first pick of the festival

The launch of the 2010 Perth International Arts Festival Program was celebrated at the Perth Concert Hall with a full-house.

Attendance at the Program launch is a must. From receiving the festival brochure in the morning post, poring over the offerings, attempting to set a budget, confirming and adding more choices during the launch, to meeting up with friends and colleagues that we may not have seen since the last festival.

Our first picks from the brochure were:

• Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes
• The Walworth Farce, Druid Ireland
• Etiquette, Rotozaza
• Good Morning Mr Gershwin, Compagnie Montalvo-Hervieu
• Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
• Sing the Truth: The Music of Nina Simone

After attending the launch celebrations, we would like to add:

• Lotterywest Festival Celebration with La Fura Dels Baus
• The Society, Jo Strømgren Kompani
• Six Characters in Search of an Author, Headlong Theatre
• 66A Church Road, Daniel Kitson
• Man of Aran, British Sea Power
• 13 Most Beautiful … Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests, Dean & Britta
• Les Sept Planches de la Ruse, Compagnie 111 and Scenes de la Terre
• Children’s Choice Awards, Mammalian Diving Reflex
• Amadou & Miriam

Added to that are the Festival Films, Perth Writers Festival, and Visual Arts.

Phew! Now just have to get the money out and book.

The queues were long at the program launch, so having read that we could book online we enjoyed the refreshments and mingled.

I was unsuccessful at booking online as I hoped I persevered and attempted to work around issues as they arose, but finally hit the Contact Us button to view a HTTP Error 500 – Internal server error. Because friends said that we would not be able to choose our seats, I gave up with H promising that he would go into town to get them first thing in the morning.

inside out

Aesthetic Crossovers in Art and Science (VISA2214) allowed me to explore not only the art and science crossovers in the life sciences, but introduced me to a new way of seeing and interpretation by artists and scientists.

One of the assignments was to produce a prototype. As I was still considering the question ‘what is art?’ it took some time to decide on an approach that I perceived as suitable to complete the work. However, the prototype gave me an excuse to review the histology slides from my Medical Technology degree which was an added bonus.

From the many slides, I selected two views and prepared some digital images.

I did not wish to create a temporary piece, so settled on making a paper mache object. My idea was formed from remembering that a long time ago, anatomical models were made from paper mache.

During the lectures and tutorial sessions I learnt that ‘things’ can be be classified into non-human animals and human animals. I decided to create a cat as I thought I could observe my own pets and use the photographs to realise the 3D object. Also, I liked the idea that I was superimposing human animal cells on a non-human animal.

Having not made paper mache before, I found some resources on the internet to provide some guidance. I found the initial making of the shape or form somewhat frustrating, but the layering of the paper mache over some weeks was time pleasantly spent. Time really did slip by as I got absorbed in the project.

Green Cat (liver cells stained with naphol green)

Red Cat (lung cells stained with H & E)

The final part of the assignment was to give a presentation. I took my prototypes in our cat cage covered in cloth. It was quite fun to see my classmates looking into the cage to see if my biological art was alive. My presentation probably does not stand alone, but it is included here as part of the documentation for my project.

Green Cat and Red Cat are not yet completed. I have been asked to consider giving them a face. I’m still thinking on this.

see three more

It’s pretty dangerous having a BOCs outlet at uni. Got three more tickets today:

• Art & Today, Eleanor Heartney
• House of the Holy Afro
• Brad Mehldau Trio

Still got to get the Festival Films tickets.

the festival has started

The 2009 Perth International Arts Festival programme launch on Wednesday marks the beginning of the festival for me. Not only do we get to experience a glimpse of the festival, but the excitement of the events and activities to come is shared with some enthusiasm.

Throughout the evening, I found myself talking to complete strangers about the festival. Topics included: Welcome To Country, amazing didgeridoo playing, insights into the programme, presentations, and of course what tickets were you going to buy? Like the programme launch last year, BOCs set up terminals so that Friends of the Festival could purchase tickets then and there.

The formal part of the evening was held in the Octagon Theatre and the programme launch party was held in the Somerville Auditorium which was in a huge marquee surrounded by vintage cars, dance floor (with dancers), and live music. Food and wine were plentiful, but because the weather was cold and wet, those that wanted elbow room headed for the perimeter. The waitpersons all wore wigs to suit the theme, so they were easy to spot, but they too experienced difficulty making their way through the crowd.

We received our programme in the mail on the day, so it was already earmarked to take along to the programme launch. I got tickets for all that we planned, but I may get some more having seen the presentations.

