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04
Rethink
Reuse
Reduce
Recycle
― things we love ―
― things we love ―
Ballarat Ethical Fashion Week
Words by La Vergne Lehmann Photography Supplied
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Clothes are an everyday necessity. They can be utilitarian in nature for some, but for others they are also an important aspect of self-expression. It is not just the look of the clothes and whether they are the latest fashion or designer label, but also how we acquire them. For many years, the path of least resistance has been to shop for new clothes at chain or department stores, unless you have the good fortune to be able to afford higher end exclusive designers.
While sustainability has some important connotations regarding the environment in terms of how a garment is produced and ultimately disposed of, it is less indicative of how or why we choose to purchase garments. Is it acceptable for us to take pleasure in being able to purchase cheaper clothes at the expense of a proper livelihood for garment workers in other countries? Is it acceptable that short cuts in production values, through the use of inferior quality dyes and materials, can result in significant local pollution in places where garment manufacturing is undertaken?
But it has not always been this way. Today’s purchasing habits developed with the creation of industrial scale production of textiles both in terms of fabric and garment production. The development of synthetic fabrics such as nylon and polyester has also changed the nature of the materials and the material blends. In terms of production there has been an increasing quantity of these garments made in countries such as Bangladesh where wages are low and conditions are poor. The result is that our clothes have never been cheaper for us to buy in proportion to our income.
While all of this can sound a bit negative, the Ballarat Ethical Fashion Festival was about restoring that balance. It was about inspiring participants to rethink their clothing choices with options for creative upcycling, utilising the sharing economy, learning new skills from old traditions and understanding how we can all play a part in the circular fashion economy. The result is a longer life for our clothes, less waste, more upcycling and increasing the creativity and capacity of our community.
Despite industrial scale efficiencies, the way clothes are made and used today is extremely wasteful and polluting. The addition of fast fashion marketing, which sees the pace of the fashion supply chain increase to a rate where the life of an item can be measured in days rather than months or years, has ensured that the level of textile or clothing waste is continuing to increase, with little option at the end of the garment’s life to be anything more than landfill. Social media pressures, particularly on younger people, have meant that being photographed in the same outfit and shared on social media more than once is simply unacceptable. When you add to that the loss of skills such as sewing, knitting, crocheting and other traditional textile crafts in recent generations, then it is easy to understand why textile and clothing production, consumption and disposal have become one of the most significant challenges in our waste system.
Apart from having the inspirational Clare Press, Vogue Australia’s Sustainability Editor-at-Large, and professional mender Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald speak at the launch at the Ballarat Art Gallery, much of the week was about the practical workshops or demonstrations that were being offered in Ballarat and some of the surrounding towns. Of course you cannot have a fashion festival without a fashion parade and the launch of BEF culminated in a fabulous fashion parade of upcycled garments modelled by some of our local ladies. Local fashion designers and stylists present at the parade included Bianca Flint, Bethany Jakob, Cathy Tobin and Hattie and the Wolf’s Andrea Hurley. The parade was an inspiration to us all and showed what we can do with quality clothes and some creative inspiration.
This brings us to the Ballarat Ethical Fashion Festival (BEF). In 2018 we started this event with the Sustainable Fashion Festival and in 2019 it became the Ethical Fashion Festival. Why ‘Ethical’? ― fashion ―
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Trashlanders Recently Junkies had the pleasure of attending a play in Daylesford, Victoria, that caught our attention for many reasons.
Words by Jen Bray Photography Mara Ripani
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Trashlanders was written by students and highlighted their view of the future of our planet – their home – based on what is happening around them now. The set and all the costumes were made from waste materials. To us, it had all the makings of something special, and it did not disappoint. Well done to all involved. We hope that this is just the beginning for this astute play and that great things will come from this compelling production. Jen Bray, Director of Daylesford Youth Theatre, shares with us the motivation and passion that brought Trashlanders vividly to life. When asked “What do you think the future will be like” 19 teenagers came back with a shocking vision of a desolate, baking planet covered in trash. It’s a scary thought, but one which many young people can easily imagine, based on recent science reports and the way we currently live. Our kids are incredibly switched on to the state of our planet. They are very well informed about the changes we’re facing – they’ve been taught all this at school. I work with many young people in our local youth theatre company and the topic that has them most concerned, even anxious, right now, is their future. It worries me to see children between the ages of 10 and 18 expressing their deep fears, anxiety and even depression about the effects that climate change will have on the world they will inherit. They are deeply saddened by the recent UN biodiversity report from 300 leading scientists stating 1 million species are threatened with extinction and that humans are to blame. These teenagers are desperate to do something, change something, give the world a great big shake and say “What are you doing to the planet? Stop it!”. But they feel powerless and voiceless.
