TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

8:59 PM
Posted by jodi rose

sumu playing the bridge on opening night

zonked out on the couch this afternoon at ben and sole's, finally the effects of jetlag, post-residency and post-exhibition blues have caught up with me. not to mention the hangover after opening night and julaines girls night at the ice bar and summit. ah well, a few hours exhaustion is a small price to pay for so much fun, I guess. Sanity almost restored by a quiet few minutes on the beach listening to the wave this evening. And it's great to be back with such close good friends that you can just arrive and zone out and they really don't mind. we'll catch up tomorrow, swim, walk and talk.

Hard to believe it's only a week since I got back, crazy weather those late summer or is it early autumn torrential rains, possibly some follow-on effects of cyclone larry (yes, we have no bananas) and the general sydney vibe of tanned toned fashionista types and surface surface surface. All that cynicism I managed to slough off in slovakia has returned in spades. Hopefully can shed it quickly again up on Mt Bruce, wildlife sanctuary in new zealand next fortnight. The sky bridge and memorial project coming up april 9, more info soon.

Exhibition at the performance space looks and sounds great - nigel's naughty apartment, alex's sonic ghosts, and nick's bridge theremin all there for your enjoyment until april 24. The opening night had a great turn-out, festive atmosphere and nice mix of friends, family, art crowd and regular people - quite a buzz. Talks on saturday also went well, very smooth segues between the three artists, we practiced all week!
Had a few moments of sheer panic during the installation week, two nights when I got home at 10pm thinking - why am i doing this? really, what is the point - highly stressed but reminding myself, it's only art. There's no life or death stakes, sure it's a big deal in some ways, the first exhibition I've participated in for a couple of years, and the most high profile, but hey, let yourself and everyone off the hook and just do the best you can. How people respond isn't up to you. Hopefully there is enough there in the work, and enough space that the audience can find their own meanings, and ways to engage. Had a long rave with Sally at the tudor after-party about globalisation and curating and art practice that isn't just for the other 6 people in the world with a doctorate in your particular area, but engages a wider public.

Now that's done, I plan to see a film or two, hang out with friends and plan the next round of strategic bridge actitivities. Slowly building up a sustainable career practice - it's just that join-the-dots thing in between residencies, grants, exhibitions and radio programs where you free-fall with no safety net that are a little freaky; but they're getting fewer and farther in between.... let's hope it stays that way. Seem to have sacrificed my academic career (which face it was never going to be stellar) for international artstardom, but that's probably a good thing.
Now just need to get that highly paid art consultancy and massively funded world bridge foundation going and we'll be sweet. Working on the permanently networked bridge symphony with my engineers.