http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au en-gb thefullcatastrophe.com.au 2011-7-25T00:00:00Z thefullcatastrophe.com.au http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#99046 Reel Architecture is a short film competition established to enhance public perception interaction and dialogue about architecture. It launches this Saturday at Loop as part of the State of Design Festival. The short timelapse I made to record the working bee that was part of the Global Work Party on 101010 has been invited to screen at the launch as an example of short films that engage with the themes of the competition.I am excited to have the film shown in this context and look forward to seeing it with an audience for the first time. If you are interested in coming along you can find more info here httpwww.stateofdesign.com.auFestivalSearchReelArchitectureLaunch 2011-7-25 07:45:13 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#88881 It has been a big few months that have brought many changes. About a month ago I moved house so whilst I am still in Northcote I no longer live 3 minutes from the apple tree and passing it is no longer part of my daytoday life. Moving and settling have kept me pretty busy and I have not had much time to work at the site or keep up with the monthly working bees. But I have been thinking about the tree a lot. I have been grappling with both the desire to let go of my involvement with the site and to concentrate on other things and the opposing desire to keep the momentum going and to continue building a community venue. Writing this I am still not sure where things are going to settle on this one.I did however have a pleasant surprise on the weekend. Last Saturday morning while I was at Northcote plaza doing my grocery shopping I bumped into an old neighbour who mentioned there was a garage sale happening at the site. He asked me if I was involved knowing that I wasnt and ex... 2011-3-10 00:30:57 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#80822 With another successful bee under our belt I thought I would post a few photos. We got the garden bed that was started at the last bee finished with extra soil added a good layer of straw laid and some lavender rosemary and daisies planted. We also gave the existing beds a good weed and luckily the council guys had been through earlier in the week and cut the grass. Keeping the grass under control will be the big challenge over the next few months if anyone is in the area with a mower or a brush cutter please feel free to stop by...The next working bee is scheduled for 19th December the weekend before Christmas. Hope you have time in the preChrissie madness to drop in and get your hands dirty.Also the apple tree was mentioned in an article in the Age today you can read it here Greener Homes or here Michael Green 2010-11-21 11:26:34 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#79024 On Sunday October 10th the working bee went ahead in beautiful spring weather. The old apple tree got a pruning on the day we also added a new garden bed and sifted another ready for more planting later on. We put in a grape vine a fig tree and several native climbers. There are plans to start a regular monthly working bees to continue building up the site and maintain what has already been achieved. The first of these will be on Sunday 21st November from 2pm 5pm and they will continue on the 3rd Sunday of the month. I created a timelapse of the day by taking one photo every minute. You can watch it here httpvimeo.comgroups350orgvideos16194456 Thanks to Serenity and transition Darebin for organising the day and to Mira and Sometimes She Sings for the use of their song Warmth 2010-10-29 01:59:04 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#76571 As part of 350.orgs 101010 Global Work Party Transition Darebin are having a working bee at the old apple tree site and I wanted to put up a quick post to let everyone know about it. What is The Global Work Party350 parts per million is what many scientists climate experts and progressive national governments are now saying is the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. 350.org is an international group working to achieve this and the Global Work Party is their initiative. The point of the Global Work Party is to do something that will help deal with global warming in your city or community. Thousands of local events have been registered all over the world. So in our little corner there will be a working bee at the old apple tree we will also have lunch and then move on to a couple of other sites nearby details of this closer to the day. Interested in being involvedMeet at the old apple tree Cnr Beavers Road and Herbert St Northcote railway line at 10am on Sunday 10th October ... 