MAGAZINE
.COM
ISSUE 22, JULY 2013
BRISBANE | GOLD COAST | TWEED COAST
---------------------------------------------------------------------------THE RAW INK TEAM
ROXY COPPEN
Graphic designer and editor roxy@rawinkmagazine.com www.roxycoppen.com
RUTH DUNN
Journalist ruth@rawinkmagazine.com
LIANA TURNER
Journalist and photographer liana@rawinkmagazine.com www.liana-anitra.tumblr.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COVER GRAPHIC BY
JESSICA BARKER jessica.barker@hotmail.com
If you know of any creative events happening in your local area, or would like to contribute to the magazine, feel free to send us an email to: roxy@rawinkmagazine.com
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Hello Readers,
From,
The Raw Ink Team xx
CONTENTS 4 12
‘Chit Chat Corner with Cherie Strong’ Ruth Dunn ‘BRIS BEST FEST’ Ruth Dunn
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‘The Rumors were true: Fleetwood Mac Australian Tour 2013’ Sophie Burke
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‘The Love Junkies’ Liana Turner
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‘Aco Virtual – Paving The Way For New Art And Its Future’ Sara Parkinson
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CHIT CHAT CORNER WITH
Cherie Strong RUTH DUNN
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PHOTO BY KER FUFFLE
Cherie Strong is a South East Queensland artist who works across mediums to explore beauty and to express her everyday thoughts and feelings. This month I had a chat to Cherie about her inspirations, artistic background and the themes present in her recent work. Tell me a bit about your background. How did you first become interested in art? I discovered art in my teens. Until then I had been busy expressing myself through my choices in music, fashion, hairstyles and somewhat wayward behaviours…but once I happened upon art as a way to express myself, I fell in love. It was like I found my voice finally. How has this interest in art developed since that time? After a few pre-emptive short courses in my late teens, at 20 years old I enrolled in TAFE and studied an advanced certificate in Fine Arts. It certainly was the best time EVER…being surrounded by like-minded people who “got me” really ignited a burning passion inside me to create. Drawing, painting, and sculpting everyday for a year sealed the deal. When I was 21 I left art school and travelled UK and Europe for 8 months to see as many galleries and old artworks as possible. When I returned I got a bit side-tracked by getting married and raising 5 sons for the next 10 years, completely shelving my desire to become an artist…but at 30 years old a yearning to create again became so strong that I gave into it and have solidly drawn and painted my way to here (age 39). I’ve come a long way, and enjoyed every triumph, learnt from every failure. This art life really is brilliant after all...if you’re a young artist, my advice is to just keep going and ffs have fun along the way. What are the aims and motivations behind your artworks? In the last 12-18 months, I have really become more confident in my own abilities and have realised that my artworks are really quite an emotional response to my everyday thoughts and feelings–a true expression of myself. As my successes gather momentum, I have also enjoyed sharing what knowledge I’ve gained so far with emerging artists trying to find their own voices. You have worked across a number of mediums such as charcoal, pen and ink, acrylics and aerosol. What is your favourite medium to work with and why? I don’t have favourites. I like to play with them all, as they all serve a purpose. When I paint, I’m using acrylics because I’m impatient and they dry quickly. I’ve played with watercolours recently because I loved their watery drippy side. Pen & ink and charcoal serve me when I feel the need to draw…when I need detail. And finally my love of street art led me to play with aerosols–which I’m still trying to master, but I enjoy learning about. Aerosols are definitely something of a learning curve
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I’m determined to master so I can do more work on the streets. I like the freedom of that and to be honest…its naughtiness. What themes are you exploring in your artworks at the moment? Capturing beauty has been an ongoing ideal for me – finding it in the female form mostly... but I do like to follow my obsessions as they come. Right now that’s an Alice in Wonderland fixation which I like to play with a lot. I read in a bio that you see yourself as a ‘work in progress’. Would you still describe yourself in this way? I say work in progress because I never really sit still on one type of artwork. I flit from medium to theme a lot…I like to call them ‘art adventures’ and I find myself continually reinventing myself, what I do, and how I do it. At its essence...I’m just doing whatever I feel like at the time. That’s the joy of artistic freedom. I interviewed Phil B recently and he mentioned you are involved in Free Art Friday. What is your