This gallery contains 11 photos.
Originally posted on Tracey M Benson || Bytetime:
Our journey to the APY Lands APY Lands – Off the beaten track http://www.everytrail.com/swf/widget.swf EveryTrail – Find trail maps for California and beyond For the last week, I have been in the Central…
Reblog from TraceyBenson.com
This post could also be called Cross-media schizophrenia: managing multiple channels online. Why, you may well ask?
Since the advent of Web2.0, I have been an avid collector of channels, it started with designing a blog, creating a delicious library, creating profiles on twitter, scribd, flickr, identica, slideshare instagram, pinterest, facebook and the list goes on… Now I have multiple blogs, a number of Facebook pages and not enough time to manage all these channels!!
Sometimes I do not look at these profiles for months and when I do, it is a complete surprise. For example, I went to SlideShare recently and saw that I have had over 8,000 document views, of which over 2,600 people had viewed my 2010 presentation New Media Art, The Law and Activism. On Scribd, my PhD thesis has had over 2,500 views and another 2010 paper…
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Hi all,
I have noticed some recent subscribers to this blog and I would like to say thanks for following me. Your support is really appreciated! It might be useful to know that this blog is not being regularly updated anymore – see my post Remote Connections blog on hold.
You can keep up to date with all of my projects, art and writing at www.traceybenson.com. On occasion I will repost to this blog but my mediakult and geokult blogs will be the likely sites for reblogs.
If you have any subjects you would like me to write about let me know via my contact page.
Cheers
Tracey
The Remote Connections (remotexmedia.wordpress.com) blog is temporarily on hold. To keep up with the project, head over to Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RemoteConnections?ref=hl
You can also check out related blog posts at the geokult.com blog. This editorial decision has been made to streamline Tracey’s publishing activities.
If you are interested in Tracey’s posts on media cultures, you can also subscribe to mediakult.wordpress.com
Looking forward to seeing you there!
It has been nearly a week since we left New Plymouth and the hub of SCANZ2013. Many conversations, thoughts and moments are now echoing, in particular the notion of ‘Te kore” the space of nothingness wherein lies potential, presented to us by Te Huirangi in one of the workshops.
The residency has presented many questions for me not only regarding how I approach my creative practice as an artist, writer and researcher, but how I can ultimately mesh my separate identities as writer/artist with my work in government with LivingGreener.gov.au
One of the big questions is about how I can be more aware and act in a more sustainable way, in terms of how I live, where I live and what I consume. Firstly, I am thinking that I need to be more remotely connected, meaning that I should where possible create and distribute work that does not require huge amounts of CO2 emissions. That is a tough call as I love travel and my eyes yearn for new landscapes to experience. Perhaps one of the answers is to work more with augmented media and play with spaces in a virtual context.
Secondly, I need to be more engaged in my local environment. Although I have lived in Canberra for nearly 12 years, a part of me has never accepted this place as my home and I have not engaged with my local community very well. My strategy for fixing this problem is simply to be more present and involved in local community activities, especially arts and environment. I am planning to have an exhibition at Belconnen Art Gallery later this year, which is in my local area.
So how can I be more present, active and able to tap into ‘potentiality’? I think this is an ongoing conversation and one that I hope to continue with other SCANZ peeps and anyone else who is interested.
When I was at the residency I created a dry point etching, sort of a return to home as I was trained as a printmaker at art school nearly 25 years ago. This work is an imagined topography of Mt Taranaki, influenced by my experience of walking on the mountain, which was physically difficult but in a magical, natural environment. I am now in the process of developing these images into an animation, which I will publish once it is completed. Here is a still from the animation below:
I found SCANZ2013 quite an amazing experience on all levels, revitalising heart, mind and spirit. I also found that the diversity of the artists perspectives very enriching. In many ways we all had similar concerns, but all focused on different issues within the context of our work and lifestyle choices. Personally, the message of connectedness also rang loudly, as this has been a challenge for me personally as I try to balance my separate identities as parent, wife, artist, writer, activist, researcher and civil servant. The difficultly has often been about ‘how do I speak’ through these identities in a way that is proactive and cohesive. I suspect that this question will sit with me for a long time as I try to work it out.
But for now, my thoughts turn to potentiality, what is possible and what can be created that can support the ‘new consciousness’ proposed to us the first day by Ian when we were at the Parihaka marae. My first step is to start a conversation via this blog and see where it leads me.
