WINTER 2011

Views expressed in this newsletter reflect the views of the authors and not necessarily those of the TMAGgots group or the TMAG.

FRONT COVER: Journeys through a Tasmanian Landscape 1 by Sophie Carnell, glass in driftwood. Photo by Ella Richmond (kindofamazing.blogspot.com). BACK COVER: Strange Fruit at Port Arthur Historic Site, Ten Days on the Island Festival 2011. Photo by Glenn Mead.

are a group of young (ish) people who enjoy engaging in a bit of cultural gluttony at the tasmanian museum and art gallery Theto join visit www.tmaggots.org.au

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Get your woolly cardies out MAGgots, it’s another Tasmanian winter and we have some great events coming up that are definitely worth leaving the house for. Soon we will hold another Ice Ice Baby, our annual Antarctic science talk which is hosted in the sexy Islands to Ice exhibition and accompanied by mulled wine and hot nibblies.

And speaking of hot nibblies, look out for another of our annual events Open and Shut (last year it went under the alias Open and Open), which traditionally involves fish and chips and an in-depth tour of the City of Hobart Art Prize.

In August we will again be holding a series of events in honour of National Science Week, one of which will be a trip to the Rosny TMAG facility to have a first-hand look at what the TMAG scientists are working on out there.

We hope to hold another TMAGgots fundraising quiz night this winter, so stay tuned to the TMAGgots e-news, and if you’re not on the mailling list, by jove join up FOR FREE at www.tmaggots.org.au quicksticks or you’ll miss out!

– KELLY EIJDENBERG President, The TMAGgots Inc. kelly@tmaggots.org.au

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now showing

what should I do at tmag this weekend?

StaR/DUSt: VOLCaNO LOVER / LUCY BLEaCH18 March–3 July 2011, art gallery 4

Volcano Lover is an explosion of colour, light and sound. Drawing together recordings of volcanic Mount Yasur in Vanuatu, projections, artifacts from children’s volcano-making workshops, traditional museum cabinets, and boudoir furnishings, this sensorially rich installation invites viewers to indulge their fascination with volcanoes and to experiment with the tools used to understand them.

2011 CItY Of HOBaRt aRt PRIzE23 July–18 September 2011, art galleries 1–3

The 2011 City of Hobart Art Prize opens at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery on July 23 and promises to once again offer an exciting snapshot of Australian contemporary art practice. Due to its shifting focus across disciplines and mediums, the City of Hobart Art Prize exhibition is among the most interesting

in Australia’s calendar of art prize events. The 2011 Art Prize categories are Wood and Paper; the exhibition will include some of Australia’s leading practitioners as well as work by some relative new-comers in the diverse fields of sculpture, design, installation, drawing, painting, printmaking, collage and paper making. The selected entries range from the bold and three dimensional to delicate works on paper.

The judging panel for the two $15,000 acquisitive City of Hobart Art Prizes includes Linda Michael, Senior Curator, Heide Museum of Modern Art (Melbourne); Rachel Kent, Senior Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art (Sydney); and Peter Hughes, Senior Curator (Decorative Arts), Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

StaR/DUSt: tHE REaDINg ROOm / BRIgIta OzOLINS23 July–16 October 2011, art gallery 4

The Reading Room is an exhibition about the wonderful world of books and reading. The gallery is transformed into a warm den of

carpets, plush furniture and reading lamps. Lining the room are literally thousands of books, arranged in great piles, and across the red walls a mysterious code appears. Watch and listen to people—famous and ordinary —read excerpts from their favourite books. Go to The Reading Room website and upload your own recorded readings to contribute to the art work. www.brigitaozolins.com/thereadingroom

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what should I do at tmag this weekend?

A trained Lab Rat (School of Chemistry PhD Candidate) by day, ROWAN HENDERSON spends many waking hours sitting in front of the computer mastering the art of re-writing, until it makes perfect sense to make up

words like electrophoresable to describe his Laboratory creations. His most recent discovery in this research world is that cups of coffee, particularly good coffee, do not necessarily correlate to increased productivity. To relax (when not having coffee), he may often be spied partaking in some long distance running, perusing of the odd art gallery or venturing into the fresh Tasmanian wildness. At night he is often found in a once abandoned reservoir as a practicing badminton assassin with an exquisite slice....or helping others develop their skills in this not so ancient art.

maggOt of the month

JUN

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Ice ManAs Tasmania swings into celebrating the centenary of our involvement with the Antarctic, AMANDA CROMER spoke with John (Jack) Brennan of the Tas Polar Network about the opportunities open to young Tasmanians in this exciting area.

John, tell us a bit about your involvement with the Polar Network – and your general professional/personal interest in all things antarctic!I’ve been the Chairman of the TPN for about 18 months, a member since 2002 and served on the committee since 2003. My involvement in the sector came about through my professional role with assisting the Australian and French Antarctic programs with ways to manage their waste and recycling systems. Also, I’ve been involved with the clean-up of a contaminated site in Antarctica.

