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CREDITS (in order of appearance): Julie BARTHOLOMEW, Subversive Botanica Ziera prostrata 2015, porcelain and silver decals. Photographer Grant Hancock. Satoshi FUJINUMA, seed series – Journey 2015, sheoak, paint , lacquer. Image courtesy of the artist. Sally BLAKE, Seed Baskets (detail) 2014/5, plant dyed wool and silk, silver wire. Image courtesy of the artist. Annee MIRON, Borrowed Time (detail) 2015, found cardboard and gouache, dimensions variable. Photographer Brent Edwards. ALL IMAGES Bogs and Fens: artist-in-residence, a Craft ACT curated exhibition featuring internationally renowned wood artist Satoshi Fujinuma (Japan), Annee Miron (Melbourne) and Sally Blake (Canberra), Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre (ACT), 10 April – 16 May 2015. Coinciding with the Bogs and Fens: artist-in-residence exhibition, will be a sister display of insightful developmental pieces from the research processes untaken, at the Australian National Botanic Gardens exhibition space from 24 April – 24 May 2015 - craftact.org.au
Taking Centre Stage in Bendigo Launching 2015 Key features include: • • • • •
Largest dedicated auditorium in Central Victoria 960 seat theatre Professional team on site Generous foyers linking to tranquil outdoor spaces Suitable for performance, expos and conferences
For future bookings, general information, technical specifications and status updates please visit our website: www.ulumbarratheatre.com.au Email ulumbarra@bendigo.vic.gov.au Phone 03 5434 6006
CONTENTS (02) BOGS AND FENS Craft ACT (15) COMICS FACE Ive Sorocuk (16) THE MADNESS OF ART Jim Kempner (18) PAPER CULTURE PC PR (26) DAWN CSUTOROS: ELEMENTAL: TIME, SPACE, PRESENCE
Jennifer Choat
(32) APRIL SALON Another World (44) KIRSTEN BOEREMA: IN A CLASS OF HER OWN
Neil Boyack
(48) DAKENO MARK: A BOX OF COLOURED KOKIS (52) GREETINGS FROM: BEYOND THE PALE
Mel Russell
Ben Laycock
COVER: Philip FAULKS, Consumer 2010, 23 x 22 cm. Paper Culture II, Changzhou Museum, No. 1288 Changzhou City Avenue, in the Jiangsu province (China), 18 – 22 April 2015 - multiculturalarts.com.au Issue 122 APRIL 2015 trouble is an independent monthly mag for promotion of arts and culture Published by Trouble Magazine Pty Ltd. ISSN 1449-3926 CONTRIBUTORS Ive Sorocuk, Jim Kempner, Ben Laycock, love. Find our app at the AppStore follow us on issuu , twitter, subscribe at troublemag.com READER ADVICE: Trouble magazine contains artistic content that may include nudity, adult concepts, coarse language, and the names, images or artworks of deceased Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. Treat Trouble intelligently, as you expect to be treated by others. Collect or dispose of thoughtfully. DIS IS DE DISCLAIMER! The views and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher. To the best of our knowledge all details in this magazine were correct at the time of publication. The publisher does not accept responsibility for errors or omissions. All content in this publication is copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without prior permission of the publisher. Trouble is distributed online from the first of every month of publication but accepts no responsibility for any inconvenience or financial loss in the event of delays. Phew!
