My place. Photo credit: Sanjeev Singh ‘Housebound – A Portrait Project in Isolation’

Staying at home.  Worldwide, where we’ve been for three seasons.  Here in Australia that’s Autumn, Winter and now, Spring.  Throughout, I have been recording these COVID-19 times, photographically, making art and appreciating the abundance of visual and performing arts made available from galleries, theatre, opera, ballet companies and museums globally. Locally, many talented friends have been creating online performances and literary events. At commencement, back in March 2020, I thought this project had an end date. Now, I don’t know. When I started to itemise my pictorial collections, it became a series of headlines, categories.

“Trees of life”
At the very beginning, there was intense anxiety, fear.  Around Europe, much loved countries – Italy, Spain, France – were ‘in lockdown’ (a now familiar phrase), with extraordinary and increasing numbers of people suffering and dying from the virus.

My first project then was to suggest to friends on social media that everyone ‘has a go’ at drawing trees or plants. I drew trees around my neighbourhood, taking photos on my morning walks, then sketching in different mediums, various textures.  Friends too would draw trees and plants, send them to me.  I looked forward to my afternoon sketching, and found real joy in drawing trees. I still do!
               
Images: First sketch in my backyard, Derwent colour pencils; ink sketching; gum tree in pastels; watercolour and ink; ink sketching; pastels on black paper (local walking track). 

SEASON ONE: AUTUMN
The best place to be in autumn is ‘my place’, Victoria, Australia.  The sometimes oppressive heat and wind that can hit in Summer has passed, along with our bushfires season.  Daylight, from beginning to end, is welcoming, colours are rich and outdoors beckons.  I’ve walked in the mornings since my late teens.  Daybreak is my favourite time of day.
               
Photos:  Morning walks around Middle Park and St Kilda beaches; Albert Park Lake; it’s autumn!
                    
Photos: Locals stroll the beach at the end of the day, as light turns golden, mauves, reds, oranges, greys and deep purple; that’s autumn!

There’s beauty in isolation.
Isolation can be a wonderous place. I’m content in seclusion when rambling around UK’s Lake District or strutting that cornucopia, Rome. But, when it becomes law-enforced for the purposes of your own health, protecting not only your community, but also a global population, its emphasis shifts hugely. “Isolation” (a.k.a. Iso) is the new vernacular, “social distancing” the common idiom.
               

“Easter – Home Sweet Staying Home”  (my second project).
I stayed in touch with friends around the world, aware of the varying restrictions, thankful that here in Melbourne I could still walk, walk, walk.  Easter is a family occasion, a vacation, often a ritual of returning to the same holiday destination year after year.  But, Easter 2020 meant everybody would be staying home. Wanting to connect with friends, I asked them to send photographs. Gallery below.
           
Photos: Ailsa – Sydney, Australia; Amy – Brooklyn, NY, USA; Jason, Angela, Alice and Cookie – Woodend, Vic. Australia; Bella & Byron, Melbourne,  Australia; Carl – Melbourne, Australia; Charlotte – Mornington Peninsula,  Australia
                
Photos: Clive & Michelle – Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia; Donna (Berkhamsted) & Oli (London), UK; Jane & Elizabeth – Edinburgh, UK; Emilie, Richard & Cooper – Estepona, Spain; Phil, Charlie & Fiona  – Hepburn, Vic. Australia; Roger & Jacquie – Church Point, NSW, Australia
                    
Photos:  Joan, Amy & Allan – Rickmansworth, Herts. UK; John & Jen – Wilmslow, Cheshire, UK;  Julie – Melbourne, Australia; Laurel,John & Lottie – Melbourne, Australia; Natalie – Melbourne, Australia; Yves & Monica – Quebec, Canada; Joanna – New York, USA; 
                    
Photos: Natalie – Melbourne, Australia; Victoria & Carmen, Sevilla, Spain; Colin & Katrina – Cooroy, Qld. Australia;  Honor, Ripley & Mum, Miranda – Melbourne, Vic. Australia; Sue & Barry – Safety Beach, Australia; Peter – Mornington Peninsula, Vic. Australia

ANZAC DAY – 25 April 2020
The first time I haven’t marched for my Dad (Pte Norman Robert Reid VX34575, 9th Division Cavalry) since he passed away in 2001. I created an artwork for Norm – pastel portrait, collage of mixed media using copies of memorabilia my Nana had kept – and titled the work “My Dad, My Hero”. With telegrams from when Dad was wounded and later removed from the critically ill list, a Christmas card he’d sent home from Bethlehem, newspaper announcements of those wounded, missing, killed in action and family photographs, I painted intense colour and torn fragments to depict the chaos of war, the anxiety for those who love and wait at home.

