Paradiso Issue No. 06 by Paradiso

am free

The whole world in our hands ...

Our Paradiso is pantry discoveries, sustainable architecture, postcard tarot, the rite of spring, poetry weavers

Look Touch and Feel

Issue No. 06 October/November 2018 Because when you stop and look around, this life is pretty amazing.

So many muses Le Fawnhawk, Arcosanti, Digby Moran, Temple of Words, Harry James Angus, Foxy Luu's, Caitlin Reilly

A travel and experience annual Northern NSW, Australia No.01, 2018-2019 Brought to you by Paradiso

A curated selection of the best food, drinks, retailers, experiences and accommodation found in Northern NSW, Australia. Plus guided itineraries, experiential essays, feature stories, fashion editorial, and more. Take Away. 132pp. OUT SOON \ LIMITED FEATURES AVAILABLE Contactâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; hello@thisisparadiso.com.au or visit: thisisparadiso.com.au/takeaway @takeawayannual

STAY AT ARCOSANTI Getting there Get yourself to Phoenix Arizona. Hire a car and cruise the 100km drive. A well maintained, milelong dirt road leads guests into the village.

Staying there Enjoy unchaperoned exploration of much of the site, nightly views of the Milky Way, complimentary breakfast in the café, and the opportunity to connect more deeply with both Arcosanti and its residents. Guest accommodation in the village starts from $30 a night for a single room with a shared bathroom. For more space, there’s the Sky Suite – a two-bedroom apartment overlooking the mesa from $100. Both options are bookable via arcosanti.org

POSTCARD

FROM

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

PARADISO

Postcard from Paradiso –52

WELCOME

ISSUE NO. 06 ~ OCTâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;NOV 2018

THIS IS PARADISO

Arcosanti Take me to:

Arizona, USA 5

Clockwise from top left images courtesy of Hanne Sue Kirsch, Alfonso Elia, Tomiaki Tamura, Yuki Yanagimoto. On the opposite page photo courtesy of Ken Howie.

+ WELCOME

The whole world in our hands ... Welcome. In this issue we honour the muse of inspiration and the muse of realisation. The poets, the visionaries, the environmentalists. The world game. Team Paradiso ;) xx

WE ARE HERE

Hello– Issue No. 06: The whole world in our hands ... / Oct–Nov 2018

HELLO

Paradiso is so very proudly brought to you by: Beck Marshall, Co-Founder, Managing Editor @sixgallery_ Lila Theodoros, Co-Founder, Production Manager/Design @ohbabushka Aarna Hudson, Partnership Manager @aarnakristina Jonas Nutter, Intern Extraordinaire @jonasnutter Marty and Matt, Team Distribution Chris Theodoros, Accountant businessmatters.com.au Our Mums, Tania Theodoros and Lorraine Marshall, Proof Readers Thank you to our wonderful contributors– Rachel Surgeoner Jasmine Christie Sorca Hubbuck Julie Bennett Shien Chee Holly Graham Vivi Frehner Phoebe East Monique Barton Martin Martini Ruby Fletcher Madeleine Murray From the bottom of our hearts– thank you to our incredibly supportive families – we love you! xx Printed by Fast Proof Press, Nerang Qld. Published by This is Paradiso Trust. © This is Paradiso Trust 2018, all rights reserved. Disclaimer No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher. The views expressed in Paradiso are those of the retrospective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the publisher. Contributions and submissions are welcome but no responsibility is taken. Information and credits are correct when going to print but may change afterwards. Paradiso is published six times a year and we are sorry for any mistakes :) thisisparadiso.com.au @paradiso_magazine_ Paradiso acknowledges the Bundjalung People of the Byron Shire as the traditional custodians of this land.

Club Paradiso Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not. – Th e L ora x

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

Come for the fun, stay for the best membership in town. Join the club and receive our OUT NOW newsletter – you will be the first of your friends to find out when our latest issue is hitting the streets; you’ll get a mid-mag-month sneak peak at the amazing features we are putting together for your reading pleasure; AND you will be the first to be invited to all of the very exciting Paradiso events such as Breakfast Club. Sign up now. thisisparadiso.com.au/club

THIS IS PARADISO

Enjoy reading–

–38

Pantry passport –10 Postcard Tarot –20 Practice and all is coming –24 The rite of spring –28 There she goes, my beautiful world –38 Le Fawnhawk –44 Take me to: Arcosanti –52

–10

–28

–24

Food + Drink

10 Feature: Pantry passport 12 Me, my shop and I: Foxy Luu’s

Home + Design

14 Where I live: Earthing 18 Essay: In our nature – awakening from slumber

Wellbeing

20 Feature: Postcard Tarot 24 Practice and all is coming: Home practice 26 Listen: The New Environmentalists

Fashion + Beauty

28 Feature: The rite of spring 38 Jewellery: There she goes, my beautiful world

Arts + Events

42 Arts Guide 44 Current Muse: Petecia Fawn Hawk 50 Music: Harry James Angus

Community

58 Encounter: Albert (Digby) Moran 60 Good people: Temple of Words 62 Crossword / Trivia

Travel

52 Feature: Arcosanti, Arizona, USA 54 Ten things I love about: Byron Bay 56 Essay: Paris & other stories

Cover image courtesy of– Le Fawnhawk @lefawnhawk

HELLO

+ WELCOME

THE WARMEST OF WARM UPS

The Good News is—

October/November Top 5 to look out for: 01– Stone & Wood We are getting ready for those long summer days and our mates at Stone & Wood have introduced batch brew Sticky Nectar – now starting to pour through taps along the east coast of Australia. stoneandwood.com.au

Making musicians The Mullum Music Festival is once again giving young musicians a head start with its Youth Mentor Program. For the last eight years the festival has been supporting and nurturing young musicians. Teaming up emerging artists under 21 years of age with established musicians from the festival line-up to mentor and provide hands-on practical advice in a festival setting. Young artists from each category receive a rehearsal session with their mentor, a 20-minute performance slot at the festival with their mentor backstage, the opportunity to watch their mentor perform from backstage and a weekend pass to the festival. mullummusicfestival.com

02– Byron Bay Film Festival A festival that fuses artistry, education and innovation, enhancing our world view and collective social dialogue through the power and storytelling of film. Screened in various locations around the shire. 12–21 October, Byron Bay bbff.com.au

All things pottery

Northern Rivers Pottery Supplies are the suppliers of all things pottery: clay, glazes, firing services and raw materials. Found in a big, 100 year old rustic shed down a lane way in North Lismore, you are warmly welcomed by husband and wife team Ove and Madeleine, as charming, relaxed and inviting as their boundless space. Northern Rivers Pottery Supplies have a long history here in the Shire – our region’s one and only pottery supplier for the last 30 years. Drop in and check out the informal creative space for potters with intermediate or advanced experience to come and connect, work together, learn from each other, swap ideas and socialise in a friendly, enjoyable and supportive environment. Professionally led workshops are facilitated by experienced local ceramic artists. Over the past few years, hundreds of students have enjoyed the benefits of getting muddy, creative and inspired in the old shed. nrpotterysupplies.com.au

Win! Win!! Win!!! Join Club Paradiso to win Join Club Paradiso to win one jar each of Mason’s Mushrooms and Jing, from our friends at Superfeast, curators of the best tonic herbs and medicinal mushrooms to elevate body, mind and spirit. To win – we’ve made it super easy – simply visit thisisparadiso.com.au/club and sign up to Club Paradiso. Thank you Superfeast! superfeast.com.au

03– BAM Artist Dinner Byron Arts Magazine will host their first ever ‘Artist Dinner’ at Barrio. The evening will be led by art writer and author Louise Martin Chew, who will discuss the narrative behind artist Michael Cook’s contemporary works. 17 October, Barrio, Byron Bay byronartsmagazine.com.au 04– New kid Welcome Loft, Byron Bay – an inspiring new bar combining cocktails and food. Owner Matt Hunt’s concept is to create great drinks and food to engage all your senses, whilst still being fun, approachable and affordable. Watch this space. @loftbyronbay 05– A weekend of foraging Foraging for Useful Plants is a weekend foraging adventure. This workshop is an in-depth look at plants and their many uses. 24–25 November, Kunghur rewildyou.com.au

Overheard: Early morning in the Byron Ashtanga Yoga Shala, Dena Kingsberg speaks of the stress we feel when needing to do everything, be everything, and gifts us a special piece of wisdom ...

“In this moment, you are enough. You are sublime.” 8

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

loftbyronbay.com.au @loftbyronbay

02 6680 9183 4 Jonson Street, Byron Bay 2481

FOOD

+ DRINK

LET’S EAT WITH THE SEASONS

WORDS–

PHOTO–

Rachel Surgeoner @Yes_Joy

Lila Theodoros @ohbabushka

CREATIVE DIRECTION–

Beck Marshall @sixgallery_

Pantry passport In this issue, we head to the back of the pantry. The place our diversity lives. We celebrate the secret ingredients that perfect the recipes passed down by the Nonnas, the Babushkas, the Ammas and Mémés.

Because what’s a Quesadilla without Pimento. Or Spanakopita without olive oil. These ingredients once foreign, now familiar. We encourage you to experiment, to observe our heritage. Try some foods that may be completely foreign to you. For those curious enough to decipher them; a world of umami, spice and new and unusual mouthfeel awaits! We’ve compiled a small list of unique herbs, spices and condiments to bring a more global feel to your pantry. It’s almost as good as a holiday. Ponzu This zesty japanese dressing is a game changer. Made with Yuzu, sweet mirin, bonito flakes and kombu - it’s one mighty bottle of umami to take your Japanese cooking to the next level. Pimento (Smoked Paprika) Readily available but frequently overlooked (sweet and Hungarian paprika are what you likely have the back of your spice cupboard), smoked paprika adds a unique savouriness to dishes - essential in an authentic Spanish paella, you can also keep it on hand for roasting vegetables and adding to soups and stews. Sumac Like tang? Me too. Sumac adds a lemony zing and is commonly used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking. Try it on grilled meats and fish, or fancy up your hummus with a few pinches on top. Nigella Seeds A seed with many different names - black cumin, kalonji and nigella. These little guys are packed with awesome medicinal properties and powerful antioxidants. Sprinkled in a 10

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

salad, over your avo on toast, or on top of a curry - they add a punchy herbaceous note. Crispy Chilli Oil The Asian aisle at any supermarket will have a few decent chilli condiments, but what you’re looking for is Lao Gan Ma brand Crispy Chilli Oil, you’ll find it at the Asian grocer and you’ll never look back. Use generously. Harissa Is it just us or did harissa have a cool moment in cafe culture in the mid-2000s? Where’d it go? Bring it back. This fiery North African paste is loaded with peppers and array of spices to give instant flavour to meat and vegetables. Try mixing it with mayo on a fancy chicken sandwich. Za’atar Or Zhatar (and several other spelling variations) is an epic Middle Eastern spice mix of thyme, oregano, marjoram, toasted sesame seeds and usually sumac too. It’s your friend in dukkah blends, and pairs particularly well over roasted carrots. Pomegranate Molasses This tart, sweet sticky nectar adds a Persian flare to our culinary arsenal. Try it drizzled over a feta and watermelon salad, add it to baba ganoush or even a dash to a glass of prosecco for a fruity cocktail. Dulce de leche The Argentinian answer to Nutella, this sweet spread is made from sweetened condensed milk and works a treat on toast, over ice cream, and as the filling in a delicious alfajores biscuit.

