lagom

urban interior occupation

2008-09-09T21:47:00.000+10:00

2007-12-10T19:12:00.000+11:00

a walk in the park

2007-12-01T18:33:00.001+11:00

Run? Ha!There was no way span and i were going to go for a run considering the hangovers we were nursing the next morning. That night we played ping pong on the balcony and had a drink there before heading downstairs for ‘cross the bridge noodles’, a steamy concoction where you add the raw meat and veges to about 2 litres of soup and it cooks it – definitely would not comply with victorian health and safety but this is china! And as span and i have been saying – it is the chinese way – but more examples of this later.Anyway, i scored some across the bridge noodles and added my raw meat (minus intestines) while span scored us some 70c tsing taos (big beers). I ate my noodles and span drank the soup while we polished off half a dozen beers between us. Feeling like we should show the chinese our dancing style, we headed to ‘crystal disco’ where we joined the dancefloor. Hell we were the dancefloor.We showed off moves never to be seen again in china, and embarrassed ourselves in front of the pouting girls and the sleazy guys. And span became my wife. And then someone elses wife. Then another girls wife, and from there its a little hazy.Needless to say a run the next morning was out of the question, but food, of course, was not. We spent the next day not getting a visa extension (becase the psb takes 5 days, we will do it in dali) eating, walking, shopping, holding cute puppies probably destined for cross the bridge noodles and chilling... before we caught the sleeper bus to jinghong.Arriving in jinghong in the morning meant nothing was open in this sprawling wannabe tropical city near the laos border. So we huing for a while, ate (der) and got our bearings before choosing a 3 day hard trek from the limited options available. Again we would explore and eat, me finding muslim noodles (the best!), jiaozi, baozi and sticky rice. We took bikes out into the countryside and got safely lost before finding our intended desination of thermal pools.Apart from the stench of sulphur they were quite nice: a tiled pool with concrete border, concrete seats with tiled tops, fake concrete bamboo and real palm trees (at this point ben stops typing, gagging the close the window of the internet cafe to stem the stench of urine eminating from outside). We were also joined by two chinese (*dare i say*) dickheads, who wanted to play and splashed span with the filthy bacteria infested, sulphuric water. We did go in and it was hot and stinky. Quite strange actually. That night at peacock pack back in jinghong, we witnessed mass dances in the square of old chinese swaying, clapping, chanting and singing, alledgely an old minority tribe dance which the elders are trying to keep alive. Didnt make sense at the time. Span and i tried to get money out at an atm, in front of a huge queue at the Chinese Agricultural Bank, and subsequently froze all their atms. Oops.3 days ago in the morning we left jinghong on a 3 day walk (trek) through the bush (the jungle). We went with mark and johanna, a french couple, and our guide anipa. Its hard to describe each experience day by day, but i’ll give an account of the entire experience in general.We hiked quite hard, about 20 kms a day (which was half a day on day 1 and 3) up and down valleys, over rivers, down paddy fields, through tropical rainforest, maize, sugar cne, giant bamboo, old villages (wit satelite tv) and dusty one way roads. The terrain was quite varied and there were paths leading in every direction, thus had we not had anipa, we would have been sorely lost. Anipa was a lovely guy, friendly, a little quiet, but generally forthcoming with information and willing to answer any question. On the first night we stayed with his family in a small village where he grew up, visited the temple where he was a monk for a year when he ws 12, and then stayed with his 3rd cousins on the second night. It was fascinating to be welcomed into their culture so openly. Of course we couldnt communicate at all, let alone understand what was going on, but we could converse in our conversation while they did in theirs, as we all sat around the fire in the middle of the large room which is their house. The food was fantastic, tasty, if not a bit oily, but all fresh ingrediants from their garden or the market. Tea, rice and cornwine from their farmland. Lovely. I think staying with these generous and open people was one of the highlights of the walk, if not the trip so far. On the morning of the second day we survived a harrowing downhill slide/walk to a nearby waterfall where i washed my head! Was goig to go for a swim, but it ws definetly too cold.... was magic though!During the day we walked together, but span an i were a bit faster and fitter than the rest so tended to meet them at the top of the hill. On the last day we walked 12 kilometres downhill down a dirt track and it was quite hard. Then when we arrived in dalou last night i smashed 1 and a half bowls of tang mian (rice noodles with soup), and the french bought a metre of sugar cane for 2 yuan and 12 bananas for 1 yuan (16c) . we got a bus back for 3 hours.After washing off about a kilo of dirt we had a beer at Mekong cafe where we had met anipa, and then headed to the barbeque down the road. They had everything from frog to liver, to sparrows, fish, intestines, vegies, nuts, trotters, and beer on offer. We grabbed the safest stuff, and sat down with the frenchies to enjoy our feast, especially the sweet sticky rice in pinapple.Today we have been relaxing after our walk, intending to go to dali tonight (18 hour sleeper bus). From there i think we will walk and explore the countryside while we wait for extended visas and then we will be able to book our passage to kathmandu.

deepfried

2007-12-01T18:29:00.000+11:00

Seems I should keep writing from where I last wrote, if only I could access my blog…. Damn censors.I think I was talking about our 24 km walk, which we did. We took a bus out of town and met up with some american dudes (brett and rudy) who we chatted to the whole time – very interesting guys. We walked through farmland, along the river, through small towns, crossed the river a couple of times, all in the presence of the magnificent karst limestone mountains – fantastic! We had lunch with some chinese english students who were happy to chat with us and help us with the menu. We were pretty tired when we got home on the overcrowded bus, and had short nap and shower before heading out for some jiaozi and beers. We met up with rudy and brett as well, and had a chat till about 2.Yesterday we chilled out in the morning before making the 22 hour trip to kunming where we are now. there was a lady in a horible pink coat on our train and a group of funny chinese. We could talk right in front of them in english and even tried some rather rude phrases. We headed on down to the food carriage for some rice wne to celebrate the (unknown at that stage) end of johnny howard. We also chatted with a french dude, I caught up 3 days in the journal, and breathed in the cigarette smoke of train police, chainsmoking under the no smoking sign.22 hours. We thought we would have cabin fever, but it wasn't that bad, we slept a lot and ate a buttload. Mmm, snacks. That snacking continued on today when span and I explored kunming. we ate a buttload of all kinds of things at this market where they had taste testers, hot, sour, hot, cold, spicy, bland, bitte andjust plain weird… we ended the day with a massage from 2 old blind men… which sounds wrong, but that's their job!Tomorrow we will go for a run (to give the chinese something to stare at for a change), check out some tai chi and then head for visa extensions, plane tickets, and an overnight train to the jungle – whopee!

beerfish

2007-11-22T21:45:00.000+11:00

nothing much to report at foshan, until i picked spanna up. otherside we were just chillin or drinkin or eating at the muslim place and stretched noodles! it was great to see span at the airport and i had a big sign so she's know who i was. we trekked back to foshan. the remaining time was spent drinking again, and buying bus tickets.

we had a bit of a nightmare when we went to go to the embassy to vote. it had moved, but we had the new address only in english (no chinese). so we were looking for the old place with the new address only in english. then we found the old place, discovered it was no longer there and went with a taxi to the new place (60 kwai later). BUT it was awesome to be able to vote in china, and i'm glad to know my vote will count.

after the consulate episode, we headed back to the main city and to some markets. a bit hungry we sought a noodle shop and foudn one. we ordered what looked safest and got some awesome soup, lovely noodels, scruptious vegies... and intestines on top... whihc we left. other than noodles - jiaozi have been serving us well.

for the rest of the day we chilled in the orchid garden which was near the train station. we left a bit early and had to wait a while for our train.
it was fun to be on a sleeper train again, i think we'll take heaps more of them. it was comfortable, warm and takes you to a new place overnight! i thought it was a bit like a cot and being rocked to sleep.

we found some australians on the way off the train and onto the next bus to yangshou. it was good to hear familiar voices, there are very few tourists around. yangshou is a city set in rice paddies on the river, with karst limestone mountains all around (same as halong bay). it is really nice, and kind of eerie with these huge peaks rising up from everywhere.
we hired bikes after being harrassed at our hostel and high tailed it out of town. we hadnt been anywhere rural in china, and it makes such a difference. there were still heaps of touts at the touristy places and trucks beeping at us everywhere, but the air is a bit cleaner and you feel completely dwarfed by the steep limestone cliffs.

we headed to a lookout up a huge stair climb and had a great view in every direction. we ate our $1.20 dragon fruit up there as well.

we ended up meandering home, eating beer fish (a local dish of fish cooked in beer and vegies) at a joint near the river, and then looking in at all the markets and farmers markets. we might go for a shop and some jiaozi (dumplings) now and maybe some beers at a rooftop cafe. noice.

tomorrow i think we are planning on catching a bus up to 2 towns away, walking to the middle one (24km) and coming back by boat. were really not eating that much - except for heaps of fruit - because we are always on the go. its quite hard to find safe food because its impossible to read any of the chinese. i guess in yanshou there are a lot more english menus - its nice to try the local specialities...

love to all - onto yunnan next, i think...

to china

2007-11-15T23:19:00.000+11:00

its been a fantastic few days. we stayed at ko chang's porn bungalow (where i was on teh net last) for about 3 nights. it was quite relaxed and we walked along the coast for meals, swims and adventure. we read a lot. i think ellas read 3 books. one day we went inland to a waterfall which was beautiful. we sat on the rock ledge eating fruit and reading in the shade, occassionally going for a swim, but nothing too tiring. 3 days ago we headed to the other side of the island to the remote 'treehouse II'/ its a huge eating area set right on the waters edge (at high tide) on its own beach and tiny bungalows. there was a real hippie commune atmosphere, and we did.. nothing. really we read, and slept, and talked with fellow travellers, ate a lot and went exploring. the highlight was probably last night when we went for a sunset swim. the red sun dipping out across the clear warm waters. very nice - and fish for dinner!today we spent entirely in transit, from the half hour taxi to the boat, the 40 minute boat, the wait for the bus, the 7 hour bus, the broken down bus, but finally in our hostel at about 6pm. now we wait for jesse. we will hopefully rendevous at the lava bar in khao san, but first, ella and i will have one last dinner as just the two of us before the zanker arrives. will be great to see him! thanks for the messages!

now, off to china.