Antarctica and the Southern Ocean is a raw, real and natural experience. After living in Antarctica for 6 months (at Casey Station), my appreciation was consolidated. The simple realisation of how insignificant mankind really is when faced by the forces of nature is a very humbling experience. In Antarctica, man cannot control the blizzards, the coldness, the crevasses… I believe that no matter what mankind does, there will always be a natural reaction. The reaction can be positive (e.g. healthy and sustainable environment with biodiversity) or negative (e.g. pollution, reduced biodiversity and a sick environment).

Nature is in control, not mankind. Antarctica is a clear reminder of this fact. And I am passionate about the Antarctic sector on two levels.

Professionally, the sector is very important for Australia (indeed, the world!) with respect to understanding climate change processes. For Tasmania, the sector is an ‘intelligent’ future for science/research/education and the business community. This motivates me to be involved with the TPN. (By the way, any business with an interest in the sector can join the TPN; go to www.tpn.aq)

From a personal point of view, I am drawn to Antarctica because it fascinates me and as Tasmanians, we have a long history with strong links to the Southern Ocean.

What opportunities do you see for tasmania and tasmanians – as a gateway to the antarctic, or as a research centre, or as...? There is no doubt that Antarctica and Southern Ocean (SO) is an important

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contributor to the Tasmanian economy. With a annual spend of $182M per annum (Dec 2010 survey) the sector has been recognised by the government as a key one for future economic development.We are so lucky to host up to 65% of Antarctic SO scientists in the state. Many businesses contribute to providing goods and services, and this can grow into the future as Australia increases collaboration with other Antarctic nations. China, Korea, Japan, Russia and India are all operating in the East Antarctic and Tasmania is favourably positioned, through the collaborative efforts of the Australian Antarctic Division, to become a ‘hub of excellence’.

How do you recommend people get involved – both as volunteers but also in a careers sense?People can get involved by becoming volunteers for events here in the state (contact paul.cullen@development.tas.gov.au) or, for the brave who want

to become expeditioners, they should visit www.aad.gov.au and search the jobs section.

What are your hopes for tasmania and its connection to the antarctic? What can we work on? The new stated vision for the TPN is that Tasmania will become the ‘Hub of Antarctic and Southern Ocean excellence’.

The sector is very fortunate indeed in that political parties seem to all agree there is a common future. The TPN remains apolitical and continues to enjoy strong support from all areas of government. I think Antarctica places a bit of a spell on people and they lower their political guard a bit. The challenge for the sector to reach its full potential includes:

1. While the sector can operate now, there needs to be continual upgrade of port facilities and this is a priority. Upgrades and repairs have started, however more commitment for funding needs to be obtained;

this economic climate makes it more difficult to secure such funding.

2. The Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) which is administered by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) needs funding commitment to: upgrade to a new ice breaker; build new-age sustainable Antarctic stations (existing stations are 20+ years old); expand its new air-link; expand expeditions into the interior of the Antarctic continent; and, finally, clean up legacy waste from 50 years of operating.

Australia is a leader in so many ways and an original signatory to the Antarctic Treaty which protects the Antarctic. We have a sovereignty (42% interest), strategic, economic, environmental and scientific stake in Antarctica. While nations such as China are pumping in large amounts of money for new ice breakers, new equipment, science programs and stations, I think we need to remain aware of the fact that we will have to update our program. Given the AAP is

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in the best interest of the nation the Federal government should step up to the mark and deliver to the AAP, and assist Tasmania with some of its infrastructure needs.

are there any similar science/research/tourism models out there that we should be looking to learn from? Tasmania is one of five Antarctic gateways, but for the east sector there are three: Cape Town, Hobart and Christchurch. Tasmania is leading the pack, according to our market intelligence, but there is no room for complacency. Christchurch hosts a very strong USA program and if we can capture a piece of the action on some level (not necessarily meaning US bases here), we could benefit further.

How do you plan to be celebrating the antarctic Centenary? Naturally, I will be involved with the ACY celebrations through my role with the TPN and allied committees. I’m not sure where I will be, but it would be great to be back down on the ice!

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researcher of the month

RESEaRCHER: KIRRILY mOORE

Corals in antarctica?BY KEVIN REDD

When most people hear the word coral, they think GREAT BARRIER REEF – well not our researcher of the month from IMAS, Kirrily Moore.

Kirrily is investigating the diversity of key octocoral groups found in the cold waters of the Southern Ocean including subantarctic and Antarctic waters, where many species are presently undescribed. She begins by eyeballing the specimens, using morphological differences to separate them into suspected species. She then uses genetics as a tool for exploring the species boundaries and phlyogeographic patterns as well as understanding the diversity and connectivity (or not!) of these populations of beautiful marine invertebrates.

She is looking at octocorals found in a wide range of habitats including the Tasmanian Seamounts (collected by CSIRO), Macquarie Ridge (collected by National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, NZ), Heard Island and the Antarctic Continent (collected by the Australian Antarctic Division) and Macquarie Island (held by the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery).

