PRJKTR Issue 001 by PRJKTR

№ 001. Autumn '15

FREE

People — Ian Ballis / Lucy Hardie/ ghsdude.

Pictures — Paige Hocking / Zoe Boyd / Ethan Keay.

Arts / Culture / Lifestyle

Words — Yasmin Mobayad / Laura Bentley.

Section.

PRJKTR

Welcome.

In this issue—

PRJKTR is a new publication to hit the streets quarterly and regularly online. With an artistic focus PRJKTR will explore people, trends, political issues, social outliers and the many threads and fibres of our regions cultural fabric. PRJKTR aims to expose the collective think-tank feeding the regions cultural evolution while creating new discussions about Geelong.

Interplanetary

06–07

The Strip

Street Talk

Dreams of Clarity

10–11

Delving into the artistic community of Geelong, PRJKTR will provide them with a platform to share the roots of their ideas whilst showcasing local cultural hubs. The how and why of creativity is explored, along with the human fundamentals that draw people to art and different styles of self-expression.

What were you doing when you were 20?

Analogue Academy

An illustrated Q&A with Zoe Boyd

Ian Ballis

20–21

Jack the Stripper

22–23

PRJKTR is an embodiment of the forward thinking driving Geelong’s cultural exchange and revolution, and is delivered in the most accessible medium of print.

Herself and Himself

Lucy Hardie & Charles Corby

26–27

ghsdude

28–29

DIY: Grow your own crystals

I @ F

prjktr_

/PRJKTRmag

#PRJKTR #prjktrmag

WWW.PRJKTR.COM.AU

Advertisers and agents are advised that all advertising copy is their responsiblity under the trade practices act. Advertisements are published in good faith and on the understanding that the content is legitimate and lawful. Advertisers and / or agents submit advertisements at their own risk. The editor and creators hold no responsibility whatsoever for the content of the magazine in the case that it may offend. PRJKTR accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions. PRJKTR reserves the right to edit all articles and letters

AMERICAN STYLE SMOKED MEATHOUSE

OPENING JULY

95 Autumn St, Geelong West

| info@firestation.com.au

PRJKTR

Advertising / Content Stacey Williams Content Soraya Mobayad Art Department Riley McDonald Advertising Abbey King Editor Amanda Sherring Printed by Fairfax Media Printing, Ballarat Printing generously supported by:

PRJKTR

Inter — planetary.

Photography by Paige Hocking.

Paige Hocking is a Freelance Photographer from Melbourne. www. paigehocking.com

“Interplanetary” is a cohesive photographic series based around the scientific theory of extraterrestrial life.

PRJKTR

From simple bacterialike organisms within atmospheres to advanced sapient beings on Earth, the series is an exploration of various possible life forms within our solar system.

Despite the nebula of uncertainties surrounding Xenology, it is one that cannot be disregarded or ignored, as in this vast Universe, are we really alone?

PRJKTR

The Strip.

PRJKTR

Street Talk.

"I cried very recently. My father is dying. "My life goal is to run the 30k marathon in South Africa. I hated England, and moved here 23 years ago. I have worked in this bookshop ever since"

BOOK NOW

Photo by Sharni Smith www.sharnismithphoto.com

gpac.org.au/2015

CALL 5225 1200

SHOW PARTNER

or visit 50 Lt Malop Street, Geelong

To all the Writers, Journoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Novelists, Academics, Poets, Playwrights, Artists, Tattooists, Illustrators, Designers, Architects, Entrepeneurs, and really enthusiastic Instagrammers of Geelong.

The team behind PRJKTR are on the hunt for contributors who are willing to explore some of the deepest, darkest, most delicious imagery and ideas this town of ours has to offer.

We want your art, words, ideas, and images! To get involved, send an example of your writing or concepts to:

Âť

stacey@prjktr.com.au

PRJKTR

Dreams of Clarity.

By Yasmin Mobayad.

“We are … on the borders of a realm of mystery where we have to advance very carefully. To deny may be just as dangerous and misleading as to accept.” —Van Eeden, 1913 p.13

Could lucid dreaming be the new method of getting ahead, becoming successful at our methods, and creative outlets or career pursuits? In 2012 I became fascinated with the concept of lucid dreaming. What was it? When did it originate? How much research had really been conducted around the topic? Since a child I have been taken with the idea of dreams and their meanings. It may have something to do with my Egyptian heritage and how in my father’s culture, dreams are of great significance. I remember discussing them with him as an adolescent and always learning something new about the symbols and underlying meaning behind it all. Blood in a dream is bad. But if someone dies in the dream it is actually fantastic as it symbolises new life; wake up crying from the dream and it’s even better, a form of good luck. Somewhere along the line in all my hours of procrastination I stumbled across the concept of lucid dreaming. For a quick definition, it is essentially a dream in which the dreamer has complete consciousness and awareness; they know they are dreaming and can therefore influence and manipulate the dream into whatever they like. The origin of the word, Klarträume, literally translates to ‘dreams of clarity’.

The concept is not new by any means, the term itself was first coined by Frederik Van Eeden in a lecture he presented in 1913. Van Eeden argued that “the reintegration of the psychic functions [are] so complete that the sleeper remembers daylife … [reaching] a state of perfect awareness … and to attempt different acts of free volition.” (Van Eeden, 1913 p.6). What Van Eeden means is that the dreamer is in such great control the dream is at their mercy. It is this control that remains the most important characteristic of a lucid dream. Control is the main element that creates the freedom that psychological researchers in later decades have found to be of utmost importance in treating trauma patients. Means of inducing lucid dreams comes from practicing the art. Many people who have had lucid dreams are not trained, but there are methods in which one can induce a lucid dream. In the most comprehensive text on the art, The Paradox of Lucid Dreaming, Green and McCreery argue that “releasing your inhibitions by violating social taboos in lucid dreams … provides an opportunity for experiences which would be difficult or frightening to obtain in real life” (Green & McCreery, 1994 p.135); a freedom is created that enables the subject to engage willingly and freely.

