catherine Griffiths (Studio Catherine Griffiths, New Zealand).

Barbara Adkin “I am a sociologist in the school of design at Queensland University of Technology.

My research, teaching and postgraduate supervision focus on the emerging and exci�ng intersec�on between design and sociality. Doctoral Projects I am supervising include the nature, produc�on and recep�on of visual design of climate change communica�on, and the way children with mobility related disabili�es experience urban se�ngs. I am collabora�ng with design colleagues to inves�gate the way the designed world can contribute to more seamless journeys for people with disabili�es.” – Associate Professor Dr. Barbara Adkin (QUT).

66

inspired art

Raffaele Persiche� Raffaele Persiche� (Co-founder of Holloway Eyewear) proclaims that he is passionately involved with everything that is essen�al. He is an Industrial Designer, Environmental Strategies and co-founder of the Brisbane based company Holloway Eyewear, which uses donated and scavenged recycled �mber from skate decks and guitars to create stylish glasses frames and watches. “We are crea�ng whilst reducing. The impact from our crea�on of essen�al products for people, neutralising the effect of others who have gone before us.”

Banff Mountain Film and Book Fes�val

Ringbalin – Breaking the Drought Adelaide Film Fes�val, Australia Directed by Ben Pederick

The Banff Centre October 26 - November 3, 2013, Canada

In 2010, Australia was facing the worst drought in recorded history. At the end of the river in the Coorong, Ngarrindjeri Elder Uncle Moogy grew �red of watching his ancestral home die, and so united a group of different Aboriginal River Na�ons in a 2300-kilometre pilgrimage to dance the spirit back into the river and into themselves. By the �me they had finished the drought had broken and what followed was the we�est wet season in living memory with floods throughout the basin.

Cast: Major Sumner, Cheryl Buchannan, Peter Williams, Tal-kin-jeri Dance Group, Kooma/Gwamu Ngyiaampa and Ngarrindjeri tribal dancers and performers.

Showing: Wednesday October 16, 4.30pm, Palace Nova, Adelaide.

The Fes�val brings you the world’s best mountain films and speakers to The Banff Centre (which opened in 1933 in the awesome mountains of Banff Na�onal Park).

Billed as the largest arts and crea�vity incubator on the planet, working at the intersec�on of art and ideas with a mission being to inspire crea�vity, all located within the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Centre Is commi�ed to educa�on and environmental awareness.

“There’s no ques�on about the role that nature plays at Banff. Because you are right up against the earth. It reminds you of what is really important,” – Ann-Marie MacDonald, award-winning author and actor, Banff Centre alumna.

For more informa�on from the website or The Banff Centre’s environmental policies, go to

www.adelaidefilmfes�val.org

www.banffcentre.ca/mountainfes�val

The Transi�ons Film Fes�val October/November, Australia Australia’s largest solu�ons-focussed sustainability film fes�val showcases powerful, inspiring and ground-breaking films from around the world. Covering topics such as renewable energy, organics and permaculture, economics, design and consciousness, the fes�val hopes to share and inspire the change needed to create true social and environmental sustainability. A�er an enormously successful program in Melbourne and Darwin the Transi�ons Film Fes�val heads to Alice Springs in October (24 & 25) and Adelaide in November (1-10).

Vancouver Interna�onal Film Fes�val September 26 - October 11, 2013, Canada VIFF is among the five largest film fes�vals in North America, screening films from 80 countries on 10 screens.

The interna�onal line-up includes the pick of the world’s top film fests and many undiscovered gems. www.viff.org

www.transi�onsfilmfes�val.com Peace on earth

67

An unlikely environment ~Afrika Tikkun~ Photographs and Words by Rich Field, African correspondent

Where does the environment that we ‘should’ care about begin or end?

Which environments are okay not to care about?

68

inspired art

Lunch�me

Clockwise: Diepsloot Social Worker, Children in Diepsloot, Sleeping Peacefully

who look to protect the wilderness areas of Africa might a�end a march to try and protect rhinos from being poached, but they o�en wouldn’t think anything of a poor child in a township that is literally wall to wall people. The townships are viewed as an environment which is of li�le or no consequence to the protec�on of Africa’s wilderness areas. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

In many ways, these townships are akin to the slums of India and the people are the poorest of the poor – so why should we or anyone care about them or the environment they live in?

