exegesis chapter draft

I'm presently attempting to complete my first (not in order) exegesis chapter by the end of next week - eeeeek! I commenced the writing before heading off to the permaculture course at the beginning of the month - and just as well. I'm a shockingly slow writer. I agonise over everything (and have this compulsion to cross check and footnote EVERY little thing). The first piece I'm writing is about biblioclasm - and how historical and contemporary examples of book destruction influence my studio work (which I've got to say is not happening right now - because I'm reading and writing.....)

sigh

its going to be a loooooooong week



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permaculture design certificate - day twelve - the finale!

Phew the twelfth and final day of the permaculture design certificate (and yes I made it! I'm now licensed to use the word 'permaculture' in what I may do and say and join in the greater worldwide permy network - something I think will increase in importance considering the direction my work is taking....)




Today it was time to present our group designs as the final part of the PDC.....


Our design trio consisted of myself, Massi (a young italian guy currently staying/working at a local organic vege garden) and Gayle (a public servant, vegan and active member of the ACT Greens - and it was her Yass garden we attempted to redesign.)

Here's our draft working design (worked on the previous day...).....

its rough and ready - (time was a premium - we only had roughly 6 hours from brief to completed drawing) but our 'collage approach' (yep I introduced the non-arty folk to the joys of collage...) gave us an idea of where we were going to against Gayle's wish list ....


 Here's our final drawing.....

 

Then we had to give a 20 min presentation explaining our design choices.... (I almost did a nervous up-chuck waiting for our turn!) Certificates were dispensed, contacts gathered, and then it was over..... well at least the course was over.... the real journey in permaculture is now about to begin.

Prior to undertaking the course I had already considered myself amongst the enlightened converted but as the course progressed I felt myself undergoing an enormous paradigm shift. Permaculture is simultaneously practical and esoterically philosophical... it is all-encompassing, engaging all the senses and involving the micro- to macro-scale. I had anticipated permaculture becoming an active ingredient in my artworks and practice - at least in terms of this project, but quite frankly the PDC has blown that simple 'ambition' completely out of the water - permaculture will be, from this time onward, the foundation upon which I will conduct myself in the world.

The ethical basis of permaculture: Care for the Earth, Care for People, Fair Share - is really so straight forward that its hard to figure out why the whole world hasn't turned permy already....

 

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permaculture design certificate - day eleven...

Day 11.... the second last day..... and night! (yep it was dinner and party night - always an important aspect of the course)

During the day it was all about getting going on our mini group design projects that were to be presented the following day - but there was also more theory units to undertake.... With John leading the group the focus was on intentional communities (like bend - bega eco neighbourhood development - which John played an instrumental role... he had a lot of valuable experience to impart) and on planning for disaster.

Later in the evening my kiddies came to visit and have dinner with the group - they had a ball running around the place and even more fun when the evening's entertainment (everyone was asked to contribute a litte something to the night's entertainment.... so we had Damon as master of ceremonies (and player of mighty fine blues and roots.... he stepped in between acts with little ditties..... including his 'permaculture' song..... funnnneeee!), Cam juggled, Mog showed pics of her arty-work, John sang an old redgum classic, Dan showed off his yogic balancing tricks, Peti gave a slide show of her lovely rock home, Penny, (a wwoofer who helped to feed us over the 2 weeks) with her most beautific unaccompanied voice, sang a C14th sacred tune, Dean (caretaker of 'the crossing') recited one of his poems, Eric sang and played guitar, and me? I read the Margaret Wild/ Ron Brooks classic children's picture book, 'Fox'......

and a good time was had by all.... (I was too busy enjoying myself to take pics!)



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permaculture design certificate - day ten...

Day ten (only two to go after this one!) Arron and Dan gave us more strategies for creating community gardens .....

(that's Aaron sitting and Dan pointing)

And also a bit about what the sort of elements for consideration in a community garden....

  

 I'm hoping that sometime soon I'll be able to arrange for the pair to visit the local school (Cobargo Public School) to assist them with both their garden structure and integrated learning as well as how to use the school garden as a tool for community reconnection..... there is an immense need for the sort of skills this pair hold.....

(ps I found all their diagrams and constructed illustrative bits and bobs an interesting in their own right....)

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permaculture design certificate - day nine...

Day Nine we got to meet 2 great young(ish) guys working in community gardens/ school gardens in the Illawarra - Aaron Sorenson and Dan Deighton. Both work together on permaculture projects that create strong communities around food production. Aaron set up and remains committed to 'the garden' - a community food forest garden in North Wollongong PCYC (check either the garden blog or happy earth website to see a bit more from the boys)... both Aaron and Dan completed a PDC with John (and only recently too I hear...) and have returned to offer some of their experience in working with communities to establish gardens or other communal projects....

 

here's aaron and dan's 'leguminous vine time line' for planning and implementing a community project..... (it was the group's job to work on the task order)

all in all a very full day!

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road trip (again!) ... PDC day 8

Day eight of twelve in the permaculture design certificate and it was time to hit the road (again) and visit some inspiring permaculture gardens in Brogo and Bega (wellllll Tarraganda which is just out of Bega) .....

First up was Claude and Helene Marmaux's garden at Brogo....

and then it was off - further down the same road to John's (all hail our leader) place....

this is the house that john built - mudbrick and passive solar (with solar array on the roof) on the left is the chook area (with fruit too) straight ahead is the relaxing area (pond, cob oven, grape vine.... all good!) and down the hill is the vege garden and pome fruit covered orchard. It's a terrific set up with soooo many special touches and clever thinking everywhere

So after yet another great communal lunch this time at john's we got our convoy on the road again - off to Bega (about 20kms down the highway) to check out Bend (an intentional eco-village right in Bega township..... an amazing endeavour - go have a look at the link and you'll see what I mean - it's the first of it's kind in the state.... corrrrr! I feel like waving my little far south coast flag right now!) and after seeing all that's going on (building building building) we headed a few minutes out of town to Tarraganda and Anneke Van Tholen's seedy haven (it's ok - she'll be pleased I refer to her and her place as seedy - Anneke is the force behind the Bega Seedsavers Network!)

seeds in the making....




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permaculture design certificate - day seven...

After a day's rest it was time to get right back to things.... with a day focusing more intensively on Zone 1 (the kitchen/vege garden/compost/worm/daily visited places) and Zone 2 (the orchard/ chook place) and touching on Zone 3 ideas. Lead by Karen McCann and Julie Davies, it was a rapid-fire yet surprisingly comprehensive day..... that even included rapid group designing and a little bit of angst-ridden (on my part) individual designing.

here we are inside what will soon be a shower block here at 'the crossing'.... designing large scale with chalk on the floor (it will soon be tiled over - so we could go to town all over the floor (and in our groups case - wall) of the construction site....