2007-11-11T14:11:00.000+11:00

ko samet and beyond

2007-11-10T15:42:00.000+11:00

Ahh relaxment!
Ella and I have spent about 4 days on the beach doing jack all!
We left Bangkok the next morning after we got in and jumped on a bus to ko samet, which was easy enough. We were on the island by about 3 but had a bit of trouble finding the place we wanted to stay, but it was eventually worth it! It was absolutely beautiful. Picture a small beach about 30 m long with white sand and jungle right down to the beach. We were staying in a small bungalow about 5 metres from the high tide mark. We were the only hotel on this beach. Beautiful – and the water was magic! (it was called Ao Nuan for anyone wondering). We were originally going to spend only 1 night there, but ended up staying for 3 because we didn’t find anywhere better!
We basically lay on the beach (got sunburnt – ouch!), ate beautiful thai food, slept, had a few beers, ate more, swam more, read our books and ate more. We always wanted to go out and have a few drinks but never really managed it – theres not really any reason to anyway. We saw a fire show one night, but that was about the extent of the adventure! It was seriously just a relax time.
Yesterday we spent the day travelling to Ko Chang. It’s a much larger island, about 50km in circumference and a lot more developed. We did find a nice place though – Porn Bungalows, which has a 2 tier dining area straight over the beach. Last night we sat on chairs on the high tide mark (its shallow for a long way) and ate pinapple curry with chicken, basil and chilli wide noodles, papaya salad and beers and cocktails! It was awesome. I think we might try and do some more adventurous stuff here, maybe some walking in the jungle to waterfalls, and might even go snorkeling or something. Theres so much to do – maybe even ride an elephant!
Everything is so easy and relaxing, and its great to let our hair down before we begin some serious (and colder) travel. Missing everyone, and very much looking forward to meeting up with all the trevl partners!
Photos to come!

2007-10-16T16:53:00.001+10:00

2007-10-04T16:38:00.000+10:00

2007-09-06T12:37:00.001+10:00

2007-09-04T10:31:00.000+10:00

2007-09-04T10:09:00.000+10:00

2007-09-02T13:44:00.001+10:00

ride on dinner

2007-09-02T11:31:00.000+10:00

sorry, didn't credit mal webb for the song 'bike'

2007-08-31T11:32:00.000+10:00

"A human  being should be able  to change a  diaper, plan an
invasion,  butcher a hog,  conn a  ship, design  a building,
write a sonnet, balance accounts,  build a wall, set a bone,
comfort the dying, take  orders, give orders, cooperate, act
alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure,
program a  computer, cook  a tasty meal,  fight efficiently,
die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."

Robert A. Heinlein

bucky

2007-08-31T09:17:00.001+10:00

Urinetown!

2007-08-16T10:57:00.000+10:00

2007-07-31T00:25:00.001+10:00

2007-06-05T20:25:00.000+10:00

2007-05-31T21:19:00.001+10:00

also check out britt's video here

2007-05-22T12:29:00.001+10:00

joining the lightcycle competition.
should be challenging!

2007-05-22T12:11:00.001+10:00

2007-05-21T13:01:00.000+10:00

puppets

2007-05-15T11:30:00.000+10:00

2007-05-04T19:49:00.000+10:00

2007-05-04T15:26:00.000+10:00

2007-05-03T19:02:00.000+10:00

you miss me

2007-03-25T11:15:00.000+10:00

oh to travel again!

by product

2007-03-25T11:11:00.000+10:00

i still want to get back to this lamp!

by product

2007-03-25T10:58:00.000+10:00

op shop glasses dipped in latex (ideally in some plastic) to be made into a by-product vase

laura and i

2007-02-04T11:42:00.000+11:00

this is my cousins newest installment! Laura Ann Madden!

jap ceramics

2007-01-24T13:33:00.000+11:00

my japanese ceramics plate from a course at COFA

2007-01-10T11:47:00.000+11:00

update?

2006-12-18T11:32:00.000+11:00

well, its been a while.
i finished school and got good marks and have been relaxing on the beach, on the couch, on a houseboat, and soon to be down in lorne.
it has been a fantastically relaxing and fun time.
pictures soon...

feedback on tv display

2006-11-22T17:24:00.000+11:00

-ben, you rock, love your tv, brandon
-i like the flip books more than the video, yet the tv istelf is a beauty. interesting project
-i love you, handsome guy [i wrote this one....]
-kiss me
-lovely presentation - need to take this to the city - need to see it in the world. well done
-sweet tv man - shit project though - seb
-makes me want to learn sign - span
-sure sure!
-flip books r fantastic. amazing these people come alive in your hands.
-ben is sexy! [i wrote this one too]

time

2006-11-14T13:03:00.000+11:00

atm i'm having fun using a fish eye lens, more book binding, tyring to finish the bike trailer and resin casting with the hope of selling some

bookbinding

2006-11-08T15:38:00.000+11:00

pause

2006-11-05T14:45:00.000+11:00

I’ve decided to suspend the creation of streetsign magazine. We (Gabi and i) really need to proceed with more caution that I originally anticipated. It’s a very sensitive area to be working with, and creating media for. There are more issues than I expected.
Also, it will pay to take time to consider all the facets of the project, from content to delivery to market to editorial issues. For now we need to research more and also think about what we really want to create.

2006-10-25T20:06:00.000+10:00

gab

2006-10-25T19:37:00.000+10:00

my first flip book

2006-10-24T16:14:00.000+10:00

content as is

2006-10-24T08:34:00.000+10:00

I'm heading over to gabi's today to film a video, and after that has been edited, i will complete this text, and put it into a 'beautiful book'. any comments more than welcome.

Mission:
To produce media which raises awareness of deaf people in the city, represent the deaf experience, and include them in city networks.

Proposal:
I propose an installation which displays the ‘deaf experience’ in the city. Content is gathered from deaf people and formed into a piece of poetry both in Auslan and English simultaneously. It is displayed publicly through a video, in both languages. Several media projects need to be implemented beforehand to get the support, trust and interest of the deaf community.

One idea is to place large graffiti-like posters in the city, with Auslan diagrams challenging people’s perception of deaf people and publicising deaf awareness. Another is to create an open source Auslan video ‘street magazine’, which would be displayed at a monthly release at an existing deaf community gathering, and then available online and possibly on the street somewhere.
These proposals have potential to raise the hearing public’s knowledge of deaf people in the city, and provide a connection between deaf people.

Background:
I have been looking at silence in the city from the perspective of a deaf person. I believe that deaf people are largely ignored and left un-catered for in our cultural landscape. My perception of language has changed, along with my cultural sensitivity, and awareness. I believe Auslan (Australian Sign Language) has an important part to play in communication, and as a true language. I also believe that there needs to be more publicity to raise awareness of the deaf experience and of deaf people. I may not be the best person to carry this project through, as I cannot sign, and this creates communication barriers. Someone who is hearing but can sign, and has an interest in this project – would be the best candidate to follow it through.

Deaf culture, community, support
The deaf community in Melbourne (and Victoria) is tight knit in connection and physically dispersed. For instance, 300,000 of the Victorian population are deaf or have partial hearing loss, but there are only 5000 Auslan users (VicDeaf). Deaf schools, deaf classes at Kangan Batman TAFE and deaf community events are physical places for deaf people to meet.

There is an increasing trend towards using online chat, SMSing, and email. This trend worries some in the deaf community who believe that online communication diminishes signing popularity, and replaces Auslan with English. Online Video chat a compromise, combining the ease of technology with the use of Auslan. It is not the technology which some dislike, but rather the push towards assimilation of deaf people into hearing people’s culture, particularly the use of English instead of Auslan.

Capital D Deaf Culture is recognised as the active involvement in the Deaf community, usually stemming from Deaf families, where some have been born deaf. Deaf culture embraces being deaf, typically uses technology as an aid rather than dependence (hearing aids, cochlear implants etc) and maintains the use of Auslan. Little d deaf people tend to try and fit more into hearing culture. They fully embrace technology, make more of an effort to communicate in English, and are typically from families who do not have a deaf history. The difference between big D Deaf and little d deaf culture is shown vividly in the video, ‘In the land of the Deaf’. This video relates specifically to education, but shows the strengths and weaknesses of both sides of the deaf culture coin.

In Melbourne, there are many organisations which foster Deaf culture, give advice to hearing disabled people and petition for deaf rights. VicDeaf seems to be a more administrative organisation, with deaf and hearing people as employees. The Victorian Council of Deaf People relates more to community events, debate, deaf arts and awareness. Kangan Batman TAFE is a hothouse for Auslan education. I viewed an Auslan Play which brought the deaf community together and for me, brought to light the strength of the deaf community. La Trobe University also has Auslan classes. Transport Bar hosts deaf drinks on certain nights.

There is a definite disparity between the hearing and deaf communities. Deaf culture, similarly to other minority cultures, has generally been oppressed by hearing people. Alexander Graham Bell (hearing, but mother and wife were deaf) is known as the ‘father of the deaf’, but also wanted to abolish hereditary deafness, and is widely acknowledged as an Audist (one who believes that hearing people are superior to deaf people, comparable to racism or sexism etc). The AG Bell foundation ‘promotes the use of spoken language and hearing technology’ (AG Bell). In other words, AG Bell is part of the little d deaf culture, and pushes for assimilation of deaf people into hearing community. From this example of just one international organisation, it is not surprising that big D Deaf culture shies away from building bridges between deaf and hearing communities.

