Jurassic Plastic, Art Alerts Consumerism and Waste

Sydney Sketch Club joined Jurassic Plastic in Sydney Festival. Jurassic Plastic (see photos in the post), a sophisticated satire, warns mass consumerism and waste. *Lower Town Hall, 6-28 Jan, 9 am-5 pm, closed Mondays. Japanese artist Hiroshi Fuji has created dinosaurs from forsaken toys. His colourful art work gives unwanted toys second lives. The revived toys have become popular sculptures welcomed by children and adults. Unwanted toys make beautiful maps on the floor. Above all, the Jurassic Plastic is the place of fun and play. All kids go insanely happy, play with toys and look around their favourite T rexes.  

So clever! What an irony that by the artist's hands, our wasted toys create such gorgeous sculptures! Many interpretations of the art work are possible and complicated. Adults begin to stop and think over our life style, while kids get so excited and keep on playing with toys for hours and hours. So, parents have a rest for a while?! The art work is very vibrant and delightful. The space successfully has two functions : the exhibition of art work and the play ground for children and adults. 

Volunteer workers assist children and parents. This girl is collecting all Doraemons and counting them. Staff helps her each time. Her daddy with another sleeping young baby on the back is happily looking at them. 

  The staff explains DOs and DO NOTs at the entrance. 

This exhibition challenges our life style and shows that wised-up art well handles  social issues, which reaches children and adults. The art work raises questions towards us. The same is true of good children picture books. I hope I'd create a good picture book and art work. 

Btw, our Sydney Sketch Club has a wonderful logo created by our member, Rick Lum. Cool! Thank you for the organiser, Jennifer. She always takes us to inspiring and fun events that give us food for thoughts.  
Friends, Happy Painting and Creating! 

  

Jurassic Plastic, Art Alerts Consumerism and Waste

The Ephemeral City in Sydney Festival

French artist Olivier Grossetete is constructing a huge Cardbox City on Barangaroo Reserve in Sydney Festival. Sydney Sketch Club joined it! Why did I put the busker first? I met a musician whom I had sketched before in the Ephemeral city. He remembered me and talked to me. Oh, it surprised me so much. I was very happy. (**the posted sax player is not the same musician).  

The Ephemeral City is a large community participant event. Anyone can join constructing architectures. We can tape boxes and build them up. We are not strangers any more there. We are working mates to build the imaginative city! Amazing - especially it was great to see children so enthusiastic about understanding the concept of buildings. It sounds like a utopia? 

*Behind the building, you can see a man flying across the sky on a lift. There is a wire and you can fly between these constructing buildings like a flying fox. Ah, what a shame! I could not try it, because of my fractures. 

Indeed, that utopia certainly exists in our eyes, here in Sydney Festival! I felt the cardbox city, as if it were a miniature of our lives -- impermanent and momentaly, yet it has genuine relationships and friendship. In the Ephemeral city, we love, help and work together happily and joyfully. To lift up architecture needs timing and cooperation. Often close people work together. It is interesting to see the interaction of people. Often adults and children play around. Is it unrealistic paradise?  But it is certainly there and only for a short time. Also, I remembered the quote, "Our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness" by Vladimir Nabokov. That paradox makes me smile.

Indeed, in a temporal city, we are good friends and cooperators. The gentleman below in the sketch remembered me. We enjoyed a chat. I sketched his son and him about to lift up the building and a wife was ready to put another block. Many people talked to me and even took photos of my sketch of the building. I have no doubt that skething makes friends. 

Or I'd say, because our lives are such short and temporal, we want to love others well and be happy fully in every moment. Later, I'd like to visit this event again to check the progress.

Thank you for Sketch Club organiser Jennifer and all participants who gave me a wonderful afternoon. Many members kindly asked about my fractures and even cared for my difficulty in walk. They encouraged me so much. I'm on the mend and working hard for rehab. Friends, you are such nice people!
Happy Painting!! 

The Ephemeral City in Sydney Festival

Awesome Recycled Architecture Fair in Sydney Festival

Any family, come, join "Architectura de Feria" = "Architecture Fair" in Prince Alfred park in Parramatta. All the rides are free and run by manpower -- on nothing electronic! Parents and children play together from rides, shooing, a bicycle racing game to fascinating machines in a fairground. An artist, Jordà Ferré has recycled materials and turned objects to surprising machines/architectures. I sketched most of the works! They have classical, yet, unique, elegant and amazing shapes and brilliant functions! What an ecological and environmental friendly “Antigua I Barbuda Catalonia Australian Exclusive”!

A very sophisticated art work I realised is at the entrance of Riverside Theatres opposite to the Prince Alfred square. Friends, can you guess what the machine (below) is for? Can you tell how it works? “For a dentist use,” a lady said – Na! What else? Any one?

It’s a wine server! How graceful it is! Can't believe it? Here we go, its YouTube. A distinct and incomparable concept is the key of all the art works created by Jordà. 

