“You always have great exhibitions, but this is the best in a good while”, I told Aaron Seeto, the curator at Sydney’s 4A Gallery. Their current exhibition, “Actions for Tomorrow” is the first solo exhibition in Australia of Yangjiang Group and it’s fantastic.
At the heart of the exhibition is the work of three artists, each with their own speciality who work collaboratively. My own personal favourite is the artist who works with wax, dripping wax over clothing. As you enter the gallery’s ground floor, it’s almost as if you’re entering a clothing store. The surprise is the clothing is covered in candle wax. Here are some photographs from today’s exhibition launch.
Actions for tomorrow at 4A GalleryActions for tomorrow at 4A GalleryActions for tomorrow at 4A GalleryActions for tomorrow at 4A GalleryActions for tomorrow at 4A GalleryActions for tomorrow at 4A Gallery
I came to work early this morning, knocked off a few hours of things I had to do.
And then I came home for a few hours, because I’ve needed to be at work tonight from about 5.00-10.30.
In between time I did a few chores, and also took some time to relax in the park.
The main chore was go to the bank to deposit a cheque and go through my “change jars” at work, sort the coins, and deposit them. I had $93.90 in change in these two jars which brought me untold joy.
I have a friend who has a change jar which he uses to collect enough money to “indulge” himself in someone who he then pays to do a “proper clean” of his house. I don’t have anything in particular in mind when I cash in my jars, though it gives me an odd feeling of “financial independence”. Crazy, I know.
And then, just as I was sitting inside, I got the urge to go outside and head off the park to enjoy the sunshine.
It’s the most beautiful day in Sydney, with temperatures in the early to mid-20s.
Victoria Park
So, after wandering around for a while, I found myself lying shirtless in Victoria Park, enjoying the warmth.
I posted a photo of my afternoon in the park, to which Victor responded with…
I spent all day inside the hospoital being told by arriving patients what a gorgeous day it has been today and now I open your blog to read the same thing. Sheesh, we volunteers are pinned indoors slaving away whilst you ‘workers’ are sunning yourselves. I’m envious.
On Twitter, another friend replied,
you truly are a Scandinavian at heart.
…a reference to the sun-loving nature of the Swedes.
I noticed it twelve months ago, as in the middle of the day, you’d see people leave their workplace for lunch, and then go and sit in the park often in just their underwear.
Today as I sat in the park and thought back to that wonderful trip of twelve months ago I realised one thing. The Swedish summer is equivalent to a Sydney winter temperature wise. Today was such a gorgeous day in Sydney.
Watching television in October 1998.This time ten years ago, I’m sure I would have been excitedly getting dressed to attend Sleaze Ball. That, after all, was what you did on the October Long Weekend. Not sit at home just watching television.
And in my apartment block, as I recall, there would have been lots of “pre Sleaze” parties with dance music echoing through the coridors.
There would also have been large groups of men and women (often dressed in feather boas) wearing skimpy clothing making their way through the streets of Surry Hills on their way to the showgrounds.
Not any more. Earlier tonight I had the sudden realisation Sleaze Ball was actually on, something I’d completely forgotten until I heard some of the tell-tale loud music from somewhere down the street.
There was a brief murmur of music from somewhere in my apartment block, but obviously the people around me have either gotten older or have lost interest as well.
So for me it’s been a day and an evening of watching television, using the internet, and briefly going to the supermarket tonight.
Fifty-three is such a “meh” birthday, and yet it was actually quite as good one, with a few highlights.
Yesterday, I woke early and went out in search of an early morning “adventure”. I left the house before 6.00am, and wandered in the direction of Kings Cross. I figured an early morning breakfast in The Cross might be a great way to start the day. I caught the train the The Cross, only to discover virtually none of the cafes were open before 7.00.
On spec, I caught the 311 bus, and got off in Darlinghurst where I had breakfast at The Rusty Rabbit.
I chose the muesli (with kiwi fruit, passionfruit and other delights) which was awesome. You know how sometimes you have a meal and go “wow”? Well, that’s what happened. The muesli was a tasty combination, and was well presented. What surprised me most at the cafe was the number of parents having breakfast with their private school daughters. Heaps of them. For all of the reasons canvassed previously in popular culture, I laughed out loud when I heard a twelve year old order smashed avocado.