Our little street held a dawn service. It was important and personal. I went out walking as daylight broke through the skies.  LEST WE FORGET.
                
Photos: Look up! Walking around Albert Park Lake, back along St Kilda beach.  “My Dad, My Hero”.

#blacklivesmatter
May 25th – Horror!  Again and again we watched vision of an American policeman pressing his knee into another man’s neck, literally squeezing the life out of George Floyd who cried out that he couldn’t breathe, for his Mother.  Other policemen stood around, doing nothing to stop blatant murder.  At home, we were helpless. This reality immobilised us all, this slaughter should change how the world thinks. People protested. I drew in coloured pencil on black paper, an artwork titled “I Can’t Breathe”.
            
Photographers unknown: Policemen in USA go down on one knee in solidarity and respect for George Floyd’s life;  (credit AP) Black Lives Matter  on a Washington Street; Protesters in Australia.   “I Can’t Breathe” pastel on black paper. 

SEASON TWO: WINTER
Winter has two faces here in Melbourne: either clear, blue skies with cold, crisp air or ….bleak!  I think I was born with old people’s bones as I feel every chill and wind, struggling to find that “warm and cosy.” From childhood to high school years, I suffered painful chilblains on my hands and feet. Back then, girls were not allowed to wear trousers to school. Stockings under a tunic never kept my legs warm.

Layers of clothing, that’s me all winter. I determined to add some degree of colour or attractiveness during these lockdown times, but it remained dull shades of black, grey, brown starting with tracksuit pants, sox, skivvy and jumper, scarves (they do add colour) and – ask any Australian – Ugg boots. Leaving the house adds puffer jacket, gloves, beanie plus mask – don’t forget earplugs to listen to the radio.  My day always starts in quality walking shoes, but there have been several times when I’ve left the house, unintentionally still wearing Ugg boots. Just too many layers to remember!
               
Photos, Morning beach walks: storm on its way; layers of blue; 2C degrees; fog over St Kilda; icy waters; Kerford Rd pier.
                         
Photos: Foggy around Albert Park Lake; paddling swans; those blues; Late afternoon; Rugged up; windy at dusk.

That Great Ocean Road
I’ve missed not being able to get to the coast, opening the windows to the sound of surf and smell of ocean air, strolling the coastal walk, soaking up the every-changing colours and light.  In early July – when restrictions had momentarily eased – we  travelled out of metropolitan Melbourne. “We” is my daughter, son-in-law and grandson. Three precious days at Aireys Inlet, before returning to the city as our Premier announced the next ‘Stage 3 lockdown.’
               
Photos: Aireys Inlet sunrise coastal walk; towards Lorne; clouds roll over the Inlet; dusk walk along Painkalak Creek, back around the bird sanctuary.
                          
Photos: Family time at Aireys Inlet;  Split Point Lighthouse; “the pub with no beer” Aireys Pub closed during Lockdown; painting by the fireswide. 

Everybody Loves Good Neighbours
I’m grateful for my neighbourhood, particularly the traders in our little village. Food providor, Gum Tree, has everything in the way of yumminess; fresh fruit and veg, the best of international cheeses, an excellent charcuterie, and sweets. My “local hero” is Italian Restauranter, Donato at Tacco & Tosca.  With the restaurant closed, Donato is baking bread daily in his wood fired oven, as well as biscotti, and fresh pasta made to order, bringing a little bit of Italy to my place as he greets me  “Buongiorno”. His veg lasagne has become a favourite.  Coffee!  Mine from Jack the Geezer.

