bird/chop at Chop Art Shop

I have a new work (pictured left) in progress for a Fresh Arts Inc. exhibition in Millthorpe, Central West NSW, due to open on 1 October 2009.

Titled bird/chop, the installation piece will be going into the cool room of an old butchers shop which is now an art gallery called the Chop Art Shop.

Incorporating sound in the work, bird/chop is a multi-media, site-specific installation that looks at the use of land to meet our need for a European-style diet centred on red meat consumption, and often produced using European farming practices. While delving into our farming history it questions the legacy we are creating for future generations.

Fresh Meat runs from 1 October - 1 November 2009, Chop Art Shop, 25 Victoria Street, Millthorpe. An artist celebration will be held on Sunday, 25 October at 11am. RSVP: Chop Art Shop (02) 6366 3905. Chop Art Shop is open Thurs/Fri 5pm - 9pm and Sat/Sun 10am - 5pm.

(C) Kim V. Goldsmith, 2009: cardboard, tape, sound system, clay, feathers, paint, handmade book

Coverage of PAE exhibition in The Land Newspaper

The Land newspaper (NSW) today published an artist profile piece based on the Perspectives. Art. Ecology. exhibition (above).

Climatic extremes: a new norm

The Sydney Morning Herald ran a story last weekend (News Review, p5 by Debra Jopson and Ben Cubby) about the farmers continuing to do more with less, more concerning scientific predictions and politicians playing politics...all while our climate continues to undergo change, global food security decreases, and the climate change sceptics get the last word. I wonder what it will take to ruffle the tail feathers of these ostriches?

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/global-warming/farmers-face-hardship-as-climate-changes-20090814-el72.html

Urban pressure on food production

Following on from my last post regarding the waste generated by urban populations, I've found a discussion paper by Professor Julian Cribb (Julian Cribb & Associates and well known science communicator), titled The Coming Famine (published in January 2008). My reason for investigating Julian Cribb's position on water use and the impact our water-hungry ways will have on future generations was prompted by an ABC Radio rural report interview this morning (30/6/09).

Professor Cribb was speaking at the launch of the Water4Food initiative in Canberra. He maintains that the world is headed for major famine and wars if we don't urgently address our attitude towards water. A podcast of the interview with Professor Cribb is available from the ABC Western Plains Rural Report page.

In the discussion paper, Professor Cribb outlines the downward trend of key indicators affecting global food security. He also makes the comment that the thing that stands out is that the scale of impact of climate change is somewhat uncertain, but the other trends are "real, well-documented and predictable."

He says the challenge over the next two generations is to raise food production by 110% from a more degraded natural resource and reduce world populations from 9 billion to 2-3 billion by 2100. Food for thought...or action?

Welcome to Perspectives. Art. Ecology.

Welcome to Perspectives. Art. Ecology., the exhibition, and the Coming of Age Project. I'd like to invite you to participate in this forum to discuss issues about the future of our environment - particularly those elements that are important to you.

What would you fight to preserve for future generations?

Take the time to read the posts and the comments others have left. Watch the blog videos on this site and feel free to respond to anything you see. Read the "how to comment" information in the right hand column.

Thank you for giving us your time today.

Parrots or jobs - can't we have both?

A story that hit the headlines in the media today (11/5/09) leaves me wondering about how blinkered decision-makers and stakeholders (which includes rural communities) are when it comes to options for a sustainable future. At the moment the arguments seem to be either/or...black or white. The 161 comments on the ABC News page makes interesting reading (yes, there's some rubbish in there as well)...particularly those that wonder about whose responsiblity it is to invest in green jobs. Do rural communities take this initiative, or do we wait for a legislative response and a higher power to determine when and how it happens?

Parrot 'putting hundreds of jobs at risk' - http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/11/2566058.htm