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jeshyrHad a brilliant day with my Mum, Anne Oberin, including proudly viewing her work in the Kirra gallery in Federation square, and a wonderfully surreal lunch inluding yummy iced coffee, floppy pizza, and then - unexpectedly a textile artist from South Korea and a National Archives employee from Queensland (they are friends). Story follows...
(This is somewhat abbreviated as I am stuck on just my iPad and my arms hurt, but I want to record it!)
Mum took me to the Kirra Gallery so I could see her work in their latest art glass exhibition. I have not been out with her since I got well enough to go out, so this was somewhat momentous! I had also never been to Federation Square, which was still under construction when I was last well enough for outings - just cyclone fencing covered with billboards. Dad has driven me past and I've seen pictures but never been in.
Oh, I also hadn't eaten out before except for grabbing takeaway which doesn't count, so it was a day of firsts! (and, inevitably, many exclamation marks - please indulge me!:)). I know I'm going into hospital tomorrow so it doesn't matter if I'm half dead - I just have to lie there and let the drip work.
The gallery was so beautiful and glowy with all the colored glass stuff and it was so full of gorgeous work by talented artists that I could have spent at least four times as long there if I had had the stamina! My favorite work was a large chess set made of figurines of marine creatures - one side was mostly penguins with two killer whales, the other side was mostly polar bears with two sharks... And each figurine was an artwork in itself, with it's own character eg one of the polar bears was a storm trooper, one of the penguins was a doctor and one was Napolean and two were war 'buddies' and ... Just wow! And the whole thing was made of hand flameworked glass including the board itself. If I had only had $8,000 to spare (and a room to house it) I would have bought it on the spot!
Mum's jewelry looked very appropriate there and was some of my favorite pieces ... Why, of course I am biased but I do thing it was some of the yummiest jewelry there in all seriousness. She is so very talented!!!
Having seen about half of the stuff at Kirra we went to the cafe/bar for lunch, intending to eat and then see the rest (I intended to see the rest, at least!). The place was called Beer DeLuxe but I didn't spot any beer there, which amused me. We ordered pizza to share and had a great talk about lots of stuff, from serious to entirely frivolous subjects.
Most of the cafe was down three stairs so when another guy in a wheelchair arrived there was brief commotion while they maneuvered past and sat as the neighboring table - the one I was facing. I spotted the two using Auslan (Australian sign language) but my sign is ten years rusty (and I was only at medium conversational level - never expert) and I couldn't follow it. After a bit I noticed that theta were trying to get the waiter's attention and being ignored so I asked, haltingly, if they wanted me to call him. I did so and they started chatting with us in a very patient combination of Auslan, slow fingerspelling, and later some written notes (my comprehension declined along with my energy level). The woman was a textile artist from South Korea who had studied in Melbourne at RMIT, and her friend was a national archives employee from Queensland and they were both on holiday in Melbourne and were fascinating people - we talked about art and saw pictures of some of her were and they looked at some of Mum's jewelry that she happened to have along and there was much bonding over craft/art topics. I learned what national archives officers do with restoring and preserving books and photos and learned about fifteen new signs, at least eight of which I have already forgotten! Email addresses were exchanged and I will certainly be writing to both of them ASAP.
Eventually with all the signing/interpreting my brain dribbled out of my ears and Mum realized before I did and we excused ourselves and went home where I promptly curled up with the cat and failed to sleep due to excessive amounts of iced coffee!
My wish to find a local Auslan class to renew my skills while I exercise both mind and upper body is now about a hundred times stronger - how do I find the closest classes?
I had a wonderful wonderful day and I am exhausted but elated and happy and hoping that I can go out with Mum again very soon to explore more of the world!
Yayyyyyyyyy!
Sharing the joy,
Ricky
(This is somewhat abbreviated as I am stuck on just my iPad and my arms hurt, but I want to record it!)
Mum took me to the Kirra Gallery so I could see her work in their latest art glass exhibition. I have not been out with her since I got well enough to go out, so this was somewhat momentous! I had also never been to Federation Square, which was still under construction when I was last well enough for outings - just cyclone fencing covered with billboards. Dad has driven me past and I've seen pictures but never been in.
Oh, I also hadn't eaten out before except for grabbing takeaway which doesn't count, so it was a day of firsts! (and, inevitably, many exclamation marks - please indulge me!:)). I know I'm going into hospital tomorrow so it doesn't matter if I'm half dead - I just have to lie there and let the drip work.