Kirrily also joined a research voyage to the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic and was successful in collecting new material for her project. She has just returned from a month in Europe visiting six museums to study old type specimens held there and collecting fresh specimens for more molecular work. Understanding the biodiversity of deep-sea ecosystems is recognised globally as an important area of research and opportunities for collaboration nationally and internationally are significant and

exciting. Deep-water corals, as major habitat builders and with fine carbonate skeletons, are useful in assessing possible fishing impacts and ocean acidification affects.

If you wonder how she got into cold water corals, Kirrily completed an Honours degree at Sydney University and then came to CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research working in the Centre for Introduced Marine Pests (CRIMP). She subsequently worked for three years at the Australian Antarctic Division on a wide range of benthic samples collected from around Heard Island. Her current position at TMAG as the invertebrate technician is on hold while she completes her PhD. Anyone who has ever seen the ‘compactus’ room FULL of marine animals preserved in ethanol and formaldehyde can appreciate how painstaking this sorting can be but anyone who likes order and storage solutions would love it!

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There’s no doubt that the co-operative and collaborative business model can be a challenge for creatives. Floatingworld (and their collaborators, or ‘Fellows’) is one local

young enterprise that’s flourishing under this approach...

“The studio consists of several individual businesses. We practice independently as well as coming

together for larger projects or projects with multiple requirements. Our structure breaks away from the traditional agency mould of hierarchy and segmentation of roles – instead,

The first in a series of profiles on creative Tasmanian individuals, groups and businesses

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‘Raving infomaniac’ is one description for SUZY COOPER. She loves words and aspires to use them all,

sometimes in a single conversation.

Suzy ‘I-don’t-talk-too-fast-you-need-to-listen-faster’ Cooper dug her way out of mining after her criteria for a suitable man had degenerated to ‘has teeth’, discovering a passion for telling people what to do (training) and putting words in their mouths (writing). She wanted to be a librarian but her hair’s all wrong for a bun and her cardigans are too flirtatious.

She now writes, edits, speaks and coaches for business and pleasure.

maggOt of the month

JULY

all collaborative members are equal with regard to opportunity, authority and responsibility. We also wanted to present ourselves as an alternative to this traditional structure where a client may work with the designer closely on their project.

Working as a collective/collaborative business allows us to adapt in size and ‘shape’ to best suit the requirements or challenges of a project. Working collaboratively also means that we’re not only exchanging ideas, but also knowledge and new ways of approaching and delivering a project. Its also a form of ‘quality control’ where we give each other open and honest feedback on our work’s strengths and weaknesses.

We share amongst ourselves freely, but also share with other businesses. Being open creates dialogue and cooperation between design businesses rather than division and competition. This arrangement is more unusual amongst smaller populations where there are

often less business and creative opportunities, resulting in a highly competitive environment. We have found that by being open and generous, we have received this in return!

We like working on projects that are diverse, unusual and challenging (in a positive way!). Also ones that involve and benefit as many of us as possible, and our combined skills and interests as much as possible. Along with client-based projects, we also participate in self or studio-initiated projects. These range from purely pursuing and growing personal interests and skills, to research, mentoring and events.

Our goal is to continue to grow sustainably, creatively and professionally. We’re also pretty keen on having fun and expressing creative freedom in amongst all of the serious stuff!”

To see what Floatingworld have been up to lately, go to www.floatingworld.com.au 9

OMINOUS TO OPTIMISTICAN INNOVATIVE AND INTERACTIVE EXHIBITION

5 AUGUST - 3 OCTOBER 2011MUSEUM OF OLD AND NEW ARTHOBART, TASMANIA

EXPERIMENTA.ORG

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recent events

StRaNgE fRUIt PHOTOS BY GLenn MeAD

On Sunday 27 March a bus-load of TMAGgots nipped down to the Tasman Peninsula for the day. Our purpose was to revisit the fascinating Port Arthur Historic Site as well as to enjoy Strange Fruit performing on the lawn in front of the Penitentiary building. Due to exceptional organisation (and driving) skills, we actually caught both performances of Ringing the Changes, which formed part of the biennial Ten Days on the Island Festival program. No strangers to the festival, Strange Fruit were truly magnificent (to watch Glenn’s rad video go to our YouTube site or Facebook group), and accompanied by brilliant sunshine, gourmet burgers and wine, it was, of course, a truly gluttonous afternoon.

TMAGgots excursions are not unusual, so if you would be interested in a weekend trip to the Tasman Peninsula, where we would visit Port Arthur, the Coal Mines, partake in a ghost tour, check out an art gallery etc, send me a line at kelly@tmaggots.org.au and we might get something organised.

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PHOTOS BY glenn mead

www.newtownstationursery.com12

If you walked past the TMAG at 6pm on Thursday 21 April, you would have noticed TMAGgot Glenn Mead throwing about sticks on fire outside the Water Gate, amongst a mist of dry ice and a crowd of little kids.

