Jenny's Sculpture

Here Comes the Bride

2011-12-14T19:31:00.000+11:00

enter the bridal party

Fittingly the baby that skied the 1980 Australian Birkebeiner in utero, got married on Howqua saddle on December 10th.

The bridal party was led by dad Peter and sister Kiri. Jasmine rode her trusty mountain bike.

The wedding ceremony was witnessed by family and friends - four generations from two of the couple's grandmothers to the groom's young niece. There were a lot of friends - and everyone had a part to play. Including the weather deities who held off the rain and in the end shone sunshine on the newly weds.

Many present came on mountain bikes, and I'm told the trails at Mounts Buller and Stirling did not disappoint.

Everyone had a part to play.

And the two grandmothers witnessed the vows and the signing of the documents.

And then off to cycle the mountain - there's no holding these two back.....

except of course for a reception at the Chalet where Sven's mother Merilyn had produced a mountaineering cake.

So long life and happiness to the bride and groom!

Jasmine and Sven Howorth on their wedding day

Growth

2011-08-04T08:14:00.002+10:00

All animal populations are capable of exponential growth. It helps recolonize after catastrophes. But the populations that do experience exponential growth will sooner or later run up against their Malthusian limits - and crash. Those limits would be - running out of resources such as food or water, being overwhelmed by their waste products or being so crowded they can't find their way around and being subject to contagious disease. Think of the pitiful images of pelicans dying at Lake Eyre when the boom times are over. It's a miserable situation for those individuals.

But the individuals in populations that are in balance with their environment are, on the whole, pretty healthy looking. The potential for exponential growth is held in check by predation (of herbivores) and by competition for resources, territory or mates - not only achieving a stable population but improving the survival characteristics of the species in the environment.

Humans have pushed the natural population controls - we have no serious predators, we have made technological advances - agriculture, industrialisation and communications technology - and we grow - exponentially.

Poverty around the world is taking on Malthusian grimness - individuals are suffering but the population is still increasing. The idea that technology can reduce our per capita need for resources in order to have a good life has its limits. This is a possibility for stable populations - not growing ones.
And miserable poverty is contrasted with extreme wealth. How can this be good for the species? Does wealth need poverty in order to exist? Is this a zero sum game that relies on a "feedstock" of misery?

Our capacity to control our population need not be horrible - we achieve more benefit from compassion and cooperation than we do from war and murder. Contraception is better for parents and children than infanticide, starvation, contagion or abortion. As has been pointed out - people will be OK with small families if they have the luxury of being able to love the children that they have - because they know they will not only survive but have the chance to flourish.

And what constitutes "improvement" in the human species? I would suggest

Our capacity to live together in harmony and develop the talents of every member of the community - respect for diversity, creative rather than destructive outlets for aggression

Our capacity to respect, learn from and live with and within our environment

Improved mental and physical health of every member of the community

A cultural life that enhances the capacity for aesthetic pleasure, and spiritual growth

Now I'll go and think about the carbon footprint of my sculpture practice.

I just don't get it....

2011-07-08T15:24:00.000+10:00

There's an article in Gizmag about a Concentrating Solar Thermal power station achieving 24 hour power supply. A lot of angst is expended on finding ways to ensure that renewable forms of energy can deliver base load power.
And I note a number of respected economists talking about demand side modification trying to reduce peak demand - presumably to boost off peak demand and even out the load on power generation.
Time was that nature's supply cycle induced rest in us - when the sun went down we socialised by the fire for a bit and then went to sleep.
Just because machines can work 24/7 to pay off capital investment doesn't mean that we must. Just because coal fired power stations take a long time to crank up and are better at providing constant power than variable supply (resulting from variable levels of activity) doesn't mean that this is the only way to run our civilization. I'm quite happy to sleep at night and be glad that my refrigerator and the hospital can run all night without me. Base load could be reduced dramatically if we didn't treat people like machines. Peak load can be handled a lot better by the various renewables and a smart grid - in the end you don't need to generate so much power if you only generate it when you really need it - a bit like my microwave oven - a short sharp burst that only does the job I want and doesn't waste anything actually reduces my electricity bill.
What would Australia's power needs look like if we produced and priced electricity according to the capacity of a renewables grid and the realities of the way people really work, play and run their culture? How much of our "always on" culture is because we want it and how much is it machine induced insomnia?
People like to party all night occasionally - fine - but take on the full cost and don't do it too often. It's more fun if it's a rarity done for fun rather than a compulsive whirl of events where you can never relax.
I don't get it... base load ... peak load.... what's driving all this? People or machines? If people know what is available they'll tailor their culture to get the most out of it. So stop worrying and learn to love...... well, they are smarter than that, right?

