Draft video work ideas

for SHIFTING SANDS exhibition

Art installation and video projection idea: I need to collect these 6 metal boxes [loans] this week from Westray Engineering 20 Northumberland rd Caringbah. Plan is to place them in front of wall projection artwork [to be made]. Stretch over all or some of these boxes a kangaroo skin [no fur = from Birdsall Leather craft shop, 36 Chegwyn st, Botany] to make ‘drum’ objects. The video work will be a loop that might have a rhythmic drum like movement, repetitive natural or industrial movement in it. The footage might incorporate some of the text in this ppt as subtitles, or text over the top of the imagery, or after segments of footage as fade in-out, or scrolling up the screen etc. The following ppt are stories of the area in 1700s from newcomers’ perspective plus images what I have seen, thought about in the past 4 days since arriving here. Possibly will draw in ink – tattoo-like on one or some of their surfaces, words eg: words of sounds etc. Possibly place found objects in one or some of these drums. This ppt following has some ‘stories’ collected/imagined/combined over past days while staying in Gymea. Main thoughts to date I have about the place and history are about the disjuncture of nature/industry and the the ‘meeting’ of cultures here via historic words and contemporary dog wash cafes etc = horror/humour, pulsating ominous watery/waves, portent, sludge, primeval mangroves, shark nets, disconnect between café culture and the rubbish washing into the beaches of the Bay, Sludge. Feedback and advice very welcome.

http://www.rba.gov.au/Museum/Timeline/1946_1970.html

The order of things

Serious admonition to the publick, on the intended thief-colony at Botany Bay, Alexander Dalrymple 1786From: http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/album/ItemViewer.aspx?itemid=874589&suppress=N&imgindex=9http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/album/albumView.aspx?itemID=874589&acmsid=0Digital Order No. a2753009 Call No. 78/49

“They appear, however, from the simplicity of their manners, to have few ideas of order or subordination among themselves; and if they have any notions of a worship, they are more than the sight and observation which has yet been made can ascertain.”

[trial footage of the demonstrative crows at Kurnell in the tree above the picnic table ]

“…They seem however to pay some respect to a black-bird somewhat like a raven, for when one of the offices pointed his piece at one of these birds, some of the natives present threw themselves in the way of the gun, though they were well aware it would have killed them or done them much hurt if it had gone off.”

Observations from an unknown officer at Botany Bay, 1788

Pet shop gymea image

“Dr. Solander had a bare sight of a Small Animal something like a Rabbit, and we found the Dung of an Animal which must feed upon Grass, and which, we judge, could not be less than a Deer; we also saw the Track of a Dog, or some such like Animal.”

Journal of Captain James Cook, 1 May 1770

“ The only domestic animal they have is the dog, which in their language is called Dingo, and a good deal resembles the fox dog of England. These animals are equally shy of us, and attached to the natives. One of them is now in the possession of the governor, and tolerably reconciled to his new master.”

“As the indians see the dislike of the dogs to us, they are sometimes mischievous enough to set them on single persons whom they chance to meet in the woods.”

[with real footage of dogs being washed at this DOG WASH CAFÉ [?]]

“A surly fellow was one day out shooting when the natives attempted to divert themselves in this manner at his expense. The man bore the teazing and barking of the dog at his heels for sometime, but apprehending at length that his patience might embolden them to use still farther liberties, he turned around and shot the poor dingo dead on the spot: the owners of him then set off with the utmost expedition.”

observations and instructions

“Towards evening they have often been seen sometimes to the amount of seventy or eighty, sitting round a fire in the open air, and numbers of these fires were nightly observed near the coast, on Commodore Phillips’s arrival; but they were lighted up at a greater distance afterwards.”

“A canoe is seldom seen without a fire in it, to dress the fish by, as soon as it is caught: fire they procure by attrition.”

.

at.tri.tion (noun)1. loss of personnel2. wearing away of surface3. weakened by persistent attack4. sorrow for sin

“Their colour is a dingy copper;

though Captain Cook was apt to think they were rather of a deep chocolate drawing hard towards a black.”

