How did bottled water become so popular in the first place? Should the tax payers who protect land and water share the profits of those who pump and sell that resource? How is water different from such resources as oil, trees or fishing? What is water bottling actually doing to the environment & to local communities? Is it ethical to profit from the sale of water? If we believe water is a basic human right such as freedom from persecution or equality before the law then why would we let anyone slap a bar code on water?Is it narcissism that pulls people into stores the second they feel thirsty or is it the need for emotional succor? Is bottle water our modern day security blanket? Are large scale commercial extractors compromising the amount or the purity of the water that’s left and who will make that determination? If every action in the eco system is an impact then is it measurable or significant? Are water projects worthwhile? Why should we waste money on bottled water? Should water be a commodity? Why should water be free? Why is it different from food which we also need to live or shelter? Are bottle water companies subverting democracy? Who’s hand do you want on the tap? As clean water grows scarce who is going to own it and who is going to control it? Do we want multination companies to control something so important? Where did all the water go? Will governments be able to afford upgrades? If the United Nation deems water a basic human right what does that actually mean?Who should be doing the protecting of water? Are multinational companies looking to control democratic cities & towns? So what can we do? Why does saving water matter if reservoirs are full? Does it make sense to grow water intensive rice in the arid west? Can industries use recycled water? What’s the big concern? So what do you drink? How do I know if I should be suspicious of my water? If citizens no longer control their most basic resource their water do they control anything at all? Who will make the decisions that will affect our future and who will be excluded? How come a six-pack of bottled water costs more that a gallon of gasoline? Why doesn’t anybody fix the broken water fountains? What’s this about shipping water out of the great lakes in Asia? Why is a US company managing water in Iraq? How are corporations turning water into an asset to be bought & sold? How do corporations intend to spend the profits from the flows? Why don’t we give it a second thought? Are we now basically seeing the issue of human rights versus corporation rights? Should we let market principles dictated water? Should utilities operate as enterprises? Is there any such thing as excess water? How did bottle water become so popular over tap?
Does bottle water fill a perceived need for convenience? Is bottled water popular because like Individual cell phones & iPod’s it’s private & portable? Is bottled water valuable because it has a substantial shelf life? Is Bottled water an absolute critical lifesaver in many natural disasters? Is Bottled water is a significant contributor to actual water problems? Does Bottled water fit the excellent advertising medium by conveying a sense of wholesomeness? Which product would you rather have a child in your care consume several servings of each day? Why support a campaign to demonize the healthiest of these products? Is Bottled Water Always the Enemy? Do we buy bottled water because it's healthy?

Monday, June 11, 2012

chill Woodford Folk Festival 2011-2012




Can you imagine an ‘ice hotel’ supplanted at Woodford? Chill borrows on this idea to visually present a
 quirky, sophisticated, intimate bar that metaphorically insinuates an exotic Nordic environment....a sort after
 destination in the sultry wilds of Woodfordia.
 When the atmosphere is rising outside…..imagine a cool retreat in the monotone ambience of the chill bar.
 The installation is aimed to delight the senses, create a place of ‘encounter’, foster curiosity and offer new
 experiences. Through the use of recycled materials the chill transforms the space into crystal-like formations.
 Chill will provide an intersection between art and Woodfordia patrons. 


Monday, June 20, 2011

is there a place where we can talk?
don't know if there is a solution...all I know is there are questions................

Saturday, February 5, 2011



    Over 90% of the cost of bottled water is associated with the bottle, lid and label

Sunday, January 30, 2011

The actions: surge campaign 
Community & School Screenings: Addicted to Plastic
Two screenings of the documentary Addicted to Plastic is anticipated for viewing, one in community of Coolum and one at Coolum State School.

Addicted to Plastic (Directed by Ian Connacher Produced by Cryptic Moth Productions) is a point-of-view style documentary that encompasses three years of filming in 12 countries on 5 continents, including two trips to the middle of the Pacific Ocean where plastic debris accumulates. The film details plastic's path over the last 100 years and provides a wealth of expert interviews on practical and cutting edge solutions to recycling, toxicity and biodegradability. These solutions - which include plastic made from plants - will provide viewers with a new perspective about our future with plastic.

Community & School Collection Points – recycled water bottles
Just how many plastic water bottles are in communities?
Collection bags will be distributed at various points in the community and school environment (pending permission). These points have the sole purpose for the collection of used water bottles. The water bottles will be used in the finished artwork outcome at Coolum.
Working with Coolum State School Senior Art Students


How do we deliver information?
It is common knowledge that we are overloaded with information on a daily basis. Environmental causes are often addressed only to the converted. So how do we deliver data differently?
This is an area open for interpretation through art and something to be investigated with Coolum High Students.
The involvement of students will be in a progressive way. Working with Trish Robson (Art Teacher) how the students will be involved will evolve.  
At this stage I will propose to engage with the students in a number of avenues; research, multimedia debate & possible inclusion in the installation of artwork.

Proposed work

The work titled surge is concerned with Floating Landfill and our cultural conditioning to bottle water.

surge is  intended to be a series of experiences, the urge to ask questions. The actions are not fixed but develop over time.

surge  – Engaged questioning allows everyone involved their own experience. The end is significant not by itself but as an integrated process instrumental to all parts. The varied parts are invited together into one experience.
  • Community & School Screenings: Addicted to Plastic
  • Collection sites for used water bottles
  • Coolum State High Senior Art Students - workshop
  • surge – the artwork installation along Coolum Boardwalk or foreshore
  • surge blog – records the process in its entirety and presents 'two sides of the same coin' conversation

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Floating Land - background

Presented as a ten day event, Floating Land brings people from across the Asia Pacific including visual and performance artists, cultural practitioners, writers, and educators together with the communities of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
Floating Land is an ongoing conversation about creativity, the environment and culture. The 2011 theme, Water Culture, continues these conversations and acknowledges that people of the Asia Pacific region are facing the adverse consequences of climate change, due to their dependence upon and close relationship with the oceans, rivers and waterways.