2010-9-28 11:35:40 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#64799 A year ago yesterday I posted the first entry on this blog. This one year anniversary is a nice time to reflect on the past and think about how I would like to move forward. As I look back over past entries I read thoughts and feelings I wrote that make me smile others that make me cringe and yet others again that I have already forgotten I had. I realise that there was a more personal reflective quality in early entries that I enjoy looking back on. That kind of writing took an energy and commitment from me that has since waned and later posts became more a reporting of the news. The truth is while I enjoy the more personal and reflective entries I feel trepidatious about making a commitment to reengaging with the blog in that way. To me the interesting part of the project is finished and the part I am now engaged in the editing and spruiking seem far less appealing. I am beginning to realise that the process of making the piece is only a fraction of the work as a whole. Finding spac... 2010-5-8 09:26:28 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#63553 No post for 9 weeks now 2 in a week. What is happening you may well ask. After painting a picture of swings being installed and children playing I walked up the road yesterday to discover the site covered with wire fences piles of sand and rubble porta loos and shipping containers. There are major road works happening at the intersection of Beavers Road and Herbert St and land around the tree has become the site office and storage for the project.The guys doing the work are friendly but I think they are wondering who is this lady taking photos and why would she bother Talking with them today they tell me the work will take at least a couple of weeks. They are pretty much keeping to the area of the site that is primarily used as a car park and have not done any damage to the garden beds we put in or the tree.One of the workers has worked in apple orchards and was asking me about my interest in the tree. He guesses that the tree is 50 60 years old but says it can be difficult to tell. H... 2010-4-22 06:10:17 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#63324 The apple tree is starting to look scrappy again as it sheds its leaves for winter. 9 weeks have passed since the working bee in February and I am happy to report that many of the plants we put in are thriving. In that time someone has also installed a swing in the tree and I have noticed teenagers hanging out there after school and a mother with her young children playing under it one afternoon. People are sill using it as a site to dump rubbish and park their cars but I hope over time as it looks more cared for and wanted peoples perception and use the space will continue to change.Since the working bee I have been looking into the guerrilla gardening not the channel 10 show but the grass roots movement. It is inspiring to see people all over the world claiming ownership of abandoned spaces and turning them into places of beauty for everyone to enjoy. I love the spirit of ingenuity and independence that this demonstrates. For more info visit guerrillagardening.orgSerenity... 2010-4-19 14:58:59 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#58437 We had a promising week in the lead up to the working bee heavy rain on Thursday meant that the ground got a good soaking and was soft and yielding. We managed to get gardening soil mulch and plenty of plants ready and waiting for a 10am start.We ended up with about 20 people in total making appearances to help throughout the day. It was cool and the cloud cover and slight drizzle made for great gardening weather. Some people who were not able to stay and help out came along with donations of plants coffee and food for the workers. Many of the local passers by were surprised and impressed when they discovered that we did not own the land hadnt sort permission to develop it and were not getting paid for our efforts.So much was accomplished the tree had a gentle pruning the area underneath it was cleaned up and leveled out the logs were moved into position to create a triangle of seats at the base of the tree and a carpet of mulch was spread inside this triangle. The transfor... 2010-2-15 06:43:51 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#57430 Normal 0 0 1 216 1232 10 2 1512 11.768 0 0 0 Some exciting news Now that word has gotten round that the site of the tree is not under threat of housing development there is a renewed interest in cleaning it up a bit. So a date has been set and preparations are under way for a working bee. Serenity from Transition Darebin remember the picnic and myself are teaming up to organise the event on Saturday 13th February. The plan is to clear away rubbish and weeds plant some garden beds paint the fence and use some abandoned logs on the site to make seating under the tree. If you would like to participate and contribute we would love to see you there. Please come along on the day bringing any of the following that you can plants the hardier the better gardening tools soil or mulch some food to share for lunch. We are particularly hoping that someone who has ... 