..to B.I.F.B '13: Fringe

 

to see the Ballarat International Foto Biennale: Fringe

G’day Possums,

Shane Wombat reporting...

I and later, we ( Mrs Wombat), had a 5 hour amble though some of the “Fringe” exhibitions t’other day.

Works, mostly of good quality and fair ‘eye’ though I’ll only give some general comments at the end of this list. I hope that readers find this informative re: the works and venues and that it stimulates you to visit  Ballarat for this big show.

Starting at the Bridge Mall, (East end): venue 48, Boah Organic and Shae Rooke’s Double Landscapes

Shae Rooke

To venue 49, Open Pantry and Heather Griffiths “Through my Lens -Then and Now”

Heather Griffiths

Venue 50,  Wilson Yeung “Flower Piece” at Cake Bakeshop

Wilson Yeung

2 poppets

Susan Nicol "Brolga" at Wen and Ware Living Venue 45

Susan Nicol

Then back to

Venue 47,  “Milkshakes and Mixed Lollies” by Alison Spence at  Savoy Coffee.

Alison Spence

Venue 44, Hudsons Coffee Shop, Fiona Brookes, Syria

Fiona Brookes

Don’t ignore the shipping containers in the Mall itself ….

Bridge Mall

bastards abound

Heading further West to the Mechanics Institute (South side of Sturt St) and Venue “E” to see

John Tozer, “Favourite Places”

John Tozer

Don’t miss JT’s stuff in the wall niches in the entrance vestibule.

And ..Adelaide Photographic Artists, “Dark”… through the glass doors and to your right

Adelaide Photo Arts...

 

Also

Jeff Moorfoot, “Elephant Stamp”, up the stairs toward the Minerva Hall

Jeff Moorfoot

Venue 19, Café Bibo and Damon Hunter’s “A Wall of Colour”

Damon Hunter, Bibo

And a step or two to

Venue 20, Nibble and Natter for the Ballarat Secondary College East Campus’s “Captured”

(No Pic, they’re on the window …. and …great, old fashioned, genuine, ridgy-dij sandwiches)

Another two steps to the Bean Barn, Venue 21 for my stuff, “Meditations on RD” (Best coffee in B’rat IMHO)

Lawrence Winder, Bean Barn

Still travelling West on the South side of Sturt St we continued on to L’ Espresso, Venue 24 and

Darren James, “Soliloquies”

Add caption

L'Espresso

Eric Algra ( Richmond by Night), Gillian Turner ( Transfigured Places) and Patricia Gabb (Reflections) and Simon Peterswald (Lindifarne) are at Venue 25, Gallery on Sturt.

Eric Algra

Patricia Gabb

Simon Peterswald

Crossing Sturt St to its North side you can find Emma Stoneman’s  “Architectonic” at Morton Dunn Architects

Emma Stoneman

And not far away to the East is Clare Lapworth at Azeno with her “Vintage Expressions”. Venue32

Clare Lapworth

At Sweet Decadence @ Locantro is Venue 37 and Lucia Andrusova’s “Ego and I”

Lucia Ondrusova, Sweet Decadence@ locantro

And finishing off the perambulations for the day we arrived at Venue 43 The George Hotel.

Upstairs are Paul Stoney and Trudy Shuringa: “Stark Contrasts”, whilst down in the Laneway of the hotel (just off the lydiard St or through the gaming area is Kristin Diemer’s “Views from Paradise” (which is not as noted in the program an adult concept show) 

Paul Stoney

Trudy Shuringa

Kristen Diemer

What to say about all this? Generally all were worth viewing but I suppose my main loss of words is with some of the language used as description that does not seem to dovetail with the works: What the owner of MONA delightfully calls  “Artwank”.

For example “…. the process of capturing that image was almost meditative.”  Which looks very odd with extremely strident, viciously over-processed imagery that was presented. What is said is not what the viewer sees.

