Wednesday
Barbara Probst
Barbara Probst makes series of photos of the same scene, taken simultaneously from different angles. This one above is my favourite of the series presented in this article with interview on The Morning News.
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Monday
Fanboy's Night Out
Nerd's Mecca came to Sydney recently, and it was good. The Apple Stores are renowned for being as well-designed as their products, and even with their reputation, I was still pleasantly shocked by how amazing the store is. It's big, but it doesn't sprawl; everything is immaculately detailed and it hits the perfect sweet spot between refined and industrial.
There were thousands of people lined up shortly before it opened. I decided to skip it and come back later. I missed out on a t-shirt but at least I didn't have to queue in the rain. Apple were thoughtful enough to distribute umbrellas to the crowd, which I thought was an inspired little touch on the affair.
I took a few photos (as did everyone else that night) and even made a little video on one of the MacBooks they had on display. Sorry about the nostril-shot.
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Saturday
Flashback
Two hot hot hot videos have caught my eye recently. The first was brought to my attention by that font of electro-knowledge, His Whoreness. It's Ladyhawke's Back of the Van, and I've been listening to it at least a half-dozen times a day. The video is pure 80s retrolicious gold.
The second is from the actual 80s, not the 20080s. It's the 25th anniversary of Flashdance. Celebrate.
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I Hate Golf
I was thinking yesterday, there's really nothing I like about golf. First, the courses chew through tonnes and tonnes of water, plus electricity when they're floodlit at night. It's an elitist sport - the equipment, I'm told, makes a big impact on a player's performance. It's not like soccer, say, where you can have a good game with a $5 ball and two pairs of things at either end of a bit of grass or dirt. It's not inspirational, it's silly. It's not even good exercise.
It was with a chuckle, then, that I read this article - Man Who Used Stick To Roll Ball Into Hole In Ground Praised For His Courage.
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Thursday
If You Needed Any Further Proof
... that design is the hot new profession, then you have it in Philippe Starck's School of Design, soon to air on the BBC. It's like Project Runway for industrial design. Sounds bloody awful. Design, as a profession, is often accused of being elitist, which it is. While that's not a good thing, it would be even worse if it were popular. There's already enough same-sameness in ID, the last thing the profession needs is a generation of wannabes crowding the market because it's cool.
I guess it's only natural that ID's superstar, one of a handful of designers whose name is known to people outside the profession, would be the one who gave rise to the next designer who will be more well-known than their work.
Regardless, I'll watch it. Maybe it will provide some insights into the profession, but I don't see how what is usually a months-long process of designing anything could be boiled down into a TV slot.
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Monday
Third and Final Round
We Love Sounds was probably the most un-disappointing festival I've ever been to. Every act I saw either lived up to or surpassed my expectation. That's rare.
Lindstrom had some sound gremlins at first but they were sorted out by about halfway through his set, and once they were, he was amazing. Gaiser, of whom I hadn't heard before, was really good too. The Whip ended with "Trash" and I damn near lost my mind. Bonde do Role put on a hell of a set, those sexy Brazilians really know how to bust a move. Mr Oizo was probably my favourite performance of the day, I left a bit early to catch Cassius, which was a mistake. They were good but no-where near as good as Oizo. By the time !!! came on, I was running out of energy but they were still good fun. They were more band-y and less electronic on stage than on their album.
Everything was playing in one big warehouse - three stages, separated by heavy curtains. The curtains didn't go all the way to the top of the roof, which would have contributed to the sound bleeding between the stages. It was more noticeable at the start of the day so maybe something was done with the sound mixing to lessen the effect.
The crowd was really good, mostly cool people and I didn't see any dickheads - we managed to get close to the stage for every act we saw without having to push, and we moved around between the stages quite a bit. Everyone seemed to respect everyone else's personal space, which was very pleasantly surprising.
As always, photos are online.