PANTRY PASSPORT

FOOD

+ DRINK

ME, MY SHOP AND I

WORDS–

Madeleine Murray @madzufi

Think fluffy steamed buns, slow cooked meats and freshly made pork-mince rice paper rolls. We chat Foxy Luu’s vibrant and vivid flavour & flair.

Foxy Luu’s Owners Utku & Leilani Ayhan Shop 4A, 90 Jonson St Byron Bay @Foxyluus

What brought you to the Northern Rivers? Soon after Leilani and I met in Sydney in 2015, we knew we had started something special. We moved up here to nurture our relationship. Within a year we had rented a house, had a baby, got married and opened a restaurant. Big year! You have Sefa, a very successful modern Middle Eastern restaurant in Bondi. What inspired you to do Asian street food? When we leased this hole-in-the-wall tucked away in the Woolies car park, we didn’t know what to do with it. The shop doesn’t have a full kitchen so we thought the best cuisine we could offer with minimal cooking would be Asian with lots of fresh ingredients and pungent flavours. In a dingy backstreet in Hanoi once, I noticed locals lined up outside a tiny shop for Luu’s freshly made pork-mince rice paper rolls, packed with flavours, and super cheap. The whole experience was a thrilling ritual with no fuss or pretentiousness. Foxy Luu’s is a blend of that spirit and Byron’s gentle, feminine and creative soul. The decor and atmosphere in Foxy’s is wild, vivid and vibrant. Lots of manga and

saturated reds. How did you come up with it? It happened quite organically which I always enjoy when creating a space. We wanted the space to feel like Asian streets, funky food stall by day and red light district by night. We commissioned Mullum artist Daniel Hand for a mural, and he ended up making three art works. We gave him ideas and he expressed them without any solid plan. Then one of our employees wanted to draw art on two walls, they turned out delicious too. Lighting coming through 40 red parasols soaks the space at night. Bam! The menu is simple, the Vietnamese buns are so soft and pillowy, the fillings delicious, and the herbs fresh and pungent. Do you source local suppliers? All our fresh produce comes from the Northern Rivers. Our dumplings are handmade in Brisbane by Cantonese yum cha experts. What do you think Foxy Luu’s has added to the Byron community? Visitors are always welcomed with a big smile. They can relax and enjoy quick, cheap, freshly made delicious food. Foxy Luu’s

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

is tucked away from the main strip so people generally find us by word of mouth. Almost like a cheeky hide out for locals. Sometimes we have live music and DJ yum cha sessions. On Saturday evenings Bazz plays his magical sitar with rotating supporting instruments to bring the sounds of the orient to Byron. We are also proud supporters of fantastic local organisations like the Byron Bay Film Festival and Bay FM. It must be great to grow up in a city like Istanbul! With its chaos and rituals, Istanbul is a blend of bohemian Europe, joyful Mediterranean, Middle East, Asian and Turkish traditions. Clubs pump all night while call to prayer is always heard day and night. Favourite food from Foxy’s– Taiwanese street sandwiches called Bao – fluffy steamed buns with our slow cooked meats, house made pickles and seasonal fresh herbs. Velvety coconut and passionfruit panna cotta. Our chicken bone broth soup has been an instant hit for the people who want to boost their immune system.

The Belongil cafe | events

www.thebelongil.com.au (02) 6680 9007 @thebelongil 33 Childe Street, Byron Bay

HOME

+ DESIG N

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

WHERE THE HEART IS — IS WHERE I LIVE

DISCOVER

WORDS/ PHOTOS–

Beck Marshall @sixgallery_

Earthing

WO R DS TO I N S P I R E– 01 . T E R R A 02 . O N E O F A K I N D 03 . R H Y T H M I CA L 04 . S E N S I T I V E 05. C U RV E D

“To quickly experience Earthing yourself, just walk or sit barefoot on grass, sand, gravel, or unpainted concrete – ground surfaces that conduct energy. Wood, asphalt, and plastic do not conduct. Stay for at least a half hour or so and at the end of that time you will notice you are calmer, and if you had pain to begin with, it will be less, or maybe even gone.” – Martin Zucker I’d been on the hunt for a home that looked like it had grown from the Earth for a while. Pete’s home in Bangalow came highly recommended. ‘You will love it Beck! It looks exactly like Pueblo-style architecture.’ ‘It’s incredible, I can’t believe you’ve never seen it’. This all sounded promising, but no-one I asked knew Pete. They just knew of his home. I decided to brave it, do a drive by and casual introduction. A friend sent me a drop pin of where she thought it was … another friend said, ‘oh just turn down Rifle Range Rd, you’ll see it straight away ...’ I made three attempts to visit Casa Pete, mostly

in the pouring rain. Each time I drove straight past, gently hidden in an estate of neatly standing renovated Queenslanders. On the third time the sun was out and there she shone …. full of curves and grace. I left a little note and a copy of Paradiso. We are Paradiso, we are big fans. Call us. Pete did. We arranged a time to meet. It was all very easygoing, and I had no idea what to expect. I had been told it was possibly mud brick – that it had a waterfall inside – that the owner was a legend. I had a series of questions prepared, mostly directed at the construction, sustainable significance and materials. I’m greeted by Pete’s warm smiling face standing out the front of this earthy beauty that looks like it was raised in the Spanish missions of New Mexico. I feel secretly relieved, Pete’s didn’t strike me as the question and answers type. He feels as fluid as his creation. Which works for me because when it comes to organic construction, I’m a complete rookie. First up Pete informs me his house is poured earth, not mud brick. Poured earth uses ordinary soil and requires little to no maintenance. Half of the earth

HOME

+ DESIG N

WHERE THE HEART IS — IS WHERE I LIVE

was excavated from the block, the rest from a local quarry. I felt compelled to want to connect with the walls – some parts are smooth, others earthen rough. Pete tells me it’s all experimentation. Some of the walls are sanded, some are etched with sunbursts and stars, there are coloured rocks and marbles randomly placed in pattern-like jewels, catching your eye when you least expect it. Pete is well versed and very passionate – you are immediately swept up in his creation and vision. I love his honesty and enthusiasm, “Anyone can do this, it takes a lot of hard-work and man hours but its half the price as a home, sustainable and you can create any lines you want,” he says. And Pete has done exactly that. His round windows were sourced from the film set of Thor where his son had been working. These oculus features are the building’s hero. Its luminous point. It feels to me like the rest of building corresponds to these anchors. We tour the outside of the house, the gargoyles in the garden Pete made by hand, the back extension which is currently acting as his art studio housing all types of experimental art and will soon be the main dwelling. There are pieces of brilliance everywhere. From loft nooks, to the pending vertical garden waterfall to the spare bedroom floor that resembles a memorable 70’s acid trip. I want to roll on it to infuse some of its optimism into my day. It’s all dreamt and executed in idiosyncratic flair. So Pete, I’m curious to see if there truly is a waterfall living inside your main house. We walk back around to the main dwelling, through the front door and there she is breezy – gentle and flowing like I had been transported to a Japanese garden but a more wild typical version. I am mind-blown! This beauty is another of Pete’s ingenious ideas – this endless flow of water works on a loop system constantly recirculated. It serves as the soundtrack to this space and sets you into an immediate sense of calm. I look around. The roof mimics the inside of a beehive. A series of hexagon shapes cast from wood perfectly connected. The chandelier that hangs above the kitchen table is made from used vivid Skyy Blue Vodka bottles. Pete tells me his wife isn’t a fan of this creation, but it hangs so unique and avant garde I can’t imagine what could possibly replace it. The main bedroom is set from the lounge by an oriental screen and leads into the bathroom. The ground is a mosaic of stone so that when you walk on it you feel like your walking into a rugged garden, rocky and earthy. Grounding. The door is an artwork in itself. The flaming red and blues and strangely work in contrast to its rustic setting. Pete explains that the door is a bit of a fusion. Coloured glass on the inside, and the most incredible shell like glass on the other that when touched by the sun on a certain angle gleams. Genius! The last of the magical tour ends on the roof of this incredible home. It’s currently home to a fire pit, but its makeover is in the ‘Pete’s Dreams’ pipeline. This soon to be roof top garden will be devoted to healing herbs grown by himself and his Naturopath wife. Like everything else in this home it’s unique but scientific and extremely carefully thought over. I stand there as Pete describes his vision – I can see it perfectly. By the end of my visit I had totally forgotten the idea that I was there for a story. I am instead inspired, guided and pondering on the idea that if I ever got the chance to build a home again Pete is the first person I would call. He is currently in the process of writing a book (we will let you know as soon as it’s released) and considering workshops. Watch this space – because Pete is on to something!

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

EARTHING

HOME

+ DESIG N

ESSAY

WORDS–

Jasmine Christie @anamundistudio Jasmine runs Anamundi, a botanical studio & nature concept space based in Mullumbimby, Australia

In our nature – awakening from slumber Stewarts Brook in my memory is synonymous with magic. I don’t know who Stewart is nor can I remember a signpost ever recalling the origin of his identity, but his name is etched in my memory as a place of magic, beauty and early significance.