Induction of lucid dreaming comes in three main methods. The most popular of these methods involves a question and answer. This method is demonstrated through dreamers asking themselves if they are dreaming in their waking life. By asking this, the dreamer is intermittently forcing themself to ask the question out of habit. This questioning in waking life carries over into the subconscious, thus leaving the dreamer to ask habitually, ‘am I dreaming?’ Another means of induction comes from a stimulus. Spending time during the day looking at their hands, for example, and questioning whether they are dreaming; during their dream when they look down at their hands they are then cued to ask the question ‘am I dreaming?’ The third method, devised by lucid dreaming expert, Stephen LaBerge, is by looking for writing or time in the dream. He notes that “dreams are more readily distinguishable from waking perceptions on the basis of their instability rather than their vividness” (LaBerge, 1985 p.125). This means if the writing appears different every time the dreamer looks at it or the clock is unreadable, it becomes a prompt for the conscious mind to recognise you are dreaming. These methods are known as the pre-lucid state; they trigger the cue in the subconscious to activate the conscious mind. Becoming aware of this altered state of consciousness is where lucid dreaming acts as a form of therapy.

FRIDAY

8 MAY

CENTRAL GEELONG

6.00PM – 10.00PM

WWW.GEELONGAFTERDARK.COM.AU

Geelong After Dark is a night of discovery, of short, sharp and edgy art – be surprised as spaces by day transform at night into something exciting, unexpected – and very much alive.

meet you after dark! Supported by:

PRJKTR

Presented by:

⁄

"If we wanted to be good at something, anything in fact, we could practice the activity in our lucid state and we would become competent in our waking life."

Breakthroughs in lucid dreaming as a recognised form of therapy did not surface until the 1980s with the lucid dreaming expert, Stephen LaBerge, conducting experiments where the subject of the lucid dream could connect with the outside world via REM eye signals. It wasn’t until 2001 that lucid dreaming experts found lucid dreaming reduced nightmare suffering (Holzinger, 2009) and aided in the recovery of mental patients who had continuing night terrors or who dealt with repressed memories; lucid dreaming then received more funding and recognition as a means of formal therapy. In more recent research, studies have shown the effects of lucid dreaming go beyond helping trauma patients. German researchers suggest that the power of lucid dreaming can improve our activities in our waking life. Experiments were conducted wherein the participants would rehearse an activity

in their lucid dreams and when they were presented with the activity in their waking life, they would become increasingly better at executing it. In this particular study, participants were required to toss a coin into a cup. A controlled group of the participants would lucid dream about practicing this task. It was then discovered that the lucid dreamers performed significantly better in the real-life task than those who had not.

References:

So what does this mean for us? Basically, if the research were to be deemed correct, it would be easy to conclude that if we wanted to be good at something, anything in fact, we could practice the activity in our lucid state and we would become competent in our waking life. If this is the case, lucid dreaming may very well be the secret key to a successful and long career in whatever we like. We can literally dream our way to the top and become an overnight success. †

Hypnosis, Vol. 26, No.4, pp. 216-224.

PRJKTR

Green, C & McCreery, C 1994, Lucid Dreaming: The Paradox of Consciousness During Sleep, Routledge, Great Britain Holzinger, B 2009, ‘Lucid Dreaming – Dreams of Clarity’, in Contemporary

LaBerge, S 1985, Lucid Dreaming, Ballantine Books, New York. Van Eeden, F 1913, ‘A Study of Dreams’, in Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, Vol. 26, pp.20-25.

What were you doing when you were in your 20s?

JARROD CARTER Naturopath and Artist

TIBOR NOVAK Visual Artist

VICTORIA EDGAR Silver Smith

What were you doing when you were 20? My life was quite difficult as a 20-year old. I was very unwell with severe chronic fatigue syndrome. I spent the majority of my time resting, feeling exhausted and weak. I was unable to do the usual things other people my age were doing. My social life was limited to friends coming to visit me for short periods of time. Even to go out for an hour or two would severely exhaust me.

What were you doing when you were 20? When I was 20 I lived in Prague under communist rule and serving in the country's national service as a soldier

What were you doing when you were 20? I was dedicated and seriously pursuing a brilliant career as a traditional Gold and silversmith, having talked my way as a late student into RMIT gold and Silversmithing. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing or how I was going to do it, there was no plan just 60 hours a week of intensive work.

At this time, I enrolled in my first subject of a naturopathy degree. It took me an entire year to complete that subject, off-campus, but I did it, and eventually completed the course. Just before I turned 21, I started to dabble in oil pastels at home—as a form of creative expression. Looking back, what advice would you give your younger self? I would tell myself to hang in there and persist. Your life WILL get better. In your opinion how has the art world changed over the years? I have found over the years that fewer people buy original art pieces on canvases. What once would sell quite easily from the wall of a cafe or gallery, can now remain unsold indefinitely. People are more inclined to buy prints from department or furniture stores, which are considerably cheaper. Also, social media such as Instagram has changed the way we view and appreciate art. Who was the most influential person that impacted your creative path? When I was 20, my parents took me to see a Buddhist Spiritual Healer named Dorte Moltsen. She encouraged me to play around with colour as a form of self-expression. I initially started with oil pastels, then as my health started to improve, I went to some local art classes and learnt how to paint. It felt good to connect with other creative people.

