tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-215707042024-03-08T06:02:17.462+11:00Common GoodsThis began with the project <i>Common Goods: Cultures Meet Through Craft</i>, which was part of the 2006 Commonwealth Games. It continues to explore related issues of cultural exchange through craft and trade.Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-54699522419969876972007-09-20T22:33:00.001+10:002007-09-20T22:33:27.714+10:00Common craft<p><img src="http://blip.tv/file/get/Commoncraft-GoogleDocsInPlainEnglish460.flv.jpg"> </p> <p>Google are using a company called <a href="http://www.commoncraft.com/productions" target="_blank">Common Craft</a> to produce short instructional videos about their products. These videos are made with cut out pieces of paper in a way that exaggerate their handmade quality. Interesting to see how the leading edge of online engineering turns to the more analogue of media to present its message. </p>Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-65054513831059732932007-06-06T14:53:00.001+10:002007-06-06T14:53:11.937+10:00Festival of Indigenous Arts, Hawaii<p>We're very pleased the three artists from <em>Common Goods</em> are going to the <a href="http://www.khf-nativehawaiianarts.com/piko.htm">indigenous festival</a> in Hawaii this month:</p> <blockquote> <p>The proposed 2007 PIKO event is the fifth of its kind of international gathering of indigenous visual artists; following the first in Aotearoa (New Zealand 1995). The first Pacific Northwest America gathering was held at the Longhouse Education and Cultural Center at Evergreen State College, (Olympia, Washington, USA, 2001) and the recent Te Mata gathering was held in Heretaunga Hastings, Aotearoa (New Zealand, January 16 - 22, 2005) this year. In the spirit of its' predecessors, PIKO, the navel of the Pacific rim, will be held in Hawai'i. The event will begin on June 15, 2007 and conclude eight days later on June 22</p></blockquote> <p><font color="#666666">Congratulations Julie Tipene-O'Toole, Lewis Dick and Treanna Hahn, all artists who were in <em>Common Goods</em>. </font></p>Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-14644328277324576802007-01-08T09:33:00.001+11:002007-01-08T09:34:41.367+11:00Common craft<p>An interesting application of 'common' and 'craft' to a very immaterial kind of networking:</p><br /><blockquote><br />Common Craft is a consulting practice and weblog operated by Lee LeFever. The focus of Common Craft is Social Design for the Web.<br /></blockquote><br /><p><a href="http://www.commoncraft.com/archives/001023.html">Common Craft</a></p>Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1165121015016305482006-12-03T15:43:00.000+11:002006-12-03T15:43:35.096+11:00Ubuntu 2010<p><img style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px" src="http://www.joburg-archive.co.za/images_2006/nov/vuvuzelas000.jpg" align="left"> City of Johannesburg <a href="http://www.joburg.org.za">website</a> reports on the development of a Vuvu Carnival Orchestra in preparation for the 2010 World Cup. The idea was developed by Pedro Espi-Sanchis, a Spaniard who migrated to South Africa in 1971. The instrument is a plastic trumpet used in soccer matches. </p> <p>Pedro describes the orchestra as the musical embodiment of Ubuntu:</p> <blockquote> <p>This means that no one will play louder than others, and no one will play the same rhythm. What people play will interlock with others and complement what others offer.</p></blockquote>Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1162254292847986662006-10-31T11:24:00.000+11:002006-10-31T11:24:52.943+11:00Mass Observation<p></p> <p>A New Yorker <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/critics/ atlarge/articles/060911crat_atlarg">article</a> reviews the English movement Mass Observation, which grew out of surrealism and became a kind of art sociology dedicated to exposing everyday life to public gaze as a power of demystification. <blockquote> <p>Mass-Observation undercut the nationalist message of the coronation. To one onlooker, the Queen seems to have bed head, and the King looks “bony, frozen-nervous, staring.” Another mistakes the Viscount Craigavon for Princess Juliana. Beside a radio in Nottingham, a hairdresser’s mother weeps and moans, “Oh, it ought to be Edward—it—it—it ought to be Edward.”<br>A woman praises snuff, unforgettably: “Eeee, it’s lovely, makes your navel perk like a whelk!” The book celebrates the pub as an active and social form of leisure, a way of life that, Orwell wrote when he reviewed it, was in danger of being “gradually replaced by the passive, drug-like pleasures of the cinema and the radio.”<br>In a 1938 radio talk, Jennings had suggested it was no accident that the search for the meaning of everyday life led to history. “Mysteries reside in the humblest everyday things,” he said; they are a kind of legacy, and the poet, by examining them, can extract “an idea of ‘what I am’ from the past.”