TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

  

VIEWING ALL POSTS FOR: AUGUST 2005

Saturday, August 27, 2005

6:17 PM
Posted by jodi rose

The heart was almost mine
with which I felt*

LIVE AUDIO/VISUAL PERFORMANCES BY
Kazumichi Grime
Boxed Set (Jodi Rose & Sarah Waterson)
Peter Newman
Poems to Sing Angelic to...
(Brian Fuata & Gail Priest)

SCREENINGS OF VIDEO WORKS BY
Botborg (QLD) - Ego is ether...
Colin Black - Invisible Red String
Anastasia Freeman - Untitled
Arnya Tehira (VIC) - Retraction

1st September 2005
Medium Rare Gallery
70 Regent St (upstairs) Redfern

Curated by Gail Priest
http://www.snagglepussy.net/
provocation by Wordsworth, The Prelude

Saturday, August 27, 2005

6:04 PM
Posted by jodi rose

hello there, I'm back from my recent excursion into the land of humanity - it's amazing what a difference it makes to actually have a day off now and then. feel almost human again. working obsessively on something you love is of course fantastic, but art can be a harsh taskmistress. and as diane says, radio never sleeps. nor bridges.

tonight's thrill is playing internet radio live for sherre delys' update of a famous radio work by ferdinand kriwet, originally made in the 80's by recording radio from all over the world and splicing it together - over 5,000 edits. we're doing it all virtually - for abc radio's the night air audiotheque. it's a fabulous set-up, in studio 22, one of the ABC TV studios - every performer has their own - possibly the worlds first sound art TV pilot. you can listen online on sept 18.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/arts/nightair/
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/arts/nightair/audiotheque.htm

The Audiotheque 2005:
Finding The Signal In The Noise
The Audiotheque 2005 is now booked-out but you can hear the broadcast of the show on The Night Air at 8.30pm on Sunday 18 September. The Audiotheque 2005 is an evening of live audio experimentation with sound and visual artists Ben Byrne, Shannon O'Neill, Pimmon, Joyce Hinterding, Rik Rue, Gail Priest, Ivan Lisyak, Sherre Delys, and Fold.

and somehow I've managed to get all through the mobile journeys program, it had nothing to do with me, I just recorded some conversations - but apparently my interview technique makes me hard to cut out. Oh well, more insane gonzo ranting...

Mobile Journeys
Sunday 28 August 2005
As artist Jodi Rose contemplates content on the move, we journey into the mobile future with a phone book's worth of new media artists, community groups and hip-hoppers who each teach us to change the way we think.

what else... hmm slowly editing the concrete interviews into structured form; taking a much needed break from 24/7 art immersion to smell the jasmine and listen to music; future plans all on hold until funding results known - fingers crossed although at this point I'd willingly contemplate throwing it all in and getting a real job.
ok, maybe not just yet.
damn that's right, residency proposals and funding apps to write this wkd, almost forgot. way too relaxed. knitting rehearsal tomorrow too.

vivienne westwood declined my invitation to provide a bridge guard uniform, so guess I'll have to make it myself. thinking dark red with plenty of gold braid and bridge buttons - where do you get buttons custom made these days? maybe I can find someone in budapest. also planning to knit all the bridges along the danube in my four months there. just when I need a break from writing the novel and composing the symphony.

random vignettes from sydney streets:
a man in a black tuxedo pedalling furiously on his sea green bicyle along crown st in the rain
three women all in black photographed in st stephen's cemetery, their profiles framed by stone arches - one looked like sofia coppola.

best go track down some sound artists to have dinner with now - will be back on air soon.