On Tuesday we had an excellent workshop where the topic was focused on ‘crossing borders’ and what that meant in terms of negotiating different scenarios. The speakers came from a range of perspectives including a Māori leader, scientists, and people who have worked extensively with Indigenous peoples.
One of the things that has really been powerful for me is how Māori people identify people they meet. When you meet Māori the way you introduce yourself is through where you come from (where you were born) and your ancestors. This is very different to a European or ‘western’ way of knowing a person, say through their qualifications, work and academic achievements. For me, the connection to place as informing identity and ‘meeting’ each other, offers a rich possibility for linking and sharing experiences.
A lot of my work as an artist over the years that been an exploration of ‘where’ and ‘how’ I fit, in terms of a relationship to land and place, especially in the Fauxonomy project. But even when I was working on Big Banana Time Inc, there was a need to discuss issues around place and identity within an appropriate context, given my ‘bitza’ migrant heritage. In many ways I have struggled with this question of ‘where’ I am from, in terms of a sense of belonging. I often tell people that I was born in Brisbane, brought up in Darwin and since then have lived in Victoria, Sydney and now Canberra. In terms of where I felt ‘connected’, I always think of Darwin, the countless hours I spent walking on the rocks at Nightcliff beach, and I still have dreams of diving off the rocks into the tropical waters of the Timor Sea. It was the place where I witnessed the power and beauty of nature, through monsoons, sweltering humidity and lush vegetation. The stars were like an enormous sparkling blanket and I realised as a child that humanity is such a small part of the story of nature.
The problem (in my mind) with claiming a place as ‘where’ I am from is a direct result of my migrant background. By living in Darwin and going to school with kids from remote communities all of the Northern Territory, I learnt that in Aboriginal cultures there is a wholistic connection between land, spirit, language and identity, that manifests in ritual, art, song and performance – as all of these elements are connected. In ‘western’ culture all of these elements have been described and located into separate compartments, called ‘disciplines’. Anyway, that is a much bigger topic that I won’t get into here…
I have been considering ‘where’ I am from and have had some very rich conversations around this topic with other SCANZ residents. When I think about it, I wasn’t actually born in Brisbane, I was born in Redcliffe, about 30 kilometres north of Brisbane. It was the original site of the colony of Brisbane, which was later disbanded for the current site of the city. Mr Wikipedia says:
Before European settlement, the Redcliffe Peninsula was occupied by the indigenous Ningy Ningy people. The native name is Kau-in-Kau-in, which means Blood-Blood (red-like blood).
Redcliffe holds the distinction of being the first European settlement in Queensland, first visited by Matthew Flinders on 17 July 1799. Explorer John Oxley recommended “Red Cliff Point” – named after the red-coloured cliffs visible from Moreton Bay – to the Governor Thomas Brisbane for the new colony, reporting that ships could land at any tide and easily get close to the shore. The party settled in Redcliffe on 13 September 1824, under the command of Lieutenant Henry Miller with 14 soldiers, some with wives and children, and 29 convicts. However, this settlement was abandoned after one year and the colony was moved south to a site on the Brisbane River at North Quay, 28 km (17 mi) south, that offered a more reliable water supply. For more information on Redcliffe’s history see http://www.redcliffehistoricalsociety.com
Redcliffe became a pastoral district in the 1860s and in the 1880s boomed as a seaside resort town with the paddlesteamer Koopa making regular trips to its jetty from 1911.
When we moved back to Brisbane from Darwin, I had huge issues adjusting to the culture and environment of Brisbane, I was extremely unhappy and became very rebellious, causing my parents more than their share of grief. One of the ways my parents would cope would be to send me to my Godmother, who lived in Redcliffe. When I would visit her, we would go for long walks along the coast and swim, and in many ways, when I think back, it was very healing for me to be near the sea.
So considering all of this, perhaps I need to explore and identify more with Redcliffe as the place I am from, or at least try and find and build the connections. In Māori introductions, you invoke your mountain, your river and your ocean. My mountain is Clear Mountain, my river is the Pine River, which snakes through northern Brisbane, though Aspley where I lived as a child and my ocean is the Pacific, deep and blue.
References
Fauxonomy links
On Saturday a small group of SCANZ residents (incidentally all Australians) got together and did some bushwalking on Mt Taranaki. This was an important part of my project for SCANZ as the artwork I have made for the exhibition at Puki Ariki focuses on aerial maps of the mountain. I needed to have an understanding of the terrain and the vegetation that was ‘felt’, not just observed.