Tickets so far:

• The Little Match Girl Passion, Paul Hillier’s Theatre of Voices
• Mixed Bill, Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève
• A Secret in the Shape of a Song, The Triffids and Friends
• Samuel Beckett: Fragments, Le C.I.C.T. / Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord
• The Life You Can Save (Perth Writers Festival Opening Address), Peter Singer
• The War of the Roses, Sydney Theatre Company with Cate Blanchett and Robert Menzies

Festival Films are on from 1 December, so still plenty of time to get our ticket pack to start the season.

on the nose

The last couple of nights we have been to Cinema In A Cave to see the winning entries from the 2008 Sexy International Film Festival, albeit we did not stay for the fourth session.

The last couple of nights cinema viewing has got me thinking as to ‘what is sexy’? Just as I am continuing to ask myself ‘what is art?’ with regard to the living or biological art that is being revealed to me in the Aesthetic Crossovers of Art and Science unit.

We have been to Cinema In A Cave a few times now, and the films are of mixed quality, but there is always something that we will continue to talk/discuss/argue about. This to me is the sign that a film is worth seeing. Whether it is the cinemaography, sound, music, acting, genre, story, transitions, or just a film that gets you thinking.

From the 2008 Sexy International Film Festival, the most memorable (so far) are ‘Between The Sheets’. ‘Channeling’, ‘Je te Love’, ‘From Here to Maternity’, and ‘Corroboree’. However, the same films are not being shown on tour.

Jason Turley, Melbourne filmmaker and curator of the Sexy International Film Festival is now taking the festival to London, Paris, New York and San Francisco. So watch out for it if it is coming your way.

March reads

Read four of Mam’s beach novels and The Turning which I got in time for the play (adaption), but only cursorily looked at prior to the performance.

I tried to finish the beach novels before they were required for second-hand bookshops somewhere between Perth and Naxos. The were all quick reads, some more memorable than others.

• Death in Holy Orders by PD James is a Commander Adam Dalgliesh tale set in an theological college on the East Anglian coast. A student is murdered and the ongoing investigation is helped and heeded by the isolated close-knit community.
• Not in the Flesh by Ruth Rendell was an intriguing story about the investigation led by Chief Inspector Wexford when a body is found wrapped in a purple cotton sheet. I thought the novel was going to be a straight forward whodunit, but there was bit more to it than that.
• Piece of My Heart by Peter Robinson was a little more plodding, but the scene of the crime – a rock festival, made it a little more interesting. The threads connecting the present day to aging rock stars is a little tenous though.
• Exit Music by Ian Rankin is DI John Rebus’s last case in the force. A bit of winding up occurs, as Rebus attempts to pass on/fob off his unsolved cases and business to colleague DS Siobhan Clarke. Some of the jobs are not resolved as one would like.
• The Turning by Tim Winton I got from The Book Depository which seems all wrong since Winton is a Western Australian author. But it was just too easy and the price was right. I don’t know why books have to cost so much in Australia in comparison to the UK or USA. Anyway, The Turning read and on the bookshelf means that I have all Tim Winton’s books, so far. Having finished it, I wish I had more to read. The book follows three generations of a family, and each chapter/short story is sort of complete, but sort of keeps you hanging. A certain amount of cringe material and rawness as the place and some periods felt familiar to me.

I thought that uni would slow up my reading, which it did in a way but only from a time point of view. I was just too tired at the end of the day from reading scholarly papers to read some more for entertainment. However, I did find that non-fiction was good for a few hours escape.

read it in the Sunday papers

Deep Water [1] is a docu-drama about The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, a non-stop, single-handed, round-the-world yacht race run in 1968. The race started one year after the first person had successfully circumnavigated the world with only one-stop in Sydney, Australia.

Fortunately, I only read a little on Wikipedia prior to seeing the film. Otherwise, I may not have been gripped by the tension built up in the documentary. The reason I sought information about the film, is that I wanted to determine that it wasn’t going to be a yatchys’ drama of all things gone wrong with the boat, and hence why they retired from or did not win the race.

When I initially searched for information on the film I ended up quickly scanning the Wikipedia page on Donald Crowhurst [2]. Without taking in much detail, I was satisfied that the film was more about the achievement, tragedy, and psychology of the entrants.

It is difficult to review the film or provide a synopsis without providing spoilers, particularly if you don’t know about the race at all. But I think there is more than enough to keep you on the edge of your seat and to keep you pondering the film for a few days after viewing.

Nine entrants set out in the race [3] to be the first for the Golden Globe trophy and £5,000 cash for the fastest. Only one finishes. The film is mainly about two of the entrants, Donald Crowhurst and Bernard Moitessier. The film is a documentary consisting of original material from the entrants in the form of logs, newspaper articles, audio, stills and video, and interviews with the entrant that finished, family, and others. Very little is recreated for the film, which if it was not a true story could have been described as a psychological thriller or adventure.