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Saturday
Round Two
The Forum is such an amazing venue, and well suited to Cut Copy, who we saw last night. The sound there is really thunderous and dramatic - perhaps a bit too much, but standing front and centre watching your favourite band kick out this really epic sound in a massive faux-Grecian hall backed by a simple but beautiful light show is truly an experience.
We didn't see much of The Shocking Pinks but The Juan Maclean were very good indeed. The crowd were quite polite, too. I only got pushed once by some jerk in a wifebeater who decided him and his girlfriend needed to be at the front NOW, and then she held him back and wasn't impressed with how rude he was being. Ha. Another guy told me I quite looked like Dan.
Today is We Love Sounds! First up, Lindstrom!
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Friday
Bill Henson and the Classifications Board
This Bill Henson saga has tired me and I can't really be bothered discussing it any further, but it's interesting to see that the Classifications Board has given one of the most confronting images in the exhibition, the one on the invitation, a PG rating. A minority of the board considered it "moderate" rather than "mild", but none recommended banning the image or restricting it in any way.
... the classifiers found the "image of breast nudity … creates a viewing impact that is mild and justified by context … and is not sexualised to any degree".
This pretty much means the case against Henson has evaporated, as in order for prosecution to go ahead, the DPP would need to be convinced that the images provoked an "offence to reasonable persons".
Also interesting to note is that the NGV has on Tuesday hung four more Hensons of its collection of 94, due to a strong public response to the Henson they already had on show.
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Round One
Jake and I went to the first of our current run of gigs last night, where we saw Van She and The Bravery at The Corner. It was... quite good, and nothing more. Van She put on a good set but the sound wasn't set up for them and you could tell. They just sounded a bit dull. Nevertheless, enjoyable, and I've never seen them before so I'm glad I did.
The Bravery, who headlined, failed to really move the crowd except during An Honest Mistake. This was perhaps because every other song of theirs is pretty much the same. They even joked about this - someone from the crowd shouted a request, the lead singer said he couldn't remember how it went, "but [our songs] are all the same chords anyway". I couldn't tell you whether they played it or not.
But despite playing essentially the same song over and over, they played it pretty damn well, and it was fairly fun.
Next on the list are Cut Copy playing at the Forum tonight. There's not a doubt in my mind it's going to be rock solid. Then, on Saturday...
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Friday
Ride Or Die
I love this photo set by Bastien Lattanzio.
Back in M-town tomorrow! Huzzah! Lots of film to scan!
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Tuesday
Even Off-er the Grid
Not only am I out of mobile reception most of the time, my phone is now broken so even when I'm in reception, I'm not available. I'm also now likely to only get emails every few days. I think I might be enjoying this gross excommunication, but I am also very, very scared.
On the other end of the scale, Rod's got a NextG USB dongle for his laptop so he can get fast internet up at the Hawkesbury, where there is no regular mobile reception, no landline, not even drinkable running water. There isn't even a bridge over the river to get to the road to the property, it's a goddamn car ferry.
Deliverance country, as he calls it.
Unfortunately this dongle is not playing with my PowerBook, but I may yet get that sorted out.
In other news, we violated at least a dozen OH&S rules today by demolishing part of a shed by knocking three of the white ant-infested walls out with crowbars and ripping the section of roof above them off by tying it to the ute and yanking it off. Unorthodox but effective.
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Saturday
Off The Grid
I'm off to Sydney today, then going up to the Hawkesbury. I'll be out of mobile reception range, there will be no internet and I'm not sure when I'll be contactable again, or when I'll be back in Melbourne. Analog holiday!
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Tuesday
Back and Forth
I've recently returned from Sydney where I had ostensibly been visiting my family, but I was most interested by the art I saw. First was the Archibald prize, which if one approaches it as a populist exhibition and not "high art", is very enjoyable. The winner (You are what is most beautiful about me, a self portrait with Kell and Arella by Del Kathryn Barton)was far, far more impressive in real life than the tiny low-resolution image in the newspapers, which is to be expected with any art, but the difference between the reproduction and original of these two in particular was even more marked. I really think it deserved the prize, though my personal favourite (Self portrait after Madrid by Ben Quilty) hung next to it - perhaps a less complex piece, but for me, more communicative and striking. The restaurant (upstairs, not the cafeteria) was equally satisfying.
