S.C. Skillman's Blog, page 12

My Australian Journey 2022 #4: #ShiotaGOMA

This post is dedicated to an amazing exhibition we saw at GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) on Brisbane’s South Bank.

Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota presented ‘ The Soul Trembles’ – an astonishing collection of artworks and installations with the power to change the way you see the world.

The first installation put these ideas into my head: ‘ We are all little boats of dreams suspended by myriad black threads: and we all have different ideas of who’s holding the threads‘.

Little boats of dreamsBurnt piano in a cave of closely woven black threads

I loved the burnt piano: it has so many stories to tell, so many lives within it, so much music forever held in its grasp.

Another favourite was: two white dresses surrounded once more by a complex network of black threads, enclosed within an arrangement of invisible one-way mirrors. To me this seemed a living representation of ‘Transcendental Realism’ – look it up to see what it means, and you’ll probably be none the wiser! This installation was a perfect blend of The Real, the Actual and The Empirical.

Another installation showed many white sheets of paper twisting, twirling, streaming upwards from an empty desk. Were these ideas fountaining upwards or pouring down?

Stream of ideas

Other installations too involved these mesmerising, mind-twisting black threads which seemed to simmer as you gazed.

Then we entered a world of crimson.

I loved a project where the artist asked a group of 10 year old German schoolchildren questions about ‘the soul’. Several monitors showed their answers on video: beguiling, funny, inspirational touching, penetrating, fresh, astonishing.

The soul: what is it?

Finally, I was enchanted by these airborne oscillating suitcases:

My Australian Journey 2022 #4 #ShiotaGOMA

This post is dedicated to an amazing exhibition we saw at GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) on Brisbane’s South Bank.

Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota presented ‘ The Soul Trembles’ – an astonishing collection of artworks and installations with the power to change the way you see the world.

The first installation put these ideas into my head: ‘ We are all little boats of dreams suspended by myriad black threads: and we all have different ideas of who’s holding the threads‘.

Little boats of dreamsBurnt piano in a cave of closely woven black threads

I loved the burnt piano: it has so many stories to tell, so many lives within it, so much music forever held in its grasp.

Another favourite was: two white dresses surrounded once more by a complex network of black threads, enclosed within an arrangement of invisible one-way mirrors. To me this seemed a living representation of ‘Transcendental Realism’ – look it up to see what it means, and you’ll probably be none the wiser! This installation was a perfect blend of The Real, the Actual and The Empirical.

Another installation showed many white sheets of paper twisting, twirling, streaming upwards from an empty desk. Were these ideas fountaining upwards or pouring down?

Stream of ideas

Other installations too involved these mesmerising, mind-twisting black threads which seemed to simmer as you gazed.

Then we entered a world of crimson.

I loved a project where the artist asked a group of 10 year old German schoolchildren questions about ‘the soul’. Several monitors showed their answers on video: beguiling, funny, inspirational touching, penetrating, fresh, astonishing.

The soul: what is it?

Finally, I was enchanted by these airborne oscillating suitcases:

My Australian Journey 2022 #3: Brisbane City South Bank

Here in the third post of my journey I share images of Brisbane city and riverside; the State Library; Art Gallery; and South Bank views and parklands.

Brisbane City Tourist Map

My Australian Journey 2022 #3

Here in the third post of my journey I share images of Brisbane city and riverside; the State Library; Art Gallery; and South Bank views and parklands.

Brisbane City Tourist Map

My Australian Journey 2022 #2: Mount Coot-tha and Mount Glorious

Continuing my journey in Australia, today’s photos are from the Brisbane region, and I share photos of Mount Coot-tha Lookout, the Lookouts from Mount Glorious (Jolly’s, Westridge and Wivenhoe), and Somerset Dam.

Mount Coot-tha Lookout, west of Brisbane, AustraliaLookouts from Mount Glorious

Somerset Dam, northwest of Brisbane.

My Australian Journey 2022 #2

Continuing my journey in Australia, today’s photos are from the Brisbane region, and I share photos of Mount Coot-tha Lookout, the Lookouts from Mount Glorious (Jolly’s, Westridge and Wivenhoe), and Somerset Dam.

Mount Coot-tha Lookout, west of Brisbane, AustraliaLookouts from Mount Glorious

Somerset Dam, northwest of Brisbane.

My Australian Journey 2022 #1: Arrival in Brisbane

I flew out from London Heathrow to Australia via Doha on Qatar Airways on 16 August 2022, for a two-month trip to see my sister Julia, brother-in-law Bruce and daughter Abigail in Brisbane. So what better than to share my photos with you here over the next two months? Watch out for several blog posts each Tuesday, as I won’t be able to include every place visited in just one blog post a week!

I begin with a few shots from the window on the aircraft; not my favourite choice to be in the window seat, but at least you can take photos of the view!

