Real/Unreal

What happens when the news media, which is obligated to report on factual happenstances, is co-opted by creative marketing braintrusts to cover stories which may well be fictitious and imaginary but presented as fact? Take this purported photograph of the carcass of a "monster", supposedly washed up a New York beach. The incident, reported on news.com.au, has been linked to a viral marketing campaign to promote a US cartoon series. So what the fark is it doing masquerading as a serious news article (note headlines) on news.com.au?

Clearly, the media is aware that is is no longer a trustworthy source of information, and isrevelling in the fact that all it can create, thus, are stories, regardless of validity or veracity.

Thoughts before going to bed

A little tired but feeling content. It's been raining all day and there is something quite comforting about being indoors and hearing raindrops on the roof. I'm about ready to turn in.

I was listening to 94.5 today on the drive in to work and back again. For some reason, with everything that has happened in the last few days cramping my life, there's something quite merry and relaxing about listening to nice and easy commercial radio. Perhaps because it's all so light and fluffy, so meaningless yet merry, that it cheers the spirit. Tonight, they played classic hits from television and I happily listened to the theme song from "The Greatest American Hero". It made me realise how much I missed the good old days of the 1970s and 1980s, though I suspect it's more nostalgia making those days feel "good" and "old".

I caught up with Bretty D after work today to give him a Sons of Beaches book, and ended up having a good chat with him about photography and art. It's the undeniable paradox that to create art, you must be true to yourself and create work that is meaningful to you, regardless of commercial value. Yet, to be successful in your venture and to be able to make some money out of your work so that you can continue with that venture, your work needs to have commercial value - in that, people will want to buy them. Yet, if investors buy your work to add to their collection, then they're not really making a purchase decision because they like your work - more that they perceive it as a good investment. You can't win. Perhaps art and commerce are never compatible, one always anathema to the other. I also told Brett that I felt a hypocrite, because I would like people to buy my work if they like them, yet I do not reciprocate and purchase the works I like by other artists and photographers.

The Chaos and Drama book is almost good to go. In fact, I had uploaded it to Blurb but noticed a small incident of clumsy written expression in my introduction, so I'll have to revise and re-upload. But it looks good on the Blurb preview. It feels cohesive.

Good night!

Feeling incomplete

The weekend is over and I have a fat kitten on my lap as I tap this. Will head to the warmth and comfort of bed soon.

I guess I am still reeling somewhat from the incident on Friday night - feeling very unsettled and incomplete at the moment, I suspect because there are still so many things that need to be done to fix the damage done to the car.

I dropped in to Lukey's later this afternoon to lend him the 17" flat screen monitor. While drinking green tea, we looked at his old photos, all taken on slide film. They are very, very good. I've never been much of a fan of abstract photography but Luke's images are very intriguing - they are visually appealing, but also ask to be studied more closely. He had created a mirror image of some stark spider-like trees against a lit sky - a very intricate piece which revealed animalistic organic shapes and forms the longer one examined the piece. We talked about ways of getting our works out there without having to invest on solo shows (very expensive), and submitting to group shows, competitions and awards may be one way of doing this fairly inexpensively as all you're covering is the printing and mounting of one or two prints. I think Luke's work has very high commercial value in the decorative art market.

On the news today: several bombs were detonated in Ahmedabad, in the Indian state of Gujarat (Gandhi's birthplace). Only a day ago, bombs exploded in Bangalore. A bit worrying given Paul and my plans to travel India for a month, but I suspect that these incidents tend to occur more in areas which are more politically active or skewed, eg. extreme Right, or where the Hindu vs Muslim tension is more pronounced politically. We should be okay if we avoid these regions. And from my reading, India has always expressed tensions, whether religious or political, which often reach breaking point and erupt in expressions of violence and terrorism. It seems to be a land fraught with contention and opposition.

I've also learned that Jak has found this blog. How the eff did she find it? It's not a very "findable" blog in the first place!