Stewarts Brook was little unkempt paddock lazily positioned alongside a running creek on the edge of a historic property near Rouchel in the upper Hunter Valley. Fashioned into a modest camp ground with a single composting toilet and few suggested fire pits, it was a space for families seeking a weekend away in nature with small children too young to go deeper into the bush. It was a beautiful, silent, rural valley, rich with landscape and evocative of vast worlds of imagined terrain that my little mind and body longed to clamber and explore. The sound of a rippling creek still heaves calm and nostalgia deep from within my body, the smell of river algae, the touch of smooth pebbles and the awkward wedge of body curves sitting amongst rocks trying to find the perfect “massage” in the course of its flow. Stewarts Brook is one of my earliest memories of nature, but also of the childlike hunger to return to a place that inspired something I can only now describe as deep, enriching contentment. Time in nature; tramping bush trails, marinating in the ocean, dozing in desert heat, inhaling sunrises, exhaling sunsets, the magic of snowfall and the surrender of thunderstorms … we know these feelings, we share these feelings, they are the feeling of grounding and alignment to something greater than ourselves. Nature is one of the great equalizers, it crosses barriers of age, race, religion, geography and culture. The shared desire for this connection is the bedrock of our human nature regardless of what political, social or technological systems may proclaim. Despite the traffic of our day to day lives and the restless rhythms of our mindscapes, the hunger and appreciation of these feelings remain. Often hibernating until nature reappears to remind us, sometimes gently like the scent of jasmine at the turn of spring and sometimes far more brutally with the arrival of bushfires or flooding rain. It may be that much of the anxiety prevalent in our modern society stems from our displacement from the natural world. The pace of the technological revolution has far surpassed our psychological and 18

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

emotional evolution, disconnecting us from our natural instincts, without knowing what is left to replace them. This numbing of feeling is an ease into paralysis, of disconnection from our roots and the places our bodies know to be true. Cut off from our natural source, the cure I would argue, lies patiently in the same place where the problem began, in nature. The term “the environment” lends itself to a misguided picture, one that places us in one corner and it, the environment, in another. The environment is reduced to the biology and the landscape of everything else that surrounds us. We know this to be an illusionary picture, a reduction of all that our embodied memory tells us to be true. We are part of the environment, we are nature as much as the earth, trees, rocks and stars. There are infinite ways in which to engage with nature, from an appreciation of earthly spaces, and exploring landscapes, to textiles, ceramics, music, herbalism, natural healing, spirituality, dance and yoga to the sharing of stories from travel and exploration to myth and the Dreamtime. To explore these instincts and seek them out is to remind our physiological memory and the collective consciousness that we have not forgotten the origin of our species. Stewarts Brook remains one of many pockets of paradise that continue to reward seekers of nature, lying lazily alongside a few content cattle, its algaed waters smoothing the river rocks whether someone is there to enjoy it or not. If we can awaken to the enduring continuity of nature and pay attention to feelings of innate knowing and nostalgia, we may continue to find remedy in those enlivening experiences I would argue, only nature can provide. It is no mystery that we are blessed in the Northern Rivers to be a part of nature that city folk only dream of. The question is not whether we can appreciate them, but whether we can awake from the saltiness of our mindscapes long enough to inhale it, dive deeper into our collective memory to get our hands dirty and truly appreciate its magic.

The sound of a rippling creek still heaves calm and nostalgia deep from within my body, the smell of river algae, the touch of smooth pebbles ...

WELLBEING

+ REVEAL

KNOW

Postcard Tarot 20

Paradiso ~ Octâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

POSTCARD TAROT

WORDS–

Sorca Hubbuck @sorcabeanstalker MUSE–

Julie Bennett @postcardtarot

The cross over between the esoteric and creativity is so slight, if you blinked you might just miss it. The two worlds rarely collide, as though a lighter, humorous, more colourful approach to the many mysterious realms of spirituality would somehow taint the power that it contains. I’ve dipped my toes into as many soul-searching ventures as you can imagine, but each experience has left me with a lingering feeling of dissatisfaction. Either I know too little or question whether I have been misled; my mind will cling to something that fits or laugh off something that doesn’t. Enter Julie.

Julie reads tarot from a stack of hundreds of postcards she’s collected over 30 years. The rules are simple. One; any card in her deck has to have been posted to her from somebody else and two; Julie makes the rules. There is no major and minor arcana, no hanged man or queen of wands looming over your future, instead the cards you choose are from an eclectic pile of uniquely bizarre and wonderful postcards sent from many corners of the world. Some have weathered edges, from years of being handled, others wear the stamp of 2018. The cards you pull form an equally ambiguous and exciting map which Julie then reads for you like a traditional tarot spread. Shuffling her pile of postcards brings the same feeling as holding a view-master when I was a child; the thrill of clicking through each slide, holding it close to my eyes to examine a picture with delight and wonder. I am caught up in a wonderful moment of nostalgia and curiosity. There is for sure magic in the unknown, but there is more magic when the unknown invites you to play with it. Postcards certainly don’t come to mind when you think of a tool to discover more about yourself, like tarot was built for; but that’s the perfect genius of Julie’s creation. I want to know more about how it began and what it was about postcards that she first fell in love with. “I’ve always loved the written word and communication; given that when I started this, postcards were like text messages. There were no mobile phones, no DMing – now I call them analogue DM’s. In the very, very beginning I had maybe 20 cards that had been sent to me, but it was once I started doing readings that people began sending me postcards all the time.” In the early days of postcard tarot, Julie admits the intention behind her readings was little more than a way of entertaining friends at parties and lovingly mocking tarot and the esoteric world. It didn’t take long for her to realise the cards had more to say than she first imagined. “When I began, it was almost a playful way of acknowledging that you could read anything into anything if you wanted to. And it didn’t take very long for me to start doing it to realise that there was actually way more power in it, and that I was being very flippant and dismissive, and so I started respecting it a bit more.” The cards I have chosen are as random as you would imagine; in my reading, Julie and I dissect postcards of a Soviet astronaut, Gaudi’s Casa Mila, a Mt Isa tourist postcard and a cartoon drawing of James Bond – to name a few. With each card I turn over, I listen as Julie intuitively weaves a narrative by connecting a seemingly meaningless picture to something deeply specific to my life. Whilst she shies away from the label of psychic, there is little doubt that Julie knows the intricacies of postcard tarot like the back of her hand – pulling secrets close to my heart from pictures which were made with the mere intention of sitting on someone’s fridge. She is a storyteller, a skill she cultivated during a fruitful career as a TV producer – one of her many lives, as she calls them. The transition from studio executive to ‘personal producing’, a name we both decide is fitting for her present role, isn’t as big a stretch as one would imagine. “There’s a parallel between the deck of cards and the giant 21

amount of footage you shoot for a television show; the cards you choose become the ‘edit’. So, where’s the narrative, where’s the story that’s going to both inform and entertain? That’s my job – to find that. It’s so different to television because it’s not mass communication going one way. I get immediate feedback and it’s really gratifying.” Unique to postcard tarot, the images on each card don’t reflect ancient archetypes that carry a history of embedded meanings, instead they are accessible and familiar. There is great comfort in knowing that the cards I chose were once hand-picked by a stranger and now, reveal an element of my own inner circumstances. Julie puts this down to the equal distribution of power between her and the person she’s reading for. As opposed to a traditional reading, in a reading with Julie, you are empowered to equally contribute your own understanding of the postcard. It’s not simply that the card is going to give you the answer to your question; instead it puts the emphasis back on your own brain to see your issue from a new perspective. You are forced to challenge the logical pathways in your brain and use an image in front of you as a reflective surface to peer into yourself and your life. “I think people, myself included, when you have a problem or a repeating pattern of behavior you’re trying to break or whatever question or issue it is you’re bringing to a tarot reading - we like to think when we’re ruminating on it, that we’re coming at it from all angles and we’ve thought so much about it that of course we can see it clearly. But when you’re staring at a postcard of a goat looking into a box trying to work out how that might mean something to you, it forces you to think outside those repetitive grooves.” The keys aren’t simply hidden in the picture either, there are little mirrors in the words, the address – even the stamp can say something. The card itself has been on a journey entirely of its’ own, beyond the control of the sender or receiver. It’s been passed between the hands of postmen, travelled on ships and planes and sat amongst hundreds of thousands of messages travelling between people all around the world. The postcards carry a powerful current of connectivity; in many ways, they have their own lived experiences to share. “Someone chooses a card and sends it to me – that card will touch someone else down the line that right now, in this moment of time and space, neither of us can predict. It is, to me, a concrete demonstration of abstract theories of we’re all in this together or six degrees of separation. We really are all connected.” “It’s not as much about being in touch with the divine as it is about being in touch with humanity. There are lots of universal themes and it’s about tapping into that, being supported by other people as much as being supported by the universe.” In more ways than one, postcard tarot ties together the past, the present and the future. Any barriers between the wild, intangibility of the occult and reality are torn down and replaced with what’s in front of you; the quiet, profound power of a postcard. To book a reading contact Julie on 0423 612 117 or @postcardtarot or postcard@gmail.com

WELLBEING

+ REVEAL

KNOW

A reading

Five

One

Three

Our Managing Editor, Beck Marshall, gets a reading. – Julie came by to visit the day we moved into our new office, like a magical omen, postcards stacked in a tin from her Grandmother. We chat a mutual love of Patti Smith (note to Sorca: it’s now a triangle ... ain’t that beautifully Patti poetic). Julie explains the story behind her tarot – in my head I’m pulling out The Big Banana maybe a few Florida Flamingoes. I am joined by Lila (Team Paradiso), and my mum, who dropped by for a coffee and chat, and instead partook in an intimate tarot reading about my fears and pending heartache of seeing my eldest fly the nest.

Card One Me right now. A landscape postcard from New Zealand. A message of sown seeds and the garden of friendship. The peace stamp on the back encourages me to remember to keep the peace. Card Two What crosses me in relation to the first question. Two images of naked women diving into water. Diving in, letting go and leaping into the unknown. Look at those sparkles – the unknown is looking so fine.

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

Seven

Six

POSTCARD TAROT

Two

Card Three The past and what has brought me here. A person in a canoe between two mountains and rocks. This card has followed me my whole life. In tarot decks and other readings. Am I learning my lesson? Written on the back the postcard – Japan reminds me to slow down, ride my bike and plant a tiny garden.

Ten

Card Four Short term future. A teenager on a phone questioning love. She’s leaving home. Back turned, my fear. Will she call? Will she still need me? Coming to terms with this first chapter ending. Card Five What’s going on in my head. A yellow car under a street light, with a young woman standing back turned. The gangster and the girl. It’s all about letting go and trusting. Card Six Whats going on in my heart. A cactus – a souvenir from Gran Canaria. Looks phallic but it reads a prickly time of new emotions. Card Seven Advice and what approach to adopt. Sparkling … a man with sparkling tooth in a yellow hot rod. FREEDOM, trust. Sunshine happiness and transcendental life freedom. This card made me happy! Four

Nine

Card Eight Hopes and fears. External forces beyond your control. A couple dining at a restaurant (check out the waiter). Candles sparkling, romance and connection, we laugh that metaphorically I’m the waiter and still hovering over my children. Card Nine A continuation of Card Eight. An illustration of a young woman in the tropics under a tree playing the ukulele. Written on the back the postcard – But can the rock chick play the ukulele. I’m sure you can do most things. Significant life changes, wishing all good things for my daughter and saying bon voyage to her with beautiful intention. Learning to deal with the fear of adaption and change.

