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Universal Stranger

~ on Alienation, Being and Belonging

Universal Stranger

Monthly Archives: June 2014

Meanwhile, back in the Jewel of the Limestone Plains…

28 Saturday Jun 2014

Posted by Rody in National

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Ah, Canberra: Australia’s national capital suburb, described in the early 1990s by the now long-out-of-print CountyNatwest Glossary of Financial Terms as “…a city of monuments and roundabouts, where the mind is so highly prized it is exempt from any meaningful activity”. I could never quite get to the bottom of why that now defunct investment bank had a grudge against the Jewel of the Limestone Plains. Perhaps it had been knocked back on an advisory mandate for some Federal Government privatisation project or other? Whatever; that fascinating little entry in an otherwise arid tome was excluded in subsequent editions after Fairfax Media began publishing it. But I digress.

Earlier today I visited the National Portrait Gallery and, for the first time, came face-to-face with Guy Maestri’s stunning portrait of singer Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. In a space hung with many excellent works, it stood out. The picture is a close-up and intense study of Gurrumul’s face; looking at it, however, I felt I was meeting the whole man with a sense of completeness and immediacy that none of the other portraits conveyed of their respective subjects. The key, I think, lies in the perfect balance Maestri achieves between the darkness of the blind Gurrumul’s eyes and the radiance of his face. The symbolism may be obvious – a man who can’t see brings light into the world through his artistry – but it works.

The portrait won the 2009 Archibald prize. Maestri gives an interesting account of how he worked on it on this Art Gallery of NSW page.

maestri_lge_2.jpg.505x601_q85

 

Thought for the week

23 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by The Stranger in Deep and Meaningful

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Gone fishing with Robert…

21 Saturday Jun 2014

Posted by Rody in Saturday Sports Special

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Robert Adamson, one of Australia’s finest poets, lives on the Hawkesbury not far from here. He lives and breathes the river; he lives and breathes fishing, too, and his fishing journalism is as pleasurable to read as his poetry. In this, our new Saturday “sports” section, we’ll be taking the occasional dip into some of Robert’s fishing journalism via a link to his website. We’ll also be looking from time to time at the sporting passions of other great writers, and how they write about them. So cast your line here into this beautiful 1989 piece by Robert for Fishing World magazine, about catching bream on one of the world’s most magical rivers.

RA_Mulloway

Robert Adamson and 70lb Mulloway, 1991

Photo: Juno Gemes

 

The Rainbow Serpent’s Cave

18 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by Rody in Heritage

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While it might be an exaggeration to say that non-indigenous Australians are alienated from their landscape, they certainly don’t share the affinity that indigenous people have towards it. Uncle Wes Marne, an elder of the Darug, whose traditional lands are in the Hornsby area of NSW, conveys that sense of affinity in this, the second of three videos about local indigenous people produced by Macquarie University and showcased by Hornsby Shire Council. Wes takes us deep into the bush to the Rainbow Serpent’s Cave, where he tells the story of the good and bad serpents and how ochre gained its colours. Is it possible that, by listening to the stories of Wes and others like him, non-indigenous people might start to feel an affinity towards the land and develop their own unique and authentic Australian spirituality? Just asking. For the first video in this series, see ‘Spiritual Connections‘.

Murray Hartin, bush poet extraordinaire

08 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by Rody in Local

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One of the best nights out we’ve had in a while in downtown Berowra was seeing legendary Aussie bush poet Murray Hartin perform at the local pub on May 18. Muz has local connections: he’s from Moree in northern NSW but went to school in Hornsby, just down the road from here. Bush poetry is not terribly fashionable among Australia’s metropolitan literati, but what do they know? Bottom line: if you don’t understand Australia’s rural culture and traditions, you don’t fully understand the Anglo-Celtic experience in Australia; and, far from being parochial, these traditions are old, rich and diversified enough to say a lot about the human condition. Here’s Muz’s justly famous “Rain from Nowhere”:

“People ask about my style; I just look…”

03 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by Rody in Metro

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Photographer Michele Mossop recently made her first appearance on these pages with a beautifully nuanced portrait of singer Matthew Henrick. Michele is widely known in Australia as a news photographer whose images are distinguished not just by a clear factuality that captures the essence of the story but also a sense of light, shade and composition that vividly evokes its human aspects.

That duality was to the fore in her picture of Matt – a publicity shot for his recording of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 – which combines a studio portrait of the singer and a photoshopped image of Dreshout’s famous engraving of the poet.

It turns out that Michele’s work, and portraiture especially, is heavily influenced by Renaissance art. To learn more about what shapes her craft, we asked her about her influences, career and creative process.

Self portrait (memory)

Self Portrait (Memory), by Michele Mossop, 2003

I always loved faces, portraits of any kind, and dancers especially. I also loved the old family photos. I thought about doing a course in photography, but photography was looked on as a trade. All the courses looked far too technical – they didn’t even mention subject matter. So I forgot about it and studied Fine Art at Sydney University; back then, the subject consisted only of art history. I loved the Renaissance and Baroque. I loved Italy. In January 1979 I moved to Florence.

Dancers

Dancers in the Wings, by Michele Mossop, 2008

It was a very interesting time. The Red Brigades, the Historic Compromise, the P2 masonic lodge – they were all interconnected (see References below – Rody). The newspapers were many and varied and the news magazines ran great photographs – all news, unposed, spontaneous.

When I arrived in Italy I skirted around the idea of photography but thought I wouldn’t be any good because of the technical demands, so I thought about doing paper conservation.