This was all show for the TMAGgots experience of exhibition Volcano Lover, by Lucy Bleach. Volcano Lover is part of a series of three exhibitions spanning

the year at TMAG, called Star/Dust. As the aim of Star/Dust is to celebrate contemporary art’s ability to engage and delight visitors of all ages, we decided on a grand entrance and complementary fire-themed soundtrack, including such classics as ‘Great Balls of Fire’ and ‘Burn for You.’ We served volcano-coloured food and engaged in a pseudo-scientific volcano-making class with Access Art coordinator Bec Tudor. While there were a few youngsters who really got into it, this event was a hit with the TMAGgots and personally I found it refreshing to get my hands dirty in a part of the museum which is usually off-limits for that kind of stuff. Looking forward to the next instalment – The Reading Room, by Brigita Ozolins, which will include a joint event with those intellectual hipsters, XYZ!

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slender threads

Finding Home14

artist prof ile

KELLY EIJDENBERG asked some quick questions of SOPHIE CARNELL about her recent exhibition Slender Threads in the Top Gallery, Salamanca Arts Centre.

When and how did you begin working with glass? The first work I made at art school was a portrait painted onto mirror, and I haven’t stopped working with glass since then. Works that followed on from that piece included surface treatments like scratching imagery into a paint-coated surface of glass and sandblasting. Now it’s becoming more and more about the glass itself. But I have always been a bit of a glass fiend….I have collections of coloured glass dotted all around my home.

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Finding Home

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are there any australian glass artists that inspire you? Janet Laurence makes some really interesting work, including large scale architectural glass installations and public artworks. I love the way she incorporates text and natural elements into her work. Her sculptures in the natural environment become multilayered with the reflections and refractions of the surrounding landscape.

How did your exhibition 'Slender threads' come about? Slender Threads is a continuation of my third year work at UTAS really. There were lots of pathways I still wanted to explore and hadn’t had time to, so getting a show at the Top Gallery was a perfect opportunity.

What inspired you to incorporate materials such as driftwood and sandstone in your work? Having moved to Tasmania eight years ago I am interested in what it is that makes a person feel like they belong in a place. How we fit into a landscape and how the journeys we etch

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through these landscapes become our own personal maps. Incorporating glass into natural material from this area (Bruny driftwood and Hobart sandstone) was a way of positioning myself in this new place and tracing the journeys I have made through it.

technically, how did you produce pieces like Heartsongs, and finding Home? they look like there is an object captured within the glass, but instead you have engraved layers to create a 3D effect? Yep you got it. Each layer is engraved separately. The sphere shapes in Heartsongs are a bit more technical than the feather in Finding Home as they need to follow a mathematical process to ensure that they remain spherical not lemon shaped! The feather is more of an organic process I just play that out layer by layer. The process takes quite a long time and it can get very confusing making sure that I don’t engrave onto the wrong side of the

glass or do it upside down, all the while keeping the sheets in the right order.

What is one of the most diff icult aspects of working with glass? You might think that it’d be the fragility of glass and the sharp edges but really the thing that I always find the hardest is lighting glass works for exhibition. The characteristics that I like so much about glass, the ability for it to both reflect and be transparent make lighting a bit of a headache. Natural light and glass are really good friends, so putting a work in front of a window gives excellent clarity and definition to engraved lines and really brings out that lovely green in the cut edges.

How long did it take you to put Slender threads together? One month of total confusion, one month of experimentation and one very full month of making…..and that’s only the small works. Luckily States of Belonging was already made last year.

tell us about States of Belonging, which some tmaggots might also remember from last year's UtaS grad Show. What is the concept behind this piece? This work was part of an installation that was about a thought process relating to Belonging. This piece is basically about the gathering of thoughts; about ideas floating around, fleeting and ethereal, un-graspable.

Where would you like to go from here? I’d like to upscale some of the works I have made for Slender Threads, and get them outside too, either as stand alone sculptures or embedded into the landscape.

• www.sophiecarnell.com

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translatingnatureintoknowledge www.imas.org.au 19

a look inside . . .Spacebar Gallery20

BY ALEXANDRA GIBSON

Finally, a gallery looking out for the little people, i.e. aspiring artists, designers and art lovers low on funds. You will find Spacebar Gallery neatly tucked away in a small heritage-listed nook off Wooby’s Lane. Inside, is an eclectic gallery-shop-studio, supplying fair-trade art. Designed by owner Lisa Link to give young and new designers, artists and makers, a space all to themselves. Once the space is rented, the artist has full control – they design and merchandise the space; they name the price; and they take the full commission. The art stocked is a mix of local and interstate fashion, jewellery, accessories and visual art, and not only is it designed to get the artist off the ground, but because there is no commission – and thus no mark-up – Spacebar gives aspiring art-buyers a chance as well.

a look inside . . .Spacebar Gallery

MELANY FRANKLIN MELANY FRANKLIN

BORDERLINE RIF RAF

SABIO DESIGNS

GIGGLING GERTIE

GIGGLING GERTIE

GIGGLING GERTIE

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Borderline Rif Raf: original illustrations printed on t-shirts, inspired by music, old sea tales, nature, history and old photographs.

AG: Where did the name Borderline Rif Raf come from?

BRR: I used to live in Newtown in Sydney and me and my partner were in a bar. A guy ran up to us and said “Do you want to come to a party tonight? No riff raff allowed.” Then he pointed at me and said, “You’re borderline.”

