Just Kids

I've just finished reading Patti Smith’s Just Kids. Again. And like the first time, I devoured it.

It’s not simply that I’m a fan of both Patti Smith’s and Robert Mapplethorpe’s work. That’s why I bought it in the first place. What’s so incredible about it, is how it delves into their relationship and reveals how entwined their lives became, as lovers, friends, artists and each other’s muse; how influential they were in their support, respect and devotion to each other’s work.

It’s a truly beautiful memoir.

I was also riveted by the particular time in New York that Patti speaks about. 1970s NY was a hub for artists, musicians, writers and performers. And the fact that Patti and Robert lived in the Chelsea Hotel, where the famous, infamous and anonymous passed through, partied, and cohabited. 

It’s not often you get such an intimate insight into an artist’s life or way of working. I was especially fascinated with Patti's insight into Robert's art for this reason. Having studied Mapplethorpe’s work at uni and seen his photographs in various galleries, after reading Just Kids I felt like previously I’d been looking and absorbing his work through a telescope—always at a distance, despite the apparatus giving some focus. I’d studied Mapplethorpe’s work through “issues” such as sexuality, pornography, censorship and the photographic medium. Suddenly, I had this intimate, multi-dimensional view of Robert Mapplethorpe the individual through Patti Smith’s eyes. And it spoke more about what influenced, shaped and drove him as an artist to create his work than anything I’d read before. 

When Robert passed away, Patti wrote a smaller work called, The Coral Sea. The poetic lyricism of this work reads like an exquisite elegy. At the beginning of this slim volume, she directs her words to the reader:

“When he passed away I could not weep so I wrote. Then I took the pages and set them away. Here are those pages, my farewell to my friend, my adventure, my unfettered joy.”

If anyone wants to appreciate Robert Mapplethorpe's and Patti Smith's work, I’d say go and find the real thing to look at and listen to, and read “Just Kids”. It’s a pretty good place to start.

Sean Yoro/Hula

A love of water and painting. O'ahu born Sean Yoro (aka Hula)—surfer, artist and tattooist— takes his work to the “street”, painting on a paddle board, with hypnotic results.

Check out his work on IG—@the_hula.

Box of Wonders

Artwork: Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Medici Princess), c.1948, Private Collection, New York

Joseph Cornell’s boxes seem to set writers' imaginations on fire. 

Ever since I saw Cornell’s Untitled (Medici Princess) (c.1948), I’ve been similarly intrigued. From his process of finding and filing objects, through to the assemblage of the final art object, his art is wondrous.

That idea of wonder is most often associated with children. It’s no coincidence that Cornell used to loan these box/artworks to neighbouring kids, and that his last museum exhibition in 1972 was curated especially for children. Cornell would often “gift” his boxes, which indicates how he considered these boxes as a part of life, not necessarily objects to be sequestered away in museums and in collectors’ homes.

In many ways, the seemingly random connections between objects in his assemblages (or perhaps it is only Cornell who could truly divine the connection between items in his boxes), inspires a sense of wanting to know; of wanting to figure out the relationships, or simply, to allow the imagination to drift, fathom, meander and leap to find meaning in Cornell’s work.

They are magical in that way of the ordinary and the strange weaving into our lives to be transformed by how we choose to experience them.

In an earlier post on Louise Bourgeois I spoke of how I began writing Art Stories. It was the art historian, Paul Barolsky, who first provided a context for my own art writing with his essay on the imaginative literary tradition of writing about art, ‘Writing Art History’ (Art Bulletin, September 1996, vol. LXXVIII, no.3). In this essay Barolsky also discussed a marvellous book on Cornell’s boxes, the poet Charles Simic’s Dime-Store Alchemy.

Simic combines original poems, stories, observations, as well as journal entries and notes made by Cornell, creating a body of work similar to Cornell’s; a mirroring of the creative process as a way to enter into and re-imagine Cornell’s art. This was one of those books that was a revelation for me, not only in the deep understanding Simic had of Cornell’s work, but in the way he chose to engage with Cornell through writing.

Here is an excerpt from Simic's Dime Store-Alchemy:

The Truth of Poetry

A toy is a trap for dreamers. The true toy is a poetic object.

There's an early sculpture of Giacometti's called The Palace at 4 A.M. (1932). It consists of no more than a few sticks assembled into a spare scaffolding, which the mysterious title makes haunting and unforgettable. Giacometti said that it was a dream house for him and the woman with whom he was in love.

These are dreams that a child would know, Dreams in which objects are renamed and invested with imaginary lives. A pebble becomes a human being. Two sticks leaning against each other make a house. In that world one plays the game of being someone else.