On my second day I photographed a maxi terrorist trial where the leader had just been captured. There were about 96 defendants in 12 cages….

My interest in paper conservation was less than lacklustre. It was just a way to have something to do with photography. But everyone in Italy seemed to have a darkroom in a cupboard or bathroom and everyone wanted to be a fotogiornalista. There were no schools or courses of photography. A boyfriend taught me how to develop black and white film and printing. i discovered it wasn’t that difficult. I became obsessed and spent most of my spare time and the little money I had processing film and printing in the bathroom/darkroom.

I started to check out the newspapers everyday to see what was happening and would go out and photograph demonstrations and other political events. I then fronted up to the small local daily paper, la Citta’, Quotidiano di Firenze, and asked for work – I started the next day. I think the editor thought I must have been crazy as a foreigner and a woman but he had a lot of faith in me and I just loved it. I had a front row seat to all that happened in the city, and that made me feel very much part of the place. On my second day at the paper I photographed a maxi terrorist trial where the leader of the group had just been captured. There were about 96 defendants in 12 cages in the courtroom.

Terror trial 2

Terrorist Trial, Italy, by Michele Mossop, 1983

I prefer to use available light and to observe and wait for the image to happen. Sometimes this happens in professional life – when photographing the arts, for instance. Over the years on newspapers I have seen style move towards more controlled images, especially portraits, with the use of studio lights, art direction; the looser more spontaneous images aren’t appreciated as much. This of course is often mediated by the fact that you usually have limited time to shoot in a place that gives little or no context, so you just try to make a nice looking picture which is well lit and looks polished. More and more in newspapers there is a trend to using a photograph as little more than identification. This is a big worry….

The old masters didn’t have electric light. We still refer to Rembrandt light. Some of those I particularly like are Bronzino: highly stylised but exquisite; a couple of props to reveal something about the subject – for example, a chubby little boy squeezing a goldfinch. There’s Carravaggio – very dramatic, minimalist for his day, risky; he would have been a big butch war photographer today, or – as a friend suggested – Oliver Stone, just full of it. Apart from the old masters, other artistic inspirations and influences are Mark Rothko and cinema, especially the 1970s.

Dieter Adamsas

Dieter Adamsas, by Michele Mossop, 2000

790px-Rembrandt_van_Rijn_-_Self-Portrait_-_Google_Art_Project

Self Portrait, by Rembrandt, 1659

Among photographers, iconic American fashion and portrait photographer Richard Avedon, whose classic portraits reveal much about their subject; the delightful, wry Martin Parr who captures the ordinariness of suburban Britain (or anywhere) – the Philip Larkin of British photography, but with humour and a much warmer heart.

One of the reasons I left Australia was a fear of the silent still suburbia where I grew up. I try to capture it but it always evades.

Suburbia 

Suburban Nightview, by Michele Mossop, 2009

I have became more interested in landscapes – especially urban, suburban landscapes. One of the reasons I left Australia was a fear of the silent still suburbia where I grew up. I try to capture it but it always evades.

People ask how I would describe my style: I just look.

A lot’s changed since I became a photographer – technology, media. I miss the darkroom and the quietness of working there but I would never go back to it: digital photography is so much easier and it makes a huge difference for a freelancer – just a laptop, no rolls of film, no prints, turnaround is more immediate.

What I do miss about film is that you worked more intuitively: there was no screen at the back of the camera to check the exposure. You really had to think about what you were doing and know your camera, like playing a musical instrument. No photoshop. I feel as though I have lost something.

Mick Jagger photo Michele Mossop

Mick, by Michele Mossop, 1989

Also with digital we shoot far too many frames and very indiscriminately. i looked at some negs I took at a Rolling Stones concert years ago: I shot only two rolls. Back then, you had limited time and only 36 frames per roll and manual focusing. You never wanted to run out of film in the middle of something so you shot with a lot more patience and thought. Today I would have shot the equivalent of about 10 rolls for the same result.

I love my iPhone camera – it’s portable and easy to use, but you still have to think about what you are photographing.

References:

Red Brigades, the Historic Compromise, the P2 masonic lodge

 la Citta’, Quotidiano di Firenze (shots of Michele at 1.22, 1.23, 1.24 and 1.26)

Rembrandt light

Below: Portrait of Giovanni de’ Medici as a Child, by Agnolo Bronzino, c. 1545

Bronzino

Below: Judith Beheading Holofernes, by Caravaggio, 1598-99

Carravaggio - Judith Beheading Holofernes

Below: Truman Capote, by Richard Avedon, 1974

Truman Capote by Richard Avedon

Below: Bored Couples, Brighton, UK, by Martin Parr, 1985

Bored Couples - Martin Parr 1985

 

 

Thought for the week

02 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by The Stranger in Deep and Meaningful

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Steve Passfield honoured in Maureen Wagner Memorial Awards

01 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by Rody in News

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Berowra-based country musician Steve Passfield added to his swag of awards last night when he received the Maureen Wagner Memorial Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Country Music at the 10th Country Showcase in Windsor, near Sydney.

“It was a surprise – I had no idea. I’m very honoured,” said Steve, who performed at the event with a number of other top acts including fellow Golden Guitar winner Felicity Urquhart.

The awards were first presented in 2006 in memory of Maureen Wagner, wife of country music identity Don Wagner. Inaugural winners were the Chambers family, Feral Swing Katz and Charley Boyter.

As previously reported, Steve is working on an album of instrumentals called “Freshly Picked” due for release in the southern spring.  Below: one of our favourite Steve Passfield tracks.

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