Common Goods

Common craft

2007-09-20T22:33:00.001+10:00

Google are using a company called Common Craft 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.

Festival of Indigenous Arts, Hawaii

2007-06-06T14:53:00.001+10:00

We're very pleased the three artists from Common Goods are going to the indigenous festival in Hawaii this month:

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

Congratulations Julie Tipene-O'Toole, Lewis Dick and Treanna Hahn, all artists who were in Common Goods.

Common craft

2007-01-08T09:33:00.001+11:00

An interesting application of 'common' and 'craft' to a very immaterial kind of networking:

Common Craft is a consulting practice and weblog operated by Lee LeFever. The focus of Common Craft is Social Design for the Web.

Common Craft

Ubuntu 2010

2006-12-03T15:43:00.000+11:00

City of Johannesburg website 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.

Pedro describes the orchestra as the musical embodiment of Ubuntu:

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.

Mass Observation

2006-10-31T11:24:00.000+11:00

A New Yorker article 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.

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.”
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.”
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.”

Caleb Crain 'The Mass-Observation movement and the meaning of everyday life'

Make the common everywhere

2006-09-17T21:13:00.000+10:00

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 Currents 98: Tara Donovan (Saint Louis Art Museum), and features more than 600,000 plastic cups. According to the artist:

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

Donovan's work raises a difficult issue with the idea of making the common precious. Most of the artists in Craft Unbound 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.

September 11

2006-09-11T14:56:00.000+10:00

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.

Staple

2006-08-27T16:14:00.000+10:00

Here's an interesting article on the word for common goods, 'staple':

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.

Chandragupta's coda

2006-08-03T21:48:00.000+10:00

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?

Ambedkar article

2006-06-29T12:30:00.000+10:00

From an interesting new article published in an issue of Borderlands devoted to the Gandhi legacy, with a discussion of the activist Ambedkar:
"... 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.
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)
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.
Debjani Ganguly 'Convergent Cosmopolitics in the Age of Empire: Gandhi and Ambedkar in World History' (19/06/2006)

Bread woman in Santiago

2006-05-17T11:42:00.000+10:00

Ananova - Bread statue popular with pigeons
"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.

The publication has arrived

2006-05-06T13:45:00.000+10:00

Artists and friends of Common Goods 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 Common Goods publication.

Some thoughts from the Exhibition Designer

2006-05-02T09:32:00.000+10:00

The 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.

Design Notes - “Common Goods” Exhibition
By Rosemary Simons April 2006

Introduction:

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.

The exhibition was designed by myself, Rosemary Simons.

Exhibits

All were craft objects but there the similarity nearly ended.

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.

The artists were from a number of different countries.

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.

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.

There was no hierarchy of importance amongst the objects, all were to have as equal a status as possible.

The exhibits needed some protection from damage or theft.

Venue

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.

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.

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.

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.

Budget

The limited size of the budget imposed the need for very creative thinking in order to draw as much from the funds as possible.

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.

Themes
The brief, both verbal and written, stressed the theme of hospitality and the capacity for cultures to meet through craft.

Representation from a variety of countries and a broad range of works was essential to presenting these themes.

Design Decisions

Exhibit and Budget led:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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’.

Stand materials were unpainted steel, ply, fabric, hardwood dowel and netting. Whilst man made, the materials are not particularly ‘high tech’.

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.

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.

Nothing was fixed to the walls as if the ‘market’ could pack up and move on.

Venue led:

The colour chosen contrasted with the surroundings, to help this modest installation stand out.

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.

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.

The layout made use of the available light and left the pathways free for people and machinery.

Theme:
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.

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.

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.

© Rosemary Simons 2006

Borana hut

2006-03-24T11:54:00.000+11:00

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.

Miniature goods

2006-03-12T00:41:00.000+11:00

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 (Heroes with Weapons I-III) 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

John Howard pays tribute to Gandhi

2006-03-07T13:37:00.000+11:00

His wife Janette by his side, Prime Minister John Howard scattered flower petals on the Gandhi Memorial in New Delhi yesterday.
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."
See The Age

Museum opening

2006-03-02T17:10:00.000+11:00

Artists 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...

Enthralled by darning

2006-02-28T15:47:00.000+11:00

The Rafoogars talk with Wendy Lugg and Priya Ravish Mehra drew a facinated crowd.