art comedy series
Season 4, Episode 5: CANDY Part 2 (Counting Chickens) When Jim negotiates a sweet deal over a glass of wine, things heat up. Over at the Red Cat it’s the usual all over again. visit: themadnessofart.com/
Paper Culture
The Paper Culture project was founded to create a platform of cultural exchange between China and Australia, showcasing diversity through art practices in both countries, whilst strengthening links between artists, art organisations and governments through the visual arts. Paper Culture II presents the first large scale exhibition of over thirty works by Australian artist Philip Faulks, alongside works by Chinese master paper cut artists Zhou Yunhua and Zhou Bing, at the Changzhou Museum (Jiangsu, China) from 18-22 April 2015. The exhibition expands the artists’ first meeting and collaborations for Paper Culture in Multicultural Arts Victoria’s Mapping Melbourne festival in December 2014, and offers a rare exploration of cut paper works, mixing new intercultural techniques with one of China’s oldest traditions. Philip Faulks has been exhibiting since the 1980s, both in group exhibitions and solos. The exhibition spans Faulks’ unusual use of the paper medium, from his 2008 ink on paper works to his recent paper cuts – “reflective of the artist’s interests in free-hand drawing and the elaboration of a personal archive of images that traverse both man-made objects and natural forms” states curator Damian Smith. In comparison, Master Zhou Yunhua and Zhou Bing’s practice reflects their acclaimed work in developing and promoting the paper cutting tradition in Jiangsu – China’s hometown of paper carving. Dating from the 6th century and registered on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, paper cutting is still a revered and popular practice that through widespread use has evolved from a home hobby into a commercial concern. Zhou-style paper-cut utilises ideas from painting to revitalise the ancient folkart, and falls into three Series – black, red and blue – with nearly a thousand artworks in total. Zhou Yunhua, or Master Zhou, was born in Yixing, Jiangsu province in 1935. He is a member of the Chinese Artists Association, and was granted the title Chinese Superior Artist in 1989, an honor he retains today. Master Zhou’s Chinese painting, Surrounded by Winds, Snows, and Clouds was selected for the National Art Exhibition in 1977. Since then, more than two hundred of his masterpieces have been on display in both domestic and overseas exhibitions. Zhou Bing, also named Muzhi, is Zhou Yunhua’s son, and the most important successor of traditional Zhou-style paper-cut. He was born in Jintan, Jiangsu province in 1969 and is a member of the Chinese Artists Association and the Jiangsu Youth Artists Association.
< Zhou BING, Peacock and Peony (detail), cut paper.
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Zhou BING, Hundred beasts figure, Jiangsu Provincial Art Museum Collection.
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Philip FAULKS, In Your Secret Life (2013), 140 x 160 cm.
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Philip FAULKS, Narrator 2010, ink on paper, 130 x 400 cm.
The immense popularity of these exquisite, brilliant and intricately carved paper-cut works cannot be understated. In 1990, five of Mr Zhou’s paper-cut works, including Picture of Happy Fish, were displayed in the first annual Jiangsu Art Exhibition and received the award Artistic Works of Excellence. His three masterpieces – Picture of Hundreds Beast, Numerous Birds Pay Respect to the Phoenix and Be Flushed With Success, were collected and retained by Jiangsu Art Museum. In 1998, Mr Zhou’s Chinese painting, Spring, was retained by the Guangdong Art Museum, and in 1999 the Zhou-style paper-cut works Reminiscences of Jiangnan were retained by the Shanghai Liuhaisu Art Museum. Zhou-style works are extensively collected by art galleries and museums both in and beyond China, so that Mr. Zhou and his team have travelled around the globe to attend exhibitions in Japan, Norway, Finland, France, USA, Malaysia and beyond. Zhou-style paper-cut has been highly awarded including winning the “Mountain Follower Award”, China’s top prize for folk art. In 2004, a hundred pieces of paper-cut works Reminiscent of Jiangnan were permanently collected by National Museum of China. With their sights now set on a massively expanded market, the Zhous are currently considering a diversified operation that includes Zhou-style folding artworks for appreciation, collection, business
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gift, international culture exchange, and interior design. Significantly assisting that campaign, their paper-cut work Silhouettes of Jiangnan, was recently filmed and played by CCTV, JSTV and other TV stations. Paper Culture II will also include a series of lectures – presented by the artists, MAV CEO Jill Morgan, and exhibition curator Damian Smith – at Jiangsu University of Technology and Changzhou Institute of Technology in China. The artists will talk about their artworks and different approaches to the paper cutting technique in China and Australia; discuss the evolution of the paper cut since its inception; and the technique as a contemporary visual language. Curator Damian Smith will present Exhibiting in Australia to outline the arts and creative sectors in Australia and how to engage with art organisations and artists to develop cultural exchange projects and exhibitions. MAV CEO Jill Morgan AM will explain MAV’s programs, events and role in promoting cultural diversity in the arts and cross-sector at a local, national and international level. Paper Culture II, Changzhou Museum, No. 1288 Changzhou City Avenue, in the Jiangsu province (China), 18 – 22 April 2015 - multiculturalarts.com.au Organisers: Jiangsu International Culture Association and Changzhou International Culture Association. Co-organisers: Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV) and Victoria Multicultural Education Services (VMES). Partners: Changzhou Qing Yun Ge Art and Time of Art. Supported by People’s Government of Jiangsu Province; People’s Government of Changzhou City, the State Government of Victoria, City of Melbourne, Aus Asia Finance Hub (AAFH).