I was also surprised at the number of people at work who acknowledged my birthday, since I’m not “friends” with that many people at work on Facebook. We have Twitter connections, but I’ve largely kept my Facebook connections to friends and family. Quite a few people at work acknowledged my birthday, and I was presented with a personal chocolate cake, which was awesome.
With my birthday prominent in mind, I took an “early mark” from work, and came home. The “swot” in me saw me continue to deal with some work matters into the early evening, ahead of going to my local pub, and winning a meat tray. Awesome birthday!!!
Crown Hotel Meat Tray
After a good sleep in, I ventured to a book signing by Rachel Khoo. The celebrity chef has moved to Sweden (she married a Swede) and has written a book about well-known (and not-so) Swedish recipes. It’s a really good book, venturing well beyond (though acknowledging) meatballs and cinnamon buns.
Rachel Khoo
Little Swedish Kitchen
I’m catching up with a friend for lunch and a movie tomorrow.
And so there you have it: how I celebrated my birthday.
My other big early morning adventure this week was a trip to Circular Quay.
I travelled to Broome both for work and pleasure. Rest assured, I won’t bore you, dear reader, with the work aspect of my visit, and will concentrate instead on what I did whilst there: nothing much really.The inactivity was mostly due to the weather. On most days this week the temperature was in the mid to late 30s, peaking at 40 and 41 on two separate occasions. Although there were times when it felt that warm, there were other occasions, especially when the seabreeze appeared, when it didn’t feel so bad. With temperatures like that, it didn’t take long to settle into “Broome time”.
Damien and I stayed at Cable Beach Club Resort which was terrific. Our room was about a five minute stroll to Cable Beach which we visited on many occasions. Cable Beach was really spectacular, despite the cliched camel rides, ocean sunsets and so on, reaffirming my belief that many places are tourist attractions for a good reason. Cable Beach was, however, at its best late in the afternoon or early in the morning, due to the heat.
In the midst of daytime sun we spent a lot of time by one of the resort’s two main pools which were mostly fairly quiet. The exception was on Thursday when newspaper types started arriving for the Caxton Awards for newspaper advertising. Upon asking one of those setting up for the function, we were told “It’s a function with Rupert Murdoch and Bryce Courtenay”. Although we saw Bryce, there was no sign of Rupert. Instead, there were lots of newspaper advertising people, all of them with a slight paunch, lazing by the pool.
We didn’t travel as much as I would have liked, due to the heat. With temperatures around forty degrees – what is it they say about mad dogs and Englishmen – though we did do a bit of landscape spotting. One of the most amazing parts of the landscape for me was the brilliant red pindan soil which dominates the landscape and which, I’m told, can be found just a couple of feet below the town’s famous beach sands. Seeing the contrast reminded me of a comment made to me earlier this year that the landscape of Western Australia is “the desert meets the Indian Ocean”.
The town itself has a unique beauty. Unlike many other similarly sized towns, which have become consumed by “shopping mall architecture”, Broome maintains a sense of history. Although Broome has shopping malls, the corrugated iron construction of the main streets dominates and prompted Damien to comment “it’s more of a frontier town that I expected”. I think my favourite building was the old Sun Pictures building in Carnarvon Street. Built in 1916, it’s thought to be the oldest open air cinema in the world. I loved the deck chairs and I loved the corrugated iron.
The corrugated iron, however, also highlights the impermanence of the place: with a big cyclone, the place could be blown off the map. But with an annual population growth rate of about four percent, a large area of scrub between Broome township and Cable Beach is being currently being cleared for a major housing development. In the midst of the red soil, suburbia is emergening with a more upmarket – though still constructed with corrogated iron – style of housing. Although I have never been to Port Douglas, I’d imagine this is what Broome might be on the verge of becoming.
On Friday night, a group of us held a beachside barbecue near Gantheaume Point which is located about six kilometres from the town itself. During the height of the dry season, we were told the beach is wall to wall with vehicles, though on this occasion there were just a few. On arrival, we were told the water was about a 1.2 stubbie walk from the car, meaning that it was about 400 to 500 metres away. The location was spectacular, especially as the sun began to set over the point. Looking towards the point I was told by one the locals, George, the story of how the one and only house became located there, despite local opposition, thanks to the perseverance of the owner. A story that tells a lot about the place, I think.