The grand unified theory of economics.....

2011-05-16T21:33:00.000+10:00

The grand unified theory of economics..... well at least I've been thinking.....

Why is western economics so aggressive? Why in Tom Lehrer's words does everyone hate the Jews?

The history of the Western banking system goes something like:

the Law of Moses forbids usury - so Jews, Christians and Muslims didn't practice it amongst their own people. But where there is a law someone will find a loophole..... so lending money for interest was possible between people of different religions.... and became an option because Jews in Europe were forbidden to carry on other forms of business. So a banking system evolved that was independent of both the dominant Church and State. And borrowing for investment became the norm. And money became an object in itself rather than merely representing the goods and services that could be traded for it. So far as I can see a huge amount of social evil can arise from these things: boom/bust cycles and investment bubbles, dangerously deregulated markets and the need for endless growth.

Growth is a two edged sword – it's brought us really cool stuff – including hospitals and railways and clean water and mobile phones and the Internet.... and International travel and yummy foreign cuisine. But on a finite planet you can't maintain population growth and material-consumption-per-capita growth indefinitely. So is it growth we are after or evolution? Evolution allows for altruism, ethics, culture and non material trade and consumption.

How can we break the growth dependency? How do we stop Western economics being so predatory?

I think there's two things we can do that can trigger a paradigm shift towards social and economic evolution:

borrowing and lending interest rates should be set at the inflation rate – so if you are saving for something then your money doesn't lose while you are accumulating – if you borrow you don't end up owing more than you own unless things go really pear shaped.
The value of shares in enterprise should be set by a quarterly audit so that we don't have this testosterone fuelled auction mentality driving trading to ridiculous levels.

Can you imagine the pain if we actually implemented this? The end of the profitable banking system as we know it, the calming of the stock exchange to a mill pond of tranquillity.... and you couldn't pay tax on interest then – it's only keeping pace of the real value of goods and services. It needs a paradigm shift to make it work. Would we try it?? My mum said communism, like Christianity may be a pretty good system – we don't know because neither of them have been tried.

But if we want evolution rather than uncontrollable growth then it's worth thinking about how to achieve it and how we value it.

Trip to Qdos

2011-04-25T18:23:00.001+10:00

a duck swimming in the reflections

Qdos in Lorne is my idea of the best sculpture gallery in the state - so if Graeme is ok to put one of my pieces there I am soooo happy. And it is a beautiful place to visit. It's pretty civilised travelling by train and bus to Lorne - no troubles on the road and it would be pretty tiring driving there and back in a day. And the walk to the gallery wasn't that bad with a small sculpture in my bag.

Unto Us - Manchurian pear wood, 2010

So now "Unto Us" is gracing Qdos gallery. And I had a great day wandering in the sculpture garden and sitting by the dam, and then walking by the sea with my youngest... life is good.

Article in The Age

2011-04-25T07:53:00.000+10:00

looking at this
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/democracy-is-blocking-intelligence-20110420-1dos3.html
I wonder if it's representative democracy that is the problem. When we vote on issues they have to be analysed and considered - when we vote for representatives we get professional politicians whose only aim is to stay in power - so we all lose track of doing what is considered right...... I like the bit about the pursuit of happiness - seek not and ye shall happen upon :-)

"Mahayana" Sustainability?

