The theme of the Fringe Festival in Melbourne this year is perfect for my area of research; Everything is Art. I should have timed my visit a bit better to account for this.
The Fringe Festival
gig guide.
1/9/2017 - Friday
I met with Jo and Andrew today and had a practice run of my RPR presentation to get some feedback. It was good to get-together in person, as I haven’t seen them for a while because of being sick. I received valuable advice on re-ordering the slides, removing text from slides that I also speak out loud, and using better images in some instances.
I’ve been put off baking more bread because of my poor previous effort. I have however been buying bread wrapped in paper (with a cellophane window) to cut down on plastic.
There’s much less plastic
when wrapped mostly in
paper
3/3/2017 - Sunday
I worked on editing my PowerPoint slides and what I’m going to say at my RPR on Tuesday
4/9/2017 – Monday
Post-grad week. Completing my RPR presentation (revision and re-ordering and references). Up until 1.00am… I haven’t needed to be up so late working in a while.
Wrapping garbage in newspaper has greatly reduced the amount of rubbish going in the bin.
It’s a long way to the
bottom of the garbage
bin
5/9/2017 - Tuesday
I watched two RPR (Research Proposal Review) presentations before I gave my own presentation today. At the end of the day I received notification that I can proceed with my project. More feedback will be forthcoming in my RPR report.
I invested in a ‘keep cup’
to carry with me.
]
It is unbreakable and has a lid.
6/9/2017 - Wednesday
I attended Post-Grad week events, including watching more RPR presentations and a seminar that resulted in the formation of a TAEM (The Arts, English and Media) reading group, to get multi-perspective comments and act as a support group.
7/9/2017 - Thursday
I prepared for going to Melbourne on Saturday 9/9/2017
8/9/2017 - Friday
I received free tickets to Placebo in Sydney tomorrow night. This will delay leaving for Melbourne.
9/9/2017 – Saturday
I went to Carriageworks in the city in the afternoon to attend a seminar on Post-Feminist Internet Porn before heading out to see Placebo at Olympic Park.
10/9/2017 - Sunday
I have a very sore back from standing at the gig. I was standing down near the front where I had a great view, so in a way it was worth it. I need to delay driving to Melbourne till tomorrow to allow some recovery time.
Standing at Placebo all
night ruined my back
for driving
11/9/2017 – Monday
I drove to Melbourne and stayed at Keith’s. Keith brought out a couple of guitars and we had a music playing night.
12/9/2017 - Tuesday
Drive into the city to stay at Simon’s who’s having a few days off work to be my tourist guide. Spend the afternoon touring round Melbourne on the open top level of a double decker bus. Went to the information centre for some printed material and found out the Fringe Festival starts soon.
The Fringe Festival starts
just before I head back to
Wollongong
13/9/2017 – Wednesday
I went to the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in the afternoon and to a jazz gig at night.
Picasso look-alike selfie
14/9/2017 - Thursday
I went to the Melbourne Museum. My back is extremely sore after yesterday’s and today’s wanderings.
Whale skeleton
15/9/2017 - Friday
Simon went back to work. I wandered the city for a while but rain sent me back to check emails etc. I received my RPR report which gives quite a few suggestions on how to strengthen and more firmly ground my position theoretically. I will need to make a reading list to write annotations from.
16/9/2017 - Saturday
I met Keith at CERES, a community environmental park in the city located at Brunswick. This is a remarkable site of several acres that was established in the 1980s. They have different community areas and do lots of things including bike repair and soap-making workshops. That night we went for dinner at Chris’s place, who is into making as much as he can from scratch. He made many courses to feed the dozen dinner guests in attendance.
CERES Environmental Park, Brunswick, Melbourne
CERES map
17/9/2017 - Sunday
Drive back to Wollongong
19/9/2017 – Tuesday
I contacted Jo and Andrew via email to let them know I’m back so we can arrange a suitable meeting time and head me in the right direction.
20/9/2017 – Wednesday
Bob has planted some tomatoes out the back that one of our neighbours gave him.
Young tomato seedlings
A nice row of tomato plants
The strawberries are flowering
I went to the Uni library to borrow a couple of books… Bernard Stieglar’s Symbolic Misery 2014 [2004], and Buck-Morris’s The Origin of Negative Dialectics
Jo, my principle supervisor, responded and advised she is away and that I should start reading and annotating prior to our de-brief meeting (post RPR) and discussion of separating supervision into thesis and artwork.
