free radical notes #95

electrode sari fan [aka a bunch of stuff] # 95 25/4/08

Haiku stuff

The fat lady sang
The players have left the field
Why are you still here?

editorial stuff

A comment I overheard on more than one occasion during my visit to Foto Freo was 'There's just too much to see and do yadda yadda.......' The same comment was passed frequently during the Daylesford Foto Biennale, and I have no doubt the same will be heard at VIVID in Canberra in a few months time. Yes, there is a lot to see and do, and it requires a degree of commitment, planning and dedication to fit it all in. And yes, the brain does suffer from visual and information overload – but consider this - these events only come around once every two years. In each case they are presented by a group of [choose your own adjective here] dedicated, enthusiastic, stupid, committed, selfless, idiotic, passionate individuals who do it for no recompense except the odd pat on the back and maybe a souvenir tee shirt. And if we don't support these events, chances are they won't be there in another two years time. So make an effort. See as much as you can. Leave a comment in the visitors book. Attend the seminars and lectures. Get along to the openings and launches. Show some support for your fellow photographers and the foot soldiers that put these events together. And if you are so busy that you can't find the time, then you must be pulling in the bucks, so why not send your assistant off for the day with a blank cheque and ask them to bring you back a great picture for your collection. Festivals of Photography are a long term proposition that will eventually raise the profile of photography, and they need our support to continue and develop, and when that happens, the benefits flow to us all. So get out there and do your bit!

pinhole stuff

Sunday April 27th is World Pinhole Day. Check out http://www.pinholeday.org for more info. Basically you shoot your pinhole on the 27th [this Sunday], then you have until May 31st to upload your image to the website. Let's see all you free rads who have a pinhole get out there and do it on Sunday

meeting report stuff

I had intended to send out an edition #94.5 to remind all the Perth based free radicals [who now number around 70] of the Foto Freo Perth Gallery crawl. Unfortunately time and the optus satellite conspired against me, and the day I left for the west I couldn't get any emails out. As a consequence, or maybe it wouldn't have made any difference anyhow, it was a one man gallery crawl. I took in fringe shows at Keith + Lotties, Kurb, Vultures, Plaza Imaging, and went back for a second look at the Roger Ballen show at the Art Gallery of WA, which, for me, was one of the highlights of FF. And if you don't want to wait 2 years for the next free radical meeting in Perth, organise something yourselves. It's as simple as that!

stuff that doesn't work stuff [part II]

This time around it was the writer's brain. I booked my flight to the west back in September before Tiger Air had made their first Australian flight. I dutifully wrote in my diary [2007] and transferred to this years book – back to Melbourne on the 24th. I didn't check my printed itinerary until the morning of the 24th, and didn't twig that the flight was at 00.25, and in fact I should have been back home at free radical world HQ at about the time I was reading it. So I enjoyed yet another balmy Freo day, doing portfolio reviews in the morning, a lazy alfresco lunch at the Fremantle Arts Centre, then caught a couple of shows that I hadn't been able to locate previously. It wasn't until about mid afternoon that it occurred to me that I had possibly missed my flight – nah. Couldn't possibly have made a stuff up like that! – but sure enough I had. So then it was online to find a cheap flight back to Melbourne. Best I could do was Jet star to Avalon, which was problematical, as van was in the long term carpark at Tullamarine. No problemo - called friends in Geelong to meet me and drive me to Tulla. As we flew in to Avalon I went to put my jacket on. Uh oh! no jacket. And no jacket means no car keys, coz car keys are in jacket pocket, and there is no spare set. Turns out I left jacket back at the x ray machine at Perth airport. And so then a rather complicated process begins, Call Roger Garwood [fr#705] in Freo to journey to the airport and retrieve jacket and keys and put them in an express post bag back east, further complication is that express post from the west is only from CBD to CBD for next day delivery. Express post to free radical world HQ could take anywhere up to 5 days. Anyhow, to cut a long story short, I finally made it home with all my constituent parts on Thursday afternoon instead of Monday morning as it should have been if circumstances hadn't conspired against me. The moral of the story is check, check and double check. And having friends to call on in times of mental aberration is a life saver, coz if you don't have friends you're stuffed. Just as a footnote, read in the paper yesterday about a violinist who left his Stradivarius, valued at $A4.2 million, in a New York cab.

