A Tentative Foray into Poetry

Apologies for what is largely a repost, but I wanted to add something to this collection of images and it seemed best to repeat the information about the sculpture.

George and I spent a week in northern NSW and southern Queensland over Easter. Among other things, I was hugely taken with a sculpture in Brisbane called Forme del Mito by Arnaldo Pomodoro. It tells the  story of Agamemmon from Ancient Greece. Fabricated in cast bronze each piece has its own identity. ‘The Prophet’ Cassandra, ‘The Machine’ Aegisthus, ‘Ambition’ Clytesmnestra and ‘Power’ Agamemnon King of Mycenea.  I think it was commissioned for the World Expo that was held in Brisbane in 1988. 

It was, presumably, inspired by the gold death mask of Agamemnon, which is displayed in Athens after being found at Mycenae:

Last semester I studied the poetry of the early and middle twentieth century - mostly European, with some American and a very small amount of Australian poetry (the omission of Australian poetry was essentially because of the very late adoption of modernity by Australian poets, compared with the rest of the world). During the course of this (very interesting) subject we had to write poetry as well. This is a bit of an experiment - it will be the first time I have posted any of my creative writing in this blog. One of my poems was inspired by this sculpture. The style owes much to the Russian futurist poet Vladimir Mayakovsky.

Here's a couple of pictures of the sculpture:

FORME DEL MITO, ARNALDO POMODORO

It’s three o’clock

                should you be asleep?

Broken stars collide with bats

                so much for sonar

Fruit bats don’t need satellites

                actually they do

No, not clouds

                not rain

                                not fog

                                                not plagues

The Milky Way has vanished

That can’t be good

What is the morning?

                the colour of twelve

                                the hunter’s stew

The death mask four ways in a Brisbane square

The dog at the door and

                the wolf at the fold

And the colour of twelve

                and the water-rat drowning

Where can you get a drink, I’m hot

C Judy Edmonds 2015

Peeping From Under the Table

A month ago I wrote a post about participating in Me-Made-May. I then didn't write anything else during that month, but kept telling myself it would be fine because I would make myself post at least once a week during May to explain what I was wearing that I had made myself.

Now it is the last day before the start of May and I am exhausted and a little stressed from university assignments and feeling rather not like forcing myself to do anything. In fact I seriously want to hide under the table and let the whole world pass by for a while. Except that I would have to take a pile of books and my laptop in there. And snacks. And if so, I might as well write *something*, maybe even find some photos of something. Anything other than rewriting a short story for a major assignment!

George and I spent a week in northern NSW and southern Queensland over Easter. Among other things, I was hugely taken with a sculpture in Brisbane called Forme del Mito by Arnaldo Pomodoro. It tells the  story of Agamemmon from Ancient Greece. Fabricated in cast bronze each piece has its own identity. ‘The Prophet’ Cassandra, ‘The Machine’ Aegisthus, ‘Ambition’ Clytesmnestra and ‘Power’ Agamemnon King of Mycenea.  I think it was commissioned for the World Expos that was held in Brisbane in 1988. 

It was, presumably, inspired by the gold death mask of Agamemnon, which is displayed in Athens after being found at Mycenae:

These are three of the scultpures:

I thought they were very beautiful, atmospheric and exciting.

I also really liked this scultpure in the main mall, I think, which is shell shaped and kids can worm their way through it:

Brisbane 3

While we were away, we sent Sirius off to have a happy long weekend with two labrador friends of hers.   She romped so much that she needed a serious bath when she came home.  She does not approve of baths!  She always looks a poster child for the RSPCA afterwards.

This was my breakfast on our last morning.  It tasted even more divine than it looked.  Potato, spinach and fetta cakes, a poached egg, parmesan crisps and tomato salsa.  I am salivating even now ...

I had a gorgeous time at a Surrealism exhibition in the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) but couldn't take any photos there.  This is a Bridget Riley in the permanent exhibition - though come to think of it that might have been in the other art gallery there.  Can't remember!

Having a drink outside the restaurant at the other art gallery.  Interesting sculpture.

The ibii think they are sparrows.

And I leave you with the alien invasion of Brisbane.  It is stealthy.  It is disguised as art.  It IS coming to get you!

Brisbane 2

I think I mentioned in the last post that there was some great street architecture in Brisbane.  I can't quite remember where this was, though possibly on Southbank, where there are some excellent museums/galleries/theatres etc.

I stood on the exact spot on the quarterdeck of HMAS Diamantina where Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces on the two dates mentioned above.  That was actually rather an eerie feeling.

Read this notice carefully.  Notice the flaw?

That's right, ibises (ibii?) can't read!

More street architecture, this time of the suspended kind.  Not far away from this, at street level, seems to be a popular spot for street performers.  I can't remember if the young man there when I was taking this photo was juggling fire or swords, or maybe flaming swords, but you get the general idea.

These are not great pictures of a stunningly beautiful thing.  A bougainvillea walk.  The sweeping curves of the steel and the wire were amazing.  The bougainvillea itself was only just coming into bloom, though I imagine it would look spectacular in full flower, but on the other hand this enabled one to see the underlying structure better.  Just believe me that it was absolutely gorgeous.

Um, that is a tree.  Obviously.  Of some sort.  That we don't get in Melbourne.

Brisbane 1

Great excitement.  George and I actually went away for a weekend - three days, eve, - ALONE.  The only other time we have done this in eighteen years was when my father died last year, which was hardly fun.  (Not because I mourned my father - he was a horrible man - but because it involved a lot of untangling of things and was very emotional anyway).

We went up for a 50th birthday party and, although George has been there on business lots of times, he has never taken the time to sightsee, so we were tourists!!

(There, by the way, is Brisbane, capital of Queensland for non-Australians)

These photos are in no particular order, but I don't have the energy to rearrange them!

Ella's Pink Lady, as sailed around the world by Jessica Watson.  I wasn't a big fan of hers, to tell the truth, though I promised to revise my views if she made it all the way without having to be rescued.  She did, so I grudgingly agreed that maybe she had achieved something worthwhile after all!  This was at the Maritime Museum.  It was quite interesting to look at, actually, after seeing it on the TV so much at the time.  And, although clean and tidy, it wasn't over-spruced - you could see that it had genuinely sailed around the world.

A pretty Brisbane building.  This is probably typical of older Brisbane architecture.  A lot of Brisbane is rather new and shiny and modern but I really liked this style.

These are examples of some amazing street architecture.  There is a big square in the CBD near the river and it is full of these spheres.  They are metal balls in these two sizes (I didn't count how many but there must be at least 20 or so) scattered around, and the sticking-out bits are vegetable strainers.  Some people my age might remember that you could get them in threes and they fitted in a saucepan - maybe just in Australia, who knows?  G's mum had some.  So they have small holes in them, and they look all mysterious and alien.  And at night, the lights come on.  Every sphere has lights in it, either plain or coloured, and they REALLY look like aliens then.  I tried to get a good picture of that but failed :(

This is an attractive flame red tree.  Possibly it is even called a flame tree.  Lots of pretty trees in Brisbane, which is semi-tropical, or sub-tropical, or something.

More interesting street architecture. And trees.

OK, several views of Brisbane from a ferry.

And this is a model of either a crocodile or an alligator at the Maritime Museum.  It amused me.

The birthday party was amazingly good fun.  On a boat.  With much bubbly.  And not quite enough food.  And a core group of middle aged people drinking and dancing to the songs of their youth, much like they had done 30 years previously, only with more expensive drinks and a slightly earlier bedtime.

There are more photos, so there will be further installments.