I recently visited a charity project in a township outside of Johannesburg and was granted photographic permission to capture these accompanying portraits of the children. Such projects aim to support those in the community who need it the most – the poorest children and, in par�cular orphans as young as eight years of age who are looking a�er a household of younger siblings. Amongst many other things, the charity educates underprivileged kids up to primary level, provides them with a solid daily meal and sends food parcels into specific shanty houses in the township. They also offer HIV support, have sports and educa�on/computer literacy programs and outreach programs with trained social workers.

70

inspired art

For many years, the children in these areas have been le� to fend for themselves. Now, however, these projects are crea�ng opportuni�es for thousands of kids who would otherwise have nothing. Instead of resor�ng to crime and destruc�on they now have the poten�al to grow up with pride in themselves and hope for the future. This is the solid founda�on Africa needs to see more of if it is going to conserve its remarkable wildlife and wilderness areas. It is humanitarian work, but it is also grass roots conserva�on.

If our effort to conserve our ‘environment’ doesn’t start at the grass roots, then any other a�empts to protect it will ul�mately be fu�le – we o�en need to start in the unlikeliest of places!

When planning safaris for people to southern Africa, I encourage them to visit the townships and these projects in par�cular, as it provides the necessary context for people wan�ng to gain a full understanding of Africa and the long term issues that it faces. It is also inspiring and moving to see so much good taking place, and so many happy faces!

The charity - Afrika Tikkun (www.afrika�kkun.org) is one of only a handful of chari�es that Nelson Mandela has chosen to retain his connec�on with - a worthy cause!

Peace on earth

71

Rainbow Nation

by Alana Hall Coast music collec�ve Hayden Hack Infusion combine a funk, Afro and psychedelic aesthe�c fronted

by South African main man and guitarist Hayden Hack. Essen�ally sharing a vibe with the likes of Fela Ku� and a circa 70’s Zappa, the band incorporates West African percussion, a three-piece horn sec�on, acidy guitar arrangements and a conscious social commentary.

In 2009, Hayden Hack wrote the song ‘Rainbow Na�on’ – a tribute to his fellow countryman and hero Nelson Mandela and as an expression of his own desire to see a world living in peace and harmony. “Being from South Africa, Nelson Mandela has always been an inspira�on to me for his endless commitment to racial equality, unity and peace. Even from his prison cell on Robbin Island he held the hearts of so many South Africans, and he s�ll does at 95 years old, he is amazing,” said Hack.

A sen�ment of peace and unity, the term ‘Rainbow Na�on’ was coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to describe post-apartheid South Africa and encapsulated mul�-culturalism and the comingtogether of people of many different na�ons, in a country once iden�fied with the strict division of white and black.

Regulars on the Australian community fes�val circuit, the band recognises the value of fes�vals in connec�ng people, nature and 72

inspired art

humanity, ci�ng Woodford Folk Fes�val and Kuranda Roots Fes�val as two of the most naturally beau�ful gatherings they have experienced. Hack explains, “Fes�vals are an environment in which people let go a bit more and feel communal, the way it needs to be all the �me in life. It’s all about working together for a common goal in unity; without music and fes�vals, there would be no humanity”.

On a broader scale, Hack is concerned that there is not enough music in the mainstream with conscious lyrics, songs that can bring change or enlighten people to a certain issue. “I am very concerned also about our environment because it seems the vast majority of the popula�on and the powers that be don’t really care what happens.” he said.

While things may seem bleak, the front man and his band maintain a posi�ve outlook as reflected in the lyrics of their song ‘A Mirror’ – We have the strength to break down the walls of our past / We have the strength to then make this last / We have the power of mind to create a new future / We have the power of consciousness, sub-consciousness not to be led by fear.