I visited the Salon de Refusés and all I have to say is despite a couple of interesting pieces, overall it was not worth the $4 entry fee.
The Australian Centre of Photography in Paddington was showing an exhibition of Robert Knoth's work in Russia and the former Soviet Union documenting people and places affected by nuclear testing and accidents. All black and white, the work was absolutely phenomenal, and I thoroughly encourage anyone who has the chance to see it to do so. The portraits were very sensitive, not sensationalist at all. It would have been very easy to portray a freakshow or to have been overly dramatic, but the tone was incredibly reserved.
The two shows I saw at the MCA, however, were the pick of the bunch. The first exhibition was recent works by Fiona Hall, and the second, pieces on loan from the permanent collection of the MCA San Diego. Both were really, really enjoyable.
Back in Melbourne, the International Skull Drawing Competition awards were presented at Rooftop on Curtin House last week, Ben Ross (deservedly) took out the prize. The entries are on display in the stairwell but as they were only bits of paper stuck to the wall, I expect they will disappear soon.
I'm headed back up there on Saturday to do some work on my rellies' property on the Hawkesbury for a couple of weeks, and I will be away from the internet and only sporadically in range of mobile reception. Living in the wilderness, working with my hands, it'll be a far cry from my last trip but I'm really looking forward to it.
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Saturday
Polaroid (May Be) Saved!
Amateur Photographer reports that Harman Technology, which produces Ilford films, is in talks with Polaroid to rescue the instant film line take over production of monochrome instant film. It's early days, but I had no doubt that this would happen - initially I considered the possibility of Fuji taking the helm, as they already produce instant film compatible with the professional Polaroid backs.
Many people saw Agfa's demise, then that of Ilford (part of which was subsequently purchased by Harman Technology and rescued) and then Polaroid's announcement of the discontinuation of their instant film lines as irrefutable evidence that film was, in fact, dead. While that may be true of commercial photography, as an art medium film is in fact alive and well, and not just amongst nostalgic old fuddy-duddies.
(Polaroid above: me and some dude named Dan from some band at the Glass Candy gig at the Toff the other night)
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I Promise To Do Another Blog Post Soon So This Won't Be At The Top
I have recently developed a condition called Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (warning: there is no better portal to a wiki-hole than a medical condition. Don't click on that link if you have anything else to do today), which takes the form of these blotchy port-wine coloured stains on my legs. This photo doesn't really communicate just how obscenely disgusting it looks. Close-up, you can see that the blotches are actually swollen and scaly.
Fortunately, it is only temporary and not serious. It's an auto-immune reaction to a virus, most probably a cold I had last week. The blotches are due to vascilitis, inflammation of the blood vessels, which has occurred because abnormal antibodies are being deposited in the vessels' walls.
One of the symptoms of the condition is arthritis and last night my ankles were so sore, I decided to go to the ER. Just after I made this decision in my head, my cousin called, who is a nurse and had seen photos I had emailed to mum. She also once had this condition (hers deteriorated to septicemia, which is far more serious) and my family has a strong history of auto-immune diseases, so she knew exactly what it was and while it's not life-threatening, I did need to go to hospital.
It is common for adults who have H-SP to suffer kidney damage, occasionally irreversibly. Fortunately the tests they did at the hospital show that my kidneys have not been affected.
I'm taking the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen (the active ingredient in Nurofen) and expect to make a full recovery. The rash developed overnight and I'll be honest, before I saw a doctor it was downright scary. Right now I look like some kind of contagious freak but at least it's confined to my legs and the arthritis has mostly subsided. I'm not going to work for a week because I have great difficulty bending down, and when I called my boss he was entirely unsympathetic, and dare I say a bit skeptical, despite my assertion that I had not one but *two* doctor's certificates. I'm quite looking forward to going back to work once I'm better, because hopefully the purpura will be there after the arthritis has completely gone, and I can freak him the fuck out. I don't care how cold it is, I'll be wearing shorts and ankle-socks.