We celebrated “Christmas in July”, lighting up our houses to bring some joy to this challenging winter. Neighbours made mulled wine and shortbreads. These festive care packages were placed on our verandahs and we toasted our street, a row of small Victorian cottages.
      
Photos: Gum Tree; Buongiorno Donato; Happy coffee on the walking track: festive “cheers” Michael & Lindsay; with libraries closed, this new street library has been added to the neighbourhood; local laneway art. 

Art & Entertainment Online
Mid-winter I started two hour online life drawing with the-art-room.com.au. Preferring a live model situation, I was surprised how enjoyable it was on a Saturday morning.  All the models were good, individual. The Art Room had done specific photo sessions, poses were challenging.
      

I have been a little over-excited at the visual and performing arts online.  Fortunately, I’m not sedentary or I would never leave the computer, absorbing as much as possible.  From early on, I enjoyed weekly (virtual) matinees with a theatre-going friend. We prepare a snack platter, pour a wine, and simultaneously – from respective homes – watch outstanding theatre productions. Top of our list: National Theatre Live ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk and the Royal Shakespeare Company www.rsc.org.uk, but so many more including the Zurich and Glyndebourne Opera companies. I’ve watched innumerable talks and virtual tours from galleries and museums around the world: our National Gallery of Victoria www.ngv.vic.gov.au; the National Gallery, London www.nationalgallery.org.uk and Tate www.tate.org.uk are my ‘regulars’. It is an entertaining and educational opportunity to view one specific artwork or a particular artist.  There is a wealth of works on show when you visit, it’s impossible to give dedicated time.  As well, I have enjoyed many dance and song performances on social media feeds by local friends and international artists.

I confess, I’ve become a glutton for it all!
      
Photos: National Theatre Live “Small Island” (mesmerising); National Gallery, London “Mr & Mrs Andrews (entertaining); Drawing with NGV (fun); RSC “Two Gentlemen of Verona” (always excellent); National Gallery, London “collage inspired by Henri Rousseau”  (enjoyable and immersed); NGV Dora Maar, a favourite  ( informative).; Aust Ballet, beginners classes.

Mandatory Masks here in Melbourne, as we moved into Lockdown Stages 3 and 4.
               
Photos: 23 July, our first day of mandatory mask wearing;  masked-up builders, struck a ‘Staying Alive” pose for me; ‘selfie’ in a mask outside local restaurant, Donovans; 6pm, an eerie dusk walk on the eve of Lockdown Stage 4, Sunday August 2nd.

Cyclists and I appreciate the same waking hours. When going through my photographs, I realised how often I had photographed those Early Birds on bikes, in the past months.
      

SEASON THREE: SPRING
It’s mid-way through September. Spring burst forth seemingly overnight: earlier daylight, birds singing, cygnets and ducklings on the lake, coloured cottage gardens, and warming temperatures.

I had not intended this blog to be lengthy, but nor could I have known we would be at this stage of a ‘never ending story’ when COVID-19 first surfaced early 2020. Staying home – one day at a time, Autumn, Winter, Spring!
               
Photos: “Hello Spring” blue skies; Birds of Paradise; morning exercise; selfie with the cygnets; catching warm rays; afternoon paddling in the sandbars.

Photo credit: Sanjeev Singh ‘Housebound – A Portrait Project in Isolation’

© Photographs and text Pamela Reid/tPRo 2020
(Excluding photos sent by friends at Easter, and those by photographer Sanjeev Singh, with thanks.)

My second Walk the Arts (www.walkthearts.com) experience. Last time was in Tuscany, Italy (2016), my introduction to hosts, art historian Prof. Yves Laroque and Mónica Marquez. I already knew what to expect when I ‘signed up’ for Atelier Provence: the location would be authentic and inviting; the program rigid; a small and varied group of people; jovial hospitality and special dining experiences.  What more could I ask for?

Location: BANON (in Alpes de Haute, Provence, south-eastern France). A winding road trip from our meeting point in Manosque. Up, up to where the village nestles 760m above sea level, overlooking the Coulon Valley. Its beginnings are pre-historic (discoveries of Paleolithic remains have been numerous), with buildings structured mostly from ancient limestone and a history that ‘speaks’ as you explore.

