For those of you who have been visiting the (blog)house from the early days, you may remember my little story about the first time I walked into ‘Tracey’s world’ as I like to call it, when I was propping in Sydney some years ago (here is the post). I’ve been wanting to visit Tracey in her new studio in Redfern ever since then, and last week I finally managed to do so. It really is a world of natural wonder, with exotic flora and found objects made into incredible pieces of art. Tracey continues to be a huge source of inspiration for me, her work stretches the imagination in the most sophisticated, yet simplest of ways. I took some photos while I was there, just for you, would you like to see them? Here you go…

Tracey’s studio is just around the corner from Baffi & Mo, that great cafe I featured a few weeks back. My suggestion would be to have some breakfast there and then wander over to Tracey’s (Studio GO1/59 Great Buckingham St, Redfern)…

Thank you Tracey! I can’t wait to see what you create next.

You may recall that not so long ago I wrote about my love for making photograms during my uni days (click here to read the original post which features the beautiful photographic work of rowena dugdale). For those who don’t know, a photogram is making a print in a photo lab without using a camera.

Rowena reminded me in a recent comment that I said I’d try to find an example of one of my photograms for you when I went back to sydney. I happened to be rifling through one of my visual diaries the other day and found this, below. It is one of my original photograms which I made by exposing some text that was written on a sheet of acetate, tiny pebbles, and piece of sheer fabric over a self-portrait. I remember feeling some sense of exhilaration over the finished product.

photogram with print, untitled, Pia Jane Bijkerk 1996.

I love the tactility of making photograms, it’s a rather marvelous process and if you are a photo-making-enthusiast, I highly recommend the developing adventure. I’ve now realised how much my love for making photograms has influenced my work today – even though the digital world we now live in has mostly eliminated the hand touched aspect of photography, the physical contact I have with the image from beginning to end is still ever-present.

Incidentally, I found this feedback written in my diary from one of my university lecturers. Love the second sentence…

I am delighted, as you can imagine. How many times did I wish for it to snow when I returned to Amsterdam? Countless, I thought it was all in vain. But no! Because I woke up to a blanket of snow all over the boat. And as soon as it was light enough, I pulled on my long johns and 4 other layers of woolens, grabbed my camera and headed outdoors. The snow was perfectly powdery and every sound was muffled – the passing bikes, our footsteps, even the rijks bells were softer and more gentle than usual. Oh, it was magical…

After our walk we headed into a café to warm ourselves with some hot chocolate. It was so cozy inside…

Then, I noticed something in a not too far away tree. Something completely familiar in the strangest of settings. Had this little guy followed me from warmer climates? Looks like he too, was enjoying the snow as much as I…

xx

PS then I  walked past this sign as I exited the park gates…

ha! not bloody likely.

I woke up this morning in anticipation of the deafening screech of cockatoos but instead I heard the wind gently pulling at the thick ropes that hold my home to the shore. As I dozed off again I thought I heard the dawn call of a kookaburra, but it was a distant car alarm. And as for the sound of cicadas, there is now unnatural silence in its place.

I recall a strange conversation I had some time last year here in Amsterdam with a European who told me about how much they disliked Australia. I said “what is it about it that you don’t like?” They said they had visited for 2 weeks, traveled down the coast from Sydney to Melbourne, and just hated it. Even though this person was quite rude, I, uncharacteristically, shrugged it off. When I glanced over to french boy, he was very obviously irritated. He said, “Well, what about the nature?! It is full of incredible, wild, unspoiled nature!” and to that this person dismissively replied “Oh yeah sure, but how much can you have of nature?”

So anyway now, I have to unpack. Needless to say that some of the sand, sea treasure and dried foliage from my homeland made it into the suitcase. Unpacking can be so bittersweet…

…to bid this landscape goodbye. While I write, the kookaburras are singing their last song for the day.

I will miss this country. again.

Next week I will be writing my posts from mon petit bateau in amsterdam. I have lots of posts to share with you that I haven’t had a chance to compose while here, so even though I’m leaving sydney, we haven’t seen the last of this landscape and its creative souls in the (blog)house just yet. Next week is going to be alot of fun. Until then, mes amis, enjoy the rest of your weekend.

xx

PS it has not stopped raining here in sydney all day. I had hope to enjoy one last swim in the ocean, one last walk through the bush, and blow one last kiss to the sun but alas, it’s not meant to be. The above photo is something ( I call it an ‘interpretation of the landscape’) I composed from a collection of botanical findings from my walks over the last 2 months. I will pin this photo up on my wall when I get back to amsterdam to remind me of the nature I so love.  À bientôt australia! tot ziens!