Monday, September 15, 2008
I don't want this...
Mused by Sukunami Taka around 4:13 AM
Monday, September 08, 2008
Apparently I have a sleep disorder?
Mused by Sukunami Taka around 1:47 PM
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
A couple of days have passed to reflect upon the Aradale Asylum meet and I've seen some of the beautiful, outstanding and at times thought provoking images which were made possible as well as comments and reactions to those images.
The Asylum is made up of one main colonial style building and several ramblings structures dotted on its stunning large grounds and can be seen as you drive up from a distance. It has a long rich history part of which could be read here
When I first heard of the trip I was hesitant to jump on board. With an overactive imagination and a healthy dose of fear of almost everything, the now abandoned Aradale promised to be eerie and disturbing. And it certainly was at times.
But it was also so so beautiful, and calm and solid and patient with its crumbling walls and maze like corridors. Bright sunlight spilled through wide-paned windows, rooms were brightly painted in greens and blues and pinks with soft carpet and psychedelic curtains.
As you walked through unsettling dust and touching door panels, your footsteps fell hollow in the quiet, it was peaceful, almost resolute in waiting.
I fell in love with Aradale.
To its shaky towers paved with wooden floors to the gleaming massive steel pots in the musty kitchen which took away all words, to the creeping vines on the outside and the unexpected blossoming cherry blossom alongside the front driveway, every nook and cranny yield treasures and surprises and inspiration to the talented creatives who wandered in excitement.
I was really no different, smiling as ideas rattled away, thankful to Melissa Kirham for letting us have this opportunity. I let go and learned a little more of myself.
Last year I was diagnosed with BPD and spent a few weeks in hospital with severe depression. Those few weeks were a lifeline in more ways than one. In my last set at Aradale, I modeled for a very personal piece as I am reminded about how lonely it must have been even in a place that could house at least 800 patients......and how lonely I feel, the desperation and yearning and the love I had for my art, how all I wanted was to hide.
I am very proud of this set, I've put a little bit of myself in it and loved that Aradale has been the backdrop through which I could do that. Thankyou to Jeff who captured what I wanted to show. I hope that Aradale can be seen as something more than sad voices. We all have our pasts, it's what we do with our present and future that matters.
Mused by Sukunami Taka around 8:50 PM
