samwallman
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🕑 Added 2022-05-07 21:48:44 +0000 UTCHey hows it going, I thought I would send through the invite to the book launch happening on Thursday June 2nd, if any of u want to come u can RSVP directly to joshua@scribepub.com.au
Should hopefully be a good night, I’m working on some kind of presentation, mostly about Amazon stuff i think. there will be some booze and some words by Jeff Sparrow and Elizabeth Lim.
also, im happy 2 say that Scribe have agreed to offer Patreon supporters a discount on the book. If you enter the code SAVECURTIN at checkout here you should get 25% off. Pls don’t share this outside of Patreon tho, and my apologies if u already pre-ordered a copy at the full price 😅
I thought since i’m writing and since u guys are my bosses lol, i would do a poll to see what people would like to see me prioritise working on next. also just cos its hard to decide so i'd like to know what might resonate with people. at the end of this email u can vote out of the following options. I think u have to log in to Patreon to do that, sorry about that. To say thanks I will choose a voter at random and send them a large format print of this poster about that shitty corporate drawing style (the original piece is online now at Overland).
also cheers 2 Annette who won the draw out of new Patreon supporters, i will send u a big print of this piece soon (or if u'd rather different one lemme know). thanks also to the other ppl who signed up recently i appreciate it.
OPTION 1 - COAL
One of my oldest dearest friends Kyle was recently put in a Queensland prison for mounting an Adani pit train, shutting it down for 20 hours, shovelling coal out of one of the open-topped carriages. He had a range of interesting interactions with other inmates when he was inside, many who had worked directly for the mine site (an adani railway worker, adani security guard/spy, adani boiler maker etc). they were universally sympathetic to his actions, which some ppl might find suprising. we are thinking of collaborating and making a long form comic essay about these overlaps.
OPTION 2 - 'MEANINGFUL ACTION'
I could illustrate this excellent quote my friend Kieran shared with me a while ago:
“Meaningful action… is whatever increases the confidence, the autonomy, the initiative, the participation, the solidarity, the equalitarian tendencies and the self-activity of the masses and whatever assists in their demystification. Sterile and harmful action is whatever reinforces the passivity of the masses, their apathy, their cynicism, their differentiation through hierarchy, their alienation, their reliance on others to do things for them and the degree to which they can therefore be manipulated by others - even by those allegedly acting on their behalf.”
- Maurice Brinton, in As We See It, 1967
This would form part of a bigger collaboration that I’ve been plugging away at with Jeff Sparrow about the difference between what he terms ‘direct’, ‘delegated’ and ‘smug’ politics.
OPTION 3 - MURAL DEVELOPMENT
I could focus on finding a good outdoor wall in melbourne and getting a massive artwork onto it, and try to bump up the technicality of it from previous murals ive done. Not sure if this will interest ppl in the abstract since i don’t know where exactly the wall is or what i’d paint hahah, but i thought i’d put it here in case ppl wanna see more of that stuff out there in the world and also cos i prolly wldn't bother prioritising this kind of work otherwise.
OPTION 4 - WOODEN FOLK ART
I am obsessed with this anonymous piece of 1940s miner folk art that is part of the West Virginian Mine Wars Museum collection, it’s one of my favourite artworks ever:
I was thinking i could try to make something inspired by it, something painted on thick wood and cut out with a jigsaw. Not sure if this would be of interest to anyone but me though, or if it seems lowkey self indulgent 😆
OPTION 5 - PHILLIP ISLAND REWILDING
For a while now i’ve wanted to make a graphic essay about the 1980/90s rewilding of a huge section of Phillip Island, which as you prolly know involved the government buying back and bulldozing of a tonne of houses on the island, for conservation purposes. It was hugely controversial at the time but it is now peaceful bush and wetlands and is almost entirely unrecognisable as a previously kinda suburban area.
OPTION 6 - TEST THE PILLS
Last week the Coroners Court of Victoria found yet again that we need a drug checking service after another young person died from taking one drug labelled another. Every week there are reports of sus gear going around causing avoidable casualties. more people die from drug overdoses each year than die on the roads, but policy responses get tangled in gears of reactionary media coverage. i cld potentially make a mass produced street poster about the need for drug testing, similar to the 'safe injecting rooms save lives' piece i did last year.
Okay thanks mates, i will make whatever gets the most votes <3 hopefully some of u are up for clicking an option or two below. and don't forget to RSVP to Scribe if u wanna come to the book launch on the 2nd. cheers!!!!!!!!!!
Comments
All great ideas... I voted for both coal & wooden folk art - maybe those two options could collide?? Kim Nguyen made an interesting film piece for vice: https://video.vice.com/en_au/video/conversations-with-coal-miners-about-climate-change/
Kyle. Always Kyle.
