Notes #105

Fascinate reel rod #105 [aka a bunch of stuff] 15/12/2009

Haiku stuff

that blackcurrant jam

it’s so right on my toast, but

so wrong on my shirt

editorial stuff

Not been a good year for the notes I’m afraid. I apologise for not being up to producing more than a paltry four issues for the year, but the massive workload to get BIFB’09 up and running  after the relocation from Daylesford in August 2008, plus some health issues since the end of the festival, have meant that fr notes have had to take a bit of a back seat. Here’s hoping that 2010 will see a bit of relief and the notes will flow on a more regular basis.

new members stuff

A big warm and fuzzy welcome to our newest free radical members, Peter Layton VIC, Jemma Howard WA [again!] Duncan Warren SA, Shelley Amerio-Higgins NZ, Ann Ouchterlony NSW, Cameron Attree QLD, Vikanshi Moyle TAS, Dave Luanda VIC, Amanda Rebbechi NSW, Emily Boyd QLD, Charles McKean NSW, Steven Saporito VIC, George Apostolidis VIC, Mandarine Montgomery VIC, Bill Beath VIC, Julie Hough VIC, Ric Wallis VIC, Sabrina Doran VIC, Nalini Mackie VIC, Laura Parkinson VIC, Thomas Roessler Germany and Maria Petrova VIC.

My apologies to some of you who had to wait a couple of months for your badges to arrive – you probably thought you had done your ten bucks cold I’ll bet -  but no, it’s just slackness on my part. I shall go and stand in the corner for a spell.

births and deaths stuff

Sad to hear of the passing of free radical  #271 Lex Mrocki. Lex was only 42.

Also gone to the big darkroom in the sky is Sue Ford at age 66. Sue was never a free radical, nor had I ever met her, although I remember back in my teaching days taking a group of RMIT graphic design students to a show featuring her work at the NGV.

website stuff

Free radical #688, and resident propellorhead Cam Stephen has been doing some more work on the free radical website www.freeradicaloz.com You can feedback at twitter, post images at flickr free rad group, read the latest copy of the notes if you deleted yours by mistake, find your number at the members page if you’ve lost your badge [SHAME SHAME!] and so much more. If you scroll down to the bottom of the members page you can even send cameron.stephen [at] gmail.com message to Cam, and I’m sure that would just make his day if you did, don’t forget to put free radical website or something relevant like that in the subject field to get his attention, he’s easily distracted.

Rob Imhoff roast stuff

A crowd of more than 80 turned up at Heaven studios on a Saturday evening in November to roast Rob Imhoff. The crowd would probably have been much bigger if it hadn’t been a surprise event, thus limiting the ability to promote more widely. For those of you who didn’t hear about it through the grapevine, and otherwise would have been there to add to the merriment of the evening – our apologies. For those of you too young to know, Rob has been around since the year dot as one of the most respected figures in Australian professional photography.  Rob built his reputation as a high end advertising shooter and went on to be one of our top TVC directors.

Thanks go to a bunch of folk for the organisational logistics, especially David Simmonds  fr#50 and George Apostolidis fr#771 for turning over his studio to the hordes for the evening

additional editorial stuff

The Bowness Prize has been run and won, and yet again the winner causes me to scratch my head and wonder.  I admit I have not seen the finalist prints on the wall, but I have spent some time at flickr where all the shortlisted images are on show here: Browness Prize Shortlist on Flickr and really, there are some pretty average pics that were culled from the 2000 odd entries to make the final list, and I would count the winner amongst those.

still more stuff

Couple of responses to the piece by Fr#353 Francis Reiss in the last edition of the notes;

From Fr# XXX [requested anonymity] What is the world coming to really?  Next time I’ll have Prints: LabX next to my byline.  With all due respect to printers and the great job they do, not undermining their skills whatsoever but, printing is a technique, not an art.   Seriously? Does anyone know the name of Ansel Adam’s printer?  If you think the printing deserves credit, send other photographers their way.