This is what Cornell is after, too. How to construct a vehicle of reverie, an object that would enrich the imagination of the viewer and keep him company forever. 

Such writing goes beyond simple “appreciation” to become a creative and imaginative engagement with the artwork; its inspirations, challenges, meanings and ultimately, how the artwork has a life through the efforts to unravel its mysteries by the audience. 

small stories: flaked cinders

Image: photography by Rinko Kawauchi from Halo series, 2017

Words

flaked cinders,

fall

from a sky

of ash,

a black rain.

The books

are burning,

and voices

smoke

their release

into air and flame,

all smouldering

sparks

lost,

in flight.

© Angela Jooste

Chris Burden 'Shoot'

American artist Chris Burden has passed away. When I read about this, I immediately thought of the one performance piece that stood out for me while learning about performance art, and probably for many others who are familiar with his work. Burden's 1971 performance, Shoot.

It's noted as one of the most extreme and notorious performance art pieces of the 70s. And it's right up there with works from this period such as Bas Jan Ader's three-part performance/action, In Search of the Miraculous, where Ader set sail in 1975 on a solo voyage across the Atlantic only to disappear, his body never recovered; or Marina Abramovic's six hour feat, Rhythm 0 (1974), where the artist invited her audience to treat her body as an object, giving them carte blanche to do whatever they wanted utilising 72 objects, one of which was a gun. Then there's Vito Acconci's, Seedbed (1971), where gallery visitors were met with a blank room, unaware that Acconci was underneath a ledge masturbating while narrating his sexual fantasies about the audience for them to hear.       

Burden's Shoot involved getting a friend to shoot him in the arm with a 22 long rifle. The intention was to graze, not penetrate his arm.

Burden says of the act: “In this instant I was a sculpture.”   

BRMC 33.3%

Can't wait for this! Black Rebel Motorcycle Club doco by Yana Amur, '33.3%'.

Check out the promo trailer:

drone drawing

This takes street art to another dimension. Katsu's Drone Drawing (2015), New York. 

A Yoshitomo Nara Day

Can't find the words today...

wolves

Wolves down Greville Street, Saturday afternoon...

Tyler Wright

Photo source: Rip Curl

I discovered these awesome quotes from Australian surfer Tyler Wright. Her words give an insight into her passion for surfing, the state of women's professional surfing, and who Tyler is as an individual. Finding this was a case of serendipity. I recently saw a magazine with Tyler on the front cover which piqued my interest, as features on women surfers are rare. So, I went searching and found this... 

On coming second in the World Title race last year:

“…this will probably sound bad but I felt amazing! I was like, ‘This is messed up! I’m not meant to be here.’ No way did I feel like I lost at all. But I always tend to look at things that way. What I did last year was really cool. I learned a lot and this year I feel like I’ve been learning more too.

On knowing who she is:

“I realised a couple of years ago that if I’m going to do this, then I’m going to do it my way. I want to have fun and be myself. If you try to be something you’re not you’ll always be under pressure. You’ll begin to question yourself, ‘Am I doing this right? Am I doing the right thing?’ It creates doubt. But if you do things in your own way, you can stuff up and it’s not the end of the world because you stuffed up on your own terms.”

On being looked up to by young women:

“The people I look up to are the people who love what they do and love being themselves. It’d be an honour to be looked at like that.”

On the state of Women’s surfing:

“When I was a kid there was Splash Magazine which was a girl surf mag liftout from one of the other surf mags that came out once a year. That was the only surf magazine dedicated to women’s surfing and it lasted four issues. It hasn’t gotten the coverage that it could have but all things progress. Women’s surfing has progressed, we have a legitimate Women’s World tour at challenging breaks and fantastic webcasts that showcase our surfing to the world. Most girls are pushing the limits. Fiji was inspirational. It keeps moving forward.” 

On the Women’s tour being labelled hotter than ever:

“It cheapens the performance. It degrades our sport. It degrades everyone who has worked their arses off to be in the top 17. To say the girls on tour now are super hot, well yeah, we are beautiful and all women are beautiful, but we are athletes and I’d much rather be acknowledged as a fantastic athlete than someone who looks a certain way.”

...and:

“A lot of people are beautiful whether they’re considered hot or not and I don’t find it just degrading to women, I find it degrading on a basic human level to be defined by one thing, especially when it’s as shallow as how you look.”

Quotes from an interview with Vaughan Blakey Surfing World Magazine (issue 355, 2014) and featured on the Coastalwatch website.

Small Stakes - Jason Munn's music posters

Having worked on a number of contemporary music exhibitions, I became a fan of the music poster. It’s one of the few objects that can contribute to telling a story about the band, the gigs and the music they’re playing.

