Sculpture by the Sea + Bondi to Coogee Walk, November 2016

Shoutout to one of my life friends Anna Kim for suggesting this during one of our many enlightening conversations. It inspired me to catch Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi with a fellow life friend @chiapoco on its last exhibition day. The next few days will show snippets of what we found while exploring the Bondi to Coogee walk during this outdoor art installation series showing.

I never understood art until I was advised just to think about how it makes me feel, what it might reveal about my subconscious mind and if it influences how I see the world. So for the first time ever, I’ll share my thoughts on just a small selection of what I was able to capture on that day.

Taking some time out to appreciate the beauty, abundance, purity and perfection of mother nature is always therapeutic. It really puts things into perspective.

—> Follow my series of wisdom snippets on Instagram – some my own thoughts, others that have inspired me – that I’ve connected with deeply. I hope you find them useful.

Nature is just perfect ?
We started our Bondi to Coogee walk early in the morning to catch this magnificent view. What a way to start the day.

“Cosmic Trumpet & Embrace 2” by Canberra artist Hanna Hoyne. I actually saw a gramophone/phonograph with the adult in foetal position as a link to the birth of how we experience reproduced recorded sound; obvious to my psyche as a dancer and inherent passion for music. The accompanying chair to demonstrate the appreciation of the sounds, the music, due to its position next to the loudspeaker.

“Bye Gone” by Lucy Barker was something I immediately related to, growing up in a very digital family and working in digital my whole life. The artist’s description is that of a futuristic fatalist view of our current cultural issues of anxiety and inaction (the emojis) with an ancient look (sandstone tombstones).

I instinctively chose this ? emoji, which reveals to me my ultimate emotional reaction to most situations – laid back and chill, letting it all go with a smile (or smirk). Usually my fav is the upside down smile ? which usually translates to “WTF” feelings but in a more nonchalant mood than an angry one.

“Signed” by Jonathan Leahey. It made me sad this paper airplane, a symbol of youth and freedom, found itself stuck in bars, like a lot of adults in their self-created prisons.

43 shades of blue, 50 shades of grey / gray. “Measuring the Sky” by Mimi Dennett-Fountain

I guess my way of appreciating this art is in creating this image.

“Vessels” by Andrew Burton made up of tiny bricks, looks like fish who found themselves out of water and are headed back home.

“Concrete Carpet” by Alice Mcauliffe, just stopped me because I hadn’t noticed it the first time we passed it and it made me think of a magical carpet. How I wanted to climb down and imagine I was Princess Jasmine! #AWholeNewWorld

 

Here are some other random snaps.

We ended up stopping by a rocky bay to pet a Jack Russell who was trying to catch crabs over in Gordon’s Bay, where the underwater scuba diving trails are.

Took a breather to enjoy the magnificent views, talking about life, perspective and good times.


We had a leisurely brunch at the newly renovated Coogee Pavilion which had great soft jazz vibes, a barber shop out back, the cool ocean breeze flowing through, warm sun hitting us at our table by the window, freshly squeezed OJ and good coffee/chai… what more could you want!

We talked about the things Chris had gone through in the past year and I commend him for having great resilience to get through it all. He decided on a whim to book a solo trip to Bali for a week and got this piece done. His body has artwork from all the places he’s travelled, that have cultural significance.


Walking back against the crowds that had formed during the morning, we didn’t really feel like stopping at too many other sculptures, though he would explain some others we hadn’t seen and how they work with the natural environment, reflecting light rays and using the positioning of the sky, the moon, all sorts of genius work that I deeply regret not appreciating sooner and in more depth. I can’t wait for Sculpture by the Sea 2017!


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