Not Just Art 2

Sue has been hard at work thinking of her favourite artworks. Thanks heaps for sharing this little insight into a nother world.

John Brack - Collins St, 5pm. 1955
National Gallery of Victoria

This is one of my favourite paintings. I think because it's local - I can picture where this is happening - because it is both simple and complex and manages to convey the individualness of these people whilst at the same time give a feeling of the plodding crowd action they are caught in. It's about work and life.

La Sainte-Chapelle, Paris, 1238-1244
TrekEarth

I know this one is a bit lame, but it has been one of the only person-made spaces I have entered which literally made me catch my breath. It was a sunny day, I was in Paris, all was good with the world, so maybe it was the sum of those things. But I literally gasped as I climbed the small staircase and popped out into colour and glow of all that glass in the upper chapel. It was like being in another time, or space. Quite surreal and overwhelming whilst at the same time projecting a feeling of peace and comfort.

I didn't take, nor have I found on the web any photos that give any sense of what it was like to be wrapped in this space.

Not Just Art 1

Christo and Jeanne-Claude are magicians. They take the everyday away and uncover the beauty of the world around us. They have taught me to open my eyes and see again. A remarkable gift of freshness and mystery.

In 1968-69 they wrapped Little Bay, Sydney. The coast remained wrapped for 7 weeks. And this mysterious work is but the invitation to uncover the rest of the world they have wrapped!

Beirut Blogger

Here's an Australian's picture of the chaos in Lebanon. Antoun Issa was on what sounded like a remarkable holiday until the bombs began to drop.

Warning: the horror of this war is found in some disturbing photos.

The Most Important

Went to a Professional Development Day for teachers in our local area. The morning ended up being a personal development lesson with a 'motivation' speaker. Seemed all we needed to do was respond to the reality that we face. No opportunity nor invitation to change reality. Seemed very individualistic and reinforced the pedigogy of the powerful... he probably hasn't read Freire.

He asked what were the three most important things in our lives. Here were my immediate responses not in any order ...

1. Relationships.
2. Contributing.
3. Belonging.

SievX Remembered

Thanks to MorePraxis for brining my attention to a proposed monument to the sinking of the SievX. The Siev X was 19 metres long, less than a tennis court in length, yet it was crammed with over 400 people and we had some responsibility for what happened!

You may wish to get involved. Check out the SievX Memorial Site to find out more.

Twin Tree

Reaching