Around the time of the last federal election, that feeling of frustration came to a head. “We’re too young to vote on who governs this country, and yet we are the ones who have to face the consequences” was the common cry. So this year, the Daylesford Youth Theatre company took all that frustration and passion and poured it into creating a piece of theatre that would be their voice. This would be the message they wanted to send to their community, their governments and the world. And so we created Trashlanders, a sci fi epic set 40 years into the future on a baking planet covered in trash. The process took six months of research and playing with ideas. We looked at the science from all angles and at key players in the climate debate on all sides: Big Coal, climate scientists, politicians, activists, journalist, ordinary workers, families and people experimenting with a new way of living. We looked for areas of conflict because drama is conflict and that makes for great theatre. But we also wanted to tease out the grey areas of debate and give people on all sides a voice in the story. We listened to Greta Thunberg’s Ted Talk and were so moved we cried. Some of her words ended up in our script. And, inspired by Greta’s message, our young troupe decided that our story would not have a nice pat ending. We would not send our audience home satisfied, with all the conflicts resolved. The kids wanted their audience to feel compelled to act when they left the theatre, that there was work to do and they needed to do it. Oh, and we wanted them to cry. The young performers created characters from all sides of the debate and we improvised scenes around the hottest issues: kids vs parents, coal vs solar, politics vs activism and families vs each other. The collaborative process is very rich with ideas.
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Golden Pin Concept Design Award
Never-before-seen concept designs from Taiwan, China, Singapore, and Germany. Established in 1981, Taiwan’s most influential design award has enjoyed global media attention and coverage since it opened to international entries in 2014.
Words & Photography by Golden Pin Concept Design Award
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The annual Golden Pin Design Award and Golden Pin Concept Design Award is the longest running international design award that celebrates products or projects expressly created for Chinese-speaking communities. The award offers entrants an unprecedented opportunity to prove their prowess in the world’s largest market. Junkies is honoured to be a sponsor for the sustainability category of this prestigious awards event and excited to be given the opportunity to highlight great design concepts. In Shanghai on 10 August, and in Taipei on 14 August, the secondary selection juries convened to choose the Design Mark winners. The jury was made up of 16 design experts with wide-ranging backgrounds to cover all four award categories – product design, communication design, spatial design, and integration design. The jury praised the overall standard of concept design on display. Jimmy Chang (Creative Director of UID Create Ltd), David Wang (Founder of bod design corp.), Tony K.M. Chang (Regional Adviser to the World Design Organization), Jui-I Huang (Co-Founder of mistroom), and Shu-Yuan Wu (Director of Motif Planning & Design Consultants) all noted a trend in the concept designs seeking harmony between humanity and nature. This trend reflects the global movement for sustainability and social design, which has been a recurring theme at the Golden Pin Design Award throughout recent years.
Tony K.M. Chang observed that the concept designs are catering to a number of demographics, including products for elderly and disabled people. Wei-Hsiung Chan (Founder of Business Next magazine) was impressed by the level of technical ability apparent in the film and animation concept designs. Nice Cheng (Partner at AppWorks) expressed optimism about the market potential for many of the winning product concept designs, while Kuan-Yi Tai (architect at Kuan-Yi Tai Architects) was impressed with the precision of thought behind many of the concept designs. Together, Ocean Liang (CEO of Inception Cultural & Creative Co., Ltd) and David Wang concluded that if a concept design is mindful of its social and environmental responsibility, and can lead society forward in a positive direction, then it will certainly receive praise from the jury. The jury announced 45 Design Mark winners from Taiwan, China, Singapore, and Germany. They are now competing to win a share of the award’s TWD$1,200,000 (approx. USD$39,000) prize and coveted Best Design trophy, which will be presented at the award ceremony on 5 December. We can’t wait to bring you all the highlights from this event as we embark on our trip to Taipei to attend the awards ceremony. Junkies would like to give you a preview of six of these innovative and thought-provoking concept designs that have captured the attention of the judges and become finalists.
