Graduation Ceremony (Finally). 5th November 2022

 

Closure.

9/9/2022 NEW graduation at SCU

(Adendum to message, yet another flood/downpour in northern NSW/Lismore in August-Sept meant no pick-up of Solar or shed frame possible).

The international borders opened (post Covid19 isolation) in early 2022 so I grabbed the opportunity to tick off a bucket list item and headed for a tour of the Galapagos Islands, via Ecuador, and calling back through UK canals  on way home. The reality of rebuilding the Studio site then had to be faced.

I have purchased second-hand Solar panels and an inverter for the Studio (separate saga), and a 3x3m storage shed frame for my salvaged corrugated iron cladding. I still have to organise transport to get them to Nimbin Rocks. Big jobs coming up, along with the site cleanup and rebuild access roads/driveway.. 

SCU have earmarked 4th and/or 5th of November for the much delayed Graduation ceremony. I have invited friends who helped with the research project. It will be a bit silly because of the long delay since graduating but it and my graduation photographs will be fun.   

 13/5/2022

The saga continues. After getting back to Cairns in late December and clearing the backlog of bills, deferred medical appointments, and tax returns, the rains started in Northern NSW and there was a number of storm events with major flooding in Lismore but also in Brisbane. So much rain fell that hill sides started slipping. Major mudslides throughout Northern Rivers including the slopes behind my Studio. Access Roads were out so I could not get into the co-op but members emailed photos and it was a muddy mess with trees down and rocks carried all the way down from the ridge, The excavator was on the property for road repair, so I contracted him to clear my site of trees and rocks and to push as much mud as possible downhill. He also dredged the Dam, as well as digging out the Studio and tanks. Friends cleared the 10cm of mud from the ground floor but I will need to do extensive repairs when the Studio and home-site dries out. 

The irony is that SCU contacted me to say they will try again for a graduation ceremony in November!!!!

Back in Cairns Graduation cancelled

 Back in Cairns

13/1/2022. Saga continues. I flew to Gold Coast 0n the 14/7/2021 then got a lift to my Nimbin Rocks Co-op Studio. I was two weeks early for the SCU Graduation ceremony but I had routine maintenance to do at the Studio. In very short order the NSW Covid-19 outbreak got out of control and the Queensland Gov closed the Qld-NSW border to all travelers. I was effectively trapped for the next 5 months. The proposed Graduation Ceremony was cancelled, because of Covid, so I isolated in my very basic Studio (cf; in a tin shed in a cow paddock) and had to make the best of it. After a number of false starts the Qld Gov allowed returning residents back on 13/12/2021. After the opening there was a predictable surge in Covid infections but I was back in my Cairns apartment by 23/12/2021 and got my Vaccine booster shot on schedule. No artwork produced while at the Studio, just surviving. 

30/5/2021 SCU notice of Graduation Ceremony

 SCU Graduate Studies notified me that I was invited to a Graduation Ceremony at the Lismore Campus on the 20 -21st August 2021, despite the still lingering Covid-19 pandemic. This is approximately 12 months since officially graduating and 18 months since completing the artwork, submitting the theses/exegesis, and installing my two-week Art exhibition.

I discussed it with my fiends and "helpers" and consensus was although everyone had "moved-on" to a large extent, it would be a good excuse for a "celebration party". So the blog is not quite finished yet, one more episode to come in the "saga".

10/9/2020 Conferal of Master of Arts: Humanities and Media

 Still in Covid-19 lockdown so there was no formal graduation ceremony at Southern Cross University therefore the certificate was simply signed by the Chancellor and posted to me. That constituted the "Conferral of the MA degree". The irony was that 6 years (part-time study) ago I enrolled in Visual Arts but the reorganization of the SCU departments meant I graduated, MA "Humanities and Media". Not sure that was a win but if you drill down into the "Media" there is a sub category of Visual Arts.

12/7/2020 MA Awarded

Cairns 12/7/2020

Email from Dean of Graduate Studies, SCU, has recommended the award of degree of Masters by Thesis. Title of thesis (Exegesis) was:

Re-framing the Australian Coastline:

A contemporary reinterpretation of artwork from the parallel French (Baudin/Peron) and English (Matthew Flinders) 1801 voyages of exploration along the Australian tropical and sub-tropical Coast.