I met the artist Jordà in person, while I was sketching a Ferris wheel. Lovely Jordà is a Catalan speaker. Come on, Spanish and Catalan speaking blog readers. Let’s have fun!  

This Ferris wheel is run by a mom or a dad’s hands! Children ride on toilet seats. Hilarious and a wonderful humour! Of course, riding children are so happy. Look at this smiling boy. Only the shame is that I cannot enjoy it because of my weight (max. weight 45kg). Lovely staff always asks audience and children to put hands together for a volunteer's vigorous exercise at any machine. The art work and the event are very heart warming, comical and entertaining as well as serious and beautiful. 

All the staff centralise children and respect them as well as parents. The children and disadvantaged people are heroes and winners in the event. Parents wind up handles or spin pedals to work these machines for children. Below, at the right side of the Ferris wheel, you can find two tyres and a belt. THERE, a volunteer cranks a handle. Parents, it's a good exercise and sure, you'll be fit! 

But also the artist and the team have set special seats for exhausted parents like the rides offered for children. Only parents may take comfy big seats and children move fans, in turn of their parents’ hard work after all the rides! How’s that! How well-organised event this is! It is wonderful to see a sweet interaction between parents and children in family. I’d like to say special thanks to the staff, especially, the team who came a long way from Spain. It is their sensitive and enormous efforts that run this wonderful family event successful and happy for anyone! Children, please handle the staff with care, because they are fragile and easy to be broken. 

Let’s try another ride of a merry-go-round. Each ride in it is has a unique shape designed for a parent/carer and a child. Yes, the artist designed two seats for children and parents to have fun together. I love to watch each “art work” in carousels. I like the double seated red airplane most! Originality is outstanding. If you like, you can try another carousel. It has a cool airplane, a funny crocodile, a rocket and so on. Children, people, all cheer up Mom or Dad working hard for carousels!   

Ok, would you like to try something different from a ride? Here’s the shooting for children. You can try three times at a bicycle bell. Do you kne? The bullets are pits of olive! Each time, a child must EAT up an olive. Excellent humour!! According to staff, “No one has ever shot three times. Only twice. If you can make it, you’re the champion!” Kids, go and try! You may become a world record holder. What a clever setting! An out of mark hits piano wires and makes a dramatic and formidable sound in a low key. Another fun game is a bicycle race like "Le Tour de France"! Two people on station bikes move their miniature and tiny bikes in a course on a big table. We cheer up participants around the table! Children, go for it! You may beat adults! I love all the games and to hear people's hot cheers and big laugh, here, there, everywhere. 

Parents, children, you can't miss this fantastic and free event. Come and say hello to the wonderful team from Spain and locals. A local Sydney Festival staff talked to me. He said, "I saw you communicate people. Very open and approachable. You don't have a wall." His say was my great reward. Children, too, talked to me, sketching something. Oh, yes, nice live music is also free. The machines are beautiful in lights at night and in a comfortable cool weather. (*we're in summer!)  

Parramatta Prince Alfred Square (View map) 
7–26 January 
Tue–Thu & Sun, 2pm–8pm
Fri & Sat, 2pm–10pm
Closed Mondays
Cost: Admission is free.

Finally, I'd say special thanks for all the staff, anyone involved with the event and children and parents. You've brought us such a wonderful event freebie! You've also cheered me up to keep on these sketches. Thank you for your friendship! 

Friends, Happy Painting!  

Awesome Recycled Architecture Fair in Sydney Festival

Ab Solomons' Wage Packets Sketchs in Sydney Festival

Friends, we, ordinary people's lives are all precious and unique. Ab, a shoemaker kept drawing small sketches with short sentences on wage packets. What a practical and romantic way Ab did, the art on wage bags for his wife, Celie! A real work size is smaller than my palm like playing cards. The record of love was from 1920 to 1980s. 

The drawings are full of history and love.

Ab, a shoemaker was Jewish. His cute drawings show war, Hitler, religion, sickness, new technology = telly, movie, video, etc, etc. Above all, their relationship! First, they were a young couple, had two sons, conflicts between the couple, but they still loved each other till Ab had a bored head, Celie with wrinkles, a double bed changed into separated single beds... etc, etc. So, sweet and many ups and downs, but a very commical depiction makes viewers smile and laugh. 

Technically, the drawings develop a wonderful style from stick figures with a pen to bright watercolour, full of humour, wit, heartwarming writings. Oh, it touched my heart. Already the drawings have become a theatre play.

I always feel the beauty of old couples. I can see their long history and love in their body language.... It is wonderful. I love them all and admire them. We cannot stay together forever. In our human relationship, we have journey and separation, yet, the triumph of love over everything... Love is the miracle on earth. If so, we have miracles here, there, everywhere. I'm sure many unknown Ab and Celie should be here, there and everywhere. Ab has successfully captured love and life on his wage packets. Yes, that's what I want to depict in my work, too.