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24 Hours Art Gallery Leng-Ni Chen
Leng-Ni Chen outlines her revolutionary take on the traditional art gallery. In contemporary Taiwan, there are increasingly more 24-hour business venues, such as convenience stores, gas stations and hypermarkets. This business model fulfils an indispensable role in Taiwan. This 24-hour concept has now been applied to the art gallery, blurring the concepts of inside/outside and of time itself. The art gallery has traditionally provided a public space for the display and dissemination of art to the public. The most common space in any exhibition facility is the ‘white box’, a versatile environment that forms the background for any artwork, which can be displayed on a wall or on a platform. Every piece of art is unique and needs a suitable space in which to be exhibited. The development of modern art has gradually broken the old form of the picture frame. Art no longer needs walls to support works, and the ‘white box’ is no longer a necessary component of the art gallery – the diversity of modern art makes these spaces redundant. With this diversification of art, many works have stepped out and subverted the phenomenon of the exhibition space. Here, I have attempted to bring the borderless into the works so that the viewer not only sees the exhibition, they also experience the space. ― design ―
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llani Creative Wearable Art Artist
Words by Claudia Williams Photography Matthew Gianoulis Photography, Kyle Barney Photography & Jason Lau
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Wearable art is a powerful medium that delivers the message of recycling so effectively. It captures our imagination and makes us rethink waste. Junkies first met Claudia Williams, aka ‘llani Creative’, when we invited her to help us create an outfit for our first Rethink Exhibition back in 2017. The result was spectacular, as is everything she creates.
What do you find are some of the most rewarding skills and experiences your students get from your workshops?
We are excited to be able to showcase Claudia’s work once again with this cover story interview.
What was your first project, and what lead you into the world of wearable art?
What is the driving force behind your creations?
My first wearable art garment was a dress for my daughter’s fancy dress school disco about 15 years ago. The theme was punk and with help from my eight-year-old daughter we created a punk halter style dress from recycled school newsletters. The newsletters where yellow and black in colour, so it made for a cool punk outfit!!
It’s to educate my audience about using recycled materials to create with. Playing with recycled materials sparks another level of creative thinking and problem solving. It’s a continuous discovery for me as there’s so much recycled material just waiting to be turned into something new.
Whether I am working with communities on projects like wearable art or community art events, creative thinking is one of the most rewarding skills that students take away from my workshops. Along, of course, with an amazing headpiece or wearable art garment crafted from unusual materials.
Describe a few of your most memorable experiences from working on your last project “Dress the Central West”.
What impression do you want to make when people see your work?
Dress the Central West was a six month project, a collaborative journey that inspired, engaged, encouraged and empowered local people within central west communities in Queensland to find “Beauty within the Drought”. I was honoured to be the artist/ educator and creative director behind this project for Red Ridge Interior Queensland.
Wow! is usually the first impression and then once I tell them it was created from recycled plastics or mop heads, it’s usually a double wow. That’s what I try to elicit with all my work. What was your most difficult project? I haven’t really had one. All my projects begin with the question, “Where to start?” Sometimes it comes easily and other times it’s a lot harder to get to the concept stage. The freedom to explore as I create is a powerful tool and it always amazes me what we can come up with once we train our brains to think creatively. What do you love most about what you do? To create and to educate. As an artist/educator/designer I have been fortunate to travel to remote and regional cities in Australia designing facilitated workshops. The joy these bring to participants is what makes my career so rewarding. There is nothing more powerful than working with your hands to create, and when I share my knowledge with others, that’s when the magic happens. It’s like a super drug without any nasty side effects.
The wearable art project went way beyond just creating wearable art; it brought communities together, inspired creativity and innovation, and sourced the vibrancy, uniqueness and resilience of the outback communities dealing with the strains of drought that has burdened central western Queensland for many years. Participants were encouraged to use everyday materials – lick (stock feed) bags, baling twine, ropes, bottle tops, wire, bark and sticks – making the production totally locally sourced and recycled. There were so many unforgettable experiences for me, from creating garments with recycled outback materials, to shooting our media launch on location at the Captain Starlight lookout. This involved a rocky hill climb with a large crew in tow, models, wearable art, and flies (lots of them) all while the rain was on its way.