Installation time

2006-02-27T14:47:00.000+11:00

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.

Night air

2006-02-25T14:38:00.000+11:00

What'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.
Listen.

We are finished!

2006-02-24T19:32:00.000+11:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

We are all eager to return home, but we are taking happy memories with us.

A royal presence in Ballarat

2006-02-24T18:02:00.000+11:00

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.

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.

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.

And more to be seen

2006-02-24T17:28:00.000+11:00

Last night, Niki Hastings-McFall opened her studio to the public, and it was evident that she had been up to something more...

Lei Lines

2006-02-24T17:22:00.000+11:00

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.

Things are afoot

2006-02-24T17:08:00.000+11:00

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.

Article about Chandraguptha Thenuwara

2006-02-24T16:55:00.000+11:00

Fresh on Craft Culture is an article about Chandraguptha Thenuwara by Damian Smith.

Hastings-McFall gets it together with Abbott

2006-02-24T16:53:00.000+11:00

Kerri-Ann Abbott makes sculptural work from fine porcelain, incised, peirced and decorated. Niki Hastings-McFall most often uses found materials to construct body ornaments and decorations, based on forms borrowed from her Samoan cultural heritage. When they met, they had to decide how they were going to get it together. (What form would their collaboration take?)

Hastings-McFall arrives in Bendigo

2006-02-24T16:33:00.000+11:00

Niki Hastings-McFall arrived in Bendigo and settled in with a visit to the 24 Coles. She was driven up from Melbourne by a friend - also called Niki.

Cultures meet through craft in Ballarat

2006-02-24T16:27:00.000+11:00

Quiet times stitching became rare as the word spread, and more and more visitors arrived. It was good to recognise familiar faces, as people like Duncan and his family came back for return visits. Duncan is a very fine shoe-maker, who brought a large shawl owned by his grandather to show to the rafoogars. They found some areas which needed darning, and offered to undertake its repair. When Duncan returned to collect the shawl he, in exchange, demonstrated some aspects of his craft, with the rafoogars watching attentively.

Swapping lines

2006-02-23T15:00:00.000+11:00

Hlengiwe Dube in the Craft Victoria library with local basketmakers Eric Collins and Wendy Golden, eager to learn the intricacies of the telephone wire weaving.

Finishing touches

2006-02-22T14:16:00.000+11:00

Ahmed Nimad, the carver from the Maldives, is carefully inlaying pieces of rusted metal that Lorraine Connelly-Northey has found and cut for their piece. For Nimad, the accomodation of these elements into a traditional Maldivian form is a very important expression of cultural collaboration. Traditionally, bronze is often inlaid into tombstones. Barbed wire found by Lorraine has replaced the rope pattern of the original design. All the Common Goods artists are very busy putting the final touches to their collaborations, to be presented to the public on 28 February at the Melbourne Museum.

Feeling a way of life

2006-02-21T22:26:00.000+11:00

One of the great things about the Common Goods residencies at ArtPlay is the fact that the kids involved readily use their hands to make things. Mostly the things they are making are created using free or very cheap materials and result in high quality and rich artifacts. Encountering artists who use such materials in their everyday practice is important for the kids to see that in order to create things of beauty and cultural significance does not necessarily require going to a store and purchasing special materials. The sheer tactile quality of the clay or flax is something all the children approach with equal vigour. it is very likely that within the school environment kids would never use flax or found wire to weave but at ArtPlay they are able to play with such materials and create work of their own. Of course this project has wider objectives however on a simple level the handling of the craft materials themselves gives an insight into another way of working and living.

I really do exist

2006-02-20T10:24:00.000+11:00

Someone pointed out that there didn't seem to be any pictures of me appearing in the blog messages from the Ballarat residency. I'm usually the person behind the camera, but here is an image caught when I was printing the fabric for my side of the stole I am working on with Intekhab, just to prove that I really do exist.

That's Zakir watching in the background. Although he is a very talented rafoogar, he actually comes from a family of block printers, so was intrigued by my very different approach.

Progress at Ballarat

2006-02-20T09:50:00.000+11:00

Intekhab has finished his side of the Indian stole, or "Patka". Having selected the blues from the pashmina and fine cottons he brought from India, he arranged them then patched them together to form a ground, to which he added off-white borders. Finally came the main feature, of stars cut to the same 8 point design as the original Eureka flag from which he drew his inspiration. There are four stars used as corner motifs, and a central star surrounded by dark blue cross bars. These were tacked down, then appliqued. The final result is very striking.

