the ’sham

For those of you who have just got your copy of Bilateral Petersham from the exhibition at artspace, perhaps you’re beginning to delve into my adventures of just over a year ago. I’d be curious to know how it reads, what the experience of reading is like for you, where you are when you read…
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A podcast of the article by Sunanda Creagh in the Sydney Morning Herald, with some comments following!

Listen in here.

Read the original posting here.

This is the entry (posted one day before Easter 2006) in which I announce to the readership of the ’sham that I am considering breaking my self-imposed Petersham lockdown to visit my uncle Michael’s Darling Point house for Easter lunch. (The reason being that my dad was in town, and not in too great shape emotionally, and he’d especially asked me to come.)

Thus ensued, in the comments section, a debate on “fam versus sham” or “life versus art”, including comparisons with Joseph Beuys’ work “I love america and america loves me” (where, so the legend goes, he was blindfolded and refused to touch American soil).

Listen in here. [16min, 6mb, mp3]
…or you can hear the reading of this same episode as broadcast from Mystery Bay, down the NSW coast, where I have just travelled in a campervan. TRUE! Listen here. [8mb]

Original post is here.

This is the very popular entry in which Sunny, Luciana, Wolfie and I go rollerskating at the (defunct) Majestic Roller Rink. Plenty of comments from readers excited about the possibility of having events in there. No shortage of entrepreneurial party-makers keen for an unusual venue, which is great, and no shortage, either, of frustration about the way that public liability insurance has changed our lives.

Listen here. (15 min, 14mb, mp3)

Read the original post (with images too!) over here.

Sunday, 7.41pm: I haven’t the energy to write any more today. But if you have thoughts, responses, reports on your experiences at the weekend, at the Friday night slideshow/bowling event, or at the exhibition/border walk on Saturday, feel free to chime in here! I’ll keep updating over the next days.
Hooroo!
-Lucas

Anne sent through this email, just minutes ago. Without further ado, I pass it along.
Cheers
Lucas

- - - - -
bee longing
to: shortleftleg@yahoo.com

hey lucas. it’s sunday. the day after your opening. which offered a very meaty bit of bait to those of us who aren’t hooked yet. mind you, bit late to get hooked. but anyway, maybe the time for baiting is over and it’s the catch, we’re being shown now. hmmmm … that’s interesting. the ‘catch’. y’know, like ’so, what’s the catch?’. which is an expression of suspicion isn’t it? that there will be something required or asked of us. in legalistic terms, it’s a ‘consideration’. which skirts the notion of exchange. but i’m getting ahead of myself now. which isnt surprising, because these last few sentences were written AFTER the ones to follow, if you know what i mean. because this email is getting so long that i’m writing my way back INTO it. yeah, so as i was leaving (with hard copy of blog tucked under me arm, and mixing with the experience of the mayoral tour to warm me heart) i told you it made me feel glad/sad. you seemed puzzled by the ’sad’ bit. think i was too.
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Vanessa dropped this tiny cardboard package, the size of a matchbook, in my mailbox. I will take it to my Portuguese neighbours, two doors down, for interpretation…Any hints?
(”Creative” suggestions welcome).

Sunanda Creagh has written an article about little ole me, here.

If you get the print copy of the paper, there’s a picture of Luciana and Wolfie and me rollerskating. Perhaps some clever bored person who steals time from their office job to read this will make themselves look busy scanning in the article and email it to me. Hint hint. Then I can post it up here and send you a thousand thanks. [NB! This has been done! Thanks to Lisa from North Petersham, and also to Sarah from the Marrickville Council.]

Oh, and if you’d like to compare stories…MY account of Sunanda’s visit to the ’sham is here.

Anyways, just in case the Herald website goes belly-up some time in the future, I’ll include a transcript of the article below. Hooroo.
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Bec offered to drive me, if I’d look up the address. I went out to her car to grab the directory. Marie and Chris were across the way, still fixing up Barbara’s flat. They waved me over.

“Hey, where are YOU going?” Marie asked. “We-e-ell”… I began. How could I do this? They were onto me.

The only thing for it was to come clean. I explained my dilemma, the importance of spending the day with my Dad, the idea of the blindfold as a “legal loophole” in my own rules. They thought about it. Chris felt it could work. “It’s true, family comes first, you should definitely go. But you HAVE to keep on the blindfold the WHOLE time.” Marie was less sure: “If you ask me, leaving is leaving, no matter whether you cover your eyes or not.” They were still debating it between themselves as I sat in the passenger seat putting one of Bec’s silk scarves over my eyes. I waved to them blindly as we drove off.
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…he he you just KNEW this was gonna happen, didn’t you…?

I’ve been made an offer to LEAVE THE ‘SHAM (temporarily of course), and I don’t know what to do.

I’m putting this up here, at midday on Saturday, and anyone who happens to be online has a little under 24 hours to chime in with an opinion.
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