And what is “… the tension between will and representation.” (?)…. and what is the value of an artwork pinned together when it is not an amalgam but just the one work chopped into bits and re-assembled the same way? I kept thinking, Butterflies are pinned as specimens…and why was the program illo different from the works presented?

There were some nice “takes” in the images on the environment exhibited in which could well become a future theme in itself.

Most print quality was OK, though I’m not a fan of the over-processed HDR-lets-scream-at-you-image, but that’s a personal bias and it is again, the venues that can really clutter the viewing experience by background, visual busy-ness or difficulty in just moving around that you really miss seeing  the work and in one case, I missed it altogether.

Most presentations were good although the “Flying Duck” arrangement seems to be making a comeback and one show was so spaced out as to be a not very readable narrative.
There were some good ideas not fully explored or exploited (including my own stuff) as well.

At the Town Hall  (next to my show plug, plug, shameless self promotion) was the “Head-Up” portrait show from Sydney; it’s really worth a look but at one stage when visiting I had this overwhelming feeling of viewing a plethora of clichés. Good, solid, professional clichés and I’m including all that I had seen prior to the “Head-Up”, clichés ...and very little in genuine “ridgy-dij”, enquiring imagination.

Best in show at this early stage….

Eric Algra’s “Richmond by Night”, beautiful, solid evocations of nocturnal, people-less places.

Jeff Moorfoot’s “Elephant Stamp”, seriously elegant and innovative.

And “Dark” The Adelaide Photographers, particularly Danica McLean’s Rothko-esque, “Flood-Light.

More soon…..  but I'll finish with some pics from the opening night..

Winsome the Dog from Gallery on Sturt

partisan comment

Darren and Kristen

recording the event.

Opening Night, Mining Exchange BIFB '13

Wombat Droppings or politics in Oz

Chagrined at being gazumped in the cruelty-to-refugees competition by Kev 07 +6, “The Mad Monk”, Tony “Rabbott” and his loyal lieutenant Scott “Drone” Morrison have decided to make retrospective laws that will force refugees to re-apply for a temporary residents visa every three years. They have also accepted Eric “I’m-not-really-a-Fascist” Abetz’s idea of refugees living in the community having their addresses given to the police so they can “check up on them” when required. Furthering theirsurreal notions of nationalism the "Mad Monk" has just announced a You-Beaut-Boat-Buy-Back Scheme. I can see the Indonesian fishermen lining up now with inflated prices..they also intend to help the Indonesians get more patrol boats ....I would have thought that as they have 3 times as many as we do that they don't really need more 

Is this rabble who want to lead us Sane?

John Birmingham has reported that 400 students at “Rabbott’s old Alma Mater, St Ignatius College have sent him a missive querying his mis-application of Catholic ethics over this matter.

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/blogs/blunt-instrument/what-would-a-jesuit-do-about-refugees-20130821-2sbul.html

They can’t send one to Kev 07 +6: he’s a Protestant.

“Rabbott’s” reliance on quoting “Little Johnny” Howard is disturbing as it would seem to indicate that “The Mad Monk” not only lives in a fantasy past but also has no concrete idea about a future that he cares to extrapolate on….. somewhat similar to his reticence to discuss overall policy and costings and a National direction, apart from it having 5 legs that are better turned than theirs.

His “Me-too-ism” got another outing a few days ago when he announced in a café in upper-middle-class Malvern (where large fruit cakes only cost $70.00 each) that his Paid Parental Maternity Leave scheme will be bigger, better, more munificent and glorious than Kev 07 +6’s offering of a basic wage.

TAAAA…DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA….. and without letting a “suppository” slip…he exuberantly announces.. Full salary, including superannuation, for six months, capped at $150,000.00…price-tag: $5.5 Billions per annum…. although according to “The Mad Monk”, as the economy is in crisis as he couldn’t give them more.

One young mum opined that it would “let her continue her lifestyle”. Just like the one who claims the Child Care Allowance whilst her kid is in Ski-School!