The construct of the film was to compare the inexperienced weekend sailor in Donald Crowhurst with that of the weathered and salty philosophy of Bernard Moitessier. The film was advertised as 92 minutes, and having seen many films over two hours at the Perth International Arts Festival, I think I would have liked to see more about the other entrants in the race. Other than that, I think it is a film worth seeing.

[1] Deep Water, official movie site includes production notes and trailer
[2] Donald Crowhurst , Wikipedia
[3] The Golden Globe Race, Boats.com

Friday good

For the first time in years, we have found something to do on the Friday that is part of the Easter public holidays. Usually, everything is closed, dead – nothing happening.

Apart from the relative quiet which is nice because most people have pissed off south or north for the four day holiday, nothing happens in Perth.

Between our picnic and viewing the Perth International Arts Festival films we walked around the UWA grounds and saw a poster for The York Crucifixion, a production by the Happy Dagger Theatre.

I wanted to go just because the poster indicated that bad things would happen to Barbie (TM).

The play was excellent. It was a very hot evening, and while we could fan ourselves with the programme, I felt for the players who in their theatrical costumes were leaving marks of perspiration as they touched the floor.

One of the 14th to 16th Century York Mystery cycle, the play involved five bouffons and their cart which transformed into various pieces of the set. Switching between old style and contemporary text and styles, the play was challenging to both the players and the audience. But I think they wooed the audience – definitely a hit. If anything, got you thinking beyond chocolate bunnies, boiled eggs, and when the pubs were open. It was thoughtful in part, and hilarious in others.

I’m not sure what all the fuss was about considering that at least two women have undergone physical examinations to make sure they are fit for crucifixion. It is a real shame that it was not better attended.

The only difficulty I had with the play is that bad things didn’t happen to Barbie (TM).

The next production is Cyrano de Bergerac, and I would definitely look out for it. The Happy Dagger Theatre company are excellent.

the metropolis

The inaugural lecture by Mark Bould, University of the West of England on The Very Modern World of Fritz Lang (PDF) forms part of the inaugural Institute of Advanced Studies Lecture Series.

We went along as the Metropolis was screening after the lecture. We had seen an earlier version (1984) with music by Giorgio Moroder and were intrigued to see a restored longer version.

The lecture was very interesting, and although I am not familiar with the subject and terminology, I enjoyed the presentation immensely. Bould began his presentation with explaining the Frankfurt School, briefly covered Fritz Lang’s earlier work, then focussed on Fritz Lang’s career in America. The presentation included video and stills from Lang’s films to demonstrate the various film techniques and methods, and quotes from the works of Theodor Adorno for comparison and contrast. Fritz Lang was referred to as a member of the “pulp wing of the Frankfurt School”.

The Metropolis was played from a DVD, but I’m not sure what version it was that we saw. At two hours, it certainly was longer than the 1984 version, and I’m pretty sure I saw 2004 alongside the music credit at the beginning.

One scene that I liked was when the camera focussed on the newly completed robot. The robot’s eyelids closing unevenly as if ’she’ was waking up. They looked very odd, not winking but sultry.

It was good to see a more complete story, and I must admit without Mark Bould’s lecture prior to viewing the film, it could have been less interesting. Although I have read that film buffs were divided on the rock-and-roll soundtrack that accompanied the 1984 version, if my memory is correct, I enjoyed that version more because of the pumping of the music with the machines of the metropolis. But then again, it maybe that I was influenced by the music at that time as I definitely remember Queen and Adam Ant were featured in Giorgio Moroder’s soundtrack. It may be good to see the 1984 version again for a better or near comparison.

simple answer

First day at uni, then off to Limited Edition.

H got to place his first red spot, on a piece entitled ‘Snaked’ (Acrylic on canvas).

I’m not so keen on the frame, but I like the painting because it could be a photograph, textile, or a painting. You have to look up close, and then away, to see what you want to see.

Our next door neighbour kindly collected the piece for us when the exhibition closed the following week. That’s the one annoying thing about art exhibitions. You don’t usually get to walk out with your purchase.

I didn’t realise how difficult it would be to take a photograph of a picture. But here it is out of square, fingerprints and all.

The speeches could have turned the art exhibition into a second wake, but fortunately we were told not to ask how a painting was named or what was the inspiration – as no one alive knows. This made everyone laugh and the tension leaving the room was palpable. Sue went on to say that she thought that Nigel may have enjoyed peoples’ discomfort as they themselves attempted to interpret his paintings. I must admit I enjoy exhibitions more when I can experience it for myself rather than being told.