Photos: the drive from Manosque to Banon; perched up high, with limestone buildings and sweeping views of the Coulon Valley.

Banon feels cosy, self-contained. My early morning walks were discovery adventures. Upwards through the cobblestone streets towards blissful blue skies, I was keen to capture the textures and enchanting house facades.

Photos: Morning walks, look up!

Photos: Homes sweet homes

On one morning, after a light shower, I was fortunate to catch this image where the cleared skies and lavender reflected a mauve wash onto the road.

Banon’s History – a delightful walking tour.
The first – and exciting – discovery was the Portal. There it was, looming above me on my first morning. Constructed end 13th/early 14th century for defensive purposes and to protect against epidemics, it was built by local corvée (obligatory unpaid labor). Mid 16th century, the Portal was rebuilt with a small shop inside which can still be seen when you walk through the underpass.
The Square Tower, at the foot of the path to the Portal (built early 17th century), its purpose was to provide additional protection to the surrounding buildings.
The Old Town Hall and Courthouse. Opposite the Square Tower, at the bottom of the pathway up to the Portal, it was used as a town hall, a classroom for education and the Palais de Justice (Courthouse). There was also a prison in the basement.

Photos: Walking up to the Portal, through it and from above; the Square Tower; the Old Town Hall and Courthouse.

The Upper Church, Romanesque, named after Saint-Marc and Saint-Just, Banon’s patron saints. It’s wrought iron bell cage can be seen from almost any aspect within the township or walking to the hilltop. The church was deconsecrated and is now a cultural arts space (see below for the exhibition I visited).
Family Houses, built along the Portal ramparts at the end of the 17th century.
   
Photos: Looking up to the bell cage of the Upper Church; Family homes

The Village: As with everything about Banon, I felt completely ‘at home’ as I observed early morning set-up for market trading and headed towards my morning coffee.
     
Photos: Market traders set-up their produce while locals stroll and I sipped coffee.

With a population of 970 (at 2016), the compact shopping strip offers all necessities; post office, pharmacy, general store, banks, delicious local produce and attractive hand-made giftware. Le Bleuet independent bookstore is widely-known, offering 189,000 titles.  Banon has primary and secondary schools, a hospital and sports clubs.

A happy coincidence that my coffee spot, Les Voyageurs, was also my wine bar, where I watched the Banon world go by and sketched during our late afternoon ‘down time’.
     
Photos: wooden sculpture outside Le Bleuet bookstore; pâté and a whole lot more fabulous food; giftware lavendar shop; an impromptu glass of wine with Ellen, Amy and Carol; Les Voyageurs at night.

The Colours of Provence.  Fields of lavender! The first thought that comes to mind. It’s there, an abundance of lavender, but we were also taken to other colour-rich settings.

Our first painting location was the Ochre Colorado Provencal near Rustrel. Unexpected, as strikingly similar to Australia’s central desert colours, the origins of ochre pigment. Here near Rustrel, it seemed more ‘creamy’ and cascading, in contrast to the infinite might and vastness of our deserts. What a joy to mix those colours and paint en plein air.
     
Photos: painting the ochres near Rustrel

Deep greens and heavy rain on the day Yves took us up Montagne de Lure to the abandoned chapel, Notre-Dame de Lure (12th century).
We were ambitious in setting up easels and preparing to paint amidst those majestic trees, but mostly we stayed inside the cold walls of the chapel.
   
Photos: Outside and inside Notre-Dame de Lure 

Lashings of Lavender!

Photo: Yves, striding through rows of lavender

With various shades of purple, Lavender is known as the springtime flower that produces a ‘calming’ fragrance. Embroidered lavender-filled sachets, essential oils, soaps and giftware are used to aid relaxation, sleep and other healing. Lavender also has symbolic associations with serenity, purity, the vitality and innocence of youth.
     
