back checking #2- Beppu

Couple of owned posts from my time in Beppu. Conversations Beppu with cats, and a very brief one about walking up Yufu dake. Beppu is occupying my head so will have to post some more...

But I want to also live and post in the moment!

zine feed back: A response from Bec Dean to Tokyo zine #1

Selected pages from Tokyo zine #1: Two weeks with Birds.

I read your zine today. I enjoyed deciphering the red ‘sub-text’ beneath the black handwriting, where you wonder if anyone will understand how this work relates to watching the habits of other people communing with nature, rather than reflecting only your personal obsession. I’ve always loved watching the natural world. But until I met you many years ago, and then Richard, I didn’t really know where to direct my looking.

I have read two novels over the past two weeks where empathy with animals is a central theme: Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights and Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. I feel like I should have read them both at least a decade ago! But no matter. In both cases, strong relationships are forged between humans and animals, but the animals in question are completely removed from their connection to a broader ecology. In Pullman’s first novel of the His Dark Materials trilogy, some animals are Daemons; they are attached psychologically and psychosomatically to human beings. They have a spiritual and emotional connection. If a human dies, their Daemon dies too, and vice-versa. The bond between a human and their Daemon is almost sacrosanct. In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, humans bond with animals as part of a pseudo-religious and post-apocalyptic movement, where animal ownership is both a conspicuous way of achieving social kudos, and a way of lifting humankind away from despair and entropy (the Tomb World). Real animals are purchased from a catalogue. Humans aspire to try to love them.

Today I felt like Deckard. I had an existential concern for my fish, Rambo. I thought he looked lonely, hiding under his rocks. The Original Fin has been swimming solo in his pond for a while, so I decided to walk to Marrickville Aquarium Supplies and buy him some friends (or enemies, who knows?). As I was walking back I was thinking about you and how personally your work has affected me. Trying to be as careful as possible, I held the two Koi in front of me as they slopped around their plastic transport. Further down the street, I locked eyes with a middle-aged woman who was letting her neat little sheep trim the shrubs of her apartment block. Me with my fish-in-transit. Her with her sheep-on-a-rope. I thought about our two animal species in these unlikely suburban contexts, and the extent to which we try to create spaces for them to exist, and to imagine them being contented. I thought about the Japanese bird-watchers you had documented, their bird-feeding (such a no-no in Australia) and the desire for simple connection with other living things. A desire that comes from wonderment, curiosity and care.

My faith in interspecies relationships somewhat restored, I introduced The Original Fin to his new pondmates.

Now they hide from me in togetherness.

letting go

It’s been hard to think about writing this blog since Mambo died. Partly because it has been hard to think about putting some thing in front of him so that slowly, slowly he disappears from the top post, when I still feel his absence as a large hole. Sitting to work at my desk is not the same anymore.

But life goes on, and there are lots of cats in the world and one day another one will walk into my life as Mambo did. He was dumped by his previous owners, from a car, and found his way into our corner block-backyard to hide. My parents heard him meowing and my father dug into the germaniums and brought out a six month old non-desexed friendly, but nervous, ginger fella with very long sharp nails. I had been asking for a companion pet, as I needed lots of affection at that point in my life and it is much better from a soft animal who gives without demands- or at least the easily met demand of food- than confused art school boys and girls.

But the new posts are stacking up and the owed posts of my trip are still waiting to be written so best to get on with it.

conversations with cats #2

In the first week home I was cycling along one of my regular routes I came out of a cutting to see about 10 cats trotting towards me with their tails in the air- a pack of friendly strays. It was the oddest sight. I have only ever seen two cats do this at once. I of course missed the moment to photograph them doing this. I guess there is someone who feeds them you arrives on a bicycle? I have wanted to go back and visit them but have not had the time yet.

The sense of wonder and pleasure at these stray cats is a new response for me- a post-Tokyo curiosity. Usually I would be angry and cross that they where there and that someone was supporting them (a typical bird watcher response). I was still concerned that the pack is growing as one of the young females (the tabby grey in the top photo) was clearly pregnant.

Rest in Peace dear Mambo

He had a massive tumor in stomach area which was affecting his kidneys. There was no possible treatment, which we had suspected so pampered him for weeks till it looked like he was loosing the plot. Luckily he made it through ok till I came home. The demise was pretty fast in his last week, so Haico and I took the hard decision that it was best he took a one way trip to the vet. I didn't want him in hospital like Ruben, mostly because he was an anxious cat and wouldn't cope. The vet told us he probably only had days to live. He is now under the hydrangias in the front yard in the opposite flower bed to Ruben.

I instinctively look at the front door when I walk past expecting to see his shadow asking to come in. It will take a while I guess.

He was very restless his last two nights, getting up lots to drink, wee and lick at a vast array of food we presented him with. Poor thing, but he had a good and long life. He arrived to live with my parents and I (he was dumped over our fence) in my honours year at Art school. He appear in various of my performance to camera, which I am now keen to dig out the video documentation.

Home

Every day clear and sunny since I've come home.

The view from the new deck.

I wish you could photograph customs as you arrive into Australia- I always know I am home at that point- the look of all the lower public servant workers: customs officials in short sleeves with large tattoos pocking through the lower sleeve; Gay men and women working as quarantine officials; Australian tavellers in tracksuit pants, jeans and t-shirts the main dress code; the immediate feel of the dominate working class culture; humidity and blue blue skies as you touch down. Ah home... I love it

Field Guide to the Birds of Tokyo's Metro System.

Ryuto's hand holding the finished prototype of A Field Guide to the Birds of the Tokyo Metro System. One of my works in the exhibition Tokyo Story at TWS Shibuya is a collaboration with a talented young artist Ryuto Miyake.

It started with my recording of the bird sounds used as alarms in the metro system, soon after I meet Ryuto who has a passion for drawing birds. The question was then how do we illustrate a field guide to these Metro birds while avoiding the mannered ‘imaginative’ drawings of people who know too much. Children drawings? How do I find a group of children? Enter Kate Gane: an Australian who is teaching English in the Kanagawa area as Warnambool's cultural ambassador. Kate and I did a series of workshops with the students playing them the alarm sounds and shown them images of Japanese and Australian birds. Ryuto’s drawings are based on drawings by first year students in classes 1-1, 1-2 and 1-3 at Hasse Junior High School, Kanagawa, and photos of birds we thought they looked like.

Departure

Tokyo did not quiet spit me out- almost- I had a least 11 hours combined sleep over the 4 days. So what did I learn in the last days? All the things I already knew: I’m not very good with technical things, especially with computers if they decide to not work perfectly; if you don’t sleep enough hours you become stressed and can’t communicate well, and I become really forgetful and appear quiet crazy; you eat crazy food; you never have time for those last minute purchases.

The ride on the train to the airport was completely different to my arrival: grey rainy afternoon, very tired emotional and stressed, but I wanted to enjoy every minute, and soaked up the beauty. The cherry trees where in full bloom and had started to rain their perfect pink blossom. It was interesting to see clusters of them all over the city as we headed out north to Narita.

Another moment of surprise beauty was one of the parks along a river with baseball diamonds, the pitchers mounds look like UFO landing spots.

chaos and sleeplessness

Only two days to go and complete exhaustions as I try and make it all happen. Thanks to Kate and Hanako for the rescue last night.

But still pausing to photograph fashionistas:

A bike gang Tokyo style: Yoyogi

Install Shibuya.

white beauty

3 days of absolute beauty- I can't believe how lucky we where to have such thick snow, sunshine, and each other, to enjoy this perfect forest.