Bevan Honey @ Galerie Düsseldorf, Perth

I try not to 'formally' talk/write about shows but I found the exhibition very thought provoking and more than worthy of some wordsmithing.

Bevan Honey is a bit of a star in Perth and his new show reminded me of some sport/art crossover work we've seen recently.

There's a genuine rivalry in Australia between people who drive particular types cars - mainly Holden and Ford. Motifs abound that are distinguishable (for most Australian-based Males that is) as parts/colours of various models. Grey & orange, lemon yellow and various fluorescents, for example, are very popular paint schemes with some of these cars.

The majority of the artworks in Bevan's show are made out of plywood and are exquisitely and lovingly crafted. They are prepped and painted as if they were part of a car and have a depthless, flawless enamel finish.

The holes in various pieces are as dark as a human iris and appear at first glance to be a surface feature rather than structural. They imply a point of attachment or access but also as a release of tension in the surface during the 'panel beating' process.

The 'works in progress' aspect is interesting in that you are unsure if they celebrate the aesthetic of the process they are replicating or if they are in themselves (as artworks) incomplete.

Did the artist, as many who work on their own vehicles, get to a point where it was 'enough' - ie. driveable - rather than perfect? Would perfection mean that they are 'ready to be judged'? Would perfection mean the completion of an aspect of their lives? What happens after that completion? Is the process more significant that the result?

There is also an interesting series of 'sketches' that resemble poker work on ply. They are however digitally printed and sealed.

Instead of the surface being burnt, it is rather just the illusion of it being burnt - a significant difference. They have a disconcerting quality to them as they are slightly blurred. You'd expect the obvious computer schematics to be clean and perfect on pure white paper, but they instead celebrate their imperfections and 'return' to the material that they supposedly define.

I could write much, MUCH more (ie. metal as fetish, the feminine aspect to shape selection, the 'cutting' concept, etc) about what I got out of this show but I'd rather not over think the work.

I can only say that Bevan should be celebrated as his show is refreshingly honest and quite unique in that it blurs seemingly disparate aspects of Australian culture.

Some Quotes

"What's the diffence between art and pornography... a government grant!"
- Peter Griffin, Family Guy

"We can forgive a man for making a useful thing, as long as he does not
admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it
immensely. All art is useless."
- Oscar Wilde

Corporate Phishing Expeditions

Four cases recently - personally experienced - where I have the feeling that
companies have made 'mistakes' in the hope that people will be naive enough
not to question the invoices sent to them. Companies shall remain nameless.

Case 1 - Telecommunications
I recently purchased a new mobile and they ran a credit check which was
approved in store.

About a week later I got a letter saying my application had been refused
(the dogs had been released, etc) and I should contact a credit company to
make sure my credit rating was ok.

I rang the telecommunications company and said that I KNOW that there is
nothing wrong with my credit. The sales rep had to enter my data twice in
store because he cocked it up, they were having computer problems, etc so I
assumed that it might have had something to do with that.

I was told to contact the credit firm anyway as the customer service rep
couldn't do 'whatever' on the phone. That credit report cost me $27.50 and
nothing, of course, was wrong.

So, I then rang the telecommunications company again .... this whole thing
had taken about 3 hours already ... 'Oh, just ignore that letter, the
computer has a habit of sending them out automatically and the customer
service rep should have told you that. Can I help you with anything
else?'..... arggghhhh!!!!

So, automatically thought, telecommunications company maybe has shares in
credit company. The typically action would be to change companies, etc,
etc..... oh no no! 24 month contract. $1000 (!) early exit fee ... usual
story.

Case 2 - Telecommunications
Different company. We receive a monthly bill which 'normally' has a lead
time of 30 days. It is however systemically sent out 19 days 'late'. The
issue date on the invoice might be May 1 with a due date of June 1, but we
will receive it on May 20. For some people on a tighter line this might be a
problem.

The first two times I thought this might simply be a computer error but it
is consistent. Our address is 100% correct and I challenged said company as
to why this is so... Reply was 'Australia Post, etc, etc.' So replied with
'You are saying that Australia Post is then consistently 19 days 'late'?'
... 'We'll look into it'.

Case 3 - Insurance
I received a bill around the end of March 2006 for amount X (yearly premium)
which I paid 1-2 weeks prior to due date.

About a month later I received another bill for the same policy saying it
was overdue (the dogs had been released, etc) but with two completely
different amounts on it - a balance of $91.29 was 'still' outstanding.