Welfare for lifestyle … now there’s a new concept.

Sorry Petals, that’s the politics of class and envy sneaking in!

At least the insanity of this “policy” clouded the announcement of yet another conservative candidate biting the dust by yet another self-inflicted wound.

Liarbril, Kevin Baker’s website used to espouse; “Talk about anything you want - no censorship, no stress!" It contained sexist titty-humour and racist boyo rubbish. Just the sort of thing you need in a candidate for public office. That no-one in the Liarbril party seemed to notice during pre-selection might indicate: they didn’t know, didn’t care, were OK with it or thought he wouldn’t win anyway.

“The Mad Monk” in ruling out taking money-puffs from the tobacco industry (Kev07 +6’s mob did that 10 years ago), has not said if his thought-bubble team, “the Coots with Queer Ideas from a Parallel Universe”, The Institute of Public Affairs, would do the same. IPA Spokes-person Tim “How dare-you-criticize-me-you-bitch” Wilson said they will take donations from any legal entity…. Polish Land-mine manufacturers, Diabetes inducing fast food purveyors and genetically modified seed salesmen would all be welcome to their version of a Limited News democracy.

Here in the State of Tardis “Where-all-goes-Backward” mis-planning Minister Matty “What’s-a-Green-Wedge” Guy has driven another nail into the “We-are-the-most responsible-economic-managers” coffin by costing the taxpayer, what has been estimated by some to be $3,000,000.00, for his re-zoning frolic two years ago on Phillip Island. The day before proceedings hit the court, settlement was reached so that all could be kept secret from the people footing the bill.

Another own-goal by an acolyte of Jeff ”Bully-Boy” Kennett, The “Dorian Gray” of Tardis State politics.

Still no news on the police investigation into Geoff  “What’s–a-Car-Allowance” Shaw…ZZZ…ZZZZZZ.

Pretend Premier, Dennis “Inutilus Rusticus” Napthine has ruled out lack of funding and staff in the corrections and parole services as being the likely cause of the murders of six women by under-supervised early release parolees in recent years. He says he will speak very firmly to them and that we must all be good, tighten our belts and save hard to be able to pay for the $8 Billion concrete renovation of Royal Park so that he can have a vote winner in the Eastern suburbs… paraphrasing  “The Mad Monk”…. You Ambo’s, Nurses, Firies, Teachers, Legal Aid workers, Conservation Officers and Emergency Dept Doctors can all shut-up, too.

Cheers Possums,

Shane
 

The Australian Index

Ballarat International Foto Biennale.

Ballarat International Foto Biennale  and other nonsense.

Shane with prints

The Ballarat International Foto Biennale 2013 starts tonight. There are 21 Australian and international exhibitors in the "core" program and 97 others like me, in the "fringe".

All my stuff is up at "The Bean Barn", 217 Sturt St  Ballarat … well six pieces but they’re 20x30’s and I think look OK.

The Bean Barn, Ballarat.

My show is called “Meditations on RD”: the works being a  homage to the paintings of the American, Richard Diebenkorn.
Elements in his paintings like the planar and structural approach I have found very appealing and although not strictly veristic in their evocations of the California coastline they cannot be considered fully abstract either. Robert Hughes’ comment that they were in “…in a tradition of Equivalents..” (which I take to mean being an allusion to the photographs of Alfred Stieglitz) seemed to encapsulate RD's conceptual base. 

3039 BIFB '13

In a similar fashion, I didn’t want to present these as “straight” representations of the subject and the two in the show that are more sculptural are attempts to the extend the metaphor of movement in a more subtle fashion than by making flags.

BIFB,2013 Lawrence Winder

Another element that I had to consider was that on viewing the original files it became apparent that even though the shutter speed was low, ¼ - ½ sec, there was sufficient detail in the pieces as to warrant the larger scale so that there was a more direct “painterly” reference to near and far, movement and stillness and also a quality of increased depth. 