new members stuff

Air hair lair. Quite a lineup of new members this edition, mainly thanks to free radical #705 with his superlative arm twisting sales technique. As a consequence the free radical ice cream container is looking a healthier than it has in a couple of years, and we need it, because photographic events like the Galeria Bezdomna/Homeless Gallery have been added to the VIVID lineup in Canberra, and as the GB/HG runs without any funds, it could do with a bit of a leg-up [more of that later] In the meantime, free radical welcomes it's newest badge holders, Anthony Browell, John Maslin, Roger Garwood, Patrick Schuttler, John Austin, Chris Reid, Roel Loopers, Bob Richards, Bob Sommerville, Guy Vinciguerra, Christina Backus, Alastair McNaughton, Michael Wearne, June Moorhouse, Mark Greysmith, Lizzie Reed, Darren McLaughlin and Andrew Sooby. Don't forget that 2008 is the year of the concerted membership drive, where every genuine free radical encourages just one non free radical to make one of the cheapest photographic investments ever – a free radical lifetime membership for a paltry ten bucks. You know the details!!

other stuff

I know protests and petitions, like photography prizes, are becoming a growth industry nowadays. One petition that is probably worth a couple of mouse clicks is Licence Polaroid Technology which is basically a plea to a company out there to take up the license to produce instant print technology introduced by Polaroid. The petition, if it attracts enough signatures, may just encourage some company to take on the technology and continue to produce instant print products. Two great recent shows - Steve Dupont's 'Axe me Biggie' at Foto Freo and Tobias Titz's 'Farewell 665' at DFB07 were both fine examples of the medium and the potential of the Polaraoid pos/neg process. Though a bit passe in recent times, Polaroid's SX70 and the various print films lent themselves to lifts, transfers, emulsion shifts and a range of other unique state manipulations for fine art photographers.

call for entry stuff

CLIP [Contemporary Landscape in Photography prize] run by the Perth Centre for Photography is calling for entries to their inaugural prize. Entries close May 9th. Up for grabs are the PCP & MMT Networks Prize of $3000, ANZ Award of Excellence of $500, and the Saville Australia Urban Energy Award of $7500. Entry forms and details are available from http://www.pcp.org.au

Bowness Prize. The MGA call for entry for the 3rd William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize, worth $15,000 has just been made. Closing date for submissions is May 30th. Download entry form and details at www.mga.org.au

The F 2.8 Group is calling for entries for its Aug/Sept 2008 group photography exhibition. Theme is 'The Textured Environment.' Entries can be Analogue or Digital Photography. Venue is Upstairs, Flinders Lane Gallery. Application forms on the web site at http://www.twopointeight.com.au or enquiries to Melissa Morey [fr#516] mmorey [at] twopointeight.com.au

Kerala Gallery is hosting its second annual black & white (nude) exhition. Entries are now open for consideration.
Black & White (nude) 2008 Exhibition dates: June 14 - 28 Opening night June 13th 6:30-8:30 For entry details visit keralagallery.com.au

workshop stuff

Lab X in Melbourne announce the second seminar in a series of practical digital imaging workshops with Les Walkling. This seminar is RAW Processing on April the 16th at 6.45pm. For more info, or to book, email justine [at] labx.com.au or phone 9534 8838.

Photogravure workshop with Silvi Glattauer [fr#391] - Sat & Sun May 24th & 25th. Using non-toxic photosensitive printing plates, this is an ideal workshop for photographers or printmakers wanting to explore this non-silver alternative process. Photogravure produces the most exquisite, rich and velvety tones through the printing process. Includes digital techniques for making high quality films. The Baldessin Press - 90 Shaftebsury Ave, St Andrews, Vic More information www.baldessinpress.com.au T. 0417 377 962

miscellaneous stuff

Head On opens Thursday 1 May 2008 6-8pm at the Australian Centre for Photography 257 Oxford Street, Paddington. The show will be officially opened by the Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore. Finalists were selected by Sandra Byron - Byron McMahon Gallery Director Stephen Dupont, multi award winning photographer and Moshe Rosenzveig - Head On curator.
Prizes will be awarded for the best 3 images, plus The 'Critic's Choice' selected by Robert McFarlane, the Sydney Morning Herald photography critic. The opening night will be broadcast live on the net by GizmoVideo
You need to register at www.gizmovideo.tv by Monday 28 April in order to gain access to the broadcast

The Galeria Bezdomna/Homeless Gallery will have it's seventh Australian edition as part of Vivid in Canberra. Dates and venues have yet to be confirmed, but to get into the loop to find out exactly where and when, go to this link and fill in the e form to get on the database. GB/HG is a low tech no rules [well very few rules] exhibition without any review panel, style police, submission panel etc. etc. You turn up with your pictures and hanging tools, find a space and curate your own work. Simple as that! It's a great way to

Finalists in the Moran Prize included free radicals #38 Bronek Kozka, #159 Peter Adams and #703 Anthony Browell [Hope you all wore your badges to the exhibition launch!]

exhibition stuff

I can't list it if I don't know about it - free radicals are scattered all over the country, so am happy to list your show be it in Melbourne, Darwin, Hobart or wherever. Send the details to free radicaloz [at] gmail.com Include details of opening and closing dates, gallery address, opening hours, and if you like, a brief synopsis of the show.
Send information as text only, preferably pasted into the body of an email and not as an attachment. 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.