2010-2-1 05:22:28 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#56472 Normal 0 0 1 625 3567 29 7 4380 11.768 0 0 0 On Thursday January 14th I trod the well worn path from my front door to the tree to take my weekly photos for the final 4 times. Over the last 12 months I have taken over 4300 photographs of the apple tree 3088 of those images will be used to make the time lapse movies I have planned. Adding up the time taken for both the weekly photos and the seasonal 24 hour shoots I have spent approximately 150 hours photographing the tree over the last year the equivalent of about 1 months full time work. I am relieved and grateful to get my Thursdays back although I will miss getting out of bed early one day a week. I feel a sense of accomplishment but there is a lot more work to be done. I dont want to loose momentum so I will focus on finishing the videos and finding a platform for them. With regards to the blog this w... 2010-1-19 03:46:03 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#55942 Normal 0 0 1 653 3726 31 7 4575 11.768 0 0 0 On Friday and Saturday with the support of many others I camped out for 24 hours taking 1 photo every 2 minutes. In many ways it was not easy I was awake for 37 hours temperatures reached 38 degrees and winds about 30kmhour. While I would not want to do this often there is something special about taking the time out to sit on a street corner with an apple tree and witness the rhythm of a summers day. Here are a few highlights. Friday night The set up went very smoothly I have had the same crew helping me with set up and pack up for the previous 3 shoots so we are a well oiled machine. Thanks to Belinda Emma Connor and Donal for all their help. After sorting out some technical hitches with computers we were up and running and settling in nicely. Some colleagues from work visited and it was lovely to sit in the w... 2010-1-11 23:03:17 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#55488 Normal 0 0 1 393 2244 18 4 2755 11.768 0 0 0 here is a 4 hour test shoot I did over a year ago as part of my research for the projectIt has been a big week. The calendar ticked over to the first day of the year and I strolled down Beavers Road 4 times on a Thursday for the second last time. I always find this an introspective time and the expectation to socialise a bit of a burden. Maybe it is my contrary nature the need to pull against the norm or what is expected. Maybe it is connected to the sense of renewal a wanting to reflect on what has been and to start to dream and plan for what is to come. My Mother once said that I was good at setting myself specific goals at the beginning of the year and then setting about achieving them. Until I heard this from her I wasnt really conscious of what I was doing. I know it is embedded in our cultural thinking but ... 2010-1-5 01:18:06 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#55175 Normal 0 0 1 32 184 1 1 225 11.768 0 0 0 After my earlier talk about our plans for Christmas day I thought this week I would post the menu as well as photos I took on the day. It was lovely and relaxed with six courses eaten over about 10 hours. Yum Normal 0 0 1 26 151 1 1 185 11.768 0 0 0 Cocktail Prosecco with raspberry and cr232me de CassisCanap233s Seared scallops on mint and ginger salad Little pancakes with caviar Mini caramelised leek tart with Chevre goats cheese Normal 0 0 1 3 18 1 1 22 11.768 0 0 0 Entr233e Gazpacho soup Normal 0 0 1 35 200 1 1 245 11.768 0 0 0 ... 2009-12-30 07:42:28 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#54839 Normal 0 0 1 405 2313 19 4 2840 11.768 0 0 0 During this week planning for Christmas escalated to a whole new level. As is always the case with my family Christmas is more about what we are going to eat than it is about what we are going to give each other. I am spending Christmas at my sisters house this year and Emma is a chef so despite all out earlier proclamations that we gonna keep it simple the menu just keeps getting bigger and better. Wine has been delivered bread has been ordered various sections of the menu have been allocated to the various attending households and a copy of the Spicks and Specks board game is on order to keep us busy between courses. Aside from Christmas planning I have been thinking a lot recently about how many people have become part of this project in one way or another so I would like to take the time to acknowledge and thank s... 2009-12-21 05:05:56 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#54700 Normal 0 0 1 349 1994 16 3 2448 11.768 0 0 0 I am once again running late for my blog post but this week it is for fun and interesting reasons rather than funky ones. It is the silly season people are returning home and there is much drinking and celebrating to be done. Writing a blog can be fun but it is hard to compete with these other activities. I have also been busy writing emails making flyers and putting up posters to get the word out about the final 24 hour shoot and my plan to include 60 people between 46pm on the Saturday. This has been has been very exciting lots of people are responding that they are keen to come along some even from interstate. I am really looking forward to the day which I think is gonna be a lot of fun. This week saw a string of comments on the blog which was great. The one from my Dad was nice for me mainly cause he is... 2009-12-17 22:19:09 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#54206 Normal 0 0 1 292 1667 13 3 2047 11.768 0 0 0 The count down has started I am now 5 weeks out from the final 24hr shoot and 6 weeks away from the last weekly photos. The end of the project is nigh. With the summer shoot so close it is time to begin preparations and I have decided that I would like to something extra for this one. In the past three shoots I have really enjoyed the photos that have accidentally included the odd person here and there. I have also been thinking about how to reflect how important people and the local community have been to the project over this last year. So on the Saturday afternoon between 4pm and 6pm I am inviting people to come and be in one shot. The plan is to have a different person every 2 minutes and each person will stand within the same place in the frame. This will translate into 60 people merging into each other for 10... 