free radical notes #96

Reflection as a red [aka a bunch of stuff]           # 96 25/5/08

Haiku stuff

You say that you've left
But I still find evidence
To the contrary.

editorial stuff

Just as I had long suspected – Art Galleries are not places of cultural enlightenment – they are simple fronts for paedophiles and pornographers. Thank god for the vigilance of the moral majority for opening my eyes. They have saved me from a life of debauchery. Which leads me to the following - I have long suspected sinister motives in literature. Would not a good book burning be in order?

other stuff

Usually, the greatest congregation of free radicals happens each year at the Australian Professional Photographer of the Year Awards. This year won't be any different when APPA heads to Brisbane in conjunction with the PMA Imaging and Technology Show. Don't forget to pack your badge if you are going. And if yours happens to be lost, stolen, immolated, imploded, confiscated or devoured by wild animals etc. etc. you can order a replacement, but you'd better do so within the next 2 days.

pinhole stuff

So didja do a pinhole didja? As of the time of writing, 59 Australian pinhole shots have been loaded, and a few free radicals feature. Major accolades to fr#715, John Austin who made the first page. Also featuring are yours truly, Cameron Stephen [fr#688] Veronica Hodgkinson [fr#683], Roger Skinner [fr#702] and David Paterson [fr#100]. *resident propeller head notes - (Jeff [fr #1] is too modest and hasn't included his excellent self portrait pinhole in this list here, so I will!)
If you shot [and I know a few who did] but haven't posted yet, you have until the end of the month to upload your image to www.pinholeday.org

World pinhole day has been in existence since 2001 when photographers from 24 countries made 315 pictures. 2007 the total was 2934 pinhole images from photographers in 68 countries. Currently 2162 images have been uploaded for 2008. WPPD is a celebration of lensless photography. JA has suggested we register as a group for WPPD in 2009 and prompt a quantum leap in participation from Oz.

next meeting stuff

Nothing formally organised, but if you load some of your newest most interesting stuff onto a memory stick perhaps we can organise an impromptu meeting [or meetings] sometime during the APPA's in Brisbane next weekend. The Huddles has already been taken, so maybe we can call them the free radical cuddles. If you spot a small group gathered around a laptop over the course of the weekend, whack out your thumb drive and join in. Password for participation will be of course, Air hair lair.

new members stuff

A big Air hair lair to our only new badge holder since the last edition of the notes, Derrick Lee. 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!!

call for entry stuff

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

miscellaneous stuff

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 get a bit of exhibition history. It can be as low cost as you want – many participants simply blu tac unframed prints direct onto the walls [or floor, or ceiling] There are no restrictions as to quantity, quality, size or content of works. Installations and alternative methods of showing work are encouraged. Only proviso is you sign an indemnity form on hanging day before you can participate. And of course you have to also turn up on closing day to dismantle your stuff or it gets consigned to the rubbish skip. As we generally get a number of international works [a reciprocal arrangement] you may be asked to also hang pictures on behalf of someone from overseas.

Presentation and talk by 5 of the members of Degree South a new collective of eight award-winning Australian photographers based throughout the Asia Pacific region will take place at Building 131, Australian National University, Garran Road, Acton, Canberra at the Finkel theatre Tuesday 15th July at noon.

Lots of stuff happening as part of VIVID, Canberra's First National Festival of Photography, which kicks off on July 11th and runs through to October 12th, including exhibitions, seminars, lectures, floortalks, projections and more. Check out all the details at www.nla.gov.au/vivid/index.html

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, ie 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 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 current to 7 June 2008 at the Australian Centre for Photography 257 Oxford Street, Paddington. Info from www.headon.com.au

Eastlink: The art of urban design and construction, An exhibition of commissioned photography by George Apostolidis, Jean Marc la Roque, Craig Moodie, and industrial photography from the MGA collection. This exhibition examines the rise of the motorway in recent urban development, and the way it has transformed our sense of travel, time, distance, landscape and design. The spectacular architecture of the recent EastLink project - reproduced in large scale photographs - are placed in historical context of works from the MGA collection that examine the built environment of the late 20th Century. show current to June 8th
plus
Notes from the Mississippi Delta by Nathan Miller, reveals Miller as an astute observer of the culture. Musicians, juke joints, barbershops and the expansive landscape of the Delta are recorded in Miller's extensive travels through "the Land where the Blues began. Legendary bluesmen Big Jack Johnson, T-Model Ford and drummer Sam Carr play in juke joints and clubs such as "Ground Zero" and "Reds" in Clarksdale. Images of local barbershops, Sunday church gatherings, roadside memorials and elegant natural vistas portray a community and culture that Miller has deep respect and affinity with. Miller records his experiences in a range of extraordinary images that he describes as " visual notes of a traveller with a camera passing through". Show current to June 8th
plus
Simon Obarzanek. The first survey exhibition of the Melbourne-based photographer Simon Obarzanek. Over recent years Obarzanek has gained a significant reputation in the art world for his conceptually driven photographic series, which explore the expressive potential of isolated human forms. His early work was primarily concerned with portraiture, but he countered the traditional conventions of that genre by privileging anonymity and the formal qualities of the visage over a psychological interest in the sitter's personality. In his more recent series, Obarzanek withdraws from the facial close-up to work with the human figure in space. Throughout his practice there is a recurring treatment of the human form as a sensitive membrane, which harnesses and expresses the elemental forces of existence. Show current to 13 July.
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

There Stands The Glass by Conor O'Brien. There Stands The Glass follows on from Hold On To Each Other, as the second body of work created over a three-year period whilst I was living in Melbourne. These portraits, landscapes and observations explore personal and emotional connections with my surroundings and people I am close to. My aim is to communicate ideas and feelings that viewers can explore and question within the context of their own experiences.
plus
Time And Distance by Peter Jeffs. Peter Jeffs converted a heavy-duty enlarger to project his images onto a wall for the production of his mural-sized photographic prints. Dispensing with conventional notions of composition, he made these gritty, street images at night whilst working as a Melbourne taxi driver. The use of black and white film exaggerates the impact of artificial light in the darkness, while the size of the images invites the viewer to participate as a passenger in a spontaneous moment. A moment of contemplation and reflection; the taxi mirror reflects a moment just passed. There is more going on than meets the eye in these non-judgmental observations. Jeffs recently discovered his Wotjobaluk heritage. His thumbprint signature refers to the Aboriginal 'signatories' of Batman's Treaty for the land of the Kulin nation in 1835, where the Centre for Contemporary Photography is situated.
plus
Huang Po-Chih & Wang Ya-Hui. Selections From Penumbra: Contemporary Art From Taiwan
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Not Really Aboriginal by Bindi Cole. Does dark skin make you black or light skin make you white? When Bindi Cole tells people that she is Aboriginal, so many of them respond by saying: "Not really Aboriginal". What is Aboriginal? According to most white experts, it's a black person who lives in a remote community, has social issues and claims benefits that are way above what they deserve. So, being white, fairly socially adjusted and living in an urban area in Victoria, where does Cole fit in? "Not Really Aboriginal" explores how black you need to look to be considered Aboriginal and how white Aboriginals cross the cultural divide. Ultimately, it is a celebration of Aboriginality in all its forms.
plus
Spinning by Kotoe Ishii in The Projection Window All shows current to July 5th at the CCP, 404 George St Fitzroy. Gallery hours Weds to Sat 11 - 6. info at www.ccp.org.au Degree South, Ben Bohane, Michael Coyne [fr# 213], Stephen Dupont, Joyce Evans, [fr#529] Tim Page, David Dare Parker [fr#540], Jack Picone, 'honorary member' – Sean Flynn. An exhibition of documentary photography by Degree South, a new collective of eight award-winning Australian photographers based throughout the Asia Pacific region. ACT Legislative Assembly London Circuit, Canberra City - opening Tues 15th July. Show runs 11 July to 6 August 2008

David Ellis [fr#17] presents Images of France at the Alliance Francaise Gallery 51 Grey St, St Kilda from June 10th to 30th. Gallery hours Mondays to Thursdays 9.00 am to 8.30 pm, Fridays 9.00am to 6.00 pm, and Saturdays 9.00 am to 4.30 pm. Closed Sundays.

The Royal Photographic Society Victorian Chapter presents Near and Far at the Melbourne Camera Club, Cnr Ferrars and Dorcas Sts South Melbourne July 12th & 13th and 19th & 20th from 2 – 5

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

Nikon D2x digital SLR camera body $2500 cables, box & books
Nikon 24-200mm 1: 2.8 D AF $1100
Nikon D70s Digital Camera SLR $1000
AF Zoom-Nikkor 24-85mm 1:2.8-4 D lens $350
Nikon F80 film body x 2 $200 each
Nikon N80 film body $200
Nikon 801 film body $100
KODAK Pro 14n Digital Camera $800
Sigma 17-35mm D Aspherical 1: 2.8-4 $300 Nikon compatible
Tonika AT -X 24-200 Aspherical 1: 3.5-5.6 $500 Nikon compatible
Nikon SB- 80DX Speedlight/Flash Unit $200
Nikon SB- 28 Speedlight/Flash Unit $55
Open to offers- happy to trade for canon equipment. Mint condition gear-all lenses have had UV filters on so no scratches. Lucy Morton [fr#65] Melbourne 0416 257720 lucy [at] lucymortonphotography.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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