favourite thing about being involved in that project? Free art Friday is something I discovered on Facebook from watching the posts of other artists, but I wholly embraced the idea of leaving your artwork in a public place for someone to find and enjoy. It’s a great break from, and a completely selfish thrill from having to create with the intention to sell (which is the reality of being a professional artist). It’s a gift of art to someone random and unsuspecting and I love the way it opens the art world up to the finder of your art…who might then appreciate artworks more, or just put a smile on their face and make their day. What is inspiring you at the moment? Everything inspires me! I’m always finding things to satisfy my muse– bare shoulders, stripey stockings… it changes all the time. I’m very visual–so I’m noticing colours, shadows, the curve of something all the time. Things jump out at me and make me gasp… Then I try and recreate that emotion I think. What’s next on the agenda? Currently I have a solo exhibition on at Artis Pura custom framing in Woolloongabba Brisbane. This exhibition is running until the 13th July. I have artwork showing in several upcoming group exhibitions also: ‘Urban Artists’ exhibition at Old Hat Gallery U.K. opening June 29th ‘A Figurative Exhibition’ at Bankside Gallery London U.K. opening July 5th ‘Female Form’ exhibition at Graydon Gallery Brisbane opening July 5th ‘So long, forebear’ exhibition at Paradise Hills Gallery Melbourne Victoria opening July 19th To see more of Cherie’s work and to keep up with her work hot off the easel like her artist page on Facebook and/or follow her on instagram: www.facebook.com/cheriestrongart instagram: @cheriestrongart
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BRIS BEST FEST PHOTOS by roxy coppen
Article by ruth dunn
On Saturday Brisbane welcomed the first ever BRISBESTFEST, a festival celebrating Brisbane street art, graffiti and local musicians. The event was held at Loading Dock Espresso and ARIA car park in West End and included a small exhibition of big names including Fintan Magee, Cezary Stulgis, David Don, Guido van Helten, Elana Mullaly, Anika Lister and Magnus, amongst others. Outside, artists worked together to cover a large wall with bright aerosol art and even provided the kids with some painting space. While the audience enjoyed the art, food and drinks, an array of musicians such as MKO, The Optimen, Bankrupt Billionaires and Desmond Cheese took to the stage to provide the crowd with some pumping, funky beats. Profits from the street food and the boutique beer and wine bar will be donated to Brisbane Youth Service – a vital community service supporting Brisbane’s homeless and at risk youth. BRISBESTFEST is set to return to Brisbane next year, keep an eye out.
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The Rumors we
Fleetwo
Mac
Australian Tour Sophie Burke
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. ere true .
ood
Multi-Grammy award winners and Hall of Fame inductees Fleetwood Mac last month announced their highly anticipated Australian tour, in the wake of global rave reviews for their international sold-out concerts. The show - dubbed as ‘high energy’ - will kick off in Sydney on November 10 and travel to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide to be featured at major venues. Two additional shows have been added for Melbourne and Sydney after the announcement that the first shows sold out in hours. Two outdoor concerts will also feature – at Hunter Valley’s Hope Estate Winery, followed by The Hill Winery in Geelong for the Day on the Green festival.
The Summer 2013 tour will be Fleetwood Mac’s first string of concerts since 2009’s Unleashed Tour. Don’t miss an opportunity to see the legendary Fleetwood Mac – tickets are still available. Sunday, 10th November – SOLD OUT Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney Monday, 11th November – NEW SHOW Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney Saturday, 16th November Hope Estate, Hunter Valley
The two-hour-plus shows overseas have seen the debut of new track Sad Angel, written by Lindsay Buckingham, proving that the group still have their fingers firmly on the pulse of their collective songwriting and producing abilities, even after many decades of hits and well-documented personality clashes.
Tuesday, 19th November Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
The trademark beefy, beating tones open the song and soon Buckingham and Nicks sing together. Interestingly, Nicks is mostly imperceptible, taking a firm side step from her usual singing persona that is peppered with personality. It is slightly different for Fleetwood – not as deep lyrically - but it proves they’ve still got it.
Tuesday, 26th November – SOLD OUT Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
The track comes off their most recent release, a four-track EP released in April titled Extended Play – the first material since 2003’s Say You Will. But if you’re worried you’ll miss out on the classics, think again.
