August 14: QLD COLLEGE of ART – OPEN DAY – Gold Coast
On Sunday we visited the Griffith University’ Open Day at the Gold Coast Campus. Both Vicky and I are QCA Alumni – I go back to 1972 when it was simply the ‘College of Art’ and a sessional teacher from 1977 to 1993. Vicky from 1992 as a student of the Associate Diploma of Photography program. We’ve never visited the Gold Coast campus – it’s a remarkably fresh looking place in a natural bushland environment. Students manned the info tents and displays alongside lecturers and their presentation packages represented quality outcomes for their graduating students. They offer interesting and contemporary programs in photography, ephotojournalism, fine art and commercial photography.
Vicky@QCA Open Day - Gold Coast
While in the studio we met up with photo lecturer Jack Picone. A fellow PhD candidate – exchanged some interesting ideas about the challenges of professional practice, teaching and keeping up with the demands of higher ed academic study. Jack has worked around the world as a photojournalist – he showed us a book of his amazing work.
Visit Jack Picone’s website – http://www.jackpiconeportfolio.com
We also caught up with long term QCA identity Earle Bridger who up until last week was deputy director of the QCA Gold Coast campus. Earle has transferred back to the South Brisbane campus.
Jack Picone, Earle Bridger & Doug
July 24 Allan Bruce Floor Talk
Allan Bruce talks about his exhibition Panoramic Drawings at Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery
Invitation: Panoramic Drawings
Allan Bruce floor talk in the exhibition space
Walking into Gallery 1 at the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, one expects to see large wall works to fill this large space – Allan Bruce’s impressive black and white occidental inspired works are no exception.
In the exhibition, Panoramic Drawings, Bruce presents urban and natural landscapes and room interiors as seamlessly blended composite images where each work: “while recognizable, tends to be an evocation rather than an absolutely literal statement of place”[1]. As with oriental scrolls these works allow the viewer a multi-perspective journey through the spaces that have captured Bruce’s attention and inspiration.
Bruce utilizes ‘in situ’ documentation (photos, video and sketches) and memory to reconfigure the essentials of being in each place. The viewer of this work maybe drawn to the detail and textures of the subject captured within the brushwork of the shadows but the absence of detail in the highlights energizes the work and provides a space for the imagination.
1. From the room sheet for the exhibition
Words: Victoria Cooper
Panoramic Drawings is on at Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery from June 30 to August 7.
Portrait of Allan Bruce with work by Victoria Cooper
For more info on Allan Bruce see:
July 23 : BIZOO ZINE BOOK LAUNCH
Launch of the BIZOO Book at the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery
“Bizoo: The Best, The Worst and The Trash That Never Made It” Bizoo was a street culture zine which gave a voice to the young people of Toowoomba from early in 2000 until 2006.
Its story and success lies in the needs that brought about the fanzine world-wide publishing phenomena over the last 20 years. Essentially it’s a response to the fact that the world is controlled by the media and those who control the media pretty well control everything. To combat the communication gulf those from outside the mainstream formed collectives and groups that collated the stories, prose and poems, lyrics, interviews, gig guides, critiques, rants, rude stuff and commentaries about their end of society.
These self-published newspapers/newsletters featured simple layouts, rough illustration and were usually output by photocopiers. Those making contributions did so under various tags and pseudonyms and distribution was made through coffee shops and venues where like-minded people hung out. Copies of the zine were free.
Ultimately the zine became respectable and these days many resemble ephemeral artists’ book styled products. Real names appear and the practice is studied and commented on by university academics – all a far cry from the anonymous gonzo street journalists of the early days.
Somehow, perhaps, the future of communication that was once carried in print by fanzines like Bizoo is gradually being eroded by Blogs (like this one), Facebook, texting and youTube.
But what is important is that the self-published zine created a voice for the stories that were not able to find a vehicle for communication. Now, with the publishing of BIZOO these chronicles of street-life in Toowoomba in the first half of the 21st century will pass into the history of our times. Something that the zinesters, now that their grown up a little, got or getting reliable work, having kids and getting on with life, will find an important and amusing part of their lives. The publication was supported by a grants from the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund and the Queensland Government’s RADF.
Make your own zine today ….
Cheers, Doug
SEE the following for more ….
The best place around to find zines – ElouiseQ at http://smellslikezines.com/
JOHN ELLIOTT’s YouTube video and interviews http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkZV5Mg16vQ
THE CHRONICLE Newspaper’s story http://www.thechronicle.com.au/
WHAT’S HAPPENING – Workshops, events, gigs etc. www.bizoo.com.au
July 16, 2011 QCP Opening
We attended the opening of the latest QCP show featuring major works by Carolyn Lewens, Peter Charuk, Peter Annand, Vivian McLatchie and the Voicing Concerns group. It’s a diverse show with some remarkable works.