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Another memorable experience was observing how the local communities took ownership of this project. It empowered and fostered new skill development and for some it was a life changing experience. It was an amazing experience for everyone involved and the project ended with a bang with a two-night gala production that showcased the regional designers, models, dancers and avant-garde makeup artists and local hair stylists that told the story of their outback.
“It always amazes me what we can come up with once we train our brains to think creatively.”
Why do you think art speaks volumes when we are addressing issues around sustainability? As artists and designers, we make things to inspire people. Social and environmental issues go hand in hand when creating. It’s a platform to voice, explore and discover. For me, it’s about creating with recyclable materials, giving them a deluxe finish, wowing my audience and sending a message to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. What do you think the fashion industry can learn from wearable art/fashion? Fashion is an ever-changing industry and with more and more artists/designers experimenting with recyclables we open the door to new ideas and the use of new materials to create with. There are many designers already working with recyclable materials in fashion. Technology is on our side and things are changing. It is an exciting time to be a creator in this industry. Tell us about your shows. How do you go from initial concept to production phase? For me, the process starts with a muse board. This can include material samples, colour swatches, sketches and lots of research and sometimes the concept is also guided by the clients that I create for. ― cover ―
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Urban Greening Words by Mandy Allen Photography Greg Cox & Warren Heath
Here is some stylish inspiration for bringing the outdoors inside – whether you want just a trace of greenery or have an insatiable case of jungle fever. It’s little surprise that plants in urban interiors have become as much of a finishing touch as a gorgeous scatter cushion, a piece of art, quirky figurine or a beautiful vase. The choice of indoor plants and trees is endlessly diverse with wonderful variations in the shapes and sizes of leaves, colouration, texture and the way they grow. Indoor greenery ticks all the boxes: a soothing tonic for the frazzled soul; an aesthetically engaging addition to the decorative landscape delivering pops of colour, form and in some cases even fragrance; an inspired solution for homes lacking in outdoor space or natural surroundings; and the magical (okay, scientifically proven) ability to lower stress levels, improve the oxygen count and absorb nasty pollutants, toxins and other negative by-products of city dwelling. The following spaces offer inspiring looks and cool ways to get your botanical fix…
Greenhouse Effect Create an area of focus in a room by grouping a collection of plants in one spot – an especially effective tactic in an open-plan space such as this industrial warehouse loft. The mix-and-match assortment of clear glass vessels adds a sense of weightlessness and modern eclecticism to the setting while at the same time encouraging plant growth – not unlike a garden glasshouse or mini conservatory. A pop of green in the form of a curvy vase anchors the scene. Creeping plants set against a wall on a simple trellis introduce the idea of the urban jungle and will eventually enable nature to be given free reign in this human-made environment. Climbing plants against wall: philodendron scandens; plants on table: a variety of ferns that are suitable for indoors where the light is bright and filtered, as well as Spanish moss, pussy willow and African violet.
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Containment Strategy Get clever, eco-friendly and thrifty by using what you have lying around the house to pot your plants instead of conventional containers. This lush installation of orchids and waxy-leafed species is planted up in an assortment of vessels including a discarded copper pendant light as well as PVC plumber’s piping. Other alternatives to consider include colanders, teapots, tin cans and metal watering cans. Make sure any alternatives to pots are specially prepared to ensure plant health. This includes punching or drilling drainage holes and adding a layer of gravel or pebbles. Use moss or damp coir as part of your plant substrate along with soil to act as a passive water source. This will also ensure a visual synergy between the mix-and-match containers. Plants include cymbidium, spider plant, Chinese evergreen, philodendron and diffenbachia.