2011-03-13T22:24:00.002+11:00

My environmental footprint is that of the thousands of people who contribute to me being where I am.... no matter how "green" I am, what my community is and does is the measure of what is done to the world in order for me to live.
So it is better to do something as a community than to do it for myself.
Trade - even globalisation - has a part to play in the building of the new world because what we do for each other and how we do it counts so much in the measure of a full life.

Asking Questions: Self Sufficiency vs Sustainability

2011-03-12T22:00:00.000+11:00

Sometimes we ask questions to find out how people think about things - the answers are enlightening and there is no absolute right one:

I remember "Where is cyberspace?" - the best answer to me was "I dunno - where's Heaven?"

So this week's question is "What is the difference between self-sufficiency and sustainability?" The best answer so far: "One is looking inwards, the other outwards" All about think globally and act locally......

Everywhere people seem to be disillusioned with the political process that they have inherited. A process where possession is nine tenths of the law, where the loudest voice carries the day and where abuse is preferred to reasoned discussion. The process seems to be about looking inward and taking care of one's own carefully constructed bailiwick rather than the environmental and cultural foundations on which our house is built.

Why would a person spend so much putting photovoltaic panels on their own roof and not invest in community infrastructure that will save that amount of energy or produce that much renewable energy? How much more bang for our buck when we pool our resources - not only our financial resources, but intellectual and emotional, our capacity to imagine the way things might work indeed would work if we not only work together but can trust each other.

The Role of Art

2011-02-24T08:58:00.002+11:00

I've been reading Ian Lowe's A Voice of Reason. I got to the bit about the role of art in societal change - the questions bubble over - do we lead or follow? Give space to reflect or inspire to action? Is that so much wishful thinking or is it the reason that art of an overthrown regime is despised and destroyed? Following that - is vandalism of publicly accessible art an outright expression of alienation?

I remember talking to some school children - they were at the age when they are at their brightest and most inquiring: just before puberty hits and intellect takes a long ride in the back seat. I pointed out that we choose our purchases according to their "coolness" rather than optimal function - an iPod may not be the best functioning MP3 player but no cool kid would be seen with anything else - that we recognise the previous year's model by the line and shape and choose the latest. This is even though most of us couldn't say why the curve or the crisp line looks sooo well - 2007. The process of industrial design is on the cusp of form following function or form describing function or form enabling function or perhaps form camouflaging function and good old brand recognition. It certainly helps to sell stuff and can make or break a product. And sculpture is the precursor skill to defining those forms.

I discussed with the children the sculptures telling their story in form and giving clues with their titles (or lack of title).

Yes I build things to communicate ideas that are best conveyed with form - sometimes because they are funny, sometimes frightening, maybe beautiful or sometimes just because I can. Do I do this in a certain way because my perceptions and skills are part of the big matrix of right here, right now?

And what earthly use is it to make stuff that needs dusting or sits in the garden and provides a framework for spiders to spin their webs from? Why do people want it? And I guess that is where the answer lies - we exercise our capacity for empathy when we look at art and imagine: when we sense the changing light and shade that alters form and perception and takes us out of the narrow focus of getting from one minute to the next. A little bit like practising love.

Insurance

2011-02-20T12:33:00.001+11:00

I notice in the news online that there is a move to have states take out disaster insurance http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/20/3143554.htm?section=justin. That should be an interesting exercise. I thought the state stepped in and indemnified when it came to the uninsurable - your taxes at work as the ultimate insurance. Still I don't have a problem with letting the cold hard actuarial facts drive some management decisions in the state: it was the Fire Underwriters Board who invented and funded the Fire Brigades. It's cheaper to fight fires than have them go to conflagrations and take out all the insured property at once. And I suspect that insurance companies didn't wait for the ultimate proof of the link between smoking and lung cancer - the risk of going broke makes a company wondrously aware of reasonable cause and effect and the balance of risk. So I suspect that the insurers are going to force whole countries to take steps on sustainability on the basis of scientific reason and the bottom line rather than wait to be absolutely 100% certain of the mechanism that is driving this uncontrolled experiment with climate.