Head on Contemporary Portrait prize. Exhibition dates 1 May - 7 June 2008 at the Australian Centre for Photography 257 Oxford Street, Paddington. Info from Head On Eastlink: The art of urban design and construction, show runs 11 May to 08 June, 2008
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In a different light: artists portrayed show current to 18 May, 2008
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Angela Lynkushka: Now that I am a Man I can go to War. show current to 27 April, 2008 At the Monash Gallery of Art Corner Jells & Ferntree Gully Roads, Wheelers Hill Victoria 3150 Tel: 03 9562 1569 mga (at) monash.vic.gov.au Web: www.mga.org.au Open: Tue-Fri: 10-5pm, Sat-Sun: 12-5pm, Mon & public holidays: closed. Gallery, gift shop, licensed cafe and sculpture park FREE ADMISSION

Body Language: Contemporary Chinese Photography at the National Gallery of Victoria. Show current to 18 May 2008 - www.ngv.vic.gov.au/bodylanguage
Over the last decade, Chinese photography has undergone a remarkable period of transformation and growth. Often reflecting an urgent desire to explore individual and social identity in a time of unprecedented change, a group of Chinese photographers have used their own bodies as the vehicle for creative expression and critique.

Rainbow Photo Documentary by Arsineh Houspian [fr# 433] Opening 18th March, Closes on 18th May at the Horsham Regional Art Gallery. 80 Wilson Street Horsham 3400. Tel (03) 5362 2888 Hours Tues - Fri: 10am – 5pm Sat - Sun: 1pm - 4.30pm
Rainbow is a small town of 600 on the western edge of the Victorian Mallee. It's a community in decline where people have to help each other and work together just to keep the place alive. It used to be more than just a dot on the map: in 1909 it held the record for carting the largest quantity of wheat in Victoria. Historic murals are a constant reminder that the town's past is richer than its present. These days it's still a carefree world for children able to wander barefoot, trusting and happy. For some, the old ways are the only ways – rising early lifting, carrying, doing it all by hand. The older men meet at the 'Seat of Knowledge', outside the butcher shop (if you're under 75, you're called a 'blow in' and don't qualify for a place). Val Dixon, the hairdresser owns the meeting place for women. Often she has five ladies in there, with only two paying customers. It's all about a good chat: 'I hate doing a blow wave – it cuts out a good conversation.' Farmers still give directions in yards and miles. The hard yakka takes place in the shearing shed and the paddock, but most of the real business is still conducted at the kitchen table. Old timers, long hairs and travellers still line up at the bar in the two remaining pubs. Many of the towns social transactions still take place face-to-face instead of by phone or email. For many women, Wednesday afternoon bowls is the high point of the week. The Mallee is a sea of earth under an ocean of sky. Rainbow itself, is surrounded by the Big Desert on one side and endless acres of grain on the other three. The nearest large town Horsham is an hour away. Its difficult to imagine that you might feel confined in a place like this, but by my second day in town, everyone knew who I was and why I was there. All that space and nowhere to hide. After a week I was thankful my stay was temporary – but I knew that for those who live there, the pot of gold lies in Rainbow.

The 2008 Kodak Salon plus The Lambs Of God by Manit Sriwanichpoom plus Contagious by Vanila Netto plus Man Walking, Man Running by Ross Coulter in the projection window. All shows current to May 10th at the CCP, 404 George St Fitzroy. Gallery hours Weds to Sat 11 - 6. info at www.ccp.org.au

Places I've Been by Richard White [fr#99] Black and white photographs from the High Country, Nepal, NZ, USA and Australia is at the Muse Gallery of Milawa, at the Cheese Factory, Factory Rd Milawa. Show current to Monday April 28th. Gallery hours 10 -5 Thursday to Monday and Public Holidays

Campaign + Italian Visions by Andrew Chapman [fr#449] plus Atmosphere by David Johns, Michael Silver and Peter Eve at New North Gallery, 15A Railway Place Fairfield. Shows current to May 25th. Info 9443 0056.

Missed a listing for Christine Gates [fr#398] show in Mexico at Museo del Pueblo de Guanajuato in the last edition [yes, I do make the rare stuff up from time to time!] Christine writes 'Opening had a queue stretching right around the corner. Oz Ambassador came from Mexico (City) to open the show then went out for Margaritas after.' So just in case you missed the show, images are at this link!

Wolfgang Sievers show at Christine Abrahams Gallery, 27 Gipps St Richmond opens April 29th and runs to May 24th. Opening is Tuesday April 29th 6 - 8. Gallery hours 10.30 – 5, Tues – Friday and 11 – 5 Saturdays

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

Does anyone know of any dark rooms in Melbourne that are available for hire? If so please email fr#683 Veronica Hodgkinson - v_hodgkinson [at] optusnet.com.au

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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