QRack c.1893: Votes For Women
A little while back I was chatting to the Ninja and she told me about making stop animation clips to show WiP progressions of cross stitch projects. I thought this was a most excellent idea for a few reasons. Firstly, I’m a nerd and I like making films that are a bit different. My absolute favourite film maker of all time is Len Lye who pioneered the idea of directly manipulating the film itself to create wonderful visual effects.
This is my favourite piece:
Free Radicals: 1958. It’s one of his later films. But all the earlier ones are just as cool. I often used to pay a visit to the uni library and sit down for a watch when I needed a bit of time out and some inspiration. And while they’re cool to watch on youtube, watching on actual film is of course, very cool!
Secondly, I’m interested in ways to communicate to people just how slow cross stitch is as a craft. I am constantly explaining to people that my work usually takes months to complete and people are almost always surprised. And I suspect they wonder why I keep doing it… Without going into a big explanation – I’m saving that for another time – what I really enjoy about the slowness of cross stitch is the time it gives me to meditate on the subject I’m stitching about.
So anyway here’s my first animation attempt!
While this piece isn’t a very big one, I thought it leant itself well to the idea. I used iMovie to produce it and it was pretty easy to make. Although the software has changed since I last used it and I couldn’t figure out how to do a couple of things and just gave up trying..
Here’s two imbeds. First from Facebook cause I think it compressed nicer but that doesn’t work for a few people so the second is the youtube version.
Music of the Compuriddims EP on the most wonderful JaHtari Net Label.
This piece is part of a QR Code sequence I’ve been making for an upcoming show, and it’s next in the QRack series. More on that later.
I’d love to hear what people think!
Craft Cartel Podcast Episode 9: Faythe Levine
Hooray it’s Episode #9 of the Craft Cartel podcast, and we talk to Faythe Levine about her brand new documentary film “Handmade Nation”
by Sublime Stitching.
Rayna has a great chat with Faythe about the film, making zines, the GFC, and yes, Paris Hilton comes up again! Check out the Handmade Nation website and blog and Flickr site to see pics of the Aussie tour and of course, the Paris Hilton pics. A MASSIVE big thanks to the awesome people at in.cube8r Gallery in Smith Street for helping to make this interview happen!
The track off the podcast is Craft Talk by Leslie Hall. It’s Craft-tastic! Check the video:
Next up we bring back the zine review section and review:
The Thrity Crafter from Apartment Cat
Sharp and Pointy – a craft zine by mir UPDATE – you can buy it here!
Outdoor Knit: the graffiti knit kit from Outdoor Knit
And a bit of an update on the Craft Cartel. Check out the Fashion Jam pics here, read about Trash Bag Rehab here, and the Melbourne Social Forum here, and the City Press workshop here!
Phew!
And as always we’d love to hear from you, comment below or drop us a line. And don’t forget to check out the archive if you’re new round here.
The best way to listen to the podcast is to subscribe and download today!
If that doesn’t work you can download the file directly from here.
We really don’t like advertising very much round these parts, so if you like what you hear, please make a donation to help support future episodes. It’s what an add-free world sounds like.
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.