MONA

After Xmas spent with relatives in Melbourne, I travelled to Hobart to visit David Walsh's MONA...the Museum of Old and New Art.

The huge ferry that takes us up the Derwent River to MONA is boldly painted in grey camouflage, mimicking  the dull sky above. It is one of those typical Tassie freezing summer days.  The wind is ferocious.

A short 20 minute ferry ride later and we arrive at our destination.  My iPad says the location is Berriedale. The ferry deposits it's travellers at the base of a 99 step concrete staircase.

Once surmounted, one enters the museum... a dark and mysterious environment.  It's what I think it must feel like to be entombed inside a pyramid.

One wanders around though, with a smart gadget that serves up information about the artworks housed there,  and it also provides some curious statements  from David Walsh.

There are a multitude of guides, to assist us on our journey,  but for the most part, they stand as if frozen, staring blankly.  When one interrupts them, they become instantly activated.  They are guardians of the treasured artworks/relics...which they tell us 'must not be touched.'

Place Activation Project

CreativeRegions have developed quite a few Place Activation projects in Bundaberg since the floods. I will be involved with the latest one.

The project is about targeting some of the ‘tired’ business areas, particularly in North Bundaberg and revamping them into vibrant, livable spaces.

Bundaberg City Council has approved to have the North Bundaberg CBD area a trial street-side dining zone for 3 months.

Project mentor is the very talented architect Tomas O’Malley.

Place activation artists are Jennifer McDuff, Marlies Oakley and myself. 

                                                                                         

This project has a very small materials and trade budget, so a challenge has been set for us to come up with some stunning and innovative ideas, within that budget.

Folio Art Market

The Folio Art Market went down well again at  Dirty Linen.  Fifty artworks were sold, which is a respectable  amount. The market provides a great time for artists to catch up on all the latest news.

Soul Journey Art Gala

There was a great roll up to Dirty Linen Artspace for Jassy Watson's 'Soul Journey Art Gala'.  The exhibition was primarily of the artworks of Jassy's students.  There were many lively and colourful works full of meaning.   The gallery was set up beautifully.

Jassy followed up with a workshop that introduced her methodology.  Everyone went home with a big smile on their face. ..and a finished canvas under their arm.  Attached is a picture of Jassy setting up last Friday's exhibition.

You can contact Jassy about her classes, and her guided art classes at

www.goddessesgardenandstudio.com

goddessesgardenandstudio@gmail.com


Cx

Somebody asked me the other day...

...what I had been up to. And I couldn't remember for a while because I am busy planning my future escapades. But it's coming back to me now....not in any particular order!!

Enter two local art awards...no prizes.
Enter a National photo award....expecting 'no prizes'
Enter Woodgate Arts in Spring....Sold one framed drawing.

Three photoshoots....one being of the beautiful Roana from BRAG.

Interview with two French documentary film makers. (More on this soon.)

Conducted a digital workshop for the BRIDGES lovely people. Helped hang and take down their 'Express Yourself' exhibition.

Attend opening of 'Living Change' touring show that I am part of after winning the Digital Art Award (that I blogged about last year.) Messed up the last line of my poem after my floor talk!

Delivered a carload of biscuit tins to BRAG for their wonderful 'Collectamania' exhibition. And pick up.

Didn't mess up my ABC interview with David Dowsett!

Packed and took over 1000 biscuit tins to install as a 5m sq 'Lifescape'on the floor of Gatakers Artspace in Maryborough.(Couldn't have done that without Susan and Peter Hutton).

Prepare application for WBHD 2

Received the wonderful news from the State Library of Qld, that my 'Christine Turner's Art Blog' has been selected for inclusion in the PANDORA archive, Australia's web archive...allowing public access in perpetuity.

Assist in setting up opening of 'Soul Journey Art Gala' at my Dirty Linen Artspace. Press releases etc.