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Thursday
The ISDC Wants YOU!
Here it comes... the inaugural International Skull Drawing Competition. If you can make black marks on white paper, you are eligible to enter. The prize is US$1000, which with the way things are going, should at least buy you a slab of beer by the time the contest is over.
Entries are open now, closing on the 18th of April, exhibition on the 30th.
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Internet? I'd Say Internet.
This has got to be one of the funniest videos on YouTube. Jeff Goldblum, a little slower.
Seen on Kottke.
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Sunday
So Long, And Thanks For All The Comments
Goodbye ... get lost ... get out!"
Folks, my work here is done. No real reason, other than my general aversion to stasis (my own in this case, not the blog in general). Enjoy Lists & Diagrams without me (as it almost has been for ages), and drop by 1 200 Babies On Ice for a chat any time.
Cheers, Piers, and Devoted Readers(tm). It's been very.
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Wednesday
Bargain of the Century, or Everything Always Evens Out
This morning, after finishing work about 6.30am, riding half an hour to get home and then waiting for an hour, I headed back over the other side of the city to the Savers on Sydney Road to get there at opening time so I could pick up a beautiful folding medium-format camera I had seen there a few days earlier. It wasn't expensive but I still had to wait until pay-day today before I could buy it. I had very much been looking forward to holding and owning and using it, my anticipation building to a crescendo as the doors finally opened. Unfortunately, some other lucky bastard had bought it. Dejected, I had a brief browse of the bric-a-brac section of the store whereupon I spied this gem:
It's a Ricoh 500 G. Beneath its unassuming facade lies one hell of a camera. It's pretty much the camera I've always been looking for, it's nigh-on perfect. All for the princely sum of $5.99. I did a brief inspection - the light seals had gone to shit but everything else seemed to function perfectly. Cosmetically it's in mint condition - the only wear is on the quality testing sticker, still attached. It even had a filter protecting the lens.
For anyone who cares, it's a manual-focus 35mm rangefinder, with metered manual exposure or shutter-priority autoexposure. The lens is a 40mm f/2.8 Rikenon, minimum focus 0.9m, minimum aperture f/16. It has shutter speeds from 1/500 - 1/8th second, plus Bulb. The shutter button is threaded for a cable release. It has a tripod thread, hotshoe, PC sync connection and self-timer. The meter has settings for 25-800 ASA, and the metering cell sits behind any filters that attach on the 46mm thread, so there's no need for exposure compensation. The viewfinder has a match-needle showing recommended aperture for the selected shutter speed, or the selected aperture when in Auto mode. Depressing the shutter release half-way activates the AE lock. The viewfinder and framelines are bright, and it's a leaf shutter so you get flash sync at all speeds.
All that and it fits in the palm of your hand. This is surely my dream camera. Unfortunately it's designed to take the old 1.35V mercury batteries, I've got a 1.5V alkaline in there at the moment but I'll pick up a 1.4V hearing-aid battery soon.
I can tell that we're going to be friends.
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Friday
Andy in Brizzy
Last night I got back from a brief visit to Brisbane where I saw the incredible Andy Warhol exhibition that is on at the Gallery of Modern Art at the moment. It's not touring anywhere else so it was essential that I made the pilgrimage, Warhol being my favourite artist of all time. It certainly didn't disappoint.
I spent over five hours with the 300 works on display and was totally and utterly enthralled. Warhol's work really deserves to be seen in person rather than in a book, the scale adds another dimension to the pieces that is simply impossible to experience through reproductions.
There was only one of the Coca-Cola paintings, which are probably my favourite of his works. Andy said that he loved Coca-Cola because it didn't matter whether you were the Queen of England or a bum on the street - you couldn't get a better Coke.