Looking back, what advice would you give your younger self? If I had this amazing chance and could give myself advice, I would be looking at paintings in Prado and prints of Goya at least some years before. In your opinion how has the art world changed over the years? Art has tried always to provoke and it did succeed many times. In 18th Century with Goya (I am starting here as the subject is huge), in 19th Century with Impressionists (remember 'the breakfast on lawn'?), 20th Century was hot, Futurists provocation (in love with war), Cubists and Surrealists the Expressionists and on and on. Changes in the society are more to the point. Art was influenced by Inquisition, by wars, by killing cartoonists in Paris, by medium, and media in our time. It is very fortunate that there are few mad people around who do what they do and called themselves artists. I truly think that this will save us all from complete insanity. Who was the most influential person that impacted your creative path? I have met many amazing people here in Australia and Peter Mathers the writer stands high. He is dead now and one of the last pieces of advice he gave me was: "when you stop being a child — die". What in your opinion is a successful artist? Successful? I don't like this word. Good artists work toward satisfaction and fulfilment. www.tibor.com.au

Who do you define as a successful creative? I define a successful creative as someone who feels satisfied with being creative on their own terms. They are not swayed by what a gallery owner or the public thinks they should be doing. www.jarrodcarter.com.au

Looking back, what advice would you give your younger self? Should have relaxed and led a more balanced existence. In my 50s I am now doing what I should have done then— enjoying life and adventure. Back then I was a serious young insect, now I have a wicked sense of what fun life can be and throw myself passionately into the journey not the destination. The advice I would give myself is: be brave, never give up because it all takes longer than you think In your opinion how has the art world changed over the years? When I was doing G&S it was about technique and design orientated towards the handmade aspect of ‘object making’. The courses these days are all computer /graphic and ‘designer branded labelling’. Many students don’t even know how to solder so I feel what we have lost touch with many of the traditional jewellery making and silversmithing techniques in this generic design orientated era. You are subject to your abilities, and if they are computer generated my belief is that they lose ‘soul’ and therefore cannot be called a true ART piece. I believe that art has been over intellectualised and homogenised it is not often I am surprised or deeply moved by what I see. Who was the most influential person that impacted your creative path? In a very middle class existence—where not a lot exciting happened – the venture to buy a gold pendant for my mother led us to Monsalvat in Eltham where for the first time I experienced a sense of belonging. There I met legendary Jeweller Matchum Skipper as a 6-year-old . When I had my first solo exhibition at The Emerald Hill Gallery in South Melbourne with so much press and furore over my “Bodiware” he was my first choice for opening night. The idea that you could work gold and silver with your hands and live in an amazing place and have people come and seek out your work really captured my imagination How do you define as a successful creative? HOWEVER YOU WANT – I feel in my heart that I am a success because I work in the arts and have thrived creating both sellable and unconventional jewellery and sculpture. My life brims with stories of wild adventure, laughter, love and tears , I am enriched by amazing friends and two amazing children who have “backed” me all the way. I feel successful because I love my work and so many wonderful folk buy my work and wear it—many times I hear “Love this Victoria never take it off” You be the judge . www.victoriaedgar.com.au

PRJKTR

We asked a whole bunch of questions to—

Analogue Academy. James Cox

Danny Hovat

Joshua Maxwell De Hoog.

Where is a great place to start if you wanted to get into photography?

In terms of analogue photography, you just need an analogue camera or you can get cameras that will do most of the work for you, ones that you just need to worry about focus and composition. It’s really pretty straightforward, the only difference between traditional film photography and the digital method is that you can’t view your photos as you go.

Would you say analogue photgraphy is more of an art form than digital because you have to use your shots more wisely?

It teaches you quickly to slow down and focus on the image so that you have to think about it more. There’s been a few people that have come in and borrowed cameras to have a go of it. You can’t just snap away as film costs money and it makes each shot more important. A roll will either have 24 or 36 shots, and once it's done, it's done. You have to be a lot more deliberate.

How do you feel about the rise of Instagram and the change that’s brought on in social culture?

I’m not a big fan of it personally, but mainly because I don’t have the energy. People put a lot of effort onto their Instagram profiles. In an ideal world, I wouldn’t have it exist, but it does, so we use it.

Do you have any advice for anyone who would want to start up their own little business?

The good thing is that if it isn’t an expensive idea, it’s not too hard to start. Money shouldn’t be the determining factor. If you really want to do it and believe in it, do it. If you’re not 100% sure, you probably won’t stick around long enough to let it develop.

How has Geelong responded to Analogue Academy?

Most people are walking in and are really impressed with what we are doing. There are a lot of coffee shops now in Geelong and everyone has a different angle. Ours is just to serve decent coffee and be nice people.

Where do you stand on shooting photographs of people?

What is your general opinion of Geelong’s art scene?

It’s coming along a lot. Geelong has changed dramatically in the last three to four years. Local galleries having consistent quality shows has really contributed to that.

How would you describe Analogue Academy in four words?

What do you find is the difference of print quality in terms of digital and film processing?

The digital way is probably more technically proficient and the images tend to be a little sharper and accurate. Film just has a unique look, and prints up really well. A lot of people still use disposable cameras, and we charge a flat rate for people to borrow them, loaded with film and then reuse them.

I don’t ask for permission, unless it is a child. Most people don’t mind, especially overseas where it is quite common. You don’t really see it in Australia, and particularly, Geelong. There’s a good chance you will see them again here in Geelong. Shoot film, ride bikes!

I @

analogueacademy

/analogueacademy

www.analogueacademy.com.au

PRJKTR

"Voodoo"

Zoe Boyd

Digital Illustration

estherandhowlart.tumblr.com Emailâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Zoeboyd8@gmail.com

Section.

An illustrated Q&A withâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Zoe Boyd.

02.

What does solitude feel like to you? "Making a finger trap and having no one to trap in it."

01.

What's your ultimate fantasy Pet?

"A sphinx type animal, which is really just a small lion with wings who is also a shaman."

03.

Who is your art hero?

"Super cool Queensland artist Mel Stringer, aka Girlie Pains"

04.

What's your personal super-power? "Photosynthesis. Being able to turn into a plant and get power from the sun."

05.

Which inanimate object do you think should be alive? "Rocks. Rocks are awesome, why shouldn't they be alive?"

PRJKTR

Ian Ballis.

An interview with Ian Ballis.

The man with 4,000 vinyls and a seven-storey monument to free expression.

—Words by Stacey Williams. —Images by Daniel Longo.

PRJKTR

I @

powerhousegeelong

Ian Ballis, Director of the Powerhouse, lives by the ethos of dreaming big, and pursuing those dreams without fear. Whilst having a coffee with Ian on a quiet Saturday morning, standing in the entrance of the impressive street art monument, I get a sense of his calm but genuinely passionate energy. I wanted to speak to him about his life, and his knack for making big things happen.