Scum

That awful, rank and decaying layer that floats on the surface of stagnant pools of water, reeking of all that is foul and repugnant.

The bastards who broke into my car late on Friday night in Northbridge, smashed the window, thrashed the car and stole my work laptop and a few other personal effects, thus making me spend more than half of Saturday following up with insurance, incident reports and getting the smashed windows replaced.

Scum.

I drove back to Northbridge Saturday morning and did a walking circuit around the scene of the crime, in the hopes that they may have dropped the bag in their haste or after removing the laptop, but de nada.

The incident put a dent on the weekend but I'm not going to let it ruin my weekend.

Went to help Mal Mac and Guy Mac with their stall at the Camera Fair in Leederville today. Picked up a light meter and monopod from them, and also an Cokin P-series IR filter and tripod head. Spent all the money that was supposed to last me until the end of the month though... Grrrr...

The sun's out and I feel like lounging outside in a beer garden with a pint. Damn... having no money sucks!

On Nicknames

I have a mate who hates his nickname. Problem is, I'm the culprit who gave him that nickname in the first place and I cannot get it out of my mind whenever I refer to him. He hates it with a passion (not sure why as it's simply a contraction of his name, sorta like Bazza is a contraction of Barry) and I find myself stuck as it feels very strange for me to call him by his proper name, instead of the nickname. Oh the humanity! :-)

Which led me to ruminate on the nature of nicknames. I give nicknames out of familiarity and friendship. For me, it's basically saying, "Mate, we're not associates anymore. We're friends. So I gift you with this nickname. You may find it a bit strange, but it rolls off the tongue for me and is a sign that I consider you a good friend and am relaxed enough i your company to give you a nickname."

Sometimes, the nicknames I give don't stick. They just do not seem to fit, and we revert quickly to the mate's proper name. Other times, they do, like a glove, and the friend forever becomes known to my mind by that nickname.

I want to say: "Get over it. It's a compliment."

But somehow, I don't think he'll agree with me.

:-(

Illness and Urban Princess

Allow me to be a hypochondriac for a moment.

I can't seem to shake off this intermittent flu that I have. Was off work on Tuesday, went in yesterday, and now feel all congested and low in energy, but need to soldier on. I suspect it was the last weekend which was crazy hectic that's lowered my energy levels, immune system and BAM!! The flu.

I submitted my entry for "Urban Princess" last night. As expected, a lot of photos of pretty young things posing in urban and semi-urban settings with props. Many of them beautifully lit and photographed. A few photographs of Barbie dolls posed in modern dissolution ala Paris Hilton or Britney. I'm glad I took the route I did with my entry, even if it probably doesn't dovetail into the theme of the "Urban Princess" in the way the organisers have probably envisioned. The launch is on Friday, which should be fun, so it will be interesting to see who the judges pick as the winning pics.

My caption for my UP submission is as follows:

At night she opens the window
I wanted to do something different with the "Urban Princess" theme. I wanted to use the theme to explore the way some women have been trapped, whilst others remain trapped - in cycles of domestic abuse, of sexual exploitation and of cultural isolation. In fairy tales, the princess is often locked in the tower, hidden away from the public eye, the prize for a hero who would brave untold dangers to rescue her. Today, many women still find themselves locked away by violent relationships, by culturally constructed prisons that prevent them from expressing themselves as individuals, from realising their potential as human beings. It's a sad fact that in 2008, princesses are still locked up in the very cities which we call home. Sometimes, at night, the princess opens a window. But there is no rescuer within sight.

On my lonesome

Sometimes I love being by myself. There is a luxury in having that space on your own, free of the need to fill silences with talk, or to observer social niceties. Some people rail against doing things on their own, such as going to the movies, or having dinner out by themselves - they get depressed if they find themselves out on their own. I actually enjoy it. I'm not a loner - I crave social interaction and being able to just talk, but the "me time" is so very important for me.