I finished my side of the Patka on the same day as Intekhab, but only because he obligingly slowed down and I worked late into the night on several occasions. At the beginning of week two when he was close to finishing I had hardly started stitching, because up till then I had been out and about seeking supplies for the residency. At the time, Priya told me that the rafoogars were waiting with great interest to see what I would produce. I suspect the truth is that they were waiting with bated breath to see if I would actually stay still long enough to produce anything at all!

I had started by patching together a ground using old mended fabrics from my collection, supplemented by fabric sourced from one of Ballarat's op shops, but now the time had come to commit to the major design decisions. Once again Dulcie came to the rescue, tracking down the fabric ink I needed at a local art supply shop, and finding me a source of local native plant to use for the printing. As is always the case, once the decisions were made, the rest was easy.

Now all that is left to do is for Intekhab and I to embroider outlines around some of my printed leaves. Then comes the excitement of joining the two sides together.

Weaving and workshops at Geelong Gallery

2006-02-20T09:47:00.000+11:00

Positioned in the Gallery foyer, adjacent to a large window that looks out to Little Malop Street, Hlengiwe Dube has received a great deal of attention from passers-by. Many have ventured into the Gallery to watch her weave colourful telephone wires into beautiful bowls and learn about the process. The response to Hlengiwe and her works has been fantastic and she has been extremely enthusiastic about sharing her skills with visitors to the Gallery. A recent visitor - the owner of a South African foodstore in Geelong - greeted Hlengiwe in her native language and delivered South African delicacies to ward off homesickness!

Melbourne-based artist Lucy Irvine recently joined Hlengiwe at the Gallery and both have been busy learning about their respective materials and techniques. While both weave with 'industrial' materials [Hlengiwe - telephone wire, Lucy - plastic piping and cable ties] they are also influenced by natural forms and patterns, particularly those found in plants. A day at Lucy's studio introduced Hlengiwe to additional influences that have inspired Lucy's practice - including the work of Australian artist Fiona Hall.

Back at Geelong Gallery, Hlengiwe has been extremely generous with her time and has held workshops with student groups from local primary schools. A visit to the Common Goods artist-in-residence has provided the opportunity for schools to extend their studies of conservation, the environment, recycling and other cultures. Hlengiwe has conducted beading and weaving activities and shared stories of life in South Africa with the students. As an extension activity, teachers have been provided with a power point presentation which includes images of South African life and culture. The excitement of working with Hlengiwe and learning new skills will no doubt remain with the students well beyond their experiences at the Gallery.

Lewis Dick at work

2006-02-18T18:17:00.000+11:00

Mauritian carver Lewis Dick at the Incinerator Complex working on a large wooden sculpture of sailor. He was given some wood from a tree that once grew on the Avenue of Honour, and Lewis has decided to make a work as a gift to the city of Moonee Valley. Incidentally, Lewis' birthday is the day of the opening, 28 February, almost. He was actually born on 29 February, the seventeenth child whose mother died in childbirth. His life has been very much about trying to recover from the shadow cast over his destiny by this incident. He says it was the 'slap' that the doctor gave him after he was born, to help him breathe, that set him forward in life. Every day, for Lewis, begins with this slap. To listen to Lewis talk about how he started carving, click here - four minute MP3 file)

A team effort

2006-02-17T17:03:00.000+11:00

As soon as the plans had been made for the Ballarat residency projects, Zakir began darning the many small holes in the Trades Hall Eureka flag, whilst we tried to source matching fabric to replace the badly shredded areas. This proved to be quite a chase, and a great team effort. Through the Trades Hall we discovered the name of the manufacturer, who kindly donated some fabric. This turned out to be a different blue to our flag, and because the fabric is synthetic is was not possible for the rafoogars to dye it.

Searching the local fabric shops, I found several variations of cloth of the right colour but wrong fabric content. By day four, it seemed that the blue cotton homespun would be the closest match. Then Dulcie Corbett, who has taken me into her home for the duration of the residency, put her local knowledge and her detective skills to the test. She took a small sample of the flag, and the new blue fabric sent by the flag manufacturer, and returned triumphantly three days later with the new fabric dyed to match the flag, having tracked down a commercial dyer who kindly offered his services at no charge.

