Black Lives Matter Rally in Newcastle 6th June 2020

I'm entering my final year of study before completing my degree in the Bachelor of Arts and History major.  While these last few months had most of us isolating due to the Covid-19 virus, other incidents around the world have shifted the focus away from this.  In the United States, on the 25th May, an African American named George Floyd was assailed by police.  The specifics of this case are Here, along other incidents of systemic Racism and why protests are more important right now than the virus.

Australia has, at best, a very questionable history concerning the Indigenous people.  I have been studying both Australian and Aboriginal history at length - at the University of Wollongong and Newcastle respectively - for the last four years.  To say that I have endured an emotional rollercoaster during this time is an understatement.  I thought I knew a fair bit about my country and was shocked to find that I actually knew very little.  What I have unearthed has been a punch in the guts - and I'm of European origins!  I couldn't even begin to imagine how it has felt to endure a 242 year history of vilification, racial abuse, dispossession, frontier violence, stolen children, just to name a few things in our shameful past.  What I also want to mention here is my lifelong affinity to and for the Indigenous people, as they are some of the most beautiful souls I've ever met.  They love this land; they care for and nurture it, as they do for their children and community. 

While I unashamedly have political beliefs as a centrist, I'm not an activist by nature.  Going to this rally two days ago really pushed me out of my comfort zone.  Isolation has pushed me to the point that I haven't wanted to be around people very much.  The course material I've studied has also made me feel brokenhearted and angry.  For the sake of my mental health, I've had to step back from the world's current plight.  Saturday was a different story.  I'm also a photographer, so I saw the value in documenting this rally.  Photo journalism plays an important role in history, so I hope to record this moment authentically.



Above all else, I stand with my black brothers and sisters by joining them and lending my voice to say enough is enough!  Some of the photos I've edited are here for viewing from the Newcastle march, starting off at Pacific Park.  While the group moved on to Civic Park, I didn't go there, as the crowd had gotten bigger and I was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic.  Nonetheless, what I saw was a peaceful, respectful demonstration, which was another reason I wanted to join.  I exercised my democratic rights to stand up and be counted against crimes committed towards the Aboriginal people by an insidious and hegemonic system of government.  I also do this as a legacy.  I have brought my children up to understand right from wrong and I want my grandchildren to also know what I stand up for.  I want them to grow up in a better place where social equality and justice prevails.

While I only have estimated numbers of protesters, around 5000 or more was likely and the biggest protest of this size in many years.  

I have no idea how significant protests like these are at this point in time.  It's safe to say that there are bigger concerns than the Covid-19 virus.  As I mentioned earlier, it was a bold step for me to attend a rally like this.  I'm glad that I was a part of it and that I have my own recording of this moment in history.  A big thanks to groups like FISTT for organising these rallies - even at the behest of the government and Supreme Court wanting to prohibit the Events.  People power has spoken and will continue to speak against injustice!

All photos are the property of White Wave's Photography and may not be used without permission by the owner.  I also wish to acknowledge the people of the Awakabal and Worimi nations, the traditional owners of where this rally took place.

Coming back to this space

I received an email this morning, advising me that someone had left a comment about one of my activities in this visual diary.  Unfortunately, it's not in English, so I can't read it.  I've also not continued with this study, having moved on to complete my uni degree in Bachelor of Arts this year instead.  Fortunately, I can still use this visual diary for my creative ventures in photography and I will share an image that won a highly commended in my local camera club recently.




The Golden Guitar in Tamworth is rather huge and on its own, just another tourist icon.  I took a separate shot of myself playing a guitar and layered myself into the original image.  Voila!  I've begun to unleash a creative monster but this is how I roll.










Another one I did a while back was this image, using three layers and my attempt was to describe a tragedy.  All the while, I was laughing my head off!  I may play with this image some more, if only to enlarge some of the layers.  Lots of ideas to come up with in the meantime!

Course is on hold...for now!