The current situation in Victoria is one of largely exclusive multiculturalism, whereby deaf and hearing communities do not generally mix. Consider that there is less movement by the dominant hearing population to cater for deaf people than there is for deaf culture to join hearing culture. That’s not to say that there is nothing being done. Tertiary Education of Auslan is in higher demand than there is supply, and basic awareness and education in primary schools is in current curriculum. Disability Liason services such as at RMIT help to educate deaf people in a hearing environment.

Debates exist as how to include hearing people into deaf culture and vice versa. My opinion is that awareness is one of the first steps which need to be made. Bridging the gap of acknowledging the deaf community is one of main priorities.

Video, technology and language
One of the basic misconceptions of Auslan is that it is purely signed or mimed English. The syntax is different to English and there are 4000 basic signs, though these can be altered to describe slightly different words. Auslan is a visual/manual language rather than oral/aural, and so video is the equivalent to recording an English voice or writing English. Signing diagrams (glosses) do not fully represent the actual signs, and so are not suitable for communicating between signers. However, diagrams can be used to learn signs, or to interpret into English – though it is a primitive method.

Consider: ‘that Sign is kinetic and three dimensional, and so enables the simultaneous representation of, for example, more than one noun, or a noun and a verb, in space. This aspect of Auslan, which lends to its concision, necessarily makes literal translation into English impossible.’ (http://members.ozemail.com.au/~gamgee/writing_handtalk.html#sign_auslan) Also, signs do not translate at all. In fact, interpreting is even a loose term. When I was interpreted myself, I used the word ‘naïve’. The sign that it was used to interpret was very representational and consisted of four fingers outstretched on the left hand and one in the right close to the body. I asked about this sign, and was told that it also relates to ignorance and abandonment. ‘Translating’ from one language into another is never easy, but signing is even more complicated. Ask hearing people to mime a scene or read a line, and they will all act differently. Similarly, signing people add their own characteristics, slang and take on the content differently.

Technology such as cochlear impants have already been mentioned as helping deaf people. Also video chat, chat rooms, email and texting are helpful. An example of new technology are PowerGloves, which are gloves that contain sensors which translate finger position and angle etc, into data which is translated into English. Simple sentences can be processed, but the language still remains in Auslan syntax, and so only the general idea can be communicated. (http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~waleed/thesis.html) Still, with more research, this technology could help to further bridge the gap between deaf and hearing communities.

Personal Agenda
My personal agenda started when I talked with my friend Gabi about the hearing project and she expressed what its like to be partially deaf. I found it intriguing that I couldn’t empathise with how it is to be deaf – what I call the deaf experience. I set about designing a traditional product which could translate sound tactilely. However, I felt this didn’t bring out the issues and experiences which I wanted to. I realised the best way to express how it is to be deaf is through deaf language – Auslan. I learnt a lot about how it is to be deaf; especially concerning communication, community and culture. Through this learning I recognised the need for deaf awareness and publicity and created a framework to produce a video.

Process
Pre-Projects
Firstly, support must be gained from the deaf community. It is hard for a hearing-non-signing person to get support because of understandable prejudice towards the hearing community. It wouldn’t hurt for the project manager to learn sign, or have a translator at hand. So, two major pre-projects are suggested to raise interest and trust from the deaf community:
1. A poster run which communicates deaf sentiments through glosses of Auslan. This would raise awareness of both Auslan and deaf people through its visual appeal and also content. For instance a interpretation of ‘not silent’ could be posted around walls in Melbourne, with a link to a website (possibly option 2’s website)
2. An open source ‘street video magazine’, produced monthly with articles in Auslan. The articles wouldn’t necessarily be about being deaf, or raising deaf awareness, but for the deaf community by the deaf community. The design would be purely in the technological set up, giving the opportunity to record articles, or have production of videos with Auslan narration. Below is an example of how a preliminary set up could be achieved, before a serious website is developed.
Develop 3 free tools: email, storage and a vlog. These could be done through gmail, google-video/zippy videos/you tube/our media/blip.tv and blogger/wordpress respectively.
Auslan contributors could record their own footage and upload it to the storage, or to their own storage and email the link. Or, a recording session could be set up to record an article. The magazine would be distributed once a month, launching on the first Friday of each month at transport bar (already an unofficial deaf community get-together). And then be available online (possibly with the help of Adrian Miles, RMIT). This would suit people who want to get away from relying on technology and create more of a crowd at transport. It could also be made into a DVD or video for those without internet.
If it becomes successful, a domain name would be purchased (i.e www.deafstreetmag.com.au) and then forwarded onto the vlog address. This would save time by not having to design a website. Initial advertising can be through email, word of mouth (figuratively), and the first project posters. Later, an RSS feed could be set up to be posted on the websites of VCOD, VicDeaf etc. to alert them to new instalments.
The website could also be used to publicise the major project, and to publish it (and an English transcript) after it has been completed.

Major Project
The Major Project will follow the framework outlined in Fig1.
(Where the Project Manager is myself, and the poet: Kate Middleton)

In explaining the steps which should be followed, I may describe actions I have already taken, and the shortfalls I have found. As mentioned, support from the community has been a major setback, but I believe the pre-project actions will stir more interest.
The first step is to gather a group of deaf people, to relate their experience of being deaf in the city. To make this easier I posed several questions:

Can you describe broad or common experiences in the city?
Are there any specific examples of experiences you have? (i.e There was this one time….)
What emotions do you feel in the city? Are any of these emotions more characteristic of a deaf person?
How do you believe being deaf (in the city) affects you?
What is being done/needs to be done for deaf people in the city?
How does a deaf person experience what a hearing person experiences as sound? (etc, vibrations of trams) And how could this translate into something a hearing person experiences? (i.e getting a hearing person to empathise more with deaf people.)
Is the city dangerous, likeable, intriguing etc?
How can hearing people accommodate better for deaf people?
What do you think your experiences in the city have in common with other deaf people’s?
Can you think of metaphors or similes which describe your experience or emotion (in English or Auslan)?

From my experience in receiving response from these questions, I felt like the person responding was treating the questions like a census or survey. I think it is important to build vivid emotions, romantic ideals and bring together common ‘magic’ experiences to make a special poem – not just a list of complaints. To solicit this, I wrote an abstract of the kind of responses I would write, if these questions were posed to me (as a hearing person):
‘like a little ant farm or rabbit warren, with people coming and going. Riding through the city with the wind rushing past, dodging trams, the blip blip of the green walking man buzzer, street sellers, hawkers, music from cafes, dank alleys, exploring new things, finding cafes and galleries never seen before, stealing a smoko on an upturned milk crate, sifting through dumpsters for gold.’

A discussion group would provide for the best content. If a group could be formed, and posed discussion questions, then the results of the process would be verified by the fact that there were lots of people discussing it. It would verify whether what is said is shared by the wider community. This discussion should be videoed. Along with this discussion, interviews could be filmed.
These Auslan described experiences should be coupled with responses from email, letters, forums and chat, in an English form. This content is then reviewed by a team of a deaf representative, interpreter, and an English Poet as the poem should be written simultaneously in English and Auslan.

If the poem were to be produced in English only, it would be completely inappropriate, as English is not necessarily the first language of deaf people. It would be better expressed in Auslan, but then would have no impact on hearing viewers. This is why the one poem should be written at the same time it two languages. A small blurb could accompany the video installation and the English version never published. A better solution would be for the English poem to be performed on video in a similar format, and displayed at a different time or place.

Kate Middleton is a poet who I approached to take the position of an English speaking poet. She has a background in music, and writes with spoken word and timing in mind. Her experience is essential in combining the subtleties of a new language (Auslan) with her knowledge of English. She also seemed keen on the project and had some ideas straight away.

This is the point where I got with my project. I didn’t get any feedback from the deaf community, which stopped me from going further. Therefore, everything from here on is an idea, and is flexible in the way it comes together.
Following the diagram outlined previously (fig 1), the content would be shaped into a piece of language in English and Auslan simultaneously. Issues of length, exact content, tone etc, are negotiable. The most effective content would be one rich in emotion and intrigue. A basic level of experience does not justify an intriguing poem. For example, simple ‘I did’ statements are not useful.

This poetry should be videoed and written down, and reviewed with consultation from both sides. The poetry should accurately reflect the feelings of the deaf community. Finally, the poetry should be placed in-situ and reviews taken, and fed back into the content.

Alternative Outcome
An alternative, easier, but less desirable outcome is to write a piece from the perspective of one deaf person. Perhaps this should take the form of one piece within a framework of many personal videos produced by deaf people. The most difficult part of the original project is imposing an idea on a community and vying for their support. With this method, a more accurate idea of an individual’s viewpoint can be ascertained, as one gained from a community will never reflect the views of all. This individual video also effectively raises awareness of the deaf community and Auslan. However, it is not as powerful as a group voice.

With this idea in mind, I set up a meeting with my partially deaf friend Gabi (who is learning to sign, and can sign well), Scarlette (a hearing friend of Gabi’s who has deaf friends and can sign fluently) and myself.

Content here

Production and Site placement
The production and placement of the video are some of the most important aspects of the project. Depending on the final content of both the Auslan and the English, it may be appropriate to do one of the following options:
1. Create a video of the Auslan, with an English blurb describing the project at the site and an online interpretation. This is one of the favoured options as it makes the poem mysterious to non-signers. However, the content could be lost by those not bothering to find it online.
2. A method similar to the first option, but create a video of the poem in English instead of displaying it online. The poem should not be shown in the same vicinity and time as the Auslan version, because hearing people will divert attention to the one they can instantly recognise. It could be put on the same reel and played after the Auslan version. Preferably, it would be displayed somewhere else, and directions would be published in the blurb.
3. Perhaps the reel could contain several versions of the poem: one in Auslan, one in English, one simultaneously read/performed, scrolling text, Auslan with subtitles and English with Auslan interpretation. This option would not be as hard hitting, but would be more educational. One could observe the video and compare the languages, and the content would be more up front.
As mentioned earlier, the video(s) should be installed publicly and available online on the pre-project website. It may also be launched at a deaf awareness week or at a regular deaf event. As with the online magazine event, it would be available on DVD or video for people with no internet access. However, by far the most exposure should be through a public installation.