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Mood Central Conjure up a dramatic scene in a sitting room or study using a moody wall palette and the absence of frivolous decoration, instead allowing the greenery to make a statement. A mid-century modern coffee table and graphic rug pay homage to retro style, though the prevailing mood is simple, confident and contemporary. A variety of philodendrons are prevalent in this arrangement. Among the most popular of houseplants (even novices have heard of the delicious monster and the heartleaf, or sweetheart, philodendron), they are low maintenance, come in an assortment of climbing and non-climbing types, do well in low to medium light and need an average amount of water. Plants iinclude a bamboo palm, button ferns, delicious monster, philodendron, magnolia tree, silver leaf ferns, star jasmine, tree fern and silver lace fern. ― home ―
Living the Good Life Catherine Farm
Words by Jo Cahnam Photography Selena Buckingham
The Evans clan – Bohdan, Catherine and their three children – obviously take their custodianship of land quite seriously. In the late 1800s, William Evans, ancestor to Bohdan, was assistant keeper at the Cape Otway lighthouse with his wife Catherine, a job that took incredible dedication and required enormous sacrifice (two of their children are buried in the Cape Otway cemetery). < 56
Fast forward to 2019 and you have Bohdan and wife Catherine Evans taking custody of 50 acres of Glenlyon land, just outside Daylesford, with the intention to use a holistic approach to the land, and to employ regenerative farming practices. It’s a scaleappropriate theory, which means never taking more than the land can provide in a sustainable manner. Parents to three young children, Angus (7), Hepi (4) and Leon (nearly 2), the couple wanted their children to be raised on healthy and ethically produced food, to be aware of where their food was coming from, and to be involved in all aspects of food production. This vision has brought Catherine Farm into being – a decision that he says was never really discussed but was more a natural progression, as their seven-acre property with a couple of chooks and pigs was soon exchanged for the current 50-acre property. They are committed to not using any synthetic products, to building up the soil health, and to sustaining and protecting waterways. Using the animals to help maintain the land – to fertilise it and to weed it – is a practice that is natural and organic. On Catherine Farm, Bohdan explains, pigs are put through an area first where they trample the weeds and cultivate the soil, then the goats come through and eat whatever is left in their natural browsing, and finally the chickens pick up any remaining weed seeds and bugs. The effectiveness of their animals to control the noxious weed gorse was noticed by a neighbouring property and now they have an extra 140 acres for agistment of their goats, pigs and chickens! At the time of writing this article, they had just sown their first biodynamic green manure crop, using Burrum Biodynamics seed. ― sustainable ―
“They are committed to not using any synthetic products...”
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Gluten Free Mini Quince Tarts Recipe by Cathy Evans Photography Junkies Team
Nothing says afternoon tea quite like a baked homemade tart and a refreshing brew of tea. Quince adds a lovely sweet and aromatic taste to baked goodies. Quinces were prized for their medicinal properties in ancient Babylon; they were the sacred fruit of Aphrodite and noted as the breath freshener of the age, in addition to being a good luck symbol. Quince paste has kept its original form since ancient times but has been revitalised by modern chefs who have incorporated this unique fruit into recipes, bringing it out of our cheese and fruit platters and into our baking treats. Prep Time 30 minutes Cooking time approximately 15-20 minutes Ingredients
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1 jar homemade quince paste* 250g gluten free plain flour 250g gluten free self-raising flour 150g sugar 200g cold butter 1 egg About ½ cup of cold water
Method Preheat oven to 180°C (fan forced). In a bowl whisk together flours and sugar, and pour into a food processor. Chop up cold butter and place in the processor with the flours. Give the processor a whiz to blend the butter through. Whisk the egg and water together and whilst the processor is going slowly pour the egg mixture in until it comes together. You might need to add more water. As soon as it has come together turn the machine off and turn out the dough onto a floured surface. Roll it out until it’s quite thin (it will puff up slightly once it’s cooked). Grease a cupcake tray (butter tastes the best as a greaser) and use a scone cutter to cut out circles from the pastry. Gently place the pastry into cupcake tray holes and push it down slightly so there are no air bubbles. Place around 1tsp of quince paste in each pastry. Don’t allow it to overflow or it will stick to the tray and the tarts will be impossible to remove. Bake for around 15-25 minutes, turning once. Rest tarts in the tray for about five minutes then place on a cooling rack. Dust with icing sugar if you want them to look fancy. * Source your quince paste from your local farmer’s market, make your own or pop into Catherine Farm, Glenlyon, for a jar.
