Recently, Gracia and I installed our Charms of the Gloaming in Port Jackson Press Print Room's Little Window of Opportunity. As G mentioned in her post yesterday morning, this is something "that affords terrific joy". Installing our work is really the cherry on top of the process, and I always enjoy being able to share a small taste of it here on my blog. Unwrapping paper birds and sliding artists' books into place, unfurling concertinas set in Capri, it was great to have the chance to air these works seen earlier in the year at Latrobe Regional Gallery once more. Equally, it was great to make several new works for the window too, including Beneath the screen of closed eyelids (Port-Said).
To those of you in Melbourne, I hope you enjoy seeing our Charms. You can view the work day or night. And it runs until the end of November.
CHARMS OF THE GLOAMING
Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison
Wednesday 24th of October – Friday 30th of November, 2012
Little Window of Opportunity
Port Jackson Press Print Room, 61 Smith Street, Fitzroy
December 7, 1906
Went to F— Duckponds. Flocks of Wigeon and Teal on the water. Taking advantage of a dip in the land managed to stalk them splendidly, and for quite a long time I lay among the long grass watching them through my field glasses. But during the day Wild Duck are not particularly lively or interesting birds. Occasionally one will paddle around lazily. But for the most part they show a great ennui and seem so sleepy and tired that one would almost think to be able to approach and feed them out of hand. But I moved one hand carelessly and the whole flock was up in a minute and whizzing across the river. Afterwards, at dusk, on returning to the ponds, they had come back; but now that the sun was down, those dozy, flapdoodle creatures of the afternoon were transformed into quacking, quarrelsome, blustering birds that squabbled and chivvied each other, every moment seizing the chance of a luxurious dip, flinging the ice-cold water off their backs with a shake of the tail that seemed to indicate the keenest-edged delight.
W.N.P. Barbellion, The Journal of a Disappointed Man, Little Toller Books
Bring me your Honey buzzards, your Common swifts, your Eurasian sparrowhawks, and your Gyr falcons too. Your birds you see as dusk settles on the stage and prepares to darken to a night winged with wide sweep of owls. Quickly now, things are about to disappear into the darkness.
Assembled in the window, we have for you, paper birds drawn, collaged works, and artists' books. These are our Charms of the Gloaming, our tiny scenes soon to change.
Sleeping during the day (2010), With you my destiny I'd steal (Venezia) (2012), and All that's bewitching by the water (Capri) (2012), are but a handful of our artists' books on display in the Port Jackson Press Print Room's Little Window of Opportunity late October and the greedy lion's share of November.
Press your nose to the glass. Do.
