seven thousand oaks

Craft Australia is calling for papers for its next issue of craft + design enquiry. Issue #3 is called The Carbon issue - Sustainability in craft and design.

This issue welcomes academic papers documenting research that contributes to an understanding of sustainability as a context for craft and design. This understanding ranges from the practical to the symbolic.

Papers can include:

• A review historical movements such as the Arts & Crafts movement or Bauhaus
• A reflection on current craft and design projects
• An engagement with contemporary sustainability discourse
• A speculation on the future of craft and design in a world more than two degrees warmer than today
• A critical examination of the relationship between sustainability and the aesthetic dimension

Papers due by 30 June 2010.

For more details, head to the Craft Australia website

Saturday 29th May 2010, 5:30-8:30pm | Noosa Regional Gallery

The next installment of Sunshine Coast Council TreeLine initiative – one of Australia’s most ambitious green art projects – will inspire crowds with a dramatic display of sound, light and imagery at Noosa Regional Gallery this month.

As a continuation of this six-month long project, the Noosa Regional Gallery presents Leah Barclay’s Cypress Trilogy on May 29 situated on the banks of the Noosa River for a three part series of interactive performances. This ephemeral display of sound, light and imagery set amongst the trees and the surface of the water is free to the public.

Leah Barclay is a multi-award winning Australian artist / composer who has drawn inspiration for this work from the UNESCO-recognised region of the Noosa Biosphere Reserve and has been commissioned especially for the Treeline program.

The performance will provide a rich tapestry of local history and feature a selection of internationally acclaimed performers including pioneering Korean taegum artist Hyelim Kim and virtuoso guitarist Anthony Garcia. Artist such as Melbourne based Jeremy Neideck and local performer Mary Eggleston provide another rich layer for this interactive performance. Cypress Trilogy will also include live visuals from James Muller at Earth Base productions intertwining with Barclay’s signature environmental soundscapes recorded in the Noosa Biosphere.

Leah Barclay is one of 25 lead artists for TreeLine who will present their work in the first multi-venue art exhibition across all of council’s galleries and art spaces from 29 May until 4 July. For performance details please contact Noosa Regional Gallery on 5449 5340.

Full program details visit the Treeline website.

• to celebrate the practice of listening as it relates to the world around us, environmental awareness, and acoustic ecology
• to raise awareness about issues / themes / concerns related to the World Soundscape Project, World Listening Project, World Forum for Acoustic Ecology, and individual and group efforts to creatively explore phonography
• to design and implement educational initiatives which explore these concepts and practices

July 18 was chosen as the date for World Listening Day because it is the birthday of the Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer. Schafer is one of the founders of the Acoustic Ecology movement. The World Soundscape Project, which he directed, is an important organization which has inspired a lot of activity in this field, and his book Soundscape: The Tuning of the World helped to define many of the terms and background behind the acoustic ecology movement.

Here is how you can participate in World Listening Day:

• You can set aside some time when you pay attention to your soundscape.
• You can organize a listening party when people play field recordings.
• You can organize a soundwalk.

Email Dan for more information or if you would like to participate in World Listening Day.

The Challenged Landscape profiles 6 contemporary Australian photographers who have dedicated work examining aspects of climate change, river health and land management. Curated by Sandy Edwards, artists include Bonita Ely (who will be performing Murray River Punch), Michael Hall, Stephanie Valentin, Peter Solness and Nici Cumpston.

Find out more about the exhibition at the UTS Gallery website

The films you see in the Melbourne BFF are programmed out of BFF HQ in New York City. All of the films premier at the New York Festival, which this year will take place from 16 - 20 June. This film program is then sent out into the world to screen at any of the 30 plus cities that host a BFF. So that means that thousands of people in cities all over the world are all watching the same films about bikes. Pretty powerful opportunity wouldn't you say? Well I'm glad you did because it could be yours.

The deadline for submissions for the 2010 BFF Film Program is still open, so check out the international website for info on how to participate.