There was much excitement when Dulcie arrived at the gallery with the newly dyed fabric, now a perfect match for the damaged flag. Zakir and Intekhab immediately put their heads together, consulting on the technical details of how to proceed with the repair. It was eventually decided to make a clean join right across the flag, entirely removing the shredded section. Only two hours later, the new section had been neatly darned to the old. Next came the task of adding the cross bar and star to both front and back of the flag.

Thenu in Caulfield

2006-02-17T15:05:00.000+11:00

To the sound of hip hop from the students of Caulfield Park Community Centre, Chandraguptha Thenuwara and David Ray are working on pieces for the Common Goods exhibition. Thenu is interested in taking David's tiles and camouflage into the third dimension. One very practical benefit from Thenu's residency is to discover a pigment for creating a bright yellow on ceramic glaze. The yellows in his clay barrels fired in Colombo have tended to burn out. So yellow becomes an Australian gift to Sri Lanka. Thenu was also very pleased to find a local Sri Lankan restaurant, Gedera, meaning welcome.

Slide talk coming up

2006-02-16T16:36:00.000+11:00

Rafoogars at the Ballarat Fine Art GalleryA Craft Victoria residency program

Capturing the Past - A Slide Talk by Wendy Lugg & Priya Ravish Mehra.
Wed 22 Feb at 12.30pm

For the past 10 days the Rafoogars, Zakir Hussain, Intekhab Ahmed and Western Australian artist Wendy Lugg have been working in Ballarat Fine Art Gallery on the Common Goods project organised by Craft Victoria as part of the cultural program for the Commonwealth Games
Wendy and Priya have prepared a slide show titled Capturing the Past where they will talk about aspects of the Common Goods project. Wendy will talk about traditions of making do and mending in Australia and Asia. Priya will discuss the fascinating art of the Rafoogars who repair exquisite Kasmiri shawls made for special occasions.
Entry to the talk is free.

Ahmed instilling Maldivian design

2006-02-16T14:25:00.000+11:00

The South Kids at ArtPlay were particularly keen to see the silicon block that Maldivian stone carver Ahmed Nimad was working with. Ahmed stressed greatly the adaptability of Maldivian design, beyond stone carving to graphic design and fashion. He is hoping that his visit will leave the South Kids with a lasting legacy. Let's see if in the next generation of Victorian designers and makers reveal strange curvilinear patterns in their work. To the right are some of the materials they have been gathering for Lorraine Connelley-Northey. Ahmed and Lorraine are getting together next week to make their piece for the Common Goods exhibition to open on 28 February.

Barrelism in Melbourne

2006-02-15T21:18:00.000+11:00

Chandraguptha Thenuwara has been very busy. This afternoon was the opening of an exhibition at the Maroondah Art Gallery, organised by Damien Smith, which featured some barrels that Chandraguptha had painted specially for the exhibition, along with some very find drawings, paintings and prints. In a very kind gesture, Chandraguptha has donated the barrels to the council. Chandraguptha spoke of the strangeness of yellow as a camouflage colour in Sri Lankan barrels - a colour that makes them stand out rather than blend in. He mentioned an interest in barrelism that might be found in other countries. In Cairo recently, he found was he thought was a 'doorism', reflecting the security screening frames at the entrance of all public buildings. When prompted about what Melbourne's version of 'barrelism' might be, he spoke about a more internal sense of alertness to terrorism, though said this didn't affect the friendliness that he found on Melbourne streets. However, in conversation he did express a surprise at the level of swearing amongst youth in a centre where he is working -- 'four letter words'. Strange that this kind of verbal violence is perfectly reasonable to Melbournians, though it shocks a person by comparison with the military violence in Sri Lanka. So what is the Melbourne equivalent of barrelism? Far more prevalent in Melbourne are bollards that subtly define the excluded areas of public space. Could there be bollardism in Melbourne? Thanks Chandraguptha for raising this question.

Expert exchange

2006-02-15T09:55:00.000+11:00

The rafoogars are stitching away, oblivious to distractions. The steady rhythm of their work is not even slowed by the regular chime of Intekhab's mobile phone, receiving message updates of the cricket scores. They do pause, however, to allow visitors a close look at what they've been doing.