All the rain for February...

2011-02-04T20:41:00.000+11:00

The forecast said we'd get all the rain for February in one go.... now I believe them. I wonder what we'll have when the La Nina has finished?

At Herring Island

2011-01-24T22:04:00.004+11:00

"Frankly, My Dear" from the back

Well at last the work was finished and taken to Herring island. It was a bit hilarious setting up in the rain - there was a wiping brigade to dry the work before it was placed in the gallery - then the weather cheered up and the opening was fine and sunny. The people in Queensland haven't been so lucky - and luck it is - we have no way of knowing if the rain will fall on Melbourne's catchments next.

Well I polished the work and polished the words to go with her - this time the woman is handing out the famous line. But we all know it's a construct and nothing is ever that easy:

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"

So I wrote:

"Frankly, My Dear"
As Rhett Butler's famous words mark the denouement of his obsession with Scarlett O'Hara and the Southern Belle, so "Gone with the Wind" describes the end of that era of flawed beauty built on slavery. I wonder what images will be created, in fifty or a hundred years time, to reflect on the end of this era of extravagance built on the myth of cheap, plentiful oil.

John waiting for the punt at Herring Island

My dad came and visited the show - we had a good discussion about the support work for the figure - a difference of opinion or interpretation? - all good. And am I lucky to have parents who can disagree with me on the intellectual and artistic level? Most definitely yes.

New Year's Rant

2011-01-01T08:57:00.000+11:00

Instead of making New Year's resolutions that I won't keep, I'm telling the world of humans a few of my home truths - knowing that no one is listening - right!

I reckon so called free trade agreements should be negotiated in an international court of law with independent arbitration. There is too much power/economic imbalance and most of what I understand of these agreements is that they look remarkably like protection rackets operated by stand over merchants. Even if it's just an appearance this needs to be amended.

Barnevelder chicks settling into their new home

The priority of all nations is first to have people involved in communal activity for mutual benefit - we call it "work" - but I think the concept needs to encompass what we do within our families - growing vegetables and raising children as well as the voluntary work that holds the community together - the running of sporting clubs, the scouts, the choral societies.... there used to be enough spare capacity in society for these things to be well run - now it isn't just the climate of litigation that is killing these groups but the emphasis on productivity and efficiency (and consumption) that has taken away our initiative and our spare time - after all that, then add in the economic "keeping the wheels of industry turning". Trade is a communal activity whether it's between individuals or nations: there is not only the benefit of the exchange of goods and services but the cultural interaction that permits trade to happen. If people believe that there is exploitation by one side or the other the cultural "infrastructure" is damaged and the exchange is flawed.

work in progress

Then the next thing I want to fix on this little rant is the "war on drugs" - what did the drugs ever do to deserve this effort? We have a medical problem - it needs to be sorted out and the victims given back their lives. Why not address it in the same manners that eliminated small pox or reduced the black death to a mythological memory? What is a war but boys playing with their sparklers and causing a lot of death and destruction? We can do better than that.

Now it's time to go back to the studio and get on with the work - the piece for the Herring Island exhibition is slowly taking shape - the thoughts materialising in the form. Sometimes I get lost in the process - sometimes I watch myself working - sometimes I use the more mechanical aspects to have some thinking time.

Saxon's 90th birthday party

2010-11-28T18:45:00.000+11:00

Saxon Brooke - a remarkable lady

the flowers

Well Sven went overseas but life in Australia goes on - today we travelled to Forrest and collected Jasmine from competition in the 24 hour mountain bike race and took her to Sven's grandmother's 90th birthday party. And an amazing affair it was too - 90 year olds are getting pretty young these days. And we enjoyed the stories and the laughter. The official pictures will go into the album - but for the record the photographer balanced on the fence to get the group shot.

you have to be an athlete to get a group photograph at a 90th

not bad after three hours sleep and a muddy mountain bike ride

David and Jasmine in deep discussion

We heard some great stories and toasted the birthday girl in style.