2009-12-9 12:01:25 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#53803 This entry has spent more time rolling around in my skull prior to posting than any other. Week 44 found me back in a funk and I could not face writing another blog entry about how hard I was finding life and the project. I tried writing about something else but could not get past the hard so the week slipped by in a destructive and narcissistic fog where everyone and everything reflected my own inadequacy.Finally after giving myself a firm talking to which was ineffective followed by a more gentle one which seemed to do the trick I ventured out into the world to engage with stuff that others were doing. This took me into last week and the second lot of rolling thoughts that have taken until now to form into wordsThis is the first time I have attempted a project outside of the theatre. Entering this new realm I have not really even known what it is I am entering or who my peers in it might be. Early on I made a decision not to let any doubts or questions about the validity ... 2009-12-2 01:12:36 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#52653 This has been a week of catching up. I had a look at the last few months in my diary and they have been pretty full. Being away created a pile up of life chores that I am only now getting on top of. One was my tax finally its done and I got a bigger return than I was expecting yeehaw. So now with a clearer picture of my financial status I have taken some time to make plans for the next few months. I have been thinking about getting a studio for a while now but wanted to wait till the end of winter and I was back from my gig away. I have many hours ahead editing the footage I have gathered for this project. Working from home is great in some ways but it is also easy to get distracted. In recent weeks I have planted a vegie garden cleaned the oven cleaned the BBQ cleaned out the shed and re oiled the garden furniture... Hopefully I will be moved into a space soon and I can create some separation between work and home and spend more time sitting at the computer.Amongst all the work in the... 2009-11-16 11:38:20 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#52448 On Sunday a group called Transitions Darebin see the last post for more info hosted a picnic under the apple tree. We have been having very hot days for November and Sunday was no exception with temperatures reaching 34186C. Now I have been looking at and photographing this tree for nearly 2 years. It sits on a gravel bed the grounds surrounding it are often used as a car park and it is next to a train line. It has never occurred to me that it might be a pleasant spot to sit so I was a little sceptical about this picnic. But I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised the tree provided a lovely cool shade and the openness of the area meant that we had the benefit of any breeze that was blowing anywhere outside the shade of the tree was hot and harsh under the tree itself was lovely.It was also nice to hear people interested in the tree and making plans for it future. I have to admit this has created a dilemma. One of the decisions that I made early on when planning for this project wa... 2009-11-12 08:44:01 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#51992 Spring had definitely gotten into my bones. At the moment I yearn to be in the garden planting vegies throwing open the windows cleaning out my wardrobe and dusting the skirting boards. The thought of sitting in front of a computer screen editing still photographs into timelapse video does not however create the same sense of longing. So the editing can wait on the weekend I put basil coriander zucchini cucumbers and cherry tomatoes in the ground and soon I am planning a day doing the same at my sisters house and I cant wait to get dirty and sunburnt. In the garden I feel close to Mum in a way that is comforting rather than sad. For the last 24hour shoot I put some posters up on telegraph poles around the site of the tree with information about the project and my web address. As a result a group called Transition Darebin recently contacted me. They are the local wing of a larger group called Transition towns that are about localising activities in order to prepare for peak oil ... 