One very welcome visitor was Val D'Angri, who conserved and prepared the original Eureka Flag for display at the gallery 30 years ago. Val, who is very knowledgeable about the flag and its place in history, is also an expert needlewoman. It was exciting to be given a close, hands-on look at the reduced scale flag she made to demonstrate the exact construction of the original flag. Val, in turn, was greatly impressed by the skill of the rafoogars, and spent some time admiring both their current residency stitching and the old mended shawls they have brought with them.

A week into Ballarat residency

2006-02-14T17:22:00.000+11:00

A week into the Ballarat residency, the rafoogars are making swift progress, and I (Wendy) am finally taking off my admistrative hat to focus on sewing. I must work fast to catch up.

We have two separate projects underway, each linking Indian tradition with a local Australian icon. It was in Ballarat that the Eureka Flag was first flown in 1854. Made famous by its role in the battle at the Eureka Stockade, it has since been flown in support of many and varied causes. The Ballarat Fine Art Gallery is home to the original flag, which has provided inspiration for both projects.

Zakir is using his darning skills to restore a storm-damaged Eureka flag removed from above the local Trades Hall. Given that it is so badly shredded that nearly half of it is missing, returning it to its original state will be a remarkable feat, and quite fascinating to watch.

Meanwhile, Intekhab and I are collaborating on a double sided piece using a traditional Indian shawl format. We will each create a face layer, and these will be joined back-to-back to complete the shawl. Intekhab is drawing his imagery from the Eureka Flag.

Friend

2006-02-14T15:42:00.000+11:00

At the end of a long journey by sea, visitors to the island of Kulhudhufushi are greeting by the bright red sign 'Miduri', meaning friend. Yet another sign of the oagartherikan that is a common good special to the Maldives.

Hlengiwe with the 'villages'

2006-02-10T17:32:00.000+11:00

Here's South African telephone wire weaver Hlengiwe Dube with the plants she calls the 'villages' in the park near Geelong Art Gallery.

2006-02-10T15:08:00.000+11:00

The residency at Ballarat is up and running. The visitors have settled in to their space at the gallery, where a wonderful large carpet from the gallery collection has been provided as a place for them to work. The rafoogers, Zakir Hussein and Intekhab Ahmed, are accompanied by Priya Ravish Mehra, who has proven to be a real asset to the development of the residency. She has eased the culture shock for the rafoogars, and ably provided translation services during the planning discussions between the rafoogars and Australian artist Wendy Lugg, who is working with them. Four days into the project, decisions have been made, and two parallel projects are underway.

Lace-making in Malta-Morwell

2006-02-09T23:20:00.000+11:00

Some reflection on how the lives of Maltese has tangible evidence, compared to the heritage of current generations.
In Morwell, Mary Farrugia was joined by local Maltese lace-makers Mary Zahra and Helen Muscat at Latrobe Regional Gallery. They worked surrounded by an extraordinary display of lace, much of it Mary's, but also some from the local community. Quite stark was the contrast between the baby's lace smock from Malta, with more exquisite detail throughout, with the local smock where lace was restricted to the hem. 'People just don't have the time anymore'. There was much talk about bobbins. Each of their sets of bobbins had quite distinct beads to weigh them down. According to Mary, lace-makers often attach black beads to their bobbins if there has been a death in the family. Burnt into the bobbins are words, such as maxims or family names. The local Maltese community is planning for Malta Day on 15 March, when bus loads are coming down from Melbourne for ceremonies, eating, sport and dancing. They seem very excited to be involved in producing work for the cultural festival and wish there was more of that. They are producing individual pieces of lace to be attached to a men's suit that Mark McDean has designed in conversation with Mary Faruggia. All goes well.

Early days

2006-02-09T11:35:00.000+11:00

Just some quick notes of progress thus far…

Monday's media launch was a great success. The Sports Minister Justin Madden engaged in deep conversation with visiting artists. Photos have appeared in The Age and Herald Sun. The artists met beforehand and were introduced to each other. The Mauritian artist Lewis Dick demonstrated the sega and welcomes were exchanged in many different languages.

The South African artist Hlengiwe Dube had one of her bowls reproduced in bright colour in the Herald Sun. There was an official reception for her at Geelong Art Gallery (see image below)

Flax has been collected for Te Atiwae Ririnui

Due to family circumstances beyond her control, Niki Hastings-McFall has delayed her trip. She is expected mid-February.