The band release their debut album in the coming months, go to

www.reverbna�on.com/haydenhackinfusion

Hayden Hack Infusion

Rainbow Na�on A tribute to Nelson Mandela Wri�en by Hayden Hack An African man I am Born into a Rainbow Na�on The colour of our skin no ma�er no It’s the blood thatIt’s the blood that run See my history could be be�er I have never been much of a reader but the way I, I see it We grow all our Knowledge through experience And I lived it Watched it as a child every day As an An African man I am Born into a Rainbow Na�on The colour of our skin no ma�er no It’s the blood that It’s the blood that run From a family (repeat) See for most of his life-�me of 27 years They exiled him to an island out of fear And they almost almost sent him blind Through forcing him to dig down, down, down deep in the quarries of lime For his “crimes against humanity”????

No, no they didn’t see No, no they didn’t see What is Unity He was a visionary He was a Visionary eeeeehhh!!

Then as as he walked out with his head held high Screaming AMANDLA!!! (power in Zulu) With his fist in the sky Singin’ freedom for all Freedom, freedom for all (repeat) Cause we know that everything will be OK, one day OK OK OK OK OK one day One day...

Global Event Guide Email editor@earth-emag.com (by December 1) with your earth-inspired art happenings from February 1, 2014.

World of WearableArt (WOW) September 26 - October 6, 2013, NZ

Green Fes�val, USA October 19-20 Los Angeles LA Mart

Dubbed ‘Mardi Gras meets haute couture’, New Zealand’s WOW or World of WearableArt is a uniquely ‘Kiwi’ event mixing high fashion and art in a spectacular stage show which a�racts entries and audiences from all over the world.

November 9-10 San Francisco Concourse Exhibi�on Centre Green Fes�val is the na�on’s largest green marketplace for the conscious consumer. Every vendor has earned the Green America Seal of Approval for their commitment to social and environmental responsibility.

www.worldofwearableart.com Ar�sts for Conserva�on Fes�val September 27 - October 6, 2013, Canada The third annual Ar�sts for Conserva�on Fes�val is an art and environmental educa�on event, featuring a top conserva�on themed art exhibit and sale with leading nature and wildlife ar�sts and naturalists. The event also includes guest lectures, workshops for youth and adults, documentary films, live pain�ng demos, music and cultural performances.

www.fes�val.ar�stsforconserva�on.org Nina Ba�ley - Nes�ng Season throughout October, Australia Paul Johnstone Gallery, Darwin, NT Nina Ba�ley’s exhibi�on ‘Nes�ng Season’ is based on her interpreta�ons of the cycle of life; the seasons, breeding and nes�ng. Inspired by the ongoing shi�ing changes in our natural environment, the exhibi�on reflects the fragili�es, rhythms, sounds, melodies, heart beats of the land and the life within it. The pain�ngs embody these shi�ing changes and are threaded together by grids and the bea�ng lines of life.

www.ccae.com.au 74

inspired art

www.greenfes�vals.org Tauranga Arts Fes�val October 24 - 3 November 3, 2013, NZ The biennial Tauranga Arts Fes�val takes over the Bay of Plenty city for 10 days with a packed event programme of music, theatre, cabaret and exhibi�ons. The schedule includes the latest from New Zealand’s best playwrights, performers and dancers, theatre direct from world stages, live music, a literary programme, major exhibi�ons, a schools programme, and street theatre covering 80 events.

www.taurangafes�val.co.nz Life Art Worldwide October 25 - November 3, Australia Life Art Worldwide is an Art Expo and Art Award designed to recognise and promote visual ar�sts from all around the world. $25 000 worth of awards are on offer to ar�sts exhibi�ng at Life Art Worldwide. For 10 days (October 25 - November 3, 2013) Life Art Worldwide brings the best publishers, galleries and collectors in the industry face-to-face with established and emerging ar�sts, crea�ng the world’s finest

contemporary art marketplace on the beau�ful Sunshine Coast, Australia.

www.lifeartworldwide.com

Buy Nothing Day November 28 & 29 Worldwide Buy Nothing Day is a simple idea, which challenges consumer culture by asking us to switch off from shopping for a day. It’s a global stand off from consumerism – celebrated as a holiday by some and street party for others!

Anyone can take part provided they spend a day without spending!