It was also full of school groups, I saw at least eight, I think the day I was there must have been school day or something. It was pretty amusing watching the kids watching Blowjob, completely oblivious to what was going on.
Speaking of films, as well as Blowjob, there were six screens showing about five screen tests each, also The Kiss, Chelsea Girls, Sleep and Empire, and some Velvet Underground footage.
I don't think there was really enough of his early fine art work - the period when he started branching out from commercial illustration but before the soup cans and money paintings. There was a bit, but that stuff isn't as popular I guess so it gets passed up. There were some pencil drawings of newspapers that I hadn't seen before so that was exciting.
I watched about half of a movie about Valerie Solanis, the woman who shot Andy, but walked out because the acting was so bad.
Photography wasn't allowed, so I had to surreptitiously snap, pretending I was just resting my hand on my camera dangling from the strap over my shoulder. There was no way I was flying a thousand kilometers to see an exhibition and not taking any photos. The photos look awful, I know, but I don't mind.
Other than the exhibition, Brisbane was pretty boring. I didn't find the people very friendly, it was really really muggy and the men seemed incredibly poorly dressed. I did meet an interesting character named Bob who's on holiday in Australia, all the way from Syracuse, New York. He's going to give me a call when his cruise ship gets down to Melbourne.
Aside from the exhibition, the best thing about Brisbane was probably a photographic store I found on my quest for Polaroid film - Photo Continental out in Mt Gravatt. This place had everything, was big, plenty of staff and I recommend it very highly. That, and the architecture of the entire cultural complex that the GoMA forms part of is all stunning.
If you're in Brisbane (or even if you're not), I can't urge you enough to go.
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Tuesday
Hold Me
Taken at a party in Brunswick on the weekend.
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Monday
Potatoeight
Lauren and I have started a new blog, about potatoes! 2008 is the International Year of the Potato. The United Nations declared it so to highlight the humble potato's role providing nutrition to billions of people all over the world, particularly in developing countries.
The potato should be a major component in strategies aimed at providing nutritious food for the poor and hungry. It is ideally suited to places where land is limited and labour is abundant, conditions that characterize much of the developing world. The potato produces more nutritious food more quickly, on less land, and in harsher climates than any other major crop - up to 85 percent of the plant is edible human food, compared to around 50% in cereals.
"Poor and hungry" - applicable to people in developing countries, and many uni students in developed countries.
Our initial idea was to put up a potato recipe every week, but it's taken about a month and a half to put the first one up... so we'll see how we go.
Presenting - Potatoeight, a blog about potatoes.
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Tuesday
Boogie
I first read about Boogie, the amazing street/documentary photographer on PingMag in an article about photos he took of gangs and addicts in project housing in Brooklyn. He grew up in the former Yugoslavia and moved to New York in 1998. He's also done a lot of work in the favelas of Brazil, and all over the world.
Black Voices has a slideshow with him talking about the photos he took, what they mean and how he came to be able to take them. It's worth it for his accent alone but listening to him, he sound like a really nice, easy-going person so it's no wonder people let him capture them on film.
He also has a photoblog he updates almost every day, and two books - It's All Good, which is affordable, and Boogie, which is not.
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Tuesday
The Gree-ee-eens of Summer
I have found Shorpy, the 100-Year-Old Photo Blog. It's a wealth of vintage images going back over the past century and further, offering an amazing insight into what life, and photography, was like in the past.
This image was taken in Montana, 1964. This was for an article in Harper's Bazaar, 1947.
Many of the photos look amazing because they are so dated, many others are amazing because they look so modern.
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Friday
Rumours
Yesterday I got a bit freaked out because I heard from two separate sources that "something bad had happened to my family". As far as I knew, nothing had. I did get more worried than I normally would, because my sister is overseas and my grandmother is in general poor health.
After speaking to my mum, I'm now sure that nothing has happened, so either someone has got their wires crossed and news has spread quickly, or perhaps this is some kind of prank.
I'm curious to know how this got started so if anyone has heard anything, please let me know.
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