“Tom Hughes was Lucy Turnbull’s dad”, I whispered into the ear of my friend Graeme. Though it wasn’t specifically mentioned on the Mardi Gras History Walk, it was something I knew which added to the story. Historian, Robert French was talking about a meeting of the Liberal Party of NSW held in the early 1970s. Tom Hughes, as Attorney-General was considering a range of homosexual law reform, Robert explained, and was being opposed by conservative forces in the Liberal Party. The irony of the situation now facing Lucy’s husband, the Prime Minister, and the similarity to the situation facing her father almost fifty years ago was not lost on me.
There’s all manner of phrases about “learning from history” and how “history never repeats”. But, honestly it does. And if you look to history about how different types of people have reacted to issues/situations in the past, you can better understand human nature, and some of the human motivations for current issues.
And that’s why I like history in general, and the annual history walk for Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, organised the by Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, in particular. I’ve been on a few of these walks previously, and they’re always very interesting.
Robert French is a gifted tour leader, providing the perfect combination of anecdote and understanding, locating the issues of the past within a contemporary context.
Drawing upon the work of some terrific people like Gary Wotherspoon and Lex Watson, Robert really makes history “live”. Even my friend who came with me on the walk, who was somewhat sceptical about why he should get out of bed earlier on a Sunday morning, said he really enjoyed the tour.
Next year marks forty years since the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and undoubtedly there’ll be lots of commemorations (and celebrations) around the event to be held in the first week of March 2018, and rightly so. But before Mardi Gras, there was a lot of other activist activity, and so while I think Mardi Gras is important, I think it’s worth recognising the previous work of lots of others, and that’s what you learn on walks like this. Fabulous stuff.
I’m on the Murray’s bus, headed towards Canberra. Just a moment ago, the driver told us we’ll be arriving roughly forty minutes later than scheduled, due to heavy traffic in Sydney. Despite the delay, I love the bus trip to Canberra: I’ve had a brief nap, answered a bunch of emails, and have read some online newspapers. In some ways, the delay is a blessing, as it has given me the time to begin this, my first “proper” blog post for the year.
Even though I’ve been reasonably busy, both work-wise and socially, I’ve been procrastinating with my blog. Lately, I’ve been thinking my life is a little “boring” right now – just go to work, come hone, watch TV, and listen to the radio, with no exciting overseas holidays to reflect on or anticipate – and therefore have had nothing of value to write about. But then, a few days ago, I remembered when I began this blog years ago I would often write about the movies, books, television I’ve been watching etc, and so this year I’ve decided to also share some of the more “ordinary” parts of my life.
Over the last few weeks I’ve been to see some terrific movies. “Three Billboards” is violent, but compelling. You really need to suspend belief for “The Sound Of Water”, but it’s a beautiful journey. And of course, I’ve been to see “The Big Gay Movie” of the year so far, “Call Me By Your Name”. It’s a wonderful story about the summer relationship between two young men. The relationship is complicated by one of them being under eighteen, though there’s not a huge age gap between them. The end of the film is very sad, and I had a few tears.
Season 4 of “Rita” was released on Netflix last week. Although previously, I’ve binged on the Danish program about a non-conformist teacher, I’ve been taking this new season a little more slowly. Friends who’ve watched the whole series have said on Facebook they found themselves “blubbering”. And so I’m anticipating a sad conclusion, and therefore, have been avoiding “the binge”, wanting to hold off and really enjoy every moment of what I assume will be the final series.
I’ve been slowly enjoying the Hillary Clinton biography (as well as being fairly honest, she shows a fair deal of self-awareness), and I’m about half way through Luke Harding’s book about Russian involvement in the US election, “Collusion”. I’m currently listening to and loving “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning”, an older woman’s story of de-cluttering, after the death of her husband. Though the narrator is English, the intonation and the visualisation is taking me on a wonderful trip to Sweden.
There have been a few terrific catch-ups with friends. There was a long lunch at the awesome Chin Chin and drinks at Kinselas with a couple of old school friends; dinner and some jazz, featuring Lily Dior, who performed some of the back catalogue of Sarah Vaughn at 505 Cleveland Steet; and awesome drinks at The Winery with a friend who now lives in Paris, whom I haven’t seen for a couple of years, but who was back in Sydney. In fact, the last time I saw him was in Canberra at the “Australian Of The Year” ceremony, which co-incidentally is why I’m headed to Canberra now.