So what’s your home like? Is it manic and full of stuff? It’s funny because I’m a minimalist at home — mid century, industrial design. I’m Piscean so everything is nice and balanced. But I’m not anal, you know, the Vegemite jars don’t have to face the same way. Were you a troublemaker at school? I was a rebel but never got into any trouble. I have to be over stimulated; I’ve got a very broad headspace, and so if someone gives me one task, I’m only a minute away from asking for another. If they put 25 tasks in front of me, I’m happy. It's probably adult ADD! Someone said once that I’ve got an overactive thyroid. So you've never worked for someone else? Never. Never have. Well I can’t, I’m a control freak, and it’s all in my head. I felt surprised during my apprenticeship as a joiner because I was controlled—I just loved timber and wood and making things. But I was always pushing myself, I’d always over-extend. If I had to build a piece of furniture for a client, then I’d build five. It seems like you have no fear… Yeah, but not in an arrogant way, it’s just that I can see what needs to be done, and so I do it. I’ve always been level headed, I never drank or smoked or did drugs, because I wanted a lot out of my body and a lot out of my brain.

But when I was overworking myself renovating The Mills (The Mill Markets) a couple of years ago, I got pneumonia on Christmas Day, and that was a turning point in my life. I thought to myself, ‘wow, you’re not invincible, Ian’. I was in hospital for a week, worst case of pneumonia they had ever seen. My taste buds went, lungs were shot, my whole body was toxic, and it was full on. Then the Powerhouse came about? Yeah, it pushed me to develop an arts precinct style of development. People know that there is no future for manufacturing in Australia. But there is an industry for tourism and arts and culture. I said I would like to take over the Powerhouse (which had been empty for 30 years) and harness the culture that it had. Our angle here was to take possession of the building, to steer and guide the street artists—we didn't want to control. Instead we wanted to give them an opportunity and diplomatic immunity of the space. They can paint their best piece and it becomes a business incubator for them. Already we have only been here 20 weeks, and we have cleaned it up and got 180 artists in here, already there is $200,000 worth of commissions coming from the work in here. One of the artists here has given up his day job to become a full time artist.

"There is no ceiling for me. No written plan. It’s all in my head, and that's the way I work."

» As a culture incubator it has already proven itself. We have three local crews, who generally didn't get on and used to tag each others work. I got the whole three crews here one day. At the start they weren’t speaking to each other, the middle of the day they were talking and by the end of the day they were mates. Now they’re not tagging each other’s pieces, they’re stepping up their game, putting their best pieces on the walls and I’ve gotten them commissions. Everyone is stepping up and seeing that there is more to learn. I have seen this development in three months from these artists and they are capable of so much more. Why do you think this space FULL of artists manages to work without any fights or ego? There is no cage here. A cage will control them. You cannot put boundaries on expression. If you do, then it’s not expressional because you've got control. A lot of the street artists thought it was a trick and that I was the police, giving them open slather then working out who they were. We have an organic approach. We are doing this with no funding. No budget. It's a wonderful social experiment and an economic experiment. It's all volunteer run and all the volunteers are interested in art and culture. So many people have come to me with ideas, suggestions, and joint ventures — it’s just amazing. Did you want to be an artist when you were a young man? Yes, I’ve always sculpted and made furniture, I love curating and I love people. While all the artists are painting and working here, I’m prepping the walls, guiding them, giving them suggestions, and a different perspective from someone who knows the space. I get a real buzz from providing an opportunity for people. †

PRJKTR

www.powerhousegeelong.com

I can see how collecting is pretty evident in your life — you run the vintage markets and now you collect street art on the walls of the Powerhouse. It is seriously hoarding. I remember beautiful times of combing through my granddad’s shed, pinball machines and jukeboxes. It was cool to me then because I loved the colours. At eight I was collecting gemstones, bottles, coins, everything! Then I started collecting records, now I have 4,000 records. I’ve got 80 skateboards, 200 surfboards, and 700 leather jackets.

"Buer" Ethan Keay Ink and graphite.

PRJKTR

Jack the Stripper.

Matt Cleary and Rory Beeforth of Key of Solomon had a sit down in Matt’s car to talk to Jack the Stripper. They spoke to Julian Renzo (Guitar) and Luke Frizon (Vocals) about music, math, and only kind of got side tracked….

KOS—How did you both get into performing and playing music? JR— I started guitar in primary school; played it all through school in different jazz bands, and then found some metal-heads and progressed through there. I’ve been playing in bands ever since.

KOS— Now, biggest influences personally? JR— I want to shock, to prank. I think our music has good prank value and we try to incorporate that more and more.

LF— I started guitar and I was horrible at it; decided bass would be an expedient and pragmatic choice—I soon discovered that wasn't the case either. Hated by every music teacher and banned from every school band, I just made Black Sabbath cover bands with my mates and would play at lunchtime to a handful of people. At some point along the line we decided it was better to throw your instrument around instead of playing it. Eventually I dispensed with the instrument altogether, to become the efficient throwing engine that is the front man for this band.

KOS— So your influence is kind of like a need to fuck with the audience? LF— Push the envelope, we’re here as an entertainment act, an entertainment product. I feel a lot of musicians have forgotten to really try and get a crowd in the thrall; instead they just play what the next band is playing. We are motivated to try and make it an all inclusive experience that somebody goes to a show and comes away with something they'll remember. We've started incorporating more sketches into our set to keep people on their toes. We got our friend Mitch to dress in a pizza boy costume; the pizza box was filled with horribly coloured glitter. I gave the box a swift uppercut. Instantly the crowd was fabulous (laughs).