6/7/2020 Cairns: Table of corrections and revised Exegesis.

6/7/2020 Cairns

Supervisors approved the corrections to the Exegesis, recommended by the two examiners, and the Table of corrections and revised Exegesis were sent to SCU Graduate School as the final step in the examination process.

Cairns 14/5/2020 (Examiners reports)

The MA Visual Arts, external examiners reports are back and are positive, requiring the usual minor corrections to the satisfaction of the internal examination committee. One more re-write and subject to supervisors (and Examination committee) approval I can print off three copies for formal binding and submit them.

Cairns 11/4/2020 Winding up the project.

The MA story continues.

 1/1/2018 Contact Graduate Studies and supervisors Restart project

18/4/2018       Rebuild 3D computer models and 3D print prototypes at Cairns TAFE.  Contact NMA Canberra and confirm exhibition details.

1/5/2018, Travel to Canberra for "Art in Science" exhibition (French 1801 Artworks)

1/5/2018 located record of extra drawings at National Archive Paris.

5/6/2018 Contacted  Nadine Gastaldi, Conservateur général  du patrimoine, Chargée de mission Cartes et plans, Direction des fonds, Archives nationales. Paris
Reply: Scans are not possible, ? personal visit only.

12/6/2018 Progress report and request for 12 month interruption of candidature. "Forms" filled in and sent to Academic supervisors Interruption approved.

 18/6/2018 New BlackBelt 3D "conveyer-belt" style 3D printer available at Cairns TAFE,  plus large format Laser cutter, & CNC router to be delivered in 2018-2019. Start "Deferment" for 12 months Restart project in June 2019, use break to sort out Laser cutter and large format 3D printer

7/2/2019 Still on deferral, visit SCU Show/tell examples of TAFE 3D prints from BlackBelt  printer. Approved but need to explore the artists use of colour Problem - parallels work on colour by Mabbely = use 3D textures instead.

2/06/2019 Still on deferral, visit SCU Due to restart 18/6/2019 Establish progress reporting schedule

19/6/2019 Restart as per Graduate Studies timeline, due to submit exegesis Feb 2020

3/7/2019 Pack&Send Cairns TAFE to Lismore, SCU = $205+$87.5 All 3D prints and Laser etched Acrylic/LED artwork = 3 x installations of 3D prints, 2 x 90x60cm fractal art, 1 x 90x60cm 3D print composite.

1/9/2019 First working draft of Dissertation + Art installations = OK to proceed
[at least another 5,000 - 10,000 words required]

30/9/2019       Progress report accepted by SCU On Track for writing chapters and completing my Artwork for exhibition.

1/10/2019-1/1/2020 Purchase LED 60x60mm panels as backing for Lithophanes = $100 Bauer Lion fish,  image "Jelly fish" lithophanes,  Sandcrab lithophanes, Laser etch "Reef" fractals (rebuild Laser at TAFE first)

4/12/2019 Drop-box draft final version of dissertation to SCU Supervisors.

5/12/2018: redo abstract

12/12/2019: major rewrite required

16/12.2019 start rewrite, Pack&Send last artwork = $150

1/2/2020 travel to Lismore SCU: Multiple draft rewrite with direct advice from supervisors.

23/2/2020 Submit thesis/exegesis 

2/3/2020 Set up Art exhibition for examination at Southern Cross University (to be "up" for 2 weeks). A completely new experience and my first public "showing". Assembling the exhibition to try to showoff the artworks to their best advantage was an "artform" in itself and was surprisingly hard work. 

In the event the two weeks was in the middle of the Covid19 pandemic, with the SCU closed for three days in the second week due to an infection scare. Only one of the examiners could travel to Lismore, the other required a video of the exhibition.

I sat in attendance for the two weeks and explained the artworks to a sprinkling of students, lecturers and my friends who called by. An interesting but stressful experience; I felt emotionally exposed and defensive. It was completely different to exhibiting a scientific poster at a conference. It was my work being "judged" in both cases but it was my raw creativity not the application of accepted scientific methods.   