The gallery was so beautiful and glowy with all the colored glass stuff and it was so full of gorgeous work by talented artists that I could have spent at least four times as long there if I had had the stamina! My favorite work was a large chess set made of figurines of marine creatures - one side was mostly penguins with two killer whales, the other side was mostly polar bears with two sharks... And each figurine was an artwork in itself, with it's own character eg one of the polar bears was a storm trooper, one of the penguins was a doctor and one was Napolean and two were war 'buddies' and ... Just wow! And the whole thing was made of hand flameworked glass including the board itself. If I had only had $8,000 to spare (and a room to house it) I would have bought it on the spot!
Mum's jewelry looked very appropriate there and was some of my favorite pieces ... Why, of course I am biased but I do thing it was some of the yummiest jewelry there in all seriousness. She is so very talented!!!
Having seen about half of the stuff at Kirra we went to the cafe/bar for lunch, intending to eat and then see the rest (I intended to see the rest, at least!). The place was called Beer DeLuxe but I didn't spot any beer there, which amused me. We ordered pizza to share and had a great talk about lots of stuff, from serious to entirely frivolous subjects.
Most of the cafe was down three stairs so when another guy in a wheelchair arrived there was brief commotion while they maneuvered past and sat as the neighboring table - the one I was facing. I spotted the two using Auslan (Australian sign language) but my sign is ten years rusty (and I was only at medium conversational level - never expert) and I couldn't follow it. After a bit I noticed that theta were trying to get the waiter's attention and being ignored so I asked, haltingly, if they wanted me to call him. I did so and they started chatting with us in a very patient combination of Auslan, slow fingerspelling, and later some written notes (my comprehension declined along with my energy level). The woman was a textile artist from South Korea who had studied in Melbourne at RMIT, and her friend was a national archives employee from Queensland and they were both on holiday in Melbourne and were fascinating people - we talked about art and saw pictures of some of her were and they looked at some of Mum's jewelry that she happened to have along and there was much bonding over craft/art topics. I learned what national archives officers do with restoring and preserving books and photos and learned about fifteen new signs, at least eight of which I have already forgotten! Email addresses were exchanged and I will certainly be writing to both of them ASAP.
Eventually with all the signing/interpreting my brain dribbled out of my ears and Mum realized before I did and we excused ourselves and went home where I promptly curled up with the cat and failed to sleep due to excessive amounts of iced coffee!
My wish to find a local Auslan class to renew my skills while I exercise both mind and upper body is now about a hundred times stronger - how do I find the closest classes?
I had a wonderful wonderful day and I am exhausted but elated and happy and hoping that I can go out with Mum again very soon to explore more of the world!
Yayyyyyyyyy!
Sharing the joy,
Ricky
no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 10:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 11:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 12:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 12:54 pm (UTC)So happy for you .....
iol....
PS - hope the hospital stay is a mere hiccup and you're back home very soon!
Our day...
Date: 2010-09-15 02:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 03:39 pm (UTC)your mum's jewelry is stunning!
i didn't remember anything called "Federation Square", so i looked it up on Google Maps. it's just a couple of blocks away from the hotel i stayed in, and it looks like quite an exciting place. (that was all railroad tracks and dirt when i was there.)
hope your hospital stay is uneventful and short, and your recovery is quick and complete!
*hugs*
no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 05:00 pm (UTC)Now I wish I could have popped along. I love glass made artsy stuffages. :d
Oh and Hi, since we've not really met much and stuff.
-Yavara
no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 09:50 pm (UTC)Thinking of you in hospital.....
Colours of life!
Date: 2010-09-15 11:17 pm (UTC)I can feel the energy and happiness from you through your words!
Thank you for sharing such a momentous day it was an absolute pleasure to read about it!
I hope to hear more about days like this!
Hope today goes well for you.
Love and blessings.
Gx
no subject
Date: 2010-09-16 02:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-16 03:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-16 08:44 am (UTC)Your day sounds great. So pleased for you. Also love your mum's comment. Beautiful.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-16 10:27 am (UTC)Mum is indeed talented as is my aunt and both maternal grandparents did LOTS of varied art/craft - I am blessed genetically and by being surrounded by creativity in action and people eager to let me try anything or teach me.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-16 12:01 pm (UTC)if there's ever anything you want me to teach you, all you have to do is ask. there are a few things i'd like to ask you to teach me - although it might be a bit awkward over the 'net - so maybe we could trade ;-D
*lots of hugs*
no subject
Date: 2010-09-17 08:42 am (UTC)