LF— We take it as a kneejerk reaction to what's popular at the time, and go in the opposite direction. Basically we try to keep it as cathartic as possible for ourselves. It’s entirely self-indulgent in that sense and if we want to make it sound as violent as it feels then that’s what we’ll do. We'll favour particular noises over coming up with a stellar key-tar solo or something. KOS— In the scheme of the kneejerk, the mathematical, where do you think you fit in the overall genres of metal? Where do you think this stems from? JR— We have a strong math-metal theme throughout the band, but we shoot off in so many different directions, we’re a bit death-metal, a bit straight up rock and a bit sludgy. I was told never to answer what kind of genre we play (laughs). LF— We always get this question because people are so keen to pigeonhole it, find a nice little pocket for the band. But every release is sounding more and more different, so we really try not to stifle ourselves with a particular genre. The math metal thing is definitely evident throughout our history of writing music. I would say we have more in common with a band like Agoraphobic Nosebleed than The Dillinger Escape Plan or Mr Bungle, you know? We tend to sort of veer off in our own direction to make it as violent as possible. I’ve heard that a lot of math bands use specific algorithms and calculations behind their music and they’ll tab it out on Guitar Pro. But our tracking process is more rudely interrupting one another with sounds. Someone will have a riff going and then one of us will just punch the whammy pedal and it will just change it. It’s a lot more organic in that sense. KOS— Who are your biggest influences, musically? LF and JR together— Pantera JR— Yup Pantera is a big one, I’m really influence by film, and take sounds from film, Type O Negative, Alice in Chains and a lot of kind of '90s era bands. LF— But lyrically, I tend to list Pig Destroyer as a major influence because it introduced me to different types of metaphors and similes and the way the songs are written. It’s purely to get out what you've got in your mind, which is more what I’m into. JR— Aphex Twin, that’s pretty mathy, that’s plenty mathy, very big influence.

KOS— When it comes to the song writing process, is there a particular method to get this sound? Julian, do you want to field this one being the band's producer? JR— You can start from any sound really. As a guitarist I don't think it's appropriate to fill a song with riffs, I just try and work off sounds and see what works well together. Sometimes I might be on a mathy idea and I feel like people expect me to do a couple of math stabs or something—I’ll do the complete opposite and do something else. So I’ve got no idea what will be on the next record, it might not be math at all. We just try to make it jarring, try to surprise you know? LF— The great part to that approach is because at the start [of the writing process] we take such a Laissez-faire approach to “we can make that work”—every member of the band can throw in something they want to contribute to the song. And instead of it being, “Oh, save that for your black metal side project mate”, we find a way to incorporate that into the music so it becomes a great release for every member of the band. JR— And it brings variety, because someone is going to bring something that you would never think of to the table. KOS— If you could chose any musician or lyricist to work with, who would you choose? JR— Kreayshawn, although I don’t know if she would do it. But she’s got a great tone to her voice, that’s my pick. LF— We did try and get Robbie Smith from Heavy Heavy Low Low on our last record ‘Raw Nerve’. He managed to contribute lyrics but couldn't get around to contributing vocals to the end of ‘Long night in Hades’, so we just kind of had to take what he had written and try and do it the way we felt he would. JR— We’ll hit him up for the next one; he has just the best voice. KOS— It’s interesting you are both picking people because of the way they actually sound, not picking your heroes. JR— They say you never should meet your heroes right? If we did get one of our heroes to do something on our record it might be completely terrible. I don't know, it just might not suit. I’d rather work with someone that is making some cool sounds now, and put that into our music. There is this one guy I’ve been trying to track down, trying to get him on the new record. Clinton, he’s the ‘Just waiting for a mate’ guy from YouTube. I somehow want to work with him on the new record, I don't know how. Clinton if you are reading this, let me know your whereabouts—we want you. †

Key of Solomon is the brainchild of Matt Cleary and Rory Beeforth, Matt just did the harder work to get it started. Join Matt and Rory on the Key of Solomon Podcast where they interview musicians, artists and anyone else that these dudes find interesting. On top of the Podcast, KoS make videos for whoever will let them and have a range of T-Shirts to bring out the inner radness in you.

PRJKTR

keyofsolomon.com.au info@keyofsolomon.com.au

KOS— Being in Jack the Stripper, how do you guys define the music that you make? JR— It’s the hardest music you can listen to.

Section.

PRJKTR

HERSELF AND HIMSELF: A conversation on feminism.

—Words by Laura (and Ryan) Bentley. —Image by Daniel Longo. I can never quite get the choreography right when it comes to feminism. It appears that for every step I perceive to take forward, there’s someone out there ready to insist that I’m stumbling backwards. My disgust at the catcalling of women on the street, my frustration towards the unequal treatment of female graduates in my intended profession—and God forbid, the rage I feel when I consider the tax we have on tampons—places me squarely in Camp F. Yet, there are many uncertainties that lead me to question whether or not I truly belong in the club. Am I a feminist when I comfort my distraught friend in a dingy nightclub bathroom, vehemently informing her that all men are sewer rats? Am I letting everyone down when I bemoan the state of my eyebrows in the bathroom mirror? Will my membership be revoked if I’m caught tapping my foot to some wildly misogynistic Top 40 hit? Am I pushing the pioneers of female empowerment off a metaphorical cliff every time I become emotionally invested in an episode of 'Say Yes To The Dress'? All of these things are cause for me to consider my place in this newly invigorated, modern feminism. As I struggle to articulate my own feminist self, I can feel it retreating further into the shadows and spinning out of control. However, the truth is that I really shouldn’t give a damn about all that. Feminism is (and should intrinsically remain) a unique and transformative concept to every individual—whether they’re male or female. As Caitlin Moran points out, feminism isn’t a competition for the moral high ground. After all, “it’s just a piece of ground that’s usefully above a flood.” It doesn’t matter if your primary feminist motivation is the sexism in advertising, the pro-choice movement or Miley Cyrus’ choice in leotards. No one is able to tick all the boxes on the feminist recruitment form —at least not while society attempts to curtail the movement into a set of strict criteria.

My brother and I had a fascinating conversation following the launch of herself.com, an initiative by Australian actress Caitlin Stasey. Ryan—aside from being born with an uncanny ability able to chew your ear off about absolutely anything—is pretty darn savvy when it comes to feminism. However—much like my all-tofrequent marathons of Say Yes To The Dress—herself.com gave him cause to consider his role as a feminist more deeply. I decided to ask him a number of more detailed questions about the website and his thoughts on feminism as a whole. This interview was performed partly to subvert the growing idea that you need to conform to a certain set of standards (i.e. having boobs) in order to be a feminist, but also to show how despite one’s differences in interest and opinion we can still be aligned through feminism’s essential goal of mutual understanding and equality.

