Shuffling dates and walking loops

Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison
Something Reverberated
20 page concertina artists’ book, inkjet print on Canson Arches 88 310gsm, with accompanying narrative (by Gracia Haby), housed in a box (by Louise Jennison) with original watercolour cover on Saunders Waterford Aquarelle 300gsm white hot-press paper
Printed by Arten
Edition of 2
and
With wings outstretched and quivering
18 page concertina artists’ book, inkjet print on Canson Arches 88 310gsm, with accompanying narrative (by Gracia Haby), housed in a box (by Louise Jennison) with original watercolour cover on Saunders Waterford Aquarelle 300gsm white hot-press paper
Printed by Arten
Edition of 2

Things are moving quickly. Things are moving slowly. (And yesterday, one could also say, things are shaking like jelly, momentarily.) The photos here are from our 5km-radius walks, which have since increased to 10km. The common lockdown lament, it feels an age, it feels like yesterday, rings true, on this our 235th day of lockdown. Get your commemorative tee on and celebrate.

In life’s frequent date-change dance, our artists’ book, With wings outstretched and quivering, one of 34 shortlisted works in the 2021 Geelong acquisitive print awards, was recently visible in the gallery-wild for a single day, before the region went into a snap seven-day lockdown. Friends in the area, you’ll soon be able to pop in to the gallery again. Please do.

2021 Geelong acquisitive print awards
Saturday 18th of September – Sunday 17th of October, 2021
Geelong Gallery
Little Malop Street, Geelong

And its companion piece, Something reverberated, which forms our green component of Biosphere, is now, tentatively set to reveal itself late October.

Biosphere — a sense of belonging
Wednesday 27th October – Saturday 13th of November, 2021
Stephen McLaughlan Gallery
Room 816, Nicholas Building, 37 Swanston Street, Melbourne

So, let us walk. Keeping an eye out for the Sticky Boobialla (Myoporum petiolatum) in flower, recognisable by its leaves with fine toothed margins, which appeals to our fondness for (making and reading) books (page leaves and margins), and clusters of white flowers. Keeping an eye out, too, for Salvatore.

Upstream, Birrarung, two suburbs along. Threading our fingers through the front gate to say ‘hello beautiful, hello lovely’ to two friendly dogs. Caught in the rain, creek-side and in the woody grasslands of Darebin Parklands. And Royal Park, drawing large circles with the standard poodles on promenade, as the magpies look on.

Thinking about things we have streamed, and seeing with new focus.

Within our 5km, varied.

We hope the awe of sighting Salvatore, the Australian fur seal currently visiting the Birrarung, encourages others to learn more about not just seals, for they are fantastical, but all wildlife, for it, too, is fantastical, and the importance of green corridors and clean waterways. We hope it inspires people to recognise the connectivity of all things. To enter into a reciprocal relationship with nature. To marvel at the agility of the Spotted pardalotes and Eastern yellow robins darting, flitting, foraging in the foliage. To listen to bird calls and try to identify them. To imagine what the wall of green we see with human eyes might look like to birds. To share their knowledge with others. To take their rubbish home with them, if the bins are full. To pick up rubbish on a walk or run. To call and write to their local MPs to urge them to invest in extending habitat and reversing biodiversity loss. To attend planting and weeding days. To keep their dogs on a leash in the areas which require this, for this is an easy thing for (us) dog walkers to do and it gives wildlife and green spaces a chance; we don’t need to take every inch to be in and delight in nature. To return the gift of anticipating seeing Salvatore catch a fish, let alone the sheer joy of actually seeing him.

We are about to become official wildlife carers for Grey-headed flying foxes (@bat_rescue_bayside), and we were inspired to do so after our early lockdown walks to the Yarra Bend colony. It is our way of giving back the balm we received.

Because wildlife and these rich green spaces need the help of all of us, in whatever way we can.

Through the cemetery and Melbourne University campus, to the pharmacy and supermarket, and back again, past the tombstone lumpy like a brain.

Down the laneways, too.

Within our 5km, varied, and beautifully so.

We’ve recently added a live chat function to our site. Type your queries, friends, related or otherwise. We’re just trying it out at this stage, but it seems like something we might keep for when we are not walking we can often be found on the computer. Please, consider trying it out, to see what you think. Is it helpful or noisy?

Finally, thank-you for your recent zine orders through our online store. Thanks for making the most of our 50% off sale. While the sale is no longer, the zines, and their availability are, should you hanker for a Black-throated finch, or be in need of rewilding in whatever sense. Your support means a terrific deal to us both.

Thank-you.

Image credit: View out of the gallery window, ca.1947, Edna Walling (1895–1973), gelatin silver photograph, 20 x 19 cm, State Library Victoria