Below are some projects I’m working on at the moment, or you can browse the categories to check out various videos and other art projects I’ve been involved in over the years.
I had to do a storyboard in photographs for my film school application recently. We were given three topics to choose from, I chose to do it about the topic “x-ray”. I reworked some characters from an idea Jennie Herbertson and I were working on together sometime ago, after being inspired on a windy holiday on the east coast of Tasmania. I asked my muse, Paul Bourke (of Paul Bourke and the Broken Heart) to be in the photos, even before I knew what the story was. He’s my muse I’ve decided, so that’s how it works :{)
Here’s the story in a slideshow for your viewing pleasure:
A bunch of my lovely friends helped out on the shoot, both in it and out of it. Much love going out to them! And the location was provided by the kindly hosts at Forepaw, much adored venue of shitcore Tasmanian bands and art and things u don’t get to see much other places, sadly closing it’s doors soon!
OK, so I’m not actually sure what my website is yet… is it just a showreel, or is it a blog? Well today i feel like blogging so here goes.
I’m doing some research for my film school application today, and happened upon “Bone Records”. How cool is this: some young rebellious rock n roll types in the late 1950s in the Soviet Union wanted to start pressing illegal bootleg records of rock n roll that was seeping into the USSR despite a ban on this booty-shakin, and potentially state-shakin, music by the Kremlin. Not having other materials available to them, they started recycling old medical x-rays - scratching the grooves into x-rays of peoples broken bones and ailing lungs, and distributing them via underground networks. The discs sure do look sweet:
Apparently some of these unfortunate music fans were subsequently arrested and spent years in the Gulag for their crimes. Other daredevil activities that young folk engaged in for the sake of music, truly embracing the spirit of defiance inherent in rock n roll, included ripping off public telephone boxes and using the parts to construct makeshift pickups for electric guitars.
Check out the info, some more pix and comments over here
This thread reminds me of many of the themes we were examining in “Electric Dreams”, and of some of the footage I saw of state-sponsored rock’n'roll manufactured by the socialist governments of Eastern Europe in the 70s to try to co-opt this phenomenon for their own propagandistic purposes, ala Christian rock (though much more entertaining I thought). I’ll have to get hold of some of the documentaries that are mentioned here, I’m still fascinated with the cultural battles of the Cold War. Meantime I should write up some more about the Electric Dreams show…
I was in Newcastle recently for Climate Camp Australia 2008. It was an inspiring few days of workshops, info sessions, movement building skillsharing stuff and actions to stop coal trains from running to Port Waratah all day, in one of Australia’s biggest displays of direct action against exports from the world’s biggest coal port, one of Australia’s biggest contributions to destructive climate change.
It was also a convergence for some young folk who were covering the event independent media style. I was helping out organising the media space and doing a spot of filming/editing too.
Check out this video on EngageMedia of activists locked on to the coal trains on Sunday 13th July:
You can find more coverage of the camp and associated actions here on EngageMedia.
Ok, so here’s a recording of a song from our new band Suzanne Grae and the Katies first rehearsal with me n Killer n Lou, in Ogg Vorbis format. “Get your cake out before we make out”. Pertinent advice to those who are keen to bake while they’re on the make, but don’t want to burn their baked goods while gettin down to it.
Get the Cake Out (Undercover Butch) in ogg vorbis format
Update July: as listeners have pointed out, the Cake Out track contains a superlative performance by Katie G (killer) on the saxophone:
In her solo for Suzanne Grae and the Katies song “Get the Cake Out”, Katie G “breathes new life into the modern saxophone”.
Update August: we wrote a new song tonight here it is:
kiss jesus in mp3 format
Update October: Texta and I wrote a song at the YOU/METAL zine launch at the obelisk in Newcastle at midnight, at the This Is Not Art festival. Here it is for yr download pleasure:
obelisk song in mp3 format
Update October again: We rehearsed today with our drummer, Alex. Here’s the recording (mainly for our benefit):
Cake Out (drums) in mp3 format
We’re also covering cult shitcore band from the 60s The Shaggs’ “Philosophy of The World”, which is proving a real challenge to actually work that shit out given their singularly unmusical compositions.
We just got the photos back from our shoot with Hunter. They turned out! Here is Hunter studiously reading Ned in his impromptu bush schoolroom.
Now we just need to work out which shots to use, and place the text around it. Jennie will be making and hand-binding the books with Marta in the next couple of months.