She's home

2010-04-22T12:11:00.000+10:00

The kiln returns! This is a great moment! Thank you everyone who made this possible. And now to work... well there are lots of things to do - but I'm into it.

Closer and Closer

2010-04-14T16:41:00.001+10:00

.. and when it is finished then to start work on an exhibition of garden sculpture.... not to mention getting my own garden in fruitful and beautiful order.

Jasmine and Sven are engaged

2010-03-13T20:40:00.002+11:00

We booked the barbecue area on Herring Island and of course Jasmine chose the weather - sunshine and perfect temperature. Our greeting to Herring Island was from the happy couple paddling the raft to take the more adventurous across to the island. That involved wet feet and lots of laughter.

Those of us with clothes not built for the adventure went on the Parks Victoria punt all the way around the island to the Burnley side landing - unfortunately for us the tide was low and the silt was high on the Como side so there was a long and arduous walk from the landing to the barbecue area.

The party was fun. Parents and grandparents mingled with friends and acquaintances and brothers, sisters and cousins were there in force. There were speeches - at the barest minimum and that was fun too. Jasmine isn't really that tall - there was a handy bench to stand on - she doesn't always hide behind a hat either - but that was the chance to get a picture of Sven. Congratulations both of you - and a long and happy life.

Well actually....

2010-03-05T14:18:00.002+11:00

There's more to it than I thought and isn't that always the way.... the roof joists went in pretty fast..... but the posts weren't there for the carport - and you know they still aren't but the roofer came in anyway..... well now I can see what I'm getting - the light will be good... once the slab is in I can bring the kiln back and sort out where all the electricals will go... the excavator was handy - Ben used it for all sorts - with the roof part off he can go pretty much anywhere. So mine is the tightest site he's working on - but at least it's flat!

The garden is looking pretty sad with all the goings on - but still things manage to grow - like the lemon tree that Rohan bought for Christmas... and the bees are still working.. and the hydrangeas blooming. It will be great when it's done.

The Walls Go Up

2010-02-02T19:41:00.000+11:00

Now we are at the exciting stage - the walls go up, the levels are being set, the inside and the outside spaces are being defined. In a month maybe I'll be setting up the new space to work. Oh joy!

In the mean time

2010-01-27T18:42:00.002+11:00

While the studio is being built I can carve wood. I bought a few new tools - but in the end there is nothing like my great aunt's beautiful chisels and acquiring a bit of skill. And the wood from fallen branches of the Manchurian Pear.

Footings for the Studio

2010-01-12T09:24:00.003+11:00

it was hot when they demolished and hotter when Ben excavated for the footings - but it's all happening - soon I won't be working under a shade house in the front driveway.

Early one morning...

2009-12-20T21:04:00.003+11:00

It's not a bad city - early in the morning. Quite pretty in fact.

She did it

2009-12-20T20:54:00.002+11:00

And now my baby is a fully qualified physiotherapist. Years of hard work - well done and well done to all the supporters - friends and family.

At Last!

2009-12-19T20:49:00.009+11:00

Well the work has started to build the studio - after all that time sorting out what we would do - getting the permits - twice - and an affordable price - well almost - but you get what you pay for in this world. After storing my things under tarpaulins for over a year it's not surprising there was a bit of damage - heartbreaking but so it goes. Moving the goods was the first step - and thank you Ben for the loan of the garage and under the house and yes kindness is helping me store stuff.

Then the demolition could start......
and they chose our first 39 degree day of the summer to work in.

Current building practice is impressive - hardly anything goes to landfill - recycle reuse... the bricks will be built into the new walls, the old doors will grace the new studio, the concrete broken up and recycled, timber reclaimed where possible - wow different to the days when it all went to the tip - out of sight and out of mind.

