The opposite of green

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYjUvfVBVDA



My art completed 2009 :)

Squishy the destructor

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10900235
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/south-island/3984874/Tasman-Glacier-about-to-calve
Losing ice sheets everywhere, Russia has a heatwave/drought/forest fires, Pakistan has worst flooding in over 60 years...of course, non of this has anything to do with climate change... of course not.

Media. Misrepresent.

In pictures - for quick viewing. statistics, scientific opinion, vs media representation, vs public opinion...

Water Flash Video

Neat little flash about water HERE 
can almost ignore that it's Leo-Dicaprio narrating. 

Bees. We need them :(

Press release by Nicole Bennik

Me, Artist, drawing attention to ‘rivers of shame’ (click for story)

Press release by Nicole Bennik, who is studying Journalism at Whitireia Journalism School. 

Check it out and share with friends!!

You never can tell with bees...

But you also can't function without them!

poor bees. like the amphibians, global decline in these species are going to seriously impact on our 'nature services' that we take for granted.

bees that pollinate crops are like flying $50notes.

Oh dear.

They're whitewashing the andes to try and stop glacial melt...!
It seems like a 'oh fuck we're fucked, lets try something, anything to try and stop it!'

Swimmer braves cold to highlight global warming in Everest Lake Swim

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8699359.stm?ls

Human Polar bear eh? Looks like it was very very cold...

... some truth in the old - tortured artist - stereotype?

It’s hard to justify being an artist some days. I feel like I’m not really making a difference in the world, that I’m buying into a system that I fundamentally disagree with. But then, those are the times that I’m conscious of that fact. The rest of my life, like everyone else it seems, I spend in blissful unconsciousness. I’m making an art piece about New Zealand Freshwater at the moment. It’s something I’ve been researching for a while now, and have already responded to on a basic level.

This time, however, I’ve been forced to re-examine my own behaviour in relationship to the subject. I, like most people in this country, live in a house with a flush toilet. It’s an everyday mindless thing, to flush excrement down the toilet. I know it’s one of the biggest microbial pollutants of our fresh water, I know it’s unfair to return it to nature with the expectation that nature will fix it, I know that the chemicals used to ‘treat’ it are bad for the environment and ecosystems they’re being pumped into, but I still do it. Every day. Because that’s what we’re taught as toddlers, potty training: always flush the toilet. To be fair, we make a conscious effort not to flush if it’s not necessary, an attempt to conserve water (how much water does it take to flush a toilet!?), but that goes out the window if we have guests round.

We take water for granted, especially here in New Zealand. I’m a part of that ‘we’ so why should I make art about it? I don’t have a solution to the environmental problems that we’re causing. I’m a poor student, so buying expensive alternative cleaning products without unnatural chemicals in them is not always an option. The materials I am using to display the samples, used in ecology labs, sure, but they’re plastics. I’m not a scientist with years’ worth of statistics to back up everything I’m displaying, so is it relevant? Is executing this, in the public eye, with the hope that people will get involved enough? Will this create enough of a critical dialogue around the topic to justify the environmental cost of its creation, and of my living?

And what do you do, when the answer is “I don’t know.” Because I don’t. But this is all I know. This is my first language to communicate in. Making art about ‘big picture’ issues is the only way I can justify being part of a late capitalist system which seems hell bent on destroying all natural resources in order to turn a profit. Some days I don’t even know if that’s enough.

Not a good idea! ... the copyright debate!

So I put this on the "March against Mining" Facebook group. With "Not a good idea." Copyright Amelia Hitchcock 2010. My copyright for this particular artwork, and more specifically for the photo of it. Various people "like it" as is the trend on facebook... but then... someone points out that it's identical to Peter Madden's work. Well, it's not. It's similar, the techinque is basically the same, but are you going to accuse every painter of copying every other painter? 

"Roxanne Hawthorne

Amelia have you seen the work of Peter McMadden? Your work is very similar. In fact it's identical."

Well the work of his she's referring to, and it's Peter Madden, not McMadden can be seen here (Peter Madden himself jumped in at this stage):  http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?pid=4860504&id=556242891 

As you can see - Not identical. I pointed this out. Mines a hardcover New Zealand book. He's cutting magazines.. different purpose.. etc.etc. 

My friend Em joins into the fray, albeit on my page:

Em Davidson Hiya - wrt that mine cut from the book - I can show you a precedent a few years old if you're curious, and tired of people saying that madden invented the concept - it's been done a bunch of times :D (along with everything else imaginable). I'd have to get my camera back first though, I just photographed the pic this m...orning - from a book called "map art". (I'm working with geography atm) - this is nice tho.

and mentions another book artist: Noriko Ambe pictures of her other work found here.

Beautiful work. Anyway, back on the No Mining page...my Mum comments (never one to be left out of anything!) and then a stranger I don't even know wades in (on my side!)

Dug Stuart

From what I understand, u can copyright an expression of an idea, but u cant copyright an idea.
So - as far as NZ copyright law goes - these are two different expressions of the same basic idea.
These two works are most definitely NOT identical. Only the basic idea behind the idea is the same.

I prefer this version myself. It looks a lot more realistic, and credible. But thats just my take.

As expected, this got a response from Peter. 