Like Ab did, I want to capture ordinary people's lives in ordinary ways...with love. In this post, I just uploaded my daily sketches of "us, ordinary people." Paradox. It's extraordinary, because an individual is so precious and unique. Yet, we are universal and common. So, we can share our emotions in art work. Technically, my work might not be standing out nor being sophisticated. But if my work has love, it will touch others hearts, like Ab did. The opposite is true, as well.  We sometimes forget technically astonishing work in a few minutes, becuase it did not have love and would not reach at our hearts. We know, even a clumsy work with love, that reaches our heart will remain in us forever -- I often experience it in the work done by children, nameless people and people with disabilities. 

In my solo exhibition, I want to show the best selection of my daily sketches as well as picture book illustrations! I hope visitors will smile and giggle at the sketches. 

I do not mean to create a masterpiece. I want to draw us, ordinary people with love. I want to show the beauty of being imperfect and special in YOU, Friends!  

Friends, Happy Painting!  

Ab Solomons' Wage Packets Sketchs in Sydney Festival

Sydney Festival Inspired Seduced Elated in Summer

Come join Sydney Festival (9 - 26 Jan) This art festival celebrates visual art, music, dance, performance or whole art areas. Event locations are varied in Sydney. Many programs are in City and Parramatta.

Some events and programs are free and very fascinating : Project 28 : Roman Ondak ( we, laypersons mark our "names" on a wall that makes art and eternity!), Sacrilege (Interpreted "Stonehenge" in a contemporary way --"JUMPING CASTLE"!!),  Rubber Duck (5 story-high, not Ernie's one!) and Library (secondhand books exchange!). Which event do you like?

First, "Project 28, Roman Ondak (artist's name)" that has fascinated me most ʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ. Friends, don't we wish to mark our existance as eternity in universe? If so, this creative public art is yours. Anyone can leave a name and a date on walls set in Parramatta Town Hall. I wondered how the artist would decide my name's position on a wall? Friends, by an individual "hight," staff puts a name on a wall. According to the project team, hight is "Measuring the Universe." Neither assets, race, gender, age, religion, social class nor any social filters set in society.

I also ponder about Nazi concentration camps that completely denied both individuality and humanity of Jewish people. Individuals were recongnised only by numbers, not names. This beautiful work already has fascinated visitors at some of the world's greatest museums and galleries.

So wise and clever! 
Interestingly, our own hight looks individual, in fact, it is quite similar among adults. Consequetnly, the art becomes collective and inclusive. Our names come together at a very similar position. How thoughtful the artist is! All participants look very happy and often take photos of their names. Of course, you can interpretate this art work freely and differently. What do you think or feel, Friends? The art work makes me think of eternity, our existance, similarity/equality and difference/individuality on the earth and in universe. The staff and volunteers invite me to come again to see the finsihed work at the end of the Festival. Sure! I will!

Second, Sacrilege or Stonehenge, but a huge "JUMPING CASTLE" in a festival village in Hyde Park at the heart of Sydney City. This stunningly big jumping castle faces St Mary Cathedral. The artist might think of the same common element, "spirituality" between Stonehenge and a big gothic church. What a unique and great humour!! ~(*o*)~ Who can connect Stonehenge to a jumping castle, so much our everyday stuff? Oh, creativity is amazing. I always wanted to sketch Stonehenge. Now, my dream has come true! Children get excited so much and enjoy bouncing. But after the playing time, all participants get so exhausted. Jumping seems energy consuming work! Friends, you have to come and see and jump!

Third, Rubber Duck comes back and up on Parramatta River. This rediculously enormous Rubber Duck makes us smile by its mismatch between seirousness and humour in art. It always reminds me of Ernie in Sesami street. But who can imagine this size? -- only artists can do ʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ. Many people come around and look at it, enjoying picnic in Parramatta park.

Last, "Library" in a festival village in Hyde Park under beautiful and cool shades. Sydney Council runs this project. They set freebie secondhand books on shelves and visitors can pick up books. One person one book. Children's picture books are very popular and quickly gone! Many people enjoy reading books that makes me very happy. Around a library, people play chess and kids play wooden blocks (what a healthy and safe idea!). Cheerful voices and laugh often come up. Lovely, so lovely. 

Librarians/staff are looking forward to my blog post. ʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ·.•*•♫°•♫·.•ʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ

**Special thanks for Festival Team and City of Sydney Library. They have kindly put "Sadami's Graffiti" on City of Sydney Library Facebook.

Oh, yes, in Hyde Park, a guitarist plays beatuiful classic music for visitors before a fountain. We really love his live music.

I'd say special thanks for volunteers and staff and all backstage players who have been carrying out this wonderful festival for us.

 

Friends, if you can, come over Sydney and let's have fun together and join art work!! Or do you have any event like Sydney festival? Let me hear about yours.

Finally, my colour for the picture book is going steadly. Editor and Mentor patiently encourage me. We happily discuss about my submitting work. Thank you, Friends, your cheers always lift me up and I can come to this stage.
You, too, enjoy drawing.
Friends, Happy Painting!!  

Sydney Festival Inspired Seduced Elated in Summer