2009-11-5 09:45:44 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#51549 this last week has gone by so quickly again. Life is busy with so many other things some of them good some of them hard but it means my tree feels like an obligation that I resent having to find the time to do each week. I realised this week that I am three quarters of the way through and only have 12 more weeks to go. This feels like both a long and a short time. Right now I wish for it to be over but I am sure when that time actually comes in January I will feel sad about it.just think only three months ago the tree looked like thisand in only three more it will again look like thisFor now I will continue to squeeze it in around the busyness or business of life and try to remember how to enjoy it... 2009-10-29 10:47:06 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#51073 Again I am running late Again I have let one week get by without posting I had such a great time doing the Spring 24hr shoot and felt a renewed enthusiasm. Since then however I have had to work a lot had visitors and have been nursing a bit of heartache. So after being late with the post shoot blog I have now let another week go by and this becomes 2 weeks in one. I have to keep reminding myself that ultimately this does not really matter I mean I am not being paid to do this I am not letting anyone else down if I miss a week. But the structure of posting every week for the year as I gather footage for this project is important. Why is that As I pick this open and try to talk about it now I realise I dont really understand why it is important to continue doing. I know it has something to do with time and how recording things through time allows for a different perception and for reflection that would otherwise not be possible. More simply I guess it is just about ... 2009-10-21 02:12:07 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#50377 131pm 15hrs 31mins During this shoot I had a lot more time on my own to sit thinking about the project I was wanting to share my thoughts feelings and experience but my computer was hooked up to my camera out on the street with no hackable internet connection to be found. So instead I sat with a notebook and pen writing this in the present pretending I was a future version of myself reporting it all to you after the fact. In truth I am sitting here now in the marquee well it is now to the me that writes it but to the me that types it up and posts It on the blog and to the you that is reading it your future now it will be the past. All this time lapse has got me thinking about time. about the subjective experience of it and the objective measuring of it about the perception of time as an arrow and as a cycle or spiral. And the physical properties of the universe that lead to these two perceptions. In one of those lovely serendipities that life can throw up I... 2009-10-11 07:23:13 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#49577 Ok so preparations for the spring shoot are plodding along. I have a good friend who is gonna do the hard shift so I am no longer worried about being alone in the middle of the night on the street all lit up and drawing attention to myself. The Marquee is hired I have hands on deck for set up and pack up and a hot water urn for cups of tea thanks Belinda. Thankfully all the other preparation from the previous 2 shoots mean there is less to do this time hallelujah I am trying to feel connected to this project in some meaningful way but at the moment it is just a bunch of practical tasks to get done. When I started it I thought about these times the times when I would not feel like doing it anymore when I lost touch with the feeling or the reason why I thought this was a good idea. At this point I must admit the only thing motivating me to see this bloody thing through is the previous 36 weeks of work. A small window of hope in this regard did open up today. My day job invo... 2009-9-28 14:25:11 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#49223 So I have been back one week and already the spring shoot is only 1 189 week away. Faarrk But taking my advice from the Hitchhikers guide I say to myself Dont panic I have done this twice before already so I have a bit of a routine in place. But Faark It is a busy time of year for everyone and I am finding it tricky to find someone I know and trust who is able to sit up with me during the overnight part of the shoot. I feel a bit exposed sitting there with all that equipment on my own during the late hours of a Friday night and the wee hours of a Saturday morning. Truth be told I am feeling very nervous about the whole thing. I may have done it twice already but I guess I have been so busy I am not sure I feel fully prepared for this one. I also have all this footage piling up but I am yet to find the time to sit down and actually produce the video. Then there is the question of what I am gonna do with the bloody things once I have made them. All this talk of t... 2009-9-22 10:14:55 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#48762 This week the show finished on Sunday and we bumped out dismantled the show out of the theatre. Then had dinner on the stage with the cast and crew. They gave me this beautiful gift a brooch made by Martin and I felt very happy to be with them all and sad to have to say goodbye. Originally I planned to leave Goulburn on the Wednesday but I didnt feel quite ready to go. Also I had the offer of a horse ride on Saturday which I was keen I so I decided to stay on till Monday. It has been a lovely week I have been able to relax spend time with people and reflect more fully on what being