...on Exposition

G’day Possums,

We recently spent some time manning the Ballarat International Foto Biennale stand at the Digital Photographic Expo at  “Jeff’s Shed” (also known as the Melbourne Conference and Convention Centre).

Hence the “old-bling” shot as a header.

The BIFB Stand with a bit of "Twilight Zone" about it

 

There also works from the last,(2011) biennale from Carolyn Buckley, Jeff Moorfoot (Director), Zenga Peckham, Eric Algra, Kristin Deimer and myself.  These were things from the ”fringe”. 

What was interesting was how much better they looked in the more neutral setting of a dedicated exhibition space than I recall them looking in their original “fringe” exhibition spaces. Eric agreed with that point and it was something I mentioned in one of my missives on the “fringe”a few entries back  so it will be instructive to see if  we alter our manner of exhibiting or our way of looking in the 2013 Biennale.

Three Graces of BIFB

 

Many people came though and signed up either as volunteers or to receive info about the 2013 Biennale which was good and with some startling results:

 “Do you know about the Ballarat Biennale?

Woman, “Yes”

Did you attend?

 “No, I was otherwise occupied”

For a full month?

“Yes, my husband had been diagnosed with cancer”.

He’s fine now.

Or Ms Gass from Ballarat who proudly announced that she attended every core and fringe show but one.

“Which one did you miss”?

“The one at the Bean Barn”

“Well, Madam, come this way and you can see it now”. (It was my show)

And it turned out the Ms Gass had seen it ( twice in fact) and had been thinking of Kirrily Bailey’s show which had been “gazumped” by her first venue. (Was seen later at Portico). So this lady made a supreme effort.

As we did a little tour through a fraction of the “fringe” Ms Gass and her companion made some very interesting points as to the time it takes to perambulate 140 shows and opined as to the value of guided tours and regular talks by photographers etc.

Which is one of the reasons why we attended the expo.

Serious Bling

There was plenty of good equipment “bling” on show too, I was particularly taken with the new LED 1000W (equivalent) studio lights made by Pinewood Studios in Britain… and the PhaseOne digital backs on a Horseman were drool-worthy.

Very good expositions and promo stuff; I liked the Nik software demo and the exhibitions were good to see also.

.....more serious Bling

Hmmmm….. a Mamiya 645 w/ 50MP back, a w/a, a standard and tele, a new Mac system to handle it all….hmmmmm certainly not on my present moolah.  Ohhhh well… we can dream….

News:  exhibition coming up; Bean Barn September to October 2012.  Ballet stuff to co-incide with South Street Dance Comps…. More later…..

Nikon Exposition

 

Politics

A $20,000,000 a counting ”error” by management has closed down ¾ of Hastie group with the possible loss of 4000 jobs, Australia wide.
Will Mr Rabbit and his minions pursue this with the same “Henny Penny” obsessiveness they've exhibited with Mr Thomson?

Or are 4000 jobs and corporate bungling insignificant in comparison?

Mr Bowen (Labor) guzumped his leader over temporary work visas for 1700 Chinese…much embarrassment.. made Gina Rinehart laugh for once though.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Labor) leaves meeting  with female staffer looking like she’s dressed in black leather. 

Govt. “Whip” and Madam Lash?

In the Tardis State of Victoria where all goes backwards the Baillieu Liarbrils have slashed $19,000,000 from the most dis-advantaged of schoollies in State Education. Martin Dixon the Minister blithely said, “….parents…often enter into payment plans with their schools to spread the cost.”

“.. often enter into payment plans…”          and does that not suggest that those parents are doing it tough already?

$2,000,000 has already been re-allocated to private schools.

Slasher Baillieu would probably consider himself a Christian but hasn’t heard of his Saviours’ admonishment of  “…suffer the little children….” He’s cutting off free Whooping Cough vaccinations just when the scheme is reaching a critical mass of cocooning all from this awful malady.

Ex Liarbril Premier Jeff “foot-in-mouth” Kennett has been offered a board position at the casino… no conflict of interest with his sinecure at “Beyond Blue” (a depression and suicide prevention organization)  nahhhh…. ‘course not!  Problem gamblers don’t get depressed.

Cheers, Petals.

Shane