Eight

Card Ten The most likely outcome. An illustration of two women. Me and my daughter, an unbreakable bond. High fives to bloody awesome outcomes. To end we all clapped.

WELLBEING

+ MOVEMENT

Practice and all is coming

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

YOGA IN PICTURES

STYLING–

Beck Marshall @sixgallery_

PHOTOS–

Lila Theodoros @ohbabushka

A daily practice, an interaction with home. A reminder that practice can be found anywhere and at anytime. We honour the lounge, the sheepskin and the passage of reading with the magical Shien Chee.

PRACTICE AND ALL IS COMING

YOG INI–

Shien Chee @shienanigan Director at Seeker + Kind @seekerandkind seekerandkind.com

Home Practice

1. Natarajasana – choose your muse (see opposite page) 2. Eka Padungusthasana – find centre

3. Eka Pada Rajakapotasana variation – make like a mermaid and lounge around

5. Balasana – chill your inner child

6. Supported Supta Baddha Konasana – be at home with yourself

Couch courtesy of The Byron School of Art ;)

4. Paschimottanasana – take a seat

WELLBEING

+ KNOWLEDG E

LISTEN

The New Environmentalists: Radical Farming & Food Activism Let’s talk sustainable agriculture, food activism and eating with a conscious. This issue we chat to Joel Orchard, food systems activist, passionate advocate for young farmers and Kate Walsh a self-taught cook, sustainable food advocate and the woman behind Real Food Projects.

Joel Orchard – Farmer and Food System Activist @futurefeeders futurefeeders.org Kate Walsh – Food Activist and lover of all things slow. @katewalsh_realfood realfoodprojects.com Kate and Joel will be talking at A Foodie’s Guide to Capitalism: Live author Q&A The Brunswick Picture House, 24 October. 26

In the words on Wendell Berry, “If we can’t afford to take good care of the land that feeds us, we’re in an insurmountable mess.” Lets talk more about the social sustainability of local food production. Joel: Wendel is a great place to start this discussion! We cannot isolate one aspect of life from another. When we change the way we grow our food, we change our food, we change society, we change our values. Food, farming, the health of our community and our environment are inseparable. Our food systems truly hold the key to many of societies economic and ecological injustices, from deforestation and soil degradation, to rebuilding ecosystems, replenishing soil carbon and resilient communities. I think increasingly people are becoming aware of being active participants in the food system rather than passive consumers. Localisation offers huge advantages in connecting consumers to producers and then indirectly to the land and the impact that their food has on the environment. Kate: You could easily argue that the best way to change the world is by fixing what we eat. Three times a day (sometimes more!), we interact with a complex food system that touches on worker’s rights, sustainability, climate change, land degradation, racism and so much more. Our food choices directly shape that system so by choosing food with a good backstory, we are making a huge difference. Can you explain the concept of food activism and your current agrarian values? J: Food activism is a complex space. There are so many issues being addressed! It combines a range environmental, political and social campaigning addressing some of the most fundamental issues of our time. It’s not the needles in the strawberries you need to worry about! It’s the unseen, genetic pollution, the systemic poisons, the cancer causing herbicides, toxic runoff and land degradation that come as a symptom of mass production and industrial food systems. K: Food Activism is really just about caring about where your food comes from and making decisions that support that. We have found ourselves in the midst of a industrialised food system that favours big business over small scale, sustainable and resilient food producers. Creative opportunities lie in making our food system better not bigger. Sustainable agriculture, where do we go from here? J: Sustainability never got us where we needed to be. It’s time for a radical rethink in the way we grow food and use land. Farming done well has massive capacity to heal the great wounds we have ploughed in the earth, to lock tones of carbon back into the soil, to support complex soil micro-biomes and improve the soils ability to store

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

water. We would call this regenerative farming! A vastly different ethic from our conventional industrial agriculture models which directs the land in a continuous spiral of improvement through a range of simple yet effective techniques. An added bonus is that regenerative farming reduces the needs for external inputs for farmers, improves local ecologies and helps protect them and the farmland from the issues of climate change. K: Right now we need to re-localise our food supply, focus on building a resilient and sustainable agriculture sector and rethink how and where we buy our food. Australia has the highest concentration of supermarket ownership in the world and those two companies are crowding out innovation and new ways of thinking and doing. We need a radical shift away from that model starting with supporting as much regenerative agriculture as we can and taking care of our precious soil. What are you top tips for encouraging people to think more systemically when it comes to food issues? J: Know your farmer. Form a direct relationship with your local growers, producers and makers. Avoid processed foods. They have very little nutritional value and often come laced with synthetic ingredients, palm oils, GMO soy, corn and wheat. Cheap and convenient is anything but. There is so much to be saved in preparing meals and taking a DIY attitude to food and also so much to be gained in extra nutritional value. Waste less. Australians throw out up to 20 per cent of the food they buy and an extra 20-40 per cent of all fresh produce is discarded before it even gets to the shelf. The embedded energy in the production of all this wasted food including water, fertilisers and energy is extraordinary! K: Firstly, look at the story behind your food. With a little digging, you might find that it is a story you aren’t really that happy with. Look at the food you consume each week and ask some questions – who grew it, how far did it travel to get to me, could I have made that myself? Always start with some small changes and don’t give yourself a hard time. What does the food movement mean to you? J: At the end of the day, we’ll get the food supply we demand and unless we rethink the way we produce, access and consume food it will be business as usual. Food is a powerful connector. We must have it to survive and thrive, its production has the greatest impact on the face of the earth, and it is something that has been intrinsically connected to bringing humanity together since the dawn of civilisation. We can change our attitudes towards food, just as we have done with energy. K: It is how we are going to rebuild our communities – by celebrating real food, the people who grow and make it, starting at our kitchen tables.

LISMORE @nrpotter ysupplies

Te l 6 6 2 1 4 6 8 8 WWW.BIMBYANDROY.COM.AU @BIMBYANDROY

n r p o t t e r y s u p p l i e s . co m . a u

Joan & Olga • Objects • Apparel • Adornments • Tyke • Joanandolga.co

FASHION

+ BEAUTY

Paradiso ~ Octâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

THE GOOD LIFE

THE RITE OF SPRING

PHOTOGRAPHY–

Holly Graham @siystudio MUSE–

Vivi Frehner @vivi_frehner

The rite of spring 29

Dress Stylist’s own.

FLORALS–

Phoebe East @alchemilla CREATIVE–

Beck Marshall @sixgallery

FASHION

+ BEAUTY

Paradiso ~ Octâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

THE GOOD LIFE

THE RITE OF SPRING

Dress Stylistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own. On the opposite page Slip Dress by ROWIE THE LABEL. Vintage Chair from CLEMS CARGO.

FASHION

+ BEAUTY

Paradiso ~ Octâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

THE GOOD LIFE

THE RITE OF SPRING

Slip Dress by ROWIE THE LABEL.

FASHION

+ BEAUTY

Paradiso ~ Octâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

THE GOOD LIFE

THE RITE OF SPRING

Slip Dress by ROWIE THE LABEL. On the opposite page Hoop Skirt by SIMONE ELLIS and accordian from SON OF DRUM.

FASHION

+ BEAUTY

Vivi Frehner will be performing in the NORPA production of Wildskin 28–29 September 3–6 October Lismore City Hall norpa.orga.au

THE GOOD LIFE

STO C K I STS–

simoneellis.com.au rowiethelabel.com

You can also find Vivi at Gogi Dance Collective gogidancecollective.com Phoebe’s flowers of love & happiness can be ordered by DM @alchemilla Clems Cargo is a curated mix of vintage furniture, clothing and other antiques.

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

MADE IN AFRICA ADORED AROUND THE WORLD

Kapaka available in Ghost/Antique, Hazel (on model), and Rose/Bluenotte

Shop 2, 17-23 Lawson Street Byron Bay, New South Wales

FASHION

+ BEAUTY

Paradiso ~ Octâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

CELEBRATE

LOCAL MAKERS

There she goes, my beautiful world

01.

02.

Ancient objects are collected for the rarity and strangeness of their materials or because they are thought to be endowed with magical or miraculous powers. This issue we discover similar magic in the new and pay homage to our local makers of intricately designed treasures.

01. Gold and pink pearl long drops by ARGENTON DESIGN and tiles by SURFACE SOCIETY. 02. Rose Gold & Crown Quartz cocktail ring by ARGENTON DESIGN, tiles by SURFACE SOCIETY. On opposite page clockwise from left Gold Chain Necklace by CLOVEN, Phoenix Gold Necklace by TEMPLE OF THE SUN, Lakshmi Stud Earring by FIGLEAF DESIGNS, Baye Gold Earrings by TEMPLE OF THE SUN, Forget Me Not miniature hoop by CLOVEN, tiles from SURFACE SOCIETY.

FASHION

+ BEAUTY

Paradiso ~ Octâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

CELEBRATE

LOCAL MAKERS

01.

Cloven Jewellery clovenjewellery.com @clovenjewellery Fig Leaf Designs @figleafdesigns Temple of the Sun templeofthesun.com.au @templeofthesunjewellery

Argenton Design Showroom open Wednesday to Friday, 10am–5pm or by appointment Unit 2 1a Banksia Drive, Byron Bay argentondesign.com @argentondesign

02.

Surface Society 2/60 Centennial Circuit, Byron Bay Showroom open Monday to Friday, 10am–4pm Saturday, 9am–12pm Appointments encouraged @surfacesociety

01. From left, Serpent Ring in Gold by TEMPLE OF THE SUN, the Dewi Harvest Gold Pendant by FIG LEAF DESIGN and tiles by SURFACE SOCIETY. 02. Aria Ring in Gold by TEMPLE OF THE SUN, and tiles by SURFACE SOCIETY. On the opposite page the Dewi Harvest Gold Pendant by FIG LEAF DESIGN, Palas lapis Gold Ring by TEMPLE OF THE SUN, tiles by SURFACE SOCIETY.