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Nursery School Indoor Garden Ideas Sow the seeds of a lifelong love for nature by introducing your sprouts to these playful and rewarding projects with plants. Words by Mandy Allen Photography Warren Heath
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Kids will get a kick out of completing these tactile, all-season activities that merge imagination, creativity, botany and a little bit of practical magic.
You also don’t need acres of garden to dig in – if you have a sunny windowsill, you’re good to go. With an emphasis on upcycling and sustainability, each of these easy projects is designed to encourage children to engage with nature, not tech. As well as the fun of getting their hands dirty, the bigger reward lies in watching something grow that they have nurtured themselves, thereby encouraging them to care for and appreciate all forms of life. ― little ―
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The Hidden Secret of the Otways Colac
Words by Kerrin Angel-Irvine Photography Kerry Hulm & supplied
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We’ve discovered a secret! You’ve heard of or probably visited the Great Ocean Road on Victoria’s South coast, a journey that captures the imaginations of millions of tourist each year. You’ve tasted the delights of the coastal villages of Lorne and Apollo Bay. You might have even taken your bike to Forest and tackled the world-class mountain bike trails. However, I wonder if you stopped to explore the hidden gems of Colac? Nestled between the base of the Otway hinterland and the everchanging shores of Lake Colac, with the volcanic Plains of Corangamite as its backdrop, Colac is full of surprises. Don’t be misled by the prosaic entrance. There are plenty of treasures to uncover when you venture into this proud town’s heart. A band of folk with a vision in mind have created little pockets of intrigue and interest for you to discover. Colac challenges you to uncover these quirky little gems and we are going to provide you the map. A walk along Murray St past the golden sandstone war memorial and the impeccable square sits Jo’s Pantry, a sustainable ecofriendly store that implores you to think green. Jars of spices and organic wholefoods line the shelves, with scoops provided for you to fill your own containers. There’s kombucha on tap, or buy your own scobies and make your own at home. Jo and Abby are on hand to recommend the right health remedies or offer advice on how to use the udon noodles and black bean paste. The organic cafe serves sublime lattes – either the regular caffeine variety, or something a bit more edgy and colourful, such as beetroot or turmeric. Once you’ve had your coffee fix it’s a short stroll to the Cowlick bookshop, home to author Neal Drinnan, who has just launched his bestseller, Devil’s Grip. A town is not a town without a bookshop, and this bookish emporium provides a satisfying literary experience for all booklovers. The cosy nooks are piled high with books and quirky, inspiring gifts. The reading room out back beckons you to sit and browse and linger. At the front of the shop, a full sized tardis invites children into a magical space filled with all the books they love and some they haven’t yet discovered. ― travel ―
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Waste – it is avoidable! These days we spend a lot of time focussing on recycling and trying to get that right. But the reality is that we need to focus more on not creating waste in the first place! The best first steps should be avoiding, reducing and reusing waste – all of which are better options than recycling.
Words by La Vergne Lehmann Photography Supplied
By avoiding, reducing, reusing and recycling our waste, we can reduce our environmental impact, keep valuable materials out of landfill, recover materials to support the circular economy and protect natural resources. Along with the environmental benefits, you can also save money.
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This waste hierarchy outlines the above steps and lists them in a preferred order, with ‘avoid’ at the top as the best action to take. Avoiding Waste Our ultimate goal is to avoid producing waste in the first place. If we act as conscious consumers, by considering the environmental and social costs as well as the financial costs of the things we buy, then we can reduce our waste impact. Tips for waste avoidance: •• Be a smart shopper. Before buying something, ask yourself the question – do I really need it? •• If you plan your meals, make a shopping list, and stick to it – then you will only purchase what you need rather than the extras that are temptations in supermarkets. •• Avoid items that have unnecessary packaging. Actively choose alternatives that are packaging free or have less packaging. For example, choose an unwrapped cake of soap rather than a bottle of body wash. •• Stop using single-use plastics. Make a start by using your own reusable coffee cup and water bottle, say no to plastic straws and cutlery, and always take your own shopping bags with you. •• Purchase bulk, loose food and cleaning products. Only buy the quantity that you need and use your own bags or containers. •• Shop at your local farmers market. Purchase fresh, seasonal, loose and organic produce, which also supports local farmers. •• Grow your own. Not only is your own produce free from packaging but the waste from your produce can be composted and put back into your garden. ― eco finds ―
Reuse your waste If we reuse what we already have then we are able to reduce the need to extract more materials from the earth and prevent large amounts of potentially toxic, man-made materials from entering the environment as landfill. There are a growing number of arts and craft enthusiasts who now focus their creative efforts on repurposing items. Tips for reusing your waste: •• Get creative! Can your old teapot become a flower pot? Is that old bbq a new potting bench? Can you sew old blankets or jumpers into cushion covers? There are so many ways to reuse what you already have and if you cannot use them then there might be others who can. •• Hold a garage sale, donate to your local op shop, sell or swap online or host a clothes swap with friends. •• Repair broken items such as furniture, toys, clothes or electrical items rather than throwing them out. Check out local Repair Café options in your area to help out as well. •• You don’t always need to buy new. You can opt to buy used or secondhand items. There are some great finds at online marketplaces such as Gumtree, eBay or local Facebook markets. •• Choose products that have packaging that can be refilled rather than thrown away.
