Artists in Residences
During October Jenni and Donna, both members of the Creative Practice Circle research group and Re-Create Collective, will have arts residencies on opposite sides of the world. Jenni will be in Ísafjörður Iceland, and Donna will be in Oatlands Tasmania. We will be approximately 5000 kilometres from the respective poles and over 17000 kilometres apart.
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Ísafjörður Iceland
Cyanotypes and sightseeing
We made some Australian friends who are living in Bolungarvik who offered to take us to see the local waterfall – its very impressive and already a third is now ice. The air was bitter but the sky was clear and we enjoyed the drive around the fjord in the sunset. Yesterday was a good day for cyanotypes and I’ve got a few prints drying. Up until this point I’ve used bits of images that worked and added found images and objects. The objects have turned out to be bits of plant – bits I’ve found, and two that were
Oatlands Tasmania
sampling
My residency at Oatlands has been a bit like a tasting plate at a restaurant. My promise to myself was to experiment and create different surfaces to stitch into. I’ve found it hard to make myself continue at times. Sometimes the experiment has gone no further than the surface I created as I feel it is enough. The photo above is an example. My white fabric was mono printed, then overprinted with key using a plate I made with watercolour paper, then subsequently stenciled with 79. The key plate was made by tracing the huge key I was given to
Ísafjörður Iceland
The Sun is Out
As expected I have been able to get some more cyanotypes done today – we’ll see how they turn out in the next few days as they dry. You wouldn’t believe it’s the same place – it is a magnificent day! Yesterday an Australian friend took us to Sudavik and we saw some arctic foxes and some frozen waterfalls – everything is majestic and magnificent. The wind was very cold yesterday, but today it has dropped and we are going with them to the large 3-tiered waterfall about 45 minutes from here. Last night was particularly exciting – I saw
Ísafjörður Iceland
Halfway point
Today, Sunday, is the midpoint of the residency. Looking out the window reminds me so much of the Canada weather when we lived and taught on the Burlington campus in Toronto – bleak, biting winds with snow on the ground. The weather here changes so quickly – tomorrow is meant to be clear and I may have a chance to make a few more cyanotype images. My original intention was to respond to the climate crisis, but it seemed so far from peoples’ minds when I first came here. Only now is it starting to creep into the conversations and
Ísafjörður Iceland
Thinking about driftwood
I haven’t been to this museum yet – the weather has been a bit too brutal for a softie from Albury Wodonga (we have witnessed locals walking out in the weather, with dogs and children) – brrrrr! However, yesterday there was an exhibition opening at ArtsIceland gallery space and it was about driftwood. Evidently driftwood to Iceland comes from Russia and has come in great quantities over the years – so much so that driftwood was used in the rafters of buildings for some time. The change in the volume of driftwood is now linked to climate change. The website
Oatlands Tasmania
similaraties
Native grasslands : source: https://www.examiner.com.au/story/6512855/midlands-farmers-funded-to-protect-native-grasslands/ What does Tasmania and Iceland have that are the same or similar? There are rolling landscapes, hills and mountains. We both have large areas of grasslands. They are islands. Iceland is about 50% bigger than Tasmania They have small populations Sheep, cattle and potatoes. They have amazing natural untouched landscapes. They both are increasingly relying on tourism with the consequent impact on both urban and natural environments Both were environmentally impacted by settlement – in Iceland by the Norse and in Tasmania by the British colonists Both are subject to the issues of climate change
Ísafjörður Iceland
Living here because it’s wild
Donna asked about settlement, and as we travelled around today we came across this replica of a first settlement. Bolungarvik was a fishing village and these are the sorts of first homes built with thatched roofs. The weather is so inclement at the moment that you do wonder why people persevere against the elements to live in these villages. Our friend who drove us around to see the sites said she loves living here – it is so wild, and she loves that – being so close to nature. When we toured the ring road at a place called Hofn
Ísafjörður Iceland
The ‘wild westfjords’
Yesterday we took a bus trip to a couple of neighbouring towns – its the local bus with school kids and us. One of the towns, Flateyri, we will return to next week – it looked quite charming. There are immense tunnels excavated through some of the mountains that vehicles take to avoid driving around the mountains. They are a wonder of human engineering! Some parts are one way so all vehicles going in the direction that doesn’t have way have to pull in to the side and let the others pass – there are regular little indentations for vehicles
Oatlands Tasmania
transportion/detention
Oatlands Goal – Gaolers and staff residence on top level. Pondering on Australia’s offshore detention of asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat and transportation of convicts (by boat) from England to Van Diemen’s Land. Image source: Refugee Council of Australia https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/detention-policies Detainee at window – Park Hotel, Melbourne. Image source – https://asrc.org.au
Ísafjörður Iceland
Playing with postcards
The librarian has been so helpful here and has persevered with printing my transparencies. They have a “Museum of Photography” which she says is more of an archive. I’m intending to have search through today. However, I bought a couple of postcards they had available. I’m including it at the end of the post – a wonderful black and white image of children “playing on the beach” around the year 1915. They don’t look very happy, and I imagine that is because the water would be freezing cold – there are no hot water springs in the Westfjords – all
Images:
DANIEL JULIE from Paris, France – IMG2202/Tasmania Midlands/Oatlands Village/Callington WindMill from 1837 – CC BY 2.0
