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Summer Issue 21 * 2015

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editor’s rave I feel a little like the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. Running late for a very important date and soon to be spiralling down a dark hole that leads to a chaotic wonderland. It’s nearly Christmas and it’s the time of the year when life gets pretty hectic.

That’s why this issue is coming out so late.

The whole of the hillscene team has had a few commitments on the go which have meant we’ve all been a bit behind.

One such commitment was the End of the Line festival in Belgrave which happened last weekend. It was a huge success, with so many live bands and art readliy available and a festive atmosphere, there was plenty to see and do. I too had a few works in the festival.

I painted one of the plywood boards and I had some dolls I’d made with my kids in the dollhouse exhibition.

The “hillsceneLIVe - on a roll” artwork hanging in the Cameo tunnel was our contribution from the hillscene. The six metre long print featured photos from all four hillsceneLIVE mini festivals. I think it showcased the events beautifully and was

very pleased with the result. Special thanks go to Bernard and the team from Ferntree Print who are always happy to accommodate my ideas, often on short notice.

With such a busy season coming, it’s good to know that once Christmas is over there will be time to relax. Summer is finally upon us and it’s time to get out and enjoy the long days and catch up with friends and family.

So instead of stressing about being late and rushing from one important date to the next, just enjoy the ride down the dark hole to the wonderland that exists beyond.

Editor/Designer Adriana Alvarez Cover Dairmaid Fennessy Editorial Committee Ross Farnell, Amy Middleton, Gareth Hart, Zoe Amber Preston Contributors Dairmaid Fennessy, Carolyn Oates, Zoe Amber Preston, Libby Maitland, Kate Borradaile, Sarah O’Connor, Joni Cornell, Dawna Richardson-Hyde, Elaine Pullum, Gülsen Özer, Fergus Floyd, Toni Main, Dr Faye Stone, Amy Laker Bruni, Gareth Hart, Amy Middleton, Tiffany Morris North and Adriana Alvarez facebook: The Hillscene www.hillscene.com.au blog: hillsceneblog.wordpress.com/ For submission and advertising enquiries e: hillscene@westnet.com.au Printed by Ferntree Print on Envirocare 100gsm recycled paper. © Copyright 2015

The hillscene is created in partnership with Burrinja Proudly sponsored by

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WOW! Great Cover Words and images by Amy Middleton BOYS just wanna have fun! After a very serious stretch at VCA and exhibiting in the city during the 90’s and early naughty’s, Dairmaid Fennessy decided to leave art alone. He gave up his studio in Flinders Lane and decided to invest in other areas of his life – like having a social life and skateboarding!

This push-back on the Melbourne art scene seems to be in keeping with this stubborn Scorpio who by his own admittance finds having something to react against very useful.

Interrupted by a playful chuckle he said, “If you ask me to do something – I will probably do the opposite.” From the few brief conversations we have had, I don’t think Dairmaid’s headstrong nature is ill intended – if anything, I get the sense that the freedom to carve his own path brings out the best in him.

It was when he took the pressure off his art practice, that he rediscovered how fun it was.

He kept making from his studio at home (in other words, whilst sitting on the sofa). It was around the same time that he got back on his skateboard! Dairmaid explained, “I used to

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skateboard a lot – I probably loved it more than art. I learnt to draw by copying the skateboard graphics of Andy Jenkins and TransWORLD magazines as a teenager. Skateboarding is a very mindful practise that teaches you. If you put effort into something and stay clear - you will be able to do it!”

Drawing has always been a part of Dairmaids life, as a kid his parents would give him a sketchbook and Derwent pencils each holiday to keep him entertained. Sketchbooks are still a big part of his life and their small portable nature is a reminder to let go of the idea that art needs to be something very important. Now, as an Art teacher at Upwey High School – he often shares his sketchbooks with his students and finds himself being inspired by them. Teaching has brought back the fun of making and has stretched him technically. He said, “My students

often ask me how to draw things like – a skeleton coming out of a unicorns bum for example. (Yes – let’s please stop for a second and enjoy this mental imagery).

Together we figure it out by breaking down the drawing process.”

If we are influenced by the people we spend the most time with, it’s no wonder Dairmaid’s work features a humorous subject matter. He works with teenagers all day, and then heads home to his kids whose tiny toys and faces seem to litter his sketchbooks and drawings.

Other than Dairmaid’s edgy and playful aesthetic, it was one of his parting comments that impressed me most. He explained, “When you spend all day with teenagers you start listening to yourself. I want to make sure that what I say and do is fair and is representative of who I am.

I always ask myself – would your sixteen year old self want to spend time with you?

Would he like you? The answer - Yeah, I think I would be alright with me!”

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Wired for sound Art Words by Carolyn Oates You describe yourself as a sound and video artist, can you explain a little more what that means?