Prepare for upcoming Folio Art Market at Dirty Linen in a couple of weeks.

Meet with Creative Regions tomorrow for a significant Place Activation project I have been chosen to take part in.

Finish my large graphite work, one good large acrylic figure study, several digital images and commence a video for a possible projection in December.

And that is only October and November, and is  all I can remember. No wonder people say, 'Oh, we haven't seen you in a while.' cx

Living Change Exhibition

Today I headed down to Childers for the opening of Flying Arts Qld Regional Art Awards 'Living Change' exhibition.

Last year I had been fortunate enough to win the Digital Art Award with my work called 'Immersed'.

There was a small but enthusiastic group there for the opening and a delicious morning tea was served.

I was able to tell the group about my award which was a two week fully paid residency at The Edge in Brisbane.  Click here to read more about The Edge.

It was great to see all the selected works from that competition in the flesh.  There is a lot of good art coming out of Regional Queensland.

I gave Flying Arts a bit of publicity, as I had been a rep for them in the early years of my art practice and they are a brilliant organisation supporting regional artists in many ways.

Below is my work 'Immersed'.  It is a photograph of a woman merged with a photograph taken from a plane over the port areas.  That day it was easy to see that the rivers were full of silt washed down by the floods.  The aerial photo I took captured the sparkling rivulets that wound their way around the landscape, and it was a very beautiful sight.  But in the making of the artwork, the piece became more sombre.  cx

Lifescape photographs

Attached are some photographs taken by Trevor Spohr for me today, as I took down the wrong lens on Friday.   Trevor had to climb a very tall ladder to get these high shots.  Thanks Trevor for the great pics!

Lifescape  5sqm and over 1000 tins. A work by Christine Turner

Lifescape setup at Gatakers Artspace

My friend, Susan Hutton and I setting up my Lifescape installation.  It took us about 4 hours to complete.  I will be taking photographs on Friday....the day of the opening.  Hope you can come.  cx

Lifescape

I have  over 1000 biscuit tins in about 30 cartons.  All ready for loading onto my friend Susan's trailer and ute next Monday.   We are on our way to Gatakers Artspace where I will create a floor installation....5sqm of biscuit tins!   I call the work 'Lifescape'.  I will try to record a stop motion video of the setting up process also.  

Roana

Roana O'Neill is the Programs Officer/Team leader for Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery (BRAG) and Childers Art Gallery (Charts).   I was delighted when she agreed to pose for me so that I could take a series of photographs with which I could develop some digital works. The digital prints below are the result of layering over a photo of the model with a photograph of the lid of a biscuit tin.  cx

Still drawing

The full sheet drawing is finished now.  Titled 'Stairway to Heaven'.  It has taken many long hours to complete.   I was inspired by the work of Mark Ryden.

Collectamania

I have still been doing lots of drawing.  The full sheet of watercolour paper has been particularly  taxing.    Drawing will have to give way though over the next few months, as I have  three installations coming up.   First is Collectamania at BRAG opening next week. I will be showing Totem Poles - stacks of biscuit tins.

This will be followed by a large installation at Gatakers Artspace in Maryborough.  Showing five square metres of biscuit tins forming a large square on the floor.  My  'Lifescape' or 'Reliquarium'.

Then next year I hope to show in the Vault at BRAG, a waterfall made of wedding veils.

So, busy times ahead! C x

Drawings

I have been working on a project for the Bundaberg Museum, which has been an interesting experience. It hasn't allowed me much spare time, however I have been drawing and really enjoying it.

After Ryden

I have been looking at the work of Mark Ryden for inspiration.  I am drawn to the mysterious and compelling images he develops both in drawing and painting.

Catching up

Family commitments have kept me busy this month,so it's time to catch up a little.  I went to BRAG last week to help take down his 'Sunken Houses' exhibition.  This amazing  exhibition has broken all BRAG's attendance records for the opening and for the days that followed.