Peter Madden mmmm i am not that interested in a discusion as to whoes is better and whoes is not... i was just curious as to what Amelia had copyrighted[ as I had used a similar format many mounths] .lets say in the context of these two works or more broadly speaking the visual expresion of any given thing ..it would be the disernable difference in its ... See morevisuality or say in this case the lack there of..by the way dug just saying-as far as NZ copyright law goes- means nothing lends no veracity to your discusion...so maybe Amelia you can tell me what exactly ,it is you have copyrighted?

Dug Stuart

It was merely a passing comment by myself Peter. I mean no disrespect as far as your art goes. We all have our own unique likes and dislikes.
As far as I know - it is not about discernable difference. It is about making unauthorised copies.
If Amelia saved your art, and then modified it - that would be copyright infringement. As she would ... See morehave used your work without your permission.
If Amelia saw your art, and decided that she liked the idea, enough to make her own version of what u have portrayed - then that is not an infringement of copyright. She has not Copied your work. Rather, she has imitated it, in her own way.
I merely mention NZ law - as that is what I am more familiar with. I am assuming other countries have similar laws (assumption on my part only).

There's some sort of backtrack here, or the internet had lead everyone to be confused in the beginning about Peter's tone: 

Peter Madden

dug i think you have got confused i am not saying amelia has infringed my copyright i was just interested in what this artist had imajined they had copyrighted

Amelia Hitchcock

The copyright is for the photo of this particular artwork. I am aware of your work, Peter, and have great admiration for it and that of the many other artists that work with books as a medium. This was purely a gut response to the mining debate that is currently circulating. I attended the march, and made this many weeks before - purely as something which I hoped would visually provoke people into thinking about the physical nature of the destruction wrought by mining. 

 

Dug Stuart

Doh!!! Next time I will try and keep my mouth shut :) Sorry Peter - ur right - I did think u were inferring that. Thanks for putting me straight :)

Peter Madden

cool im not a mean arse just interested in an intelectual discusion, around copyright , and yep think i got it here very thought ful good luck amelia ...hey every body here i have a show at michael letts on the 19th of may come along ...you to dug

And from then on it turned into a bit of a plug fest! 

The reason I'm posting this is that it is interesting in terms of New Zealand arts culture. Peter Madden makes some brilliant art, but he's not the only artist to have ever attacked a book with a scalpel. Having been discussing this a lot lately, it seems pretty typical. (some) New Zealander's know Madden, and his art, and like the Australia pavlova debate, claim him as ours and defend him as a matter of Pride. We all made comments based on assumption of tone in a public forum. As Em puts it, a lesson in ettiquette.

Em Davidson

there is something useful I've gotten from this - I'd heard his name before, but hadn't seen his work.

So the first I saw of his work was after reading his snarky comment about patents - and it didn't live up to his hype - If I'd looked at some of his resolved work before reading his comment I might be more impressed, but that's not how it worked out - I guess it's a useful lesson in netiqite for me as an artist :D

March against mining!

I was there!
May post photos later.

We can't 'save the planet'

Lovelock says we can't save the planet.
And the sensible thing to do is to enjoy life whilst we can.

That's all well and good, saving it probably is too much of a big picture thing for humanity to attempt. But we could sure as hell have a whole lot more respect for it and try not to be so wasteful....

Blah. freaken blah....

And don't even get me started on mining conservation lands.... or John Key... 

Big city living

So we've moved to Auckland to study up here. I got into the BFA(Hons) stream at Elam, and there are several PhD opportunities that Becca is considering.

Rather stressful finding out the day before orientation that I was accepted, still am not officially enrolled, but never mind. In the Auckland City Library, taking advantage of free intarwebs to do some much needed research/catching up on reading. I also signed up and found some neat books on Still Life to take home and peruse.

Have just read James Lovelock's - Gaia - the revised edition - originally published in 1979, as a precursor to reading is 2007 book The Revenge of Gaia. I quite like the idea of a planetary ecosystem that self regulates, and in the 30 odd years since it's publication a lot of the hypothesis have been proven, so it will be interesting to read the next installment.

Also have just begun reading Jared Diamond's Collapse. This man can write! It's much easier to read than the Gaia was initially, although I'm coping.

Still working out what I want to do this year. Have stated in proposal a continued exploration and refinement of similar themes from last year, mainly altering things so they atrophy or disintergrate or whatever. I've been throwing ideas around, admittedly mostly in my head, about the nature of said "things". I think I'm ready to readdress the apple concept in depth as well as looking at how to expand that to other 'still life' objects.
Still life books are helpful. Have been considering the modernisation of this genre and the vanitas genre and have several ideas. Also found a good book on Sam Taylor Wood. Am increasinly aware that a lot of my art for the foreseable future seems to be centering around digital prints (manipulated or otherwise) and I'm fine with that. I just have to begin processes now, so that I can refine them for the end of the year.

Am going to an Anthony McCall talk tonight, assuming I can get in (it's free, and I assume will be popular). I remember studying his light cones in second year when I was working with shadows, so it will definitely be interesting. Also in the next few weeks there are a more artist talks, like Cornelia Parker, next Thursday, which I definitely want to attend.

I miss Quay School people, but am feeling challenged already, so hopefully more growth will occur than if I stayed within my comfort zone. It's interesting being an unknown quantity at a new place. I'm not sure how I measure up to my peers doing PGDip and Hons, but I suppose I'll find out soon enough.
I managed to get into the programme without one single interview, which means I haven't really had a chance to ask questions yet... but there's definitely time for that.