The mediums I work with are mainly sound and video. With sound I have a few projects both solo and with other artists - mainly focusing on creating musical pieces using non traditional methods. Say making sound from unexpected things - for example a violin bow across a copper pipe. I also create videos in a similar aesthetic, usually on a commissioned basis, be it music videos or large installations.

Can you tell us about some projects that you’ve worked on?

I’ve been lucky as a practicing artist to work on a variety of projects - most recently I’ve done visual (live video performance) and stage design for Melbourne Music Week event Video Killed the Radio, and managed the tour for German experimental act Oake including curating the visual design for the Melbourne event. I’m currently working on a few new bodies of musical work including a conceptual piece of work that explores an environment (Buchan Caves). Besides that I just finished building my studio at Burrinja.

What is the most exciting part of the work that you do?

The variety, and I don’t mind the weird hours/lack of routine and then the people you get to engage and work with.

What is the most challenging part of the works you produce?

I think realising my vision given the limitations of time, money and space - as most of my works are temporal in nature.

It is finding the funds to realise them and the spaces or environments that are appropriate.

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How do you gather inspiration for projects, do you have a particular process you follow?

Living in the Hills you are lucky to be surrounded by natural environments that present great contrasts in the violence and beauty of nature - I spend a lot of time exploring and just letting ideas and concepts develop naturally.

Do you have a project coming up soon that we can go and hear/see?

I’ve recently finished a large body of sound works so will be spending most of the summer working on a large commissioned project and preparing for a tour next year.

I’ll be part of Open Studios at Burrinja too so you will be able to get a behind the scenes look at my studio. I will have a large interactive installation setup for audiences to go behind the scenes.

Where can we go and check out your work? www.lostfew.com is the best place to find samples of my work and to contact me

cafe tarts Cafe Have Ya bean - Upwey We decided to visit one of Upweys old favourites, Cafe Have ya Bean. The day we visited was really busy and although we waited a little while to order, the staff acknowledged us as soon as we sat down.

After ordering, our meal arrived in a timely manner.

I decided on Eggs Delicious and just like its name, it was delicious. Toasted turkish bread with bacon, avocado, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. My accomplice had the BLT with pesto chicken. This also held up to expectations. The serve was quite large and difficult to finish.

The menu had plenty to choose from and the prices were reasonable, ranging between $9.50 and $15.00. All the food we saw looked fresh and appetising but nothing was particularly new or exciting, eggs bene and florentine, wraps, salads and toasted ciabattas. This is not always a bad thing, you know exactly what you’re getting and therefore won’t be disappointed.

The cakes and sweets, on the other hand, were a bit different. We chose the paleo chocolate truffle, a sliver of a slice was all you needed with this rich and chocolatey sweet. The other cake we tried was the orange and pinenut cake, orangey and syrupy, (and beautifully moist. Ed) this was a decent size and was difficult to finish after our lunch.

The coffee (and chai latte) was great and is a testament to the longevity of this little cafe. The staff were friendly and attentive and kept things under control when things were busy.

All in all, this funky little cafe is well worth the visit.

12 Main St, Upwey facebook - Cafe Have Ya Bean Tiffany Morris-North Tiffany is a passionate artist/crafter/foodie living with her family in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges. Follow her adventures on her facebook page Tiffany Morris-North artist.

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art practice

tbC updated Words by Zoe Amber Preston

Change is an inevitable thing in our lives and being responsive to it allows for exciting new experiences. Founder of the Hills based youth art collective tbC, Tiffaney Bishop, welcomes change as it breathes life and energy into the arts model she and her young collaborators are creating. “Being responsive to change is really important to the sustainability of alternative art programs. It helps these programs stay fresh and relevant”, says Tiffaney.

Change is exactly what the members of tbC, are experiencing. One of the biggest changes to date is a name change from tiffaney bishop COLLECTIVE to tbC australia, which reflects the growing status and engagement of the young membership. “I’m no longer the only lead artist in the group, with many young artists piloting creative ideas and projects”. The name change reflects a more egalitarian work space, one that recognises that all members, regardless of age, can conceive and direct artistic projects” says Tiffaney.

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The second big change (in the same year) is the relocation of tbCs studio, from a large space in the heart of Belgrave to a smaller one at Upwey’s Burrinja. The main reason for the move is a financial one. “We think it’s a smart move to reduce our major operating cost by downsizing the studio space, allowing us to direct more funds toward members and creative projects,” says Tiffaney. “Anyway, most of the artistic work tbC creates is based in public, gallery, online and digital spaces and don’t necessarily require a large studio space to produce”. Most community art projects have to manage financial pressures like this in order to sustain their practice and existence. Even though tbC is fortunate to have the support of the Yarra Ranges Council with medium term small funding, supporting the groups’ artistic development is a higher priority than a large studio to operate from. Having said that, locating tbC at Upwey’s Burrinja offers the group a sophisticated, artistic context in which to continue its practice. Despite the studio being

significantly smaller, the members are very excited about this new chapter.