So, when I came across Jason Munn’s posters for indie-rock bands, I was excited. His work is beautiful. He began by designing and screen-printing his own posters for bands he knew, but since his work has expanded, he now collaborates to get his posters made.

It’s the simplicity and poetic quality to the designs that pulled me in. Like a good fan, I went out and bought his book, The Small Stakes: Music Posters (chronicle books) and I check out his website regularly (jasonmunn.com), because yes, you can purchase his posters and for a very reasonable price!

On the design process, Munn says: “My work has gone through a few phases. A lot of my early poster designs were collage based, combing various found imagery to communicate ideas. I would also occasionally reinterpret or reference ephemeral images, like an old record cover or advertisement that inspired me. Manipulating and changing familiar and found imagery was definitely part of my growth as a designer. My designs in general have gotten simpler over the years, but I think stronger.” 

Inspired by the bands and his passion for music and design, Munn creates posters that have an almost timeless quality. Here are a few posters of some of my fave bands/artists:

Joseph Albers and Vegemite!

I'm a big advocate for the National Gallery of Victoria developing more projects for kids. So I was really happy to see the interactive exhibition, Express Yourself: Romance was Born for Kids (on until April 2015), developed by fashion designers Romance Was Born. The exhibition is a multimedia environment exploring fashion and creativity for kids, and features work from the NGV collection, displayed with everyday objects from the designers' childhoods. And it's colour coded! 

I had a giggle when I saw this particular installation: Joseph Alber's painting, Homage to a Square, surrounded by jars of Vegemite! I will never be able to look at this painting against a blank, white wall again. 

small stories: to be

to be

light as

air

feather

dust

seed

spore

leaf

grain

splinter

flake

husk

wing

breath

© Angela Jooste

LitPick interview!

I was very excited to be asked to do a short interview with LitPick in the US—and here is the link (LitPick Interview)!

A big thank you to Tynea and Gincy and Team LitPick for asking me to feature on their author page. It was lots of fun. 

For anyone interested in YA books, check out the wonderful LitPick website (link).

Live Like Jay

I love the sea and yeah—I’m dreaming about it and wishing myself away from the city—not the tame Port Phillip Bay beach near where I live, but something wilder and a bit more remote.

It’s beach weather in this part of the world so it seems like the perfect time to write a post about surfing and a pretty special guy called Jay Moriarty.

Jay was a passionate surfer and a beautiful spirit. He died when he was just 22 years old. Not surfing, but free diving in the Maldives.

Jay was a Maverick’s surfer. His early life was dramatised in the film, Chasing Mavericks (2012). The film focused on his mentor relationship with Frosty Hesson (played by Gerard Butler) and his bid at 15 to surf that hideously gnarly wave, Maverick’s in California.

So, what does “Live Like Jay” mean? The slogan came after his death and means different things to different people. 

16mm film Cokes break , Maldives : charliekinross@gmail.com www.charliekinrosscameraman.com A tribute to Jay Moriarity. Other footage from other cameramen and locations including Mavericks in California also .

Jay’s wife, Kim Moriarty who set up a foundation in Jay’s memory (http://www.jaymoriarityfoundation.org), says this:

“People will forget what you say and do, but they will never forget how you made them feel. Jay touched so many people and he tried to leave everywhere he went just a little bit better. When people were around him, they felt the love and sincerity. Jay used to love to look for the gnarliest looking person he could find, make eye contact with them and smile. He came from a place of love in his heart and would use it to break down barriers with other people. ‘Live Like Jay’ doesn’t mean you have to be a tough, big-wave surfer. Jay knew that, even for him, that would eventually end. It means find out what you’re here for and follow it. Be true to yourself and treat others well.” 

(source: http://www.surfermag.com/features/live-like-jay/)

Yarn bombing!

Walking down Swanston Street to meet a friend and yo!—some yarn bombers had got warm and fuzzy with the trees...

Chasing Light: available at Amazon!

Well, there was a delay due to techie issues in getting the Amazon release of Chasing Light—but finally—it's out there!

Many, many thanks to the very talented designer Vicky Tu of Two Feathers (vicky@twofeathers.com.au) for the cover—it was great working with her to make it happen. 

So—if you're interested in contemporary stories about relationships, family, friendship, love, loss, figuring stuff out, surfing, street art, art...this might be the book for you!

Check out the Chasing Light page on this website for an extended blurb etc. It is a Young Adult book and only available as an ebook from the following outlets:

Amazon/ iBooks

Enjoy!!

And feel free to post a review and share it with someone who might also like this story. 

Do what you love

Do what you love.

Easier to say than do! Finding something you're passionate about and then making the effort to do it takes guts, determination and hard work.

