this is the full 15 minute version of “The Danish Poet”. It is a warm hearted story about how we get the parents we get….It is a cartoon-type animation, while pretty simple, it works without being distracting or too childlike. 

“Between you and Me”, is a short movie shot with a digital camera. It is a really touching story and well made. Remarkable in fact for the simplicity of technical set-up. There is a message and a sense of hope, which I personally find uplifting. All you need is a digital camera for this type of thing and the secret is to make 10 images per second so there is not too much jumpiness. 

Mr Golden Sun is a claymation and is pretty cute. A limited palette of colours means simplicity and the voice of the little flower that appears to perform the song is appropriate.  It seems there are endless ways to make art. 

Taraka

Travel has been high on my list of things to do and in the last six months I have been to India twice, New Zealand and China. 

Seeing the world is an amazing experience, observing the human condition from different cultural perspectives and interacting with people without a common language except the language of err… love. Truly sometimes when there is no way to express the notions each other has speeding through the brain, expression comes down to a much more primal force. It becomes a heart to heart expression. 

My strongest experiences of this were in India, in Kotakal, at an Ayurvedic clinic, well, hospital. My husband had contracted Malaria earlier last year and at times is was extremely worrying how weak he was. Usually he only gets sick one day a year and in twenty years together, he had only suffered once from something more severe than a cold. This was the second time, and definitely the worst. So his return to “action man” fitness, was very slow and it was the only time in his life I thought he would agree to take some time out and get treatment. He agreed, and we ventured to Ayurvaidya Sala, Kerela, South India. In the backwaters of this communist state, we traveled from the airport through jungle and a storm for forty-five minutes to the hospital. 

The treatment was pretty basic, as were the living quarters, not a luxury hotel, but a hospital. Basic vegetarian fare and sparsely furnished surrounds, but the staff had heart. As I was getting massage treatment every day with hot oil administered by one attendant, and the massage performed by four others, I came to see these ladies as my mothers. From the moment one of them collected me from my room, until they returned me, I felt in safe hands. Hands that did not hold back, and especially as they undressed me and helped me get oil off my thickly smeared skin at the end of the massage, they performed their tasks with affection. I felt for the first time since childhood, like mothers were taking care of me. 

The effect of this kind of intimate bond with the masseurs, totally beyond language spoken, was that tension and stress trapped deep within the tissues and deep in the complex thinking patterns, were alleviated. I felt free and floated around the hospital. Now I kind of refuse to accept behaviour of others that is not conducive to harmony, and try and hold that space of peace and positive thought, (although it is not always easy). It revealed to me the power of liking what you do for a living, and how the experience of nurture is lacking from our individualistic Western world view and practice.  

Other places I traveled also provided a challenge to communicate via the heart, rather than with the head. 

China meant working, walking and waking with translators. But after I had finished facilitating a seminar entitled, “To Err is Human, To Forgive Divine”, the words were hardly a necessity. The warm embraces and tumbles of mixed Mandarin and English expressing their gratitude, the tears in the corners of almond shaped eyes, and faces that had once frowned in anxiety looking positive and renewed, were much more than even these words can express. 

It was the art of communication on the heart level. Very powerful and transformatory.

I have a few helpers in the wings, so I am enthusiastic that this could provide some stimulus for others to see the cow in light of her qualities of service to human kind rather than she as another body to be exploited.

Hopefully I can update my blog now I have something to get passionate about and finally scan in all the images of devout mail artists who have sent me interesting stuff.

Some links I have been looking at are:

http://www.cowprotection.com

www.madcowboy.com

http://www.shoppbs.org/sm-pbs-nature-holy-cow-dvd–pi-2130026.html

if you want to buy this dvd it is available cheaper on some other websites. There is a short video with glimpses of the show on pbs website. It seems interesting.

http://www.mothercow.org/

http://www.mkgandhi.org/momgandhi/chap81.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqnF7AirwFI&NR=1

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So far, one entry has come in for my latest mail art call. Quick huh? This was a virtual mail…makes it quicker I guess.

This painting is by Vishalini, from the Sunshine Coast, QLD. It is a mixed media piece.

New mail art call:

Theme: Temple – exploring internal or external space for meditation, reflection and spiritual realisation. It may be a built environment or sacred space internal. Or your own definition.

Media: Any – may include; photography, artists stamps, collage, mixed media, drawing, painting, artist book making etc.

Size: minimum postcard

Deadline: December 15th 2007

Exhibition: January 2008

Please make it Children Friendly as it is posted at a family restaurant for the exhibition.

No Returns.

Documentation on this site.

POST TO

Taraka Tee

PO BOX 145

Indooroopilly, 4068

Qld Australia

If you are unfamiliar with MAIL ART look for inspiration!! at Wikipedia – Mail Art www.dragonflydream.com www.mail-art.de www.mailart.org

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