Then the phoenix can rise from the rubble and my kiln can come home and start work again. A work place of my own again. Joy!

UN climate Trackers

2009-11-13T21:39:00.005+11:00

Visit A Climate For Change

Annual Exhibition

2009-07-20T22:39:00.003+10:00

Now it's uploaded to youtube it should save some space and be shareable. :-)

Merimbula in May

2009-05-27T21:49:00.003+10:00

It's nearly winter and everything is lit in silver. Merimbula is still warmer than Melbourne - milder than most places in Australia it seems. It was good having a few days there and unwinding after the stressful business of still not having the studio built.

And Merimbula held many treasures - the Lake board walk with pelicans and other fisher folk enjoying the evening; the mangroves dancing lightly over the mud; the kayak on Wallagoot Lake where the sheltered side of the lake lured us out into the chop on the other side to battle it back against a bit of a wind.

A great break - thank you Shirley - now back to work!

Shirley's Exhibition

2009-05-04T14:33:00.003+10:00

The exhibition is at Bulleen Art and Garden. It's a great place for the ceramics with the garden just outside.

Lots of friends and family turned up for the opening and deservedly - the bowls are beautiful - and there may not be too many more in the future - they are getting harder to make, even though the forms keep getting better.

And it's great to share the joy of making things.

Easter Holidays 2009

2009-04-13T20:52:00.007+10:00

Easter was good - I went with friends to Balranald - on Saturday we visited Lake Mungo National Park and on Sunday we kayaked on the Murrumbidgee River.

I can't find a better one....

2009-03-15T20:37:00.002+11:00

I was looking for a clip of waster moulding in plaster - I found this... but is there something better?

The bottom fell out?

2009-03-10T11:45:00.003+11:00

So we live in a contracting economy? Not the first bubble to burst but this could be one of those crashes that they warn us about in the Limits to Growth... followed by oscillations until we reach some sort of stability. If it were not so obvious that humans only respond to crises then we could plan for an orderly contraction to a reasonable level of consumption and production so that we had a pleasant life without over stretching the environment.

You could start by saying that for mortgages the ratio of equity to the total price will remain fixed - except for repayments - so that as the value of the house drops the size of the mortgage drops - the bank absorbing the pain just as the home owner does.... not so silly really - just a spreading of the risk and it would mean that people on a mortgage won't be so pressed to use their stimulus package money for debt reduction. They'll know that their house will always be worth more than they owe on it.

And of course when (if) the economy picks up again the ratio will be preserved up to the point it was at in 2007. So for someone who just sits tight and spends their money they will be in the same position (and so will the bank) at the end as at the start. So you can spend the stimulus package money on a solar hot water service, or buying green power, or a bike....

If you know that things are going to contract why not do it sensibly and work out what we want to achieve - it is like moving to a smaller house - it is a blessed relief to throw out/sell/recycle/give away all those things that you don't really want and that are not contributing to your happiness. Much of our wealth is a burden - why are we so obliged to run the rat race? There has to be a better way.

The Neighbour's Water Tank

2008-10-29T18:23:00.002+11:00

September was dry - October is dry - the neighbours put in a water tank to save their garden. Well that should multiply their water supply times 4 - the garden is a small part of the site when you are in units. And they had a problem with access - the tank is too heavy to lift over the garage - so the best thing was to bring it in my back gate - before the studio is built - in the window of opportunity as it were. It all worked like a charm - in fact you couldn't tell that anyone had been through the place... and there's the water tank sitting under the eaves waiting for the heavens to open.
The sweet thing was they brought me some flowers to say thank you.... bless them - ephemeral beauty of the soul. I hope their garden prospers.

The New Home

2008-10-16T21:08:00.004+11:00

The new home is wonderful - Mary, the previous owner, is a great gardener and this spring every day brings new flowers. What with the water shortage there is a heavy investment in plastic pipes to take the water from the washing machine to the garden.
The next step is building a studio to work in. Not so easy if you need a planning permit.. but such is life - I have a home and the ideas keep flowing. It will all go on.