Movement

Originally I had wanted to print the multiples in reasonably large, A3, sections but the paper I thought suitable, wasn’t: too flat and dull in its finish so serendipitously I decided on 8x6’s that have worked well.

You see, there’s quite a strong air movement when people enter and leave The Bean Barn and the smaller prints waft a little in the breeze replicating the cloth’s movement.

I have left a small book at the venue for the comments for any interested “togs” who may come up to Ballarat to visit for the month of the biennale.

As with my  blog on the BIFB of 2011, I will concentrate on reviwing as many of the "Fringe" exhibitions as I can, and from a cursory dash about yesterday there is a lot of interesting stuff to be seen. 

Wombat Droppings or Oz politics

It now seems that “having sex appeal’ is a criteria to be a Liarbril candidate in this election. Which is something at least ‘cause they don’t seem to have much else.

“Rabbott’s” tasteless remarks really indidicate the low level of this would-be PM’s standards.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-14/crabb-a-daggy-dad-off-with-less-amusing-undercurrents/4886676

His confidant demeanour has become a single-finger salute at the whole country; and the aspirational bogans who are informed by the press of the “Ugly American”, Murdoch, are loving it.

The disjunction between language and reality was perhaps best illustrated by “Rabbott” leaning against a semi-trailer and again intoning, “We…..um…..are…..going to …..get …rid….of the um ….carbon tax, get rid….of the carbon….tax”. 
In other words read the signals: diesel fumes are good for you.

Or wanting a “Green Corps” whilst taking wilderness areas off the World Heritage list so they can be logged and saying he’ll agree with Gonski funding whilst indicating that it’s alright to sell public schools to the private sector.

No wonder he’s called “The Mad Monk!”

And let’s not talk about his Christian attitude to asylum seekers or his deviousness in obfuscating about releasing his policy costing. One does get the feeling that they can’t cost them ‘cause they don’t exist.

Abbott's Policy Costings

I think Petals, we are looking into the abyss of a new dark age.

Shane

...with publications and publicity

Geez Petals,

it's been a long time between drinks so just to keep the ball rolling, so to speak, I'll take some advice from "Blurb" and advertise a few of my books ...including the newest, which arrived today.

Blurb was suggesting a link to their site and had provided the html; but being a Wombat of limited technological capability I couldn't get the thing to work so  a "Cut & Paste" approach will have to suffice.

First, I might clarify why two books on different subjects have the same name: 
I knew during the research for the French sojourn that I would be exhibiting the images and making a book on return to Aus for the Ballarat International Foto Biennale. It was during the research that the name "Continuum"  seemed a most appropriate to title the show considering how the plannig for the trip was developing. 
Then, before leaving for France, Leeanne Rutherford and I were in conversation about a possible title for her Ballet Theatre Australia's next performance title and "Continuum" seemed again, to be the most appropriate for the time and dance concepts being performed. 
So my book has appended to the Continuum title ...a French experience. 

If you take the opportunity to review these books please remember when looking at "Continuum", "Counterpointe', and "Counterpointe 2" that these were all shot in a single session: dress rehearsal and then a single performance.
To Blurb... thanks for the production quality and the quick turn around from publishing to pick-up... the best was "Continuum...a French experience": eight days turn-around and as the helpful Blurb reps indicated at the Biennale, if you get the timing right in the production cycle  things happen quickly. 
Also, Fed-Ex's parcel tracking has been excellent ...I've now picked up books from the Post Office (no parcel delivery to troglodyte burrows this far out) on three occasions before the Post Office has noted me as to their arrival. 
Now, to the books:....................................

 


"Class".. shots taken from various dance classes over a number of years.  I think this book contains the essence of Ballet
A  collection of  candid images from various ballet classes which embody the reality, nuances and dynamic inherent in people whose intense commitment is rare in today's world.
Not a book about ballet per se , a book more to do with people of grace.


http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/678721

"C.V.'s etc." studio shots for dancers promotion, dancewear and performance advertising and audition material.  

