A is for Annabel Langbein

As a tribute to my time here in New Zealand, I am going to present 26 of my favourite memories and other things about my time here thus far.  Why 26?  To follow the path of all corny things that have gone before me, I will go from A- Z with each letter of the alphabet representing one of these memories.

So starting from the beginning and with a topic close to my heart, but even closer to my stomach, is the lovely and delicious Annabel Langbein.  Annabel is the queen of the recipe collections here in New Zealand and took me quite by surprise with her fresh and easy attitude towards food.  As a result, her book was purchased and many a recipe was prepared and will continue to do so.  Her TV series "The Free Range Cook" and the subsequent book were set around Wanaka in the South Island as well, which is one of the most beautiful and one of my favourite places on this earth.

What I learnt at the Dunedin Art Gallery....continued...

In hindsight, this is what I learnt.  I believe that first and foremost, art should speak for itself.  It should stand alone without the need for lucid interpretations with pretentious justifications.  A famous name does not guarantee great art.  Ever heard of the expression ‘a one hit wonder’?

Ironically, my favourite visual experience was part of the building itself.  Four gallery exhibition rooms which were each painted in a bold yet complementary colour.  They had their doorways centrally aligned so that by standing in the middle of the first green room, you could see through in to the second blue room, then through to the third red room and then through this last doorway into the fourth black room.  The striking contrast of these bold colours disappearing into the distance was astounding.  Pity about the art blemishing the walls.

Dunedin Art Gallery taught me.....

Art should speak for itself.  That's what I think anyway.  As an art novice I have been lead to believe I was inept.  I was unable to look at art and start waxing lyrical about it, having it consume my consciousness as a result of bearing witness to its powers.  I didn’t comprehend the diminutive descriptions that galleries post next to their collection pieces explaining what the art is or what the artist is representing, communicating and embodying.  How is it those 7 paintings in a row, all white except for a small black dot in the centre of each, can get the label of ‘art’?  We have all had similar experiences when visiting galleries, or seeing the unveiling of a public sculpture or simply flicking through a magazine.  We have all at some stage gawked “that’s art?”

A recent visit to the Dunedin Art Gallery did change my life however.  Not because I saw a piece of art that captivated me and spoke to me.  There wasn’t a piece that epitomised my own conviction that a struggle between colours can mean a struggle between the sexes, or that smooth curves embody the changes in life stages experienced by the artist.  Blah, blah, blah, No.  The visit to Dunedin Art Gallery made me defiantly decide that I cannot be in a minority as someone who fails to understand the intricacies and intimacies of art.  I must be one of millions who are missing the fictitious ‘art’ gene.  There is no rational explanation for why many of the pieces were even held in the gallery.  They all had descriptions, but even they struggled to  make meaning to me.  Some even read like excuses, justifying why a wall of bright coloured oversized sequins with a fan blowing air on them is in an art gallery and not a circus tent or a child’s birthday party.  So, a sense of relief came over me as I left the building.  This ‘art’ did have a massive impact on me after all but I am sure it was not the way as the artist intended.  I will tell you about it next post……

A nice walk for a nice day....

While strolling around the new Auckland waterfront development.  I couldn't resist looking beyond the brand new and very shiny black lustre of the luxury cruiser, to the small and brightly painted yacht in the back ground.  A nice display of the bold and the bright together.

Attention: Visitors To Australia

These questions are from potential visitors to Australia. They were posted on an Australian Tourism Website and the answers are the actual responses by the website officials, who obviously have am Aussie sense of humor.

Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia? I have never seen it rain on TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK).
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.

Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? (USA)
A: Depends how much you’ve been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Perth to Sydney – can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it’s only three thousand miles, take lots of water.

Q: Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? (Germany)
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/ gatherers. Milk is illegal.

Q: Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA)
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from. All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets, especially The Taipans.

Australian Clouds