in Goulburn has meant to me. It has been a huge two months I have directed a show purchased a new camera looked after a baby and a three year old fallen for someone fallen out with a few others read a bunch of scripts ridden a horse for the first time since I was a child and spent the last extended period I will ever have in our Family home. Libby my sister a... 2009-9-15 12:30:14 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#47944 So the show is up and running and settling in I am finally starting to enjoy it again myself. I have also got some time to do other things which has been great. Yesterday Martin one of the actors in the show took me for an afternoon out on a little property Towrang way. I got to walk in the bush and try out my new camera. I was hoping to get some shots of trees for the blog. This wattle was the best of the bunch. Here are some other shots from the dayand finally this old majestic oak in Belmore Park in the centre of town. It was planted by Lady Belmore to commemorate the opening of the railway to Goulburn on May 27th 1869 140yrs ago It is a rough manual stitching that gives you some sense of its beauty Id love to see what Alison would do with this 2009-9-2 14:46:37 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#47927 These weeks just got swallowed up bu the show I am afraid and I am writing this too much after the fact. I had forgotten how all consuming theatre is and remembering why I wanted a break from it. The show opened and is going well so I now have some time on my hands to do and think about other things. Regarding the tree I will post one email exchange between Belinda which did occur during these weeks 24 August 2009 518 PM Belinda wrote I hate to concern you with your tree shoot at the moment with opening night only days away but I am having some issues with the night shots which only came to my attention on Sat. I was going through the shots I have taken and the last two night shoots 118 and 198 have not come out as good as the previous ones. I have attached a sample of the best shots from those night and a sample shot of the week prior 48 so that you can see the difference. When i look a the notes I have taken I have noted that the flash has been playing up. I have a sneakin... 2009-9-2 08:32:48 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#46334 Tonight I looked up at the full moon and thought of my street and my tree. I am missing being there I love my little spot in Northcote and I love having a project so close to home. But coming home my other home the house I grew up in from rehearsals late at night I look up at the sky in Goulburn and think God that is beautiful. Goulburn is high and dry and the brightness and clarity of the stars and moon are something you just dont see in the city. There is also a romance to a cold clear winters nights coming home alone knowing you are about to enter the warm cosiness that makes me feel alive and happy about it.But back to the projectI am going to post the email exchange between Belinda and I. She has been taking the photos for me while I am away. I am most grateful to her for this and it has been interesting handing the process over to someone else... 29 July 2009 at 1152 AMBelinda wroteOn Monday I completed my first shoot everything went really well and the photos look great I am ... 2009-8-5 14:17:47 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#46329 This post is going up 2 weeks late. This is was my first week away. I thought about posting many times but in the whirlwind of leaving home for 7 weeks and starting rehearsals the day after I arrived I could not keep my thoughts on the project or the blog long enough for them to solidify into sentences. This I regret I am now missing my tree and my blog very much but am finding it hard to stay connected with the feeling of the project from such a distance and with so much going on here. I will try and write something no matter how small each week I am away. 2009-7-27 14:11:58 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#45205 This week I am posting the manual that I have made for Belinda to use while I am away. I feel a little exposed doing this because I think it demonstrates my lack of experience with photography as well as showing the limitations of my equipment. But it also shows the process I use each week to collect the images and hopefully communicates this clearly to others... 2009-7-20 06:06:00 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#44848 But what minutes Count them by sensation and not by calendars and each moment is a day. Benjamin DisraeliI feel like there should be some kind of celebration. I am half way through my 52 week stint of turning up every week to photograph the tree. Bells whistles streamers some kind of uplifting monologue about how rewarding it all is Instead I just feel buried under a to do list preparations for the show in Goulburn and difficulties at my day job. But I dont want to go on about all that none of it is very interesting nor does it have anything to do with this project. Perhaps instead the half way mark is time to come clean. I have been speaking a lot about how this process is about me the commitmentphob committing to the task of turning up once a week to photograph