01. What is your definition of feminism as it stands today? Feminism is a mass collective movement to me, first and foremost. When I think of feminism, I usually consider two strands of it – the first being critical of societal foundation and operation, and the second being investigative of how inequality emerges, and the best way to tackle such inequalities. The primary purpose of feminism to me is to advocate for the equal representation and opportunity of women, yet I think such a conceptualisation has thoroughly expanded. Feminism to me is today inclusive of understanding the consequences that affect all people due to gender inequalities—quite possible the most powerful motivator and argument for the definitive relevance of feminism as a modern political standpoint.

02. What were your first impressions of Caitlin Stasey’s herself.com? A rather controversial website when it appeared, I remembered being quite sceptical of Stasey’s notion —I considered it to just be quite attention-seeking. Upon further consideration, I do understand how this feminist approach to “reclaim” the female body in an effort to overcome objectification operates. Many of my friends love the website, claiming the interviews and freedom associated with its content is progressive, and a necessary catalyst for discussion of feminist outlooks. I personally found Stasey contradictive in some ways; where she wishes for readers to “witness the female form in all its honesty without the burden of the male gaze”. I believe the male gaze is not a burden; it is the male gaze in my opinion that needs to be fronted.

03. Do you think the website portrayed women in a positive manner? What was your reaction when you read some of the interviews on the website? For the individual women involved, I think they saw herself.com as the perfect opportunity to display the most assertive, active, and positive version of themselves —and respect exists for that. The overall vibe of the website was the presentation of confident and progressive women. However, I know that not all women would consider this positive; progression is a self-determined concept in that sense. The interviews themselves are quite casual, and blunt, but this works well for the overall tone of the website. The questions posed are often very specific—I would wonder how more philosophical questions would be answered.

"What ultimately matters is that you endorse and support the notion of gender equality and are willing to engage in a constructive discussion on the matter. It shouldn’t even matter what gender you classify yourself as."

04. Do you consider yourself a feminist? Do you think girls you know would agree with you? I would definitely consider myself a feminist. Whilst my role in the movement may be different due to my gender, I believe I can contribute much in being part of feminist discussion. Although, yes, there are people who would disagree with me. I remember being scoffed at early last year regarding this question, when I confidently expressed that I perceived myself as a feminist. “How could I possibly understand the hardships of women?” was the question strikingly poised to me. A very misguided question, in my eyes.

PRJKTR

05. How do you think the relationship between men and women, as a whole, needs to improve? I think it may quite simply be the need to cooperate in both passion and pain. I have seen too many arguments and fights over “who has it worse”—which gender suffers the most from inequality. There is this inherent focus on the accumulative problem, and a competitive nature of justifying whose problem provides a greater social impact, that disrupts the relationship between men and women. Communication is required to find the solution, not to match the pain suffered.

06. Any things that frustrate you about feminism today? I think the everyday feminism I observe is absolutely delightful. Whether we take on the investigative or critical strand of feminism, it is the small actions that advocate for female representation that make my day. I think I am most frustrated by the label of feminism itself, and how it has progressively been viewed as more and more radicalised. Also, I wish for feminism to be more understanding of the fact that people contribute to feminism in different ways. The goals of the feminist movement are also subject to the individual and the community in question.

Lucy Hardie / Charles Corby.

—Words by Stacey Williams —Images by Jessica Schweintek.

Lucy Hardie’s modest studio sits in the labyrinthine Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne. In her studio, a large window overlooks a beautiful tree spotted courtyard, where birds tweeting and voices drift up from down below. Hardie is one of my idols, and to be in her studio is very humbling. Her calm and open demeanor puts me in a very comfortable state straight away. Lucy’s work has been circulating for years and, for those lucky enough, she runs drawing workshops at the convent, which is how a creative mentorship arose between her and Geelong based artist and musician, Charles Corby.

Stacey — Charles, were you struggling creatively before you decided to do the workshops with Lucy? Charles — Yes, oh hell yes. I get these visions of what I want, and then I try to work out how to create them. For six years I’ve been looking for someone to mentor my work; photographers and artists, but it’s hard to find a perfectionist.

S — Well, Lucy is definitely that. Lucy, how long does it take you to finish one piece? Lucy — I would say on average, give or take 100 hours.

S — So, very patient work, but do you feel like you're a patient person? Is there a part of your life where you are not patient? L— (laughs) I’m not patient with love! Come on guys, come and get me! I guess I am very patient, I think it’s my natural way, it’s nothing that I have to “turn on” or work at. I don't really see it as patience or impatience, but with my drawings I’ve always been very detail oriented.

S —I think lots of artists struggle with the “doing of the work”. Lots of people have the ideas, but to be disciplined enough to do it is the problem. L — It has taken me years to build a habit, like going to the gym…not that I do that of course (laughs). It’s just a matter of time and practice, but don't expect that it’s going to be easy, because it’s not. Just be okay with the drudgery. I find the first half of a piece of work is like climbing uphill, I get distracted. But if you put in the hours, then the hours are done, and you can see it come to life and before you know it, you are flowing downhill. It’s always a battle in the beginning, so I find having a structure helpful, starting at 9 o’clock, having a lunch break, like a normal routine. S — Charles, do you feel like with your music that routine is important, or do you feel differently? C — The word ‘structure’, is just a floating idea, it doesn't really have a meaning to me. With the music, it’s all over the place. It’s funny, because I can see the music, so I write a song by drawing it down. Not in traditional music notes. So if I listen to your voice or the music outside, I’m getting it in my mind as colours.

S — Let’s move onto the subject in your work, Lucy, I know you use a lot of religious iconography, Buddhist and Christian iconography feature largely. Where does that come from, is it a spiritual side of you? L — Yes, it is spiritual. But I generally don't describe it like that because the word “spiritual” has all these weird connotations. It’s spiritual in that I meditate, but I don't attach myself to any religion as such. My motivation in my work, all these stories and myths, serve to express the message of the artwork, which is that I want people to know who they are. I want them to stop and say “fuck” or “oh wow”, like that moment when you see a sunset and stop for a moment.