</p></blockquote> <p>Caleb Crain 'The Mass-Observation movement and the meaning of everyday life' </p>Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1158491618049455822006-09-17T21:13:00.000+10:002006-09-17T21:13:38.100+10:00Make the common everywhere<p><img src="http://mailer.e-flux.com/mail_images/1158061039slam.jpg" align="left"> The use of recycled materials enables some artists to expand the scale of their work so that it eventually floods the entire gallery. This image is from <em>Currents 98: Tara Donovan</em> (Saint Louis Art Museum), and features more than 600,000 plastic cups. According to the artist:</p> <blockquote> <p>A transformative moment occurs for me when the material ceases to reference itself and begins to take on a formal structure that relates to the natural or built environment</p></blockquote> <p>Donovan's work raises a difficult issue with the idea of making the common precious. Most of the artists in <em>Craft Unbound</em> resort to found materials as a form of resistance to consumerism. In Donovan's case, however, the wasteful production is accelerated by artistic excess. This work seems to have nothing else to say other than is sheer spectacle.</p>Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1157950591819049122006-09-11T14:56:00.000+10:002006-09-11T14:56:31.826+10:00September 11<p>While most of the world considers today as the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the New York World Trade Centre, it is also the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Satyagraha, the movement of non-violence that originated by Mahatma Gandhi in Johannesburg, 1906.</p>Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1156659266481537342006-08-27T16:14:00.000+10:002006-08-27T16:14:26.486+10:00Staple<p>Here's an interesting <a href="http://www.worldwidewords.org/topicalwords/tw-sta1.htm">article</a> on the word for common goods, 'staple':</p> <blockquote> <p>A staple was always held under the command of the king, who appointed officials to ensure trade was done according to the rules, that quality was maintained and—especially—that he got his cut. Because of the great importance of wool, the merchants trading in it became known as staplers.</p></blockquote>Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1154605830054298582006-08-03T21:48:00.000+10:002006-08-03T21:50:30.063+10:00Chandragupta's coda<A HREF='http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/PEACE-726062.jpg'><IMG SRC='http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/PEACE-720910.jpg' border=0 alt='' style='clear:all;float:left;margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; cursor:hand'></A>Here's an interesting installation shot of Chandragupta's Thenuwara's recent exhibition in Colombo. The work, titled Peace, consists of his trademark ceramic barrells, though in this case stripped of their normal camouflage colours. They look almost naked, eh? <a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a> Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1151548421961859692006-06-29T12:30:00.000+10:002006-06-29T12:33:41.973+10:00Ambedkar articleFrom an interesting new article published in an issue of Borderlands devoted to the Gandhi legacy, with a discussion of the activist Ambedkar:<br />"... all through the late 1940s right up to his death in 1956, he (Gandhi) travelled to many parts of Buddhist Asia—Sri Lanka, Burma, Tibet and Japan—in order to forge spiritual alliances and bring to life once again an Asian world formation that could converse with modernity in tongues both sacred and secular.<br />Bhabha, "vernacular cosmopolitanism" While I do draw on Bhabha's assertion that the phrase best applies to the orientation of embattled leaders and thought figures of the non-White, non-Western world—Du Bois, Gandhi, Ambedkar, Fanon, Morrison—who attempt to "translate between cultures and across them in order to survive, not in order to assert the sovereignty of a civilized class or the spiritual autonomy of a revered ideal" (Bhabha, 2002: 23-24)<br />Bhabha, Homi (2002), in conversation with John Comaroff, "Speaking of Postcoloniality in the Continuous Present", in Goldberg, D T. and Quayson, A. eds. (2002), Relocating Postcolonialism, Oxford: Blackwell.<br />Debjani Ganguly '<a href="http://www.borderlandsejournal.adelaide.edu.au/vol4no3_2005/ganguly_cosmopolitics.htm ">Convergent Cosmopolitics in the Age of Empire: Gandhi and Ambedkar in World History</a>' (19/06/2006)Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1147830164726098742006-05-17T11:42:00.000+10:002006-05-17T11:42:44.733+10:00Bread woman in Santiago<img src="http://www.ananova.com/images/web/531508.jpg" align="left" /><a href="http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1752267.html">Ananova - Bread statue popular with pigeons</a><br />"A statue of a woman made out of bread is proving popular with pigeons in a park in Santiago." An interesting prelude to the tour of Make the Common Precious to Chile.Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1146887382681984422006-05-06T13:45:00.000+10:002006-05-12T10:13:28.263+10:00The publication has arrived<A HREF='http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/CIMG0216-778662.JPG'><IMG SRC='http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/CIMG0216-773284.JPG' border=0 alt='' style='clear:all;float:left;margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; cursor:hand'></A>Artists and friends of <em>Common Goods </em>gathered at Craft Victoria last night to reflect on the event and look at the catalogue. The evening evoked many fond memories and a curious exchange of information. One artist had received an email in perfect English from a Rafoogar in Najibabad. Everyone was keen to continue the exchange, and were regretful that there was less time for everyone to spend time together. Let's hope that this is not a one-off. Mark McDean and Mary Louise Edwards can be seen astounding themselves at the <span style="font-style:italic;">Common Goods</span> publication.Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1146558417216101292006-05-02T09:32:00.000+10:002006-05-03T22:32:47.533+10:00Some thoughts from the Exhibition DesignerThe exhibition design of Common Goods was particularly distinctive, with the use of netting rather than perspex. Here are notes from the designer with background to her choices in the display solution.<br /><br />Design Notes - “Common Goods” Exhibition<br />By Rosemary Simons April 2006<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Introduction:</span><br /><br />Amongst the factors that influence design decisions are: exhibits,venue, budget and themes.These notes examine these factors and the design response to them, in relation to the exhibition “Common Goods: Cultures meet Thorugh Craft”, Curated by Kevin Murray, Director of Craft Victoria, for Craft Victoria.<br /><br />The exhibition was designed by myself, Rosemary Simons.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Exhibits</span><br /><br />All were craft objects but there the similarity nearly ended. <br /><br />Many items demonstrated an ability to ‘make do’, where a limited range of existing materials and construction techniques, was responded to with inventiveness and ingenuity. <br /><br />The artists were from a number of different countries. <br /><br />Shape, size, materials and manufacturing techniques all varied. Some materials were man made and some were natural; some approaches were contemporary, whilst others were traditional; some items were 2D and some 3D; some were free-standing and some required suspension.<br /><br />A portion of the exhibits would not exist until after the initial opening. These absent exhibits could have spaces left for them, or their exhibition furniture could be introduced with them.<br /><br />There was no hierarchy of importance amongst the objects, all were to have as equal a status as possible.<br /><br />The exhibits needed some protection from damage or theft.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Venue</span><br /><br />No venue is entirely neutral however some announce themselves more strongly than others. This venue was the latter, the work of Denton, Corker Marshall making a strong architectural statement . The exhibition could quite easily have been made to look ridiculous or insignificant within the scale and strength of the architecture.<br /><br />The space was not designed for exhibitions. It is a foyer to the Temporary Exhibition Hall , a ‘’shop front’ for the museum and a thoroughfare generally. It displays two impressive, large scale, exhibits and visible through a vast, glass wall, is a large scale granite art work.<br /><br />On one side of ‘Common Goods’ was constructed a stack of giant flag cards, whilst half way through the life of the exhibition, the eye-catching, “Spirit of the Games’ exhibition, would be visible through the open doors of the Temporary Exhibition Hall.<br /><br />Unless we opted for the other end of the museum foyer, which appeared too far from the action, ‘Common Goods’ must be made to appear entitled to its place within this setting.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Budget</span><br /><br />The limited size of the budget imposed the need for very creative thinking in order to draw as much from the funds as possible.<br /><br />Even if we had wanted it, a slick, highly finished, composition of glass or perspex showcases, was out of the question, as also was a lighting rig.<br /><br />Themes<br />The brief, both verbal and written, stressed the theme of hospitality and the capacity for cultures to meet through craft.