Reproduced with the permission of the Sidney Nolan Trust / Bridgeman Images
ELEMENTAL: time, time, space, space, presence presence ELEMENTAL:
The art art and and perceptions perceptions of of DAWN DAWN CSUTOROS CSUTOROS The Jennifer Choat Choat Jennifer
“The subject I am traveling toward is space; pure Spirit,”1 stated Yves Klein in 1961. He was seeking to express a space of uninterrupted, full immersion through the art of Pure Colour. This same spirit is again sought after in Dawn Csutoros’ latest exhibition Elemental: time, space, presence. This body of work is largely a continuation from Csutoros’ art residencies and travels in China. The more recent pieces were created in rural Bendigo after Evi Robinson invited Csutoros to be the artist in residence at the John Robinson Studio. The exhibition showcases the development and expansion of her work with mulberry paper and textural surfaces through archaic forms, such as the ellipse and the sphere. “I want to pare things back to their essence, their most elemental form — yet still maintain a tension, a dynamic,” the artist explains. “They are multi layered, deceptively simple, yet with complex meanings. Through this minimalist format, the viewer is invited to slow down, to look and see more deeply, to feel and listen.” The limited palate and clean, modest nature of Csutoros’ art allows the materials to breath, displayed as dense and unpolluted. They suggest primal landscapes of abstract energy, with light humming in and around the edges, and reference one of the artist’s enduring interests, quantum physics. A clear influence, the monochromatic, ‘spiritually ambitious’ works of Klein sing through, as do the concepts of timelessness, perception and the unconscious. The silhouette of each work holds its own symbolism, as Csutoros comments: The ellipse is such a primordial form that we intuitively resonate with on many levels appearing on both a micro and macro scale — healthy blood cells, the orbit of the planets, the human aura, the egg and the womb. It is a development from my ‘Numinous’ series and explores the element of presence through its scale and simplicity of form. And the circle, is such a powerful formula and seen as a symbol of infinity in many cultures. In ‘Elemental’, the space of the circular sphere is paradoxical, the spherical form at first appears convex, but in reality is concave creating spatial ambiguity and exploring our notion of perception.
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Black Diamonds - Gold 2015, ink, 24 carat gold leaf, black coal, mulberry paper, 145x75cm.
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In past works, Csutoros has placed emphasis on inviting the viewer to enter a two-dimensional plane. This exhibition, however, takes the audience further. These experimental pieces document the artist’s transition from traditional painting formats into the realm of sculpture. “The earlier work had the light from within, projecting outwards — this series lifts the light into unique three dimensional forms”, she states. An interactive sound component has also been introduced to experience the work in another sensory layer. Each sculpture is individually hand built, using mulberry paper sourced from her travels in China. The layering of the paper replaces the gesture of the brush marks in painting, leaving a quality Csutoros describes as the “mark of the handmade.” Embedded within the surface, is a variety of materials chosen for their sensual qualities which the artist builds into seductively tactile surfaces, using mediums such as pigment, ink, graphite, semi-precious stones, 24 carat gold leaf and sterling silver leaf. There is a material equilibrium in every piece, a harmony of formalist notes that rest on minimalist pauses. Earlier in her career, Csutoros introduced coal as a medium during a residency in China where she travelled across the east Silk Road, through the Gobi desert and surrounding sacred mountains. Upon visiting ancient cities, Buddhist caves and Daoist temples, the artist was alarmed by the presence of coal in the everyday life of these sights, “I was surrounded by it. I couldn’t breathe because of the coal. Each golden horizon was distorted … the light struggling through the smog.” This permeated through to her work, beginning with the series titled Black Diamonds, commenting on the various ways in which the use of coal is hidden through material guises. Later, in 2013, these themes were revisited in Black Diamonds #5 and Black Diamonds - Gold, created during a further artist residence in Songzhuang Artist Village, Beijing. For Elemental: time, space, presence, Csutoros has continued this line of enquiry, linking her past work with those created during her current residency. As the artist explains, “Every body of work is a stepping stone to your next one… For me it’s very important to keep pushing and searching. In a way, it’s a restlessness, a constant inquiring and exploration into how we perceive the environment around us.” Developed for this exhibition is Elemental #1, a painting of a gleaming void that plays with geometric volumes. It has a dichotomy of textures — the hard
Dawn Csutoros / Jennifer Choat
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Elemental #1, 2015, ink, graphite, mulberry paper, 135x69x15cm.