Sunday, August 21, 2005

9:00 PM
Posted by jodi rose

highlights and lowlights
becoming convinced I was actually losing my reason and going insane
then remembering was never entirely sane to begin with
budidng jasmine delicious sweet smell
finding an original copy of madelein l'engle 'a wrinkle in time'
and an old viewmaster with xmen scenes - looking for one of bridges
nervous exhaustion/migraine for 2 days, had to take the weekend off
remembered it is possible to have a life and relate to people purely for enjoyment.
family breakfast at bar italia, entire shaw clan, very lovely
checking out the invisible forcefield experiments with kimmy
listening to records from the laughing clowns to the cramps radio show and the plums, sharing someone else's obesession for a change
talk by one of the timorous beasties about wallpaper and textile design - beautiful printing techniques with opaque and heat sensitive inks, gorgeous drawings and patterns www.timorousbeasties.com
lying in bed reading the papers and not logging on to anything
but it's all over now another monday another week of insanity
editing writing editing knitting editing cooking editing
xj

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

9:01 PM
Posted by jodi rose

play principle overrides work ethic, says SMH.
'playing also allows us to feel something again through movement and breath and sound.' well, any 5 year old could tell you that :)

www.seriousplay.com
www.theplayethic.com

'People unwilling to relinquish the Protestant work ethic shoud note that time spent playing is actually productive, says pyschologist Meredith Fuller. "Engaging in this sort of behaviour can be very useful for our creativity", she says.'

indeed, so get up and dance and play right now!
I find looking at the clouds and day dreaming incredibly productive. No, really all kinds of connections and ideas come bubbling to the surface. Ok ok really will go edit those 5000 words now. ouch.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

8:57 PM
Posted by jodi rose

my head hurts. another day in E55 listening to strange glitches and clicks and buzzing sounds in the name of musique concrete. the program is starting to take shape though, and tonights interview with sumu gave me a direct line from 1950's radio france to 2005 fbi - and something about creating new worlds with sound - but you'll have to tune in when it goes to air for more details.
the pain is receding slightly - a few less words tumbling around in my brain. better get some more out, they build up and then it's a nightmare. new new thing is to try and do things within 24 hours of having the idea - or else they get stuck on the to do list for months.
and every day generates so many more new plans - trying to finish the ones I'm already in the middle of, but keep losing focus.
Reading about the hottest hippest trends of the world art scene in swedish magazine 'bon' which I found lying around the house (those flatmates are good for something after all!) and was thrilled to discover they include a number of elements I'm already doing.
"new subjectivity - the most personal may be the most universal.. the Swedish art world seems to be full of people confronting the sorrows of love or their deep longing for an absent father" [excellent, tick for both] " more and more artists are willing to explain their methods and frames of reference in writing" [always see website attached!]
"Global Approach - artiss travel and move from country to country just like everybody else"... [aha]
"Research - the artistic process as research is a hot topic. Many artists consider their art to be as valid a form of enquiry into the nature of reality as science - and perhaps even more genuine" [damn straight!]
"The aesthetics of failure - many artiss are working with a kind of failure esthetic. Being human and creating are viewed as issues of inadequecy, of making things that are unique in their imperfection, and that's what makes the artwork interesting [fail again, fail better. you know I was just thinking about this, having seen tracey moffat's photography show of scorpio women at rosyln oxley gallery, the back room where she had contact prints of all the shots taken trying to get the main one was far more compelling for me than the final product. Realised I'm going to have to start podcasting - since am on a panel and workshop about DIY radio for electrofringe - decided to include all my live performances in all their inadequate glory, and full recordings of the interview/conversations I've been having with various artists that never make it into radio programs - but with all the embarassing silences and stupid questions and 'sorry, I'm a bit fuzzy today' left in]
"Slow Art - you've got to give art the time it takes. So much of our society is about maximising profit. For many, artist and observer alike, art is a refuge from all that." [hmmm well the fortune can come along and catch up with the fame any time now ;) ]
"Showing off - artists and institutions seem to be working with new energy and daring. We'll probably be seeing more self-proclaimed geniuses and media-diva artists" [sonic artstar, cult of the mad genius artstar - hell I never know I was part of a diva movement - but I like it!!] They also featured a usefull article on how to look chic when you're showering in public restrooms - not that I'm quite so destitute, but nice reminder of the reality to all this glamour. Nicholas Roeg, in his book about brushing with fame (the actor from bad boy bubby in case you have no idea who he is) talks about having to ask the limo driver chauffering him to an awards ceremony or screening to make a quick stop at the dole office so he could put his form in. and presumably, eat that week.
p69 Bon International No. 3

now I rarely look at the careers section of the saturday papers, but happened to glance this week and found an article on play and how good it is for you. wanted to give the links for leggoland and seriousfun but seem to have misplaced it. maybe later when I finally sort and file all the stacks of paper in my study.

Today I had a very intriguing CD arrive from Sonic Arts Network - who emailed me and said, hi, we'd like to send you this CD. I said, OK. Bring it on. Must write a proper review and start new section on sonic artstar website. Anyway, it's a very whimsical yet strict document of the Big Ears radio show on Resonance FM, charting their attempts to broadcast within the guidelines of Fitzgeralds Broadcast Manifesto from 1931. They appear to have played many on air games - like radio paper rock scissors, guess the voice etc. Some gems include:
1.2 deviations from a logical structure should never be made purely for the sake of elegance
2.1 all content should be expressed concisely but without discourteous abruptness.
2.3 Features of a predominately entertaining nature should not challenge the generally accepted norms of good taste and decency.
2.12 No reference should be unnecessarily obscure. [damn!]
3.1 Deviations from a restrained and cautious style of presenting should not be made
3.4 The broadcaster must never allow unplanned occurrences to disrupt a calm and collected persona [gonzo journalism anyone!?]
3.7 The broadcaster should be cleanshaven, although the wearing of moustaches maybe permitted in those counties in which there is no consequent conflict with the local customs or law.
5.2 The broadcaster must avoid casual reference to persons of celebrity for the mere titillation of the listener or amusement of the listener.

www.sonicartsnetwork.org

Those are my favorites, and I'm very indebted to Big Ears for bringing it to my attention, as I will be taking their advice: article no. 4 reassess your own principles on broadcasting.
Indeed, the night air taught me to leave in everything you'd usually cut out, and abc in general that if I can make it, they will play it.
extraordinary. except that one about being lost in the forest outside vilnius - must try and resurrect it when I have a spare minute.
Maybe in 2008 - had a lovely email this week from someone building a bridge, inviting me to come and make an artistic expression with it - I love it when people come to me!!
Must go not, there are other words I'm meant to be pushing around - some would call this procrastination, but really it's essential to my sanity. And Philippa's ;)

Monday, August 15, 2005

9:17 AM
Posted by jodi rose

today the artist guilt has gone almost completely.
this is my vocation.
the bridge's siren song a calling that I follow
willingly into the oceans of uncertainty.
just keep swimming, keep breathing
keep putting one foot in front of the other
and moving forward.

Monday, August 15, 2005

9:14 AM
Posted by jodi rose

I lie out on the gym equipment in my inner city terrace backyard. Earlier today the police choppers circled overhead and sirens wailed, trouble on the block. It's the 18 month anniversary of the death of a teenage boy, impaled on a fence after falling upwards off his bicycle, while being chased by police, who denied any involvement. The riots happened a few nights later. Trouble on the block.

At midnight the air is still and silent, the stars blurred behind an obscuring layer of cloud.

In summer the cool southerly breeze in the afternoons is a welcome respite from the oppressive heat of the day - tonight the westerly brings with it a chill from Antarctica. Either way it clears the head and brings balm to the troubled soul. Tonight I dream of a far-away love, wishing time and circumstance would change to hold us together for a moment longer.

Walking in the park yesterday morning, I stumbled across a gay and lesbian rights lobby protesting for equality in relationships. blaring Madonna singing 'it's a wonderful life' across the park. 'all love is equal' was their logo. 'If music be the food of love, play on give me excess of it. Any beats, any key, any colour, any texture - all human beings loving another human are equal,' I wrote on my pink heart and planted it in the grass.

As I meandered on past the new Peace Pole inscribed in four languages: 'May Peace Prevail on Earth; Baluraman Kambiman Dhagun; Puisse Paix Regner dans le Monde;' and a Chinese script I couldn't copy, I wondered if all love really was equal.

Someone asked me recently: When did you lose your innocence?
I haven't; I replied.
He was stunned.
And even if it wasn't quite true, I've fought tooth and nail to hold onto my sense of childlike wonder, curiosity and passion, for life. Which is almost innocence, if viewed in the right light.

If you can dream it, you can make it real. Like the graffiti on a North Fitzroy fence paling, I still believe in my childhood dreams.

this story is edited from my response to Barbara Campbell's inspiration 'she seeks a forgiving breeze' from her performance #55, taking place at sunset over 1001 nights.

go to http://1001.net.au/ to find out what she's doing today

Saturday, August 13, 2005

8:29 AM
Posted by jodi rose

dinner last night at garry and helen's, the usual raucous affair, much laughter and eddying conversation. oskar showed us his emu dance moves to aunty wendy's mob kids cd, anne and jane tried to convince me that I could whip up a quick animation myself in the next few months - but I'm not so sure. already getting my head around surround sound, midi, construction, musique concrete and pseudo academic travel/memoir writing - then again, one more thing won't kill me. or will it? the girl who just couldn't say no to an idea - but I love them, I want to do them all. hahahaha (dracula laugh)
ah yes, it's early morning and I'm trialling a new system - best get on with work now. or what I call work - having a strange sense of guilt that I mostly do exactly what I want in life. Then again, it's not stopping anyone else from enjoying themselves or following their own passions, I'm not harming anyone or causing distress or mayhem.
Really have to get over this artist-guilt complex, there just isn't time.

Friday, August 12, 2005

6:03 PM
Posted by jodi rose

attempted typing with red gloves on - please excuse any nistakes.
after a trying start to the day, dealing with inefficient beauraucracy (is it ever any other way?) things picked up in the afternoon. had a long meeting and chat with michael at syd uni acoustic research lab, about a surround sound piece I'm starting, talked composition, sound, aesthetic organisation, sci-fi, creativity and research. very inspiring - and incredibly generous with his time and expertise - it's really an incredibly joy to have contact with all these fantastic people who seem to want to help me :)
meeting with sarah last night to discuss details of our data mapping flex sensor performance - more details forthcoming closer to the event, but it will be beautiful and strange and fun. walking through erskinville on the way to her place, found a magnetic whiteboard still in its wrapping with a note saying: ok to take. and I had just been thinking earlier in the day as I unpacked and sorted my studio, finding all the magnets and cards I used to have up - I wonder where that magnestic whiteboard has got to? so there you go, instant synchronicity at work.

Was getting a little beside myself and overwhelmed at all these slightly ludicrous projects I keep generating - asked for some help and it is certainly pouring in from all directions. One of my key philosophies in life is that if you can think of something (and then keep dreaming it, imagine it in specific detail), then you can make it real.... with a little help from your friends....

Key supporting belief is that people want to help - someone organising a festival said to me last month; oh they're a commercial organisation, I just assumed they wouldn't want to help (I was having a meeting with these people that week - and they turned out to be incredibly willing and able to assist the project I was discussing) - anyway, I said: never assume people don't want to help. If they can and it makes sense to do so, then it's incredibly energising and satisfying to give something of your own resources and energy and experience to people doing 'out there' creative work. I'm finding that myself, as people start to ask me to do stuff - if they're passionate and genuinely dedicated to what they're doing, and I can help, I will. Remember to set clear boundaries, on both sides of what you expect from each other and what you can actually give. Although still alert for signs of developing 'famous artist syndrome' where you expect anyone in your orbit to instantly carry out your whims. not quite there yet, but do have to remind myself that other people may sometimes not have an overwhelming obsession with creating art from bridges in a wide variety of forms.

The other key to my philosophy is: persistence. imagination. persistence. courage. persistence. self-belief. persistence. faith. persistence. joy. persistence. focus. and you guessed it, persistence.

so, that's the pep talk for today. got my letters written and posted, stay tuned for the results. reworking the writing I'm doing to extract it from the pseudo academic model I never quite got the hang of, and go in what I'm reliably informed is a 'creative non-fiction' direction.

(mis)quote of the day from simon schama in landscape and memory: experience the world through the archive of the feet.
or words to that effect.

Friday, August 12, 2005

5:47 PM
Posted by jodi rose

[actually thursday 11th 4pm]

when it gets too cold in my studio - by mid afternoon with this antarctic breeze happening - I retreat to cafe ella and sit upstairs in the sun - they just need to get wireless. or I need to buy a wireless modem. slowly making sense of life again, sorting and unpacking, writing, revising.

really did dream of bridges last night - listening to the cables on one I'd visited before but hadn't heard much. this time it was gorgeous, pinging and powing with lovely poly rhythms and I had a vast crew of people preparing for a rave or performance on it - hope that's prophetic.

am a little downcast by my sudden inflation of delirious plans - and the accompanying realisation that I have so far to go. but that's the fun with new ideas, they keep you moving. a body in motion stays in motion, according to some exercise advice I read in the sunday papers - such wisdom. walking every morning, wakes me up but then I tend to lose focus - need to refine the routine a little.
gave myself very clear specific goals today - go home, rearrange and sort out your studio, then write the animation call and two letters - then you can play with other words. still procrastinating about the letters - one of them since early february, and now it's almost too late. but may as well give it a try, you never know.
am completely out of contact today - no credit left on phone, prepaid internet just ran out - it's a perilous life the nomadic one. Although privileged, I know, I know.

But you do give up a lot as well. Lucky to have the choice,
Am saddened by the sudden lurch of new measures to restrict the free speech of anyone who justifies an act of terrorism - ridiculous extremes of fear and paranoia. Interesting to know how they would interpret the article in Saturdays Review, about the parallels between 'high art' lovers and terrorists - ie both believing the focus of their passion can unlock a spiritual or divine experience which they alone can access and that the masses are ignorant philistines.
a vastly simplified argument, and of course the author pointed out that for most 'high art' lovers, mass murder wasn't in fact an acceptable response to perceived lack of culture. It makes me really sad that the world has become so ruled by fear and ignorance as a political strategy... although, I guess it's not new at all, just differently presented and highlighted by todays buzz words. cold war, anyone?

But that's why it's even more important to me that I keep going out and connecting with people, listening to bridges, making art, staying engaged and positive and curious and open to life and people and the world. Not buying into the whole capitalist mythology of success and value, but creating your own measure of success and abundance - yeah some days it sucks being constantly broke (well apart from spending all my income on travel) and not having a stable relationship or home of my own - but the benefits far outweigh the occasional negatives. And it is a (privileged) choice, the shocking conditions that most of the world lives in always reminds me of that.

Thursday, August 4, 2005

9:01 PM
Posted by jodi rose

mmmm dinner is pumpkin risotto with sage and mushroom. am loving cooking again - even the share house kitchen mess doesn't bother me anymore, just get right in there and whip up the latest deliciious concoction. (it's also a food magazine name for anyone not in aust)
yesterday was broccoli soup - amazingly bright green and very easy, could feel my brain expand and get smarter when I ate it. cook broccoli until tender but still luridly coloured, reserve water when you drain it, blend, add water to give a velvety texture, serve with chevre and flaked almonds. had to make do with peanuts and bulgarian goats fetta, but it was still pretty good.
all part of my plan to try new things, and become a domestic godess. as opposed to the international variety, which I already am ;)
aim to achieve the kind of easy going casual hospitality that some of my best friends are so good at, now they've noticed I never cook for them. oops. always feel I have to tidy the house first - but over that now. the same two friends have also been giving me stern lectures about financial responsibility, budgets and sustainable income. hmm
although one of them finally managed to prod me into doing my tax this week - multiple projects and receipts from the last two years, which has been lurking over my consciousness for months... and my god it's a great sensation. no longer feel like a complete financial nightmare, having realised that I actually earn money from art - and fairly consistently at that. also satisfying to add up all those receipts from various circumstances and activities and have a sense that I am achieving something. every so slowly. but hey it's all about career longevity, as mentioned last time.
dad was very cute, he was at the apra gig - first time ever, member since the mid-80's - and told me he'd been up all night watchin live 8 on the internet, and really enjoyed the sense of occasion - and the various long pauses from the paris stage and tech glitches - made it feel 'more live'. he thought I could do something like that with the bridge symphony - and some very cool sponsors. but only the coolest, I'm not going to be associated with just anyold company.
it's strange, I am vaguely aware of having a public persona these days, but luckily it very rarely impacts on my life, so I can maintain blissful ignorance of the exact details.
damn shame it hasn't extended to free tickets for sigur ros - but give me time. and place. saw a lovely film this afternoon 'a century in stone' about the steel works in cleveland, eston and middlesbrough in northern england - who made the steel for sydney harbour bridge (yep that's what hooked me) - and have been in decline ever since.
amazing stories from people who worked in the mines for 20-30 years, the sense of passion and joy they had in life was gorgeous.
and the very wonderful middlesbrough transporter bridge featured in a number of shots - it's one of the kookiest structures, looks a bit like a transformer robot - perfect for my upcoming animation series - and is on vulcan st. how cool is that. hope to be doing a concert on it soon!

Tuesday, August 2, 2005

11:18 PM
Posted by jodi rose

ok so maybe I'm being a little disingenuous - even if I was leading the kind of decadent lush bohemian life you may imagine (and maybe I am, this could all be an elaborate double-bind) - I wouldn't write about it here. Unlike the nanny blog quoted in this weekends paper, I don't feel the need to share intimate personal details with the world.
Apart from the fact that my family reads this, and possibly funding bodies and other professionally affiliated invidivuals - I don't think that anything I may or may not do in the personal realm is actually relevant to anyone other than myself and the other person involved.
So rest assured, you won't be subjected to any more information than is elegantly required of polite company.
today is the day of unfamiliar memories, not quite reminiscing.
ran into someone at cafe giulia this morning whom I know from somewhere, but have no idea where or how or who he is. very frustrating. that intangible memory that doesn't quite fit.
then walking around sydney uni quadrangle, the bellringers played 'blue moon' on the bells the other morning, today I could tell they were playing a tune but had no idea what it was.

doing my best to get the financial affairs in order - julaine told me to stay in my room without leaving until I'd done my tax - but was fatally dstracted by email and spent 3 hours writing and researching in response to the latest news from my international bridge cohorts.
ah well, it's all for a good cause.

damian rang and gave me details about his and solange's cd launch next week, reminded me the apra independent record labels thing was on tonight, so thought I'd better attend. It was just up the road at the seymour centre, with free drinks and nibbles - always a bonus for the starving artist. really glad I did end up going along, lots of interesting perspectives on the panel, from endorphin to charlie chan, the president of air and various other luminaries from the australian music scene. recurring message was the diy ethic of career longevity over 'fame' (evanescent, risky and ultimately not worth the energy or financial investment to achieve), and the idea that as an independent artist you get to drive your own career and not perform to anyone else's expectations. always good to be in a room full of people going through similar experiences, remember that you are not alone. it seems that I'm in no danger of being exploited as a commodity just yet. did some good networking chatting to people afterwards, one of the indie publishing label execs looked at my cd and said 'you're crazy'... but ina good way. gave me lots of ideas and impetus for taking action to build on this fine work and connect to a supply and demand chain. scary, huh. corporate speak. ah lordy exposure. it's not all they promised it would be. :)
you know how to find me.

planning fantastic adventures in midi interface bridge instrument building and raving bridge animations. there just isn't enough time in the day. thinking about cloning myself. again. bring on genetic enginering. oh ok I know there are ethical issues and morally I'm opposed to the whole thing, but could I at least have an assistant??!!