When installing publicly, issues of vandalism and theft come into play. Equipment used to play a video (screens, media player etc) are valuable, and would need to be protected or installed out of reach. To overcome this problem, existing media players and video screens could be used to play the video. Building a new housing or position for a screen would add considerable cost to the project, and would not attract more attention than existing screens which already have an audience and prime position. The video needs to fit in with the current framework of the city. Business people bustle along king street, students scurry around RMIT and shoppers clog Bourke Street. It would be inappropriate to dump this sensitive material on the NIKE store screen, but would find its niche on a retro TV in a café in Degraves Street. The video must be placed to appeal to appropriate people; otherwise this project is without an audience.
With this in mind, the following sights would be suitable for the spectators which visit them:
1. ACMI – could be entered into an exhibition or permanent collection. ACMI tends to like ‘Melbourne’ oriented projects.
2. Federation Square video tower – excellent coverage, large visiting audience, attracts people visiting for the first time, admiring the architecture, would enhance the experience of the space, would not be hindered by the poor sound quality.
3. Small exhibition – placed tastefully and intriguingly in a popular café (Degraves), bookshop (Readings) or gallery (McCulloch, first site) to attract a small targeted audience.
4. In an existing media friendly environment such as Loop Bar or Horse Bazaar. Both have infrastructure which allows for the showing of the video. However, would be treated more as video art, not a poem with a message.
5. Transport bar initially (perhaps coupled with fed square), as this is already a deaf hangout at regular times.
6. Shop window – may not relate to the content of the store, but provides a piece of art for the window, which is safe. Could be part of Retail Art Walk (fashion week).
7. A public booth available during a festival. Funding could be sought to hire infrastructure to show the video within. May require more work, but would advertise to and bring in an interested audience.

Sites will need to be reviewed at the time of installation. If the original brief of sites of respite is relevant, then this will also need to be taken into account. In this case, perhaps a personal booth is more appropriate; moving into a permanent installation after the festival has ended.

Conclusion
This project has a lot of potential to bridge between hearing and deaf communities. I think this should be its main aim, together with raising awareness of deafness and Auslan. It is imperative though, that it still remain an art-form, not a preaching video, or a complaint. When both hearing and deaf people can recognise the major project (and its pre-project or alternative project phases) as important for both communities, the bridges in individuals’ minds will be built.

2006-10-16T17:49:00.000+10:00

I think the way I’m going at the moment is aiming too high. That’s not to say that I've lost faith in the project – I’m being completely naïve and idealistic in terms of hoping that it will come together. But, I am reconsidering the time frame in which I can get something out there. I am even thinking of a scheme which promotes awareness of deaf people in the city, and also advertises for deaf people to come forward to help me with the video project. I want something which goes along the same lines as the key to my current project, but which involves less content, people and complications. Just to produce something will be a feat.
I like the idea of graffiti or postering around the city. I think it’s a very Melbourne medium, as proven by magazines like IsNot, and stencil art everywhere! I’m still working on the content, but I think it should reflect nothing too sinister or deep, just making more people aware of the project, and making mostly hearing people think.
These ideas can be used as a springboard to the video project and others like it.

new

2006-10-11T10:57:00.000+10:00

here is my new letter and questions to deaf contacts:

G’day,
I am a hearing student examining a deaf persons experience within the Melbourne CBD. I’m looking not just into troubles one might have, but experiences, language, emotions, hang-ups, and feedback on the landscape of the city. My personal experience would include excitement riding through the city, a sense of exploration, of finding the newest places, the funkiest alleys, checking out what people have thrown out, basking in the sun in front of the state library, the differences between the atmosphere in King and Swanston streets, riding on trams, watching buskers etc. I guess what I’m saying is that they don’t need to be exclusively ‘deaf’ experiences.

Hearing people have many misconceptions about deaf people and culture, and perhaps this installation might be an opportunity to debunk some of these. If you could help me out by writing about your experience in the city, perhaps with some response to the following questions. However, if you feel something is important that’s not covered, write about it!

Can you describe broad or common experiences in the city?
Are there any specific examples of experiences you have? (i.e There was this one time….)
What emotions do you feel in the city? Are any of these emotions more characteristic of a deaf person?
How do you believe being deaf (in the city) affects you?
What is being done/needs to be done for deaf people in the city?
How does a deaf person experience what a hearing person experiences as sound? (etc, vibrations of trams) And how could this translate into something a hearing person experiences? (i.e getting a hearing person to empathise more with deaf people.)
Is the city dangerous, likeable, intriguing etc?
How can hearing people accommodate better for deaf people?
What do you think your experiences in the city have in common with other deaf people’s?
Can you think of metaphors or similes which describe your experience or emotion (in English or Auslan)?

Thankyou.

My current plans are to develop responses into a video of an Auslan ‘poem’, and an English poem with an interpretation in English. Any assistance you give can be credited or not if you wish.
I think this is a valuable project for hearing and deaf people. It’s a chance to learn a lot about each other and the city.

Thanks again,
Ben Landau
landau_ben@hotmail.com

unsure

2006-10-09T09:50:00.000+10:00

This time last year Soumitri asked me if I was doing the right amount of work for a subject worth 24 credit points? So I got off my arse and did some work.
I hope that this semester I’m doing the right amount of work. I struggled with some of the exhibition deadlines and the book concept got a bit overworked. But now that I’m on this new project, I have ideas and I’m really keen, but I have no way of facilitating them because I cant complete the project by myself. Is it enough that it is just a concept? I really do believe that it has merit, but how can I ever know if it will never come to fruition. I can keep prodding the deaf community, getting emails forwarded on etc, but if no one responds then I have nothing.

framework

2006-10-08T19:26:00.000+10:00

2006-10-07T00:09:00.000+10:00

(Sign language) is, in the hands of its masters, a most beautiful and expressive language… It is impossible for those who do not understand it to comprehend its possibilities with the deaf, its powerful influence on the moral and social happiness of those deprived of hearing, and its wonderful power of carrying thought to intellects which would otherwise be in perpetual darkness. Not can they appreciate the hold it has upon the deaf. So long as there are two people upon the face of the earth and they get together, so long will signs be used.

j. Schuyler Long

idea sheet

2006-10-06T23:57:00.000+10:00

Here is the letter i wrote to try and get people interested. i think this is about the 6th version.

G’day!

I am a second year industrial design hearing student, whose task in a studio subject is to respond to a call by the City of Melbourne to investigate sound in the city. I need your help to develop an ‘intervention’ or installation detailing the role and sound experience of deaf and hearing impaired people in the city (i.e no sound cues, vibrations, colours etc). I would like to turn this information into a visual instalment.

So far I have been exploring sound and space within the city with regards to ‘feeling’ sound. I have used a speaker system to amplify vibrations in order to be able to feel them tactilely. For this I have used sound recorded in the city. I feel like I need to move forward to describe sound as experienced by deaf people. As a hearing person, I can’t fully empathise with someone who is deaf or partially deaf, and so I am asking you to be part of this project.

I have already spoken to a partially deaf friend (she studies Linguistics and Auslan at Latrobe) and gained some insight into how she perceives sound. I also talked to her about interpreting an Auslan version of a deaf person’s city experience into English and the some of the subtleties of the language.

Still, I feel like an outsider looking in on a world that I don’t understand. I wish to at least understand a little what it is like to be deaf in the city, and to rework these emotions, senses, and beliefs in order to display something which not only publicises the deaf person’s experience but is also a piece of art. From my work so far I feel I would like to more accurately describe city sound experience according to emotion etc. I have made contact with Melbourne poet, Kate Middleton, to take this description and turn it into an poem. My current aim (though I will wait to see where this goes) is to develop a piece simultaneously in English and Auslan to produce a similar poem in each language, and display it as a video feed of an Auslan poem on the streets of Melbourne. It could help to branch the gap between hearing and Deaf culture and community.

I have done some brief research into deaf community and culture, technology, attitudes towards it, problems with design regarding unintentional disregard of deaf needs, Auslan and growing up with deafness.

My early thoughts of a display are guided by ideas of naïve bravery, so I hope I don’t seem arrogant or ignorant, I’m interested, open and eager to learn. I would truly like to create something important. But first I need some insight. The work I have done so far is noted on my blog (see below) but it is mainly tactile sound work.

If you are interested in helping me out (or know someone who is), being part of this exciting and different project, drop me a line at s3078511@student.rmit.edu.au . Please also note your email on my table so that I can contact you. We will have a discussion or forum session in the near future (probably in a week or two) to better understand the deaf experience of sound in the city, and hopefully bring that to light in the city of Melbourne.