Photos: Hot, early morning, painting in front of Chapelle St Michel de Bertranat (constructed 1720); Heather, Cheryl and Claire taking some shade; Yves giving Claire instruction; Mapping the landscape; Lavender fields alongside our accommodation; Ellen with her artworks. 

“Respect the mountain,” (Yves yelled at us). Another steamy, hot day and we set out early ‘in the footsteps of Cézanne.’ Oh yes, respect the mountain. Cézanne painted it more than 60 times, carrying 20kgs of art equipment from his studio, a long walk to the foot of Mont Sainte Victoire.

Afterwards, we strolled the streets of Avignon, sharing a fresh and delicious lunch.
     
Photos: Our group (from left) Claire, Heather, Cheryl, Carol, Amy, Ellen, Jean and me; yummy salads and pizza lunch, Carol and Amy; busy al fresco lunching in Avignon.

Next stop, the great Master’s home – Cézanne’s studio.
     
Photos: interior and exterior of Cézanne’s home and studio. 

The Critique. On the last afternoon of the workshop, we displayed our works and had a group discussion about everyone’s art, including our own efforts.
     
Photos: Yves discussing Ellen’s work; Heather and Yves; Claire and Mónica; our group of artists with Yves and Mónica.

While our schedule was busy, I sought out ‘my time’ daily, not wanting to miss anything that Banon may have hidden. This group exhibition had just opened in the Upper Church. Serenely curated, it moved slowly amidst the white-walled spaces. Those Pilgrims were made from recycled plastic bags.
     

At the end of the Day (or perhaps, leaving the best ’til last).
Aperitifs, then wining and dining. This is when Mónica reigns, our busy day left behind while she and Yves entertain, the perfect hosts. No doubt they enjoy this as much as their guests. It’s the time to relax and get to know each other, indulge in everything, including laughter. Our evening meals were served on the terrace.
     
Photos: late afternoon, Amy with a beer and paint brushes; pre-dinner drinks, Cheryl, Yves, Amy and Heather; Mónica on the terrace; Yves in charge of the bbq; Ellen enjoys dinner; another delicious meal is served. 

Say CHEESE, please! I have to write about it.
Banon, famous for its goats cheese wrapped in dry chestnut leaves and tied with raffia strings, produces over 600,000 individual units each year. The cheese factory employs 38 people (to whom I’m forever grateful). Banon cheese is the only appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) in the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region. Imagine that, protected species of cheeses! The annual Banon Cheese Festival – in conjunction with Le Bleuet bookstore and invited authors – is dedicated to the pleasures of table and mind. Cheese & books, Books & cheese…..just add local crusty bread and bottles of rosé. What a swell party.

Along with copious amounts of regional rosé, each meal at Atelier Provence finished with cheese, smothered on bread and sometimes dribbled with lavender honey. Let the photographs speak for themselves.
     
Photos: cheese and wine; Claire; Yves; Mónica and me; Carol and Jean; Yves and Mónica

Back at home with loads of memories, my camera bursting with images, artworks to mount and frame and a signed copy of Let Go! The Artist’s Way of Cooking, Yves and Mónica’s cookbook. It was in development when we were in Tuscany, they talked to us about becoming culinary “artists”. The 300 page book is a melding of their shared passions for Italian art history, fresh produce and colour. All recipes are Mónica’s as prepared and served at their workshops https://theartistswayofcooking.com 

     
Photos: bubbles of fun with two of my favourite people; en plein air “painting in Provence”, late afternoon mist, les ochres de Rustrel, Cézanne’s Mont St Victoire; mounting and framing artworks; those two! 

© Photographs and text Pamela Reid/tPRo 2020

Photo:  Inner-Terior by designer Danielle Brustman

The National Gallery of Victoria always delivers and there’s currently two exhibitions to enthrall: at NGV Australia on Federation Square there’s “Rigg Design Prize 2018”, while at NGV International on St Kilda Road, there’s the newly opened “Julian Opie”.