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on the soft, rough layered on the smooth — and opposing spaces, those that simultaneously delve in and out. Another new undertaking is the creation of ambitious wall scale ellipses — sculptures the artist describes as, “cosmic eggs” — entitled ‘Mystere’. These primal works tap into Carl Jung’s hypothesis of a collective human unconscious, playing to abstract expressionist Adolph Gottlieb’s assertion that: All primitive expression reveals the constant awareness of powerful forces … a recognition and acceptance of the brutality of the natural world as well as the eternal insecurity of life. That these feelings are being experienced by many people … art that glosses over or evades these feelings, is superficial or meaningless.2 The bond within humankind is the channel that art travels through, as Csutoros reflects, “art is important work. It can move people deeply and shift your awareness. It opens up the doorways to new knowings and new understandings of the way you see the world; and how you want to shape that.” Csutoros’ travels to distant, remote and sacred sites are reflected in these totemic forms. “I’m interested in the presence that art can have. The mystery of the ‘other’,” she explains. “My travel has informed this. Going to those places was like going back to an ancient time when art was a ritual with a connection to mystery.” Csutoros’ interest in eastern philosophy and meditation also informs and influences her art, often lending her work to be used as tools for contemplation. Writer Camille Paglia argues that, “Amid so much jittery visual clutter [in modern life], it is crucial to find focus, the basis of stability, identity and life direction.”3 ELEMENTAL: time, space, presence provides a quiet place for just that — a cleansing space to linger, reaffirm the power of the senses and refocus our internal perceptions. Dawn Csutoros: ELEMENTAL: time, space, presence, Langford 120 120 Langford Street, North Melbourne (VIC), until 18 April 2015 - langford120.com.au The sound component of Elemental features the artist’s own voice and can be heard at - dawncsutoros.wix.com/elemental Artist site - csutoros.com
FOOTNOTES: 1 Thomas McEvilley, Yves: the provocateur (NY: McPherson & Company, 2010). 2 Lynn Gamwell, Exploring the invisible: art, science and the spiritual (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2002), 267. 3 Camille Paglia, Glittering Images (NY: Vintage Books, Random House, 2013). PHOTO CREDITS: Jeremy Dillon & Elise Dutra. All photos courtesy of the artist.
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april salon
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PREVIOUS SPREAD: FORD AUSTRALIA LTD, Geelong, Victoria (manufacturer) est. 1925, XA Ford Falcon GT (RPO83), coupe 1973 (manufactured). Designed by Allan Jackson, Brian Rossi and Jack Telnack. Collection of Les Dole, Gippsland, Victoria. Shifting Gear: Design, Innovation and the Australian Car, National Gallery of Victoria, The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Federation Square, Flinders St, Melbourne (VIC), until 12 July 2015 - ngv.vic.gov.au 1. Lev VYKOPAL, Australian front line, The Nek 2014, acrylic, shellac and soil on paper, 136 x 58cm. Gallipoli ‘The Beautiful City’, Fremantle Arts Centre, 1 Finnerty Street, Fremantle (WA), 11 April – 24 May 2015 - fac.org.au 2. Petrus SPRONK, Landscape of the mind 2012, ceramic, 16 x 26 x 26cm. Winner of the 2013 Manningham Victorian Ceramic Art Award. Manningham City Council Art Collection. Image courtesy the artist. Manningham Victorian Ceramic Art Award 2015, Manningham Art Gallery, Manningham City Square (MC²), 687 Doncaster Road, Doncaster (VIC), until 9 May 2015 - manningham.vic.gov.au/manningham-art-gallery 3. Gareth Hart and Justine Walsh, Odd Ball ‘King and Queen’, Dandenong Ranges Open Studios Weekend, across the Dandenong Ranges (VIC), 18 – 19 April 2015 - burrinja.org.au