16/3/2020. Pull down exhibition, just before the University closed completely for the Pandemic with lectures only available online. I was extremely lucky to have got my exhibition/examination process done in time. A very tight window of opportunity. Note: I enclosed a copy of the Video of exhibition in the Library copy of the exegesis.

Locked-down over Easter due to Pandemic.

Wait for examiners reports - expected 2-3 months. 

2018 Learning curve gets steeper.

Cairns library

The learning curve gets steeper. I sent my first model of the WA coastline to the 3D "printer" but he pointed out a number of problems. I had built a surface 3D model not a printable model which needs a solid base (skirt) and for that you need another software extension in SketchUp. I had to find a free version of the software and then had import/install it. Literally two steps forward one back.

3D Printing-AU quoted $300 for an A4 page size model and about $80 for a half-page (or smaller 3D model). Prototyping will have to be at the smaller scale with the full size only for final display. {Way too expensive on a Student budget.}

I decided to request an  interruption at SCU to allow me to locate the appropriate tools (3D printers and Laser cutter) to complete my artworks as DIY rather than outsource.

Essentially I moved to the Cairns TAFE campus for most of 2018-2019 to complete my studio work. They had a large-format Laser Cutter (capable of etching acrylic sheet) and a number of medium format 3D printers, plus a BLACKBELT large format conveyor-belt 3D Printer. Here the printer filament cost $30 a roll and I could print my own files, similarly I could buy my own Acrylic sheet and Laser-etch my own artwork. My proposed artwork was "financially possible" under this option/program.

2017 3D modelling

1/2/2017 Cairns JCU library

I started construction of the 3D computer models of the Tropical/Subtropical Coastline of Australia as seen by the artists on board the French and English 1801 voyages of discovery. I have chosen Shark Bay Western Australia and Bowen Queensland as the two sites to concentrate my initial efforts, because:
1. I have sighted the original coastal maps/artwork and re-traced the historic journeys for both sites.
2. There appears to be terrain information (3D) in Google Earth/Maps for both sites
3. I have identified the appropriate 2D "views" of the sites from the painting by Petit in WA and Westall in Qld. (Initial Museum archive research in France and England, with a follow-up at Australian National Library).

I purchased a license for "SketchUp Pro"  and "Photo to Mesh" to turn 2D images into 3D printer models. Considerable learning curves was needed for both software packages.

The 3D Terrain model of Google Earth images was created following UTUBE "SketchUp and 123D Make: Architectural Terrain Model"  ProfDrafting

Cairns and reconcile cost/benefit

15/9/2016 Qld Cairns. (Landed 6.30am 11/9/2016) Flight was uneventful with the standard level of economy class discomfort. It was a no-frills Jetstar flight that was cost-effective and on time. I medicated my cold and slept for the next 24 hours.

By the 14/9/2016 I had sorted the images I had collected and reconciled the bills accrued, so I could evaluate my expenses. At $167 per day for the 14 days travelling, including airfares and coach/scenic-flight,boat trips,  my costs were what I anticipated. Interestingly this was about the same as the daily costs for my 2015 European Study tour.

15/9/2016 Sent off the "Dissertation" chapters that I had been working on. Double-checked/edited the blog and did some serious library work re 3D printing. I may have to go to Townsville campus of JCU for practical advice.

Back-story of the Dissertation chapters was that the external hard-drive I took with me as a back-up, would not read (it had died) when I got home but I assumed the computer copy was OK. However, I found that Word defaulted to the last version saved, which was the back-up version. For the whole trip I had actually been working on the external hard-drive not the computer. I "begged" the IT techs at JCU to try to salvage my files from the dead hard-drive and got most of the data back. They found it was a software "re-write" glitch rather than hardware malfunction. I had to reformat the text and re-write whole "missing" sections of the first two chapters but at least the gist of my manuscript was still there. A case of two steps forward and one back.