Amongst others' I will be writing to Council to suggest that these photographs go into the Collection.  They are such an important historical and personal record for the people of Bundaberg.

Congratulations to Brad and Heinz for creating an outstanding exhibition.

I have been filling in the gaps of my very heavy schedule with drawings for the upcoming Folio Art Market I am holding here this Saturday.  Over 15 artists will be showing their works from their art folios.  The artists will be on hand to discuss their works with the buyers.

It should be a fun day also for artists to get together.  cx

"After Ryden'.

Ryden

I don't know how I have taken so long to stumble over the work of Mark Ryden. His brilliant paintings with their bizarre scenarios, I find intriguing!  I bought his huge  book PINXIT when I was in Brisbane recently.  I have been making drawings of some of his paintings.  See below.

 

 

 

Sunken Houses

Brad Marsellos, Producer for ABC Open Wide Bay, is the initiator and photographer of the 'Sunken Houses' exhibition currently showing at the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery. Marsellos, invited sound artist and Aria winner, Austrian composer Heinz Reigler, to write a soundtrack specifically for the exhibition.

On entering the gallery, I was overwhelmed by the dark elegance of the exhibition with its hauntingly evocative soundscape.  

Twenty five large photographic prints are on display, each print mounted into a matching black frame and matt board without glass.

Low lighting is applied to the gallery walls with each print bathed in a soft ethereal circle of light. The mood created is one of refinement.

This show makes the BRAG main gallery look the very best I have ever seen it.

The Sunken Houses exhibition was created by Marsellos in response to the record breaking January 2013 Bundaberg floods. It is a personal and historical record of the aftermath of the disaster as Marsellos experienced it.

As one who lived through this disaster and had been active in the cleanup stages, I was moved to tears by the sad reminders of such difficult times, as were many others who have attended the exhibition. The soundtrack, at times beautifully melancholic, at other times... uplifting, took me on an emotional journey.

A huge print of one of the sunken houses covers a large wall near the entry, evoking awe in the viewer.  The image of a house sinking threatens our sense of the home as a safe haven.  This feeling is reiterated throughout the exhibition.

Another print entitled 'Signs are hard to see', depicts an empty block of land with a pair of old concrete driveway tracks, that lead to the house that is no longer there.

These are powerful images by Brad Marsellos... a very accomplished photographer.

The opening saw a record breaking crowd of 260 people attending the exhibition.  More attendance records have been broken daily as people continue to come, and in many cases return to see this very moving show.

Sound artist, Heinz Riegler performed his soundtrack live at the opening, to a most appreciative audience. His outstanding contribution to this project has been greatly appreciated for its sensitivity and appropriateness.

This is a very   special exhibition, and I recommend that you go and see it before it closes on the 27th of April.

Bundaberg East Rotary

Rotary groups worldwide have a mission to eradicate polio across the globe.  They wanted their message projected onto the East water tower.  Here area couple of pictures of that event.  Thanks to Dream Team partner Brad Marsellos, and Lyn and Bhavana from Bundaberg East Rotary, and Mal Brown.

Oaks Beach Installation

I was up early as I had an art installation to do at Oaks Beach.  Shelley Pisani, of Creative Regions had mentioned the opportunity when I caught up with her recently.  I wanted  to take part in the project by Creative Regions that would be my contribution to their mission to reactivate spaces affected by the recent tornados and floods.

I have a collection of 210 plastic bbq paper plate holders, shaped like fish.

I wanted to install them on the beach to draw attention to the problem of water pollution

'My reason for showing the plastic fish at the beach was to suggest in an artistic way my own concerns about water pollution. Fish and other marine creatures are ingesting plastics and this can lead to them feeling full, when they are actually starving. Hard plastics can rupture their internal organs. And , of course there are so many other awful hazards such as brutal entanglements. One has only to read about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to be quite horrified about the global threat to sea creatures from water pollution. Of course we have our share of local nightmares too. I suggest, artistically that the fish are coming to the land to escape from the water that has become so toxic. The fish are becoming plastic'.