<br /><br />Representation from a variety of countries and a broad range of works was essential to presenting these themes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Design Decisions</span><br /><br />Exhibit and Budget led:<br /><br />Designing a stand to suit each exhibit was rejected due to cost, the possibilities of imposing status, and the fact that some exhibits were unknowns. A range of stands might also weaken the impact of the installation which clearly needed to have a presence within the space.<br /><br />The tactile nature of the exhibits suggested a tactile component to the stands and the ‘make do’ quality seemed fitting for the stand design also.<br /><br />Market places featured in early discussions and the experiences of the curator, Kevin Murray, as he travelled to visit the artists. Market stands were temporary, improvised , suited a range of items and were approachable. Even the layout of such markets suited the space. Markets and their stalls thus became a source of inspiration.<br /><br />Objects may be protected by electronic beams or sensor pads, however these, like glass or perspex protection, would not have been possible for all the exhibits, given the budget. Further to this, and more importantly, such protection did not lend itself to a ‘make do’ construction. Another protection was needed. <br /><br />Kevin recalled a country museum, no doubt ‘making do’, using chicken wire as a protection for a glass bottle exhibit. Whilst this could be perceived as a greater barrier than glass or perspex, it did not cause reflection problems and did not place a solid albiet transparent, material between the viewer and the object. Wire, in the end was replaced by netting. The netting had a tactile quality that was sympathetic to the approach and allowed the object to ‘breath’.<br /><br />Stand materials were unpainted steel, ply, fabric, hardwood dowel and netting. Whilst man made, the materials are not particularly ‘high tech’. <br /><br />The construction techniques utilised, was to tie the stands together using cable ties. Whilst some fabricators doubted the viability of this approach, I took confidence from the large tied bamboo scaffolding and permanent villages I had seen in Asia. <br /><br />Scenic Studios devised a finish for the ply, that took away the newness. The air would do the ageing for us in regard to the steel. Terracotta tiles became the plinths or supports where needed, adding a final stand material to the mix.<br /><br />Nothing was fixed to the walls as if the ‘market’ could pack up and move on.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Venue led:</span><br /><br />The colour chosen contrasted with the surroundings, to help this modest installation stand out. <br /><br />Whilst the stands had a ‘make do’ feel about them they nevertheless, needed a strong presence and an acceptable level of finish in order to have a legitimacy with the surrounds. This was the design tight rope to walk.<br /><br />Height was incorporated to allow for suspension of objects, add to the presence, carry graphics and to provide a scale balance between the installation and the venue.<br /><br />The layout made use of the available light and left the pathways free for people and machinery.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Theme:</span><br />Warm colours, the tactile nature of the stands, the use of fabric and the simplicity of the layout, was designed to enhance the friendliness of the installation and draw people into look at the objects. <br /><br />Ideally, objects are best with no barrier and even the possibility of being handled. The netting, whilst forming a grid between the object and the audience, also had the effect of drawing people to the object and created a type of ‘fascinator’ for the object. <br /><br />Whilst netting or wire may not have the acceptance or versatility or glass or perspex, it nevertheless deserves a place in the repertoire of options available for protecting works on display.<br /><br />© Rosemary Simons 2006Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1143161707853585932006-03-24T11:54:00.000+11:002006-03-24T12:16:46.330+11:00Borana hut<A HREF='http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/CIMG0006-703451.JPG'><IMG SRC='http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/CIMG0006-798703.JPG' border=0 alt='' style='clear:all;float:left;margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; cursor:hand'></A>If you get the chance, it is worth going to the National Gallery of Victoria Sculpture Garden to catch a glimpse, and 'whiff', of the Borana huts that were hand-made by the Borana pastoralists from Kenya themselves in the weeks leading up to the games.Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1142084620771173432006-03-12T00:41:00.000+11:002006-03-12T00:53:35.286+11:00Miniature goods<A HREF='http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/DSCF0001-715229.JPG'><IMG SRC='http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/DSCF0001-709479.JPG' border=0 alt='' style='clear:all;float:left;margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; cursor:hand'></A>Following Common Goods, there are more artists arriving in Melbourne from the Commonwealth countries. Khadim Ali is an Afghan-born artist from Pakistan who paints miniature watercolours. This work (<span style="font-style:italic;">Heroes with Weapons I-III</span>) features the dandelion, which during the harsh time of the Taliban was a symbol of hope - a plant that survived even the harshest of environments. As a work, it evokes the barrelism of Chandraguptha Thenuwara<a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a>Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1141699149243434472006-03-07T13:37:00.000+11:002006-03-07T13:39:09.256+11:00John Howard pays tribute to GandhiHis wife Janette by his side, Prime Minister John Howard scattered flower petals on the Gandhi Memorial in New Delhi yesterday.<br />Howard said, "He was a very great man and I certainly, like most Australians in my generation and other generations a2006/03/06/1141493611304.htmls well, know a lot about his life."<br />See <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/pm-pays-tribute-to-gandhi-gets-a-lesson-in-politics/">The Age</a>Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1141279893108032962006-03-02T17:10:00.000+11:002006-03-02T17:11:33.120+11:00Museum openingArtists gathered for the final time at the opening of the exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. There many dignataries present, including the Victorian Arts minister Mary Delahunty and ex-Premier John Cain. Jasleen Dhamija warmly opened the exhibition, remembering her time with Gandhi and his love of handmade toys. It was wonderful to see representatives from the residencies there, such as Simon Spain from ArtPlay and Gordon Morrison from Ballarat. The highlight of the evening was the Sega dance by Mauritian artist Lewis Dick, celebrating not only the start of carnival, Shrove Tuesday, but also his birthday on 29 February. The carnival might be over, but there are many partnerships will continue. Images to follow...Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1141103224390608902006-02-28T15:47:00.000+11:002006-02-28T16:07:04.396+11:00Enthralled by darning<A HREF='http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/DSCF0005-720603.JPG'><IMG SRC='http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/DSCF0005-716466.JPG' border=0 alt='' style='clear:all;float:left;margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; cursor:hand'></A>The Rafoogars talk with Wendy Lugg and Priya Ravish Mehra drew a facinated crowd. <a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a> Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1141012056027717692006-02-27T14:47:00.000+11:002006-02-27T14:47:36.033+11:00Installation time<A HREF='http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/DSCF0001-751898.JPG'><IMG SRC='http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/DSCF0001-742125.JPG' border=0 alt='' style='clear:all;float:left;margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; cursor:hand'></A>The final works at being installated at the museum. Hlengiwe and Lucy are placing their collaborative piece based on the 'ponytail plant'. All will be revealed on Tuesday night. <a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a> Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1140838964343884712006-02-25T14:38:00.000+11:002006-02-25T14:42:44.356+11:00Night airWhat's a 'common' thing? Something we all own or something that's too, well, common. This week the Night Air takes a stroll into the middle ages, across an ancient English Common (with writer Roger Deakin who founded 'Common Ground') to discover just what it was that made sure common land stayed common.<br /><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/rn/arts/nightair/stories/s1546499.htm">Listen</a>.Kevin Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11529906371761583106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1140770840619201492006-02-24T19:32:00.000+11:002006-02-26T14:58:04.213+11:00We are finished!<a href="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/_1015012-738135.JPG"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/_1015012-722472.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Our residency in Ballarat has come to an end. The exhibition works are completed, and Zakir and Intekhab have mended a variety of textiles brought in from far and wide.<br /><br />All that remains is to thank those who have made us welcome- Gordon Morrison and his very special team at the gallery, as well as members of the local Indian community and Dulcie Corbett, who hosted dinners for us. We also thank those who contributed to the project in various ways- the Trades Hall, Evan Evans, Hilton Fabrics, and John Dullus.