The Interna�onal Buy Nothing Day is a day full of cheerful and peaceful ac�ons and ac�vi�es to confront the shopping audience in western countries with the consequences of overconsump�on and the influence of adver�sing on daily lives.

Buy Nothing Day will be celebrated in Australia, Belgium, Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States on November 28 & 29.

www.adbusters.org/campaigns/bnd

Areeba Areeba, it’s Festival time!

There’s no room for any summer�me sadness in the southern hemisphere with a steady run of fes�vals down under, and new ones like Boomerang added to the fold. Here’s a snapshot and checkpoint for some of the best Aussie fes�vals:Boomerang Fes�val October 4-6 A new world Indigenous Fes�val for all Australians with a perfect blend of Australia and interna�onal ar�sts coming together. Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia.

www.boomerangfes�val.com.au Caloundra Music Fes�val October 4-7 The seventh Caloundra Music Fes�val brings Kings Beach and surrounds alive to the sounds of a diverse line-up of entertainment featuring the best of the Australian music industry as well as famous interna�onal ar�sts.

www.caloundramusicfes�val.com

Sydney Fes�val January 9-26

MONA FOMA January 15-19

Full program announced on October 23, the tagline is ‘This is our city in summer’. Enjoy 23 days of dance, theatre, music, visual arts, talks and family events.

Acronym for Museum of Old and New Art: Fes�val of Music and Art, an annual fes�val based in Hobart, Tasmania, curated by Brian Ritchie bass player from the rock band Violent Femmes. It’s Tasmania’s largest contemporary music fes�val and showcases the work of ar�sts in a broad range of art forms, including sound, noise, dance, theatre, visual art, performance and new media.

www.sydneyfes�val.org.au/2014 Interna�onal Woodford Folk Fes�val December 27, 2013 - January 1, 2014 Held annually over six days and six nights, Woodford Folk Fes�val delivers concerts, dances, street theatre, writers’ panels, film fes�val, comedy sessions, acous�c jams, social dialogue and debate, folk medicine, an en�re children’s fes�val, an environmental programme featuring talks, debates and films, art and cra� workshops, circus performances and workshops, late night cabarets, parades and special happenings including a spectacular fire event.

www.woodfordfolkfes�val.com Falls Music and Arts Fes�val December 29 - January 3 Over three loca�ons of Marion Bay Tasmania (December 29 - January 1), Lorne Victoria (December 28 - January 1- sold out) and Byron Bay New South Wales (December 28 - January 3)

www.fallsfes�val.com.au Midsumma January 12 - February 2

10 years in Busseltown, Western Australia, Southbound Fes�val celebrates the best of music and camping with a strong commitment to treading lightly on the planet.

Melbourne’s premier celebra�on of Queer culture will be running 26 years in 2014 and you’re invited to the party. Complete program launched late November/early December, a�er which the program will be available both online and in print. Program guide and �ckets can be purchased to all �cketed 2014 events.

www.southboundfes�val.com.au/info

www.midsumma.org.au

Southbound 2014 January 3-4

www.mofo.net.au Laneway Fes�val January 26 - February 9 Star�ng up out the back of St. Jerome’s bar in Melbourne, it expanded and moved out of the city streets to every Australian capital city as well as Singapore and Auckland. This year hosts Chet Faker among others.

www.lanewayfes�val.com

Let’s go fly a kite!

Sunday, November 10 Tickle Park, Coolum Beach, Australia The Kite Component for The Surfrider Founda�on Eco Challenge 2013 is a free community event held annually at Coolum Beach, Queensland, showcasing green and sustainable culture, leisure and business. The event features live music, a wooden sur�oard event, awesome skateboard jam and demos, interac�ve art and eco-workshops, massive kites on the beach, drums on the beach and an eco-village filled with market stalls. The event is designed to create awareness about Sunshine Coast issues and the environment through sustainability ini�a�ves and supports Surfrider Founda�on’s “Rise Above Plas�cs” campaign.

www.surfriderecochallenge.com www.goldendaysfes�val.com Peace on earth

75

How much can a polar bear?