ARTS

+ CULTURE

ARTS GUIDE

A moment with Caitlin Reilly WORDS & PHOTO–

Arts guide—

Monique Barton @seeread_me

I walked along the pavement under the warming winter sun of Byron Bay. Amongst the modern buildings and construction noises there stood a two-story charmingly weathered Queenslander home. Adorned in plants, succulents, palms and handcrafted homewares I knew I had arrived at the home of artist Caitlin Reilly. The front door wide open I felt an immediate sense of welcome and as I removed my boots, placing them next to a pair of paint-soaked canvas shoes, she came to the door barefoot and in oversized workwear.

Stepping foot inside her home is like being the only guest invited to a private viewing of a gallery. Slow paced and in awe I took in every inch of every wall covered in paintings. By the time I made it to the living room, Caitlin had arrived at her portrait painting of Ruth Ryan and I couldn’t help but smile at the intricacies of this painting and the tender words she spoke of Ruth. Whilst she brewed a pot of tea on the stove I curiously wandered through the house taking in all the small things. Cupboards covered in photographs, artworks high and low, paint covered clothes hanging out to dry and small pots of plants in every corner. This house had its charm and I was falling. With tea ready, we perched ourselves on the balcony to talk all things life and creativity. Born and bred in the quaint, cosy town of Bowral just south of Sydney; Caitlin grew up in an incredibly musical family and recalls her mother as being a woman of song and instruments and her father being in the thick of the ‘Rag Trading’ business. Taking skills from both parents saw Caitlin working in the clothing industry by day and playing music by night from the age of 19 when she first moved to Melbourne. Now a mother of three (Hugo 14, Pearl 16, Otis 18) she recounts the experience of parenting as being one of the most creative things we’ll ever do as humans. And between the chaos and her creative mind, she always found a way to make art even with a pot of food on the stove and kids crawling at her ankles, there she was painting at the kitchen table. When I asked Caitlin what medium she enjoys to work with most, she had a simple answer “put me somewhere, what am I going to express with?”. What she creates depends on what’s accessible to her, therefore, the medium will dictate what she creates and expresses. And after spending 42

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

several years in China, supplies were cheaper than ever meaning Caitlin was able to create these large-scale paintings with lots of layered texture that were juicy and thick of history. Most of her work is about creating a memory and history on a surface structure and then the surface structure becomes the outcome. As a multi-disciplinary artist there is no favourite medium, rather she finds that once a new body of work is undertaken that current piece is her favourite. But one thing that caught my attention from the very moment I stepped inside the house – large rolls of paper curled up and sprawled over the floor. As she knelt down and unrolled one of the pieces an entire story was unveiled. During her time in China, Caitlin had performed charcoal rubbings of manhole-covers on handmade paper that was finer than a butterflies wing yet stronger than the floor beneath us. Laying flat beneath her hands this particular piece became my favourite from the scribbles of handwritten text beneath it of which she read to me: “08/09/2014 Shanghai early morning around 2am mooncake festival. This cover is at the end of a ramp at the entrance into an apartment building. Onlookers kindly waited for me to be finished before making their way up the ramp. Big smiles transcend language barriers. Magic in 3’s”. With life now on a slower, more conscious path and living in the heart of Byron, Caitlin continues to create with mindfulness and integrity. As part of the ‘Reef Sculpture Artist Collective’ and selected for the Marine Sculpture Anthozoa, she makes her way to Hayman Island this month with a team of other creatives to work on this new project. And besides being incredibly aware of the world, there is a humble softness in her voice that compliments her as a bona fide human. And from the stories told over a pot of tea, she is someone who lives from the heart.

TO INSPIRE

Get inspired— October and November is a great time to ... MUSIC The Byron Bay Guitar Festival 6–7 October, Byron Bay Brewery Bunny Racket 7 October, Byron Theatre, Byron Community Centre The Hard-Ons 26 October, Byron Bay Brewery

Sisters, Collaborators and Solo Artists – Julia & Anastasia Vanderbyl Both you and your ethereal sister Anastasia are extremely artistic. Tell us a little about your childhood. Did you grow up in a creative home? Julia: Our dad was a woodsman who would fell trees and craft houses out of them – all with his hands. Our mum would design these houses – and she sees art in everything she touches. Maybe, it’s this hands-on practicality that I was raised in that shaped my art practice – the sculptural way that I use paint and represent the human form. Anastasia though, she is such a sculptor! And the way she approaches art is insanely mathematical. Your work focuses on documenting the beauty of the human form. Tell us a little more about your fascination with observing people. Julia: Before this, I was studying anthropology and biomedicine, and I think this choice came from within the same awe of humans that produces my art. I have always had this need to understand the human body (and humanity as a whole) – it is only now that I have realised that I can achieve this through my art practice! So, maybe my work is partially a scientific observation and understanding of the human form. Anastasia is so different to me in her process of representing the human form. I spend hours deliberating over pose and placement – whether this line or that line is right. But she just picks up a pen and can draw a figure with one movement! Within seconds she produces the most beautiful women, whose gestures and bodies tell of amazing, silenced stories. Growing up in the Shire, do you think that your geographical and cultural surroundings impact your artistic process? 43

Julia: Definitely! Growing up in a place with such freedom of artistic expression has been huge in the development of our practice. Especially on our family farm, where we were always surrounded by artists and creatives of every kind – builders, craftspeople, organic farmers. We really ran free in our childhood. Every second was spent building or making something, exploring. Tell us a little more about your creative process? Julia: In my practice, I am always driven by the idea of creating a counter-gaze – opening a new window and representing someone in a truth that is usually unseen. Lately, I have been inspired by the concept of animalism, and the way that we humans interact in the anthropocene – as mere creatures of the earth in an age of distance and disconnection. But, in each of my paintings I am also representing a personal truth – the process of creating work takes me to a meditative state, somewhere for me to process my grief. I let my brush strokes and movements take me where they want, the journey is not my own – but deeply intuitive and connected to my (often unconscious) emotions. Anastasia: In my work, both my concept and practice are shaped by the animalistic nature of humans. I like to represent women as primal; in ritual like formations. My practice is definitely influenced by this! I always begin my drawings by instinctively drawing a body. The composition then comes after. Anatasia @anat.asia Julia @juliavanderbyl

EXHIBITION Matt O’Brien, Meander – Place and Experience 20 October to 25 November, lismoregallery.org This is not a love song by Tory Bauer & BT 9–21 November, Byron School Of Arts byronschoolofart.com.au THEATRE Psycho-Magic Rituals Against Violence 30 September, Byron Theatre, byroncentre.com.au NORPA presents Big Bad Wolf 25–26 October, Lismore City Hall The Coat of Many Colors – A Dolly Parton Show 20 October, Lismore City Hall WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE BSA Michael Cusack – Experimental Painting & Mixed Media six Tuesdays, 30 October to 4 December Kellie O’dempsey – Expanded Drawing 10–11 November byronschoolofart.com.au M-ARTS An exhibition of local artists Gabriela Soelkner, Lisa Arronis and Jo Olive in the Downstairs Gallery, 6–28 October. The downstairs gallery features the works of Scott McDougall, Phil Barron, Judy Oakenfull and Belinda Smith . On until 4 November. Gallery opening hours are: Wednesday to Friday 10am–2pm and Saturday to Sunday 10am– 1pm.

ARTS

+ CULTURE

CURRENT MUSE

WORDS–

MUSE & IMAGES–

Beck Marshall @sixgallery_

Petecia Fawn Hawk @lefawnhawk

The sun rises and falls with you

Modern desert, magic visions and golden lands. We chat to multi-disciplinary artist Petecia Fawn Hawk about the art of expression, symbology and her creative process.

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

LE FAWNHAWK

ARTS

+ CULTURE

CURRENT MUSE

I believe the common thread in my work is having a sensitivity to the subtleties of the human condition and finding intuitive ways of expressing our need to explore and contemplate the unknown and experiences that are difficult to articulate. Petecia, you are a self-taught Creative Director and multi-disciplinary artist. Your work explores the spiritual and the philosophical. Can you tell us more about your work and creative process? Yes, I am self taught, a student in the school of life! I have come to understand my personal purpose as an artist is to be a conduit, a messenger if you will, of the collective consciousness – vital life force. My work as the artist is to get out of my own way in order for this energy to channel through. To be able to be receptive to the symbology and the language of the subconscious. My images are an expression of the inner and outer exploration of our relationship to the physical and metaphysical worlds. I am inspired by philosophy and ancient knowledge because of the wealth of wisdom expressed by the journeymen and spiritual sojourners that came before us. My curiosity is in unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and of myself. A visual poet, authentic in your practice, your work embodies a sense of freedom and possibility. What are the most important stories in your work? I believe the common thread in my work is having a sensitivity to the subtleties of the human condition and finding intuitive ways of expressing our need to explore and contemplate the unknown and experiences that are difficult to articulate. I find visuals and music speak the language of the heart and dreams. I’m continuously trying to find ways to express a feeling – the Elan Vital – the subtle workings of the universe. And through that, finding a deeper connection with the present moment and all of the diversity, lushness and surprise that entails. The desert features heavily in your art. Can you tell us more about your connection with this landscape? I grew up, for the most part, in the high desert of Arizona. I spent my formative years making the desert the backdrop to my many imaginative adventures, explorations and coming of age moments in life. The desert has taught me so much, and has offered me endless inspiration and knowledge. It’s truly where I feel at home with all its familiarity and nostalgia – its monsoons and sunsets. It’s vast and incredibly wild emptiness that echos the immensity of existence. Symbology, sculpture and shape are a strong constant in your work. What draws you to the idea of representing your ideas, object, or relationship in this medium? I have always been attracted to sculpture and form. I love artists like Brancusi, Noguchi, Andy Goldsworthy, Barbara Hepworth, and monumental artists like Michael Heizer, James Turrell, Carl Andre. I find a kinship with those trying to express and evoke a feeling and narrative through form. I’ve always been curious in trying to understand the inner workings of the essential architecture and essence of form that makes up life. To exist in space, is mystifying and miraculous. I want to understand how that mountain arrived where it did, what it’s made of, how it interacts with it’s environment and the feeling it evokes and how it is perceived in any given moment, understand its silent power, and explore our relationship with this form. I am intrigued at how form can change how we perceive and relate to the moment. I recently read you are a Gemini, versatile and vibrant. Do you think that is why you are drawn to collaboration (you do it so well!)? Thank you! I am definitely Gemini through and through! Not sure if it informs my love for collaboration or not, I’m sure it must! I love the mystery and surprise that presents itself when creatively collaborating with another. It’s magical to meet another person on the creative plane and harmonise to create a very unique narrative that unfolds by just being open to what may come.

