This evening I went to a book launch for Australian Arts: Where the bloody hell are you?
Peter Garrett and the Minister for Arts both had an opportunity to speak. The Minister was at first professional and eloquent until his insides coiled and his words darted backwards and forwards through himself until he was so tightly bound that the man vanished and a vote for John Howard pamphlet hovered where once a man stood. It was disgusting. He was disgusting. He took cheap shots at Peter Garrett and so angered the audience that people were actually hissing. I've never heard a crowd hiss before. Peter Garrett had his turn and was polite, sophisticated and wonderfully human, he's still got his eyes turned outwards, for now.
Ambling out with the crowd of academics and arts workers I for a moment felt part of something, a small cog in the Sydney arts machine. But only for a moment, then I started to think.
The arts obviously benefits from government support and needs more of it but. But I've had enough pleading with politicians. Its about time the arts community got off its wanky arse and did something for itself. Stop being so cliquey, stop being so elitist, stop being too great to share. Stand up and take your art out of the house with you. Stop hiding and being tragic, stop inviting only the hippest of hipsters to anything, stop only going to things done by your friends, stop only reading one kind of book and going to one kind of event, just stop being so fucking wanky. Its time to seriously ask yourself if you really do want Australia to be more open minded and cultural or if you just like feeling like special?
Peter Garrett and the Minister for Arts both had an opportunity to speak. The Minister was at first professional and eloquent until his insides coiled and his words darted backwards and forwards through himself until he was so tightly bound that the man vanished and a vote for John Howard pamphlet hovered where once a man stood. It was disgusting. He was disgusting. He took cheap shots at Peter Garrett and so angered the audience that people were actually hissing. I've never heard a crowd hiss before. Peter Garrett had his turn and was polite, sophisticated and wonderfully human, he's still got his eyes turned outwards, for now.
Ambling out with the crowd of academics and arts workers I for a moment felt part of something, a small cog in the Sydney arts machine. But only for a moment, then I started to think.
The arts obviously benefits from government support and needs more of it but. But I've had enough pleading with politicians. Its about time the arts community got off its wanky arse and did something for itself. Stop being so cliquey, stop being so elitist, stop being too great to share. Stand up and take your art out of the house with you. Stop hiding and being tragic, stop inviting only the hippest of hipsters to anything, stop only going to things done by your friends, stop only reading one kind of book and going to one kind of event, just stop being so fucking wanky. Its time to seriously ask yourself if you really do want Australia to be more open minded and cultural or if you just like feeling like special?
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