If you're in Brisbane over the next few days... or the 9th of October....

This weekend.......

Read here to see the program of events and writers speaking....some free ...some ticketed!

......then in October at the same venue!

Unlimited AP: Free Public Talk: Smart Cities and Eco Warriors

Saturday, October 09, 2010 from 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM (GMT+1000)

Brisbane, Queensland

Click here to book!

Join our panel of urban food revolutionaries, led by international architect and author CJ Lim, for their glimpse at a future where cities refocus as productive agricultural places.

Humans have desired fresh healthy food since time immemorial. Yet modern systems have made distance an irrelevance. Processing, packaging, transportation and storage account for 80% of the energy used to place food on the plate. Produce travels an average of 2000 to 3000km from farmer to consumer.

As we experience a global food crisis resulting from climate change, increasing populations, low productivity, and food crops being converted to biofuels, the world is heading for a drop in agricultural production of 20 to 40 percent.

Can this challenge be surmounted through new systems of urban agriculture?

Picture cities that produce food rather than simply consuming it, diverse natural places where planning, building, and transportation make way for the most crucial of human necessities – food.

Can a new urban economy blossom, where individuals communities and businesses will restructure their relationship to the urban habitat – creating a new era of urbanism where past and future converge?

Speakers include: CJ Lim (Studio 8 Architects UK, Author Smart Cities and Eco Warriors), Richard Weller (University of Western Australia, Author Boomtown 2050),

Its a free event ... so book now!!! Check the website for other events on as part of this special Asia Pacific Week.

Venue: The State Library of Qld.

interior of State Library

This image was found at CITY OF SOUND blog ...be sure to see the other images at this blog if you like libraries or architecture...its a fabulous building!

weekend reading

A visit today to the Toowong Library resulted in some fascinating finds. The more reading one does on the history of where things of a botanical nature come from - especially now familiar and common edible things - the more intriguing and dense the stories seem to become. Books have been written about coffee, chocolate, portatoes, nutmeg and the list goes on. Plant derived foods that are now everyday kitchen items once sparked wars and gambling with lives to obtain.

Mark Kurlanksy, in  book I found a few years ago titled "Choice Cuts" says
      "Food is about agriculture, about ecology, about man's relationship with nature, about the climate, about nation building, cultural struggles, friends, enemies, alliances, wars and religion."

This is pretty much a short list of directions for consideration and research in relation to seeds - not just concerning food. Science definitely needs inclusion on this list - now more than ever! Out of curiosity I borrowed all these books below in order to see if and where seeds might feature in the discussion. This first title looks like be a must read...a short book...but possibly a good introduction to this topic. By the way, any reader who knows of these or other worthwhile related reads please do email or comment - It would be good to know more on this!

Whilst at the dinner table discussion over some gems from Brillat-Savarin made for an interesting exchange. Particularly enjoyed his experiment with coffee making but so much more awaits the reader of this text! 

An Aphorism from the Professor:  "The pleasures of the table are for every man, of every land, and no matter of what place in history or society: they can be part of all his other pleasures, and they last the longest, to console him when he has outlived the rest."

A quick peek into Medieval Cuisine of the Islamic world was both seductive and peppered with interesting tales.

Not yet gleaned anything about this title below!

The Bunya Cookbook below I was particularly curious about as it was produced here in Brisbane specifically for the Aboriginal and Islander communities featuring indigenous ingredients where possible. I would like to elaborate more on this later.

Perhaps the most remarkable book in this collection for its gritty future thinking WHERE OUR FOOD COMES FROM has a first chapter titled The Art Museum and the Seed Bank. 

Before dawn on July 6th , 1941 a half million drawings, paintings, artifacts and ornaments from the great Hermitage were boarded onto the first train leaving Leningrad for sanctuary away from Nazi invasion which was eminent in this city. Six days it took in the planning and execution to get ready to send the Hermitage Art Collection into hiding - a collossol effort by hundreds called in to help - including the artists. Three blocks away on Saint Isaac's Square lay hidden a 2nd treasure trove - a Seed Bank of more than 380,000 samples of seeds, roots and fruits of some 25,000 species of food crops that had been collected by Russia's world class cadre of plant explorers since 1894.

The story from here appears to be truly astonishing - the fact that the Bureau of Applied Botany is still there today and was not bombed in the 900 day seige by the Nazis that cost 1,500,000 lives. Known now as the N.I.Vavilov All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Plant Industry it still harbours seeds and scientists. The Vavilov story is riveting - of a plant scientist who travelled to 5 continents in search of crop diversity and its importance in staving off famine - who met his end starved to death by Stalin despite or because of his legacy of plans for food democracy. Its a must read if the topic is of interest.

Much more could be said of all these books. The last one above is a sobering story of one man's vision for dealing with the issue of farmer's rights, food democracy and food security 70 years ago. The future of seeds requires we address the quality of our global environment and the democratic right for all to access our global seed heritage.