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

LE FAWNHAWK

ARTS

+ CULTURE

CURRENT MUSE

I’ve always been curious in trying to understand the inner workings of the essential architecture and essence of form that makes up life.

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

LE FAWNHAWK

ARTS

+ CULTURE

MAKING MUSIC

WORDS–

Martin Martini

This issue we are joined by Harry James Angus, the trumpet-playing vocalist from the Cat Empire. We chat to Harry about his latest project Struggle With Glory, an ode to classic Greco-Roman myths, his move to the Shire and learning to sing.

Harry James Angus You’ve recently relocated to the Northern Rivers – what motivated you to make the move from Sydney? I did a fair bit of work with the Mullum Music festival over the last few years and I just really enjoyed the place. I met a lot of good people, and this area has really been a huge part of my musical development since recording the first Cat Empire record here 16 years ago. Your partner is the seraphic Emily Lubitz of TinPan Orange. What crossover exists with songwriting ideas and compositions? Do you help each other out – how does it work behind closed doors? She is quite the seraphim. I used to play in her band before we had children, then I was fired so I could stay home while she went on tour. We have written many songs together and helped each other out in the studio, and we often bounce ideas off each other. But neither of us are exactly what you’d call team players. We like to do our own thing. How have you kept The Cat Empire alive and fresh – it’s been a long time – what is the secret? I think the main reason the band has managed to hold it together is because there is still an improvised and spontaneous quality to what we do. Most of us were improvising musicians originally and we try to hold onto that, although it gets harder and harder to balance that aspect with playing the songs that fans want to hear just like on the records. But that was never what we were about. Your new album, Struggle With Glory, mixes Greek myth and 50

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

gospel music. Why did you choose gospel music as a style growing up as a white Australian in Melbourne? The simple, hymnal church songs that are so prevalent in early New Orleans music are the ones a lot of us brass players learned when we were just starting out on our instruments here in Australia. Songs like The Saints Go Marching In, Just a Closer Walk With Thee, Amazing Grace – their chord structure make them easy to improvise over, there’s nothing complicated going on in the harmony at that level, it’s all about a feeling. A lot of secular jazz tunes are based on these changes too. My tunes aren’t really gospel like the scene in the Blues Brothers, they’re more like old-time jazz. But it’s a Greek Chorus, doing the call and response. I just liked the idea of doing something simple and beautiful. Thoughts and ideas for your next musical creation? I don’t know … I just need to learn to sing properly. Singing lessons then we’ll see. Harry, if you didn’t end up in music, what would be your alternative career choice? Is this like a fantasy world where I can choose anything, or do I have to be pragmatic? Professional heir. TED talker. Gymnast. Shoemaker. Professor of Ancient Languages. harryjamesangus.com.au

Be the first to know. Join our mailing list at norpa.org.au norpa.org.au | 1300 066 772

TRAVEL

+ ADVENTURE

I WANT TO GO TO THERE

WORDS–

PHOTOS–

Jonas Nutter @jonasnutter

Alfonso Elia & Annette Del Zoppo

Erupting out of the rocky hills and sandy valleys of central Arizona lies Arcosanti. A growing urban laboratory founded in the mid 1900’s that strives to explore and reinvent the way we use space. Jonas Nutter talks to Architect Jeff Stein AIA on reawakening a connection to community and discovering the inherent ecological and environmental benefits of a relationship with nature.

Arcosanti, Arizona, USA

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

ARCOSANTI, ARIZONA, USA

Italian architect, Paolo Soleri and his wife Colly established the Cosanti Foundation in 1965 in Paradise Valley, Arizona. The Cosanti Foundation’s major project has been Arcosanti. How has Paolo Soleri’s philosophy been put into action at Arcosanti? It’s true, Paolo and Colly Soleri, along with a small board of directors, established the Cosanti Foundation (from the Italian words Cosa and Anti, “Before Things,” literally, a place to think about and research cultural issues, especially issues of urban design) in 1965. There, they and an ever-expanding band of collaborators developed drawings, models, publications, museum exhibitions, buildings, crafts – the famous Soleri windbells are hand made at both Cosanti and Arcosanti to this day – and produced the initial planning for a larger creation, Arcosanti. Located 70 miles north of Paradise Valley and Cosanti, Arcosanti is meant to be a demonstration project for Soleri’s urban design ideas that have evolved around how we are beginning to understand the relationship between architecture and the earth’s Ecology. Four tenets, core values, really, of Soleri’s philosophy in particular have guided the ongoing construction at Arcosanti, where about 80 people now live year ‘round. Ecological Accountability: We are trying to develop a human habitat that protects its surroundings. Limited Footprint: Arcosanti is about 53

urban density, as opposed to unbounded dispersion, a condition that will allow more human activities in less space and provides access for all to the economic and social essentials of city life. Resourcefulness: People at Arcosanti practice a careful, thoughtful approach to planning, building and daily life that is experientially rich and materially frugal. Experiential Learning: Arcosanti is meant as a cradle for the power of demonstration as a dynamic, grounded educational experience. These ideas guide all aspects of the work at Arcosanti on a daily basis. Established almost 50 years ago, have the project’s objectives and aspirations changed or developed in any major way? The objectives have become a bit more detailed, and somewhat more realistic and buildable, but Arcosanti’s aspirations remain grand: to provide a working model for how humanity’s continued urbanisation of the planet can work in harmony with earth’s natural systems. It’s scientific! A little bit, anyway; and like science experiments everywhere, we pursue planning goals, actually construct and live in them, learn from our mistakes, and go right on. We continue to think that Arcosanti can act as a kind of trigger for a more coherent methodology for building and inhabiting cities. Education was and continues to be the catalyst of the projects infusion and longevity. Could Arcosanti and its

fundamentals be used as a tool to educate the greater population? Certainly! In fact, even in its infancy as a project, Arcosanti’s intention is to be just that: a tool to educate a greater population about how the earth’s systems function and what part we as (nearly 8 billion!) humans play through our pattern of inhabitation. We continue with our mainstay educational tool, the Arcosanti Workshop Program, through which the intricately connected buildings at Arcosanti have actually been constructed; and this is embellished by several additional educational programs: Strathclyde University Master of Science – Arcosanti has partnered with Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland to offer the degree MSc. In Sustainable Design. This three-semester-long advanced degree features one semester in residence at Arcosanti, with students participating in seminars and carrying out a research project onsite. Educational Resources for Universities – More than a dozen college and university programs send their students to Arcosanti each year to undertake educational projects that directly relate to their curricula. From Architecture studios from Columbia University, to Philosophy courses from Northern Arizona University, to semester-long co-op experiences from Wentworth Institute in Boston, students add to their college experience by learning at our site. arcosanti.org

TRAVEL

+ EXPLORE

TEN THINGS I LOVE ABOUT

GUIDE–

Beck Marshall

LOCATION–

Little Wategoes, Byron Bay

10 things I love about ...

Byron Bay 2481 Hello Byron Bay! Your magical combination of natural beauty, of free spirit and indigenous tradition is our holder, our foundations and our connection.

01 Crystal clear water, dolphins, sea turtles and not to mention whale watching, adventure with the locals at GO SEA KAYAKING BYRON BAY. 02 Our favourite hidden sanctuaries to lie back, relax, revitalise and reconnect, make a booking with NIMBUS & CO, COMMA or LITTLE COMPANY. 03 Quench your thirst for local art and literature with something for the family at the BYRON LIBRARY and in-house LOAN GOAT GALLERY or visit A SPOT OF GENUIS a collective of brains and treasures from our shire. 04 Our picks for an evening of degustation – ST ELMO DINING ROOM & BAR for Spanish tapas dishes, share plates, and a curated bar menu, or check out the new kid on the block, LOFT for modern Australian food, seasonal cocktails and tunes on balmy summer nights – opening soon! 05 Shop the HABITAT PRECINCT showcasing a bespoke range of local homewares, fashion and wellness products. Stop in at BARRIO for their well travelled breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. 06 Start your day the right way and head to Belongil Beach for an uninterrupted swim followed by seasonal breakfast and delicious coffee at THE BELONGIL. 07 We know it’s a given, but no matter how many times you do it let’s face it, she’s just a beauty. Get your walking shoes on and wander around the headland and through the national park to the BYRON BAY LIGHTHOUSE. 08 We give thanks to the volunteers – join in and share the love! The GREEN AND CLEAN AWARENESS TEAM, founded by local Veda Turner, welcomes anyone to meet with the team on the third Sunday of every month, to replant and maintain the Clarkes and Main Beach dune system. Big shout out to our mates at the DISABLED SURFING ASSOCIATION for being the legends that they are, getting crew in the water since 1986, to experience their unique, safe and happy surfing events. Cheers to the LIBERATION LARDER! Rescuing good food and providing meals for those in the community who need it most. 09 For remnants of things that belong in or near the sea, visit SEA BONES, the coastal lifestyle store showcasing the best independent labels for women leading salty lives. 10 Eat like a local! You’re spoilt for choice with these favourites – THE TOP SHOP, THE ROADHOUSE, THE BYRON BAY GENERAL STORE and SPARROW. 54

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

AVAILABLE IN KIDS AND ADULTS SIZES

LOCAL STOCKISTS: Barefoot Boulevard 11:11 Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Clock Zacaloo Zoo Fabulous Mrs Fox Fun Kid Sublime Madison Jane Sean Scott Sea Wish

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TRAVEL

+ DISCOVERY

ESSAY

WORDS–

Ruby Fletcher

Paris & other stories The plane took off from Brisbane at two o’clock on a Wednesday morning last year in June. Mum was crying so hard that I thought I should back out. Dad just hugged me for a long time and said, “My advice is, don’t walk through floodwaters. Do the job right.” – a few words you can’t help but take to heart, when you’re a child of a rainy river town.