Not So Smart Meters?

2008-03-20T11:42:00.002+11:00

I'm not so sure about the “smart” meters being installed to tell consumers what their power is costing at any given time of the day. This sounds like a perpetuation of night rates electricity; the aim of which was to increase power consumption at night. A time at which people wouldn't otherwise use it but so that the coal fired power stations had a more even load. This was needed because coal fired power stations aren't very responsive to fluctuations in demand - they need hours if not days of notice in order to vary their output.

If our aim is to increase the use of sustainable sources of electricity then we want to encourage hydro, wind, biomass and solar. Hydro electricity can be very responsive to fluctuations in demand and solar is mainly generated during the day - solar thermal of course being the most effective on hot days.

So instead of asking consumers to time their demands why not charge the consumers a flat rate for electricity - $ per kilowatt the same no matter what time of day - so people will use the power when it's convenient and they won't use any more than they have to because it all costs money.

But we should pay producers of electricity a variable rate depending on the level of demand they are serving - so they would get paid very little to produce electricity in the middle of the night when activity is minimal. And they would get paid heaps on a hot day when the air conditioners are running flat out.

A household with photovoltaic cells on the roof is both a consumer and a producer of electricity. This system automatically sets the feed in tariff at a better level than the rate customers pay when they are home and the wheels of industry have slowed for the night. It would be up to the government to set the differential rates of payment to encourage more flexible electricity supply.

Similarly any new building could have a cap set for its demand on peak power supplies – encouraging new buildings to approach energy neutrality and sustainability. So “smart” meters are smart if they operate “backwards” with a variable rate and “forwards” at a fixed rate.... are they that smart?

Trees

2008-01-02T14:39:00.000+11:00

What if we paid a tree tax in our petrol price and planted trees to make up for the fossil carbon put into the air when we drive? According to this article there isn't enough space..... http://www.ptua.org.au/myths/trees.shtml
If each car needs 600 m2 planted out as trees per year and there are 2 million cars in Victoria that's 1,200,000,000 square meters = 120,000 hectares or 12,000 square kilometres every year - if Victoria is a total of 237,629 square kilometres then in 19 years the whole of Victoria will be covered in trees and there will be no place to drive a car... pretty cool eh? I'm looking forward to my excursion to the bio fuel place.... turning green slime into diesel looks good.... short circuit the million year fossil process..... so trees as carbon offsets work if there are only a few people doing it. But if you actually want to solve the problem we need something that will work when we all do it.

The same with the green power that I would like to buy but I'm not - for one reason or another - at the moment. When I look at my fuel bill right now it says 100% of my energy consumption comes from fossil sources and causes greenhouse gas emissions. But all in all Victoria's power comes from coal, gas, hydro and wind and some people have grid interactive photovoltaics on their roofs - bless them. So all the people who pay the extra to do their bit for the environment are actually having all the existing sustainable sources of energy counted in their contribution - seems like their money isn't making as much of a difference as it should. Or as they intended - if I pay the extra I want to see sustainable energy over and above the government's MRET produced in this state. And reflected in the way my bill is presented.

Well this article on green power accreditation says it all works - the green is because it's all new sustainable generation - post 1997... well I'll breathe deep and buy up when I'm in the new home..... just hope they've got it right eh?

I wonder

2007-10-11T15:25:00.000+10:00

what would it cost per household for council to harvest rainwater and to sewer mine and to provide a reticulated system of rescued water for toilet flushing and garden watering? Currently grey water diverting and treatment (if you want to store it for more than 24 hours) would cost around $10,000 per household - not a very attractive proposition. Individual pumps would be less economical in initial purchase and in running costs (on green power of course) than neighbourhood or municipality wide methods of providing sufficient pressure.