and from fr#708 John Austin – Re the item by  Francis Reiss  fr#353 – There is now an even radicaler movement of “Post Digital Photographers” – In this group the prints only go to 20 x 24″ and are printed in the darkroom by the photographer, or for the very wealthy, by me

There is the problem with Kennedy’s saying there is “no demand for BW fibre based paper, and they have the sales figures to prove it” – I have solved that by importing fibre based silver jelly paper directly from the country of origin

Regarding the haiku, (I note this one does mention the season, it has to to be a haiku) real silver jelly prints are truly things to moisten your panties – Regardless of the subject matter

and on another subject Arts & Science in Australian mainstream? Is this possible?

from fr#751 Nicole Boenig-McGrade

Earlier this year, I wrote to the big media moguls asking for more exposure to art in the mainstream. Specifically – to have prime time news, sport and also a few minutes on the latest in The Arts and Science. I received an instant, very short email response telling me sport was the tradition and there is no room for other stuff that people aren’t interested in. Such short sighted views are inconceivable. The problem is (as my mother so eloquently said), if you stick a bunch of people on a remote island (such as Australia) and only feed them chicken and beef, they’ll either love chicken or beef – because they don’t know anything else! This is what’s happening to Australians through the Australian media. We need to be exposed to more variety (especially The Arts & Science), not just sport and sensationalised news. Sure there is Art on TV and in society, but you have to know what you’re looking for and go searching for it. Art and Science should be mainstream, to encourage more creative thinking, compassion and progress in society. Surely we can be more educated and intellectual than what the media determines us viewers want or need.

Art is a creative language for the soul at any age – a language we can all easily learn to appreciate, understand and speak fluently. All this requires is exposure to art in our everyday environment, as a viewer or/and as a creator.

I’ll keep sending my letters, run photography workshops (including at primary schools), keep introducing arts festivals in schools and parks and now I’m busy curating a collaboration of collectable fine art photography at a big annual arts event in Perth in 2010.

The solution is easy: We can all do something about this. We can all write to the media, the government, our primary/high/tertiary schools, etc… telling them we want more exposure to The Arts and Science (if that’s your cup of tea) – not just one reality tv show after the other, or repeats of the same comedy shows each year. Not just the news, sports and weather report day in and day out. The big guns need to “see and hear” that we no longer want just chicken or beef!

And FR#666 Robin Gauld from up there in FNQ is embarking on a post grad PhD researching

photography in higher education and industry – a qualitative and quantitative study to explain the alignment between the sectors [what alignment says I?!!] Initially, participants will be asked to undertake an anonymous on-line survey. More details with links etc in the next edition of the notes.

photography festival stuff

Foto Freo 2010, which runs March 20 – April 18, have  launched their Core Program lineup – details at  www.fotofreo.com and just announced – HeadOn, the alternative portrait photography prize is expanding into a festival of photography as of late April 2010. As well as the 7^th portrait prize, workshops, exhibitions and forums will take place across Sydney. More details fromwww.headon.com.au And the PMA show, along with the  Canon/AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year Awards is in Melbourne June 4 -6, so for all of you from elsewhere, start saving up your frequent flyer points – the first half of 2010 is going to be a busy one.

call for entry  stuff

It’s always a good idea to thoroughly read and understand terms of entry for any photographic prize or competition.

If you don’t like what they say, or feel terms and conditions are not clearly spelled out, or appear exploitative, don’t enter!

2010 Sony World Photography Awards has a $25,000 first prize, and the thing I like about these awards is that entry is free. Better get your roller skates on coz entries close Jan 4^th.