It was probably one of the most beautiful walks I have been on for a long time and one of the most physically challenging. As we walked from the Visitor’s Centre, we headed up to the three way turn off to the summit walk, then headed towards Maketawa Hut for lunch. The first part of the walk was walking uphill along a series of ridges, with beautiful views of the valley below and the coastline. Mt Taranaki however was hidden under cloud so we were not able to see the summit.
Around the mountain circuit – from Dept of Conservation website
After lunch we started to head down the track, through what I can only explain as an enchanted forest, with tree roots in many parts acting as natural steps. Once we arrived at the lowest point above sea level, we then went up and down some steep ridges and creeks. I found the landscape was both gentle in its beauty but difficult in terms of traversing. Along the way were a number of ladders up and down, giving a real sense of the undulating land formed by lava so long ago.
It was also wonderful to see elements of the imagery that I had collected of aerial views in the landscape. For example, these beautiful shapes in the image below.
Mt Taranaki (from ‘Message to the mountain’ 2013)
Here is some information about the walk we did from holidays in New Zealand website (note we did the walk in the opposite direction):
Maketawa Hut Round Trip – 4 hours
This is for those who are fitter. Take the Ngatoro Track from below the Information Centre and turn left at the Maketawa Track Junction.
This takes you through more mossy forest, changing to nikau, cordylines and other flora and fauna. It takes about 2 hours to Maketawa Hut.
Walk through the hut to the outdoor deck for extensive views. Leaving the hut you walk up through alpine vegetation………….steps…steps… and more steps! Eventually you come out on the road just below the Translator Tower. From here you walk back down the road to the Camphouse.
One of the things I have learnt about mountains in Māori culture is that they are like people being male or female. In an earlier post I discussed the story of how Taranaki came to reside in this region. Something else I found very interesting is that in Māori culture, one should avoid touching the top of the head as it is the centre of all knowledge and memory. For this reason, it is not culturally appropriate to climb to the top of the summit and ‘stand’ on someone’s head. To learn some more about cultural protocols go to http://www.headspace.org.nz/maori-mental-health.htm.
A special thank you to Jo Tito for reviewing this post.
One of the things I have enjoyed most so far about the residency is the diversity of artists and art forms included in SCANZ. I have particularly loved the strong links between art, the environment and Indigenous knowledge. A powerful theme that has resonated is the connection between land and body – not being separate entities but coexisting and connected. This is strong in many Indigenous cultures and we have learnt so much over the last week, through the generosity of the Māori people involved in the residency and the people we have met through them, in particular Jo and Terri.
This relationship between land and body, especially articulated through performance and song has reminded my of one of my earliest works addressing land, body and identity – Scalpland.
This ‘poetic performance’ involved me clippering my hair off, using my head as a metaphor for land development and as a way of challenging feminine stereotypes of beauty and conformity by using the pseudo science of phrenology to highlight the perpetuation of assumptions derived from physical appearances. It was also a means to address a singular notion of history, one that was written onto the land by ‘clearing the surface’ and erasing the stories and histories that had gone before. Essentially this work was a response to the changes I witnessed returning to Brisbane after ten years away and the sense of loss I experienced.
When I returned in 1993, I did not recognise my old neighbourhood, the creek I played in as a child was now under a four lane highway, the bush where we made humpys (pretending we were Aborigines) was turned into retirement villas and my street was now a dangerous, major arterial road. It had become polluted and ugly, a place where traffic pollution was endemic and seemingly devoid of a community ‘heart’.
As I reflected on this work at SCANZ, I decided to do some research and came across some interesting historical images and maps. The picture below shows the site of Aspley State School, about 200 metres from home (on my street Maundrell Tce), before it became a school.
Aspley 1887 – site of Aspley State School
Here are some early maps, including an aerial map from 1946.
1925 Chermside and District
1937 Chermside and District
Chermside 1946 Aerial
In this image I have placed a current aerial map over the 1946 map to highlight the change, the close up follows after the next image.
Chermside District 2013
This shot is a much closer view of my block
Maundrell Tce 2013
One of the very interesting things I found out was that Gympie Road and Albany Creek Road were Aboriginal tracks. The creek where I played as a child was a meeting place and crossroad for potentially tens of thousands of years. Mr Wikipedia states:
Soon after Brisbane was declared a free settlement in 1842, people began exploring the lands north of Brisbane City. A northern route followed aboriginal tracks through what is now Kelvin Grove, Enoggera, Everton Hills, Albany Creek onto North Pine. This route is still known as “‘Old Northern Road'” and “‘Old North Road'” in places.