the tree for a whole year. How then am I able to go away for 7 weeks to direct a show in NSW Good question The answer is I am lucky enough to have a supportive curious and interested friend who I also share a home with. Beli... 2009-7-13 14:19:04 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#44509 The only reason for time is so that everything doesnt happen at once. Albert Einstein A week has past since the 24hour shoot and it already seems like a million years ago. My day job has taken me into a week of installation in the gallery which is enjoyable but also demanding. This means the week has been filled with the concerns of the installation and with trying to catch up on lost sleep from last weekend.Today I finally have some time to sit and reflect on the shoot. The thing that stands out the most is how much fun it was. I had lots of visitors that made the time pass quickly and sharing the day with so many people helped make it feel special. There is something about being with people where priority is given to a simple task and where this task limits you in particular ways like we all have to be in this same spot for the allotted time but has freedoms in other ways like all the has to happen is one person keeps an eye on the equipment and exposure and presses a button every... 2009-7-7 13:31:55 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#43952 ok so I have been up for 35 hours whilst I am still functioning I am very tired and I now realise that my plans for 4 blog posts today was a tad ambitious. Belinda is just heating up our pot of stew for dinner and we will eat that shortly and then begin to get ready to pack down. Only 3.5 hours to go so we are in the home straight Everything has gone well and I cant wait to get the photos into Final cut to have a look.Over the next couple of days I will post some of the more memorable events and photos from the day stay tuned. 2009-6-27 09:16:19 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#43935 So here we are Emma and I sitting in the marquee with our hot water bottles on our laps under our blankets with our beanies and gloves on. At 830pm Jac Belinda Emma Connor Donal and I all arrived with carloads of equipment and began setting up for the shoot. Then at 10pm we got started on time with the first picture. One minor equipment hiccup later and here we are 5 hours in. At about 1am Em very kindly let me have a quick kip under the sleeping bag. I lay there on the floor of the marquee in the middle of the street in the middle of winter thinking what an utterly ridiculous thing to decide to do with your time. Then I quickly decided that is precisely what I like about it. It is not sensible but it is kind of fun and a way of having a very different experience without the cost of an airfare.Earlier we had a visitor who assumed we were protesters of some kind and thought this reason enough to have a go at us generally specifically he took issue with the quality of the small flyer I m... 2009-6-26 20:19:23 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#43735 OMG 3 days to go So its a quick one this week. This coming Friday is the start of the next 24 hour shoot. From 10pm Friday night until 10pm Saturday I will set up camp on the corner of Herbert Street and Beavers Road in Northcote and with the help of some friends take 1 photograph of the tree every 2 minutes. The plan is make a time lapse video that will become part of a series of 4 1 for each season. I have been busy making checklists and rosters preparing equipment hiring Marquees enlisting the help of friends buying hotwater bottles as well as gathering blankets and beanies to help keep us all warm for the long cold night. On the day I am planning to do 4 blog entries from the site including photos of the event as well as comments and photos from people who stop by. During the autumn shoot I learned that the site the tree in on has been sold to developers this means it could be torn down at any time. I am hoping that again we may learn other things about the trees history a... 2009-6-23 03:58:22 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#43409 I am running late with the blog this week. I took my photos early then as the tree sat in its corner of the world with the sun and moon making their circles around it I headed north to the town of my childhood and later to the city of my youth. So todays blog about the tree is actually about what happened while I was away from it.I spent the weekend in Goulburn running a script development workshop. I stayed with my sister and her family they are currently living in our family home. My nephew Charlie turned three on Sunday and while I missed the party it was fun to be around for the festivities. Charlie is my favourite human at the moment. He is smart funny articulate for a 3 year old enthusiastic and cheeky. His resistance to authority means we fight a bit as his aunt I am one authority in his world but it is quality in him I applaud. For me it is his enthusiasm that is the best of his traits many times over the weekend you would hear him say Oh wow thats gwreat I dont think his dropp... 