The Foundations colloquium was probably one of the most unimaginative and irrelevant things I have been to for a while - the demographic in the room told the story - aging, ambitious academics who think they are bigger than life itself - little to say - snobbish and selectively deaf to any suggestions. The high light of the experience was the company of my colleagues Diane, Angela and Kay. It was good to have a chance to talk about our work outside of the SUT environment - to laugh and help each other survive the trauma of our cavernous, stuffy, smelly and suffocating accommodation at the Mercure Grosvenor in North Terrace (I do not recommend this as a place to stay at)
The survival strategy
As I have had the good fortune to live in Adelaide in my distant past it was great to be able to be a 'tour guide' for our small party. In the little time we had we managed to concentrate our efforts on the gastronomic delights of the city. First stop was the Brasserie at the Hilton, the brainchild of Simon Bryant (Cook and the Chef) where we indulged in an exquisite three courses of local and regional delicacies washed down by a wonderful McLarenvale Coriole Verdelho. Breakfast the next morning was at Cibo on Gouger street a favourite of mine.
The conference dinner was held at Regattas on the Torrens River front at the new convention centre. Once again the food had a wonderful regional theme and beautifully presented. Our small group sat almost alone at a table - perhaps we were not wearing the right 'symbols'.
The next morning it was a quick tour of the boutique Adelaide Central Markets - and a must experience - Breakfast at Lucia's. The tigellata was perfetto!!
Let the fun begin
After farewells I made my way back to Suzanne and Gary's to dump my cases and then off on a wander to make the most of a second chance at the John Brack retrospective that I had missed in Melbourne. It was a wonderful experience here are a couple of my favourites:
The High Court
The Latin American Finalists
and on the left the centrepiece - the Bar. I have juxtapositioned the Manet Bar at folies bergere as I enjoyed the memory of so recently being able to stand in front of the original at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
It was also enjoyable to get a first hand glimpse at this modernist master's take on everyday Australia. In 1965 John Brack said, ‘For me I think that there must always be some sort of comment, but it must never be the sort of comment that could be put into words.’ His was an art of ideas that aimed to speak directly to the viewer. It was grounded in the everyday but communicated through a distinctive and highly personal language incorporating complex visual analogy, irony, humour, a sophisticated use of metaphor, and always underpinned by a deep knowledge of the history of art.
The rest of my time here has mainly been spent PhD ing and walking around the streets of the city photographically observing architectural development. Here is a sample:
The new development at North Terrace near the convention Centre.
On the right - keeping things clean in the clouds memories of the Sony centre in Berlin.
Adelaide innovations in Rubbish Collection in Rundle Mall
On the Right our two furry friends Ari and Agtet accompanied Gary and myself on a quick photographic tour of Port Adelaide!
And on the way home a delightful diversion passing the Cheetham Salt works at Port Wakefield - the landscape was reminiscent of a Georgia O 'Keefesque New Mexico vision.
