Friends of the Armchair Traveller

The other day my friend DD loaned me a slender book of a mere 84 pages.  Written by  Fiona McLeod and published by Monash University Publishing https://publishing.monash.edu/product/easy-lies-and-influence/?sfw=pass1635117325 This small book gives a most disturbing summary of all the many things which have gone wrong in Australia over the past 20 years, at every level: Federal, State and Local, but particularly focussing on the Federal scene. If you've been wondering about many issues which have arisen in recent years such as the way our Federal Government selected the French contract for our Submarine fleet which was recently aborted at short notice by the person we call our "Prime Minister"... well this horrible grimy little episode of national shame is exceedingly well explained by Ms. McLeod in just a few pages.  If you are concerned about how much abuse of office has been going on in so many instances, from the MacDonald and Obeid infractions in NSW which have ...

Today I received an email from our friend Ian whose work I have posted previously. This time it's a bit different as Ian has had two works selected at Tranås At The Fringe International Arts Festival Hi Peter Last night, did an interview with a big arts and film festival in Sweden about the creative processes involved in making the two videos I have showing there. It might be of interest to you blog? after-image from Ian Gibbins on Vimeo . Here’s a link to the post on my website which in turn has links to the interview, the festival, the fabulous interviewer and curator, and the videos themselves. https://www.iangibbins.com.au/ 2021/10/20/the-life-we-live- and-after-image-at-tranas-at- the-fringe-international-arts- festival/ cheers IAN Ian Gibbins 26 Hawker Avenue, Belair, SA 5052 AUSTRALIA

   From the Smithsonian Magazine  A.I. Digitally Resurrects Trio of Lost Gustav Klimt Paintings Viewers can explore the works, newly restored to lush greens, blues, pinks and golds, through a Google Arts and Culture hub Nora McGreevy Daily Correspondent October 12, 2021 Two of the newly colorized paintings:  Jurisprudence  (left) and  Medicine  (right)  Courtesy Google Arts and Culture Austrian painter  Gustav Klimt  created some of his best-known masterpieces during his so-called  Golden Phase . Spanning the first decade of the 20th century, this period saw the artist produce such works as  The Kiss  (1908) ,  a sensual scene of two lovers embracing in a field of multicolored flowers, and  Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I   (1907) ,  in which an elegant woman in a strikingly geometric dress stands surrounded by a sea of gold. Not all of Klimt’s vibrant paintings survive today. Nazi looting during W...

My friend Diane Charleson sent us two of her recent works: “The way in…” \ and “Dad by Numbers” Dad by Numbers dir Diane Charleson  from  Diane Charleson  on  Vimeo . I just found out that " Dad by Numbers" has been selected to screen here and was also screened at REELPOETRY/Houston earlier this year. The film has also been featured on the Liberated Words website  https://liberatedwords.com/2021/08/02/family-history-project/ Diane has worked with Carolyn Masel on both projects. Diane is the filmmaker and Carolyn the poet. Here are some process reflection notes which Diane has written for the Liberated Words site at the invitation of the creator Sarah Tremlet: “Dad by Numbers” : Process notes “ Dad by Numbers” is my first poetry film but certainly not my first film. I have been making films, or teaching about filmmaking, since university days. I first began making films at film school in Melbourne, Australia. This particular school was oriented to experimenta...

The real story on the making of  AMA On May 28 this year, I posted a blog on AMA , the underwater breathhold ballet by Julie Gautier. At that time I wrote: "What is amazing is that Guillaume Nery was also holding his breath while shooting this." I was under the strongest impression that the underwater films by Guillaume Nery and Julie Gautier were filmed by each other while holding their breath. If Guillaume was performing, Julie would be filming and vice versa and both would be holding their breath.  I guess it's what I wanted to believe because it made them into true heroes of underwater filming and to get such exceptional quality while holding one's breath would be just amazing.  I 've since discovered my hypothesis was not true.  These free divers actually have an underwater film crew on Scuba gear to film their exploits. Below is how they made AMA . It clearly shows the camera crew sitting comfortably on the bottom blowing bubbles from tanks and regulators ...

Kim Miles  is known to many of our friends as an independent filmmaker.  She also works with still images. When she sent me these images, Kim told me " I have come 360 degrees on my artistic journey and resumed my exploration of acting and performance. I've included a Covid self portrait I love and am using as one of my acting Headshots." For any of you who may not know Kim here's a link to her work at digitalartbang.com and also her entry in Bill's MIF page: http://www.innersense.com.au/mif/miles.html Thanks for sending Kim, greatly appreciated, pt

Some weeks ago I shared this film from "Aeon/Psyche", or let's say I tried to share it with all our friends. But I could not embed it the way I do with most films I send on to you. It must be limited for embedding by some privacy thing. I asked Richard about this and he suggested I post a simplified or shortened version of the link which would enable friends to access the movie more easily, so here it is: https://psyche.co/films/crowded-spaces-complete-strangers-meditations-on-the-urban-commute Normally I would not go to all this trouble unless I felt the film was really worthwhile. Here's Richard's comment on seeing it: "This is so relatable. I remember many years ago (maybe in the 80s when I used to catch public transport to school every day -- a 1.5hr or more commute each way) thinking about this very thing. This was prior to my filmmaking life. This is exactly the kind of film I would love to have made of this exact thing.  Catherine and Jimmy beat me t...