Pink Sari Project - Raising Awareness for Breast Screening

It has been a privilege to be selected to work on the Pink Sari Project. I was surprised to hear that Indian and Sri Lankan women (aged 50-74) in NSW have one of the lowest rates of participation in the BreastScreen NSW program. The NSW Multicultural Health

Communication Service together with BreastScreen NSW and the Refugee Health Service are working hard to increase this statistic and the photographic exhibition that will be held later this year is one means of communicating this message.  The project is funded by the Cancer Institute of NSW.

The project has engaged ten photographers of Indian and Sri Lankan backgrounds to work with and take portraits of a breast cancer survivor from the subcontinent.  The objective of this project is to increase awareness of the low mammogram rates in the community and to share success stories that will empower Indian and Sri Lankan women to take charge of their health.

I’ve been paired with Maina Gordon, a breast cancer survivor who lives close to me. She has lived with MS for the past 20 years, been diagnosed with and survived breast cancer and undergone a bi-lateral mastectomy. Despite these set backs, I found a cheerful woman, who continues to contribute to society through her professional work as a solicitor and as a volunteer. Her story inspires me.

One of the images I shot was of Maina holding an item that helped her through the tough times. She has picked a book from the author Ekkhart Tolle. His book, The Power of Now is one that inspired me during a low time in my own life where I was searching for answers. This is only one of many similarities I found in Maina. We are only a few years apart, we come from the subcontinent, and we both have a passion to live life to the fullest!

An photographic exhibition of the images from this project will be launched in August. For now, all I can say is, if you are over fifty and have not had a mammogram, then it is time to do so!

Ecoburbia Festival - Promoting Sustainable Communities

Steven and I are always putting up our hands to try new things, so it’s not a wonder that we are here at the Narara Ecoburbia Festival, running a stall.  The day started out with a bit of rain but by the time we arrived at the school grounds in Narara it was promising to be a great day.  In addition to the books and a few images, we brought with us the banners we had recently designed and made at Office Works.  They were a great way to quickly transform a space and make it our own.

The festival was soon buzzing. There were an amazing variety of stalls from palm readers and massage therapists, the eco chic stand, loads of great food, entertainment for the kids and information stalls that ranged from environmentally friendly pest control to ecovillages in Tasmania.  Scilla and her partner Trevor were running the Tassie stall and we connected with them both instantly.  Scilla gave us lots of great information about the collaborative arrangements in Tassie and invited us to come visit once we got on the road.  

The keynote speaker at the event was Elizabeth Farrelly and she spoke on the theme of why we need to become village people again –her an alternative to suburbia.  She describes a place that is small, local, walkable, pretty and sustainable. She mentions Ed Glaeser’s definition of the city as “the absence of space between people”, and takes us down a path where I begin to imagine the cute villages in England.  Cafes where everyone knows your name, public art, fountains, places to sit and chat with friends!  While your private space may be a lot smaller, life spills out to the streets, where there is plenty of variety to be found. We had found many such places in our travels in Europe and had loved them. Elizabeth concludes her talk, with a desire to see some of this happening in the ecovillage being built in Narara, and everyone applauds.    

We had an enjoyable day.  We took turns at looking after the stall and when it was my turn to wander, I had loads of fun with my camera. 

Our stall drew quite a few visitors, including Karl Fischer, a visiting professor from Berlin who has come here to do research at UNSW.  Our conversation lengthened and we ended up giving him a lift to Hornsby, and promising to catch up once again before he left for Berlin.  As always, one of the best outcomes of being part of events such as this are the connections you make and the Ecoburbia Festival was no exception!

The Teddy Bear’s Picnic

This weekend was a big day for the kids in Hornby Shire. It was the annual Teddy Bear’s Picnic and despite some sporadic rain, they came in droves.  There were over a thousand people and the kids had a ball.  From the face painting to the hula hoops being swirled around there was lots to do.  Many people brought along a picnic and enjoyed a day out with the family.

I volunteered as one of the official photographers on the day and enjoyed taking photos of a wonderful community event.  Well done, to the Friends of Lisgar Gardens who in collaboration with Council put together a wonderful event.

The Darcy Street Project

Our time at the Pop Up is enabling me to make new connections. One such connection I made was with John at the Darcy Street Project. It is a wonderful social enterprise that is using commercial strategies to maximise improvements to human and environmental benefits. They are supporting coffee culture by coffee and tea education. They run workshops to promote knowledge in the industry and it gives people who want a start in this business a chance to learn on the job. I love it and that’s why we support their business while at our Parra Pop Up. Go buy a coffee if you work in the area. 

http://www.darcystproject.com.au

Time to be GREEN

There is no time like the present to be GREEN.

We think it is time to re-think politics in our country. As NSW gears towards another State election, I wonder how many of us are taking the time to seriously consider the issues?  Or are we just too busy that, come Election Day, we will go and tick the same old boxes?  The Greens talk of grass roots democracy and we find that appealing.  They talk about a just and caring society, protecting public education and of a plan to give NSW 100% renewable energy by 2030.  I was excited to read they want to stop coal seam gas and save our land and water, to keep solar subsidies for households, to expand our bus and train networks, to protect public health and provide housing security. More locally they propose to develop the Westside of Hornsby as a liveable community village rather than the towers that will only increase congestion.  This is why I find them appealing. 

The Greens acknowledge that we at a tipping point and if we’re going to improve our living environment, then we have to clean up not just the environment but politics in NSW.  They acknowledge that limiting climate change—and all the damage it can do by limiting our ability to grow food, wiping out species and increasing extreme weather events—is now the major challenge facing humanity.  We may not have realised it here in Sydney but 2014 was the planet’s hottest year on record.  It was also the year greenhouse gases set new records.

It’s that time again when we can have a say about our future.  What will you say?  What will you choose? Should we keep voting the way we always have or is it time to think differently?

PolisPlan @ Pop Up Parramatta

We are excited to have moved into Pop Up Space at Shop 10, Connection Arcade in Parramatta.  We are collaborating with Pop UP Parra to present our artwork and our books.  We will be working from this space from Tue-Fri from 10am to 6pm till the 17th of April.  

We want to engage in conversation with you about how the internet is transforming our societies and how people are using it to make changes in their own lives. So pop in and have a chat about making conscious choices in life, the circular economy, the sharing economy and how we might transition to a low carbon future.  

“Lend your voice only to the sounds of freedom.”  Jewel from the song Life Uncommon

Nil’s Radio Interview on Local Radio Triple H in Hornsby

I am excited to be interviewed on local radio TripleH by Phillipa Bird.  We talk about a number of things including my current exhibition at Brooklyn and our future plans.  Have a listen...