"Everyone has an opinion on everything. So be careful whose opinion you take."

S — A form of synesthesia? C — Kind of, it’s like this colourful depth. If I play a C note, I can see it as a voluminous mass, and it’s sparkling in different colours.

S — Yeah, it is that stunned silence that holds the most beauty. L —Beauty, not just a superficial beauty, but also a beauty that inspires your soul. I want to create an atmosphere of wonder, not an emotion necessarily, but an atmosphere of “wow”. That's what drives me, and that's what inspires me. If it hits me, that's it!

S — Is that what you try to express in your visual art, here with Lucy? C - To me it’s all one, it’s not like I can segregate my music and my art because it’s so interconnected. It grows the more I work with it. It’s also about not forgetting that I’m decaying and that I need to get stuff done. It feels like a sense of duty to myself, it’s not a choice for me.

S — Which artist causes that feeling in you? L — Probably Vali Myers, she was my first inspiration, not so much now. Austrian artist, Ernst Fuchs, is also one of my favourites. There is a theme of power to the things that inspire awe in me, power with a dark edge.

PRJKTR

S — Same question Charles, what makes you feel awe? C — When I see an artwork that's a representation of someone’s most innate self. It could be something really simple, like how someone dresses or holds himself or herself in a natural way. Where they have no fucks about what anyone else thinks. Representation of integrity is important. S — So can you guys give a little insight into the mentor/mentee relationship? L — I’m inspired by Charles’ drive. It’s not rare to have talent. It’s rare to do something with it, and make sacrifices, and I respect that. C — I would say, look for someone with similar values and morals. Not only in an artistic sense but a way of ‘being’ sense.

"if you want to be 'the best' then you are always going to have rivals, there is always going to be envy." S — How do you feel about competiveness and ambition in the creative world? Are they the same thing? Is there a place for them? L — I know people are competitive, and if you want to be “the best” then you are always going to have rivals, there is always going to be envy. But if you want to connect with your audience, and give something to them, then you’re not competing with anyone. Because I’m a unique person, I’m offering something unique, and it's a certain flavour that comes out of my work. And there’s a certain flavor that comes out of Charles, and he’s great at what he does and I’m not going to try and compete with that. I’m not built that way. I understand playing the game, but I’m not really attached to it, I don't really care, my focus is that I want to make great work. And I want my audience to connect with my work. If you’re lit up by my work, then my job is done. S —So it’s more like a service, not for the sake of an “artist identity”? L— Yeah, but I do catch myself doing it though, wanting to be significant. It feels good, to be praised. But it’s not satisfying, because it’s never enough. It’s more satisfying to stop focusing on myself, which is hard as an artist, because it's all about my look, being different, being special, being cool. I get that, but it’s limited. You can be more than that to other people. What if artists couldn't just be cutting edge or significant or admired? But actually use their work as service? It adds value to it. Our culture doesn't really value the artists. C — I have very strict morals in following “world's best practice”, the more you consume then the more you can give back. It is best to surround yourself with quality content.

Left— "The Weaver" Ink on paper.

Right— "You are Here" Ink on paper.

Boom Workroom / a dedicated space for art classes, workshops and events

A R T. D E S I G N . C O F F E E . E D U C AT I O N

BOOM GALLERY, 11 RUTL AND ST NEW TOWN VIC 3220

M O N - S A T , 9 . 0 0 - 4 P M . B O O M G A L L E R Y. C O M . A U

BOOM WORKROOM

affording fantastic opportunities to learn new skills, meet like minded people and connect with local artists and makers. Launching with a select program of Life Drawing, Oil Painting, Icon Painting, VCE Folio Expansion Course and a Basket Weaving workshop. Boom Workroom will continue to offer a range of new classes and workshops throughout the year / all details www.boomgallery.com.au

PRJKTR

S — Any last minute advice? L— Everyone has an opinion on everything. So be careful whose opinion you take. Find an artist that lights you up, and who you want to be like. If you ask an artist who is coming out of a completely different space, “what do I do?” they will direct you in a completely different way. Pick your idols, and then ask them. Especially when you're an artist, be careful whose opinions you take on. Especially, those who say you can’t make it or support yourself. Who are they? Are they blocked artists themselves?

Be brave and approach your idols. †

28 —

— —

—

— Supermarketeer, data-bender, and all-round glorious weirdo, Grant Charteris, better known as ghsdude, is making waves on the Internet with his authentic glitch and video works. We spoke to him about his practice, the concept of identity, and, inevitably, genitals. Words by Riley McDonald.

D U

— —

PRJKTR

D E

ghsdude.

So… Is it just Geelong that has no idea? Yeah basically, I’ve only met one other glitch artist, and that was when I was really drunk at a party in Footscray, and I’ve never seen him again. I’ve got plenty of friends who are also into it on the Internet, that I met through Tumblr., Instagram and seedy Facebook groups. Do you think that’s because Geelong is just too traditional? Or is there just not enough promotion of glitch? I feel it’s more like an Internet culture thing. It’s ready to go public, but it’s not willing; it doesn’t feel like it needs to be out in the real world. Sure, it does come out and people do see it, but it breeds and thrives on the Internet. Don’t think of me as some kind of Internet overlord, the scene does what it wants when it wants. Sounds a bit like a meme culture in that sense. Do you often react to other glitch artists’ work? Yeah, and of course certain trends do happen. People start doing the same thing as certain tools get put out that generate a certain glitch. Then everyone is like, “I love that. I’m going to use that same process, but with different images.” Soon you start seeing hundreds of photos that are totally different, but they all have that same sort of aesthetic. I used to be really against using tools put out by other people, because it's sort of cheating, but since then I’ve realised they’re just more resources for us to use, as long as you reference them. Is respect for other people’s online intellectual property a big thing in glitch? A lot of the medium is about using other people’s photos, so you’ve got to give credit where credit is due. Not a lot of glitch artists credit their exact sources all the time, and that’s the risk of working solely on the Internet. But if I’m using someone else’s image, I’m all about respect. It’s not that I’ve had a lot of artwork stolen or anything, but people can just repost stuff all over the internet and get thousands of likes — I don’t want to miss out. Do ever worry about people just saying, ‘we hate what you are doing’? Yeah all the time (laughs). I feel like it sometimes holds me back from just really putting myself out there. I still do what I want to do, but I keep thinking I’ll never get anywhere with it. It’s the same for everyone, really — it’s about getting past that fear of what others think. As much as I want to say that I don’t care about what other people think, deep down inside everybody feels…not good enough. But being mostly online, that keeps you a little bit distanced from your audience. Does that make it easier? It definitely makes it easier for me to just make something and share it online. I don’t know if anybody’s seen it— it’s just out there. If someone says something to me, they’re probably not going to say something mean, they don’t even know who ghsdude is.

