The website is still experiencing difficulties, but things are getting more sorted. I’m restoring the “I-love-me” site as you read.
Saturday (the 17th), I walk with Chris around the art gallery and see an amazing installation all about Australian artists. It’s the Biennial. And it rocks. Video art and photography and sculpture!
One piece was a 18min video called “Love”. It used old movie clips and used the song in Mer’s swing video with Tyler (on Javan’s page - which is being restored as you read). And it told a small story - lovers telling each other how much they loved eachother. Then some rejection, then some drink throwing, and then some women slapping men, and then some men slapping women, and finally women shooting men. Nice, powerful, disturbing.
Another video piece was three-in-one. Three projectors, three screens (viewable from both sides (so you could go behind and see a mirror image)). There was one script, just simple things, life stories, that kinda stuff. Each sceen, though, had a different shot. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. The first had two guys, roommates; the second an arguing couple on a couch; the last a mother and a daughter. One actor/actress would speak at a time (a monologue from the script), and then anther would speak on a different screen (using a different monologue). While a person was speaking, the others would sit idle, moving about, or just standing. Anyway, after the script was over, music would play and the thing would start over. BUT, suddenly you realized that the actors were speaking a different monologue than what they said previously. It was a trip. It pointed out that what you say takes on different meanings even in your immediate surroundings.
Another video piece was of an old man getting his face sutured. A doctor was tying his fact together - ear to ear to eybrow to neck to nose - and pulling it tight so that his skin bunched up. It went on for 15mins (according to the info plaque), but I could only hang around for 3 minutes.
One non-video piece was a wall of anti-Iraq-war post-it notes. 5m by 3m! Four flourescent colors! Very impressive, and loud. You could feel each voice and yet capture their overall unison.
So after the gallery, Chris and I walked around the botanic gardens, and then nicked off to another dance. A live jump-blues band was playing (think Easy Bill and the Big Beat), and they let me DJ between set breaks. It was a ton of fun, though the dance floor was very fast.
Sunday, I went back to the art gallery to see the things again, with Chris’ dance teaching partner, Cat. She also took me to the museum, which had heaps of Aboriginal info in it. Set also saw me off at the train terminal to Perth. The Indian Pacific. 2 1/2 days in a train. Okay.
So the train was acceptible. I had a standard seat (ie no sleeper). But the seat had 3x as much foot room as an airplane, and only two people to a side (no triple stuff). The car behind me was a lounge that had a TV, a few arcade games, and a couple of power points (along with the standard couches). Behind that car was the diner - a 50’s style cafe with vinyl seats and art-deco table tops. The food was certainly disturbing, but I only ate there twice. It was pretty cool to hang out in there, tho.
The train made two stops. Cook (pop 2, it only exists because of the trian, which brings supplies and tourists) and Kalgoorlie (pop ~15,000, the nation’s red-light capital). Otherwise, it was just cruising along. There were kilometer markers along the side of the tracks, so you could see your progress. And the train line has the longest straight piece of rail in the world - 490 km of no turns, bends, or curves. Just straight.
I rocked up in Perth 9am Tuesday, and some swing dancers picked me up. We went north to the harbor to eat some lunch and then went to a pre-exchange dance. It turned out that a guy I saw on the train was also coming for the Perth Lindy Exchange, so I recognized him at the dance. Strange, but cool. After the dance, my hostess and her guests (a Californian who I met in Melbourne and me) went back to her house and talked until about 4:30am.
Wednesday, I went to the doctor to have him give me a bill of health for the JET program. It was simple and painless. To see a doctor in Australia, just call them and they’ll get you in the same day or the next. After the check up, I sent it back to Denver - it’s their move now. The appointment was early, and so I was very tired. Consequently, I just lazed around all day. But, at night, there was a dance, and so I went, and it was good. Another live band was playing (and they covered a lot of Louis Prima songs), they were pretty good, too, tho they like to play fast songs a lot.
Today, the exchange officially starts. Everyone will be here, and the next four days will be nothing but dancing, eating, and drinking. Sleep will be gotten on my flight to Paris.