At the same time as I discovered the corrupted hard-drive I found that my smart-phone had reprogrammed itself while rolling around in my day-pack. At one stage I thought that it too had died but patient "maze-running"got me through the menu system and the phone functional again. The final blow was as I was rewriting my document, the wide-screen, graphics-enabled HD monitor "blew" with a loud pop and the classic disappearing screen image down to a central dot. Dell explained that monitors are "throw-away" (they prefer the term "uneconomic to repair"), mine was no longer in warranty, and advised that I should buy an up-to-date replacement. I used my smaller, older, non-graphics monitor instead.

WA Perth -travel Cairns

10/9/2016 WA - Perth-transfer Airport-Cairns. Up early to put my laundry through, grab a shower and an early breakfast. All sheets towels etc down to hamper, room cleared by 10.00 am, key deposit returned, then wait in "Internet Room" working on computer. Stay close with no tours planned on a "travel" day. I got caught getting from Rome to the airport, when I tried to travel by train to Rome on the day I was to fly. A unexpected wildcat transport strike nearly cost me the flight out.

On a walk around the local area I found the Number 40 bus stop to get me to T3 terminal for my JetStar flight tonight. Looked up the airport lounges and there is a Qantas Club in the T3 terminal so I should be "centrally located". Weather is overcast but not raining. My Cold is still with me but the "night/day" Codral keeps me functioning. I must remember to take my Pseudo-fed prior to the flight tonight or I may get eustachian tube "squeeze" with the air-pressure changes.

Worked on blog and journal in YHA but time dragged. Plane does not leave until 11.50pm so it was a choice of waiting at the YHA or waiting at the Airport for hours. I think they will let me into the Qantas Club after about 5pm but not all day. I will hang out till 3.30 - 4pm at the YHA then walk to the Number 40 bus stop andcatch the bus through to T3. The Number 40 busses leave on the half hour and take about 30min. Given 30 min to get my boarding pass and luggage checked then it should be just about right. Only problem is that sometimes they will not take luggage until 2 hours prior to a flight, which will be difficult.

In the event it was difficult. Local bus got me to the airport by 5.00pm as planned and I got to the Jetstar boarding gate but as I feared, Perth Jetstar does not board until 2 hours prior to the allotted flight, so not until 10.00pm.

Now my negotiation skills were really needed. I managed to "talk" my big bag through security and I carried it up to the Qantas Club [which was closed but I was redirected to the Qantas Business Lounge]. I was told to take my bag back downstairs at 10pm and have it checked through then when the gate was open. Not bad, I managed to get into the Qantas Lounge on my invoice and QC card, without the magic boarding pass. Ate what was effectively a full meal then sat back watched Qantas television and updated my blog.

WA Perth -Swann Valley Winery/Chocolate

9/9/2016 WA Perth-Guildford - winery tour

Booked half-day wine and chocolate tour for the afternoon. (Includes lunch). Sorted my "stuff" for the return to Cairns and worked on Computer until 11.30. Made my way to the railway station to catch a local train to Guildford station, the designated pick-up point for the tour. Filled in time wandering around the historic Guildford then caught-up with the tour. Three wineries a lunch and a chocolate factory then dropped off in Perth at the same coach stand as Integrity used. Easy navigation back to YHA and a self-catered dinner. Checked on the booking-out/store luggage deal with YHA reception and printed off the Jetstar ticket info for tomorrow.

WA-Perth/Rotnest

8/9/2016 WA -Perth -Rotnest Is.

Up early to light breakfast and a walk to the pick-up point for the transfer bus to the Ferry. All went well despite the cold, overcast weather. Seamless transfer to the Ferry with a bumpy ride across to Rotnest. Again a seamless transfer to the Island tour bus. Said goodbye to the bike-riders who looked decidedly chilly. Surprisingly diverse coastline/seascape. Much like Shark Bay where there was low sandy beaches but also rocky reefs and ocean coastline. Waves were spectacular at West Point. Back in Perth by 7.30pm and had a quick self-catered dinner.

Essentially I have now completed the Tropical/Sub-tropical retracement of Baudin’s Voyage (as per my project proposal). The weather has been cold (and wet on occasion) but has not hampered the trip in any way.

Checked with reception re a possible tour for tomorrow but too late to book, try again in morning.