“Their canoes in which they fish are as despicable as their huts, being nothing more than a large piece of bark tied up at both ends with vine sticks.”

“The business of fishing is not confined to the men alone; their women are as expert at it as themselves, and understand managing the canoes as well, they can also dive and in clear water bring up any thing from the bottom though at a considerable depth.”

The pleasure of possession

Reverend Richard Johnson, Chaplain to the First Fleet, held his first service on 3 February 1788. Johnson brought twelve copies of Bishop Thomas Wilson’s An essay towards an Instruction for the Indians, 13th Edition London, 1781. Johnson also soon after wrote to London requesting that Missionaries be sent to assist him.

“If bread be given to the Indians, they chew and spit it out again, seldom choosing to swallow it.”

“When the Governor and his officers presented these people with necklaces, or any other piece of finery,

they greedily took them; but so short was their pleasure of possession, that they scarce ever kept the gift beyond a day, and all their oddments was found from time to time dispersed about the woods and unregarded.”

“We then threw them some nails, beads, etc., a shore, which they took up, and seem'd not ill pleased with, in so much that I thought that they beckon'd to us to come ashore; but in this we were mistaken, for as soon as we put the boat in they again came to oppose us, upon which I fir'd a musquet between the 2, which had no other Effect than to make them retire back, where bundles of their darts lay, and one of them took up a stone and threw at us, which caused my firing a Second Musquet, load with small Shott; and altho' some of the shott struck the man, yet it had no other effect than making him lay hold on a Target.”

Journal of Captain James CookSunday 29 April 1770

“The String of Beads, etc., we had left with the Children last night were found laying in the Hutts this morning; probably the Natives were afraid to take them away.”

Journal of Captain James Cook, 29 April 1770

“One of the Midshipmen met with a very old man and Woman and 2 Small Children; they were Close to the Water side, where several more were in their Canoes gathering of Shell fish, and he, being alone, was afraid to make any stay with the 2 old People least he should be discovr'd by those in the Canoes. He gave them a bird he had Shott, which they would not Touch; neither did they speak one word, but seem'd to be much frightned.”

Journal of Captain James CookFriday 4 May 1770

“The Governor Commodore, with lieutenants Ball and King, and L. Dawes of the marines with other inferior officers, rowed towards them in two boats;

as they approached, two or three of the natives seemed to retreat a little backwards, but some bolder than the rest continued to threaten and throw large stones, many of which came too near the boats; so continuing to annoy their landing.”

“Nor are their weapons of offence confined to the spear only, for they have besides long wooden swords, shaped like a sabre, and clubs of an immense size. Small targets, made of the bark of trees, are likewise now and then to be seen among them.”

what stories get told

[Brighton le Sands shark net etc]

[Footage of Swimming shark in Sydney aquarium ?]

[footage of The sharks HQ ?]

Anglican Opportunity shop

Warburton St, Gymea

[footage or still image of

the prayer box directly inside the door where people place their written prayers.??

Perhaps filmed in real time but only showing from ground upwards to 2 ft high = to top of box [?] - so as not to identify any passers-by etc.]

[Footage or stills of each Shark Team manager’s parking space owner’s name plus subtitles/reinscriptions?? of the key authors of the first fleet... ? : William Balmain, William Bradley, Ralph Clark, David Collins, John Easty, John Hunter, Philip Gidley King, Captain Arthur Phillip, James Scott, Surgeon Arthur Bowes Smyth, Watkin Tench, John White, George Worgan = 13 men and or the names of the ships of the fleet ?? ] http://gutenberg.net.au/first-fleet.html

[ and crew names scrolling/subtitling under footage also ?? Or not ]

Tuesday 1 May 1792 “Two sharks were caught this morning – in

the belly of one of them was found a Prayer Book quite fresh not a leaf of it defaced, on one of the leaves was wrote Frances Carthy cast for death in the Year 1786 and Repreaved the Same day at four o Clock in the afternoon. As the book was Seemed Quite fresh I think Some Ship must be near us now going out to Botany Bay.”

Journal of Lieutenant Ralph Clark returning to England from NSW on Gorgon in 1792 after arriving on Friendship in 1787.