Over the next year or two tbC is planning to continue developing its existing creative projects and exhibition program, as well as developing a number of new projects and exhibitions. The building of small revenue streams is also a major priority. For example, the group plans to further develop its successful paid art workshop program that offers people from all over Melbourne the chance to visit the studio for creative sessions led by one of the studio’s young artists and/ or mentors. As well as the development of its paid VCE Art Tour program that sees schools, as far away as Templestowe and Mornington, visiting the studio to experience tbCs unique youth driven arts training model. tbC also plans to extend the number of corporate commissions it receives each year.

For example, in 2014 tbC was paid to paint 35 drain lids in Belgrave and the CBD for Melbourne Water and the Department of Environment and Primary Industries. Such commissions not only support tbCs operating costs, they financially reward young artists for their work and extend unique professional

training and development opportunities to young members.

The group is building a significant street art project in Belgrave’s Blacksmiths Way that is offering young and older mentor artist’s high profile opportunities to paint works on the back walls of shops lining Burwood Highway.

This project is gaining significant momentum and attention and the group hopes to host paid tours of the street artwork within the next 12 months.

In addition to these exciting creative projects, tbC, is in the process of designing an online shop with the help of young member Sonja Louise, who is a recently trained graphic designer. The online shop will feature original artworks and limited edition prints for sale, presenting young member artists to a national, even international, art market. tbC is excited about its future! If you’d like to hear more about tbC and its projects or are interested in becoming a young member or mentor artist, like/contact us on facebook and instagram (just search tbCaustralia).

You can also find out more about us at tbCaustralia.org.

an eclectic mix of local culture experience a ‘hillscene’ moment magazine & blog www.hillscene.com.au

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www.hillsceneblog.wordpress.com

Green your Christmas With so much gifting going on at this time of year, it’s good to come up with novel ways to keep our Christmas carbon footprint low. One way is by buying local and with these recycled/upcycled gifts you can be giving things a new life too.

found by Zoe Amber Preston Seven Pages - 357 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road, Sassafras Susan Brown, Ann-Maree Baker and Max Lancaster turn pages from an old dictionary into beautiful prints of birds and butterflies. $39 each, extra $10 for custom print www.sevenpages.com.au Olinda Collective - 5/540 Mount Dandenong Tourist Rd, Olinda Made by Ciara Cosgrave of Alimentar Artisan Rugs.

Handmade rugs made from fabric yarn found from op shops and the ends of clothes fabric sourced from Spain. search for Alimentar Artisan rugs Price range $65 - $120, $750 for 2 metre rug www.olindacollective.com

found by Gareth Hart Emerald Men’s Shed 402 Main St, Emerald 1. Tool / shed box.

Upcycled from timber pallets 2. O ne of a kind clock Upcycled from tree prunings of the oval next door!

Price range $10 to $30

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found by Amy Middleton

Belgrave Emporium - 1662 Burwood Hwy, Belgrave Repurposed creations from DeCoite Sculptures made by Rodney McKenzie - 0401 852 882.

Prices range from $110 for a Driftwood Christmas Tree to $370 for a Copper Light. decoitebydesign www.belgraveemporium.com

Belgrave Emporium - 1662 Burwood Hwy, Belgrave ZUS Hand painted & Coloured cutlery and serving ware. $9.99 for a Butter Spreader, Cake Fork or Sugar Spoon. www.zus.com.au www.belgraveemporium.com

Walk in Wardrobe Vintage Shop 1694 Burwood Hwy, Belgrave Potted plants made from recycled vintage crockery by Danielle DeValence Price range $10-$20 Vintage recycled clothing and accessories for men and women.

Price Range $10-$80 walk in wardrobe vintage

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found by Adriana Alvarez

Wilga - 83 Monbulk Rd, Kallista My personal favourite! Custom made dress from recycled skirt fabric. I’ve had this wrap around skirt since I was pregnant with my first son (over thirteen years ago). I finally had it made into this beautiful party season dress from an existing Wilga pattern with some fabric added for the top. $70 if made to an existing pattern. $85-$90 for custom made orders. www.wilgaclothing.com

Leaf Studios - 77 Monbulk Rd, Kallista Jewellery made from recycled textiles and metal parts by Roz Lehmann of Made on the Mountain.

Made on the Mountain Price range $22 - $118 www.leafstudios.com.au

Leaf Studios - 77 Monbulk Rd, Kallista Who doesn’t love a jumpsuit? Handmade and dyed clothing, bags and furnishings made from recycled vintage fabrics by Feather at your foot.