WA Perth

6/9/2016 WA Transfer Monkey Mia to Perth.

Pick-up at 6.30pm at reception and dropped off at Overlander Roadhouse at 8.30pm. Integrity Bus arrived 9.30pm and we set off for Perth arriving at 6.15am next morning. Little to no sleep.

7/9/2016 WA Perth.  Walked from bus drop-off to Train station in light rain and found a café that was open. Light breakfast and a cup of coffee, waiting for a break in the weather. 7.00am walked to YHA hostel and booked in. Changed the YHA booking from 2 nights to 3 nights (? why the booking email I sent screwed up I do not understand). Found my room and investigated the amenities. Then used WiFi to book my Jetstar flight back to Cairns on the 10/9/2016. I got a $189 special that cost about $240 after I added luggage. Not sure of the booking/charge process, it seems to add costs randomly.

Went to investigate the Rotnest tours and found a ferry/bus or a ferry/bike for around the $100 which seems fine. It depends on the rain. There is also a short wine tour that looks interesting. I will try to book Rotnest for tomorrow.

5/9/2016 WA Monkey Mia/Shark Bay

4/9/2016 WA Monkey Mia. Extensive walk through the bottom end of Francis Peron National Park and along its southern shoreline. Booked a 25min scenic flight over the opposite coast of Francis Peron National park with views of the Dirk Hartog Island coast across Western arm of Shark Bay. It was not possible to “cruise” the entire bay because of its massive size. Overflight was the only practical solution. 

Overflight took about 30min and flew the coastline of the Francis Peron National Park both east and west coast. Fauve Island and extensive seagrass beds, and a variety of low coastal formations from cliffs to sandy beaches.

5/9/2016 WA Monkey Mia. Extensive walks along foreshore north and south of the Resort. Laundry and packing for travel back to Perth tomorrow.

4/9/2016_WA_Monkey Mia

Bus arrived - got to Overlander Roadhouse at 21.00 pm (9oc) to be picked up by "Mike" the shuttle operator and got to Monkey Mia after midnight. No front-office staff so they had stuck an envelope with the room key and a map of the Resort onto the door of the Reception office for me. It actually worked; after a long trip and a bit of maze running I found my room, with the help of the map (essential).

Next morning (3/9/2016), I formally signed in with Reception and was directed to the wharf to book/pay for my Aristocat 2 nature cruise. 

This cruised for 5 hours within the Eastern arm of the Shark Bay Marine Park, with long stretches along the coast of Francis Peron National Park. Pearling barge tour, dugong and dolphin sightings, and I got a view of the near-shore sea-grass beds.

4/9/2016 WA Monkey Mia. Extensive walk through the bottom end of Francis Peron National Park and along its shoreline. Booked a 25min scenic flight over the opposite coast of Francis Peron National park with views of the Dirk Hartog Island coast across Western arm of Shark Bay. It was not possible to “cruise” the entire bay because of its massive size. Overflight was the only practical solution.  

WA Coral Bay transfer to Monkey Mia

1/9/2016 Coral Bay Ningaloo WA. Comprehensive self-directed walking tour of the foreshore both to the South and North of Coral Bay township. Last laundry completed and I worked solidly on my Dissertation, completing the two chapters I owe to my academic supervisors for this year. I am ahead of my schedule but need to complete more art works. 

I received an invitation to dinner at a local resident’s (Julie and Bill) house for tonight. Excellent food and I took a six-pack of Mercury cider. They had a bottle of Vas Felix white, which was superb, but they also own an apple orchard so the cider was appropriate.

2/9/2016 Coral Bay Ningaloo WA. Last day, mainly travel oriented. Cleaned room, returned all my cutlery, packed and put my big bag in the luggage store then worked on my computer (Journal and Thesis chapters). Check-out was 9.30. Bus is due at 2.45-3.15 according to my ticket so I planned an early lunch then a wait.   Printed out my booking sheets for Bus and Monkey Mia accommodation. 4 days at Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort and the bus booked back to Perth on the 6/9/2016. I will book tourist boat trip when I get there and confirm my return shuttle to the Overlander Roadhouse.