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Reducing your waste All of us can make choices that result in less waste being produced. Every time we shop, socialise, travel or just go about our everyday life, we make choices about what we buy and what we do. Reducing waste is about being mindful and making better decisions. Tips for reducing waste: •• Food waste is one of our biggest waste problems. Understanding the difference between ‘best before’ and ‘use by’ dates is important for distinguishing what should be eaten first. Food must be eaten prior to its ‘use by’ date for safety reasons. •• Buy longer-lasting, harder-wearing, quality items such as TVs, digital devices and clothes, and only replace them when they are at the end of their useful life. •• Use cloth nappies rather than disposable nappies. These are modern, easy to wash and use. Disposable nappies can each take hundreds of years or more to break down in landfill. •• Rather than single use products, purchase products that are concentrated, reusable, refillable or rechargeable rather than disposable including razors, lighters and batteries. •• Buy products with recycled content. This helps to ‘close the loop’ by creating markets for items made from recycled content, such as toilet paper or paper towel. ― eco finds ―
Blarney’s Biblio Art Award Words by Jo Canham Photography Supplied
Back in 2009, we found ourselves with an oversupply of vintage books. These are the books that generally come with a large collection, and as we’d only opened our secondhand bookshop less than four years previously, we’d been taking a lot of large collections on to stock the shelves. These books weren’t valuable, or particularly collectible, and they weren’t likely to sell. But as books, as objects, they held a certain beauty. They still looked pretty on a shelf, and they were like letters from the past. We just couldn’t bear to send them off to the recycling depot, where so many other books end up. < 92
Casting about for ideas of what to do with them, and at the same time trying to come up with something to get us on the map, we eventually came upon a concept for an art prize. How about we just throw all the vintage books in a wheelbarrow, get artists to select a book and make an artwork using their chosen book? Turns out, this idea had legs. The artists seemed to really enjoy this challenge, and the artworks produced in that first year were nothing short of astounding. We invited three independent judges to select from that first year’s entry pool of around finished 40 pieces – which ranged from 2D artwork hanging on the wall, to 3D and interactive works. The imagination of these artists knew no bounds! The 2009 winner was Soxy Fleming, who had selected from the wheelbarrow an old German dictionary. Her piece was German Toast, which, beyond being a great visual piece, had a thoughtful and disturbing connotation. This Art Prize has continued annually and is now up to its 11th year, with some truly incredible results. We kept to the original concept for some years, every year rolling out the wheelbarrow, and we experimented with different ideas each year. For a couple of years, we listed all of the books available in the wheelbarrow so artists could select a book without having to come into our shop, which meant anyone around Australia – indeed, the world – could enter via the internet and we’d post out the books. Some years we asked that artists make use of the book in the artwork, and other years we’ve just asked that they be inspired by the book. Last year, we invited artists to select any book they’d like to use as their inspiration, but the feedback was that artists found it too open – there are too many books in the world to select one from (a problem we well understand from a reading point of view). Posting out the books was causing headaches with so much extra work as well.