Private gardens represent a valuable resource for the community: they sequester carbon, they provide a creative outlet for gardeners, they provide visual delight for all who see them, a harbour for birds, and a cultural resource.. can we afford not to have a community based water source to maintain them?

Well here it is: CSIRO is working on the integrated management of urban water http://www.csiro.au/science/ps3k3.html bring it on!

Carving - the coolest experience

2007-10-03T16:40:00.004+10:00

I inherited my tools from my great aunt. She was pretty cool - an astrologer, novelist and sculptor. It is a privilege to hold her chisels and think that I am continuing in a family tradition. I didn't start sculpture with carving - first I learned to model in clay and cast the work, then I learned copper fabrication... then a branch fell off the Manchurian pear tree in my mother's garden and I was on..... well it wasn't that simple - Margaret Gunnersen Thomas's assistant Peter Quinn turned a red gum mallet for me, Kevin Free gave me a few tips and got me started and Hank bought the Superjaws to hold the work... it takes a lot of support to build a sculpture. :-)
It's pretty amazing watching the work emerge from the wood. I roughed it out with a carving disc on the angle grinder and took it to Herring Island for the demonstration event on Australia Day.
So then came the business of refining, then sanding and polishing - will it ever be finished? Well here are the stages so far: so that's in May - takes a while doesn't it? And then comes October and I'm still sanding. Well life goes on, and on, and the miracle is I'm still learning. Just wait for the fantastic time when I start putting the oil onto the wood. Her name came up pretty early - the Keys to Canterbury - Oh Madam! I will give to you the Keys to Canterbury, and all the bells in England shall ring to make us merry, if you will be my joy, my one and only dear and walk along with me anywhere.

The Fall from Grace

2007-09-06T10:40:00.000+10:00

Thinking about things in the Limits to Growth.. they were talking about the two revolutions: the agrarian where we stopped being hunter gatherers and became farmers and the industrial where most people work in or for factories and now we need a sustainability revolution... the trouble is that the Fall from the Garden of Eden was the agrarian revolution - we never wanted to stop living in the Garden of Eden as hunter gatherers - the only reason we did so was because of population pressures.. is it jealousy? Are we really tough on the aboriginals because they had what we have lost long ago. Is this why we destroy them with all the forbidden fruit that modern man can throw?

But maybe we need to find a better way - to recover that which was lost and to enhance our relationship with the earth.

Leaving the Day Job

2007-09-05T12:16:00.000+10:00

Every artist faces the decision at some time as to whether or not to leave the day job and pursue their art full time. We can end up fairly poor if we do, but it does give us the time to improve our skills and fashion our philosophies. And again some make a quiet living with commission work, or well subscribed exhibitions.

When I first announced my intentions in that direction my then husband said -well what's your business plan? - Business plan? You make stuff and you sell it! The main difference between selling art and selling anything else is that market research isn't a preliminary part of the game – we are out to express something that we believe is important – we don't go researching what people want to buy unless we are then going to comment on that, we don't just supply willy nilly what people already think they want.

The being poor bit is hard to handle - makes relationships and family life tough – but we eventually sort out a modest income stream and life goes on - So should we really take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in order to contemplate a life devoted to the arts? It doesn't sound very real – and in fact when you think of it, this is a call to moderation not to extremes – the words could have been destitution, celibacy and subservience – but they are not - they moderate our obsession with money, sex and power – to focus our attention on what is really important – on sufficient food, love and imagination.

The artist does have a place in the world – not in the ivory tower. But the very diversity of art defies definition – some get their message across by shocking people, others by making one think, some make us laugh, some find beauty in the commonplace, others rage against the thoughtless – all of us have turned the unique vision of an individual into a philosophic statement - the belief that without dreams our bread is tasteless.

11th August 2007

2007-08-27T14:15:00.000+10:00

Sunset at Mungo National Park
Mungo National Park speaks in silence - thousands of years experience of life and death make this place mysterious in its peace. Thank you to our guide, Tanya - a member of the Mutthi Mutthi people.