<br /><br />My personal thanks go to Dulcie who took me in and helped in so many ways, to ArtsWA for their travel assistance, and to Craft Victoria for inviting me to participate in this wonderful project.<br /><br />Finally, my thanks to Intekhab, Zakir and Priya for their gift of friendship, and for sharing their cultural traditions. Their presence in Ballarat has enriched the lives of the many people who came to visit during our residency.<br /><br />We are all eager to return home, but we are taking happy memories with us.Wendy Lugghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05332953506726905088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1140765334056341772006-02-24T18:02:00.000+11:002006-02-26T14:28:26.676+11:00A royal presence in Ballarat<a href="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/_1014975-790525.JPG"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/_1014975-772038.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0302-777310.JPG"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0302-773552.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />People have been bringing items for the rafoogars to darn. A gentleman brought precious gloves, worn by his father before him, and was thrilled to have them mended.<br /><br />The rafoogars eyes really lit up when a large paisley shawl was brought for mending. This was a challenge worthy of their skills. Two days later the damage had been repaired, and there was virtually no trace to be found of the several small holes and one large tear.<br /><br />The shawl's provenance made it even more exciting. It had been gifted by Queen Victoria to an unknown lady, subsequently spending time in (then) northern India before eventually making its way, from one owner to another, to Victoria.Wendy Lugghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05332953506726905088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1140762907574197432006-02-24T17:28:00.000+11:002006-02-27T14:34:44.640+11:00And more to be seen<a href="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0657-760365.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0657-754499.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0645-731013.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0645-723499.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0650-702111.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0650-794505.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0647-716369.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0647-709659.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0654-747326.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0654-740170.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Last night, Niki Hastings-McFall opened her studio to the public, and it was evident that she had been up to something more...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1140762448269088892006-02-24T17:22:00.000+11:002006-02-27T14:35:30.550+11:00Lei Lines<a href="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0634-796889.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0634-791241.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0635-783715.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0635-776112.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0636-768213.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0636-757496.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />It is 'O' Week at La Trobe Uni where much of Kerri-Ann's and Niki's work is taking place. Under the theme of Hawaii Five-O, the Student Union is strewn with leis - symbols of welcome.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21570704.post-1140762047033726752006-02-24T17:08:00.000+11:002006-02-27T14:39:07.476+11:00Things are afoot<a href="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0624-778545.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0624-768928.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0632-743691.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0632-736092.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0630-760295.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.craftvic.asn.au/commongoods/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_0630-752170.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />After some days of getting to know each others work and trading ideas, and with Niki hitting opportunity shops searching out materials, something is afoot. Niki is stringing together Kerri-Ann's porcelain frangipani flowers, with shells from bead lengths she has found in the second hand shops of Bendigo. The shells, originally of course from the South Seas, seem to be returning there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0