Friday, 22nd November Perth Arena, Perth
Wednesday, 27th November – NEW SHOW Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Saturday, 30th November A Day On The Green, The Hill Winery, Geelong Friday, 6th December Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
Hits from their 1977 album Rumors have been governing the playlists overseas, with Go Your Own Way, Dreams, Don’t Stop and The Chain featuring regularly, as well as recreating of the magic of other classics such as Tusk and Rhiannon. The Australian tour has been in the pipeline for some time. Singer Stevie Nicks spoke to Rolling Stone in 2012 about plans for a world tour, indicating that they may “do around 15 shows in Australia”, which kick-started nation-wide anticipation for a visit to our shores. 21
The Love J
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Junkies LIANA TURNER The Love Junkies are not your average high school-formed grunge rock band. Even calling them “grunge rock” is questionable; they’re not the kind of lads who hang around –piercing body parts with safetypins, before taking to the streets to smash some windows and scare old ladies. They’re not going to overwhelm you with screamed lyrics about how severely society misunderstands them. Right now, the Perth band are touring in support of their debut album Maybelene. So far, they say, it’s been going pretty well – with broken equipment sitting at a bare minimum. As they prepare for their Brisbane set – with the help of a Heineken (or six) – they say their second time playing the East Coast has been fairly well received. Vocalist Mitch McDonald says the 2012 release of their single ‘Oxymoron’ and their emergence through Triple J Unearthed meant “more gigs and less money” for the
band. “The touring’s been the best thing,” he says. “We’ve had far better shows.”
this time next year we’ll be jumping back in the studio.”
Touring the East Coast for their second time, the boys say getting out of Perth momentarily is a refreshing change - that and not having to go to work in the morning.
Of the debut album, McDonald says it’s a bit of a rollercoaster. “It’s up and down. It was written and recorded around the time I had split up with somebody so I guess that – one minute it’s pissed off, the next minute it’s not. So it’s really me crying over the top of these guys playing music.”
While a lot of the material might be new to punters, the Mitch says the album already feels old. Having recorded the album well over a year ago, there’s no wonder the lads are already keen to get some new material out there. “It’s already there, as far as the next album goes,” McDonald says. “This time around, we were a bit smarter about it. We demoed it and then just put it away and stopped. This [debut album] was recorded heading on two years. We’ve waited to play songs off that album but even playing them now it feels old. It’s not new material. Hopefully
The Love Junkies were listed in NME’s top 5 artists to watch in 2013 – and they say this was certainly not something they’d anticipated. “We were really excited to hear about it,” says McDonald. “It came out of nowhere. It was a bit surreal I guess.” Some might interpret such keen public attention as a source of pressure, but these lads seem more interested in making and playing good music than impressing people and making it onto lists. “We just want to just keep doing what we’re doing,” 23
McDonald says. “ You see bands that get caught up in it – and it can ruin what they’re doing and acts as a cloud over their creativity.” On starting out as a young band in Perth, these lads say they relied pretty heavily on social media to get off the ground initially. “We’d been trying for a while,” says McDonald. “Back when we started it was all Myspace and stuff like that. We’d play out in the middle of the bush to bikies and pig hunters and just your real bogan sorts. That’s how we cut our teeth. We just hassled all these bands in Perth that we liked. From there we just kept meeting new people.” The band have been lucky enough to support British India on an East Coast tour, receive invitations to major festivals such as Southbound, Big Day Out and Groovin’ the Moo and are soon to be touring with Grinspoon. “I’m looking forward to sitting in a van for ten hours with these guys,” says McDonald. If you’re planning to head to one of their shows, the lads have two words for you: sweaty and fun. “We just have fun and I think that’s really important because that allows the crowd to loosen up,” says Mcdonald. “Especially if we’re playing in front of people for the first time, that’s kind of like they’ve got to sit there and figure out whether or not it is something they like – especially if it’s not something that’s blasted on the radio. We have a couple of beers, have a blast, it’s infectious and people get into it.” On working with Japan-based Canadian producer Alan Brey, McDonald says the environment was perfectly in line with their image as a band. Pulling together an image of a “sweaty little shoebox” studio, the lads emphasise the importance of a healthy professional relationship. “He was relaxed, very laid-back,” says McDonald. “If it was intense the whole time, it would have been horrible. It only took us two days to track everything which I think was lucky, otherwise there would have been tears.” Having recorded the entire album live, The Love Junkies feel they have achieved a sound in Maybelene which is purely representative of what they are. “I think it’s been the closest we’ve come to sounding like ourselves on a record,” says McDonald. “Recording live gives off a better atmosphere in the studio and on the record. If we’re standing around smiling, comes out better.” Some might argue these grunge-rock boys are living in the past – that their genres were buried a decade ago. To some extent, 24