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/562805

"Continuum"  a record of a single performance.

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1845287

"Conterpointe"

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2487381

"Counterpointe 2"

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2885822

"Continuum ...a French experience"

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2369030

and last but not least a lovely little sketch/note book

still available from the Wombat himself and perhaps to be republished by Blurb in hardcover format if there is sufficient interest....

...see my website

http://www.sitedfigures.com.au/publications

I have also been considering a book of Nudes covering some ten years of personal work which I think has produced many memorable images..... with tech details / lighting plans / raison detre etc... I'd really like some feedback on this one, Petals as it's a big one.

Cheers and ta for reading,

Shane.

....to some of the Fringe venues

"Pont a Mousson"

 G'day Possums....
there are venues and then there are venues. Some work for the photographer a lot don't. 
Some photographers hang their work well and some seem clueless as to the point of the exercise.



Probably the best venue in this Fringe that I've seen so far has been Backspace Gallery behind the Art Gallery on Camp St. It's inclusion as a "Fringe" venue is accidental as there was supposed to be a master printers show there as part of the events program. This "event" was a non-event and the three people exhibiting there  ( Kathleen Winder's "Columba Livia, Rosalind Lawson's and Lynden Nicholls' "Meniscus")  were fortunate to be offered the space when their original venue was sold and the new owners decided that renovations would begin ten days into the biennale. Not the only venue to change track two weeks before the opening. (Kirrilee Bailey's "Young" is now at Portico.) This happened after the program and broadsheets had been printed, which is somewhat unfair to the exhibitor and not a good look for the business' concerned.

Backspace Gallery... there is another larger room to the right.
"Meniscus" 
Interesting works but the plastic framing bothers me. Too many reflections behind the work make it confusing to look at and the lightness of the frames made them awkward to hang a level.

"Columba Livia"

One of Kathleen Winder's  "Columba Livia".... well worth a look but I'm extremely biased. ( Shane and Mrs Wombat's daughter).
This show to me, is the pick of the Fringe and is beautifully presented.


Another good venue is Creative Framing in Armstrong St.  Good clean wall space with professional lighting and ease of access for viewing.

Showing there is Craig Marsdens' "In a Quiet Space"; beautiful long exposure landscape/seascape most, Zen-like. and nicely hung, too.

 


My own show "Continuum"  is at the "Bean Barn"  in Sturt St.  Another  good venue with a most amenable and helpful owner.
I should, perhaps show how I planned my show and hung it.
I sought Richard's permission for the show some 12 months prior and after returning from France had some 2  months to select, print, mat and frame the selected works.  I paced out the venue ...it's around 14 metres long with good natural light and small "spots" for darker days.
After I had selected the works to show I made a 1:10 scale drawing of the wall frames and prints to see how they would work together and how the colour balance performed.

It certainly helped and as some of the works are sculptural and meant to be manipulated I had to place them where they would cause least disruption  to the staff and patrons at Bean Barn ... in the event, hanging was simplified and the show went up almost fully as originally planned.

Bean Barn

Things I learned: 
1/ Don't use standard wire for the backs of works, use twisted brass picture wire; it doesn't slip around as much.
2/ Have double sided tapes on backs of frames to stick them to the wall to minimize movement through air flow.
3/ Have your hanging points as high as possible on frame so they hang as flat as possible. 
4/ Make your catalogue as obvious as possible.
Funniest comment so far... gentleman commenting on a piece as to its location in France. I told him and then he asked, "Is that yours?" "Yes", I replied. He then asked,  "Whose are all the others?  
5/ Make your signage as idiot proof as possible.

In and Out or Home and Away

This piece is called; In and Out or Home and Away.
The  images can be rotated.
it has proved a popular work but I hope the guy with the camera who was overheard saying that he would utilise the same format shows more originality and imagination when it comes to the crunch with his own work.




Cheers petals... hope this has been slightly informative and by the way, Bean Barn is already booked for 2013.... more soon.


Shane