Serious Comedian and Woodford regular Rod Quantock has issued eARTh an exclusive scoop with a ques�onnaire to challenge all Readers.

measures the pulse of the planet.

The prognosis: We are about to open the gates of hell and throw our children through them. It’s the climate, you see, we’re changing it, and as far as the climate is concerned a change is as good as a holocaust. But before we go any further, take a moment to complete the following ques�onnaire:

I, (insert name) a) don’t expect to be alive in 2050. b) do expect to be alive in 2050.

If you answered a) you’re a winner!

You have lived a full, happy, healthy life in the best of all 76

inspired art

possible carbon-fuelled worlds. In your wake, a decades-long trail of ecological devasta�on and carbon dioxide emissions.

But hey, you won’t be around when the CO2 really hits the fan, so jackpot, you win! If you don’t want to know what happens when the CO2 really hits the fan, and believe me, you don’t, stop reading now. Spare yourself the torments of pi�less despair and remorseless guilt and watch a ki�en on YouTube. We’ll give you a minute. Tick, �ck, �ck, �ck, �ck. If you’re s�ll reading, why don’t you join those who answered b) and follow me?

Okay, here we are. Make yourselves comfortable; tea, coffee and Nembutal are over there. Right, let’s not beat around the bushfires — the climate is changing. The science has

been in for decades, and not just any science, it’s every science: physics, chemistry, biology, geology, palaeontology, microbiology, meteorology and a hundred other mutually informed ‘ologies all know we are changing the climate, how we are changing it and how fast we are changing it. (It’s really fast!)

Nature will be unable to adapt to the speed of the changing condi�ons in the gas chamber of our choking atmosphere.

Forests and reefs will become deserts and icecaps will melt.

(Do you really want to be the one who tells the kiddies that Father Christmas drowned?) Everything from worms to civilisa�on will be ex�nct within the life�me of a child born today, and their children, should they make it, will make it with as li�le as 50 per cent of all things bright and beau�ful to keep them company. (Sorry, God!) The symptoms of our rising fever are evident everywhere — the ho�est day, the ho�est month, the ho�est year, the ho�est decade, the longest drought, the worst floods, the worst fires, the worst storms, the highest rate of species ex�nc�on. All these symptoms will increase in fury, sweeping away the livelihoods and lives of millions. Hunger, disease and resource wars will take millions more.

If we do nothing about climate change… Incidentally what are we doing about climate change? Altogether now: Nothing! If we do nothing about climate change, by the 2030’s unquenchable bushfires will roar their way into our sprawling outer suburbs, making Black Saturday look like Pancake Tuesday. Tens of thousands will flee the flames to the inner ci�es. Power will fail, services will collapse, food shortages and heat will gnaw at the popula�on, riots and loo�ng will explode on the streets, and the Australian Tennis

Open will be cancelled. And that’s just the beginning of the end! If you answered b), panic!

These are not the ran�ngs of a madman. If you want the ran�ngs of a madman, you’ll have to go to any one of the many deluded fossil fools and unctuous toadies who swing from the teats of the Dark Lords of Carbon.

There is no �me for the denier, no room for the scep�c and no punishment too great for the liar. Climate science isn’t a fraud or a swindle, science has no ulterior mo�ve, no hidden agenda. It isn’t a socialist conspiracy to overthrow capitalism or a plot to create a one world government.

Climate scien�sts aren’t dishonest and they don’t make it up just so they can wallow in the rivers of gold that flow from the public purse into research.

So let’s just get it over and done with now: Anyone who denies human induced climate change is either: wilfully ignorant a buffoon an ex-PR consultant to the tobacco lobby with a lifestyle to maintain or a big, fat liar.

Tick a box, deniers and scep�cs, and please note you may �ck more than one box. Whatever you �ck, just shut up. And for the rest of you, start screaming! Oh, and did I men�on the oil is running out? Con�nue screaming.

Email Rod at coming.clean09@gmail.com

www.quantock.com.au Peace on earth

77

artists supporting earth supporting artists KIM SCHOENBERGER

CONTEMPORARY ARTIST www.kimschoenberger.com

78

inspired art

79

inspired art

Peace on earth

79