Dear Flos
The exhibition looks really slick and visit-worthy … congrats!
A few positive comments always helps – some people find this kind of conceptual installation kind of art very difficult because it requires levels of thought – it’s always much easier to view a series of chocolate box type pictures than a display that requires something from the viewer … methinks you done good.
Keep well and creative
Love X (Anthony)
Related website: Game of life…
On Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 2:32 PM, Bree Fuller wrote:
Hi Flossie,
Sorry, we haven’t forgot about you! I should have been in contact earlier to tell you that the story was held over (it’s actually planned to go in this Saturday’s newspaper). My apologies for not letting you know sooner.
All the best (I hope the shows are going well so far),
Bree, Mercury Newspapers, Wollongong, NSW
Many thanks, Bree. I look forward to this. Yes, BED, BREAKFAST & BELIEF had a great Opening in Maryborough and the BBBBlogit is working out so well! It has had plenty of hits! Makes it feel like I am there chatting to the viewers – though my work is challenging to ‘read’ at the best times. The invitations for the Wangaratta Opening are going in the post next week. I will be doing an artist’s talk there too. Should be fun.
Cheers,
Flossie
Jane Meegen of Adelaide wrote in the Maryborough guest book:
‘It made me think about our houses and what makes them a home’
Flossie replied…That is a super comment! Indeed, houses are different from homes. We can not control where we live sometimes but we can always impact how we live. Just what I was waiting to hear! Makes all the effort to make art worthwhile.
On Sat, Mar 6, 2010 at 3:09 PM, Central Goldfields Art Gallery wrote:
Flossie, please explain the concepts behind the work Holy Safety Net as then I can explain to any visitors that peer through the net and may be wondering also. Is there perhaps a direct reference to lost sheep within your own community, or is this too literal an interpretation?
Cheers Jill
Hi Jill,
Lost sheep? That is a great idea. I haven’t thought of that…I like it. It works…as if to keep people together at all costs, like catching escaping animals.
Safety Net was crafted by an artist living in England who had made it a few years ago during her residency at ANU, Canberra. It alluded to the many safety barriers around council road works she observed. It hung outside for a few years and needed to be removed so I got it, washed it and it virtually fell to pieces. It was so sun and weather stuck! Later given the artist Sophie Horton’s permission, I established it in a new role…
Here as it covers a nearly extinct occurrence ‘family at breakfast’. I thought of the net as our trying to ‘recover’ this lost culturally important art…but our net has holes, literally seen in this net. Holy has a double meaning referring also to transferring beliefs. Nothing can compete with the intruding culture of mobile phones, the web and the old standby…television – which all invade mealtimes and our conversations.
See Sophie Horton for some interesting sculptures and installations.
I finished my latest art installation. I partially recycled my ‘used installation’ ALL FIRED UP’ as the base and worked a new level of interest and meaning. This piece prompting many levels of interpretation, was mostly inspired by the story told by one of my friends about how her father miraculously survived last year’s Victorian bushfires – loosing everything but his life and grateful for even that – then, returning to where his home had stood retrieved the buried ashes of his long ago deceased wife. It’s a story containing irony, pathos his special humor. Look at the images. I documented the package ready to travel the AGNSW. Surprisingly, it looks to me like a body bag itself! Perhaps it has more chance of being exhibited at the AGNSW – left wrapped! It would befit my current artistic sentiment, too.
Today I went a talk at the Wollongong City Gallery by Dr Dougal Philips representing the 17th Biennale of Sydney. I am here for this year’s plethora of international and Australian art at 12 locations in the Sydney CBD. Amazing! It will be like Germany’s ‘Documenta 12’ which I attended. Perhaps I will do performance here too. Speaking of which…there seems to be a lot of performance as part of the art offerings this year – a resurge, no doubt. Good fodder for my article for Art Monthly which I should be researching now.
One of the artists, Marcus Coates, is described as a ‘Radio Shaman’. His performance includes wearing the actual real ‘head’ of a dead animal and striking up conversation to consider human response to the animal’s situation. He finds this leads into attitudes people are otherwise out of ouch with….
This gives me a performance idea using my dog’s recent experience….might have to think about it but I am not saying here…
I visited an exhibition called Women’s Work at Project: Wollongong’s Contemporary Artspace. It represented the work of numerous local women artists publicized by Sue Bessell. I liked the double meaning suggested by the title. Interestingly, the ‘domestic domain’ was omitted almost entirely. I would be the last person to expect women have the corner on this topic but neither do many women get away without some sort of response to this important ‘internal area’ – especially women artists! I certainly struggle with being and artist and being a homemaker. Am I alone in this?
Libby Bloxham set a very high standard with her intuitive recycled sculptures
I have the idea to write a few sentences on each of the 14 handcrafted aprons in HANDMADE. They were crafted by keen and skilled friends who have skills which I lack. The Aprons highlight the importance of often traditionally ‘women’s work’. These skills often are downplayed as time-fillers or home craft and not valued for the beauty and creativity they express.
By the Way, Whoever thought that aprons are not ‘NOW’. Look at this website…
Hello Flossie,
Anon ‘ Clever, but not my style of art. Lovely visually.’ 26/2
Cheers Jill
Hi Jill,
Though there is good with bad in many of these comments, it is already getting rather depressing for me, as you can imagine. It is possible for you to also think of and send a few ‘inquiring questions’ that I can get my teeth into? For example, ‘Could you please tell me how you came to the idea behind Holy Safety Net?’ There is so much more to art than what a person likes or dislikes. Many artists explore meaningful topics…like spirituality…in a wide range of styles. Can we talk about the essence of the work, instead of effects? See John Garrett Book Publisher’s ‘Soul Journey’.
I do appreciate your input and I know this is not really your responsibility but I had wanted the Blog to extend the exhibition discussion, not to give space generally to critical, that is good or bad, comments – especially ‘anonymous’ ones (see one of my previous BBBBlogs). I already know that many will find this work challenging. These views should not be reinforced on the Blog unless the authors want to learn something more from the work. I wish to move beyond first impressions for those who are interested.
Many thanks for your help in all of this,
Flossie
Someone told me they were asked point blank, ‘What do you want to happen after you die?’ It was not their minister, or a friend who inquired so personally, but their Financial Advisor! Makes sense, of course, but why do the rest of us shy away from discussing questions like these – even with our closest friends or parents for that matter?
Gives room for consideration…
Hello Flossie,
We have one comment for you from one of our volunteers who made the comment that the exhibitor was
‘…..quite good as it relates to family & life, the ordinary living people.’
Kay noted that one person spent at least a half an hour looking at the exhibition while another basically walked in and walked out.
Cheers Jill