People at school would laugh at me, and make fun of me for that. Eventually I decided I actually didn’t care, I liked the name. In terms of being both ghsdude and Grant Charteris, which one do you more relate to? I feel like when I say ghsdude, it’s just my Internet persona. Because there are some things that I don’t want everybody online to find out about me in my personal life. It’s a good way to keep it separate. A name plays such a small part in an identity. It’s so easy to change it around and mess with people’s heads—especially online, because everyone takes it so seriously. I can just go and put up a new name and be a totally different person. It seems like a lot of your artwork is about honesty and being as genuine as possible. If you were to take that final step and go, “ I am actually Grant Charteris, and this is what I do,” do you feel that would affect the authenticity of your practice? I don’t think so. I’ve honestly thought a lot over the last year or so about dropping ghsdude, because it’s not really all that relevant to me anymore. There’s this video on YouTube of me jerking off—you can see my genitals flying everywhere—which sort of morphs into itself and distorts. YouTube’s had it up for a couple of years now. When you watch it, it is quite clearly my genitals. It’s pretty hard to get more authentic than that.

What would you say the ‘real life’ equivalent of Glitch is? Our bodies. The human body really gets to me, the sort of glitches that we have. If you push your eyes like this for a long time— [Grant proceeds to stick his fingers into the corners of his eyes] —Your vision will go all clouded and pixelated. I use to do it when I was a kid. There are glitches in nature like that, when you do something weird and you don’t understand why you’ve just done it. There’s also this thing called ‘Alice in Wonderland syndrome’. It’s where either you feel smaller, or your surroundings feel heaps bigger—total body dysmorphia. It’s almost like you’re on acid or something. I think it’s just a glitch in the brain. It doesn’t actually make you sick or anything, it just feels really weird. I’ve been exploring the idea of it, and now I need to work out how to get that, and put it on the Internet. Do you have any main influences? There’s this artist that I really froth over — AnklePants. He comes from Newcastle. His stage presence is similar to a clown, but he has this horribly deformed facemask with a long penis for a nose. His stuff is very dancey and obscure, and I love every single bit of it. What’s your perception of the Geelong art scene? How do you think it’s going? I really don’t know what been going on in Geelong because I’ve been so distant from it. I haven’t really done anything physical for years. It seems like the Geelong art scene can be a bit flaky, like they’re waiting for someone else to do something for them. It’s good that I’ve separated myself from it to a degree. I’m doing my own thing on the Internet, and I’ve got thousands of people liking what I do. I’m not relying on Geelong to help me do my art. But it would be great to do stuff here in Geelong again as well. †

PRJKTR

www.instagram.com/ghsdu.de

Is glitch a relatively unexplored medium? Actually no. I’m part of a few Facebook groups, like the Glitch Artist Collective, and even groups about glitch in music, and there are thousands of people already exploring the medium online.

What does the “GHS” in ghsdude stand for? People ask me that all the time — it’s “Geelong High School”. That actually stemmed from when I was in year 7, I made a YouTube account and uploaded this really stupid video of me onto the Internet, where I was talking about “free time”, how you don’t spend time, you utilise it… I don’t know. I was 12 years old (laughs).

www.ghsdu.de

With your glitch work, how did you start? It was actually in high school. I just discovered one of my videos I was downloading wasn’t working properly. Then I started looking up glitches on YouTube and I found some tutorials for really simple glitches using WordPad. I was really interested in what I could do with this. I started thinking, what can I do with this? How can I explore this? It’s still great, I love it.

DIY—

How to grow your own Borax crystals.

You will need— ■■ Borax (The cleaning aisle at the supermarket should supply it)

■■ Heat proof container ■■ Tablespoon ■■ Food colouring

01. To begin with, we need to choose a seed object. This is the object that the crystals will latch onto and grow. You can start with something as simple as a piece of string, or as a shell or stick.*

02. To make sure your object will grow the best crystals, spray your object with spray adhesive and sprinkle it with the borax. You are basically directing the crystals where to form.

*Please, don't try to grow crystals on your pet's head. They won't appreciate it, no matter how fabulous they look.

■■ Pencil ■■ String / Seed item ■■ Spray Adhesive

03. Take your pencil, and tie a piece of string around the middle of it, with a long length at the other end. Next tie your chosen object to the free string, so it will dangle in the middle of your container without touching the bottom or the sides. This will ensure a solid, crystal object.

04. Fill your container with boiling water.

05 . Now tablespoon the Borax into the water and mix until each spoonful is dissolved. The trick is to over-saturate the water, so the borax stops dissolving. When you see little white whisps at the bottom that won’t dissolve, that's when you know when to stop.

06. You can now add the food colouring. The more food colouring you add, the more intense the colour will be.

07. Next hang your crystal fishing rod in your dyed solution.

08. Carefully place your container in a dry place overnight, where it won’t be disturbed.

09. Remove the rod, and voilà! Homemade crystals! TIP: To make your crystal stronger, you can either spray it with hair spray or glaze it with clear nail polish.

PRJKTR

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░

We're also on the interwebs!_

WWW.PRJKTR.COM.AU

PRJKTR

WWW.COURTHOUSE.ORG.AU

YOUTH

CRE ATIVE

E XPERIMENTAL

An initiative of: