TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

  

VIEWING ALL POSTS FOR: OCTOBER 2006

Monday, October 30, 2006

11:39 PM
Posted by jodi rose

"we're only here because I dreamt us up."

exhibition flier at someday gallery melbourne

late-night lingering online listening to bizarre yet great spanish version of bowie's entire 'space oddity' album. drifting into sleepiness after another long day of strange occurences.

had a fashion shoot invade our rooftop pool time, tall thin girl in orange chiffon, providing entertainment in balancing high high heels without falling into the water. crew all perfectly friendly, and it added a certain cachet to fulfilling my dream of swimming up there finally.

co-incidentally received an invitation today to aquatic themed party at maxwell park, in glasgow. sadly I won't be there in november - the first one I will have missed since last october's halloween fest, but glad to be back on the invitation list after my lapse in manners earlier. and it will be a fine event, the crew always put on an excellent celebration.
saw an obituary today for someone described as 'wit, publisher and life-of-many-parties'. there's a way to be remembered.

sometimes I convince myself of the spurious yet vaguely plausible reasons for doing things, and can't remember what the real one was.

'saying yes
opening up
and loving...

these are the keys that will unlock the prisoner.'

according to a shop window on brunswick st. doing my best. really.

Monday, October 30, 2006

10:18 AM
Posted by jodi rose

A few lovely moments in global culture, all from jan during our inspiring conversation on the drive.

Free Hugs. Everybody needs one!

and watch the sick puppies video clip to go with them.

Dropping knowledge. the 'global dialog platform'. Answers to 100 questions from 100 people at the table of free voices in berlin. Choose by theme or person.

Willing to Listen. A Buddhist who travlled for 6 months putting up a sign inviting strangers to talk. Don't we all need to be heard sometimes, amidst the din.

Monday, October 30, 2006

10:14 AM
Posted by jodi rose

Weekend at Flinders, Jan picked me up from the station, got out of the car and said, wow, you get to come home to this every day. Gorgeous. Luxuriated in the open fire with Jack and Sam (very decorative langorous cats), devoured two kerry greenwood novels - one a new phryne fisher mystery on a boat, the other middle corinna chapman baker mystery heavenly delights - yielded hours of decadence lost in another world and a recipe for chocolate orgasm muffins and french onion soup. Both of which I mean to try soon. Baked chocolate cake, watched more of 'weeds' - dark, funny and very bent - and dreamed of my own hideaway with window seats, bath, fireplace and ocean views. Green with envy visiting friend of the family who has just taken a cottage with all of the above, but at least it's out there. Just have to dream harder I guess.

Back in melbourne for afternoon game of lawn bowls - the very hip thing to do in north fitzroy these days - and today meeting philippa at the adelphi to avail ourselves of the heated rooftop pool and sauna. Reminiscences of helsinki, with program on finnish architecture on abc last night taking me back.
Long chat with a, leaving those shores soon, going through the horror of packing and moving on. Courage, grace, and love.
Feeling distinctly more optimistic and hopeful about life today, and like my head is finally refocused. Whip out a few proposals to various bodies and organisatins, and get on with making media piracy my life's work. DIY radio conversation coming soon...

Thursday, October 26, 2006

9:52 AM
Posted by jodi rose

I could get used to this kind of life. Early starts with Ari getting ready for school, drop into the greek ladies cafe next door for a chat with whoever is at the big round table, fee invited us to a bar opening on friday night above double happiness - will be in flinders, but don't know if I could scrape together an outfit groovy enoughy for a hip new melbourne bar - not quite above all that fashion palaver just yet. Loving my new kitchen stool haircut from sue, all flicks and curls that just mess themselves into shape. then back to emer's to catch up on the world in my computer, which I'm struggling to get back into, truth be told. having fun masquerading as a human being, with a life outside crazy art projects. Still dreaming of sewing and baking - weird I know.
Also going through all the hundreds of photos stored on my hardrive and selecting some to print and get out of that bottom drawer. so to speak. it's just not the same looking at them on a screen. in fact life isn't the same looking at it on a screen. that hunger for the real, the authentic. drives us. a whole middle class movement towards the 'handmade' - at great expense and made by other people of course - anything to counteract the intensity of disconnection from the processes of making and to authenticate that instant consumer lifestyle. I'm in a strange position, being aware of my need for 'authenticity' however fake, but also able to create most of those experiences for myself.
A nice reminder of the essentials in life, going feral in brunswick for a few days. Very like my childhood - but amazing how much effort you need to put into keeping things real, not buying toys, making whatever you can, spending time with your kids and completely engaging in their world. A small dip into that ocean for my just now.

It's funny, talking with friends about what I'm up to (which is 'not a lot' for a change), I realise how addicted other people are to my life of constant travel. There's a palpable sense of disappointment when I say that I'm staying put for a few months, but then an 'ah' of relief and excitement on hearing of a trip to Berlin in March. I guess we're all living vicariously to some degree through each others experiences.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

3:04 PM
Posted by jodi rose

arrived in melbourne on midday flight with rockstars (magic dirt, I saw from their many roadcases), to the amusement of a fellow passenger, who commented that at least I was young enough to recognise and interpret that as a band name. Went to see ben playing guitar with lior at the spiegeltent, very relaxed vibe and lovely show, some beautiful new songs, one in particular about trying to find solid ground, and a friend's tears being a song touched me. Then of course the crazy dance tunes.

Stayed for la clique wild and wacky circus show afterwards, some great strongman routines, sassy cabaret girls, the ultra-glam miss amy g in her pink spangly outfit on roller skates, and later pushing the boundaries of taste with her kazoo rendition of a patriotic tune.

Wandered back to the meridian executive apartments for a late-night cuppa t and increible views of the city, last few songs of daniel lanois live at the basement on abc. then settled into cosy domesticity for a few days, staying with friends who have varying numbers and ages of small children, but all require incredible focus, energy and dedication.
Making me re-think that small biological clock ticking, with the level of committment and unrelenting demands on every waking hour. Cheers to all the parents of the world, you are doing an incredible job. I'm, exhausted and flabbergasted by it all, craving quiet and solitude with a new appreciation for the vagaries of my independent lifestyle.

Had a very lovely time making playdoh animals and cakes, decorating toilet rolls into seamonsters and rockets, and reading stories with miss sue and her young girls, and always up for a bit of conceptual lego.

Now it's really time to get focused again on that next step in the bridge symphony. So many moments of uncertainty and adjustment to new experiences and expectations, but it's all part of the journey.

Think i'll have to administrate myself back into productivity. Yes that means lists with lots of sub-headings, and proposal writing. Finished another version of the 'bridge song in g' composition today, down to 4 minutes and quite happy with it now. sometimes and independent perspective is all that's required.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

8:42 AM
Posted by jodi rose

I wake every morning to the early light drenching my bed. very lush.
although sometimes need an eyepatch to get more sleep - 5am is too early. then it flips over and suddenly 9 oclock and already behind with the day. off to melbourne in a few hours, still haven't packed. eek. festival, friends and general relaxed deliciousness.

had a wonderful evening at the windsor regional gallery, exhibition of the windsor group 1935-45 of which my grandfather was a member. lovely to be reminded of that rich cultural history, and to be part of it, in such a tangible way. Wonderful photo of rod and fran's wedding day, all merry and making mayhem on the streets of windsor. Such an incredible passion for life and justice, he ran a printery dedicated to high quality content and production, taught art with the wharfies art group and waterside workers federation, designed the coat of arms for unsw and macquarie unis, and was an incredibly generous man. Had a teary moment in the corner with portraits of him, fran and my auntie chrissie, and enjoyed the long ride home with ky and cher through endless model town developments all along the highway. gotta pack.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

9:20 PM
Posted by jodi rose

'that's how depression hits... gradually at first, then suddenly. And you wake up afraid you're going to live' elizabeth wurtzel paraphrasing hemingway in 'prozac nation'. probably the best line in the film, I was expecting something more... raw? extreme? I guess it was a moment in cultural history, when all that middle-class medication was suddenly out in the open, but the film seemed fairly low-impact and banal to me. Perhaps it was just all too familiar now, or the mid-twenties alienation and whinging all got a bit boring very quickly - still, she told her story honestly and adequately.

Although maybe I'm not being fair, nothing else compares for searing raw brutal honesty after reading tracey emin's strangeland. Extraordinary. Her lightness and clarity in writing about very intense and fucked-up life experiences was something else, and then the beauty of her dreams and otherworldly states took you into another dimension. A jolting reminder of why people like to read about artist's lives, or anyone who is living on the edge - it's compelling and fascinating and you think, wow what an incredible human being at the same time as feeling thank god that isn't me. funny though, as that seems to be partly the reaction people sometimes have to my ramblings - well the thank god part anyway ;) I'm not half as fun as tracey seems, but not quite as messy either. Still, wonderful to read about someone living in constant squalor but never losing the thread of her dreams, and finding a way to coax them into reality. And the friend who lent it to me laughed, thinking that my own chronic struggles with keeping my life and room tidy was parallel.
Now for the great art.... (if only)

I'm so happy to be back in my 'hood, only a short walk to the two best local cafes in the world... and believe me, I've done the research. Ran into a painter friend the first day back, bailed him up to ask about techniques and tips. It's fun being a complete beginner, and not very good, there is really nothing at stake. Somehow I'm fascinated with the formal qualities of paint, the brushstrokes, partly expressive partly decorative - nothing representational or figurative. Of course. But I didn't know this when I started, and that's the fun part. He said, yes, it's all a matter of solving problems, and that's why it will never go away. Indeed, something compelling there that keeps you fascinated and wanting to explore. Japanese clouds and waves in particular, all my brushstrokes seem to end up swirly - now need better brushes.
One turned out like two people dancing, lots of movement and lightness. Mark also mentioned finishing a commission, which I could commiserate with, having just gone through that torturous process of questioning yourself and every decision, as it's something for someone else and even though they have bought your 'vision', there is still a desire to please them in the process. I did learn to drive the EQ plug-in much better this time though, which is satisfying.

walked though the park on my way home and chatted with the people starting a community garden, planting herbs and some vegetables. Nice work gang. Definite sense of connectedness there.

It's been a very low-key weekend, many hours drifting with the newspaper and sorting through junk in my room, punctuated by trips to afore-mentioned best-ever-local-cafes, and oh yes a pedicure with lisa. Just walked up to the new taquiera on king st to meet sophea for quesadilla and flan - good, but very busy and quite small serves.

Finally a drink at madame fling-flongs, although maybe the churros was a mistake after the black-beans and custard. having a legume day, with greek fava soup earlier, trying to be more grounded and calm.
It's amazing how directly food affects your mood and state of mind.
Weirdly unbusy right now, having stripped back to minimal projects, and just finished the two biggest external pressures still on my dance-card, now I only have my own deadlines to fulfil. Scary. And way beyond the polite reply time period for some, but I feel if it's going to happen it will, all in good time, no point rushing things.
Especially not with the kind of monumentally complex, multi-layered international projects that are next up on the pitch. It's bad metaphor night. Best call it a day and get back to being chilled out.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

9:37 AM
Posted by jodi rose

Stanmore is like the country. Well compared to Darlington aka Redfern anyway. Birds singing - and not that confused psychotic nightingale that's taken up serenading us at midnight - roses blooming, wide empty streets with no human traffic, or kids dropping by. It's weird. Not used to this silence.
Something about the endless stream of uni students and people walking to work down wilson st that is strangely comforting, the human presence.
Watered the roses this morning. Reminded me of childhood, mum always grows roses. Not that I ever watered them before. She would be astounded. No, it's taken a nomadic mid-career crisis to spark an interest in gardening and to see anything other than 'green' when I look at plants. Shockin' I know.
Cute, in the movie last night the dominatrix is hankering for a house and garden, the lifestyle is getting to her. No matter what you do, it all becomes normal in the end. Lisa's brother Tony dropped in on his way to the airport the other night, and told me he'd written a letter in response to someone who was trashing me about my comment 'I'm as normal as the next person'. Very sweet of him, but what they didn't get was that no-one ever is normal. Really. Deep down, we're all a little strange and fucked up. it's just the veneer that keeps things nice. And when it cracks or slips or disappears entirely, well, that's when you get actual connection.
All the clocks in this house are set to different times. The one in the study says 5.35PM, the oven claims to be 2.35AM and the bedside table has the actual time. Can't work out if there's a method to it, are we cooking in Crete and working in New York perhaps?
Could look up my friends at timeanddate.com to check but really, who can be bothered. It's good just to be in the one timezone for a while. Now for the moment of truth, listening back to that EQ and mix to find out just how it really sounds. Ears got fuzzy.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

10:12 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Sage and Mystic

...finding my way back into what was feeling stale and out of focus. thanks to Reb Zalman for inspirational words this morning on listening to music with receptivity as a form of devotion. 'I offer my good feeling, my ears and my heart... that is a point of worship'. Gorgeous. Sometimes I wish I was Jewish. He writes about Jewish renewal in contemporary life, and has a great universalist spiritual sensibility. All that ritual and great storytelling. Missing a sense of inter-connectedness and ritual in this highly individualistic life. Notes to self: make your own rituals, be open and receptive. giggle (lessons from the Dalai Lama) let yourself be joyful and filled with wonder. Go water the plants.

Speaking of which, just got home from the most joyful film I've seen in a long time.

Shortbus preview screening, a kaleidoscope of sexuality and yearning with an incredibly optimistic, exuberant tone for all the highly jaded urban young things out there... and then there was all the sex. I'd rather watch people having fun getting it on than shooting each other or blowing things up. Much more honest. As Baudrillard said, what are you doing after the orgy? Reminder that not everyone is tanned and toned and polished as they appear to be in the usual media stories, although they were all pretty cute in that NY alternative cultures way. Described as 'emotionally challenged' in one review - but hey, aren't we all?Why settle for this inane one dimensional world, when there is so much more to life. Good to see something raw, fun and playful that looks at relationships with humour and unflinching honesty. Go see.

Yes, yes, doing the best I can to be brave. On a daily basis. take risks, emotionally and creatively. it's just. hard. crossing that invisible boundary between people. There's a moment in the film when the highly depressed key narrator talks about how nothing gets in under his skin. Watching it all go by, life behind glass. Inclinations towards clinical depression aside, that's how it feels to me sometimes. Less lately, but the numbness creeps back in now and then. why else would one be driven to such extremes, other than to prove we still exist.
Taking it lightly, give me time.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

4:12 PM
Posted by jodi rose

MIKROPALISKUNTA

mikroPaliskunta is an expedition that travelled trough Finland from the northest point Nuorgam to the southest Hanko with a stuffed reindeer called Paavo and five artists. Who is Finnish? What are the symbols of Finland? How has the image of Finland changed? And who defines it?

The expedition travelled by a biodiesel car that was packed with five artists and protagonist of the project; a stuffed reindeer Paavo that was searching for new members to its herd.

There was a camera attached to the Paavo's horn that took pictures in one minute intervals trough the whole trip for image line seen above. Paavo also collected stories about rendevous, phenomenon and national scenerys. There are also alternative postcards that have become very popular.

You are warmly welcome to visit.

The reindeer list is particularly gorgeous, I was very sad not to be able to join MKK and friends on this trip.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

10:29 PM
Posted by jodi rose

I'm masquerading as someone else entirely.
Watered plants this evening, dream of baking closer with every second. About to hop in the bath, after three swims and a korean bathouse soak last week am feeling very landlocked. Need the change in elements, something about water really shifts the accumulated weight of daily life. Houseminding for friends with a gorgeous spacious yet cosy family home. Living vicariously with that linen cupboard!
Chilling out to their fine collection of female C&W singers, lucinda williams, gillian welch, emmy-lou harris. The kind of music I try to find on am radio when I can't sleep at night, but strangely never seem to get round to buying. Very soothing for the soul. No matter how hard I try to cling to the recent past, my life seems to be transforming around me. Weirdly with very little effort other than imagination.
Doing 'a little painting', brand new diy transit radio lounge idea taking on a life of it's own, an old path falling away, a new one suddenly firm and clear.
A few things to consolidate and follow-up on after all this work, but guess they will happen in good time.
It's fun to rediscover the playfulness you can approach life with, not be so damn serious about everything. Making tiny steps towards something new.

Monday, October 2, 2006

9:49 AM
Posted by jodi rose

cooked up a storm in the radio kitchen last night.
pancakes on air, to share, as tasty sonic treats.
my final tin radio show no guests turned up, which was kind of a relief, so played 14 of my own personal favourite tracks. asked to fill in a few minutes of the night share, so grabbed the last two nights from the stream and made a quick mash-up.
very self-referential, but had a nice tina feel amidst lloyds sine tone swirlings and shannon's audio mulch.
took part in a very bizarre conversation out the back afterwards with some of the leading lads of australiasian computer music, suggesting themes for this year - they seemed the like 'chicks with laptops'. addressing the gender imbalance and all.
drank various roving bartenders wares, marcus had tequila with lemonade, and cute boy with button details on his jacket offered me vodka during the live feed but had to decline in a sudden attack of professionalism, so when he strolled past as we were loading the car after the festival bar had run out of beer (shame!!) I grabbed him and had a swig of excellent polish bison vodka. no worm and no grass though. justine - our fabulous pancake chef - took us on a cruise through newcastle, down to the foreshore and had harry's cafe de wheels pies. mmmmm cheesy sauce, mushy peas, potato and gravy. watched a few of the local louts play fighting in their best kung-fu moves, then drove up to the cathedral - a modest red-brick but with fabulous view of the factories pumping out smoke and glittering port along the harbour. wandered back to the quest and found a bunch of my favourite techies hanging out on the balcony, had a bath and went to sleep.
woke up happy after feverish note-taking through the night, capturing my various moments of lucidity, re-thinking life in transit for very cool berlin project, and now meeting miyuki to swim, coffee and drive back to sydney via brooklyn for lunch. yum.

Sunday, October 1, 2006

3:17 PM
Posted by jodi rose

A Recipe for Radio : It Tastes Better Shared

August Black's UserRadio has been set up for foodradio_network's live_feed presentation 'A Recipe for Radio' at Electrofringe Festival in Newcastle Australia. On October 1st 2006 at 8-9pm AEST. During this live performance we will be cooking pancakes and broadcasting on line via free103point9 in New York and on air across Australia on ABC Radio National's programme 'The Night Air' as part of their live remix special from Electrofringe 'The Night Share'.

A Recipe for Radio celebrates the recipe as a way of sharing. We have invited people to contribute recipes and ingredients and to help cook up a storm in the radio kitchen at Electrofringe. This is a world first for UserRadio going live with public mix across a whole
continent. Help us make it delicious! Upload your recipes and ingredients.

UserRadio is open for public mixing via http://ur.hybridradio.org and the output of UserRadio will be mixed with live calls and live cooking.

INFO: http://hybridradio.org/livefeed/

LISTEN: http://free103point9.org

MIX: http://ur.hybridradio.org

CALL IN: skype to 'livefeed' or +61 2 80033221 (local sydney number)

Sunday, October 1, 2006

3:02 PM
Posted by jodi rose

so, I was wrangled onto a panel of bloggers yesterday, for an invigorating discussion which touched on motivation, privacy, ethics, corporate / personal, and much more.

interesting range of perspectives on what is a blog - from the technical description - self-published text, images, sound or video which can be easily updated and formatted - to the very idiosyncratic personal voice or expression, and 'it's my blog and I'll say what I want' attitude.

my lovely co-panellists included:

daniel, whose blog has led to professional opportunity and success;

gemma, who writes without compunction of life, love and catharsis provoking truths, and

lucas ihlein, who designated himself artist in residence of his own suburb. very new fresh eyes, without the fresh charge of being exotic or in an unfamiliar place.

lucas came on the nywf tin radio show and chatted about the sham, the new shop consumer profile - his was 'damaged goods', and another various media I can't quite remember.

last night I tried to engage with some of the music performances, but the laptops and hip-hop just weren't doing it for me. heard mixed reports from the word salon, everything from 'like listening to ministry of sound' (overhead my room-mate on mobile phone) to 'entertainingly bad'. unfortunately don't have my own perspective to add, but jess who came on the show from token word sounded wild and am sure that some of the performances rocked.

it's that time of the festival where you find yourself doing laps of hunter st, having inane conversations with the same ten people over and over again... dipping into events and wandering off. I can feel the ginger beer calling.

a strange part of newcastle down here, most of the buildings are derelict - apparently deliberately, the shop owners are waiting until prices hike, and the council is planning to demolish and build the gold coast down here. yikes. very like hanging out around central station in sydney, am told there are nicer parts of the city and seem to be lots of interesting people around - who actually live here, not imported from syd/melb etc.

made it to the spa last night in sophea and andrew's plush hotel style apartments, still missing the sauna. Pixelache has trained me too well, now when I see media art I expect steamy small wooden rooms.

Had a moment of absolute delight in the experimenta vanishing point exhibition, which opened on friday in newcastle regional art gallery. gorgeous work, two in particular made me giggle - which is a very rare thing in art. 'The Shy Picture', where the people run away when the see you looking (camera movement sensor) and then slowly creep back in. If you get really close, they hide behind a curtain and whisper 'go away'. Delightful and ridiculous and completely engaging.

My other favourite was a two-screen video, with footage of a car park and pedestrian crossing from above, with a hand reaching in and moving the cars and people around. Very silly, again very delightful and watchable.

Another piece with silver objects on a table, when you touched them set off a shadow projection of a very simple animation - lizard running away from a saucer, bird inside an egg whisk - slightly absurdist but also connected. Then, the afternoon music program started downstairs, where people sat seriously in their chairs listening to a brass band play gershwin, while up in the gallery a couple of girls did the charleston. As I was leaving the gallery attendant started swooning cruisie ballroom steps to 'it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing', along the glass wall over the seats, for the amusement of his colleague in the doorway below.

One of the most delightful moments in art I've ever had! Tonight is the live feed radio recipe with pancakes, listen in on the night air, radio national 8.30

Time to stop ranting and go make radio.