Regards,
Ben Landau

Attached:
My blog:
http://www.lagomdesign.blogspot.com
Project brief
http://silenceandotherways.wordpress.com/files/2006/07/silence-and-other-ways.pdf

Project Abstract (as given to me by the lecturers)
This studio is a collaboration between Sial, Industrial Design and Landscape Architecture. The City of Melbourne has invited a project to focus on sound and the space in central city. They invite exploration and possibility rather than concrete outcomes. This exploration is entitled “fermata” and your work will set the scene for a larger project that will evolve over time.
The collaboration will expose students to a range of disciplines, ways of thinking, techniques, technologies and workspaces in the belief that working outside of ones discipline exposes assumptions and opens up unknown possibilities. It also requires one to navigate through different ideas and ways of approaching problems.
The studio environment will focus on design as a way of learning and rather than privilege product, the studio will be set up as a laboratory for investigation into sound and the city. The studio will be highly structured through a series of events, whereby intense periods of production will occur (rather than set up the learning as an even linear process) and these will define the non-contact periods whereby students will be self-directed.
Our approach considers the possibility of inverse effects, silence as a way of knowing sound, doing though not doing, knowing when not to design and the potential of the mistake. This approach is carried through to assessment whereby lecturers no longer play the role of assessors but become facilitators to student learning, students are required to self assess. (See assessment)
The studio will focus on four mediums only for communication: the event, the book, the blog and the model. Landscape/sound is physical, but more importantly, it is a cultural construct.

i hope people think that its a worthwhile project. if i cant get the content together then theres no point. i think the part of the brief which i am best answering is the last bit 'Landscape/sound is physical, but more importantly, it is a cultural construct. '

vent

2006-10-06T23:56:00.000+10:00

I have spent the last 24 hours immersed in the silence project, and it is really becoming something else. Soumitri asked me today how its going, and I couldn’t really describe the acceleration I have felt in ideas and concepts, mainly fuelled by discussions with my friend Gabi.
Yesterday I emailed Jenny Shaw from disabilities liaison unit at RMIT, with the hope that she could pass on the information to deaf students. At night I had dinner with Gabi, and we talked for about an hour on what it’s like to be deaf. I learnt so much, and she opened a lot of doors for me. We emailed later that night, Gabi sending me more information on deaf culture, including an interview by Philip Adams. From that information, I found some books which I hired out this morning from the library. I also read a proposal for a documentary on deaf kids – it’s called Welcome to my deaf world and details deaf life for year 12 kids.
In the afternoon I met with Kate Middleton, the Melbourne poet I have invited to collaborate on the project. She was open to the ideas I presented to her, and mentioned a lot of interesting concepts of music in poetry and spoken word: timing, pitch etc. I think some of these music concepts translate better into Auslan than alliteration or other traditional poetic devices. Later, Gabi and I visited Vic Deaf in Albert Street and got some more information. Gabi was a great help. We found out about some deaf theatre happening that night, and attended at 7.30. It was one of the strangest experiences I have been in, and I’ll talk about it later. I gave my idea sheet to Chris Dunn, who is an Auslan teacher and prominent figure in the deaf community. Afterwards Gabi and I spoke over pho ga and now I feel mentally exhausted.
Jenny Shaw has just written back to say she will pass on the information to deaf students in the community.

Dinner with Gab last night (I can’t believe it was last night!) was amazing. It was great to see her again, as we had not met up for nearly 2 months or more. We had originally talked about the sound project, and she inspired me to look into the deaf aspect further. I hadn’t realised the intricacies and complications within the deaf community and disparities with hearing people. I was unaware of the strong deaf culture which is less publicised than cultures of other minority groups (to use that term broadly). All this discussion made me feel stronger about needing to make this installation.
I talked with Gabi about my idea of secrets. That sound is the hearing persons secret from the deaf, and (generally) Auslan the deaf secret from the hearing. I talked about displaying the video in the street as an Auslan poem, with no translation in English. But then deaf people would not know that there was no sound, and hearing people would not know what it was about! So, I realised I need some sort of description of the content of the poem, and reasons for doing it. I need an agenda. I also need to have the poem written in both English and performed in Auslan, perhaps in two separate locations, but definitely discrete, so that they remain two languages talking about the same thing.
Language was another thing we talked about, and we came to the conclusion that any early revisions of poems in Auslan would need to be videoed in order to be reviewed. An English poem can be written and performed, whereas Auslan cannot be written effectively as to communicate the content. We need to develop the two poems at the same time. Therefore we need concepts to move between, to branch from idea to idea at the same time in both poems. It may be an atypical way of poetry writing Kate!

From my brief research this morning, I found out about how it is to be little d deaf and big D Deaf. Big D Deaf refers to deaf people who embrace a deaf way of life, communicating in Auslan in action and English when written. Big D Deaf people are typically deaf from birth, but don’t consider that they have hearing loss, rather than they never had any to begin with. It is these people who keep deaf culture.
Little d deaf people speak and write English, though may sign English. They use technology to keep in the midst of the hearing world, and do not typically participate as strongly in Deaf culture. I guess I see little d deaf as more like integration into a hearing world and big D Deaf as more multicultural.

The meeting with Kate went well. As mentioned she had a lot to say about her background in music, and poetry, as well as other experiences, and how we thought that could help translate into co-authoring this poem. The meeting was mainly to meet, and for me to get my ideas out there. Gabi was there as well, which was great (it’s fantastic to spend time with her) and we talked more about deafness, particularly about interpreting Auslan.
It’s hard to know how traditional poetry will be interpreted in Auslan. Though, I think I am beginning to build a strong framework for the poetry’s creation, and it is the content that I need to work harder to get.

Gabi and I walked to Vic Deaf from animal orchestra (a fair way), and spoke to Chris at the front desk who gave us the contact for the deaf theatre, a contact at VCOD and a venue we could meet deaf people at (we later decided not to go). Chris also suggested that staff at Vic Deaf (to whom my information had been passed on to) may be reluctant to reply as there are a lot of calls for help from the deaf community.

Arriving at the performance was intimidating, and I started to strongly empathise with deaf people. I have been in a room full of German speakers, when I am the only English speaker. But to enter a room which is bustling with arms waving in all directions, and the only real sound is occasional laughter, is an amazing experience. Suddenly I was mesmerised with old friends catching up with fingers flying. I felt completely ignorant and naïve. Gabi was signing away to someone (it was beautiful to see her engaging so effectively) and for the first time I felt strangely illiterate. I was immersed in the deaf’s secret (Auslan) as they are immersed in my secret (sound - the hearing person’s world) every day. I was confronted with not being able to understand their language, and in a way I was momentarily and metaphorically deaf. It was a profound experience
It didn’t last long though. I was grateful to an interpreter when the prologue to the show started, and some signs were explained in English. The main dialogue in the play was in mime and sign, but I could understand all that was happening. It was pretty simple, but impressive and exciting to witness.
Gabi signed afterwards with people, and found out some more information for me. I was a bit overwhelmed and unused to speaking through a translator so I stayed silent. I also met up with Renee, who is learning sign at the Kangan Batman TAFE. Her signing was incredible after nearly a years work, and she answered a lot of my questions. She was excellent at signing and talking at the same time (not really Auslan as it has a different sentence structure, so really speaking English while doing the corresponding signs). That helped me out, and made me realise the complexity of some of the compound words. There is also a lot of symbolism (not mime) in some of the actions.

At dinner, I formed a diagram with Gabi, in order to design the framework (stake holders and players) in order to make it happen.

I need to write an agenda as well, including a description of the project, reasons for doing it, and most importantly a location/site. I haven’t really thought about it yet, though something from the content may come to mind.

I am exhausted and exhilarated by the project. I feel like I am really challenging myself. Though I am a little worried about getting it finished in time, I will be happy to have gone through what I have dome so far. I just wish I recorded more of it!

the story

2006-10-03T10:20:00.000+10:00

Just got back from a magical week in Tasmania on the overland track, low impact tourism! After a day in Launceston mainly getting food ready (and a scrumptious dinner) we caught the bus on the Tuesday morning. Heading up through the mountains to cradle mountain, it got colder and there was more snow on the side of the road. When we arrive we got our gear on and caught the bus up to the start.

The first walking day was the hardest – skirting around the base of cradle mountain in sometimes waist deep powder, and a real blizzard. At the start it was steep, but towards the end, the pitch flattened out as well, and the weather calmed for a while. We spent that first night in a hot and crowded hut, warm comfort in comparison to the outside.

The second day was a short day, and we left after all the other groups who were skipping the hut we were to stay that night. It was beautiful in the morning and then quite miserable weather some of the time, but luckily didn’t close in completely until we arrived at the hut at about lunch time. Its funny how snow is beautiful when you can look out at it from a warm hut, but a bitch when you’re in it. We stopped briefly at lake will which was pretty. That night we also met matt and simon, guides to the group which were doing it at the same time as us. They were fun and we had great discussions with them. Matt was a wealth of natural knowledge.

The third day was longer and had some beautiful scenery including button grass, spectacular views of mt ossa and barn bluff as well as little glades of rainforest. The walk was generally easier, and there was much less snow by this stage, but lots of mud from melted snow, and rain.

The fourth day was a short hard hike from new pelion to kia ora, where again we arrived early. By now the weather was so pleasant, warm enough to hike in a thermal top, tshirt, shorts and overpants – no waterproof jacket or long johns required! This was quite a hard short walk, with spectacular views again. Halfway we reached the pelion pass, and tried to ascend ossa. There was a strong cross wind blowing through the first saddle, and deep snow up the other side. After a harrowing ascent up a narrow chasm (as seen in a photo with blue sky on the map) we were faced with ice and a blizzard we couldn’t get through. So, we slid down our bums. It was a fantastic experience though, and fun to be mountaineers.

On the fifth day we were greeted by perfect sunshine and a ‘hot day’. It was a shortish walk again, but with the most spectacular waterfalls I have ever seen. The snow had continued to melt, and it was as if a dam had burst its banks! It looked about 10 times as much water as there usually is (from looking at photos). At Fergusson falls we stayed about 40 minutes lying in the sun and bathing our feet, it was just so lovely. A lot of the day was through magnificent rainforest covered with moss.

The sixth day was also beautiful, but the walk out was through pretty standard aussie bush, we even spotted a snake! We arrived early to have lunch at the ferry platform in the hot sun and caught the ferry to the other side. They sent a boat which couldn’t fit everyone so they compensated us with a free beer! Yum. Funny to see civilisation, everyone was clamouring for hot showers and all I wanted to do was get back to the bush. I wish I could be there now! Things are so much simpler.