I arrived in Paris late in the evening, towing one small suitcase, climbing out of the Metro at the bottom of Montmartre. I don’t remember if I turned to look at the Sacré-Coeur, but she was there, a bright gaudy jewel on top of the hill. I’m too superstitious to think settling into my new city would be easy. But after four weeks of prayers, crossed fingers, and emails in strained French, I had a bedroom in an attic apartment, and a job at a beautiful café tucked into the leafy streets of South Pigalle. I spent my mornings selling cakes and coffees. For lunch I ate crunchy baguettes, stuffed with house-made hummus and sun-drenched veggies. In the afternoons, I’d hop on a metro and visit the Louvre, the d’Orsay, the Picasso, and Rodin museums. I lived an impossible dream, but a dream hard-earned. Nothing was quite as easy as it was at home. I cried at the bank, sweated making phone calls, took chances, and did a lot of hoping for the best. For the first two weeks, I sobbed and snivelled every day walking home from work. My co-workers were a diverse, international group of hospitality veterans. Far from the quiet country amblers of Mullumbimby, all of them spoke multiple languages and had lived around the world. They were Europeans, held up by centuries-old ideas of what it means to be French, to be Parisian. My childhood was creeks and tree climbing, beach days and bush walks. Understanding each other seemed impossible. Loneliness came in different and darker shades. I learned what it felt like to be so desperately far away from everyone in the world that I loved. My parents don’t even have passports; if I’d needed them, who knew how long it would have taken them to be there. Of all the people I’d known who had gone and lived overseas, nobody ever said to me: it’s really hard sometimes. I explored. I joined a choir, a book club, took French lessons. I went for long walks and found my favourite places. The best vintage shops, a favourite fromagerie. I visted almost daily a boulangerie near my 56

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

work and bought croissants aux amandes, crispy soft chouquettes, tiny fruit tarts, little choux pastry bombs loaded with apple, crème patissiere, and homemade jam. My favourite café served New York goodies Paris style: bagels with melty comté cheese and roasted courgettes, steaming cups of café filtre and room to spread your books on the tables and chat to the other readers, writers, and coffee drinkers. Special little nooks that made the city feel a little bit mine. Winter was impossibly grey, dull, and dark. Snows came and winds blew down from far north. I travelled to work at 6am in the inky morning and the footpaths were iced over an inch thick. My friends posted beautiful photos of the Notre Dame or the banks of the Seine all lathered in white, but I had none. I hated being outside, hated the snow from anywhere but my sixth floor bedroom. When I asked a French friend if I could still do my grocery shopping in the snow, she laughed. I’m not a small-talker in any tongue, so learning French was not just a lesson in language but also a lesson in conversation. I hoped my smiling and nodding would make up for my babyish responses (but luckily, people often don’t require much more than that in an interlocutor). I studied vocabulary, for work, for haircuts, for filling in forms. I became an expert in ordering at restaurants. By the end of the year, French sat well in my mouth, rich and sweet like honeyed cream. My co-workers threw me a farewell party full of wine, food, music, kisses, and hand-scribbled notes. Words from a family I had found. When I arrived back in Mullumbimby, I looked up and I saw the stars for the first time in months. Kookaburras woke me up the next morning. I tasted the salty sea and saw dolphins dipping in and out of the Pacific Ocean. My body had come back to my soul’s sweet home, but a big old piece of my heart is far away now. Nestled in a wheel of creamy Camembert, ready to be shared with friends and bottle of wine by the Parisian canal on a summer’s evening.

They were Europeans, held up by centuriesold ideas of what it means to be French, to be Parisian.

THIS COMMUNITY

OF OURS

IN CONVERSATION

an Encounter

Albert (Digby) Moran Artist – Lismore

Albert (Digby) Moran had an idyllic childhood catching fish and running free on Cabbage Tree Island. At 18, he travelled the country with Jimmy Sharman’s Boxing Troupe. At 42, he gave up drinking, and discovered painting. Then came the Lismore floods. But he’s back with a solo show in Lismore and another in Armidale next year. Madeleine Murray spent the day with the charismatic Aboriginal artist, and is still thinking about it.

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

WORDS–

MUSE–

Madeleine Murray @madzufi

Digby Moran

PHOTO–

Rebecca Rushbrook @rebeccarushbrookphotography

ENCOUNTER

The flood Digby Moran is standing alone in the upstairs room of the Lismore Regional Gallery. The huge room and corridors are filled with his paintings. This is his life, or at least his life in the past 18 months. His Lismore studio was flooded up to the ceiling in the devastating floods of April, 2017. “The landlord said ‘Just pack everything up on the table,’ “Digby says. “No one was expecting it to go so high. I was at home in Goonellabah, and we realised the flood was much worse. “When I opened the studio roller door two days later, I saw everything underwater, pushed up, mud everywhere. The paint tins were wedged in the ceiling ledges.” Digby carted years of paintings, materials, photos, framed certificates, and exhibition posters to the tip. “I lost a lot. I chucked everything to the tip. I chopped them up, very painful. Especially for me, a lot of stuff inside of me comes up and goes into that work. Devastating. It’s hard, you can’t let go of stuff. I just wanted to be in the studio on me own and soak it all up. Tears and sweat. I just couldn’t work.” But Digby got his power back, and eighteen months later, he has enough work for a solo show, full of large powerful works of slathered strong impasto, and several salvaged, intricate, older dot works. At the gallery It’s Sunday morning and a young woman in a 30’s blue-andwhite dress and a bright red satin cushion on her head brings a group of children in to hear ‘Uncle Digby’ talk about his paintings. Digby stops in front of Mullet Hopping, a man in a red shirt and black trousers rowing a boat in sparkling water. Three black fish with jewel-like white dots are landing in the boat. “When you row a boat at night in the mangroves, the fish think it’s a bull shark and jump right out of the water,” he tells the astonished kids. “The mullet jump into the boat. They still do it.” Fun Times is a thick impasto of green-brown paint smeared on a 2x1.5m canvas. “This is like the mud when I was a kid on Cabbage Tree Island. We used to muck around on the riverbank, making swirls with our fingers. When the painting was still wet, I got my little grandson to run around on it. His father and I just held his hand when he was walking around cause he couldn’t walk on his own. Every time he’d walk he’d slip!” The kids love this story, and a little girl tentatively comes up and touches the canvas. The guide says, “I just want to lick it!” Everyone laughs. At the café Digby has a cloud of white curls that swirl around his head, a powerful ex-boxer’s build and gentle voice. You have to be in a certain position, or maybe he has to be in a certain mood, to see his eyes, but when you do see them, his eyes are deep, dark pools with bluish flecks like one of his paintings. He has a mischievous look, and a warm, strong hug. I feel completely at ease, but also intrigued as I never know what he will say next. Down in the café, two border collies are playing around our table. I tell the owner how nice they are, and Digby suddenly says, “Dogs crap everywhere and children step in it. I see it in the park across from my studio, it’s not right.” Silence. Cabbage Tree Island Digby grew up on Cabbage Tree, a small island about a kilometre long in the Richmond River near Ballina. “We were always out in the boat fishing with my brothers, sisters and cousins – prawning with hessian bags. “I really loved growing up with those family ties. I miss them all now cause most have passed on. When I’m painting I always talk to them. My dad was a boxer and he died when he was 40. There was 9 of us, no TV back in those days.”

Nor were there any cars on the island. “We’d put everything in the pram and billy cart, take it down to the beach and camp out during the school holidays.” Boxing, fruit picking and drinking Digby left Cabbage Tree Island when he was 18. “I joined Jimmy Sharman’s Boxing Troupe like my father did before me. We travelled to Melbourne and all over the place. “I was taught to handle myself, my dad was the heavyweight champion of the North Coast. Dad fought big Les McNabb in Newcastle stadium. They weighed Les on a railway scale, he was that heavy.” After boxing for three years, Digby came back to Lismore, and worked at cutting cane by hand and fruit picking. “When I returned here I met my children’s mother in Lismore. I was working hard and drinking hard, and split up with her because of the drinking. I have three girls and one boy and we’re all close. I ended up moving back down near Ballina with Mum. I used to go back and forth to Mildura on the fruit down there. One thing I could say, I always worked. I couldn’t talk our language, but I was sitting out the back one night and something spiritual got into me. I was talking our language. After that I never ever touched a drop. I went up to the pub next day with the boys because I was seedy. I ordered a schooner, I picked it up, but I couldn’t get it higher than my chest. I tried it a couple of times after relationship break-ups, first thing you do, but I couldn’t do it.” A new life In 1991 he started a TAFE course in painting. “It was too European for me. I wanted to paint in my own culture. I’ve never looked back. “All that cultural stuff was always in me, just waiting for the right time to come out, after I gave up drinking. It’s as if I’m channelling my ancestors.” Digby’s mum was his biggest fan. “She used to come over at night and watch me paint.” Nine years after he started painting, Digby won the inaugural People’s Choice Telstra Award in 2000 in Darwin. “I did that with a tooth pick. All of me, right in there, all my energy is just focussed on the canvas.” He exhibited in Berlin in 2001 and 2002, Vienna in 2003, and had solo shows in Germany in 2004 and 2009. Digby’s first time overseas was in 2001. “I used to get up and look at the mountains. I couldn’t work out what all this colour was so I walked down, and it was just the tulips! It was beautiful. I loved it.” Digby had a solo show in NSW Parliament in 2010 and was a finalist in The New South Wales Parliament Aboriginal Art Prize in 2011 & 2012. “Looking back to where I come from, and where I am now … I’ve been an Australian Ambassador for nine years. That was a big thing in my life, getting out there and talking to people about my experiences. I used to be shy, I used to pick a spot on the wall and look at that to talk.” Despite all this success, Digby still works as a drug and alcohol support worker at Namatjira Haven. “I’ve been there for years. I love doing what I’m doing, helping other people. “Same with my art, I help a lot of people through my art. People come up to me and want to hear my stories and how I started painting. It’s good to sit there and tell children what they can do. “I feel grateful that I can make other people happy just by looking at my work. I feel good about myself.” His message. Soft and clear “Just be yourself. Don’t try to be anyone else. You can do anything you want. Just follow your dream. Dream big and don’t look back.” Growing up on the Island is currently showing at Lismore Regional Gallery, lismoregallery.org

THIS COMMUNITY

OF OURS

CELEBRATING

Good People The Temple of Words We are ... A monthly poetry evening, a diversity of voice. All welcome and all heard. Paradiso talks to ... Oni Blecher Find us ... @thetempleofwords

Everything moves. Everything revolutionises. All comes and goes. Poetry is a revolution. Open yourself to a night of spoken word, poetry, and storytelling. Ride your vulnerability. All ages, all styles, all languages, all welcome. Anne Waldman famously said, “I took my vow to poetry; this is where I’m going to be. These are my people; this is my tribe. This is where I’m going to put my energy.” Can you tell us a little about your discovery of poetry and its people? Ah! Yes. What a quote. I am sure everyone can resonate with this in any sense of commitment to self or self expression. Since I was small, I have always written and expressed through story and poetic form. I have always taken notice of how people use certain words to paint pictures. During my late teens and early twenties, poetry became my connection to the world and its people. I would always be writing poems. It was like a tool of translation. I would get home and poetry would be how I would consolidate my day. The link between emotion and mind. Some sort of creative 60

To allow people to come together and speak aloud requires a huge amount of atmospheric support and the incubation of a strong, open and nonjudgemental space and audience.

Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ...

digestive in this crazy world. In university lectures, even in very dry subjects, I would write notes in poetic form. It was and is, a unique cryptology that helps internal and external worlds merge. By restructuring information as my own through writing and poetry, my mind, heart and hands could make sense of how to weave in and out of others worlds and systems. What inspired your monthly poetry night – The Temple of Words? TRUTH! And the opportunity for constructive, wholesome and nourishing ways of socialising. Four of us, close friends, would make time to have poetry nights over dinner. We would invite people who we thought would be interested. The agenda was to sit around and read something we had been working on or something we had written. Sometimes, it would just be a potent journal entry. We had a semi-pipe dream to take poetry nights public one day. One day, that ‘one day’ became apparent and it all happened really quickly. The four of us organised the space and the formula and ... it just happened. Something close to our hearts seemed to translate so beautifully to the public. For a poetry related event, we have had an encouraging turn out that has proved the ‘build it and they will come’ philosophy and provided momentum. Since then, because of busy lives and necessary priorities, I am running the nights solo with rotating co-hosts. The idea of rotating co-hosts was inspired by the belief that ‘it takes a village’ which I believe is valid for raising children and also for community events and initiatives. A monthly rotation of co-hosts means that individuals passionate about spoken word and creative writing can practice holding space and also receive half the monetary profits left over after donating to Indigenous Literacy Foundation (half of all proceeds go toward ILF). This way, the feeling of pride and responsibility can be shared and The Temple of Words can be built and maintained by all. Your nights are known for their welcoming atmosphere. How important is the concept of holding space as a poet? As a person, it is so important! The more emotionally aware we are all becoming, the more the concept of holding space becomes important. An omniscient understanding and respect. As a poet or creator, this concept is important too. When

GOOD PEOPLE

you write or perform a poem there is a potential audience. Have you had the experience of reading something that shifts or jolts your whole world a little? There is a realisation that our humble and true words can do that for someone. Change worlds. This drives home the power of word and a mindfulness of how we can use words and language as powerful tools. To express yourself vocally is, for many people, a brave task. Everyone knows the stats about public speaking phobias. On a colder scientific/ physiological level, I have always wanted to know why. Of course pop psychology will explain early childhood experiences of vocal suppression and the like but I love delving into the subliminal social systems that strangulate people from speaking what is really true for them. To allow people to come together and speak aloud requires a huge amount of atmospheric support and the incubation of a strong, open and non-judgemental space and audience. The only way to create this space and audience is to keep returning to the original intention for holding such an event. The original intention of The Temple of Words was to provide time and space (and snacks) so that every willing person would be able to express their truth vocally and communally. As a host, if I stay true to this original intention and remain in solid belief of the benefits of creative group expression, this will emanate from me and other co hosts in such a way that will only invite a similar integrity of expressive intention and therein lies the supportive and welcoming atmosphere of The Temple of Words. What aspect of writing poetry is the most challenging? First three things that come to mind are inner (and perceived outer) critic, a writing discipline and authenticity. Inner (and perceived outer) critic: Slowly chip away at the inner critic. It is just a mogul of accumulative judgements that have most probably originated from external pressure. Write like no ones watching. A writing discipline: Value yourself enough to dedicate yourself to writing or finding a voice that is yours and only yours. If pen to paper isn’t your go, use voice memos and transcribe later. You might feel like some kind of James Bond, Oceans 11 Wanker at first but that’ll go away. Authenticity: The sweet spot! You know the one. Where your writing comes directly from your spirit. A unique voice that has ached for you to listen and when you do, comes forth in many sensical and non sensical ways. Go with that strange authenticity. Let’s chat poetry is a source of catharsis ... This topic was another implicit intention of starting a poetry night. Even as friends in a lounge room, already seeming to know each other’s internal worlds intimately, we noticed the power of speaking our written word and the somatic effects it had on our bodies individually and collectively. I marvel at how we can show ourselves through the form of spoken word in a way that there is limited space for in the frantic paces of regular social interaction; conversation, expectation and distraction. I also still marvel at the phenomena of speaking in front 61

of a group. I can be fully emotionally present while writing something and speaking it aloud by myself. My emotional response from speaking in front of a crowd still surprises me! Every time it’s different every time. Metaphysical phenomena is hard to logically explain. Last poetry night, I conquered two fears in my vocal expression: reading something completely unedited and ... singing! I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and afterward, my body was super feverish. I’ve heard similar experiences from people who have conquered those vocal fears and get the full flu afterward. Some cathartic healing power there. What advice would you give to someone who wants to get involved? Come! We invite all means of participation which includes simply listening. We work on a randomised name pulling system. When you arrive at the space, we ask if you’d like to share. If so, we pop your name in a hat. If not, you take a cosy seat and listen to all the colours of expression. Either way, you have a choice! To take your name out of the hat or to put your name in the hat at any point. Tea and snacks are a tasty bonus. You don’t have to know anything about writing or poetry. We want to take the focus away from associations with “The Greats”. The greats are ... great! But we are all poetry personified through daily experience and that is what can be realised through involvement. If social interaction ain’t your go at the moment, write! Dribbles of anything. We welcome submissions through our email. We can read them by proxy on the night. We also love to publish submissions on our social media (with anonymity as an option). There are another couple of local initiatives I’d like to mention. Many flavour flaves for the many tastes! ‘Speakeasy’ is a monthly writing/speaking/ workshopping evening lounge-room gathering at local poet Olatundji’s home in Mullumbimby. ‘Shut Up and Write’ is a weekly silent writing space hosted by Hadley Perkins at Byron Library from 5-6pm. ‘Unplugged’ is a weekly event in Byron Industrial estate where you can book performance stage space. Unplugged is open to all forms of creative performance expression. Details– When: Every 3rd Friday of the month. Where: The Corner Palm, 1/16 Brigantine St, Byron Bay. Time: From 6:30pm Contribution: $10 (half to Indigenous Literacy Foundation) Bring: A piece of writing to share. Tune in to the weekly poetry radio show on BayFM called The Bohemian Beat (Thursday’s 11am–12pm) by resident poet and supporter Riddhi.

Inspired by– I’ve often felt the deeper discipline of poetry is overhearing yourself say things you didn’t want to know about the world. And something that actually emancipates you from this smaller self out into this larger dispensation that you actually didn’t think you deserved. And so one of the things we’re most afraid of in silence is this death of the periphery, the outside concerns, the place where you’ve been building your personality, and where you think you’ve been building who you are starts to atomise and fall apart”. David Whyte

THIS COMMUNITY

OF OURS

SMARTY PANTS

ANSWERS–

thisisparadiso.com.au/answers

Partner up or go solo with this puzzling puzzle. 1

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Crossword & Trivia—

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AC ROSS 3 Season of rejuvenation 6 Japan’s former capital 9 Flat-crowned woven hat 10 Italian tile 11 Floral brooch 12 American State, ross home to Grand ason of rejuvenation Canyon 15 Yogic breath pan's former capital 16 Golden t-crowned woven hatspice 17 Korean military lian tile fighting style

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18 Chennai 20 Breezeway ___ 21 Remedy for poison 22 Kiss me under the ___ 26 Waist shaping garment 27 Sacred River 29 Message from the stars 33 Fabric made from flax plant 34 Sweet citrus 36 Don’t go chasing ___

37 Fruit high in potassium 39 Silk worm transforms 41 Brass instrument 43 Time after time, singer 45 Pointe 47 A yoga angled animal 49 Chinese plant that frames skyscrapers 53 Whipped egg whites and sugar 54 Jewellery making method, casting

oral brooch merican State home to Grand Canyon gic breath 62 Paradiso ~ Oct—Nov 2018 ~ The whole world in our hands ... olden spice rean military fighting style

D OW N 55 Traditional vinyasa 1 Made from clay 23 The art of words yoga 2 Afternoon nap 24 Dine in or ___ 57 Difficult indoor 4 Japanese floral 25 La sagrada familia, plant ___ arrangement architect 58 Waltzing Matilda, 5 A portable central 28 Popular candle Patterson Asian tent ingredient 59 Leave your yeasted 7 To calm the mind 30 The Parisian arts dough to ___ with focus museum 60 Meet me in ___ 8 Japanese comic 31 Late night lounge Down11 Fastest land animal music 61 Scholar of words 1 sweetMade from clay 62 Short and 13 Russian cheers 32 Number of Tarot prose 2 14 Fragrant Afternoon nap cleansing cards in the major 63 New from wood arcana 4 MattJapanese floral arrangement Groening 19 Signals end of the 35 Paddington’s 5 A portable central Asian tent day favourite

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To calm the mind with focus Japanese comic Fastest land animal Russian cheers Fragrant cleansing wood (2 Words)

38 A drover’s hat 40 Surya Namaskara 41 Lay of the land 42 Chocolate alternative 44 Breakfast cocktail 46 Parlez vous ___ 48 Cream to prevent the burn 50 Is it breakfast or lunch 51 The flower of new beginnings 52 Mother of Dragons 56 First light of day

thisisparadiso.com.au/breakfastclub

Something extra special is happening at BC this November–

thisisparadiso.com.au/breakfastclub

�

engage. Join the Club.

series designed to ignite, inspire and

a short and sharp morning talk

present—

Paradiso and The Corner Palm

BREAKFAST CLUB

SECRET SOUNDS & MI5 PRESENT

THE 26TH ANNUAL MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL

BYRON BAY

31 DEC • 01 JAN • 02 JAN ANDERSON .PAAK & THE FREE NATIONALS • CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN* VANCE JOY • CHVRCHES • HILLTOP HOODS • TOTO • INTERPOL • FLIGHT FACILITIES 88RISING - FEAT. RICH BRIAN, JOJI, NIKI & AUGUST 08* • AMY SHARK • DMA’S KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD • GOLDEN FEATURES • FIRST AID KIT* OCEAN ALLEY • HOCKEY DAD • CASHMERE CAT* • THE VACCINES • CUB SPORT RUEL • JACK RIVER • BISHOP BRIGGS • MALLRAT • BRIGGS • TOUCH SENSITIVE TKAY MAIDZA • DERMOT KENNEDY • TIRED LION • SOCCER MOMMY HOBO JOHNSON & THE LOVEMAKERS • ODETTE • MAHALIA • HATCHIE WEST THEBARTON • SAM FENDER • TIA GOSTELOW • KOTA BANKS TRIPLE ONE • ALICE SKYE • HEAPS GAY DJS & FRIENDS PLUS LOADS MORE *ONLY AUS SHOWS

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