Feather at your foot Jumpsuit $100 Price range $50 - $160 www.leafstudios.com.au

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Beautiful Wasteland Words by Libby Maitland Jacqui and I met at university when we were involved in student activist groups. Jacqui and her partner Tim started a group called Hooked: students for Fair Trade that I became involved with. We lobbied the cafes at universities to switch to FairTrade coffee when the idea was much less widespread than it is today. We were out of touch for a few years but reconnected in the hills. We now live on the same property; co-housing I guess you could say. Jacqui believes strongly in walking gently on the earth and challenges the norms that our culture has set for us in terms of consumption.

These values are so clear in her work.

One balmy Spring evening, I caught up with Jacqui Grace of Beautiful Wasteland to chat about her artistic endeavours and her workshops to allow others to enter the journey of eco-dyeing.

With our children running around us, and the sound of cicadas attempting to drown out our voices, we laughed about embracing the messyness and interconnectedness of everything around us.

Tell me about the eco-dyeing (eco-printing) process.

It starts off with collecting the materials that you will print with. I gather different leaves that I find in the garden and within walking distance. I select scraps of metal such as tin cans, bits of copper piping, and other salvaged pieces that people find or give me. I bundle up the plant matter and the metal scraps into a piece of material or water-

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colour paper and ‘cook’ them in a pot for a period of time. Different metals of the pot and also the metals in bundle act as a mordant to set the dye and will influence the colour.

When do you find time to work on your art?

I don’t sleep (laughs). Aside from the dyeing, I do nearly everything at night time. I have recently been working on a dress for my masters of therapeutic arts practice. I completed most of that in the middle of the night, when it was freezing cold. That was the only time I had to do it. The windows of opportunity I get to work are always enough. When I need to do work for markets or for an order, the momentum is there and I just try to follow the flow the rest of the time.

When did you first start eco-printing?

About 3 years ago I went to the Open Studios weekend and visited Jude Craig’s studio. I already had an interest in the technique and had a book about it at home. Jude offered a demonstration and after that I went home and started experimenting. It worked. There were prints! It was Winter time and our woodfire was always going so it was easy to put a pot on the stove with different bundles of material and organic material that I had found in the garden.

What mediums did you use before eco-dyeing?

Acrylics, drawing, writing and clay. I was starting to question the use of acrylic paints from an environmental perspective and also found that

I was creating something I already knew. With eco-printing it feels like there is more possibility for something new to emerge. The outcome is out of your own control. I can’t choose what is going to happen. I have input, but it is a collaboration with the materials. The less I try, the more interesting it is!

People often contribute items to my work and I see them as part of the ecology of it too.

How do you facilitate people to explore this technique in your workshops?

Eco-dyeing is a process that allows investigation, which is why it lends itself so well to workshops for creative expression and personal enquiry. In my workshops and women’s circles, I offer a processoriented practice, believing that paying attention to how we create offers a window into the patterns of our lived experience. As we notice these, we can experiment with our preferred way of being in the safe container of creative expression.

Find out more at www.beautifulwasteland.com.au Libby Maitland Libby is a local who loves all things creative. She is a dancer, yoga teacher, mother, and constant gardener.

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including music, business and finance and health and community service. The six month course covered tuition, rights, theory and performance, all with the aim of being a self employed music teacher. Music as a second language was a component of the course, aimed at teaching children in Primary School. Starting with drawing in sounds in the junior years and working up levels as they go. Each child in the class gets a keyboard to work with and this method has been used with success in Primary Schools in Oakleigh. Being a piano player this part of the course really caught Tina’s attention.

Striking a chord Words by Sarah O’Connor

After inheriting my late father’s piano I decided that after many years of wanting to learn how to play I finally would – at 49. I put an ad on a local buy swap and sell site, asking if there were any piano teachers who are local to me in Upwey and two people came up with the same name – Tina Storey. Tina had moved here from Germany two years ago and had just started a new way of teaching piano. I just wanted to play, classical and rock being my aims. My dream song is that fabulous Mozart one called Rondo Alla Turca, it’s very fast and furious and I absolutely love it.

I know it will be a while until I will be able to play it but I believe in aiming high.

I’ve been blown away with what I have learnt already. I started off with the Beethoven song Ode to Joy in my first week. The basic version of course but I’ve quickly progressed to play Moderato with four fingers at a time within a matter of months. I have learnt using numbers for my fingers and Tina shares that it’s quite easy to adapt songs into those numbers. Eventually I will learn to read music but learning this way keeps the interest up which for kids would be a real selling point. I am looking forward to learning some Christmas songs next. I’m not sure that my family share my enthusiasm!

I spoke with Tina about what makes her method of teaching so different to the traditional method.

Tina did a Certificate 4 in music at MWT institute in Oakleigh, they offer various courses

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She had been taught the piano in quite a strict setting and, while she loves playing the piano, she could see the benefits of teaching with a more relaxed approach. Her own learning experience had been very boring, which can be counter productive to enjoying playing an instrument. With this method, Tina can still give the students a good variety and repertoire before the theory side is introduced. It keeps the interest and fun in music lessons. Learning this way still gives you accuracy, fluency and expression, just by a different avenue.

