Friday, July 17, 2009

cockatoo island

the mother of our children leaves for australia in a week or so. she'll be headed to a town called maitland where she will stay with a family (whose dad is a school principal like her) for a couple of weeks. because of that i've been looking at australia a little bit more than i might otherwise look.

so, today i'll share a little something i came across that appeals to me because i love to see the work of people who prettify or celebrate or see the deeper beauty in the ugly, the forgotten, the tarnished and the decayed.

cockatoo island is the largest island in sydney harbour. the island is located at the confluence of two rivers - the paramatta and lane cove rivers. the island was undoubtedly used by early aboriginal inhabitants and then went through a variety of uses including being the site of an imperial prison, an industrial school, a reformatory, and a gaol. in the twentieth century it was the site of one of australia's biggest shipyards. the island's maritime industrial activity ended in 1992.

photographer patrick boland paid a visit to the island and the resultant photo-documentary captures something of the island's gently decaying heritage. patrick appears to have used the multiple exposure technique previously featured on the golden fish blog.








to view more of the cockatoo island project as photographed by patrick boland, go here.
at patrick's website you can view an extraordinary collection of black and white photography.

12 comments:

Delwyn said...

Hi Steven,
you are a trick!

Your wife must be getting excited about her trip. I hope she has a great time and I am sure the little town of Maitland will be very kind to her.

What happened to the cockatoos or maybe they are still there...

Happy days

steven said...

hi delwyn,

we're all really excited for her. we're also excited for the return part of the exchange, when the guy she stays with in australia comes here.
i've put in a request for her to bring back tons of photos whenever she goes for a walk, so for a little while i can confuse my bloggy chums and take them for delwynesque walks in australia!!!
great question about the cockatoos, it begs to be asked doesn't it?!!! have a peaceful day. steven

Tess Kincaid said...

I'm really am not very familiar with Australia and have actually learned quite a bit in the last year from my Aussie blog friends.

The Boland photos are brilliant.

steven said...

hi willow, most of what i know about australia (other than vague memories of geography class and heresay) has come from our bloggy chum delwyn and my own research on the net. it's a nice way to learn actually - i too love the photography. have a peaceful day. steven

Aleks said...

Wouw,Im blown away,what a beauty? Thanks for the link Im gone to see more of his work!!
Greetings and bonvoige to your darling,take care,San!

steven said...

hi sandra, mmm hmmm! they are stunning - he's an amazing talent and i'm glad you've gone digging for more!!!! have a peaceful day. steven

The Weaver of Grass said...

Steven - I expect you will miss her while she is away but it sounds a fantastic opportunity. Those Boland photographs are unusual and very enjoyable. Are you going to be doing your own cooking while she is away?

steven said...

hello weaver - yes i'll miss her. i can't even say goodbye in the morning to my family without getting sad......
anyhow, i shared your question about cooking with her. i hope you don't mind but we both had a great laugh!! you see i do all the menu planning, the recipe collecting, grocery shopping, all the cooking, help with the cleaning, laundry, you name it! that's how i was brought up and i'm really glad of it - and so is my wife!
have a peaceful day. steven

Delwyn said...

So I am curious Steven if you don't drive how do you get the groceries home and how do kids get to all their activities????

Happy days

steven said...

hi delwyn, this is the pernnial question. this is where the notion of balance comes in. my wife does the driving. so she drops me off to pick up the groceries and depending on what the event or sport is, she either takes the children and stays or takes me and the child/ren and i stay. it makes for lots of juggling but it has always worked out!!!
have a peaceful and balanced day! steven

Dan Gurney said...

So, you're car-free. Congratulations! I manage to stay out of my car several days per week and find my life feels more whole and grounded on those days. My wife feels the same. We, do, however, both drive.

We just got back from Southern California, the whole of which was designed for car-dependence. We both felt very grateful to live in our small town where being car free is an option for us.

On another note, I hope you do enjoy the weeks when your partner is away. Finding a way to put a little space in our relationships can be rewarding and valuable in the balance it helps create.

steven said...

hi dan, yes car free. each day i bike to and from school with my laptop and the previous evening's marking and plans. in the winter when bicycling is difficult, i have a friend/colleague who gives me a lift to school. the rest of the year he's a cyclist as well. it's eight kilometres each way so no more than a half an hour ride. mind you, the ride home is up some really good hills ...... my wife and i enjoy our times apart as much as our times together. space . . .that's what it's about. good space. have a peaceful evening dan. steven