Click on text below to open and read about this book and the American based author who just won a Russian medal for this work which you can read about at islandpress.org and see more at his website
garynabhan.com.
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Below: this document of about 20 pages in length was produced around 2003, and if I recall accurately, presented at Terre Madre - the International Slow Food Conference/Convivium in Italy. Please correct this is you have further information!

In the Studio this March

This blurred close up above of the work "Sophora Tomentosa" below accidently conveys  a feeling of movement and a certain lushness of form and colour. Often one deletes such images but it was hard to not enjoy the effect of this one. I had been reworking this last week having started it last year and decided to feature the one seed pod form for its seductive visual appeal. Sophora Tomentosa is also known as Silver Bush and Sea Coast Laburnum. Each bean contains 2 to 10 brown seeds - its found in litoral rainforest, beachfronts, mangrove edges from Torres Strait Islands to Port Maquarie in NSW.
Typically what occurs when doing concentrated sessions in the studio is to have various works around the room on the go -small and large. Never one to conceive of an idea and work it through to completion in a straight line - its much more productive and preferable I find to be ready to invite in the unexpected, the new thought or intuition of a way to take something further. This involves risk as it is not about replicating what one sees or holding to well worn formulas and practiced results. To see more of what is evolving visit the Studio Archives weblog.

Below is an image created from a 20 cm x 20 cm work repeated 4 times with slight colour variation. The focus on seed pods and capsules viewed in cross sections led to a rather abstract result that doesn't seem at all pod like a first glance - but is actually a different viewpoint, reduced to its simplest outline. Borrowing from and spending time in the Botanic Gardens Library, devouring many approaches to botanical subjects has led me to be completely awed by the magnificence of skill and beauty in the work of scientific botanical artists over past centuries. 

My aim is in an entirely different direction - to give the hidden, easily most neglected part of the botanical world a new appraisal in ways that 'shake the eyes awake' if thats at all possible and engage an audience to reflect a little longer than usual on this remarkable realm that in the past was revered for its critical link in the survival of humans and today is commonly overlooked, if not plain disregarded, as being of any value.

While we unfortunately collectively weren't looking the Transnational companies reached out and disrupted seed heritages going back hundreds, even thousands of years. Can a seed be copyrighted? Yes ... indeed it can be and the figures on this are startling. Is it illegal to save one's own seeds? Yes indeed - in certain places. Its timely we look at and think far more about this. We are fortunate to have local and global intiatives doing something on our behalf ... however ... it is our awareness and involvement,  plus our  u n d e r s t a n d i n g  a n d       v a l u i n g  of  the  s e e d  that ensure the reach and effectiveness of these concerned citizens and initiatives.

The archeology of the everyday

Recently, time spent in the wonderful Library at the Botanic Gardens led me to an interesting journal publication

Australian Garden History - where I read an article on the Archeology of the everyday which put forward the idea that not all archeology involves excavation or scientific analysis - garden ephemera such as plant labels and seed packets can yield vital evidence about past horticultural practices.

Also mentioned was the book "Australia's quarter acre" by Peter Timms which was discussed for its examination of the backyard gardening tradition of this country with its chickens and chokos - so commonly replaced now with backyard blitz affairs (almost) straight from the store catalogues. The desire not to cultivate and mow a lawn year after year is an understandable change in thinking....perhaps more options need to be brought forward for consideration of how to best use this precious space.

There is a timely awakening to our collective call to take more notice of the possible gains to be had from growing our own fruits, vegetables, herbs and such. In an earlier post I mentioned the children who are learning from school programs focused on kitchen gardens - complex and critically important learning that is having tremendous results for all concerned. There are stories of children asking to have some space to dig a garden at home, wanting to plant vegetables and eat them... Mothers are in shock !!

Change is inevitable but few of us saw the velocity of change that we would be countering in 2010 nor did we probably imagine decades ago that the United Nations would be prompted to declare 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity.

My grandfather farmed a small, fertile parcel of land in the Manning Valley of NSW in the 1920's through to the 1950's when he handed over to the next generation. Dairy, with produce grown from his own seed saving efforts (+ exchanges with relatives and neighbours) provided a modest sustainable income  - the produce being sold in the nearby town. In the Depression era many came looking for work for a meal - and this farm sustained many a visitor as well as those who gravitated to the daily table. As a young child I visited his "farmed" backyard garden with eyes of wonder. He'd retired into town and generated once again a prolific year round source of bounty... with grape vine trellis, a passionfruit vine on the water tank - organic produce and free range eggs - no labels required. From farm to fork indeed!

Re the Peter Timms book - State Library of NSW shop:

Below are images, stories and links to just a few of the many wonderful enterprises dedicated to preserving our seed heritage and ensuring those back yards will be places of bounty. More will be showcased over the year! Meetings are underway and you are warmly invited to add your imput, stories or contacts!