While I was enjoying some aspects of the course to some extent, I found it really difficult to get stuck in without feeling anxious.  I would be terribly nervous and my stomach felt knotted.  There have been other reasons for feeling like this, of course, but studying added to these feelings.  Another realisation I had is how I hate being confined to the house for such long periods of time.  Opportunities for work are coming my way and not only will this allow me to get out and about, I am able to earn an income.

So, for the time being, my studies are on hold.  Even for this short period of time, I allowed myself to look at art in a completely different way.  I intend on coming back to it, one day.  There will be one final activity to publish, but that's it.

Activity 14 - Expanding the Visual Language

This activity allowed me to address my emotions with each image I drew.  While it may not appear to be as randomised in the way of drawing as the activity would suggest, I was, nonetheless able to spontaneously capture my emotions based on my recent chain of circumstances and this metaphor made the most sense to me.

 Using the boat on the open sea, the clouds are starting to roll in, the birds are flying away and the seas are getting choppy.  The storm is brewing, and the boat is in a vulnerable position by being in open water.  There is nothing else for it but to face whatever's coming, even though there is trepidation and it's on the rise.

The boat is now in the eye of a huge storm, the waves are high, the skies are dark with rain clouds, heavy rain is pouring and the boat is riding this storm out, hoping to remain safe, while the adrenalin is kicking in for survival mode.  There has been rising fear in regards to what was coming, but now the only thought in mind is to steer with the storm rather than against it.







While the storm hasn't quite abated, as the clouds are still about and the seas are still choppy, the waters are calming down and the rain has passed.  The rainbow in the sky holds much in the way of promise for this storm to pass, knowing that the worse is behind the boat.

The storm has long since passed and the boat is moving along calm seas once more.  The sun is shining and the birds are flying towards land, to let the boat know that a safe haven is at hand.





There is a polarity with these images also.  Image one talks about the impending storm, with the attaching emotions of rising fear and uncertainty, while image three talks about the storm receding and the relief with having passed the worst of it.  Image two shows the storm in its intensity and the resilience needed in order to ride it out rather than fight it, while image four brings the boat out to the other side, having experienced the worst and now enjoying the best.

Activity 14 completed.

Activity 13 - Storyboard

The last 12 activities were crucial for me to complete, as this storyboard is a reflection on my design fundamentals journey so far.  As I've summarised, what I've learned from doing these activities has been to open my mind to new ways of thinking and being creative.

13th activity completed.

Activity 12 - Analysis of a Drawing

I'm choosing two images to analyse, one which I believe to be successful and one which I believe to not be.

In the instance of this image, I believe that this would succeed in delivering the message for people who celebrate the pagan calendar, marking the period of the Spring Equinox, called Ostara, after the Germanic goddess of the springtime.  This image is sentimental in how Ostara is cuddling a rabbit, and from Germanic legend, the Easter bunny hides the eggs for the children to find on the egg hunt.  Rabbits are also symbolic of the onset of springtime, and of family.

This image is called Buddha, and it doesn't succeed with me, because I don't understand how this image comes across in any way to depict Buddha.  In my opinion, this lack of understanding is the cause for my inability to communicate and articulate its meaning, and if I were to have any clue, I would be able to articulate it.  To me, it's a series of scribbles and a greater explanation deserves to be given as to why this would be called Buddha.

Activity 12 is completed and I'm four more activities closer to starting on my first assignment.

Activity 11 - Altering the Format

Another challenging project accomplished!  This time, it's about picking an image, translating it into another drawing shaped inside an oval and adding extra bits to it from the edge of the original rectangular image.  The final drawing is translating it from the oval drawing and adding more to a big rectangular shape.

I found this spinning wheel image on pinterest and loved the sheer simplicity of a wood carved bird with wings to make the wheel's frame.

My translation of the same drawing, drawn inside the oval, a bigger area to work with and adding a few extra shapes to the drawing.

The final drawing has been made onto a different substrate, using a cardboard rectangular sheet.  This drawing was much easier to do than the middle drawing in that I added the woman spinning at the wheel, with the Wyrd Sisters of the past, present and future watching over the woman while she's spinning.

Activity 11 completed.