Roaming. So Do Pigs.

Shootin' Gallery: Dordrecht. Graffiti. Netherlands.

Roaming. Letter Posting.

Shootin' Gallery: Dordrecht. Envelopes. Graffiti. Netherlands.

Roaming. Big Bag For A Big Cat.

Shootin' Gallery: Big Cats. Dordrecht. Netherlands.

Roaming. Following The Feast.

Shootin' Gallery: Dordrecht. Netherlands. Sad Trees.

Pinboard. New Wunderwall.

De giraffe reisde in een rugzak/The giraffe travelled in a backpack opens this Thursday at SBK Dordrecht in the Netherlands. Drop by and see my latest Wunderwall with a distinctively Dutch flavour. Opens 8pm, 31 January 2013.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government

through the Australia Council, its art funding and advisory body.

Roaming. Broke.

Shootin' Gallery: Broken. Dordrecht. Netherlands. Pot Plants.

Roaming. Dog's Life.

Shottin' Gallery: Dogs. Dordrecht. Netherlands.

Roaming. Gold.

Shootin' Gallery: Dordrecht. Gold. Netherlands. Voorstraat. Wheelie Bins.

Spin. Lost Sirens.

My adoration of New Order began while pumping gas in a Sydney service station. The (still) fresh pulsating beat of Blue Monday blasted out of the radio, and that was it, I was hooked. They're back with Lost Sirens, which goes someway to recovering ground following their career low-point last album, Waiting For The Sirens Call. Lost Sirens kicks off well enough with the Brotherhood-ish I'll Stay With You. It segues into Raise The Pressure era Electronic — a Sumner and Marr band of which more will be heard — with Sugarcane, a pop track referencing Madonna's Vogue of all things. It's fun, and a Kylie vocal would have been a masterful touch. Trademark New Order melancholy follows with Recoil, Californian Grass, Hellbent and Shake It Up (Twisted Tenderness era Electronic). All in all Lost Sirens isn't a bad effort, and Pitchfork's score of 6.8 is probably fair — though I think they were generous with 7.9 for Waiting For The Siren's Call. Word has it that New Order are set to record and electronic inspired album without Hooky, but with Gillian back in the band. For now Power, Corruption and Lies, Low-Life and Technique still reign supreme as New Order's best albums.

Spin. Dordrecht Dancing.

After weeks of work, a new Wunderwall is almost ready to be unveiled in Dordrecht at SBK. Full details and a preview soon. As usual, music helped inspire creative tasks as much as it helped to get through hours of repetitive image preparation when the risk of RSI was high. This 1980s tinged playlist kept my motivation levels up.

Like a Fading Rainbow — Jenny Wilson
Dreams — Kill Peaches
Every Planet We Reach is Dead— Gorillaz
Come Undone — Duran Duran
Summer's End — Foo Fighters
Rainshine — Bran van 3000
Wordy Rappinghood — Tom Tom Club
Chant No1 — Spandau Ballet
You Remind Me Of Gold — The Human League
Can't Say It Like I Mean It — Alison Moyet
At Home He's A Tourist — Gang of Four
Keys to The Kingdom — Unkle
How to Make Friends — We Have Band
View From A Bridge - Kim Wilde
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood — Santana
212 — Azealia Banks

Art Martha. Noah's Ark.

The mammoth Noah's Ark in Dordrecht is more a work of art than a museum, not to mention an intriguing and surreal experience. Its imposing facade conceals a maze of rooms and stairways spanning at least four levels. Inside, an array of life-size plastic animals make their home alongside live exotic birds, rabbits and ponies. Mannequins, seemingly unwanted by local retailers, are dressed as if at some hippie party, many in rave-like dance poses. It's rather amusing.

Noah (pictured) was rather odd too. He spoke Dutch with a thick American accent, and his attire seemed somewhat modern under his beard. Elsewhere, a voice on a nearby television screen lectured on Creationism, and how only an academic would be arrogant enough to not believe in it. Though the ark can hold 3,000 visitors, I counted just five people in one American family on the day I went, not including staff. The adventure was made all the more eerie with so few people around. I was startled by flying white doves at first, but soon felt at home with them. I felt sorry for the poor labrador who lived in the largest pen with a plastic mate. He seemed eager to get out following me from side to side behind his fence. I'd want to get out too, the stationery moose, mammoth, adders and casowaries gave me the heebie-jeebies. Other animals included dodo birds, komodo dragons, pigs, sea lions but only two dogs, as all dog breeds could be recreated using these specimans when back on dry land. It was a mind boggling experience, and I spent a surprising three hours on board.

It was snowing the day I visited, so I wound my visit up in the café eating a warming pea and ham soup with an Egyptian Queen and her dog. See Noah's Ark on Turnstile.

Pinboard. Plastic Mosaic.

Procrastination set me off exploring the physicality of art production as a way to get out from behind a computer screen. The results are in, a self-portrait. I guess it's back to the now pressing digital deadlines and more pondering of what the future holds.

Roaming. Vrieseweg.

Shootin' Gallery: Dordrecht. Mouths. Netherlands. Window Shop.

Roaming. Snowman.

Shootin' Gallery: Christmas. Dordrecht. Netherlands.

Good Art #14. Alphabet.

I mentioned a talk about inspiration a few weeks ago, and it was there that I saw Alphabet by Dutch artist Frans van Lent hanging on a wall behind a makeshift bar. Frans tells me the idea is about the physical movements we make while reading, a topic that Georges Perec was also interested in — he wrote an essay called Reading, A Socio-Physiological Sketch, which I've just added to my reading list. I've since had an opportunity to see another of Frans' works, a video piece shot in Pictura and featuring in their current Salon show. It was my favourite. Funny, provocative and clever come to mind.

Pie Report. Tompoes.

Pies are hard to come by in the Netherlands, so I'm stretching the definition of what a pie can be for the foreseeable future. First cab off the rank is the iconic Dutch sweet treat, the Tompoes (Tom Cat). It's a creamy custardy affair squished between two layers of puff pastry and topped with pink icing. Not only are they delicious, but they're cheap at just 75 euro cents each from the local Hema. Lekker eten!

Flipfactor. A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Before picking up A Thousand Splendid Suns I knew nothing of Khaled Hosseini or his books. I'm so glad I decided to give A Thousand Splendid Suns a go, it's a gripping read. It kept me enthralled through to 5am one morning, and when I finally finished I could do nothing but sit and hold the book. I can't remember ever doing that with a book before, and certainly not for so long. Haunting, desolate, warm, hard and eye-opening, it's the tale of two women's lives over a period of thirty years in Afghanistan's recent tumultuous history. Extraordinary.

Pinboard. Dordrecht Focus.

New splash images featuring Dordrecht, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, are now on Turnstile.

Good Art 11#. Harry Turtle.

The inspiration night mentioned in Art Martha last Friday revealed Harry Turtle by Rembo & Rembo. Absurd? Absolutely.

First 13. Dance School.

Shootin' Gallery: Dordrecht. Netherlands. Thirteen.