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4. ARTEK, Helsinki (manufacturer), Finnish est. 1935, Alvar AALTO (designer) Finnish 1898–1976, Armchair 41 1930 (designed), early 1970s (manufactured), laminated Birch, painted plywood, 63.7 x 61.1 x 86.6 cm. National Gallery of Victoria. Melbourne. Purchased, 1975. Nordic Cool: Modernist Design, National Gallery of Victoria, NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne (VIC), until 31 December 2015 - ngv.vic.gov.au 5. Andrew COWEN, Matthew Martin 2013, digital print. National Photographic Portrait Prize 2014 Exhibition, Manningham Art Gallery, Manningham City Square (MC²), 687 Doncaster Road, Doncaster (VIC), until 9 May 2015 - manningham.vic.gov.au/manningham-art-gallery NEXT SPREAD: Ned HATCH, Untitled 2014, photography and photoshop manipulation, 42 x 59.4 cm. ARTIFISH // ARTIFICE, M16 Artspace, Blaxland Crescent Griffith (ACT), 16 April – 3 May 2015 - m16artspace.com
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april salon
THIS SPREAD: David LAWREY & Jaki MIDDLETON, The Bear that wasn’t 2013, sculpture. Courtesy the artists and Gallery 9, Sydney. Between Worlds’ - Landscapes in contemporary/popular culture, Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Deerubbin Centre -1st Floor, 300 George Street Windsor (NSW), 10 April - 24 May - hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au NEXT SPREAD: Hannah BATH, Real Matter, watercolour, collage, crayon and coloured pencil on paper, 28 x 38cm. On Foot, Sawtooth ARI, Level 1, 160 Cimitiere St, Launceston (TAS) - sawtooth.org.au
Kirsten Boerema
In a Class of Her Own
interview by Neil Boyack
As a sideline to teaching music at Castlemaine Secondary College, self-confessed show-off Kirsten Boerema plays in Bella Frisky, a three piece band with a multitude of instruments, promising cool tunes that will transport you to exotic global locales. Neil Boyack: Where were you born – have you always lived in a rural area? Kirsten Boerema: I was born in Perth near both the river and the beach and spent lots of time swimming, sunbaking and playing the cello and guitar and singing in bands. When I was 20 I moved to Melbourne to study and got accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts, studying opera. I finished my Bachelor of Music and then did an Honours year. NB: Who brought music into your life? Were you a part of a musical family? KB: Both of my parents were musicians. Mum was, and still is, a cellist and classical pianist and my dad was a jazz saxophonist/clarinettist. His mother was a concert pianist and his sister, my aunt, was an opera singer. Many generations ago, my great great grandfather was a noted composer in Holland during the Golden Age, and his portrait hangs in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam still. I’m the youngest of four girls and we all play various instruments and sing. We have very different musical tastes so unfortunately rarely play together. I arranged a beautiful four-part harmony song for my Dad’s funeral ten years ago, and I think that’s the last time we performed together. We all live in different places, so it’s near impossible anyway. NB: You speak a number of languages and incorporate this into Bella Frisky, how did you come to learn so many? KB: When I was in 2nd year of my music degree I successfully auditioned with the Victoria State Opera. This followed many years of singing with a variety of opera companies including Opera Australia (formerly the Australian Opera), West Australian Opera Company and Oz Opera. As part of a company you receive language coaching as you must sing in many languages; Italian, French, German and Russian mostly. My real passion with singing was not opera but songs, and I was fortunate enough to win many competitions and scholarships to study singing in France, Italy, Germany and England. Here I indulged in singing songs from mainly European and South American composers in a wider variety of languages including Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Danish, Swedish and more ...