they might agree. “Grunge seems to be coming back,” says McDonald. “But you know, it’s not only that. You can reproduce a heap of crap that happened two decades ago but you’ve always got to have your own spin on it. Our next release is going to be more mature, or at least different…so long as it’s moving forward because you don’t want to be regurgitating what everyone’s already heard. And that works, but there’s no longevity in that.” July 10:The Pier Hotel, Esperance WA July 11: Studio 146, Albany WA July 12: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River WA July 13: Prince of Wales Hotel, Bunbury WA July 14: Players Bar, Mandurah WA (All with Grinspoon)
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ACO VIRTUAL
– PAVING THE WAY FOR NEW Projections of spotlights in exhibiton
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W ART AND ITS FUTURE sARA PARKINSON There is no question about it, as consumers we are surrounded by a technologically driven environment. It is one that appears to have no limits; it is innovative, advanced and creative. It is so embedded in our daily lives that one simply cannot ignore it. So what does this mean for the traditional artist? As they find themselves living in this technology-obsessed world, they must search for new ways of creating, viewing and portraying their once very traditional art. The Australian Chamber Orchestra and their world touring virtual exhibition is one such example of this. Within this exhibition, a very traditional art form has been transformed in a virtual haven. I was lucky enough to catch up with its creators at the launch party at the Art Centre, Gold Coast as they shed some light on the making and future of such traditional art forms. In a few simple words the ACO Virtual exhibition can be described as “a creativecollaborative approach between the old and new”. It takes a traditional Orchestra and combines it with a young, innovative and technologically driven events production company. It provides the viewer with a unique understanding of how music is constructed. As you walk into the dimly lit, whitewashed room you are essentially setting yourself ‘inside’ an orchestral performance. You are surrounded by a 360-degree cinema experience consisting of 13 projected spotlights on all four walls. As the show begins the performance footage of 13 ACO musicians fills each spotlight with the sound of each performer coming from
the direction of their projection. You are so close to the musicians you can see how lighting quick these artists are, you can hear the ACO’s multi-million dollar collection of instruments and feel the rush of being immersed in a very powerful, classical band. The exhibition, although enchanting enough here, has yet another layer. In the centre, one will find a touch-screen music stand, allowing you to spotlight the sounds and visuals of the Orchestra. You can highlight one particular musician, a section of instruments or a mix of players. You can even bring in your instruments and play along or take charge of the orchestra as a virtual conductor. You then download the ACO virtual app, adding another layer of information on each individual performer. However, as state-of-the-art and modern this all seems, as I listened to the artist considered to have created this exhibition, Michaela Ledwidge from Mod Productions, it seems that the creative-collaboration of artists, technologists and planners alike was more challenging than one could imagine. The ACO came to Mod productions in an attempt to leverage new audiences. As Michaela took a seat one afternoon on the floor in the middle of an ACO orchestral practice, she was instantly moved by the intimacy and power of an up-close orchestral performance. In an attempt to bring this experience to a wider audience, she envisioned an interactive art piece of an orchestral performance. Such an interactive piece would allow the viewer to take control 29
of the environment and create ones own interactive story. This installation required the recording and taping of each individual musician in an orchestral performance, something very foreign to a group of artists concerned with the whole rather than the individual. They were further worried about their artistic integrity, the uneasy feeling that a member of the general public could take their art form and transform it in their own way. A viewer could take the perfect sound and replace it with blemishes and imperfections. This art exhibition pushed the Australian Chamber Orchestra out of its comfort zone. For Michaela, it was a balancing act between a digital world and a traditional artist. Negotiations and realisations on both sides had to be considered and argued. The results? Well its dependent upon your own interaction with the ACO at each art installation. The combined effort of Mod Productions and ACO provides version 1, the audience and what it does with the tools creates version 2; no two experiences will be the same. At first hand, this exhibition is worth a visit, even if your not one to spend your evenings immersed in classical music. It well and truly gives you an insight into the power and passions behind an Orchestral performance. However, it also shows you something else. It gives you a glimpse into how the old and new can intertwine to create something truly magical. ACO virtual is essentially an exploration into the potential paths of a combined approach to both the digital and art worlds; one that will pave the way for future art exhibitions. The exhibition is showing across Australia in the coming months. Check out www.aco. com.au/about/acovirtual to see when its coming to a gallery near you!
ACO virtual 3D, this installation wasn’t at the Gold Coast but will be present at some
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The iPhone App
Recording the Art
e of its touring exhibtions
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