Views of Qatar from the air

It was lovely being reunited at Brisbane Airport!

Sheila and Abigail at Brisbane Airport Arrivals

After settling in – and amazingly no jetlag! – the first trip out was to Chermside Shopping Centre in the northern suburbs, and I was delighted with the lovely landscaping and planting in the restaurant area.

Chermside Shopping Centre northern suburbs Brisbane

Later, we drove out via Dayboro to the village of Samford north of Brisbane.

You will have noticed The Store of Requirement. Harry Potter gets everywhere!

Abigail in Samford, near Brisbane.

My Australian Journey 2022 #1

I flew out from London Heathrow to Australia via Doha on Qatar Airways on 16 August 2022, for a two-month trip to see my sister Julia, brother-in-law Bruce and daughter Abigail in Brisbane. So what better than to share my photos with you here over the next two months? Watch out for several blog posts each Tuesday, as I won’t be able to include every place visited in just one blog post a week!

I begin with a few shots from the window on the aircraft; not my favourite choice to be in the window seat, but at least you can take photos of the view!

Views of Qatar from the air

It was lovely being reunited at Brisbane Airport!

Sheila and Abigail at Brisbane Airport Arrivals

After settling in – and amazingly no jetlag! – the first trip out was to Chermside Shopping Centre in the northern suburbs, and I was delighted with the lovely landscaping and planting in the restaurant area.

Chermside Shopping Centre northern suburbs Brisbane

Later, we drove out via Dayboro to the village of Samford north of Brisbane.

You will have noticed The Store of Requirement. Harry Potter gets everywhere!

Abigail in Samford, near Brisbane.

Book Review: ‘The Little Ice Cream Shop by the Sea’ by Lizzie Chantree

Today I am pleased to be sharing with you my review of ‘The Little Ice Cream Shop by the Sea‘ by Lizzie Chantree.

Book cover: ‘The Little Ice Cream Shop by the Sea’
by Lizzie Chantree

I discovered this author through a Facebook support group for writers, and my decision to read this book is an example of how good feelings towards an author purely on the basis of her own character and her goodwill towards others, may encourage new readers to try her books!

The title of this novel intrigued me, and the cover design also drew me in. It’s a genre (light humorous romance) I don’t usually read, and I was expecting a frothy feel-good chick-lit. So I was surprised to discover that the story unfolds as a tense family drama with many mysteries and misunderstandings, and an act of cruelty and betrayal behind it all. Caught in the middle of this is the main protagonist Genie, a young woman withstanding strong opposition as she seeks to fulfil her dreams by running her own business in the way she wants to, as a medium for expressing her creativity. 

The setting is gorgeous – an Essex seaside town; and the description of her cakes and ice creams is highly sensuous. Along with this we have a passionate romance with a new man who also has a mysterious background, and that is skilfully revealed as the story builds.

I was hoping for a sharper more bittersweet ending but that reflects my personal taste for the dark tense psychological dramas I like to read. Nevertheless, the novel was captivating, the setting beautifully evoked, and it kept me reading compulsively right through to the end.

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Book Review: ‘The Last Princess’ by Shelley Wilson

Today I’m pleased to be reviewing this excellent Young Adult novel by Shelley Wilson: The Last Princess.

Book cover: The Last Princess by Shelley Wilson

The Last Princess was published in May 2022 by BHC Press.

Loosely based on what is known of the period when Vikings regularly raided Northumbria, this novel is strong and dramatic; in particular, the first few chapters are compelling. The story remains exciting and action-packed all the way through, and as a reader I find myself gunning for Edith the main protagonist of this enthralling tale, which has emerged from the few sparse historical facts we do have about the times of Aelle, King of Northumbria, during the middle of the 9th century.

I love the twists and turns, the changes of fortune, the developing relationships and shifts in the balance of power and political alliances which seek to unite two traditional enemies, the Saxons and the Danes. As Edith is captured by Vikings and transported across the sea to be sold as a slave, we follow her into a new way of life, a new culture, and a different way of seeing the world.

Among the many outstanding elements of this novel, I particularly like the author’s use of the trope of the fierce trickster who comes alongside the hero and may be an adversary but finally proves an ally; and the way the hero is saved by the loyalty she has engendered in this ally. I was also very impressed with the way the author remains true to the values of the culture and the times of Edith, the Last Princess of Northumbria, without imposing our modern way of thinking upon the story. Yet throughout this she maintains our sympathy with the character.

The dichotomy between the ‘Christian’ culture of the Saxons and the Norse worldview of the Vikings is fascinating: ‘their gods were on our side’ is a wonderful observation. I was also intrigued by the way the two religions find a place of appeasement and accommodation with each other in some respects, although it is still a very fragile balance; this was beautifully done.  The narrative and trajectory of the story helps the reader understand how in a desperate life and death situation with such high stakes, fierce decisions must be made.

A highly recommended book.

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