The tutor who taught music as a second language also teaches piano at the University of the Third Age, a volunteer run not-for-profit organisation aimed at providing learning opportunities to people aged 50+.

Tina is based in the Patch and is very adaptable to not only individual situations but song varieties.

She currently teaches adults and children, including a child on the autism spectrum as one of her students. She could readily teach children who are being home schooled, giving them the same opportunities that they would get in a mainstream school setting.

For prices and availability you can contact Tina on 0488 707 728 or by email on tina.storey@yahoo.de Sarah Hitchings O’Connor Sarah is a freelance writer/autism advocate and mum living in the Dandenong Ranges with her family. She has a website at www.asliceofsarah.com and an autism blog at www.autisticchildren.com.au.

She also co-hosts an autism information channel on you tube which has a website at www.jaschat.com

words Lazy River Writers Writing can be a lonely and frustrating occupation, but joining a writing group that is supportive and meets regularly, can help overcome the writing blues.

This year, the Lazy River Writers notch up their fifteenth birthday. Members have come and gone over the years, but there is now a longstanding group of eight women (plus an honorary member who moved to Queensland) who write, perform and are published in a variety of genres.

Meetings started at the Lazy River Café in Belgrave, and that’s where the name originated, but they soon moved to the quieter space of Belgrave Library and have stayed there ever since.

Member Vicki Thornton says, ‘The group has given me the confidence to perform my work…not merely read from a page, but to recite, to engage the audience and be able to deliver a performance.’

Caroline Stills loves writing for young people of all ages: she has had several picture books published both in Australia and overseas, and is currently working on a young adult novel.

Jenni Ivins says though she’s had a pleasing rate of success when she’s submitted or entered her work in the public sphere, her greatest satisfaction has been derived from using her words in clear communications that achieve her “real world” goals.

Nola Wernicke lists her greatest achievement as getting a haiku shortlisted in the FreeXpression magazine from New South Wales (she was also on the same page as noted poets Jennifer Harrison and Sue Stamford) Marian Spires says, of her most valued writing achievement, ‘I won the 2009 Melbourne Writers’ Festival Poetry Idol Award. The prize enabled me to travel

overseas to do some research and gave me a publishing contract with Picaro, who published my Knowing Vincent collection in 2010.’

‘As a children’s author, helping my readers make sense of their world gives me much pleasure,’ says Michelle Vasiliu.

‘The biggest achievement for me has just been finding what works for me and what doesn’t - from type of writing to routine. I’ve completed a lot of non- fiction and I honestly don’t believe doing any of it would have worked, otherwise,’ says Jenan Taylor.

Having a crime novel published here and in America was satisfying for member Jackie Tritt, but winning short story competitions is always a writing thrill.

Asked why they’ve stayed together for so long, there was general agreement.

There’s appreciation of the support and encouragement from fellow writers who understand the highs and lows of writing and publishing; the sharing of knowledge between people with a range of styles and experience; and, perhaps most of all, the friendship they cherish within the group.

Read more at lazyriverwriters.weebly.com

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art

Collaboration works Joni Cornell screenprinting

The Hills Collective Who are The Hills Artist Collective?

We are Joni Cornell, Elaine Pullum and Dawna Richardson-Hyde, a small group of Hills artists with different artistic skills. Joni’s work concentrates on felting fibres and re-cycled fabrics; Dawna’s combines print methods, textiles and design, and Elaine uses small-scale sculpture and digital imagery to explore issues to do with animals and the environment.

How did the group come about?

Dawna and Elaine have been friends for about 30 years and got to know Joni through the Dandenong Ranges Open Studios program. Attendance at the “Artist to Artist” studio visits, where Hills artists visit each other’s studios on a monthly basis, cemented the friendships and paved the way for a creative collaboration.

Tell us a little more about your Christmas collaboration?

We wanted to work on a project together to explore how our different skills might be used and decided to each design and screen-print editioned tea towels for the event. Dawna’s experience helped Joni and Elaine, who were both complete novices in this area. We have decided to display our work together at Elaine’s little studio gallery in Olinda for a couple of weekends before Christmas. We would like to welcome anyone who is interested to come along during the first two weekends in December, the 5th and 6th and the 12th and 13th at the Turnpike Gallery (once Turnpike Pottery) 29 Monash Avenue/corner of Parsons Lane, Olinda. Opening hours 10 am - 5 pm. Our tea towels will be on sale if you are looking for a special handmade Christmas gift. You can also order the tea towels by dropping us a line on Facebook or email Elaine.pullum@bigpond.com

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What has working collaboratively taught you?

Primarily, it taught us about ourselves and how well we could work together. We each approached the designs and the process differently and had to learn to listen to each other and sometimes change the way we did things. We learnt the importance of having an objective, carefully planning and allowing more time than you think you need.

