TROPICAL TIMES

As the World Powers have been meeting in Paris to discuss climate change,

we have been having some Extreme Summer Storms - the type which cause mayhem with power outages and hail.  Thankfully, the Cardinal nest has escaped with nothing more bothersome than a lot of leaves and branches to clean up..

Over 85% of Queensland is in drought, with farmers in desperate circumstances.

Suddenly, here in the South East, the storms have brought new green to the countryside.

We took my father for a long drive on Sunday, and we all enjoyed the rare sight of so much green in the fields and along the roads.

Not so long ago, it was all dead and brown.

In other news, we celebrated 44 years of wedding bliss.

Mr C bought us this lovely planter basket of blooms to celebrate.

Well done, and very festive for Christmas.

As promised, I would like to show you some work from the APT8, the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art currently running at our GOMA.

This sculptural work comes from a remote village, Puhputra, in Chhattisgarh, India, which has become renowned for a small group of artists who have developed a unique sculptural tradition to adorn their surroundings.

The story begins in the 1950s, when a young woman, Sonabai, was confined to her house by a much older husband, forbidden to talk to others or be seen.  After ten years of marriage, she had not produced a child, and for this was ostracised.  Then finally, when Sonabai gave birth to a son, she was still locked away in her home, cooking and cleaning and caring for her baby.

She had no toys for her son, and in desperation dug clay from the edge of her well and fashioned toys for him, animal and human figures.

She loved the process and soon filled the rooms with clay figures.  In the summer it was unbearably hot, 46-52 deg C.  To cool down the environment, she began shaving strips from bamboo poles, curling them into circles, typing these into grids, and joining them between columns in her interior courtyard.  She covered this with clay creating lattices to catch the breeze and cool the rooms.

She added figures to the lattice, birds and winding snakes.

She had invented an entirely new style of art.

Eventually, Sonabai was permitted to move out into the community, and began to teach her art form to the people.  She was bewildered when local researchers were sent from a new museum and took a panel away from her house as an exhibit.  Her fame spread, and in 1993, Sonabai travelled to Brisbane for the third Asia-Pacific triennial where she created a work that replicated part of her own home.  This work is now part of the Qld. Art Gallery collection.

Sonabal passed away in 2007, and her house has become a much-admired museum.  The works currently on exhibition were done by a collaborative group which includes her son, Daroga Ram.  They are some of the few practicing proponents of the tradition.

This is Sonabai, with some of her original work.

Out of tragic circumstances, Sonabai found a way to make her art, and fortunately it led to her having a fulfilling and interesting life, and to leaving a legacy for all to enjoy.

The pieces are wonderfully vibrant and appealing, and I notice how readily the visiting public are drawn to admire and enjoy them.

Some people have finished their Christmas cooking, and card sending, and gift purchasing.  

I am not one of these people.

This week, I will make a big effort.

And, possibly, a Christmas cake.

Keep cool, and dry.

XXXXX