I took some "me time" tonight and went to watch Kung Fu Panda. It was a so-so film, made enjoyable because of Jack Black's "performance" as the Panda Po. But the storyline was too simplistic and rather empty - like biting into a sweet bubble. The moment passes and you're waiting for the next. I think I should have gone to Mamma Mia instead. At least it features songs by ABBA. :-)

Nothing but the truth

I thought Naomi Robson (late of Today Tonight Sydney) had left the industry in disgrace. What is she doing providing voice over narration for Surf Patrol? Much as one might like to malign the dramatic editing and musical cues used to sensationalise and heighten events depicted in docu-tainment shows like Surf Patrol, the fact is that they still a fairly rip-snorting story and can be quite addictive.

You can tell I've just spent an evening in front of the telly. :-)

I ordered the Lonely Planet Guides for India and Nepal off Amazon today. Still quite a bit of research to be conducted for this trip, especially working out potential destinations beyond Delhi and Varanasi. I'd like to go to Kerala but it is a long trip (2 days by rail) or could be pricey if I flew there.

Wonderwall

It's cold, with intermittent gusts and the odd heavy shower or two this morning. I struggled to climb out of bed this morning as it was warm between the doona and bedsheets. My limbs felt like water-logged tree trunks, heavy and unwieldy. But it's Friday and the weekend is almost upon us.

I feel as if I'm running out of time with the exhibition preparation. I realised yesterday that there are only nine weeks to the event so I must really get things going. The photo selections have now been prepped for publication on Blurb; I have teed up a meeting with Big Ben at Team Digital re: sponsorship of print media (photo rag paper) and will be printing next weekend with N of Fotolounge. I'm wondering though if I should try and find some sponsorship for the wines and food at opening night... but who to ask? Perhaps the bottleo next to the Queens opposite Behind the Monkey? What of food? Dips and chips?

After Chaos and Drama and India, I think I'll take a breather - focus on submitting photographs to stock libraries and applying for potential avenues for a show or two in 2009.

I've come to realise that sometimes I need space from people. Some people require a great deal of effort and energy just to be with them and after prolonged exposure, one feels drained of spirit. A bit like exposure to radioactive material. So I'm taking a small break from the photography group's activities - at least for a few days - until I manage to recover some energy and reform my ragged spirit. I think this weekend is about consolidating other friendships and getting things done in regards to C&D.

India bound

I took a leap (of faith?) and booked my flight to India on the weekend. I'm both excited and also anxious - India is a great unknown and from what I have read and seen (on the Pilot Guide episodes), it is both confronting and transformative. At present, no plans apart from arriving and departing from Delhi, and a week or so in Varanasi (Benares). An Indian expat I worked with in Singapore strongly suggests that I go to Kerala too - by air as it's otherwise a 2+ day journey by rail from Delhi.

Now on to the logistics - visa application, vaccinations, getting packs and preparing for the trip.

Measure of a man

I was driving in to work this morning, listening to 720 Newsradio when Geoff Hutchinson interviewed a Perth woman about the death of her good friend, Darren Stratti, in Tanzania. Darren and his partner, Rebeka, run FoodWaterShelter providing all of this to children in a remote Tanzanian village. The news today explains events - Darren was shot in the chest by burglars breaking and entering his home; they stole $6000 worth of building funds. He died while en route to hospital.

The news reports mentioned Darren's Facebook and MySpace accounts (he was also a songwriter and musician, as well as a builder) and, perhaps a little morbidly, I decided to search for these. The dedications in his Facebook wall are both sad and uplifting - they describe a selfless man and more than this, speak volumes about the impact he had made in the lives of his friends and family. The messages left there by his eldest son moved me to tears. Regardless of these messages and dedications, the sad fact remains - an individual who gained much pleasure in life in helping others and being of help and benefit to a struggling community is gone. And we have only learned of this after his passing.

It's a tragic truth that we often learn of great and heroic folk and their deeds after they are gone. If only the community could have celebrated his selfless generosity and his achievement during his life. What is the measure of a man but the plaudits he receives when he is missed. But I think the world would rather that he be here, alive, and continuing with his good work.