AG: So why did you choose t-shirts as a medium?

BRR: It means I can get my stuff out there and I don’t have to charge a lot. I studied print making a bit and I like the fact that instead of selling a piece of work or a series of works for a lot of money, you can get your art out there for cheap and in bulk and it’s more accessible to the public.

AG: What are your main inspirations behind your illustrations?

BRR: I’m really inspired by music. I listen to a lot of Tom Waits, Nick Cave, and Modest Mouse. As soon as I start listening, I have images I have to get down and sketch out. Also, old nautical illustrations. I moved down to Tassie to the Huon Valley four years ago, so native animals, nature and just being around the harbour in Hobart and the history is inspiring. Even the whaling history in Tasmania is pretty interesting, not that I’m into whaling. I’ve seen some old photos — those images are amazing.

AG: Is it easier to be an artist in Tasmania?

BRR: I don’t think so. I think it’s great and very inspiring being an artist in Tasmania – maybe because there are so many artists and it’s a very creative place – but most fans of art down here are also artists. So there isn’t really a big population of people buying art. I do a lot of my selling in Sydney and Melbourne.

AG: What attracted you to Spacebar Gallery?

BRR: I liked the concept. I like having my own little shop within a shop. I can go in there every week and change it around, add new stock whenever I want. It’s a really cool idea.

Giggling Gertie: vintage inspired, fabric driven purses and handbags.

AG: Where do you source your fabrics from?

GG: Everywhere. Some of it’s new; a lot of it’s second-hand and recycled. I get stuff at op-shops, tip-shops, friends and family. I also get fabrics from lots of sample books – upholstery samples, seasonal samplings that would otherwise get thrown away.

AG: Is recycling a motivator for your designs?

GG: Recycling is probably not one of my main motivators, but sustainability is. I keep in mind that I don’t just want to be contributing to the amount of stuff

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in the world; I want to contribute something that is good quality, functional and useful as well as being attractive and nice.

AG: What do you look for in a fabric?

GG: The grandma presence in everyone’s’ life. I love selling my bags and hearing people say “I think my grandma used to have a table cloth like that” or “I had bed sheets like that” and I say “well it probably was your bed sheets, I bought it from the op-shop”. It just reminds people of their grandma, but it’s still really current. I know Vintage kind of feels really in at the moment, but the main motivators are patterns and sewing. I got my first sewing machine when I was 12 and I’ve just been bashing away and making things ever since.

AG: What attracted you to Spacebar?

GG: I like the possibilities it provides. You rent the space and then you can merchandise it how you want. I can test new products and I can put the

prices on them that I want. I really like the space as well, it suits my product.

Sabio Designs: avant garde and ready to wear pieces made from natural fibres, with Tasmanian narratives.

AG: How did you get involved with Spacebar Gallery?

SD: Lisa contacted me and said she had this idea and would I be interested in being stocked? At that time I was looking for a stocker – I’ve got stockers in Sydney which is great, but it’s really hard to get them locally. I did end up having a couple of offers, but they just weren’t quite right for my product. So when Lisa told me about Spacebar and I saw where it was going to be, I thought it was just perfect for my brand.

There’s an element of excitement knowing that there’s a place supporting young fashion designers. Another reason Spacebar is so fantastic is, because it’s art based,

you have an opening and Lisa already has a list of people to invite. So it’s helping you tap into a network. We also get the full commission, which is brilliant, because to produce a piece of fashion in Hobart is really expensive.

AG: What is your favourite era in fashion?

SD: To me, it’s more about what was happening at the time and how people – in particular designers – were responding to it. I do get a lot of inspiration from the colonial and the convict era. That’s essentially where I get a lot of my ideas from, but to me it’s more about storytelling. We say so much more than what we think we say in what we put on and how we put it on. So it’s all time; yesterday, tomorrow…[Laughs].

AG: Where do you source your natural fabrics?

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SD: I try to use as high a percentage as I can of Tasmanian made stuff. At the moment I’ve got about 60 to 70 per cent of the latest collection done in Australian wools that are woven in Tasmania. I get the fabrics printed locally.

AG: What do you take from Tasmania to inspire your designs?

SD: The people, really. Using convict narratives for inspiration, I look at specific convicts. The building prints on some garments are buildings from Launceston and it was about who would live in those buildings. The new collection is about a contemporary version of Hobart, but again, while it might be architecture, it comes down to who was here and who will be here.

Melany Franklin: unique jewellery pieces made from found, collected and items saved from disposal.

AG: What is the main inspiration behind your pieces?

MF: Waste inspires me. I’m a registered nurse and it blows me away the amount of waste that is created. I started collecting lids off medication vials and made earrings and rings from them. They’re all beautiful colours and they just get thrown out. I’m not reducing the impact on the environment really, because it’s such a small thing, but it’s saving something that would be thrown out. I call them relinquished relics.

AG: What do you take from Tasmania and put into your jewellery designs?

MF: The talent in Tasmania is really inspiring and being in that environment. Being able to be so

isolated in your home studio, but being so close to so many amazing things.

