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Welcome to my blog. I would like this to be a space to open conversations, share inspirations, process, successes and failures, and invite your thoughts, critique, discussion and debate.

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COMBO-17, “a rich scattering of galaxies”


Last year…

…was a massive year. Massive personally rather than professionally and sometimes in life that is exactly what is called for. I made a big move from the city to the country, (well technically that was a couple of years ago – but it was last year that I really began to find my feet in country living), I fell in love, he and his 2 kids moved in, I got engaged to the lovely man, and made a beautiful circle of friends in my new home, in addition to the lovely friends/family existing. Sometimes the universe dishes it up real nice. All of this beauty came after a particularly trying time personally – which for me, gives all this good stuff a big dose of perspective along with it.

This year…

It’s time to get busy. I decided over the christmas / new year break that this is the year to make some things happen. To join forces with other designers, and other professionals to help get some projects off the ground that I am passionate about. And to work collaboratively again, after a couple of years working solo on my own products.

The list of projects is a little scary and though not a long list – each project is reasonably large. They are a mix of self-initiated art projects, and collaborative projects with other companies, and as such I best not divulge each one here just yet.

Though I have decided on one to commit to, and have set a deadline with the lovely people at Stockroom in Kyneton, where the exhibition will be held. I don’t have a title for it yet, and at this point, I know what its aim is, but not really how I’m going to get there. It is this stage of the process that I love – a world of possibility – so exciting.

The inspiration for the exhibition is astronomy.

My love for astronomy was born when I was introduced to the above photograph, at about the age of 19. Every speck of light that can be seen in the image is not a star, it is actually a galaxy, that may be much larger or much smaller than our own galaxy, The Milky Way, but nonetheless – a galaxy. Its kind of impossible to fathom really that beyond our own galaxy, there are potentially infinite galaxies. When I first saw this image – it was the first time the monument of the universe made some kind of sense to me; and the following wonder of our place within it as humans; and then all the myriad of flora and fauna and all the creatures on the earth seemed like so much more of a monumental feat. And that as far as we know so far, we are the only life in it. I love the idea that there is other life out there, and imagining the exponential potential for life if that is so. I have done a bit of reading on astronomy since I first saw this image, and am constantly inspired by ideas in astronomy and scientific theory: like black holes, fractals, SETI, to name a few.

So the idea is to attempt to visually communicate the vast beauty of our universe, and some of the scientific theories that help us to understand it better. Ideally I would love for it to appeal to both children and adults, but mostly help to open children’s eyes to some of the amazing concepts in astronomy.

Needless to say – I am a designer, not an astronomer or physicist. So a first point of call will be to find some people to collaborate with. I would very much like the outcome of this project to be based in fact, so that it can be educational. I plan to share the process of this project here, and invite your critique, and involvement.


Inspiration of another kind…

As an aside, on a recent magical mystery tour of Melbourne, I discovered Der Raum: the most interesting bar, and drinking experience… try “Pharmacy” a tribute to Damien Hirst, a cocktail served in a medicine bottle, with a side of syringe filled with something delicious (alcohol only!), and a pill. You squirt the syringe, and pop the pill into the bottle, shake, and drink. The pill is eaten afterwards as a palette cleanser. Awesome.

Jessie