SEE the YouTube Video review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYwXDoYj3Ho
Carolyn Lewens' cyanotype images and objects
Peter Charuk's 'glacies lux'
July 1 – Diggers Rest for Lunch
Doing lots of thesis writing right now – can’t you see?
Vicky - looking for a suitable reference
A working lunch under the pandanus
Other research work were Doug almost looses it: See the YouTube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo1IiDDVcoc
ODE TO A PENULTIMATE DRAFT
I MUST GET BACK TO MY WRITING AGAIN
. . . but it’s a beautiful day at the beach!
I MUST GET BACK TO MY WRITING AGAIN
. . . but the washing machine needs fixing!
I MUST GET BACK TO MY WRITING AGAIN
. . . but I have a review to write!
I MUST GET BACK TO MY WRITING AGAIN
. . . but I think I need a little midday nap!
I MUST GET BACK TO MY WRITING AGAIN
. . . but’s lunch time!
I MUST GET BACK TO MY WRITING AGAIN
. . . but I should check if the shop has fresh oysters!
I MUST GET BACK TO MY WRITING AGAIN
. . . but the waves are telling me – – – – something!
I MUST GET BACK TO MY WRITING AGAIN
. . . but I still need to read last weekends newspapers!
I MUST GET BACK TO MY WRITING AGAIN
. . . again writing my to back get must I
I MUST GET BACK TO MY WRITING
. . . writing my to back get must I
I MUST GET BACK TO MY WRITING
. . . my to back get must I
I MUST GET BACK TO MY
. . . to back get must I
I MUST GET BACK TO
. . . back get must I
I MUST GET BACK
. . . get must I
I MUST GET
. . . must I
I MUST . . . I
June 24 – Visiting the 2011 OLIVE COTTON
Tamara Dean's First Prize Image "Damien Skipper"
The Tweed River Art Gallery @ Murwillumbah is once again hosting the Olive Cotton Award for Photographic Portraiture – The exhibition will be on show until July 31, 2011.
This year the Judge was Naomi Cass from CCP in Melbourne and as usual the selected works present a comprehensive review of contemporary Australian photo portraiture from the best photographers in the country as well as the latest crop of emerging image-makers. The portrait remains one of the most fascinating genres of photography – there is something about the face that connects with the viewer.
Some observations
In this year’s Olive Cotton Award for Photographic Portraiture there was something for everyone. This exhibition always provides a broad overview of contemporary photographic practice as 2D wall presented images.
The process and media by which the works were made were described by didactic panels placed around the gallery —everything from cyanotypes to gliclee printing and from Type C to inkjet. Those looking for historical processes found large format (whole plate?) ambrotypes paying tribute to the soft romantic feel of 19th century photography. Sizes of the works ranged from the larger than life images of the famous and infamous to the small personal and the everyday through which we can all find some empathy and connection.
In this mix there seemed to be a trend towards the selection of the reinvented holiday or family album snapshot—mostly in black and white. Some of these images showed the poser/s as acting out or ‘hamming up’ personal moments which when placed on the gallery walls transformed these images into arcane representations of everyday life. Others, whether staged or seen images, were illustrations of current political and cultural issues reframed by utilizing the informality and familiarity of the snap shot and then presented as austere gallery-crafted images for the consideration of thoughtful viewers.
For me, the most successful portraits are the ones that draw upon a deep understanding of photographic quality (tone, colour, detail, time etc.) and aesthetics. Alongside this there needs to be a flexible and experimental approach to style embedded in the psyche of the photographer that is combined with an empathy and curiosity for the subject. For me the portrait is developed through time spent by the photographer in collaboration with the subject and created in a moment of synergy and intensity that distils the portrait concept. The strength, depth and intensity of this collaboration, if handled skilfully, can visually transfer an afterimage onto the viewer’s imagination and memory that transcends the gallery experience. For me all of these decisive factors came together in not only the winning image of Tamara Dean, Damien Skipper, but they were also very strong in Russell Shakespeare’s, Michael Zavros and Samantha Everton’s, Illusion.
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Victoria Cooper 25 June 2011
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TO ACCESS a list of the finalists and the winners visit:
http://www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/ArtGallery/ArtGalleryOliveCotton2011Exhibition.aspx
DOWNLOAD a copy of the catalogue for the 2011 Award here
June 24 – Visit to Barratt Galleries, Alstonville
On the way south through northern New South Wales we called in on Julie Barratt at Barrett Galleries @ Altsonville. Julie’s current show is by photographer Mike Greenslade and is called Beneath the Surface.