Most importantly, we learnt that friendship is more important than winning a point.

How can we find out more about the Collective?

The Collective has its own public Facebook page, the Hills Artists Collective, where people can see commentary and images of work.

Photos courtesy of the artists

Dawna Richardson-Hyde sewing

Elaine Pullum with her tea towels

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Vikings rule the day Words by Gareth Hart It has been two years since I last visited Warburton’s best event – the bi-annual Nordic Festival. Two years between meads one might say.

Colloquially known as the Viking Festival (to this writer at least), this is one of the reasons I love existing in the Yarra Ranges: there is rarely a dull moment. I must admit, the lure of quirk and quaint brought me to this event two years ago when I first attended. How could I resist! And indeed my penchant for the weird and wonderful was met with utter delight. Sadly, this year I could only attend for a few hours as I had to work, nonetheless I am consistently swooned by this event. The following is a combination of memories from the last two festivals that I have attended, as I felt like I was cheating the festival to solely reflect upon my brief encounter this year.

So what happens at a Nordic festival? At first sight, it is an event like any other, I encounter a market stall of Scandinavian and Nordic designs, homewares and textiles. Some beautiful items and crafts on display. I grab a ‘traditional Norweigan hot chocolate’ and I’m on my way. Beyond the market stalls, the real attraction awaits. A giant smile crosses my face as a 6’2” burly man with ginger plaits in his beard walks past. I have entered the traditional Viking village. I am literally screaming with excitement on the inside. This is seriously cool. On the outside, I am the image of composure.

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Cool, calm and collected in front my Viking friends.

And friends they are. These are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Everybody greets me with a giant smile, some form of traditional Nordic salute, and an invitation to sit and talk about life in a Viking camp. And when I say life, I am very quickly lured into many conversations including: how to turn wood without electricity; how to properly stoke a fire so the blacksmith can make arrowheads; the benefits of skinning a whole Scandinavian long haired horse for it’s coat; how to slow roast an entire pig (this one is also happening, live in front of me); or why chain mail will save your life in battle but give you one heck of a time if you have to walk anywhere in it.

Still screaming on the inside.

I feel time begin to slow down. I am walking distinctly slower than when I arrived. I assume this is the Viking energy of home camp. Perhaps it’s the lull of the hot chocolate, or the smell of an open fire, or the fact that everyone around me, clad in hand made and stitched clothing, are at home.

This is, albeit for two days only, their home. They have set up a traditional village, so they may live the way their hearts tell them to. Even as a vegetarian, a slow-roasted whole pig and entire animal skins cannot detract from the sense of these people living, sharing and caring together in this village.

As if this wasn’t enough, there are Nordic music

festival performances all day long, demonstrations of traditional crafts, cooking classes and so much more.

The day culminates in a staged fighting tournament in the centre of town, where dozens of Vikings reenact a traditional battle. In full armor, with braided beards, and Nordic chants. It is a sight I shall never forget. Particularly as I took one of the best Polaroid photos of my life, which I share with you here.

To encapsulate the experience, I share with you something I overheard in the village earlier in the day. A young woman who had recently shown me how to make and stitch my own Nordic leather shoes, walked up to a rival camp site where a young man was feeding the fire for the local blacksmith, and said: “After the tournament, would you like to come over and get your hair braided?”

How could I not be in love with this festival. I came to satisfy my penchant for anything offbeat (did I mention I reveled at the recent Yarra Ranges Donkey festival?!), and I left with my itch scratched, and a sense of how community used to gather and share in a time far gone. Highly recommended. www.nordicfestival.org

Tai Chi & Qigong

Belgrave

Ferntree Gully

Silvan

FREE INTRODUCTORY CLASSES 2016 Ferntree Gully Guide Hall: Belgrave, St Thomas More’s School: Silvan Public Hall: Upwey Community Hall:

10:45am: Wed 27th Jan 11:00am: Sun 31st Jan 7:45pm: Mon 1st Feb 5:45pm: Tues 2nd Feb

Upwey

Beginners classes sta rting from 3rd February

~ find out what its all about at one of these free 45 minute sessions ~

Please call to register

0437 949 919

Chi Generation Tai Chi www.chigeneration.com.au

Photos by Zoe Amber Preston

Moving on to what’s next Words by Gareth Hart

Zoe Amber Preston is no stranger to the hillscene. As a passionate hills creative, you may remember her photographs from the hillscene blog, her design skills as our first intern designer, her writing as part of the print magazine, and her excellent skills in helping organise hillsceneLIVE. But, for something special, we flip the lens on Zoe, and place her in the hot seat. Having recently finished Year 12, majoring in Art studies, we catch up with Zoe on her plans, dreams and inspirations for the future. Thanks for the chat Zoe! What are you working on, now that you have finished school?