For 2019, now that we are no longer experiencing an oversupply of vintage books, we are more reticent to take on big lots of old books these days – and in an effort to refresh the 10-year-old prize, we’ve changed the format quite significantly. We have moved to a much more contemporary competition. This year for their entry fee, the artists receive a randomly drawn preselected title only by a current author and are asked to create an artwork inspired by their selected title. They are not asked to buy the book from us, although if we have it in stock they are of course more than welcome to, but they are encouraged to use the library or their own local bookshops to source the assigned title. With this format, we are hoping to connect the artists and the authors more directly, and to bring it in to the modern day. We are also hoping to get people reading out of their comfort zone. This also reflects where we are going with the bookshop, in a way, in that we are keen to keep looking forward – to leave the politically incorrect past behind, to embrace a future that is allinclusive and open-minded to the entire spectrum of experiences and voices that need to be heard. Every year, we have invited independent judges from the art world – those judges have included some of Australia’s greatest artists, including and not limited to Deborah Klein, Katherine Hattam, Robert Gott, David Frazer, Dianne Longley and graphic novelist Nicki Greenberg amongst them. In an attempt to create strong local connections, as well as a judge from the larger art world, we invite another judge from our own southwest region to work together on awarding the Grand Prize. In 2019 the Grand Prize sits at $2000. This is a prize without sponsorship – it is our own way of giving something back to the creative world we inhabit. (For the record, we would be more than happy to see sponsors leap in for extra prizes – we are always keen to keep growing this competition.) The other major shift for the Biblio Art Prize this year has been that we are moving it from a midwinter exhibition to our peak December/January season, in order to get as many people seeing the exhibition as is humanly possible. It’s such a brilliant show, every year, it deserves the biggest audience! For more information about this art prize, please subscribe to our website. blarneybooks.com.au
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Book Reviews Reviews by Jo Canham
The Contented Bee ABC Books Beekeeping appears to be a rapidly growing publishing niche. More and more people are becoming keepers of bees, to enjoy the sweet rewards that come not only from the harvest, but from finding another connection with nature. This volume has been brought out by the Australian Broadcasting Commission and is an easy reference book for the beginner bee-keeper. It’s a colourful and simply laid out book, divided into two sections. The first half is about beekeeping itself, and how to go about setting up a colony. The second half of the book dedicates itself to stories about beekeepers around Australia, and is really delightful! There are comments from people profiled where they say the bees have changed their lives, or they’ve brought the (human) community together, or they’ve got the kids fascinated and involved. It’s obvious that it’s easy to become besotted with breeding bees, and this beautiful book will be indispensable.
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Young Dark Emu Bruce Pascoe Magabala Books The author of Dark Emu has returned with a version of this book that is targeted to our children – so the next generations can grow up with something other than the indigenous history we of the older generations have been fed through our schooling. They will get not only the truth about the ways indigenous people lived and cultivated the land, through agriculture and aquaculture, but also the story about how the truth was covered over to retain the myth that our First People were nomadic savages. Bruce Pascoe said this book came about as the result of a visit to a school where he discovered literally nothing about Australia’s indigenous history in the library: nothing about those who occupied our country for thousands upon thousands of years, before the more recent arrival of boats of European explorers from 1788 onwards. This beautiful book sets out the information clearly, referring in many instances to diaries and journals from those explorers who witnessed the farming techniques being employed by indigenous communities. It also details the devastating impact of their domesticated animals on the environment. We can hope that this is only the beginning of this type of literature for the next generations, and that those shelves in school libraries will start filling up with some more truer histories of our incredible land and its first people.
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Farewell, My Orange Iwaki Kei Europa Editions I’m writing this review in August, which is known as the ‘Women in Translation’ Month by the literary world. Which means readers and booksellers are encouraged to pay attention to writers from countries outside our own. So it seems very appropriate to draw your attention to this small novel. This beautiful little book is written by Japanese born Iwaki Kei, who settled in Australia over 20 years ago. She lends a gentle voice to the immigration experience and shines a light on many of the obstacles and hardships in that experience, for anyone settling in a new country. There is loneliness and misunderstanding, and the misplaced assumptions that come from any direction. Through the lives of two characters, Salimah from Nigeria, and Sayuri from Japan, two women who meet at an English language class, the reader is shown what it takes to negotiate life in an unfamiliar country. Farewell, My Orange has won both the Dazai Osamu Prize and the Oe Kenzaburo Prize. Translated by Meredith McKinney.
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PIP MAGAZINE
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