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Obviously you can’t master all of these languages conversationally and so I studied IPA (International Phonetics Alphabet) and learned to pronounce perfectly by working with language coaches and studying and practising really hard. My Italian and Dutch are my best spoken languages but I can’t say I’m fluent in either. However I can certainly get by and am willing to have a crack in German and French too. I love singing in German the most. It’s dark and beautifully poetic. Singing Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Mahler is my idea of Heaven. NB: What form of music do you enjoy performing most and why? KB: Unfortunately, and not so uncommon as you may think, I had a vocal cord malfunction in my thirties and had to have surgery to laser off a burst blood vessel. This affected my top range and for a number of years I couldn’t sing at all. This was horrid but led me to teaching music, which I’ll get to later. When I had recovered enough and my voice reappeared, I realised I would probably never sing operatically again professionally and I started singing more jazz and European folk/gypsy music. My language training meant I was able to tackle anything convincingly. With my friends Michael and Matt, Bella Frisky was born. I love singing in all the different languages and also how the styles of folk music from differing countries have such unique flavours. I still sing classically and am performing Rossini’s Misse Solennelle in May, but singing in Bella Frisky is fun and allows us to have a musical life outside of teaching five days a week. NB: What do you enjoy most about teaching music? KB: I do love being a music teacher. I love the students’ enthusiasm and seeing them develop from Year 7 through to Year 12 and then into their adult life. I love preparing and performing in concerts with them and seeing the joy they get from these experiences such as the recent Cuban workshops and performance for the Castlemaine State Festival. We go on a four day Music Camp in June which culminates in a performance at the Town Hall. These concerts are consistently brilliant, which is down to the students and staff working so hard and having an amazing work ethic. I work with great music colleagues. We are all very happy at CSC and that congeniality is clear to the students who in turn love working with all of the instrumental teachers. I really love teaching music theory/aural and analysis too as it very satisfying for me to teach students how music is constructed and to give them the gift of another language that they’ll have for the rest of their lives. NB: Who are your musical influences? KB: So many! I love musicians who aren’t perfect and have a human frailty
Kirsten Boerema / Neil Boyack
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about them such as Nina Simone with her wild and ugly vocals. Operatically I love Maria Callas and Montserrat Caballe, both who sing with raw emotion rather than beauty of tone being the be all and end all. I love Mahler with his aching melodies that weave in and out and around each other. He reaches such despair in his music only to lift it up to the light again with a folk-like melody which leaves you full of optimism. I adore Yma Sumac and our recent Castlemaine State Festival show Queen Cannibali & the Skull Island Orchestra was an homage to that wonderful genre Exotica. I also love total kitsch like Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. It’s too hard a question! Depends on the time of day. NB: What is you instrument of choice? KB: At the moment my new theremin is my favourite instrument (Dr Who theme tune instrument). It sounds like a human voice and I’m trying to recreate my own operatic sound through it. It has a four octave range though, unlike me. I love watching people’s faces who have never seen or heard a theremin, because they don’t quite understand what’s happening and what they’re hearing, and it also has a comic quality to it. NB: What are listening to at the moment? KB: Not much. Sometimes I go through periods when I have to let my ears be silent. It’s very noisy running a music department and if I’m not rehearsing myself for gigs, I enjoy quiet. Having said that, I was singing along to Deep Purple’s Highway Star the other night. Classic bloke song. Is he singing about the car or a girl? Who knows. I love karaoke and can bust out a pretty good Shirley Bassey. I also like doing Open Mic at the Bridge if there’s nothing to do on a Wednesday night (after tap dancing that is). NB: How long have you been working at Castlemaine Secondary College? KB: I’ve been Music Coordinator at CSC for six years. I am terribly organised and love things to run smoothly. It’s a big job with 10 staff and about 250 kids learning music. The students need instruments hired, repaired, music bought, music arranged, camps and excursions organised, individualised learning programs, an assortment of ensembles, choirs, orchestras ... It’s never-ending but totally rewarding. We run from one fabulous event to the next. We start our school musical next and at the same time I’m trying my very hardest to organise a cultural exchange with the Cuban Cultural Alliance to get some of our students and staff to go to Cuba and live and breathe that amazing music. There’s music camp at the end of Term 2 and concerts galore scattered throughout the calendar. Never a moments rest but I love the challenge and I’m happy that I earn my living from what I love doing the most – music.