The 'funny' thing was that the difference between amount X and the second
amount was nowhere near $91.29.

After a LOT of running around (including a total of an hour on hold) they
simply told me to ignore the second bill ....? Another computer error.

Case 4 - Retail
Recently purchased a piece of computer equipment which I quickly established
was faulty. Returned this to the store the next day and, as a replacement
was not directly available, was told that a new unit would be posted out. I
then received said unit with an invoice stating that the same amount I
originally paid was outstanding. Rang store... 'Oh, just ignore that
letter,' ... sound familiar ... 'the computer has a habit of ....'.

The place where bicycles go to die...

I was shooting in a house in the Swan Valley yesterday and it was one of the more surreal shoots I've done in recent times. In every room there were various parts of bicycle carcasses in differing states of disrepair. One room essentially just had frames, another wheels and the third gears, seats, handlebar grips, foot pedals and the like.

Besides being oddly 'decorated', some houses also have a very strange silence about them.

Ashby House, for example, is extremely close to a major road and has neither roof, doors or windows. Yet, when inside, it's like you can't hear anything from the outside.

The only sound is a very precarious piece of corrugated iron roofing that hangs by one rather pathetic looking nail. This creaks very eerily as the wind moves it about.

The irony is that it's directly above where I stood to shot the most significant photo in that location. It's very hard to shoot a photo and be coiled enough to jump clear if required.

I've since heard that this house is supposed haunted and, whilst I don't believe in such stuff, there was a very tragic sadness in that space.

Unfortunately this house has also been recently severely
vandalised/violated.

New Camera in the stable!

Ok... not that new. It's been around for a while and is already a well loved
member of the family!

Recently purchased a Mamiya RZ67 Pro and absolutely adore it! Heavy as a
brick (can't shot without a tripod for fear of breaking something -- ie. an
arm!) but so beautiful to use or even just look at.

The step up in image size is already showing significant improvements in
image quality. I'm shooting almost exclusively on Astia Roll Film which has
an extremely fine grain - RMS 7 for those who know what that means.

It also treats colour delicately which is very important for my new work ---
low light interior work. Soft gradients of light and dark are retained and
don't step, shadows hold detail, etc.

A great quality lens really makes a difference and also shows in the images.

The only problem is that I only have one 120 back at the moment so it's
quite a balancing act to change films on location.

The two 645s are my 'running around' cameras now and the 35s probably just
for travelling.

Venison Fillet on a Kumara Mash with Wild Mushrooms

Made this the other night and thought I'd 'share' it around. The following
is for two people but it can obviously be doubled/halved as required.

Ingredients:
Good quality Venison fillet (all depends how hungry you are!)
One Kumara (Sweet Potato)
500gms Fresh Gourmet Mushrooms (Porcini, Oysters, Shitake or similar)
(wash and cut into bite sizes)
One Capsicum (wash and cut into bite sizes)
Two Cloves Garlic
Grapeseed Oil
Sour Cream
Butter
Verjuice or Red Wine for deglazing
Pepper
Salt

Method:
Peel and wash the Kumara and cut into slices about 10-15mm thick. Cover
these into salted water and get them going on a hob.

Wash and pat dry the Venison. Put into a bowl, add a dash of oil and season.
Turn with your hands so that the meat is well coated with the oil and
seasoning. Set aside.

Peel the garlic and chop finely. Melt a bit of butter in a pan and when
foaming add mushrooms, capsicums and garlic. Set to a medium heat and watch
to ensure it doesn't burn or stick.

Be sure to check the Kumara as they cook quicker than a potato. If a knife
doesn't stick when inserted then drain and cover with a lid to keep warm.

Get another pan very hot. DON'T ADD ANY EXTRA OIL and put in the Venison. The
fillets we get are normally 10-15mm thick so 4 minutes each side is normally
enough for medium rare. Turn once only and don't cut to 'look' - you'll
regret it! Set aside to rest for at least 5 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with a teaspoon or so of the Verjuice or Red Wine. Scrape
the bottom to get the good stuff. When all loosened then add this to the
mushroom mixture.

Add more seasoning, sour cream and butter to the Kumara and mash.

There shouldn't be much liquid left in the mushrooms but if so don't reduce
just use it as a sauce.

Plate up. Kumara in the middle, mushrooms mixture around the edge of the
plate and Venison on top of the mash. If a bit of sauce is still left over
then drizzle this over the venison.