Radical Craft Wins!!
Holy crap!
Yay!
Anna won $3000!!!!
Woohoo!
And those of you who know Anna will know that she’s working on a full length craft documentary so this prize money will probably see the project finished. Yay!
Congrats to all the awesome entrants. Especially the Shocking Stuart crew who filmed a cardboard box inspection across the road from a real house auction. Well deserved second place. They’re even auctioning it on Saturday in Fitzroy somewhere. Sorry I don’t know the details, will try and update this post when I do.
Thanks to Earthsharing Australia for organising a great idea for a film competition. Can’t wait to see the entries for next year!
The revolution is SO happening and it’s a fun one and a beautiful one.
Four more sleeps!
For those of you people like me, living overseas, you probably should’ve voted by now. If you haven’t, get on to it quick smart!! I dare say it’s too late to post your vote and faxing is pretty damn expensive I hear. So you might want to check and find your closest voting place. All you aussie-based kiwis can get the voting locations here or check the elections website for the full list. I went and voted in Melbourne last week and I was in and out in less than 3 minutes.
And when all that fun stuff is out of the way, you can come party with us on Saturday at Horse Bazaar, featuring The Nomad! And the best news is that we’ve scrapped the door charge. So yes the rumours are true, this gig will be FREE.
Still not sure who to vote for?
Corporate Assistance
Not only are the big banks getting free handouts from the state but petrol stations in LA are getting free PR help!
Genius
props: Wooster Collective
Counting down til Suffrage Day
Anyone who’s been within air shot of me recently would have heard me going on about Suffragettes. I’ve been doing a ton of research into the Suffrage Movement in the context of creative resistance. And I’ve been reminding myself how militant the movement was. And it makes me wonder what fabulous ideas we’re missing out on hearing due to the fear based panic our world seems to be operating on. If the suffragettes were doing their campaign today, the majority of them would be locked up indefinitely as terrorists because they dared to question the state and how the state defines participation in democracy.
You wouldn’t think that exercising your opinion is a crime these days. But try telling that to the 400-odd people, including journalists, that got locked up during the Republican Convention. It is unbelievable that in the supposed land of the free, the government would spend US$50 Million on policing to prevent people from getting out and voicing their opinion. Most of the people arrested were on pre-emptive charges. So they hadn’t even committed a crime, the police just thought they might. And many people were arrested just for attending a concert. Brilliant. In the real world, we call that fascism.
So in the spirit of free speech and celebrating true heroes, let’s all take some time to remember all the freedom fighters in our history that dedicated their lives to ridding the world of injustice. And those who put their bodies on the line to demand equal rights and liberation for all on this lovely planet that we share.
Cat has taken a lead with the awesome pattern of American Suffragette Lucretia Mott at the top of this post. You can download the pattern here. Thanks Cat, legendary!
And if you’re in London, go see this.
Vote Global Vote Green
One of the things that bugs me about not having very much time is that I don’t get to write very much about environmental issues. So I made a video instead!
We’re trying our best to contact each one of the 450,000 New Zealanders living in Australia (and other parts of the world) to let them know about the upcoming election. You can help by sending this video to any expats you know. Make sure you remind them to sort out their enrolment ASAP www.elections.org.nz
A big thanks to Cam for editing this video up for me, and a big chur to frey for the lovely soundtrack!
GRL Takes on South Korea
Have you been paying attention to the recent protests in South Korea about the US Beef Trade Agreement? There’s been some crazy stuff going on there and the S. Koreans have been doing an awesome job of maintaining their bad ass reputation of amazing protest on agricultural and sufficiency issues. I don’t think anyone in the anti-FTA movement will ever forget the ultimate sacrifice made by Lee Kyung-hae in Cancun in 2003 when he look his own life on the wall in the middle of the WTO talk protests.
So the cool kids at the Graffiti Research Lab decided to head over and join in the fun. Check this one out and see what they got up to
Korean Beef – Graffiti Research Lab from fi5e on Vimeo.
Props: Wooster Collective
Crafty video
Check out this delightfully gruesome claymation video which has been made by the Trophywife Collective, New Zealand (how cool is that name?) for SideKickNic. The song is called Something In Your Eyes and is from his “first, latest, and best album- ‘Miscellaneous Adventures’.”
I freely admit that it made me feel a bit squeamish. I’m OK with that. It certainly has a hat tip to Greg Page and of course anything made in NZ with a bit of gore in it is inevitably inspired by early Peter Jackson. I loved the amateurish feel of it, especially the visible strings!
Most of all, it was fun, so props to all involved with making it!
The Budget
I know I’m one of the few people in the world that finds government budgets exciting. Blame Marilyn Waring.
But hey bet you never thought there’d be a fusion of crafts and government budgets? Did ya? Did ya?
I bet not.
Green it.
So I hope you’ve all seen the new look Greens website. I think it looks really good and it will be fantastic for election year for people coming to the site for the first time. It’s really easy to find what you’re looking for. Well done to the team that sorted that out!
We’ve also been chugging away with some Facebook stuff and we now have a page up for people to become supporters of the Greens. It’s a great way to be kept up to date with major campaign news. Although it’s best to also sign up through the main site so you can get info about events specific to your area.
Because of course in Aotearoa this year there will be an election! Not sure when yet, some time in November probably. So make sure you’re enrolled to vote. Especially those of us living in other lands. If you are a kiwi overseas you can vote in the election provided you have been home in the last 3 years (and meet all the other normal criteria). Check your details and update your enrolment here!
Finally check the new vid the team have made. It’s worth sending on!
Ageing Disgracefully
Check out this amazing short vid featuring the infamous Screaming Lulu
An offbeat look at the pressures and expectations for women growing old in our society. Rather than accepting that our faces show character from the lives we have lived and should therefore be celebrated, there is developing need to stretch and paralyze our faces in an attempt to constantly appear 10 years younger.
This film documents my mother’s reaction to these perceptions and expectations. I filmed her talking about how women that don’t appear to follow these rules become invisible in the media (except for specialist marketing such as stairlifts or life insurance). She believes there are few role models or older women to identify with for normal women in their 50′s and above.
Hell hath no fury like a Jewish Mother with a sewing machine!
I think this is brilliantly cool to see craft used as a response to the ridiculous media perceptions of ageing. I agree with her comments entirely! But I won’t spoil it, watch it for yourself.
And I also reckon it’s wonderful that her child has made this film. Absolutely brilliant tribute.
Props Helen