Bella Frisky are performing at the Newstead Short Story Tattoo as part of the Friday Night Jazz Club, Friday 1 May 2015, Newstead Community Centre, Newsrtead (VIC). Tix via Oztix or newsteadtattoo.org
DAKENO
MARK A Box Full of Coloured Kokis
Mel Russell
Born, on the slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town, Dakeno Mark lived in ‘Apartheid’ up to the age of fourteen, before emigrating to Australia. His earliest memories of being an artist in South Africa were drawing ‘religious scenes’ in Sunday School, where he was told he was ‘the best’ at drawing. Early pieces of artwork revolved around a keen fascination for Marvel Comics, drawing characters with his prize collection of ‘Kokis’ (coloured textas). As a seven-year-old he recalls collecting tear gas canisters that had been actually fired at students during the 1976 riots in Athlone, Cape Town. He made more creative ‘weapons’ out of them and they were his favorite toys for a while. Loving film from nine years of age and onwards, he managed to walk through dangerous street gang areas where crime was rampant to frequent local cinemas. He was underage, accompanied by his cousins and coloured friends who were all looking forward to this visual treat. Cinema gave him a snapshot of the world beyond Apartheid and allowed him to fantasize about these places where everyone was ‘equal’. After cinema screenings, a visit to the comic book store was essential. Dakeno also had family members who showed immense talent with artistic tendencies. An Uncle was a successful oil painter, his Grandfather was skilled in “wood marquetry”, and another Uncle was a skilled woodworker who built grandfather clocks and intricately carved furniture. He doesn’t remember being exposed to the great artists, not in primary or high school. “In our house we had just one Picasso print in the dining room,” he says. “I hated this thing, it was Child holding a Dove ... yet, symbolically, the dove, meaning ‘peace’, was a sign for a better life in Australia. It was only after immigrating to Australia with my family that I realized how much freedom and opportunity we had here compared to our home country.” Dakeno lived, as a child, in a protected “fantasy world”, as he puts it, safe within the compounds of his home, his school, his suburb and the places he was allowed to go to. That didn’t stop him experiencing being “mugged by blacks” for money, or learning to be ‘street-wise’ and to live within the boundaries of ‘Whites in Charge’. The caste system was ingrained in South Africa, and there was no mixing with any persons of different skin colour.
Dakeno Mark / Mel Russell
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To be born as a ‘Coloured’ (with both white and black ancestors) and therefore not accepted by white or black communities, was trying, confusing and unsettling for Mark. Ultimately he decided that the question of where his ‘roots’ lay did not belong in a country that did not accept him. Considered a second-class citizen, he could soon see that the progression to rebellion at some point – getting involved in street-gangs or some anti-government group – was inevitable were he to stay in South Africa. It is interesting that one can see in Dakeno’s Stencil Series, the focus on each individual portrait, with a link to their past, drawn as meaningful, individual stencils showing cultural links to their land of origin. It amounts to a beautiful example of Mark’s “quest for belonging”.
In Australia, Dakeno studied with Peter Foster for seven years of “intense classes learning the ‘Right-Brain-Method’ of studying the human form and portraiture”. He has mastered the fundamentals of drawing using graphite, charcoal and pastel. He also likes the fluidity of using ‘watercolour’, where he can be free and spontaneous. Influencial watercolour artists for him are William Blake and John Singer-Sargeant. Dakeno also looks to Klimt for inspiration when he focuses on his “visionary and etheral” pieces. At present, Dakeno has pieces in the Jackman Gallery in St.Kilda and is studying Art Therapy, exploring art as a ‘healing modality’ in conjunction with ongoing exploration and development as an artist. He is also in the process of developing a Graphic Novel, which is strongly influenced by his childhood obsession with comic books. Very few of Dakeno’s ‘Koki Sketches’ have survived in the transition from Cape Town to Australia. Artist site - dakenomark.com < Dakeno MARK, Urizen 2014, watercolour on paper, 25 x 33 cm. ABOVE (L to R): Flame 2014, watercolour on paper, 29 x 41 cm. Melek Taus 2013, watercolour on paper, 31 x 44 cm. DJ Ashba 2013, watercolour on paper, 23 x 33 cm.
Ben Laycock
GREETINGS FROM BEYOND THE PALE PART 6 – THE TANAMI TRACK
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In medieval Europe a white picket fence was all that separated the village from the heathen savages beyond ...
