Out to Space

Juiett Street, Marrickville

Juiett Lane, Marrickville

It has been seven years since I moved to Sydney and got attached with Stilgherrian. This magical digit is the last single primary number. The next one is thirteen. It is uncertain to me what it indicates but something beams at me to transform, not to a couple of abandoned chairs separated in the front and the back, of course not.

The more I hang around, the less I feel wanted. So what’s the point of calling for help when no one is going to answer.

Harrington Street, Enmore

9 March 2008

13-15 April is Songkran Festival, traditional Thai New Year. Thai community in Sydney has the celebration called Thailand Grand Festival in Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour. Last year I explored the Buddhist ceremony and the entertainments on stage. This year is pretty much the routine with merit making and blessing in the morning then stage shows in the afternoon. No Aboriginal welcoming protocol has a presence here, just the Premier representative. Do we need a black fella to officially open every single event in Australia or, at least, just an acknowledgement?

The best improvement this year must be Singha Beer tent and the promotion girls are willing to table serve the customers while gulping some beer with her friends along the way. It feels like home. Of course, there are loads of food. Many of them you cannot find in typical Thai restaurants in Sydney. Other than that is largely tourism promotion.

The hi-light performance would be Joe Louis Traditional Thai Puppet Theatre. Unfortunately, the show has to stop due to the rain. The best Thai attitude is still applied here by stating it is the shower of the angels even though everything is on hold for a while. Nevertheless, when weather is clear, the event continues and the crowd is back again despite of the soggy ground.

I would like to use the word Songkran on this post which unofficially unannounced in the event. It is the best we can get on such a special occasion away from home in Sydney.

One mission in Thailand trip was to retrieve my works in the past. When I decide to moved to Sydney, I was stupid to think that I could go back soon and left behind my art pieces that made me proud. Unfortunately, 6 six years on, the house I lived was sold, my belongings were stacked away in many places and I had no idea how they ended up. There were three items I missed the most: two artworks from high school and a film from university. However, they were found in the neighbour’s who was very generous to keep my stuff in their house.

Back in high school, I chose to study the program that taught both visual arts and science to aim for university entrance exams in architecture. (Do not ask me any chemistry now.) It was the best intuitive decision I had ever made because it cracked my vision potentials and also served my curiosity about how things worked.

Third Point Perspective Exploration

Poster colour painting for the final mark in Composition class.

Hay Inspiration

Mixed Media work for school art exhibition

It was a mixed feeling of joy and sadness when I rediscovered these long lost babies. Nevertheless, I decided not to bring these two works to Sydney and took pictures of them in their environment with the camera phone instead. It should have been enough to place them in my fond memories. Looking at the past, whether happy or painful, certainly helped guiding my lost soul to the future.

A pub in Chatuchak Weekend Market

I was not meant to document Stilgherrian’s first journey outside Australia but while looking through the Thailand trip archives, it was interesting enough to publish pictures of him in different back drops new to him. The trip was also my first visit back to my homeland in six years. So I needed time for my own and he joined me later. Admittedly, ten days in the Kingdom was surely not enough and I never stopped moving. The result was an extremely intense holiday for him. However, he gave very unique observations on Bangkok different from most tourists or even locals would consider.