That night in Hobart we rushed out for some thai, and then to the republic, the cool place in Hobart. We were pretty tired though.
The next day we packed out of the hostel, and wandered around town, and had lunch. Spanna, Luke and I went to the cascade brewery and after an informative tour with bogans, we sat I the brilliant sun and drank beer. A perfect ending to the trip.

overland2

2006-10-03T10:14:00.000+10:00

overland1

2006-10-03T10:10:00.000+10:00

2006-09-21T14:24:00.000+10:00

scrabble cufflinks. california screws and resin. see them tonight?

hoorah

2006-09-20T14:31:00.000+10:00

made contact with both the melbourne poet and vic deaf, though neither can come to the exhibit.
should be rolling through in the next month.
yippee

glass engravers

2006-09-19T17:13:00.000+10:00

i just visited 3 glass engravers in the city, one of which was in the same building as kate's studio.
the head guys were all south african. what are the odds?
just thought...

packt

2006-09-19T12:09:00.000+10:00

I’ve sent letters to 2 people, a Melbourne poet and someone at Vic Deaf, and I haven’t heard a response from either. Its really unfortunate because I feel I have a good concept here, but I can’t make it come true. I don’t have the talent, knowledge or means to facilitate this idea. I need others help. I’m going to try and enlist the help of someone at RMIT student union, to make the video, and make a second attempt to speak to Kate Middleton. I will also try and get the help of my friend to come to this exhibition.
Its hard to get stakeholders in 2 weeks

halfway mark, giving up.

2006-09-15T17:31:00.000+10:00

Have you been a leader and taken initiatives in the group?
I haven’t really been a leader in whole class activities, apart from putting my opinions forward. I took the leadership in the spending habits study group when we had to get lots of work done in a short time. I don’t see that there has been much initiative in the group in terms of leadership. For a class which stands for getting out and doing something about the problems we can see, we argue about what the right way of doing ‘something’ is. Sometimes I think it might be better if we go off on our tangents and collaborate when we have started something. Its hard to get a large group of people to come to a consensus on some issues.

Do you have a sense that you have taken on more than your fair share of the work of the group?
Not more than my fair share. I try to promote discussion, and I actively take part. I turn up to class and complete my assignments. And I have given up some things which are having an impact on me.

Have you gone out of your way to make the group work?
I think the group works well – as a talking group. As a doing group we are pretty hopeless. I guess I haven’t gone out of my way to get the group to do something. I did make my group work for spending habits.

Have you helped a fellow student overcome their learning difficulties?No.

feedback on feeling sound

2006-09-11T20:18:00.000+10:00

i like toast
how does the object affect the sound
interesting stuff!
email me about building vibration (lawrence)
some strong themes here - need to push the vibrations more - think about how it can translate into a city context - into a space, onto a book etc. nice work (liam i cant read your writing)
hearing is a kind of touch (yeh cool!)
good (squiggle, love heart)
cool shit
it makes sense
very clever. Explore when and how the sound changes with your panel choice. Very clever boy!
To hold your hands over both blue waves has a different effect than just one. the vibrations are stronger at different times.

feedback to the feedback.

I am quite happy with what I made there with the ‘i-pod’ box. But its important that I take this and contextualise it within the city. I’ve grabbed something and chucked it into a building within the city. I am looking at re-contextualising the touch or vibrations of trams and making a vibrating floor in a street with no trams. I want to change the sound waves from buskers into vibrations. And I want to translate sound into a secret for the hearing impaired.

here

2006-09-10T22:22:00.000+10:00

boom box + marquettes

2006-09-07T16:21:00.000+10:00

kiosk

2006-09-07T16:09:00.000+10:00

this is the final kiosk. good model, prep, but poor pres.

exp

2006-09-06T11:27:00.000+10:00

a thin wire necklace pendant

reflec

2006-09-06T10:34:00.000+10:00

Its halfway through the semester, and I’m not sure what to think about this studio. Its seemed ok so far, confusing for sure, and I’m not sure what the final destination is. I’d really like to get cracking, but I’d like to stop exploring tangents and take action on a particular angle.
And I’ve decided I don’t want to decide what I want to be taught. I chose this course because it sounded like it could teach me about general technology, sound, sound recording, answering a brief, working in a group, and forming a tangible and meaningful solution to the city of Melbourne’s inquiry. We haven’t covered any of these areas thoroughly, and I don’t see it as my responsibility to decide what I want to be taught. My decisions ended when I chose this course. If I need to choose what I want to learn, then I am limited to the areas I already know something about. How can I ask Liam or Fiona to teach me about something if I don’t know that it exists? I want them to impart their knowledge and experience to me.
That said, I know I don’t want to spend hours in the workshop making something I know I can make. I would rather deliberate over sound in the city, work in groups to see how we react to sound and create something that I am proud of to go in the city. Then I will have learnt something.
Cant we just get a move on?

silence box

2006-08-30T20:27:00.000+10:00

i originally wanted this box not to haev sound, but only show the vibration of the particles. it seems you cannot have one without the other. it was really quiet the other day when i tested it, but now that they are in a resonance chamber, the sound is amplified and sounds like whatever i'm playing through it. though it is intersting to note the connection between feeling the sound and the sound.
its still a tactile object, and my marquettes reflect that.
unfortunately, it looks a bit apple, and may make people think that all i wanted to do was to build a fancy speaker housing. they will be satisfied that i ahev failed, and that it sounds tinny. though they might eb a little impressed when they feel the vibrations. i hope so.
i think i will have to do a little more sound editing and cutting, understanding the physics of the vibration, before i can take the sound and make it purely touch. i think i was right in the first place thinking about little surface area.

interactive kiosk

2006-08-30T20:17:00.001+10:00

heres our model for the australia post interactive kiosk.
i always tried to put up all the work i'm doing but its proving to be hard.

fake hand

2006-08-30T20:17:00.000+10:00

heres a prosthetic hand i'm constructing for cloudstreet.
there will be makeup on and hopefully it might look like smithies fingers have really been chopped off.
b

book2

2006-08-26T18:29:00.000+10:00

marquettes

2006-08-23T16:01:00.000+10:00

Resin casting my marquettes is a great technique. I'm now 'meditating' on the sound in the city (i dont want to talk too specifically because i dont want to sway your view of the marquettes). I can medititate and form objects out of clay. These objects are left to dry and i get a chance to review them before i sand, then cover them in latex, cast, then sand again, and polish. its a lot like creation, and then a long affirmation session. i know i want the original pieces the way i want them because there is so much effort in getting them to the final stage that i dont want to start with a poor idea.
this is the first one cast. the rest will be in black.
here are the clay positives and their latex moulds.
a sample of one which is in latex now, and i may cast tonihgt.
the next 3, shaped in clay in one session. these 3 are sisters within the group of marquettes.

3d mapping

2006-08-23T15:52:00.000+10:00

the 3d depiction of the sound mapping. i'll try and bring it in

resin casting

2006-08-23T15:47:00.000+10:00

here are some photos of my recent experiments with resin casting bracelets. i am also doing some rings and other shapes for studio, but here are the best ones.

time spending

2006-08-22T19:46:00.000+10:00

I’ve mapped the things I’m renouncing together on one page. One of the outcomes of all the renouncements is leading to me having more money or time. This is shown with the box in the middle. The questions are, what should I spend my money and time on, should i spend it at all, and should I earn it more. Consuming is spending, and to take yourself out of the cycle of consuming we must stop spending, both money and time. To effectively take ourselves out of the cycle, we should limit our earning to only that which we need. So there is some argument to say if I save time then I should not spend it earning money, because I’ll only have to spend it, and re-enter the cycle.
The slow movement aims to get people to slow down their lives, to achieve ‘connection to people - ourselves, our family, our community, our friends, - to food, to place (where we live), and to life.’

I think that slowing down is a great concept, but it is too hard for most to give up their fast paced lives in one go. Some suggestions for becoming slower are on the Wikipedia entry for slow movement, also see here and here. I think I would prefer to live a slower life, but I enjoy being busy. I’m not sure if I live the fastest life anyway, because the busyness in my life allows me to relate to people, and interconnect during activities. I accept that I could spend more time doing nothing, or something relaxing, or chatting with people (I often feel I am always in transit), but why not connect with people over dinner, during a futbol training or while rehearsing for a play.
I like that the slow movement’ main facets is the belief of the right to pleasure. Its not a restrictive movement which requires people to do nothing at all, but take up something slower. Even some things which we consider ‘doing nothing’ now may be considered as slow, such as knitting, talking with friends, reading for leisure etc.

I still haven’t decided how or if I will spend my remaining time.

sim urban

2006-08-22T16:35:00.000+10:00

check out sim urban, a virtual city block model creation program with rendering and realtime animation including sound and light. could be useful for our programs. i wonder if sial has had a look at this?
here is the pdf on the details of the program.

in other news, make your own speaker

recording

2006-08-15T16:19:00.000+10:00

I cycled around the city today with microphones strapped to my head in a mock binaural recording. Here are the photos of the device.

first recording
second recording
3
4

there was a kid who said there is a street drummer in new york too.
i plan to do the same thing again sometime, with a video camera strapped to the rack, and with stereo input.

gab

2006-08-14T16:57:00.000+10:00

here
acoustic ecology
i know that the heaters at work make a sound. people have told me they do. so when i see the heat waves rising off them i know they're making a sound.
similarly with a dripping tap. people tell me that a tripping tap is annoying, but i can't hear it.
i hate the sound of a tram turning a corner.

hearing

2006-08-13T20:19:00.000+10:00

thoughts

2006-08-12T22:40:00.000+10:00

Today I thought a lot about silence. And what it means to be silent and to have silence. In my experience, i think of a beat in theatre. It’s a pause placed somewhere in the script to give meaning to the words around it. Its as though by pausing at this point you’re saying something, or letting something sink in. I thought about this spatially, as an idea emanating from the person taking the beat like a wave of realisation expanding from their mouth, trailing the sound of the message.

