March flies (Tabanids)

I caught a very large fly in order to make a brief study of it before letting it go. The wings span approximately 30mm, probably the largest fly I've ever seen. A half-baked Peej track seems to fit the sight.

Biting flies are distributed throughout the world and, apart from nuisance biting, some are responsible for the transmission of diseases in humans and livestock in many countries. Although Australian biting flies (other than the mosquitoes) do not transmit diseases to humans they are renowned for painful bites and annoying habits during the summer months in general. More here.

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Fabricating a forest of food

We have been asked to participate in an ecologies show at the MCA in Sydney which will open later in the year, and have been steadily working towards our proposed food forest since last December. We are getting closer to finalising a site. You can read a first post for the project here.

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A primitive project

In my research, at this early stage, I am trying to articulate how and why our society suffers ecological estrangement; in other words where disembodiment has its origins. At this point I think that reification, the process of giving abstract things (such as time and representations) concrete form, is at the heart of it. Another word for this of course is mediation. I'm currently reading John Zerzan, Val Plumwood and Thomas De Zengotita to assist me with this thinking.

The rationale for understanding the origins of ecological estrangement is to help keep in-check the dominant ideology from consuming our lives. Last week Meg removed our household clock and left a small red object on the wall peg in its place to remind us that dismantling civilisation occurs through small conscious steps. Ecological consciousness does not require the abstraction 'linear time', and therefore by reducing its place in our lives enables greater participation in cyclical life. While we are in transition we may need to refer to the time throughout the day here and there, however a time piece no longer takes centre stage on our living room wall, as it never has on our wrists.

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Greenwash #8 in Trouble - Carpentaria

Greenwash is a monthly column I write on art and ecology for a free street press called Trouble. The previous seven Greenwash columns can be read on this blog (go to the 2009 archive). Number eight is a review of Alexis Wright's novel Carpentaria. I really loved this book and recommend it highly.



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