Three hours from home, the Bundanon Trust property is a welcoming paradise of lush pastures, quiet cottages and historic homesteads. I am staying in the 'Gonski' house which shares a kitchen with another resident, Jess. A converted barn as studio, contiguous to sleeping accommodation is large enough for two people to work and has an beautiful aspect overlooking wet green fields where cattle graze among the many kangaroo. The generous deposits of poo outside my deck is evidence of an abundance of wombats. Birds of many variety pierce the silence with their calls and compete with the rich baritone wailing of the cows.
Unfortunately, the weather remains quite wet with intermittent showers which prevents me from wandering around too much and collecting natural materials. Thankfully, there is no TV do abstain from which makes reading an effortless activity, especially when I am not feeling too well. My first day at Bundanon may be rather hermetic and horizontal (They have a wonderfully comfortable couch and wing back chair).
There are several pianos here at Bundanon which cater to the many musicians who visit. I'm looking forward to practising and I'm glad I had the foresight to bring along my music books.
There is a short walk to a natural amphitheatre not far from the musicians cottage. A huge moss covered rock face towers over the secluded spot. Wild orchids are in flower clinging to the rock and past 'explorers' have made makeshift benches and small sculptures to accommodate a group should they wish to be seated in this spectacular nook.
Off on an adventure!
Tomorrow morning I am driving to the south coast to Nowra, then on to the Bundanon Property to participate in the residency program. The suitcase is almost packed & the studio has been sifted through for what I may need to work with while I am there. Plenty of art books too for evening inspiration. (Hoping there is no TV!)
I am looking forward to collecting natural materials from a different climate to the one I find myself in at Wentworth Falls. Lets hope I return to the mountains with a box of snap-baggies full of natural goodies. I've been cautioned about the need for Aeroguard, being near a river, but I'm wondering what on earth I'll use to prevent Bunyips getting to me in the middle of nowhere?
Some of the creative folk at Bundanon in September
The following passage is how the Bundanon Residency Program came to be........
“Arthur and Yvonne Boyd’s gift of the Bundanon properties and collections has given Australia a unique cultural and environmental asset. The gift was borne out of Arthur Boyd’s often stated belief that ‘you can’t own a landscape’ and the deeply felt wish that others might also draw inspiration from Bundanon. Gifted to the Australian people in 1993 by Arthur and Yvonne Boyd the Bundanon property (which includes the Bundanon Homestead site and the Riversdale site) is located on 1,100 hectares of pristine bush land overlooking the Shoalhaven River, near Nowra in New South Wales, two and a half hours south of Sydney. The Australian Government established Bundanon Trust as a wholly owned Australian Government company limited by guarantee, with the Company holding the gift as a charitable trust. The Trust’s Board of Directors reports directly to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, who in turn appoints the Chairperson and the Directors.”
On art criticism and judgement.
The most recent edition of Artist Profile Magazine (issue 24) has a feature on a forum held at the Museum of Contemporary art which brought together artists, curators and critics in a discussion about judgement, what it is and do we need it. Here are some video excepts of the forum.
A Poem by Genevieve Carroll
Artist Genevieve Carroll of Hill End Press is one of three artists exhibiting at the Dubbo Regional Gallery with an exhibition titled 'The Long View' which runs until the 13th October. Genevieve exhibits along side Julie Williams and Janet Haslett.
“This exhibition presents three artists’ distinctly individual responses to the remote, historically charged village of Hill End. Carroll’s autobiographical work is a meditation on still life, mortality and bees. Haslett attempts to explore painting through the 1870s Holtermann Collection photographic archive. Williams’ paintings from Hunts Creek Parramatta and Hill End continue her rigorous exploration of relationship between the natural and built environment.”
Genevieve also penned the poem below which has inspired me to put pen to paper and dedicate more time to writing. During my residency this month at Bundanon, I look forward to being alone with my thoughts and having the courage to commit them to the page. Not sure if they'll make the blog though!
THE BEDSPREAD OF NATURAL HISTORY
a bees' lament
S U M M E R
My mouth is full of the honest primrose night
With a slowing clock
delicate and accomplished
cross pollinating
A U T U M N
I imagine ticking soft shadows of air
with coarse black wings
While grass persists to remain
awake for an hour
W I N T E R
I did not imagine this slow frost stone
sustaining a secret
Strategic terrain
the crinkled spark
My thoughts are walking round the exhausted table
S P R I N G
Curvature of drunken bees on the landscape floor
Time lays in a short line
my only familiar scent is that of a flowering curtain