Audrey Boyle is continuing to collect strange flora for her installation-in-progress at Craft Victoria.

Lewis Dick has been exploring Melbourne for wood with lots of character.

The Maldivian carver Ahmed Nimad has been exploring Melbourne's cemeteries to study the stone carving

Chandraguptha Thenuwara is having an exhibition 'Barrelism: Camouflage' at Maroondah Art Gallery opening on Wednesday 15 February until 18 March

South Africa in Geelong

2006-02-08T21:28:00.000+11:00

Hlengiwe Dube has met some very nice friends in Geelong, including a lovely South African resident who actually comes from the same village as Hlengiwe, the Kenyan-born Nandi Young who is heavily involved in multicultural activities, and Louisa La Fonara, who is helping to organise the big PACO festival on 25 February. Hlengiwe was most amazed at the plants in garden near the gallery. She described one plant as 'just like the huts in her village'. She was so pleased that god has designed nature to be so different in different countries. Meanwhile, she has found some materials that Lucy Irvine has been using, and is now working on a hybrid telephone wire and cable tie bowl.

Practicing in Bendigo

2006-02-08T14:10:00.000+11:00

Hi Bloggers, Our visitor Nikki Hastings-McFall has been held up in New Zealand and won't be arriving until next week. With this window of opportunity, as I have never blogged before I thought I should give it a go, have a practice before we start. So, here is a photo from my recent holiday in New Zealand.

Fine detail

2006-02-08T11:47:00.000+11:00

The media launch gave an opportunity for the Victorian Minister of Sport and Commonwealth Games Justin Madden to inspect the fine detail of the work by rafoogars Zakir Hussein and Intekhab Ahmed (who thankfully arrived from India that morning at 3am).

Cable ties and telephone wire

2006-02-06T16:39:00.000+11:00

Local artist Lucy Irvine meets up with visiting South African telephone wire weaver Hlengiwe Dube. They are comparing works at the Common Goods media launch, officiated by Sports Minister Justin Madden. Lucy works with what she can find in hardware stores, particularly cable ties. Hlengiwe's telephone wire is now especially made for craftspeople in South Africa -- it has proven such a popular medium. What will come of her work in Geelong?

Mauritius and Maldives

2006-02-05T21:08:00.000+11:00

Mauritius and Maldives are two island nations of the Indian Ocean, which despite sharing the same water have very little to do with each other. Two carvers Lewis Dick (Mauritius) and Ahmed Nimad (Maldives) are finding much in common. Their first day was spent showing them around some of the carving in Melbourne, including the churches and Melbourne General Cemetary. The mild warm sunny weather reminded both of 'just like home'. Final arrival is tonight at 3am, with the second darner Intekhab Ahmed arriving to complete the team that will restore a replica of the Eureka flag.

The Rafoogars have landed

2006-02-04T17:24:00.000+11:00

Common Goods participants are now arriving from all corners of the south. The first to come were the darners from Najibabad, India. Thanks greatly to Ilka White for billetting them before they go to Ballarat. Zakir Hussain's skills in darning were put to immediate use when he quickly attached a lining to the Kashmir shawl that is going into the museum display. All the late night airport pickups combined with the museum installation is exhausting, the cultural alchemy provides its own energy.

Africa's gift: six million CDs of Free Software

2006-01-30T18:26:00.000+11:00

As well as its meaning within a tribal context, the word Ubuntu has been embraced by the open software movement. South African billionaire Mark Shuttleworth is donating money towards free software distribution, including his version of Linux called Ubuntu. For more details, see here.

Welcome to Common Goods

2006-01-30T08:22:00.000+11:00

Common Goods is a Craft Victoria exhibition that will be on display at the Melbourne Museum for the Commonwealth Games. It will include eight visiting artists from Commonwealth countries, who will work collaboratively with local artists in residencies throughout Victoria, including Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Morwell, Artplay, Moonee Valley and Craft Victoria. The guest countries include South Africa, Mauritius, Malta, Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Samoa and New Zealand. The resulting exhibition will contain works by the sixteen artists individually plus eight collaborative works. As well as creatively engaging with the craft skills of visiting cultures, Common Goods is designed to develop dialogue around concepts of humanness, particularly the South African value of 'ubuntu' ('a person is a person through other persons'). The accompanying book will include essays by writers (from the countries featured in the exhibition) around concepts and rituals that represent 'common good'.