I am working on creating a new series of photographs of young people in nature having fun and exploring the beautiful landscape. I am also working on a new series of mandalas on black paper that incorporate silhouettes of animals to raise awareness for species equality and veganism.

What are your creative hopes for 2016?

Continue to inspire others through art, take photos of amazing people on my adventures! I would love to study a course in Arts (majoring in Psychology) to begin my dream career as an arts therapist in hopes to continue to inspire people. When I was 13, I spent 2 months in hospital and an arts therapist came and visited me every single day. She encouraged me to be

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creative and be myself, to not worry about the finished project but to use art as a meditative, therapeutic process. I wish I could thank her personally because she was the person who truly encouraged me to be creative and not worry about how “good� my art looks, which is hard for a teenager.

How has living in the Dandenongs helped shape your creative/art practice?

Being surrounded by nature and everything being so close, being able to catch the bus to beautiful places and being inspired to capture all the smiles and positivity coming from the beautiful people in the street. I want to capture the unique culture of the Hills, the colours, the festivals, the forests, the happiness, and each individual. Tiffaney Bishop Collective has also helped me by including me in group exhibitions and helping me sell my first artworks at 16.

So, what inspires you?

Mother Nature has always inspired my art, literally and metaphorically. I love the beauty of the trees, also the fact that nature is constantly changing like everyone is.

Lately I have done a lot of research on the environment, especially to do with veganism, and I want to incorporate this into my new pieces to inspire others to see all walks of life as equal.

profile On the other side, what depletes you?

People who always see the negative side without trying to see any positives, there is always a positive side to any situation when you look hard enough! People stuck behind their phones, constantly capturing and documenting everything online and not living in the moment.

I used to be like this when I was younger before I realised I was contradicting myself, wanting to live an adventurous life but spending it behind a screen. There is nothing wrong with taking photos and documenting stuff online (obviously, that’s what I want to do) but we also have to live in the moment and realise some moments are just for us, not for the whole world. People who are unauthentic and pretend to be someone else online for a look depletes me, I want to encourage people to be their genuine, unique selves and love themselves for it.

Your most exciting creative project to date?

I could never pick just one project! I would have to say all of the photo-shoots I have done with my friends over the years. The fact that my art involves going out into beautiful places and being with people I adore just makes it so much more enjoyable. Being inspired by beautiful people and learning more about them on a beautiful day out in nature. cargocollective.com/zoeamber

“I have used my art as a form of the therapy to fight mental illness over years. I don’t see my art as a finalised product, but a way to express my ” emotions and discover my true self.

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Photos by Fergus Floyd

HillsceneLIVE reviewed Words by Gülsen Özer For one night only, a derelict shop front in Monbulk was converted into a vessel for traversing conceptual artistic terrain. The hillsceneLIVE festival which was presented on Oct 30th featured 14 works, spanning: Installation, Dance, Theatre, Activism, Conversation, Happenings, Light/Laser show, Sound Art, Live Art and everything in between.

Amongst the works was a piece by artist Tal Fitzpatrick. Her project ‘PMPLZ’ (Prime Minister Please) used ingenious ‘craftivism’ (craft activism) practice to create a new quilt for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, sewing over 130 messages she received on the night of the festival and prior, via email and social media, from the community into a quilt which will be delivered to the desk of our new prime minister.

There were a number of intimate works designed for small audiences.

Such as Aviva Endean’s ‘Intimate Sound Immersion,’ where listeners, blindfolded, were transported into the depths of their own imaginations in a work that occupies a space between experimental performance and immersive sound therapy. Foregrounding the fragile sounds of everyday objects alongside the elusive, shadowy tones of the bass clarinet, the work teased and massaged the ears of the solitary audience member.

Tiffany Bishop Collective (tbC) Australia and Roderick Price created an engaging collaborative work called, ‘random methodologies 2’ in which pre-recorded youth voices form the community answering the question “What is it like to be young?’ were remixed live by festival participants into a one of a kind soundscape for one audience member at a time.

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‘Pandoras Box’ created by Vivienne Rogis was also an intimate experience for small audiences; housed in a small black theatrette cube with audiences of up to 10. This dance work showed the female body in moral crisis and sought to traverse the confronting, razor sharp edge, between social expectations and ideals and lived reality.

In juxtaposition to these intimate works others performed in indoor and outdoor expanses to large audiences. Mandy Picketts ‘Discrete Activations’ blurred the inside and outside space and place of the festival with her spontaneous, inspired responses to place through work created ‘in the moment’.

Additionally Paul Roberts and Cobie Orger’s ‘Not Falling, Dancing’ and Ellen Davies’ ‘A Concerning Dance’ each demonstrated a high level of critical engagement with their art forms and gave a sense of expansiveness and freedom through the poetics of their performance.

Artist Alex Mann’s performance work entitled ‘The Painful Pollock’ was engaging and highly provocative for some audience members.