Another aboriginal track branching eastward from the Old Northern Road at the South Pine River crossed towards Little Cabbage Tree Creek and continued towards Downfall Creek. This track is now known as “Albany Creek Road” and “Gympie Road”. Albany Creek Road was known as “Chinaman Creek Road” before 1888.
Here is a map of where the tracks used to be, the line in the centre is Maundrell Tce (my street) with my house highlighted.
Ancient Tracks
At this stage of my life, the idea of shaving my head is not very palatable (it takes too long to grow back), but I am really interested in exploring this piece on some level again, not sure how, but my time here at SCANZ has certainly reinvigorated my thinking about body/land/history/knowledge in an immediate way.
Check out these websites for more information:
http://queenslandplaces.com.au/node/39
http://www.chermsidedistrict.org.au/chermsidedistrict/default.asp
It was my intention to publish a blog every day we were here at the SCANZ2013 residency, but it has been so busy and I have been so immersed in the residency workshops, meetings and conversations that time has slipped away.
The residency formally started on the 20th January, but many people arrived a few days earlier. People who did come earlier were encouraged to go with the group to visit Parihaka, a Māori community about 50km south of New Plymouth. These visits coincided with monthly ‘days of observance’ where on the 18th and 19th of every month, people meet at the marae (meeting place) to acknowledge the historically significant events that occurred between 1860 and 1900.
The Parihaka website states “It is still the meeting place of the peoples of Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi. The 18th day of every month is still the pivotal forum of the community wherein the traditions and teachings of Parihaka are maintained. The spiritual legacy is one of living in harmony with the land and humanity. It is also a legacy of nonviolent resistance action and a belief in the peaceful and respectful co-existence of Māori and other races.”
For more information, go to http://parihaka.com/.
On the journey to Parihaka, we all learnt a song, which is now embedded in my brain forever. Here are the words:
Te Aroha
Te Whakapono
Me te rangimarie
Tātou, tātou e
The translation (hugely simplified as one word has many meanings and implications in Māori):
Love
Faith
Peace
For us all
Such beauty in meaning! As we traveled to Parihaka, Mt Taranaki loomed majestically above us, although the view was not clear as it is in this image below.
It was an experience that was humbling and overwhelming. As we proceeded into the house where the meeting was happening, we exchanged hongi (a traditional Māori greeting, where you press noses). We then sat around in a circle, where a number of people spoke and sang in Māori. I think the initial speakers were elders. Although I didn’t understand the language, I sensed that there was a lot of focus on remembering the past and its connections to now, family and some community business. At a certain point the conversation then was predominately English, and we were invited to introduce ourselves. I was very nervous, and when I announced that we were Australians, there was a bit of laughter, as my accent gave me away, lessening my nerves. I don’t wish to go into too much more detail of the meeting except to say it was a very welcoming and open environment, where although there were structures around who spoke when, everyone had a voice…
After the meeting, we all gathered in the community hall and had a delicious lunch, prepared by the community, relaxing and getting to know each other.
Here is a picture of the group, image by Ian Clothier.
SCANZ group at Parihaka, image Ian Clothier
That evening all the artists gathered again to participate in a whakawhanaungatanga, a traditional way of introduction where we focused on three things – our identity and heritage, our impressions of Parihaka and what we wanted to achieve at SCANZ. It was a really great way to get to know each other, and draw out some interesting linkages and connections, between our identities and foci as artists.
It was an amazing day, which for me was a great introduction to SCANZ and the place and people of Taranaki. More coming soon!
I would also like to give a special thank you to Jo Tito for helping me with this post.
I have thinking about ways of framing, or creating a sense of knowledge about a place where I have never been before. It is less that a week before I head off to SCANZ2013 in New Plymouth and I have spent a lot of time over the last few months looking at maps, Google Earth and reading as much as I can to gain some sort of understanding of New Plymouth and the Taranaki region.
As as starting point I took some photos of Mt Taranaki from my iPad, to start working with some imagery and a deliberate means to ‘frame’ the mountain in terms of my role as a remote observor, seeking to capture a moment of understanding.
Photo from iPad, taken with Lumix GF5
After printing the iPad photos, I created a series of watercolour sketches, which will form part of the work I am developing while at the artist residency. These small watercolours are my first impressions of the region’s landscape and of the monolithic Mt Taranaki. Over the time we are in New Zealand, these works will evolve, in response to a more direct engagement with the geographical site and the narratives that describe it.
Water colour study of Taranaki
Photo from iPad, taken with Lumix GF5
Water colour study of Taranaki
Water colour study of Taranaki
Remote Connections 