The Rigg Design Prize was established in 1994 as a triennial exhibit acknowledging contemporary design and architecture. Named after Colin Rigg, a former secretary of the Gallery’s Felton Bequest Committee, the Rigg Design Prize was originally for invited participants from Victoria, but in 2015 became a national Australia prize. This year, the Rigg Design further expanded. With a brief of “domestic living” and using double the gallery space, ten participants were each given a budget and area to shape, create and build using their team of carpenters, renderers, joiners etc. Unusually, NGV curatorial staff had no involvement in presentation, as designers determined viewing areas, some with minimal access while others are deliberately restrictive. These domestic living spaces represent the artists’ influences, interests and passions.

              
Photos:  Atelier; Our Natural Needs in a Digital World; Imaginarium; We’ve Boundless Plains to Share

Danielle Brustman’s theatrical experience is evident in her Art Deco influenced Inner-Terior. It’s one of the exhibits that allows you to enter the space. I found it welcoming, I love Art Deco and could happily sit there, sipping a martini, feeling 1930’s glamorous.

Atelier is Martyn Thompson’s creation.  Formerly a fashion photographer who moved into textile design and styling, Martyn now resides in New York.   His domestic living has the feel of home and studio, a spatial ‘artwork in progress.’

My first impact of Richards Stanisich Design Studio’s Our Natural Needs in a Digital World was the textures – rustic and earthy. The environments are the basic essentials, bed and bath rooms. When it comes ‘alive’ with the vibrancy of blue light, the purpose of this installation – the changing face of digital age and blue screens – is evident.

Sibella Court’s Imaginarium is like stepping into a library and leafing through the pages of well-loved books. It’s a mini-museum, a curiosity of ‘things’, items reminiscent of a life or lives, where they’ve been, what they collected.

Golden opulence flourishes in Flack Studio’s We’ve Boundless Plains to Share. Principal, David Flack, describes himself as a ‘maximalist’ and there’s plenty of Wow factor here. But the message is to look deeper.  The installation’s title draws on the Australian national anthem – ‘We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil’ and ‘For those who’ve come across the sea, we’ve boundless plains to share’ – inviting us to see beyond the interior glamour to the world of indigenous and diversity of cultures.

               
Photos:  Panic room; Take it Outside; Home: feast, bathe, rest; Wunderkammer

Panic Room by designer David Hicks. Perhaps more than any other Rigg Design Award participants, Panic Room screams its intent. It’s a living room, of course, but with an explosion of screens and lights. It’s “real” but not welcoming, it feels impersonal with such a collision of luxury and technology.  There’s an overt blurring between private and public, the psychological invasion of social media on our lives. There’s a sense of anxiety, somebody is watching.  For me, this was the most powerful ‘domestic living’ space.

Take it Outside by Amber Road design studio is my favourite, created by the two youngest participants, sisters (both under 30), Yasmine Ghoniem and Katy Svalbe. As their names suggest, they come from a diverse cultural background: same mother, one with an Egyptian dad and the other a Latvian dad.  This is the Australian farm porch, where the family has spent countless hours talking over their lives spent in Middle East, Europe and USA. It feels like a hot night, warm breeze, chilled wine or frothy beer. There’s mixed mediums of mud and hand rendered surfaces and ‘props’ that represent Australia. I could have sat with them all night, listening to their stories.  A beautiful composition.

Arent&Pyke design studio’s Home: feast, bathe, rest is a pleasing experience, a bit like visiting a friend’s home. It addresses what we need to nurture our souls: to replenish (feast), restore (bathe) and retreat (rest). Our essential domestic needs in an elegant setting, cleverly composed.  It also features artworks. On the back wall in the photo above is an exquisite tapestry from Paris – food for my soul, indeed.

Sydney architect, Scott Westin, is currently renovating his home, an 1889 Victorian Italianate terrace called Villa Carmelina. Wunderkammer (German origin “wonder chamber”) is a place where rarities and curiosities are collected.  Scott’s home is his Wunderkammer and the installation is a sequence of six rooms, dioramas of his living spaces. This is an incredibly detailed work that includes not just the ‘show’ of each room, but a small cabinet with samples of materials, a piece of music selected for ambience. These rooms depict the colours, patterns, textures, light, art and mood. Extraordinary, and I can only imagine what Scott’s home, his castle, is like ‘in the flesh.’