I had a wonderful band of helpers and many photographers too, including Brad Marsellos from ABC Wide Bay.     

David Quarrell flew a drone over the installation, and I am really looking forward to seeing the video pictures that it took.

Keith Stewart made a great video of behind the scenes activity.  So much equipment there.

Thanks to all the wonderful helpers and also to Pamela Fisher, who is a tireless worker.


 

Something fishy is going on!!

I have spent much of the weekend preparing my collection of 210 bbq paper plate holder plastic fish for an installation at a local beach this week. Fun times!! A drone is going to fly over the 20m installation and take pictures, or a video. I’m not quite sure what will exactly come out of it. (Maybe I am under surveillance?) Another friend is going to do a time lapse of the event.
It should be fun if the weather holds out. It has been very windy of late. I have number of friends coming to help me set up. We only have 2 hours of low tide to get the installation finished.

Fun times.    cx

More Mitchell

Here are a few more photographs I took of Mitchell.  These photos have made quite an impression on Mitchell's Facebook fans.

 

 

 

Photoshoot

I had a busy day in the gallery yesterday with a photoshoot with Mitchell Browne and some of his friends from school.  I was particularly happy with  the dance photographs of Mitchell. 

 

 

 

 

Back to Alpha

The grey ribbon road weaves and curls through flat, drab brown terrain, then rises up steeply towards a crest that supports a big Aussie sky.  It is not such a big blue Aussie sky today, festooned as it is with bulky grey clouds…dirty grey clouds.

I want the landscape to be different this trip…not so stubbornly harsh and unforgiving, but the land is flat and dry…unfriendly…long fringed with bleached dry weeds.  Dotted with mean little bushes tamed by the relentless throbbing heat.

The land has obviously been cleared in days gone by, to accommodate the cattle that apparently  graze on these pastures.  But there is not a cow in sight. Perhaps they have found shelter from the heat somewhere on the huge cattle property that encompasses our narrow road.  The property is over twenty-two thousand acres strong.

But these can’t be pastures can they?  I once saw pastures on a train trip to the country outside of London.  Lush emerald green velvet were the ‘real’ pastures there. Patchwork pastures edged with gentle soft bushy trees lush enough to inspire fairy stories. Every now and then a magical ancient castle would pop up unexpectedly atop that divine viridian velvet quilt, like a castle from a page in a ‘Pop up’ book  of the sort that I loved as a young child.

Cows could be seen contentedly grazing in those perfect pastures, waiting to be painted by the likes of Thomas Sidney Cooper.

But I am not from the ‘Motherland’ as we once called it.  I want to love my sunburnt country despite everything.

Reaching up from the faded dun earth  on either side of the narrow road are the burnt black skeletal remains of  larger trees. Their thin, gnarled branches  stripped of  leaves plead in frozen dance. 

Every now and then, a small group of bottle trees appears, strangely fecund in this barren place.

 

From my passenger’s window I note that the clouds are travelling fast beside me…with me in fact… as if we are companions on a quest.  But on reaching the crest, well ahead of me, they are absorbed into the now thin, drab line of the landscape.  It’s then I notice a dark purple haze of smoke in the distance.

 

Silhouettes of small trees emerge once more, peaking over the oncoming crest. They wave and beckon like sirens luring us onwards.  Perhaps Alpha will be on the other side of that crest?…my son and I have been on the road for eight hours…and I have endured over four hours of Hip Hop music…a true sign of a mother’s love!

Bush Bride pictures

Bush Bride 2013

Lost 2013

The Big Pineapple Bride

My most recent addition to the series that started with the New Mexico exchange exhibition.  Our landscape is infested with creations such as the Big Pineapple, the Big Banana, the Big Prawn and so on.

They are cropping up everywhere, much to my horror.

C