An elderly man lay dying in his bed. While suffering the agonies of impending death, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favourite biscuits wafting up the stairs. He gathered his remaining strength, and lifted himself from the bed.
Leaning on the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with even greater effort, gripping the railing with both hands, he crawled downstairs. With laboured breath, he leaned against the door-frame, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for death’s agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven, for there, spread out upon waxed paper on the kitchen table were literally hundreds of his favourite biscuits, freshly baked. Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of love from his devoted Aussie wife of sixty years, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?
Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself towards the table, landing on his knees in crumpled posture. His aged and withered hand trembled towards a biscuit at the edge of the table, when it was suddenly smacked by his wife with a spatula………….
“F#ck off” she said, “they’re for the funeral.”
NEW BRUNSWICK ARTSPACE IS EVERYONE’S CUP OF TEA
Brunswick has a new bookstore, and an artspace with a difference, Brunswick Bound. Many young and emerging artists can’t afford to exhibit because of high gallery overheads but, unlike many artist-run spaces, Brunswick Bound is free to exhibit.
Local artist Arlene TextaQueen has been engaged by proprietors Susie and Rob Arambasi to curate exhibitions featuring artists from Brunswick and beyond. This large, sunlit gallery above the new Sydney Road bookstore focuses on art for and by the local community to be launched by afternoon tea parties. Proposals are currently being sought for exhibitions.
Brunswick Bound’s first exhibition is Strategic Bombing by Tom Civil. The show features detailed drawings, woodcuts and paintings inspired by the bombing of civilians throughout the last century of air power and war.
This is Civil’s first solo exhibition to add to his diverse and dense resume. His political yet poetic street art has long beautified our city walls and has been featured in a number of local and international publications and group shows. As a designer for many local activist and community projects, as well as partner in poster and publication proliferators Breakdown Press, his creativity has distinctively marked the city of Melbourne.
In Strategic Bombing, Civil translates his skills at visual communication into the more traditional mediums of printmaking and painting. Civil’s grandfather flew rescue planes in PNG and Indonesia through World War II, and these carefully crafted works are in part inspired by his Pop’s experiences and love for planes. Ominous black jets zoom across print and canvas to be eyed by gathered masses of painted civilians.
Strategic Bombing closes with a Brunswick Bound inaugural afternoon tea party on Saturday September 1st from 2-4pm. Please join the artist and friends for a cuppa and a scone. If you miss the party, the exhibition is on now until September 11th everyday til 6pm.
Sketchbooks, a group show opens September 15th with more tea at 2pm.
For more information on Brunswick Bound contact Arlene TextaQueen at
brunswickbound@gmail.com
For more on Tom Civil:
www.flickr.com/photos/tomcivil
—
………………felt-tips forever……….
www.flickr.com/photos/textaqueen
OVER THE FENCE COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL – CALL FOR ENTRIES
Over The Fence Comedy Film Festival is the biggest touring comedy film festival in the land. Entries are invited for the Festival, which has cash and production prizes in the categories of Best Film, Most Popular Film and Directors Prize. Entries can be submitted in any format, any comic genre and any length between 2 and 30 minutes.
Entries close 10 October 2007
http://www.overthefence.com.au/entrants/index.html
SBS calls for budding Documentary Makers to take part in Podlove 2. Building on the success of the first Podlove series, SBS and the Australian Film Commission are calling for submissions for Podlove 2.
From the intimate to the platonic to the perfunctory, Podlove explored the impact of digital communications on our relationships with friends, family, lovers and strangers. Podlove pushed the creative limits and technical parameters of digital technologies and hybrid content to produce challenging and compelling stories with a strong narrative and universal appeal.
Podlove 2 comprises two 25-minute documentaries, a website and an online game that aims to expand and build upon the established Podlove community. The series will show how communication technologies continue to add to or detract from our lives, loves and relationships.
Guidelines and application forms can be obtained from
http://www.afc.gov.au
Applications close Friday 14 September 2007
http://www.sbs.com.au/podlove/
Interact is an amorphous mobile phone interactive piece that will link data sent from phones directly into artworks these will be screened at a number of venues across town thus linking them together in real time. As part of the general call for entries, proposals will be sought for interactive digital art projects that utilise mobile phone and Internet technologies. The precise nature of this interaction will be determined by the submitted artworks. Works will screen on Friday nights during the Digital Fringe Festival at Federation Square (and other venues around town). DF is currently looking for text and mms messages to make them into art in real time.
Contact info@digitalfringe.com.au to express your interest.
http://www.digitalfringe.com.au