2009-6-17 05:59:08 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#42962 Because the tree bloomed seasonally we felt its body like our own. A tree stood still and yet suffered change. A tree growing old grew down into itself. Trees could not heal wounds only cover them up. Trees were magnificent survivors. Trees got used. Trees behaved erratically under stress. Trees strove to fulfil an ideal shape but were twisted out of it by pressures of existence.Roger McDonald The Tree in Changing LightI start with that quote mainly because I like it and also because its poetic sentiment balances out a week where my head has been mostly occupied with things practical. Well that is not entirely true actually I have been thinking a lot about the nature of love and my struggle with two primary yet conflicting drives my desire for love and my need for independence. But as this seems to have nothing to do with the project I wont discuss any further in this blog though I seem to never tire of thinking or talking about it so I am sure it will come up again in the future.As I... 2009-6-8 04:49:07 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#42530 After months of slow barely noticeable change winter has all of a sudden transformed the tree dramatically. This week its leaves have turned yellow and half of them have dropped off. By this time next week I predict it will be the winter skeleton of its self.This makes me think about change yet again. Change is the nature of things everything is changing all the time but the way we experience change does not necessarily reflect that reality. Even though change is constantly occurring we experience periods of relative stability interrupted by periods of intense change. For months I have been watching the tree waiting for it to drop its leaves hoping for the change that I thought would make my project interesting. Each week very little seemed to happen. In fact when I compare photographs from January to those from May there is barely any noticeable difference now in the space of one week the tree has changed significantly. I watch the tree head towards its winter shut down. In order to ... 2009-6-1 02:48:01 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#42209 I wake early much earlier than most mornings pull on my tracksuit pants and my ugg boots gather my tripod and camera and walk the wellworn path from my house to the tree. The mist makes it feel like the world is floating in a cloud. The edge of everything is closer and looks like a watercolour everything feels slightly unreal. This combined with the stillness and solitude of early morning creates a magical feeling like this show is being put on just for me.The stillness and beauty make me reflect on why I am doing this project. Of course there are many reasons there are many things I hope to explore and share through it but this misty morning and this magical show make me reflect more personally. This work is very new territory not just because I am in working a new medium but also because it is a commitment to a certain time and place. I love change in the past the moment my life took on a routine I would feel trapped like the routine was a cage which excluded all other possibilities.... 2009-5-25 06:00:11 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#41742 I have always noticed the trees in my world I guess everyone does they are a kind of landmark a form of natural architecture that give shape to both the physical landscape and that of our mind and memory. They feature over and over again in mythology and literature as characters and metaphors. I have been recently reading a book I found at my local Library called Tree Stories. It is a collection ofbeautiful photographs of trees with accompanying stories from people who lives the tree is a part of. It includes trees from schoolyards urban parks suburban gardens farms and the wilderness. There was one story that stuck out for me. It was about a kurrajong on a property in Central West New South Wales. The kurrajong is the tree of choice on this wheat and sheep property for three main reasons. 1. It is native to the area so it flourishes. 2. It has a deep taproot which allows you to plough close to it and 3. Its foliage makes a great supplementary fodder for sheep during drought periods. W... 2009-5-17 08:56:00 http://www.thefullcatastrophe.com.au/page3.htm#41183 After all the local attention received during the first 24 hour shoot I decided I wanted to create a web page that people could visit to stay in touch with the project as it unfolds. I thought that a Blog would be a great way to do this and I plan to post each week either on or after the Thursday weekly photo shoot.So what is the projectIn 2007 I became fascinated with this tree by the rail crossing 3 minutes from my house in Northcote. I had been living in the street for 3 years and during that time I watched it go through the cycle of the seasons. I had also recently bought my first digital camera and was looking for a project to make video out of still photographs. The idea hit to photograph the tree every day for a year. I marked a spot in the street for my tripod and began. 3 months in and life got in the way I had to leave town for several months and the project was abandoned. During 2008 I ironed out some of the things I was unhappy with in that first attempt and the project has... 2009-5-7 00:42:23