If you've ever wondered what you might love to do and how to go about doing it, check out this great article by Paul Graham, How to do what you love (web article). Here's an excerpt:

"To do something well you have to like it. That idea is not exactly novel. We've got it down to four words: ‘Do what you love.’ But it's not enough just to tell people that. Doing what you love is complicated."

For some, the commitment to follow their passion comes with its own problems. Perhaps what you love doing morphs into work—a job—and the everyday stuff that a job entails, such as business dealings, deadlines, money commitments and the pressure to keep a certain standard. Losing that spark that fires you to keep making work is a real possibility. 

And then there's success. Yes, this can be an issue! Writer Elizabeth Gilbert talks humorously about how the success of her Eat, Pray, Love became a challenge to doing further work, and led her on a journey to find her muse. Check out her TED talk on “creative genius” here. 

The flip side of success is failure. For J. K. Rowling, failure became the motivator to follow her love of writing and to create Harry Potter. In her wonderful commencement speech to Harvard graduates (and yes, there is a whiff of irony here, discussing failure to graduates from one of the most elite universities in the US!), she speaks of personal failures, life experience and how hitting a low point all became fuel to pursue her passion. 

Do what you love. 

It might not be straightforward or easy, but you'll never know where the ride will take you until you try.

Ariadne the storyteller

Image: Ariadne in the film, Inception

Okay. Time to get lost.

My friend Han returned my copy of the film Inception some time ago, and she’d stuck a yellow sticky note on it with a thought bubble: “I still don’t get this???”

Aside from laughing at the comment, it got me thinking so I watched it again, and whoa—it’s a trippy film, but what struck me was, at it’s heart it says a lot about storytelling.

And that storytelling is a lot like constructing, journeying and getting lost in a labyrinth.

A couple of other incidents lined up to make this observation seem even more plausible. I was at lunch with a friend and she’d read a manuscript of mine and made the comment that she’d got sucked into the story and it was similar to getting lost in a labyrinth. 

As for number three (and perhaps there are no coincidences here...), I found this gorgeous exhibition catalogue on contemporary tapestry and weaving The Fabric of Myth at Compton Verney in Warwickshire, United Kingdom (2008). In the catalogue essay Ariadne is interpreted as a storyteller:

Image: Ariadne, 5th century AD, woollen tapestry from Egypt

“In cloth-making or storytelling, one begins with a thread. One thread, one thought. The legendary figure of the storyteller begins with Ariadne, the jilted lover of Theseus who went on to marry the god Dionysus […] Ariadne’s thread represents a story’s narrative, for it is the storyteller who creates a labyrinth of thought, leading her listener into another world…”  

I love the myth of Ariadne and the labyrinth, so all these connections set my mind spinning. Christopher Nolan (director of Inception) has the character Ariadne as the builder of the dream/labyrinths (in the ancient myth it’s Daedelus), but also the one who leads Cobb down into his deepest subconscious, to face his demons. In the myth, Ariadne offered Theseus the thread to help him find his way into and out of the labyrinth, but ultimately, to face the Minotaur. There are wonderful parallels here.

The Swiss psychoanalyst, Carl Jung, likened the journey of individuation of having to go deep within oneself to unravel one’s own psyche (soul) in order to transform, to become more conscious, as being akin to journeying into a labyrinth. Leonardo da Vinci constructed a model labyrinth, where at the centre, was a hexagonal room made of mirrors. At the centre, you have to confront yourself.

Similarly, to free himself in Inception, Cobb must go down (effectively into limbo, and again, Jung refers to the labyrinth as a symbol for the underworld), to face his wife/conscience (sorry— spoiler!) to accept his part in her death in order to transform and incorporate this experience consciously.

There are so many layers in this film, just like a great story.

But a narrative constructed as a labyrinth—the noun text comes from the Latin texere which means “to weave”. Ariadne had her thread, her clew, to weave through the paths of the labyrinth; to give a sense of connection and direction. In walking, or weaving through the labyrinth, we continually recreate the journey, so that we become co-creators of the labyrinth.

So, there’s all these elements: of text as weaving; of the writer as creating threads/clues for the reader to follow—to get lost in the story, its layers, complexity, another world, its wonder—but to provide a means for the reader to navigate and come through to the end of the story.

And maybe the reader will be transformed. Maybe they’ll have a new perspective or idea about something. Maybe they’ll feel different themselves, or about those around them. Or, maybe simply, they’ll have been entertained for a time, enjoying the escape from their own lives.

But the writer/storyteller as the creator of labyrinths—it’s a beautiful idea.  

No Face

It's crazy with people Christmas shopping in the city—but this fantastic reference to Miyazaki's character 'No Face' in the film Spirited Away caught my eye...(perfect placement near the dumpsters!).