I’m in Sydney at the moment, because I have family here – my dad is a dental technician, he makes teeth. He works in gold and silver and porcelain, so I’m hoping that he’s going to pass on a few hints to me and hopefully I’ll be able to work in his studio space so I can expand my skills. He’s quite a talented artist himself. But I miss Tassie terribly. I miss the space.

AG: What attracted you to Spacebar?

MF: I met Lisa, and she was really warm and welcoming. She’s an artist herself and I just really liked the idea of being part of a collective or creative people who support each other. I also like the idea of that your pieces can remain affordable and accessible to most people. With art, if it’s in a gallery, you have a large mark-up, so that kind of art is only accessible to people that have larger amounts of money.

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AMANDA CROMER put five questions to Launceston-based writer Rohan Wilson, winner of this year’s Vogel Literary Award (Australia’s most prestigious award for an unpublished manuscript) for his historical Tasmanian novel, The Roving Party.

If you were in charge of tasmania, what's the f irst change you'd make?Oh man, that’s a tough one. Well, I’d probably to get an AFL team for the state. But what’s that got to do with writing, I hear you think? I’ll say this

Rohan Wilson

much; you can learn a lot about life by watching football. A Tasmanian team would be a dream come true for me!

Do you think there's something about tasmania – the isolated island thing – that encourages creativity? For sure. I don’t think it is the isolation, although perhaps for people in some places it might be. I think it has more to do with the very rich mythology we have here in the state. That great, long history of Aboriginal occupation, then the shorter but equally interesting history of shared Aboriginal and white occupation. There are just so many stories there to tell. I’ve tried to tell one in my book The Roving Party, but there are countless others. I think that’s where our creativity comes from.

What do the next 12 months hold for you? Working on my next book. It should be out by the middle of next year. Also, I want to finish off my PhD thesis and get that out of the way so I can concentrate on writing.

Which other writers and/or tasmanians inspire you? Gee, there are a lot! The writers which really had an impact on me when I was writing The Roving Party were Kate Grenville, Richard Flanagan, Mudrooroo Narogin, and Roger MacDonald. The way they write about history just made it feel so immediate and consequential, rather than gone and forgotten. I’d have to pick Richard Flanagan as the Tasmanian who most inspires me though. He is just a national treasure, I reckon.

Okay, we can't help ourselves...any tips for young tasmanian writers wanting to get published? Take it seriously! You can’t just knock something together and expect it to succeed. You have to find a story that people want to hear. Then you have to work on it every day for a few hours, you have to seek out feedback and listen to what people tell you. Writing is a career, not a hobby. Treat it like a career and you will get there in the end.

write now

“ThE waY ThEY wriTE aboUT hisTorY JUsT madE iT fEEL so immEdiaTE aNd coNsEqUENTiaL, raThEr ThaN goNE aNd forgoTTEN.”

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“...ThaT’s whY i’m sTiLL, afTEr 10 YEars, UsiNg ThE isLaNd To ExpLorE idEas ThroUgh drawiNg.”

Artworks from David’s MFA show, 201026

exploring the MarkDAVID EDGAR finished his MFA at Tasmanian School of Art in 2010. Known for his enormous, immersive, sublime charcoal drawings, he is well known in the art world. OLIVIA BOWMAN caught up with David with some questions about his recent INFLIGHT exhibition.

Describe what you're currently working on. I’ve got my mind on 2 shows at the moment; both have similarities and differences, but essentially, both are driven by drawing. More specifically, drawing as a way to explore mark making. Over the past six months I have been seeking out marks in the everyday: for example, marks (symbols) made by meteorologists when depicting various aspects

of weather forecasting. I’m not simply looking for or replicating any arbitrary found mark; I’m exploring how these specific marks relate to marks that I have been using, mostly unconsciously, over the past couple of years. My intention, and part of the premise of the INFLIGHT ARI show in May, is to play around with found marks by blowing them up, cutting them up and rearranging them, systematically, to reveal an unknown outcome at the end of the process. Parallel to this, I want to explore how

these newly formed found marks can then be used to depict other sorts of images in less of an abstract sense, and more as a way to represent an image of something. This will form the basis for mark making relating to my second show at Handmark in September this year.

The content of my work is also driven by two areas of similarity and difference; the first is the process of drawing, and the second, notions of place. More specifically, notions of drawing elements of place concerning ‘islandness’ and remoteness, experience and time and the effect of this on the body through movement, somehow capturing movement in place and movement in the act of drawing. What I have generally found from exploring this is that a scribbly mark appears time and time again. I suppose it’s this scribbly mark that I am seeking in the everyday through the found mark.

Portrait of David Edgar by Nathan Taylor

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What is your main medium? My medium of choice is charcoal. I’ve been focusing solely on charcoal over the last 2-3 years and still feel like I’ve only explored the tip of the iceberg with it, as it has such diversity of texture, depth, versatility, and expressive qualities. I have this idea for a project, which I hope to undertake with (fellow Master of Fine Art graduate) Denise Robinson, which focuses on whiteness by using charcoal. It’s a challenge and I have no idea what will eventuate and that’s about as far as we’ve got with it at this stage. But the intention is to explore it further by isolating ourselves into the cold snowy remote environment of the Great Lakes region of Tasmania in the middle of winter this year and see what comes out.