Suspended upside down, this professional wrestler cut his forehead and dripped his own blood live onto a canvas below. His primary interest was in questioning the divorce of violence and pain in a performance context.

A fascinating work, after which, his painted canvases were available for purchase and a number of them were sold.

With works of such contrast and intensity the festival’s title “navigating personal territories” was thoroughly explored.

See more photos of the event on our blog www.hillsceneblog.wordpress.com

ent 10 tips for independ going p e e k to w o h n o ts s arti

, ’t have to show anyone istic statement. You don is so lies rt hea 1. Write yourself an art r you ere wh want to achieve and times. but knowing what you to in those challenging document to look back at gre a It’s . important . nge cha ate it when things And don’t forget to upd king re’s a reason you are ma the way of the art. The on’t let yourself get in 2. D w it yet. it, even if you don’t kno give feedback on your sted peers to witness and tru of rk rd/ wo net a lop eve 3. D might know the right wo ws you and your work work. Someone that kno . bits d push you through the har thought/provocation to of what you are doing 4. Explore the opposite m come unless you tell the is great! But they won’t ce ien a aud ke an Ma ng r. avi late

H 5. her than on marketing earlier rat n about it, so get started someone to help you, eve find can you if and it… time. ir the rth wo schedule and stick to is r work contact the media, you better. Don’t be afraid to ns (that you fill in dicted and actual colum ng. ake a budget with pre 6. M of what you are spendi ck tra that you can keep regularly). This means ke sure the residency/ to every opportunity, ma ctice. ou don’t have to apply 7. Y fit for you and your pra l/the venue is the right w they would kne the funding/the festiva y the en wh lied that they only app Someone once told me d. succee e, stuck into your practic alone, make sure you get come from that. ht 8. It can be hard to work mig at wh w kno er nt to, you nev even when you don’t wa ible, because who has This might sound imposs 9. Never compromise! way you look at the what they want? It is the the money to do exactly lessened, but to change be to had ing eth e means som situation, a compromis to the new potentials. something is to be open ue an outcome sorted, a ven You don’t have to have rk. wo the ke ma ust J

10. d work. d, in order to make goo line up, a festival planne

By Toni Main - Producer, hillsceneLIVE festival First produced as part of the 2015 hillsceneLIVE Zine, available exclusively at hillsceneLIVE.

SPEECHLESS is an accessible introduction to contemporary performance by Toni Main and Sara di Segna including elements of dance within a narrative structure. It follows two desperate souls in their search for an understanding, based on the performer’s personal experiences with language; such as life with Dyslexia and living in Australia with English as a second language.

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Do you sleep soundly?

Words by Faye Stone (PhD, Dip TCM)

If you would like to balance yourself to Wellness, Dr Faye Stone can help you find the resources that best suit your needs. She uses both Traditional Chinese Medicine and the latest in quantum technology.

To find out more go to www.drfayestone.com.au

Did you know?* • Humans spend a third of their life sleeping. That’s about 25 years.

• Parents of new babies miss out on 6 months worth of sleep in the first 2 years of their child’s life.

• Sleeping less than 7 hours each night reduces your life expectancy.

• People experience better sleep during the new moon and worse sleep during a full moon, a study found.

• Memories take hold better during sleep. *www.factslides.com/s-Sleep#

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Image by iStock.com/9f03fdd7_871

The value of sleeping well cannot be underestimated.

No-one likes feeling tired, moody, stiff, and unable to think and function properly. If taking sleeping pills is not an option for you, and you are tired of walking around like a zombie all day, Chinese Medicine offers a more palatable wholistic approach where sleeplessness is considered a symptom, and not the whole solution.

In Chinese Medicine, insomnia often relates to an imbalance of the liver and heart, and is frequently considered to be a “spirit” problem, which can manifest in a number of ways such as moodiness and mental restlessness, or sometimes overstimulation.

Other people don’t sleep because they have eaten too late, or have eaten very acidic foods which give them indigestion. Long term lack of sleep can also lead to adrenal fatigue and fibromyalgia.

However, underlying chronic sleeplessness is most often a deep “yin fire” which dries out the body, causing dehydration, and the many illnesses that can develop from this. Rather than putting a name or label to all the permutations and combinations that can arise, my approach in treatment is to balance the body with acupuncture, herbal medicine, as well as diet and exercise, since all of these can promote natural healing patterns without the hangover effect that the majority of sleeping pills do.

It is also important to alkalise and mineralise the body. Mineralisation helps the body to hold onto it’s fluids and not dry out. Minerals are essential for most bodily processes and activities, and in my opinion, support the nutritional or “yin” aspect of Chinese Medicine.

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Frank Kouzi

Handmade Daphne wreath by Amy Laker Bruni of Lillebeart • instagram.com/lillebeart @ Leaf Studios - 77 Monbulk Rd, Kallista.

merry christmas