Details from http://www.worldphotographyawards.org

IPA Facing 2010 awards. Facing 2010: is a reflection upon the faces of people within the first decade of the 21st century. We want to see the trials, triumphs, lessons and struggles through the expression of individuals.
Your portrait must be shot between the dates of January 1, 2000 to present. Photographs that were shot before January 1, 2000 will be disqualified and are not eligible. First Place winner will receive $2,000 cash prize, Second Place winner will receive $1,000 cash prize and the Third Place winner will receive $500 cash prize. Submit your best “face” today in the IPA’s first themed competition. Deadline: January 15, 2010 Entry Fee: Single or Series at $50.00 details www.photoawards.com

exhibition stuff

happy to list your show be it in Melbourne, Darwin, Hobart or wherever, but if it’s too much trouble to send me your exhibition details in a format that I can readily cut and paste, i.e. in the body of an email, then it’s too much trouble for me to transcribe details from a PDF or go chasing websites for the information that’s missing. Send the details to <freeradicaloz@gmail.com> Include details of  opening and closing dates, gallery address, opening hours, and if you like, a brief synopsis of the show. Sometimes it’s  4 – 6 weeks between editions of the notes, so if you want to be sure of getting a listing, get your details in early.

Sorry, but no exhibition listings this month, which is not to say there is nothing on, because I’m sure there are lots happening up and down the country, but there is nothing current in my exhibitions file -  sorry to those of you whose show has been and gone since edition 104 of the notes – and my satellite service is getting so slow that it is not practical to go surfing looking for shows to add to the list. [roll on Feb when my 24 month ISP contract expires – and if you are a country customer with no other option than satellite I would suggest forty foot pole and harboursat would go well in the same sentence!]

classified stuff

classifieds are free, but only run for one edition unless you email me to run in the following edition due to lack of enquiries, or you wish to delete, add, or change the price of items. Don’t send an essay – just item, price and contact  details. KISS

SHARE STUDIO FOR RENT. Funky light filled, inner city secure first floor STUDIO to share with Commercial photographer and 7 other creative professionals including Architect, Textile Designer, Web site Designer and Artist. Large clean communal areas include meeting room, table and chairs, well equipped kitchen and table tennis table. Ideal base for a Photographer or Graphic Designer to formalise their business practice with a inner city address. Sub-Let share space is about 40m2 within a total area of approx 195m2 ADSL 2+ internet and VOIP is also available.

Easy parking in surrounding streets, two minute walk to Smith Street Cafes. Easy access to Eastern freeway and City. Contact John 0412 314 696 in business hours.

and while we’re at it stuff

This came via FR#708 John Austin a while back. Something that I’m sure some of you can relate to as much as I [ed.]

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. -

[Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder]

This is how it manifests:

I decide to clean my darkroom

As I open the door

I look over at my car and decide it also needs cleaning.

As I get to my car, I notice mail on the dashboard I picked up from the PO earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I clean the car.

I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail with the other rubbish under the table,

and notice that the space is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and clear out the rubbish first.

But then I think, since I’m going to be near the car when I take out the bin anyway,

I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my cheque book off the table, and see that there is only one cheque left. My extra cheques are in my desk by the back door,

So I go to my desk where I find the coffee I’d been drinking.

I’m going to look for my cheques, but first I need to push the coffee aside so that I don’t accidentally knock it over.

The coffee is getting cold, and I decide to put it in the microwave.

As I head back to the kitchen with the coffee, the dead flower catches my eye—it needs changing.

I put the coffee in the microwave and discover my reading glasses that I’ve been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I’m going to change the flower.

I set the glasses back down on the table, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when I go to watch Dr Who I’ll be looking for the remote, but I won’t remember that it’s on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back where it belongs,

But first I’ll change the flower. I take out the dead flowers, but quite a bit of water spills on the floor, so, I set the remote back on the table, get a towel, and wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

The darkroom isn’t cleaned

The car isn’t cleaned

The bills aren’t paid

There is a cold cup of coffee sitting in the microwave

The vase doesn’t have a flower

There is still only 1 cheque in my cheque book,

I can’t find the remote,

I can’t find my glasses,

And I don’t remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,

I’m really baffled because I know I was busy all damn day, and I’m really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I’ll try to get some help for it, but first I’ll check my e-mail….

Do me a favour. Forward this message to everyone you know, because I don’t remember who the hell I’ve sent it to.

Don’t laugh—if this isn’t you yet, your day is coming!!

end stuff

Feeling neglected because of lack of information on events happening in your neck of the woods? I can’t include it if i don’t know about it!! Any editorial content, exhibition notices, classifieds etc. to free radicaloz [at] gmail.com

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