How does your current work relate to what you've done in the past? Like all things, the work has moved on, but it is also very much intrinsically linked to it. Basically, the MFA was a pleasure, in which I had the time to

really research and experiment in drawing through a wide variety of processes, including scale, gesture, tradition, abstraction, chance, etc. Again, it was this scribbly mark that seemed to come to the fore, so I’m still playing with it and trying to find a balance between the recognition of the scribbly mark as an abstract mark, and the representation of an image of something. As described above, the balance is prone to shifting one way or the other, and I suppose this keeps it interesting for me, particularly when there are moments when things appear unexpectedly, which is why finding the right sort of mark, and playing around with it, is so important.

Your mfa work was about tasman Island, can you describe your interaction with that place and your relationship to it? I’ve been travelling to Tasman Island on and off for over 10 years now. I’m drawn to it for a number of

reasons. It has somehow seeped deep into me and has become more than just a place to draw. It’s a place that I long for. I haven’t been there for about a year now and my feet are itching to get there again unlike any time before. I usually travel there within a small group, the Friends of Tasman Island, most of whom also feel the same way about it, if not more obsessed. There’s something about islands that has this effect on you. Much has been written about this ‘islandness’ effect, and for me it was triggered when I moved to Tasmania from Sydney 13 years ago, but intensified after visiting Tasman Island shortly afterwards. This intensity focuses primarily on Tasman being an island with edges and boundaries that are immediately apparent to you: being less than 120 hectares in total you know where the edges are: the sea surrounds you; once on the island you have the very distinct feeling of being trapped there. It’s also a place where the weather cannot be taken for granted: any one day it’s clear blue skies with a view across the sea or to mainland Tasmania to die

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for; the next it’s shrouded by fog and blasting winds and feels like you are immersed in the middle of a cold damp cloud. You can sense that I could talk about this for a long time as it really has had quite a deep effect on me. This effect is something that I am always conscious of, is always evolving and if in some way I can bring any of this into my drawing, which sounds a bit like an impossibility, then I’m content. And I suppose that’s why I’m still, after 10 years, using the island to explore ideas through drawing.

What is it about drawing that really f loats your boat?It wasn’t really a conscious decision from the start to focus on drawing. When I first went to Art School I did as much drawing as possible, but, as is the way with most art schools, you can’t do drawing as a major, so I shifted into printmaking, mainly because I could use etching and lithography to explore mark making. Although, even at this

stage it still wasn’t my main focus. It was really post-honours degree where I made an exhibition of drawings with oil pastel that I started to really focus on it. Then the drawing world opened up; I started to see drawing in more places than just fine art works. Drawing became marks, and marks were everywhere, and there were mountains of books and research that reflected this, and so it grew and grew, and still grows. There’s so much potential in the mark, even though it seems such a basic fundamental thing.

• David’s next show is at Handmark Gallery from September Fri 2 September

OceansBY SIMON DELITTLE

I love a good documentary and the last decade has produced some absolute ball-tearers. Even in the past 12 months we’ve been spoiled with such films as Exit Through the Gift Shop, Inside Job and Gaslands. There is a real art to producing documentaries that are both educational and entertaining (I’m currently having a real shitfight trying to pull together my own Frankensteinesque doco project). The art of the documentary lies is in the structure; anyone who’s ever experimented with hallucinogenic substances knows that there isn’t an aspect of life that isn’t fascinating if looked at in a certain way. The structure is what pulls the fascinating aspects together and moulds them into an engrossing 90 minute story that we can understand. In the world of documentary film the truism that less is more, is ever pervasive.

Olivia divides her time unevenly between the dance floor and the Tasmanian School of Art, where she plays with old cameras

and pretends to study photography. Her grandad helps her with her footy tipping and tells her she spends too much time in front of a computer. She thinks he’s right.

review

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Jacques Perrin is probably best known for his television acting; however his recent string of documentary projects (including Microcosmos and Himalaya) are arguably far more important achievements. With Oceans (2009), Perrin and his team of master cinematographers take us on a magical tour of the most spectacular sub-aquatic sights on the planet.

The film unfortunately begins with its most forgettable moment, a child playing at the seashore stops and looks out over the wondrous blue carpet and muses out loud – “what is the ocean?” Narrator Pierce Brosnan responds with some philosophical claptrap about having to experience an ocean to understand it. Tis just a bit corny. However all is soon forgiven as we are plunged into the ocean’s depths. What makes Oceans a special piece of cinema is the extraordinary camerawork. Every tiny detail is so clear that it almost

appears computer generated. Vibrant colours and graceful movements are captured with such clarity that it all seems supernatural. It’s hard to believe that this stuff is going on beneath the surface of 70% of the planet! Unfortunately my memory for names of species fails me, but that is not really important. This film is in fact more about humanity than science. The creatures we meet have distinct personalities and their characterisation is at times hilarious, tragic, frightening and inspiring. I think it was Woody Allen who referred to nature as ‘one giant restaurant’ and throughout Oceans we get a front row seat on how the food chain operates. The evolutionary devices used to lure, trap and consume prey are truly breathtaking. And speaking of evolution, the complicated processes some of these creatures have to go through to find a mate would make the most unsuccessful rsvp.com member feel optimistic.