Select Organic seeds come from Beechmont in the South East QLD region of Australia. I attended the huge vibrant annual Brisbane Organic Growers festival late last year and met the Finches who are behind this enterprise which also includes Eden seeds. These websites have links to many similar organisations and businesses. This region has an abundance of committed and innovative people who have worked hard to sustain wonderful intiatives over many years. 

These 2 images below are from a keen gardener at WWOOFblog who is studying permaculture and gaining experience through the WWOOF organisation. The seed saving process for heirloom varieties is explained alongside images. This blog has links to many related projects if interested.

This organisation, founded in 1986 at Byron Bay, has managed to successfully  mobilise interest all over Australia and spread the word globally. Visit their website for an astonishing fount of information, links and also a blog to follow. Read their story here from their excellent website.

From the archives: Nimbin 1989

From these humble beginnings above to the current reach defined by the article below.

Click on this article above to enlarge for reading. 

Michel and Jude Fanton have seen their humble project build to its present  international exposure with books and films taking the message far and wide. This blog entry - 24th of january 2010 - details the film showing dates in New York this year.

FORK TO FORK at HERONSWOOD

This Victorian institution DIGGERS is well worth a visit. The slideshow above is from the cafe which runs a fork to fork club. Their wonderful catalogue is shown below.

bon-yi season and other such reminiscences

Late last year I caught up with a friend, Darryl Finn, with whom I'd conversed about local aboriginal history on a number of occasions. His partner Bianca Beetson is involved, among other things, in proppaNOW - a ground-breaking group of urban Aboriginal artists. This collective of significant and politically active artists includes Vernon Ah Kee and Richard Bell to name just a couple. 

Darryl was able to refer me to the most interesting publication of reminiscences of Tom Petrie that were collated by daughter Constance Campbell Petrie and published in 1904 from earlier articles published in the Queenslander. The book provides a sketch of the early days of the Qld colony - 1837 onwards - as well as an authoritative guide to the life and times of the Aboriginal people of this region. Stories are told of Tom Petrie growing up alongside aboriginal children and being invited to join them constantly, even on long journeys away from Brisbane. Given the prominence of his colonial family it is a remarkable story of a boy who gained the trust and friendship of the local tribes people of this area and how he became relatively immersed in their culture on frequent occasions, enabling him to report with reasonable accuracy about the early times and lives of these people he came to know so well.

This fascinating book was kindly lent to me in December providing excellent information on the plants that were relied on as sources of food. Chapter 11 details the Bunya Pine - or as it was originally known to indigenous people Bon-yi (pronounced bon-ye)... describing the "bon-yi season" which was marked with a festival every 3rd year when the harvest of Bon-yi seeds would be most significant. This link here allows you to download or read this book "Tom Petrie's reminiscences of Early Queensland" by Constance Campbell Petrie.

This past weekend I reread the 2 chapters relevant my topic and made notes, quick drawings and then cross-referenced the species mentioned in the equally wonderful book  "Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest" by Wendy Cooper and William T Cooper.

Pages above and below: from work in journals on the weekend - quick drawings in ink and water colour.

A brilliant resource with excellent illustrations and data on species. I was able to search through this in order to find species that are prevalent in this region. In the coming months I will be taking time to meet with staff who can provide a beneficial introduction to this realm. The Seed Lab is another port of call - Jason Halford supplying critical information to aid understanding on what is truly indigenous to this area. I was very keen, when perusing this book below, to come across species that I would have grown up seeing when living on the Clarence River in Northern NSW. As a child picking up seed pods and observing nature in a country region brings connections between land and nature closer to one's everyday experience. This brings that clearly back to mind and is no doubt a prompt for this interest all these years later!

nature's gestures

Its truly overwhelming to know where to start when wanting to familiarise oneself with this Botanic Garden stretching over 52 hectares. Soon I will have the pleasure of guided walks with various staff members which will diminish this problem of "where to start" somewhat! 

Last week after a meeting and spell in the wonderful Garden Library I wandered to sections of the Gardens I've not visited before, past some familiar places, taking photos and allowing things to simply catch my attention.

THis vegetation transported me elsewhere briefly - a little otherworldly - for a minute one could feel a long way from home. Below: this series of five images - all rather spiked, intimidating-looking plants that possess such a force to be reckoned with.

This succulent above with stringy off-shoots is worth clicking on to enlarge for a closer viewing. A perfect subject for a gestural drawing...the string-like scribbles adding drama to the otherwise classic form.

Different spaces are to be found constantly walking through the grounds... some intimate, almost hidden - others expansive, even grand.
Guided walks are available to the public, if not each day of the week... then certainly Monday to Friday. I must check that... or you can check the gardens website at the top of this site.