6/7-9 An Introduction to Jigamy and Pambula

Pambula Lake is 231 km south of Kioloa (about 144 mi). It is actually an estuary to the Tasman Sea. There are multitudes of oyster farms in the lake, which would become more or less exposed depending on the tides.
 
We had lots of rain at Jigamy (the name of our campground), which rendered art-making difficult. Sitting and talking in Yoshi's tent became one of the more productive and enjoyable activities, along with mingling with the Field Studies artists, some of whom will be featured on this blog in ensuing days.

Some side trips included investigating a logging site, attending a geological tour and staying overnight at a historical whaling station.

A few of the locals that acquainted ourselves with us during our time at Jigamy included a pony and a dog, which Cedra named "Sneakers O'Toole" (subsequently, the pony has hence become known as Seamus 'Scarface' O'Toole).

Click here to view some pics of the first few days at Jigamy.

Sydney to Kioloa to Pambula

Our camp on Pambula Lake

Pambula Lake at low tide early morning

A Celebration with Yoshi

More posts from Pambula Lake will be made soon, but this couldn't wait.

Yoshi is having to leave two weeks early because his wife is very sick. Needless to say, he will be greatly missed. I feel extremely fortunate to have gotten to know Yoshi and have some priceless shared experiences with him during our time in Australia. I know this feeling is shared by all our crew.

Tonight the five of us celebrated a wonderful two weeks together with a little scotch and then a dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant, the Spicy Ginger Cafe (we're now in Canberra staying in artist flats at ANU). The food was great, the staff attentive and the ambience was relaxed. It turned out to be the perfect place for the occasion.

We will miss you, Yoshi.

A Gift from Yoshi

6/6 En Route to Pambula Lake/1st Night Camping

On the way to our camp on Pambula Lake, just north of the town of Eden, we stopped to check out some amazing locations along the Far South Coast. When we arrived at Jigamy Farm, the location of our camp, we met up with artists participating in the Field Studies Eden Project. For Land Arts participants, this was our first night camping, and we got the first real taste of its being early winter in this part of the world. Ice droplets formed on my tent during the night, and I was too cold to sleep soundly through the night. The next morning was brisk and clear (that would drastically change by evening).

Forest somewhere between Kioloa and Eden

Yoshi, Bill and John on craggy cliffs

Early morning Joseph on Pambula Lake at low tide

6/4-5 Report from Kioloa

We've all been working in the field the last couple of days here at Kioloa, which means we wake up and go our separate ways to work on our projects. Some of us have ideas already, others are developing ideas as we go. Yoshi has been working on a project using collector tea spoons referencing specific places and towns in Australia. The theme behind the work is tea as a symbol of colonization. Joseph has been taking video footage of waves, and Cedra has been painting. I have been doing some actions and sketches. Bill is doing a walking project where he's mimicking the constellations, and John just showed us a terrific video he'd just finished. In this piece, John dressed up like a proper academic complete with nice shoes and briefcase, walked to a rock at what looks like the base of a ravine and sits down on the rock. He then reclines to lay on his back, but since it's an awkward spot for this, he struggles for a while, still holding the briefcase. This goes on for a couple of minutes. Eventually he is able to get in a position like a snapshot of him walking, except that he's still on his back balancing on the rock. The strange context and awkward physicality is what makes the piece. After holding this position for awhile, he then calmly collects himself and walks out of the frame. It is a terrific a piece.

Next stop is Eden. We'll be there for a little over a week and will apparently have limited internet access.

6/3 Kioloa

Today was an introduction to the surroundings of our camp at Kioloa. John Reid took us to the coast, which is just over the ridge from our cabins, just a short walk away, and then into the woods where we saw many spotted gums (type of eucalypt). We saw evidence of ancient man-made grooves in a sandstone riverbed. These were possibly to used to ground Macrozamia fruit into flour after leeching out their poisons by soaking them in the river (Macrozamia is the spiky-leafed plant that looks like a big fern or low-growing palm in some of the pics). The forest looks utterly primeval. The spotted gums shed their bark to reveal a bone-white skin, which makes its snaking branches easily visible even from a great distance. We came across several 5+ ft. tall termite mounds. At the waterfront, waves were massive, and a recent storm had washed ashore innumerable Bluebottles — tiny, bluish Man-of-War. The Rainbow Lorikeet is without question the most brightly colored bird I've seen in the wild, and that's just one of the many exotic birds one can see here. I'm amazed at how many kangaroo there are here too. More pics.

6/2 En Route to Kioloa

After picking up Joseph from Sydney airport, we began our leisurely trek to the ANU camp at Kioloa, a journey of roughly 153 miles. Once we'd arrived at the restful accommodations at Kioloa, Bill and John made dinner. Pics of the day.

5/31-6/1 Sydney

We spent the next couple of days wandering Sydney. Wild wind and rain the morning of May 31 left us wondering what the rest of the day would bring. Off and on rain from then on left plenty of opportunities to see some sights. Obligatory tourist photos ahead.