21/9/2017 – Thursday
I read the reading provided by Linda … Laura Bieger’s No Place Like Home; or, Dwelling in Narrative. This was surprisingly relevant to my project, except it related to narrative as it pertains to a novel, rather than narrative as it pertains to lived existence. This has opened a new angle for discussing ‘personal revolution’ in terms of creating one’s own narrative.
Was advised by Misty of the Carstairs Prize that’s offered by NAVA (National Association of Visual Artists) for mid-career artists (5-10 years). I ‘ll put together an application (grant worth $3,000) more for practice than through any genuine hope of success.
I prepared my PSST President’s report and some other items ready for the AGM.
22/9/2017 – Friday
We had the Post-Situationist Society AGM today to elect executive for next year and table reports from the President, Secretary, and Treasure. We also discussed plans for the rest of 2017 as well as 2018. We will have an end of year dinner and try to get some funding.
I went to the meeting of the Semi-Colons (TAEM reading group). This was a great meeting with an excellent discussion of the reading, including terminology. We also organised the next four meetings and who will be providing the readings. I will be providing a reading for our next meeting on October 6th.
Andrew responded to my email and provided a reading list as follows:
Zygmunt Bauman Consuming Life
Boltanski and Chiapello New Spirit of Capitalism
David Harvey Enigma of Capital
Invisible Committee: Coming Insurrection and To Our Friends
The key Situationist texts e.g. Revolution of Everyday Life, Society of the Spectacle
de Certeau’s Practice of Everyday Life
James Scott Weapons of the Weak
Mitchell, Harcourt and Taussig Occupy: three inquiries in disobedience
Chris Hedges: Wages of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative of Revolt
Andrew Boyd Beautiful Trouble
Stephen Duncombe Dream
Braedley and Luxton Neoliberalism and Everyday Life
Robinson Global Capitalism and the Crisis of Humanity
Papacharissi A Networked Self: Identity, Community, and Culture on Social Network Sites
Hearn and people who cite her on self-branding
Fuchs Social Media
Castells Networks of outrage and hope: Social movements in the Internet age
Denzin Interpretive Autoethnography
Bochner and Ellis Evocative Autoethnography
Jones Handbook of Autoethnography
Chan Autoethnography as Method
Spry Body, paper, stage: Writing and performing autoethnography
OMG… I’m going to be busy
23/9/2017 - Saturday
I found a reading for the Semi-Colons that is a critique of Stiegler’s Symbolic Misery… Noel Fitzpatrick’s Symbolic Misery and Aesthetics- Bernard Stiegler 2014
I attempted to enter the Carstairs but my application timed out. Applications closed at 11.59pm and my application was still uploading at that time. I did an awful lot of work putting it this together only to find a form when I was ready to upload everything. It took way too long.
24/9/2017 - Sunday
I read and highlighted sections of Fitzpatrick’s critique ready for the meeting of the Semi-Colons. His discussion of Stieglars’s work helps me to understand the primary text. However, Fitzpatrick is critical of Stiegler’s use of Joseph Beuys’ Social Sculpture to demonstrate how participatory art can be used to respond effectively to society’s symbolic misery.
25/9/2017 – Monday
I’ve begun completing my part of the online form for my APR (Annual Progress Report). It is extremely detailed so I think I’ll take 2 or 3 goes to fill it out. It’s due to be submitted by the 12th.
26/9/2017 – Tuesday
After much toing and froing to find mutually acceptable times, it has been determined that the next time I’ll meet with Jo and Andrew will be Friday, October 13th and I’ll provide my first annotation to them by Friday the 6th.
28/9/2017 - Thursday
I made mandarin marmalade – my first attempt at jam… The mandarins I had were too seedy to enjoy eating so I thought they’d be perfect for marmalade.
I used four mandarins to
make a small first batch of marmalade.
I didn’t use all the rind.
Bring the fruit to the boil
then reduce heat and cook
for an hour.
Add the sugar after
45 minutes
I managed to half-fill
a 375ml and 150ml jar
30/9/2017 - Saturday
I’m reading Bernard Stiegler’s Symbolic Misery (and taking notes so I can remember terminology etc. for when I write the annotation.
I sent the Semi-Colons each a copy of the Fitzpatrick reading ready for this Friday’s meeting.