I also talked to a friend of mine who is partially deaf. Potential complete silence! How do you describe sound to someone who knows only silence? Surely we can talk about it scientifically, and reason why someone cannot hear. But how does someone who doesn’t know sound think of sound in a city? I know that this is a primitive and patronising way to think of sound and people who are deaf - but i don;t know how it feels to be deaf.
My friend thought that there must be a way to transfer sound into something that deaf people can ‘hear’. She talked about transferring the meaning of something (a physical apple) into a description(saying an apple), and communicating this spatially through sign language. Would there be a way to communicate this apple spatially through another avenue?

I think I’d like to take the sounds of the city and transform them into something which is silent, but communicates sound.

sound art
speech database

2006-08-11T18:12:00.000+10:00

One day in class the boy heard something he had never hear before. It was as if the building was groaning, moaning under some immense pain. It was a sound he could have made only if he’d been breathing in. it could be a ship creaking underwater. He glanced around at the faces of his friends, but they registered nothing. Now it was as if he was listening to only this sound and silence, everything else was absorbed by it.
Pulling his chair from underneath him, he stood up slowly, and walked to the door, opened it and left the room.
In the corridor, the sound was thicker, and oozed through the cracks above the walls like honey. That’s where it was coming from! Above the walls, cracks dividing the wall plaster and the ceiling, and it was gettgin stronger. Excited he ran down the corridor where it was draftier still. And there in the wall was a door he;d never seen before.
Checking over his shoulder to scan the empty corridor, he turned the handle to find it unlocked, and on the other side a brisk breeze. He stepped out into the space. Here he couldn’t believe what he could see. Through his building, in his city, there was a giant hole thrown through the middle of all that concrete, barged through, like a bulldozer of air. It was clean and fell away at both sides, and in the distance he could see the buildings. The air rushed past, as it would around the buildings, and vibrated in the cavern.
Something was different. On one side it was still day, as he’d left the building before. The clouds hid the sun, and a flock of birds flew past his cavern. But on the other side it was night. The city suddenly still, lit from its windows, instead of the other way around.
Suddenly he felt a chill, brought on by the air and sound enveloping him, rushing one side to the other, like time.

from the boslers house

2006-08-07T21:20:00.000+10:00

in class

2006-08-07T21:05:00.000+10:00

silnce walk

2006-08-07T17:32:00.000+10:00

a while since last time

2006-08-07T15:39:00.000+10:00

well, its been a while since i've typed anythign of significance here. so whats happened?
I'm back in sunny/rainy/blowy/snowy melbourne and having a ball... when i have time. i was suprised to find i have 2 days off from uni during the week, and thank god, cos i'm needing it.
firstly, uni.
studio is confusing and light on. its quite conceptual at the moment - relating to sound, pauses and how they effect us. Its basically answering a commission by the city of melbourne to research sound in melbourne city. i think we might be heading towards some sort of installation. its interesting though, and i'm discovering more about hearing/listening.
studies is hard on with soumitri leading the charge. i've been with a group out to naomi's house to check out their consumption. we found interesting parts of their ownership of items, but not so much their purchasing, as they haven't much room to purchase for!
tech is interesting, with saera and daymith (two ethnics and a white boy). we're designing an interactive kiosk for australia post. is coming along well, but will be a lot of work in the next 4 weeks.
college
lots of fun to be had. lots of time spent. hectic.
cloudstreet, our play this semester is in production and on in 4 weeks. i have to learn my lines, and am also assistant directing. hectic is the right word.
i'm also heading over to tasmania in the september break to walk the overland. yum

http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/brian_eno/oblique/oblique.html
http://sketchup.google.com/
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/cat_design.php

2006-08-02T21:02:00.000+10:00

2006-08-02T20:49:00.001+10:00

2006-08-02T20:49:00.000+10:00

giving up

2006-08-01T15:31:00.000+10:00

This class is not about the impact we have on the world by giving up something. Perhaps if Melbourne became vegetarian or ceased to drive then something dramatic would result. The real aim here is to teach us what we are capable of giving up. In doing so, we realise how much more aware we are of our ecological situation and how destructive our consumptive nature is. Giving up something does not have the aim to make us miserable, but to make us free from wanting something we do not need.

I intend to give up:
1. All transport aside from bike and public transport. This will have more of an effect than you may think. I intend to travel to 21st celebrations around Victoria this semester so this will mean taking a train to the closest station and riding to the town or farm. I also originate from Canberra, so to get home I’ll need to ride – something I intend to do at the end of the semester. Until then I’ll stick with my bike. This sacrifice will limit my carbon footprint, emissions and make me fit.
2. Modern Pharmaceuticals (except in extreme cases). Dependence on pharmaceutical companies increases already large revenues, forcing out competition and market share. This can lead to exploitation of wider fields, natural and human resources (Ray Moynihan, Alan Cassels: Selling sickness: How the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies are turning us all into patients". Nation Books, New York, 2005) I will endeavor to use natural therapies by local doctors when I have to.
3. Television. The most evil of all medias does not itself consume more than energy, but propagates commercialism and consumption.
4. All clothing purchases. Like others in the class, I sometimes have things on my mind I want to buy, not because I need them, but because I want them. NO more.

You can follow my progress on lagomdesign.blogspot.com

mojito

2006-07-21T07:52:00.000+10:00

2 sprigs of mint
1 tea sugar
45ml lime juice
ice
60ml rum
soda

bike tours

2006-07-20T08:57:00.000+10:00

wandering over 25 days
driving mel to syd
audax reports

pissed off

2006-07-19T18:21:00.000+10:00

so, what?
we get an email for technology and electives, with no mention of who these subjects are relevant for. this was days in advance of the balloting time.
but then we get an email about the upper pool studio (which consists of half of the course, or should do when concerned with the credit points) and we get one days notice about the presentations and then another days to ballot! hard luck for anyone who doesnt check their emails for 2 days or doesnt exist for the 18th, and is in transit for the most of the 17th and 19th.
i hate to think i need to be spoonfed, but itd be great to get a bit more notice, and at the top of each email to be notified who the actual email is directed at! i think its assumed that we know when we do each part of the course-i now know we do electives in 3rd and 4th! would ahve been some help to have it mentioned at the top of the email. or maybe the emails could be sent out to those who it is relevant for.
sorry for the rant, just pissed off i missed the deadline and may get a studio im not happy with. whinge whinge whinge.

isla mujeres photos

2006-07-14T11:08:00.000+10:00

a towel in the shape of a swan! this was one of the main reasons we moved into this plusher hotel. a swan towel. dan and i quickly worked out how to 'roll', 'fold' and 'squash' (all trade terms that i dont expect you to understand) the 'towel'. we plan to travel the world, feeding the demand for experienced towel folders throughout the world. contact our agent if you're intereseted.
the beautiful sundet on the evening we arrived
after a night swim and a fair bit of ron, we baywatched it away in the tower on the beach (l to r, ben, kati, magda, dan the musche chief)
cop kraut cop kraut yeh! in my hammock on the beach in tulum.

isla mujeres

2006-07-14T10:46:00.000+10:00

theres not much to tell! dan and i arrived at isla mujeres with kati and magda *germans*, at about 5, they checked into their hotel, and we into our hostel, poc na. they had lostour reservation and so pointed us to their only free room, a private with a tiny double bed. woohoo. the room was more like a cell though, with no power points, and the windows strangely high, and a concrete floor. we partied with a bottle of our new friend ron that evening and then went for a swim at the beach, a theme to be repeated in coming nights. for the next few days we tended to wake up about 9 spend a few hours at the beach, until it got too hot to handle at about 11 or 12. we had a siesta, more beach from 330 till 6 then dinner, drinks, swim and sleep. an easy life to say the least. dan and i moved into the same hotel as them for a bit of luxury (shower!). dan had his last night party which was a little tame after the previous nights rowdy efforts. we managed a swim before saluting dan off on his voyage to canada (not in the little boat). i spent the next few days with the germans, and then when they left, hung around the hostel as the weather got hotter, talking to teh plethora of israeilis, and the cool new yorkers about the annoying texan. also spent some time with sally and ellie, who we met in tulum. however they left me just a couple of hours ago for cuba. so now it is me, checking up on reality through email, organising more trips, dreaming about places to escape to, just as i'm on my way back to normality. not that i'm dreading it, nothing like it. i'm looking forward to seeing friends and family, listening to mum and dads stories from overseas, and leahs sydney adventures. i want to know how the third north trip to qld went. i want to get back into uni after just having balloted for some amazing subjects. in a way its nice that everyone i had got to knwo well *dan, teh germans, the brits( have all left before me, so that theres really not that much to say goodbye too. it gets to me that people say that they are giving up their freedom by going home. i guess i'm lucky that i haev a lot to look forward to! so i guess this is the last chapter of the mexico travels. but i will endevour to post photos to match the stories on my return. safe travels to all those who have moved on, and to the people in oz, see you soon!

caye caulker

2006-07-08T12:00:00.000+10:00

been spending a few nights on the lovely island or cay caulker in belize. belize is a lovely happy place and the cay was no exception. there are so many garifuna-rasta guys and gals and they always have big smiles on their faces. i thought of you, leah, for some reason, because i thought they´d make you giggle. we stayed in tinas hostel for the first night, which has a great atmostphere, and we sat drinking delicious belikin stouts and rum and cokes with the resst of the tinas contigent, on the front deck overlooking the water.
the beach was not actually that good, but there is snorkelling, so we headed out the next day for some fish spotting. the coral wasnt too great but we saw sharks, petted stingrays and barracuda.

that couldve easily been me or dan braving it steve irwin style against the nurse sharks (dont scoff! dan knows some real nasty nurses!)
more germans! (l to r, dan, ben, katrina, sabina) on the boat from rio dulce to livinston, man.
i met this hippy guy aling the way. he knew what it was like to be a whale and to be hunted for your meat. he used to be one. now he travels the globe, lonely, but strangely at the same time, content within his own chi. he wears natural fibres, is vegan and stares off into the distance for long periods of time. he prefers psychadellic drugs to truly expand his mind and examine his consciousness. he asked any hairy armpitted girls to contact him for some tantric, through me. he is the true hippie. and not the money grubbing sort.this guy isnt a hippie, hes just pretending.
the crowd at tinas.

the second and third nights we again had some barbecued belizian specialities and drunk with the tinas crew, even though we´d moved south for some cabana action, cheaper,a nd more private. the rest of the time passed slowly, with hot days spent reading and nights having a few drinks ont he waterfront.
headed off this morning and ended up in tulum, a divey town, but with a lovely beach downt he road, and ruins on a clifftop over the ocean.