SEE: http://www.barrattgalleries.com.au
Julie spoke of the challenges of operating a regional gallery and her current honours studies at Southern Cross University. She excitedly told us about the Hankie Project being shown in a Melbourne Gallery soon. The Hankie project incorporated handkerchiefs from over one hundred artists that commented on the loss of a loved one – their response as artists was represented on a handkerchief.
SEE: http://objectsofthedead.blogspot.com/2010/06/media-release-from-opening-at-barratt.html
We photographed Julie in the gallery in a moment of exhilaration – A flying Julie!!
Julie Barratt flying
June – SQIT Photo Student mosaic for Empire Theatre’s 100th
Students help celebrate the Empire’s 100th Anniversary
Students from my Commercial Photography class recently spent a couple of hours documenting Toowoomba’s Empire Theatre. The images were integrated by me into a 2.1 metre-long trans-luminated mosaic image. The work was integrated into the exhibition ‘100 years Empire Theatre: Historical items from the Theatre’s collection‘ at the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery.
The Empire Theatre is well-known for the Art Deco architectural structure and decorative elements that were part of its 1930s reconstruction. The building is a photographer’s delight as at every turn there are new views and design elements that can create great abstract forms.
After photography the images were optimised by students and passed over for integration into the triptich’s 70 x 210cm design.
The EMPIRE image mosaic by SQIT students
SEE the Toowoomba Chronicle details http://www.thechronicle.com.au/story/2011/05/17/evolution-empire-toowoomba/
The exhibition @ the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery
The exhibition at the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery includes a photographic exhibition of the reconstruction of the Empire that was undertaken in 1996-7. The photographer was Lucy Robertson-Cuninghame and the images were completed at the time as part of her Associate Diploma of Photography work.
SEE the Chronicle story for details http://www.thechronicle.com.au/story/2011/05/23/theatres-rich-history-on-show/
June 13 – Speakers@PSQ Convention, Goondiwindi
PSQ Goondiwindi Logo
Victoria’s topic was “Our home : emoh ruO” which dealt with re- visualizing local neighbourhoods, landscapes and familiar places with personal narratives and perspectives.
She says that, “We all have experienced disaster and change within our own “back yard”. We have been flooded repeatedly by images of this destruction and it’s traumatic effects on humanity. Is it now time, rather than yearning for the exotic travel photo experience, to re-discover our everyday environments and invent new ways of visualizing ourselves and the land we inhabit? Victoria Cooper will be discussing her work in this area and how places can be transformed by bringing together knowledge and personal experience to build creative visual stories.”
Vicky speaks at the convention
Doug’s topic was “LANDSCAPE: Between the covers” in which he spoke about making photobooks of the landscape. His lecture dealt with the idea of the extended narrative of the book and how the ‘artists’ book’ can inform contemporary photobook making. His talk was illustrated by examples and his own work in the form of the hand-made (home-made) book. Ideas about the print-on-demand book and the do-it-yourself monograph were covered. He said “Ken Duncan and Steve Parish did it – You can do it too — Self publish and have Fun!”
Attendees viewing Cooper+Spowart books
The PSQ Convention program speakers program included the photodocumentary photographer John Elliott, Somalia hostage Nigel Brennan and large format guru Richard White.
More details of the event may be available on the website:
http://psqgoeswest2011.weebly.com/
Vicky+Doug with PSQ President Gerry Saide
June 11 – Lydia Egunnike – Qld Disaster Hero, Ipswich Ceremony
Premier Anna Bligh @ Qld Disaster Heroes Ceremony - Ipswich
For those who follow our WOTWEDID blog will remember the post about the salvage work done on the Sandy Barrie Photo Collection that was inundated in the Ipswich Floods. Conservator Lydia Egunnike, a member of the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials, worked tirelessly with a team that included Noel, John Rossiter and Peter Marquis-Kyle.
As part of Anna Bligh’s Queensland Government DISASTER HEROES awards Lydia, and Sandy’s friend and Salvage Recovery Co-ordinator – Marcel Safier, were both nominated for the dedication and support that they provided during the emergency.
Lydia attended the award ceremony at Ipswich today – Vicky and I attended the event to congratulate Lydia and the members of her team who were able to attend.
Words+Pictures: Doug Spowart
SEE original story post https://wotwedid.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/flood-image-salvage-sandy-barrie-collection/
Noel, Christine Ianna, Lydia, John Rossiter and Victoria Cooper
Lydia's Medal and Certificate
For other information about the Queensland Disaster Heroes awards SEE:
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/06/10/3241339.htm?site=brisbane
http://www.qt.com.au/story/2011/06/04/qld-disaster-heroes-honoured/
