Late last year I was interviewed by Dr Jocelynne A. Scutt, a fellow Australian with a distinguished career in international human rights law for The Art of the Possible, the Cambridge University Journal of Politics . She brought a completely different perspective to my art which I'm very grateful for. That helps me to keep learning and improving as an artist. She also highlighted some of the shadows and that is important too. Considering the general lack of focus on political themes in the art world, I feel grateful ...Read more>
The Berkman Buzz at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society provides timely reminders on digital issues. This week they let me know (and to my surprise) about a balanced and well-reasoned article about Anonymous, the hacker-activist movement that the US military cyber-war division has raised to terrorist threat level. I know I'm posting a lot of links to articles recently, rather than studio notes, but there is a lot of change afoot in the world, and these links are important. While painting a new series, I'm conscious of these ...Read more>
I am very interested in this whole debate around transhumanism. Aljazeera's The Stream ran a brief introductory overview which makes a lot of my previous links more accessible, although they have placed them all within this whole sphere of transhumanism (watch the video below). I'm not sure my paintings are quite within that argument, but it's fascinating to watch the discussion. A lot of people really dislike Ray Kurzweil, (I listen but don't give him 24/7), but he is articulating an idea which is not beyond the realm of possibility. I am fascinated by this eruption of messianic narratives by ...Read more>
I am attaching links to 2 completely different ways of listening to the American domestic discussion on the use of UAVs (drones) in precision strikes (targeted killings). This is because they are a contrast which expresses the embattled conscience within the American psyche that is not ...Read more>
I really cannot add anything to Mark Levine's Aljazeera coverage of the current trend of violence and murder in Iraq directed against young people who like and express the emo sub-culture and music. It is a strongly anti-gay campaign as Levine says in this article, orchestrated by criminal values - ...Read more>
So much is happening in the world that seems to tilt us towards the edge of something extraordinary. We don't need to be scientists to watch and observe, and also remember that these activities will affect us. I'm sure the concept escapes scientists at times. I'm sort of fond of ...Read more>
I have written about the solar flare activity as part of the narrative of my new paintings. Below is the information release from NASA about 2 large solar flares that will hit Earth on the morning of 8 March (US time). Below is the NASA memo on this event. The ...Read more>
The United State's Attorney General Eric Holder today made a speech to justify the legal framework around targeted killings, including of a US citizen overseas. The full text of his speech is to be found at Opinio Juris who will be publishing analysis quite soon no doubt. The ...Read more>
An extraordinary interview by an Australian abroad who is rarely discussed or featured in the Australian media and, I would venture to say, is rarely thought of by Australians. The Rolling Stone interview of Julian Assange is important, and can be read online here. The magazine editors continues to surprise everyone. ...Read more>