And the winner of the 2018 Rigg Design Award is…

The table is the base by design studio Hecker Guthrie.  And, deservedly so! What a cleverly executed, simple concept. That’s not to suggest the design is simple, but the premise is that the table is the ‘subtle muse’ of domestic living. The central living force, described as “a domestic totem summoning familiarity”.  With two materials only, Victorian ash and terra cotta, in a minimal colour palette, they have used variations of table form to create their space.

“What Hecker Guthrie did was go back to the principals of design,” said international judge and architect, Shashi Caan (President of the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers), “For me this one scheme simplified a purity of thinking about art and craft.”

   
Photos: Winner of 2018 Rigg Design Award, The Table is the Base

The 2018 Rigg Design Prize runs until February 24, 2019 at the Ian Potter Centre, National Gallery of Victoria. Visit: ngv.vic.gov.au

Julian Opie – just his name, no exhibition title.  “Here I am” at NGV International.

A British artist of popular culture, Julian Opie’s work is immensely enjoyable. Mainly figurative  – many in this exhibition were drawn around Melbourne – his style is recognisably of bold lines, minimal, but effective in depiction of body language. These individuals are anonymous but familiar: their gait, pace, dress, what they’re carrying.  In an interview about the exhibition, Julian Opie said, “All good art involves movement. Usually the movement is of the viewer’s eye as it travels around and across the artwork – cleverly guided by the artist. This is the timing and rhythm of the work that holds you there.”

Interestingly, the first thing I noticed, when observing those who came to the exhibition, was that these onlookers became part of the art and its movements.

Unmissable, as part of the Julian Opie exhibition, are the towering skyscrapers in Federation Court. Light floods over them as you wander through the NGV.  Also, while it’s in the children’s exhibition space, equally delightful for the ‘big kids’ is a draw like Julian Opie feature where you can photograph yourself, then draw and colour in a self-portrait. Such fun!

               
Photos:  Figurative movement; Skyscrapers in Federation Court; self-portrait in the children’s space.

Julian Opie is on until 17 February, 2019 https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/julian-opie  

Photo: Our natural needs in a Digital World
Rigg Design Prize 2018 at NGV Australia

©  Text and photographs Pamela Reid/tPRo 2018

Photo: Eva Rothschild’s “Kosmos” exhibition

There are two new exhibitions on in Melbourne that give centre stage to female artists: Polly Borland’s Polyverse at NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) and Eva Rothschild’s Kosmos at ACCA (Australian Centre for Contemporary Art).  Beautifully curated, with a breadth of work, both exhibitions emanate a feeling that there is more to come, a sense of “you ain’t seen nothing yet”.

Australian photographer, Polly Borland (she now lives in Los Angeles) has a well-established reputation for her surreal photo-portraiture.  Possibly the best known here is Nick Cave in a blue wig, blue girls’ dress, stockinged face with over-painted lips, in the NGV’s permanent collection.  While I was familiar with how she distorts or camouflages the face to create her portraiture, I hadn’t seen the extraordinary works, the Monster series, where the body is abstracted using constricting elasticised fabric to create something inhuman, extreme in shapes, while colourful and sculptural.

            
Photos: from the Monster series (inkjet print); Pip Wallis, Curator, Contemporary Art at NGV

Equally mesmerising is the Tapestries series, where Polly’s photographs were re-created in tapestries by prison inmates, with the aim of foster their well-being. The tapestries are displayed to show both front and back of the needlework, the front being an accurate depiction, with the back highlighting the physical act of creating the work, where thread crosses and inter-weaves.

        
Photos: from the Tapestry series

Polly Borland’s most recent works (2018) titled MORPH, further challenge  the concept of abstracting the human form. These photographic works are three – even four – dimensional.  On approach, the shapes are unidentifiable. As you move past, the experience is one of amorphous to realistic.  Descriptions of these works address psychoanalysis from the nebulous to images created in the mind.  All Polly Borland’s work has a visual language, engaging an intensity, curiosity. With MORPH, she takes it one step further and guides you through the process.  Fabulous!

