Saturday, June 26, 2010

it's that time again....

Time for me to head south - for my annual pilgrimage to the Gippsland campus of Monash uni for the winter symposium. Each year I'm filled with a mix of excitement and dread..... I'm excited by the prospect of spending a few days with a wonderfully diverse bunch of artists from all over (but all of us undertaking a visual arts higher degree of some sort via distance studies) - this is my only face-to-face contact with uni staff and old arty/study friends (and potential new buddies) so it's an intense and tiring time!

But - given that I have to leave my two wee munchkins behind (and that I have to drive 7hrs through the creepy boonies to get to Churchill) ... oh and that I have to do the whole 'show and tell' with my work.... well I'm also feeling a tad dread-ful.

I've been working so intensely over the past few weeks - well you can see by the new banner up top I've been playing with books and fire - again....

This time I submerged a purpose-built metal table into one of our (presently full) dams here at sams creek.... arranged a small collection of funk & wagnall encyclopaedic volumes on top.....



then (with the help of my long-suffering partner....who had to wade nakedly into the freezing water..... ahhh THAT'S LOVE!) the collection was set ablaze.....





these are the shots that best capture what I wanted to achieve with this ephemeral/sculptural interaction



I wonder what the gang at Monash will say? (heck - I'm still wondering what I'm going to say about what I get up to..... well I've got a looooong drive to think about that)




** I'll show you some more stuff when I get back..... after I recover!

6 comments:

  1. Just brilliant, Ronnie! And what a wonderful man your long-suffering partner must be. That water would have been COLD! Enjoy your time down south, hope it's not too cold.

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  2. Good luck!
    Looks fabulus, trooly.

    I'd say 'break a leg', but you might think that's a challenge or something :)

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  3. your photos are amazing.
    have a safe trip and happy learning.

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  4. thanks for the nice words folks - the time at monash gippsland was sooooooo great this year - lovely new people to meet and greet.... and I got to spend some quality time with my SPECTACULAR supervisor (but I'll tell all to all when I recover....in a week or so!)

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  5. wow, love this! Fab idea and it makes a great banner! :)

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thanks for all your lovely comments - your words are greatly appreciated xx