Peter Williams on the Epitome of a DO-er

Enjoyed this video of Peter Williams talking about his experience in making things happen.

Thoughtful Twitter

How did they know my nipples are sensitive?

2002 was a good year

Been enjoying these cabernet and shiraz wines from Taminick Cellars, who are outside Glenrowan in Northern Victoria. 

I've kept them in boxes and moved them between four houses in the last 13 years or so but they've still managed to throw a crust of sediment, just look at the dark line on the left-hand side of the bottle.

Also had a box of 2004 wines, which were much sweeter and matured earlier. The wines from 2002 still seem like they could mature longer but retain a fruit flavour that's hard to resist.

I'm also appreciating how little headache I get the following day.

Keep your ass sensitive

From My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem

Mountford Park spirals

Leeton is a small town, so it seems like a weird coincidence to see a spiral design on a view of Mountford Park's walkway by another local artist.

I was surprised when this painting by Mackenzie Saddler appeared in my Facebook newsfeed the other night.

The text accompanying it paints a really beaut context:

I walked to the park and ran home in my head. At that moment of travel, I wished I were dead. But that all changed - when you enchanted me with your gaze. And you sent me into a rapid love haze. That bitter cold day became as warm as the sun. And this is the moment my eternity begun.

What surprised me was how much the view shared in common with this photo I took in the Park last year.

I haven't met Mackenzie, although we've exchanged messages and I recommended him to Leeton Public School for this mural on their canteen.

Copying is not theft

Two responses to one haiku

Naviar Records share a haiku each week for musicians to respond to.

There have been some beaut poems and beautiful music too. I've written about this last month.

This week I thought I'd record a song written on the bass guitar, then it became an orchestral piece.



Yesterday I decided I should try to record the piece as I'd originally heard it.

As it was written on my cheap Ashton bass, I went for it. That bass gets a lovely woody tone from the flatwound strings and the neck pickup, which isn't common on basses as it emphasises flabby frequencies.

Poem by Aileen Palmer

On a mild, sunny morning in Canberra in December 1993, a memorial to the Australians who had served in the Spanish Civil War was unveiled at Lotus Bay on Lake Burley Griffin.

During the ceremony, a poem of Aileen Palmer’s was read: 

Danger is never danger
till the blood running over the street
is the blood of your own heart’s crying:
the love you were coming to meet.
Death is not death till you
hear all planes pass in fearing:
not my own love they’ll strike!
Not my own love they’re nearing!
War is not war till you
find in the shattered stones
flesh of your own love’s flesh,
dust of your own love’s bones...

Preparing for an exhibition

Professional coward

I like what Hunter S. Thompson says here about the process of reflection and the insights gained through writing. He doesn't sell it very well in saying it's made him a professional coward, but I think there's a lot to be gained.

Murrumbidgee Marramarra

Had a look at this exhibition of Aboriginal artists from the Western Riverina that's at the Griffith Regional Art Gallery.

The painting 'Looking through the portals' by Veronica Collins made me pause mid-step, as it reminded me of my fevered dream recently about portals cut into the massive trunks of river red gums.

Another highlight is the work of Rodney Simpson, whose large-scale woodcarvings are wonderful. The work 'Echidna' shown here is accompanied with text that explains:

The yellow tracks mark out his boundary around the scar trees and ants nest his food supply

Projection workshops

The last two nights have been spent mapping projections onto the sculptures at Pioneer Park Museum.

Abre Ojos brought his skills, enthusiasm and artistry to the task of presenting a masterclass in the use of visual and audio. We've shot a lot of footage and will look to edit a video to share.

In the meantime, you can find a few short videos at the Griffith Pioneer Park Museum Instagram account here.

This project was supported by Arts NSW’s Country Arts Support Program, a devolved funding program administered by Regional Arts NSW and Western Riverina Arts on behalf of the NSW Government.

Nigerian ogene-udu ensemble

Watched this a few times now and thought I should blog it so I can find it easier.

Scrapheap orchestras

Tim Prebble introduced my family via his blog to this reality TV show about an orchestra performing on instruments made from scrap.



It was surprising how engrossed my kids became in the show but they don't watch much television, so maybe it was a novelty. I particularly enjoyed the instrument makers and the background information about Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.

It would've been interesting to learn more about the musicians. I think an American version of the show could stretch to a season because it seemed like it was made with a small crew and more crews could generate a lot more content covering the participants.

Just before we got to the finale, I remembered where I'd seen a similar story and made my family watch this documentary about the Landfill Harmonic in South America.



In comparison the British reality television show seemed to be gentrified and dictated by the needs of television. The timeframe for production might've determined the need to use professional musicians and instrument makers. As a result it loses a lot of the human interest for me.

There's something about the South American 'underdog' story that makes it so much more poignant but I really enjoyed the orchestra and particularly the makers in the British show, which I think is reality television while the Landfill Harmonic piece seems more like a documentary.

There's a lot that 'reality' and documentary television share in common but I think there is a line that gets crossed by the former in terms of manipulating the narrative and/or outcomes that defines them as separate genres.

Red cedar desk from 1879

This desk was recently donated by Warwick Clampett, who bought it in the late 1970s at an auction of Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission equipment.

As you can see, it was built in the late 19th Century when Queen Victoria ruled colonial Australia.

The red cedar it's made from would've been almost completely logged in NSW and had been a major export for about a century.

I believe the desk was brought to Griffith in the early 20th Century when WC&C had an office in the courthouse.