2006-07-04T06:16:00.000+10:00

playing hacky saqc with ben and toby, english lads, on top of a 2000 yr old pyramid. classy

temple 6 i think, at tikal, lovely.
living dangerously
swimming was awesome at mizansul
eating coconuts (lime in de coconut) at siete alteres outside of livingston. we braved the 7 km walk down to the track, then missed the track, wanderred through the mangroves around the headland (in waist deep croc infested water) to the entrance. was beautiful...

mizan-sul

2006-07-04T06:12:00.000+10:00

dan and i at the waterfalls, which we swum in

pics

2006-07-04T05:32:00.000+10:00

the feast! for about 15 of us at puerto escondido we headed down to the markets and picked up heaps of vegies for salad and cooking, kebabs, snags (like chorizo), mince for hamburgers, marshmellows, and a whole fish which dan and i specially spiced up. fantastic food! oh, and how could forget the egg salad and rummy watermelon!
another party. following the loss of the mexico from teh world cup after defeat by the dirty argentinians we took solace in generous litre beers and cigars donated by our new american friend. stayed there for about 3 hours just chatting, smoking and drinking (and eating complemeantry nuts) then diverted home past a mezval shop where we met gabi and ana, mexican girls who took us out for the day the next day, to the lookout, icecream, a couple fo shops and a small tour ofthe town. improving dans spanish!
me on one of the beaches (carazillo?) in puerto. lovely water though a little dirty. i dont know whats goign on with the dragon claw there. rarrr.
oh, and my new hat, which has lost its touristy look along with the majority of its ergonomics and shape.

alive

2006-07-03T03:27:00.000+10:00

well, in livingston in guatemala, kinda rasta community, will write more from cheaper internet. heading to a waterfll for a swim this arvo.

check it

2006-06-30T07:42:00.000+10:00

check the danmeisters blog.
in the links bar
or here

up to date

2006-06-30T07:34:00.000+10:00

Yo all!
Long time no write! We´ve made tracks since last journal entry. I think I was in Oaxaca last time, am now in…Guatemala! Yeh, sweet as, huh? We found both Oaxaca and san cristobal quite nice, but kind of bland in their own way. I think people who stay in san cristobal find the atmostphere really relaxing, but we found it quite a slow town which had exploited its past as a Zapatista stronghold. There were touristy areas, and a few hassling people trying to sell stuff. I guess it’s a nice town, but again I much prefer the rambling streets of san Miguel,a nd particularly guanajuato. The hostel (backpackers) was quite ncie, and they have nightly campfires but it was raining at the time, so no fire. We left quite early the next morning (after an awesome dinner) and I was unlucky to share the bed with some bed bugs (which I must have been allergic to, they´ve come up a treat!). anyway, we headed on to palenque, a ancient mayan site. We visited a couple of waterfalls , agua azul, which is usually bright blue, but was briwn when we were there due to the rain the night before. Also mizan sul (sorry about the spelling) where predator, the Hollywood blockbuster was set. Mizan sul was nice, and it was so hot that we went behind the waterfall for a freezing windy shower, and then down into the pool for a raging dip. Was fun and exciting. Our tour driver was so sarcastic and depressing, he was so anti fun and suggested that we didn’t swim.
Palenque is a beautiful mayan temple and pyramid site surrounded by jungle. We declined information from the guides and headed on through, exploring and thinking about the people that lived there, 2000-1500 years before. Some of it was fantastically ornate, and there were parts where you could walk inside the temples in underground passages. The setting was lovely too, and the views fromt eh 60m high pyramids were incredible (especially of the other pyramids). Howler monkeys were around the sire as well – they make a kind of guttural groaning sound which is quite loud. It sounded spooky, I think especially as they used their call as the sounds made by the dinosaurs in Jurassic park. So we kept thinking there were dinosaurs around. Or dr Hammond – just as scary.
We stayed in el panchan, a small series of cabañas set along a river. We had dinner at the cheaper joint and then had a few beers over at the other one. Towards the end of our conversations with a british couple we´d em in san cristobal, a mexiican band entered the small stage and played some awesome live traditional music. Then the hippie fire twirlers entered and gave us an awesome poi show. Great to see. We also had a dance with some Mexican medicine students who could all speak English and taught us some Spanish.
My Spanish is slowly coming along, dans is quite good (though hes never had proper lessons), and so I largely rely on him rather than learning new phrases. I think my grammar must be terrible.
We headed off to tikal yesterday morning with the briitish couple. There was a 2 hour bus trip to a river then a 30 min boat to a guatemalen river port (a small shack) and then another 4 hours downt eh road to flores – gateway to tikal. I spent the first bus chatting with a American teacher about world policies and surprised myself how little I know about us internal politics,a nd Australian politics as well, I guess. The boat was very pleasant, with jungle on each side – I still reckon boat and train are my 2 favourite methods of transportation, with busses coming a distant last. Especially on these guatemalen roads. They are a severe step down from mexico, with dirt and huge potholes. I don’t really mind, its just interesting to note the sudden difference. We arrived in flores and transferred to yet another bus to tikal, where we would spend the night. Met a couple fo british brothers (ben y toby) who we got on splendidly with and ended up visiting the ruins with that afternoon, shorltly after bagsing a couple of hammocks. Tikal is meant to be mindblowing. We were not disspointed. One fo the tour guys saud it was likened to new york because it has lots of tall buildings (I guess that’s the only similarity? Other than the number of landaus in them at the same trime). It is much more spectacular than palenque, with really tall, intact temples rising out over the canopy of the dense rainforest. From the top of the one we stayed on for an hour or 2 (mundo perdido) we could see spidermonkeys and toucans. Yeh toucans . that made me so happy.
We got kicked out at 7 pm, witht eh sun still not set, as the park was closing. We headed over for some chicken and rice (allegedly staple in guat according to the brits) and it was delicious. I don’t think i´ve seen a portion of meat that large since we hit some roadkill. It was like a breast and a wing but yeh – brilliant.
The next morning at 430 am we rose for a sunrise tour. Costs $15 aussie but worth it with guide luis. We trekked through the dark jungle seeing scorpions and toads, then climbed temple 4 to look out over the rest of the ruins with the mist fading away as the sun rose. Spectacular. As it got lighter, the birds chirped up and woke the other animals, including the mighty howler monkeys which boomed an impressive voice over tikal (which means the place of echoes – hence louder monkeys). It sounded like there were about 10 male howlers, but there were only 2, alledgely, according to luis.
The rest of the morning was spent jetting around the rest of the sight learning about the customs, the reasons the different `pyramids were built, the restorations, the fauna the flora, everything. We saw more toucans, crocs, turtles, heaps of birds , toucans, toucanettes (little toucans!) and more scorpions. Awesome. We got back for 10 am, for a well deserved brekky before shower. We intended to walk back into the park, but it takes 20 mins to walk there, so we figured it wasn’t worth it. So we sat in the sun, wrote postcards and had a specially prepared Yorkshire brew. Ben y toby headed off for a canopy tour on zip lines.
We hopped on the bus back to flores where I am now. On the bus we met some American girls who are fairly well traveled, and on holidays from teaching in LA: we had lunch with them (chicken and rice). Ti more expensive here than mexico. About $5 aussie for chicken and rice, and about $2.5 for a beer. Accommodation is cheaper though, and transportation will be too. Our bus tonight is to rio dulce, a town on the river which is at the start of a canyon to Livingston, a rasta town on the coast accessible only by boat. Nice, boats. So feeling a little weary after four 6am or earlier starts, but may sleep in a little tomorrow for the germany game at 10 am.
From Livingston, we will likely head up through belize tot eh Yucatan.
2.5 weeks to go.
xo

yeh!

2006-06-24T13:46:00.000+10:00

cheers brandon

puerto on to oaxaca

2006-06-24T13:19:00.000+10:00

moved on to puerto escondido from acapulco. it was a lot smaller than i anticipated. its a surfers haven with huge waves on the large beach, and then smaller waves on a few smaller onesa around the headland. a bit further down the coast, the rip curl championships were on, but i didnt manage to get don there. our entertainment consisted of loungind around during the very hot days and going to the beach in the afternoon when it started to get cooler. the beach was lovely and enclosed, with a boog break for surfers, but mostly we just sat around adn read or kicked a ball around or chatted. it was very relaxing. i tended to cook for myself, which was really nice for a change, because i could get some nutricious ungreasy food which was gentle on my belly. it was cheaper too, as the restaurants in teh area were quite overpriced.
last night we headed to the mercado and picked up meat, fish and vegies for a gigantic feast for 10 people. it was so much fun chopping everything up and cooking it all together while having a beer and then watermelon afterwards. it was all very civilised and so relaxing in the reletive cool of the night. we went out for a few drinks later on, and danced till about 430, before diverting past he beach for a sunrise swim till about 6. it was so pleasant out. i think the best night in mexico so far.
headed up to oaxaca today. probably could have stayed a few more days in puerto, but its also nice to move on. oaxaca in a colonial crafty town, but not as inviting as guanajuato or san miguel )its also a lot larger). might stay here tonight and tomorrow and then head on the night bus to san cristobal high up in the mountiains where its meant to be quite cold. i tell you, oaxaca{s reletivly cool at about 22 degreas compared to maybe 30 and so humid down in puerto.
feelign sleepy now, i think i might retire to our lightless room for a snooze.