And it’s here that the serious message within the film comes through. For all the sub-aquatic beauty and wonderment on display, there is a looming threat gaining momentum above the ocean surface. Human activity is increasingly impacting on oceanic life and destroying the conditions in which it flourishes. Whether through the greed of overfishing, pollution or warming temperatures, all the species on display are under threat. While the film takes great care not to get too preachy, it does show us clearly what is at stake if human endeavour continues to plunder and destroy our irreplaceable ecosystems. Oceans is one of those films which should be mandatory viewing in schools around the world. Just like Withnail and I.

• Oceans is showing now at the State Cinema (www.statecinema.com.au)

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Winter at Island Shacks...

Warm up your days with art, culture, good food and wine in Tassie’s coolest coastal hideaways. Our three Island Shacks make for the perfect beachfront getaway for creative types, couples, families and anyone needing serious battery recharging. Escape to sleepy Dennes Point on Bruny Island, or secluded Spring Beach on the East Coast.

Go to www.IslandShacks.com, or find us on Facebook.

Henry Singleton arrived on Norfolk Island in 1851, sentenced to 14 years for stealing shirts. He was ‘a bad character’, constantly in trouble for refusing to work, being dirty and disobedient, talking and having money improperly in his possession, insubordination and using threatening language. He received many short sentences of hard labour or solitary confinement. Sent to Port Arthur in 1853, he continued to refuse to work, and to be disobedient and insolent, and received more spells in solitary for his pains.

After a brief period of freedom, he was tried again in 1860 for stealing five pigs, and sentenced to four years at Port Arthur. Free again, he then broke into a building to steal and was sent back to Port Arthur for five years. While in the Separate Prison, he was caught with a crowbar trying to break out with another man, and received three more years’ imprisonment, including a year in the Separate Prison with 30 days in the punishment cell.

Later that same year Henry was contemplating a solo escape. He had got hold of a set of keys; drunken warders gave them to him so he could let them back into the Prison when they were incapable, and he made his own set. But his nerve failed him, and he handed the keys in. He was not punished but the warders involved were sacked. By 1875 he was free with a ticket of leave. After two more offences, larceny and a burglary that earned him 14 years’ imprisonment, he disappears from the records. By then he would have been 65 years old.

AMAZING STORIES, EPIC HISTORY

“I made the keys and can escape from the prison with them whenever I like.”Drunken and incompetent warders were easy prey for the enterprising Henry Singleton. When they gave him access to keys, he saw his chance.

Henry Singleton arrived on Norfolk Island in 1851, sentenced to 14 years for stealing shirts. He was ‘a bad character’, constantly in trouble for refusing to work, being dirty and disobedient, talking and having money improperly in his possession, insubordination and using threatening language. He received many short sentences of hard labour or solitary confinement. Sent to Port Arthur in 1853, he continued to refuse to work, and to be disobedient and insolent, and received more spells in solitary for his pains.

After a brief period of freedom, he was tried again in 1860 for stealing five pigs, and sentenced to four years at Port Arthur. Free again, he then broke into a building to steal and was sent back to Port Arthur for five years. While in the Separate Prison, he was caught with a crowbar trying to break out with another man, and received three more years’ imprisonment, including a year in the Separate Prison with 30 days in the punishment cell.

Later that same year Henry was contemplating a solo escape. He had got hold of a set of keys; drunken warders gave them to him so he could let them back into the Prison when they were incapable, and he made his own set. But his nerve failed him, and he handed the keys in. He was not punished but the warders involved were sacked. By 1875 he was free with a ticket of leave. After two more offences, larceny and a burglary that earned him 14 years’

Henry Singleton circa 1873-4, photograph attributed to Boyd Reproduced courtesy of Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery

imprisonment, he disappears from the records. By then he would have been 65 years old.

The Separate Prison was built so that prisoners could be reformed through solitary contemplation of their sins. Visitors today can experience the profound isolation in which prisoners were held there.

MEET HENRY SINGLETON

• for information on visiting Port Arthur Historic Site, check out www.portarthur.org.au

Henry Singleton circa 1873-4, photograph attributed to Boyd. Reproduced courtesy of

Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery.

history

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JEN SHARMAN was most excited at being nominated as Maggot of the Month and hoped it would come with a certificate.

She was born in deepest darkest southern Tasmania and has an abiding love of the island. Her dream is to write a musical homage to her home state entitled ‘Beauty and the Bogan’.

Her alter ego Shazza Sharman appears occasionally on stage representing the concerns of regional and rural comedians hampered by a lack of resources and talent.

She has worked on festivals, kooky films, coordinated hip hop tours, managed numerous community arts projects and is currently working with Designed Objects Tasmania.

Jen writes daggy songs and likes to spend quality time in her beanbag and new VW convertible.

maggOt of the month

aUgUsT

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