Time to bid a fond farewell to Nyiripi and continue my lonely quest. The Kimberley beckons with the allure of the exotic and the unknown. The bitumen road from Alice Springs to Kununarra is a giant dogleg via Katherine, but there is a short cut straight through the Tanami desert, for anyone willing to put up with a thousand kays of bone-jarring corrugations, the occasional flash-flood, the remote possibility of dying of thirst in the searing heat and the ever-present threat of attack from the last of the ‘wild blacks’ still roaming the hills. For domesticated blackfellas it is a vital artery, connecting the far-flung outposts of the Warlpiri Empire. Word has it that the Mayor of nearby Yuendumu is heading north to Balgo, on the other side of the uninhabited regions of the Tanami desert. Someone laconically points the way to his humble ‘abode’. I am deeply shocked to end up outside a humpy of corrugated iron. Loud snoring rattles the tin. I am forced to wake the titular head of local government from his mid-day nap. He is not amused and he is not planning on going anywhere near Balgo in the foreseeable future. He returns to his slumber. As luck would have it, a tribal elder has passed away in Balgo. A funeral entourage from Nyiripi is quickly assembled. As highlighted in my previous episode, funerals are taken very seriously around these parts. The genuinely remorseful are joined by all those eager to escape the ennui of small town life. Yoshi and his indispensable Ford station wagon are summoned to escort us to our destination. The stragglers are left behind as we can only cram 10 people into the vehicle. It is a 2-day trip, with a break at Rabbit Flat, the most remote roadhouse in the world. I receive a running cultural commentary as we pass through rarely visited ‘mother country’ and ‘father country’. Memories are rekindled, tears are shed. Bush honey is spied and devoured. A hapless goanna is added to the larder. The arrival at Rabbit Flat is anticipated with unconcealed glee. Behind reinforced steel grill stands a lone white man sporting a Ned Kelly beard and a double-barrelled shotgun that is leaning on the wall for all to see. Behind him is a fridge stocked with cold beer.
< BoreTrack by Kdliss - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons Greetings From / Ben Laycock
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I am soon to receive a thorough education in the effect of alcohol on naturally uninhibited people with nothing to lose and everything to gain from achieving a state of oblivion. Several members of the entourage set out to achieve liberation from the worries of this world, myself included. At this juncture it is germane to point out that indigenous Australians are, by and large, teetotaling Christians, mortified by the antics of a small coterie of their brethren who show no qualms about flouting the norms of ‘civilised’ behaviour when intoxicated. Upon our departure from Rabbit Flat, an atmosphere of gay abandon soon permeates the entire vehicle. There are four of us squeezed into the front seat. Yoshi keeps a cool head as he negotiates the bulldust holes. My neighbour opens a beer in my ear, warm froth runs down my cheek and drips into my mouth. My other neighbour soon loses his scant grasp of the English language and reverts to loud and rapid Warlpiri while he takes potshots at the odd bush turkey. The gun is old, the man is drunk, the road is bumpy, but the turkey is a slow and stupid bird. Miraculously, our dinner is secured. In a jiffy a fire is lit, the foul is roasted, and the bounty is shared out according to time-honoured protocol. Stray whitefellas with tenuous kinship links must make-do with the chewy extremities: turkey head, goanna feet, skin and bones. Alas, the moment approaches when our amicable little road trip begins to go awry. The few members of the entourage, who have guzzled all the grog, soon move beyond the jocular hilarity phase and into unbridled aggression. A young couple that seemed to be getting along famously are now shouting at each other. He picks up his gun and waves it in her direction whilst claiming proudly that he has a gun license. She assumes the form of Jesus on the cross and cries plaintively, “shoot me, shoot me”. l overcome my reluctance to get involved in what is obviously a personal matter and suggest we intervene to avoid imminent bloodshed. My companions, who seem to have been enjoying the entertainment, simply say, “ah, dey in love”. At this point the young lady takes up a burning log and hurls it at her lover. He hurls it straight back at her head. Red hot coals fall down her dress so she rips it off and goes wailing off into the night stark naked. IN THE NEXT EPISODE: Balgo: the second most dangerous remote community in Australia. Ben Laycock grew up in the country on the outskirts of Melbourne, surrounded by bush. He began drawing the natural world around him from a very early age. He has travelled extensively throughout Australia, seeking to capture the essence of this vast empty land. In between journeys he lives in a hand-made house in the bush at Barkers Creek in central Victoria - benlaycock.com.au BACKGROUND: Wake in Fright 1971, (a.k.a. Outback) dir. Ted Kotcheff, still.