  
Photos: MORPHing – as you move from one side to the other
(Inkjet print on rice paper on lenticular cardboard)

It’s special stepping into an exhibition where the sculptures say “my space”.  That’s how I felt walking into Eva Rothschild’s Kosmos exhibition at ACCA. Each room is a whole, but each work is distinctly different in structure and medium.  They’re linear, architectural, probing, urging you to firstly, take in the mass, then closely discover.

            
Photos: Eva Rothschild’s sculptures and installations.

Irish-born Eva Rothschild (she resides in London) explores numerous materials to create form, scale and textures. As a visualizer, possibilities seem endless to her.  Kosmos is such a welcoming experience, I didn’t want to leave.

           
Photos: Eva Rothschild’s sculptures and installations.

Polly Borland Polyverse exhibition – NGV, until 3 February 2019.  https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/polly-borland

Eva Rothschild Kosmos exhibition – ACCA, until 25 November 2018.  acca.melbourne/exhibition/now-next    

Photo: Polly Borland MORPH

© 2018 Text and photographs Pamela Reid/tPRo

Photo: Town Craft, Sydney (influenced by Yves Saint Laurent)

There’s a flawless exhibition at Rippon Lea Estate in Melbourne. It’s a strut down a memory catwalk for my generation.   The 60s had been an explosion of British music and Mary Quant. We soaked it up, bought the vinyls, read the magazines, covered our bedroom walls with posters of pop stars in sartorial splendor.

By the 70s, the Australian fashion industry had burst forth in a liberty of self-expression. It wasn’t “anything goes”, but “whatever feels fabulous” ….and we were!  From lace to leather, floral and paisley prints, crocheted cuffs and collars, flowing peasant style, beading and embroidery, satin, jersey knit, hot pants and flared jeans. Colours too traversed the palette. Norma Tullo and Prue Acton gave us everything feminine, but I shopped at The House of Merivale with its body shirts and wide hipster belts.  The “Super 70s” exhibition has it all.

Housed in the exquisite Rippon Lea Estate’s 19th Century mansion (completed in 1868), it could be considered not possible to fill those glorious, decorative rooms with fashions from the Seventies and make it authentic, but it works.  There’s lighting, props, soundtracks and tableaux from the era. In a room of unforgettable wallpaper, pottery, deep orange/red artwork framed in thin dark wood, we watched on a familiar television (a handsome piece of four-legged furniture with bakelite knobs) as Jill Clegg, Sally Browne, Adele Palmer and other fashion designers from the era talked about their Seventies world.

I was curious about the Curator, Elizabeth Anya-Petrivna – National Trust of Australia (Victoria), and went looking.  The initial impact is her youth, Elizabeth’s academic studies commenced in the Nineties: Bachelor of Arts, Humanities, Cultural Studies (LaTrobe Univ), Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies, Museum Studies (Deakin Univ) and a PhD, Fashion History (School of Architecture and Design, RMIT).  All her work, degree of research, creative intelligence and what has to be true passion, culminates in an exacting showcase for my generation and all visitors.

Volunteering:  some words about the National Trust volunteers at Rippon Lea Estate whose pleasantness complemented our enjoyment of “Super 70s”.  My friend is recovering from foot surgery, using a walking stick, and struggled along the pathway to the ticket booth, where the welcoming lady suggested we borrow a wheelchair from the tea rooms. Another helpful volunteer directed us via access into the exhibition (we were given a map indicating accessibility around the estate and its gardens) .  Angela, looking splendid, dresses for the occasion. She makes all her clothes – her Mother taught her to be resourceful. Inside, there were other volunteers, seemingly always looking out for any visitor who may have an enquiry or need assistance. One young man told us he works for a major bank where they are asked to spend two working days a year ‘giving back’ to the community.   On the way out, I commented, “They must sprinkle all the volunteers with happiness glitter at the start of each day.”

Photo: Volunteer Angela – dressed for the occasion

“Super 70s” exhibition is open daily 10am–4pm, until November 4
 www.ripponleaestate.com.au/event/super-70s

© 2018 Text and photographs Pamela Reid/tPRo 2018