Shop Pty Ltd 2012 Catalogue Essay by Chris Bennie

A few weeks ago this shop was empty. In the future it will likely stock designer goods or serve coffee. In the interim Propriety Limited is staging a social experiment that is neither shop nor exhibition. Rather, Shop Pty Ltd. functions as a depository to examine the value of consumables. You, and your body, play an important part in the project’s delivery. It is collaboration at the edge of art and commerce.


Propriety Limited have sourced consumables from local shops, and artworks by some of Brisbane’s finest artists. These ‘products’ are on display and have a newly defined value attached to them. Interestingly the currency of these items are plastic chips, called units. In order to ‘earn’ units, visitors to Shop Pty Ltd. can participate in everything from mental activities to physical labour, or even ‘sell’ a part of their body. This can be anything from hair, skin and nails, to theoretically, more visceral items such as saliva. Shop Pty Ltd. will then assign a unit value to your ‘deposit’ based on the scarcity of that particular deposit. To methodically examine the value of body commodities, Propriety Limited had intended to include items such as urine and the ejaculate of both females and males. A sense of abhorrence shared in both institutional and public realms has led to a compromise in the research that will be conducted at Shop Pty Ltd. and ultimately, the exclusion of such deposits.

By setting up commercial systems, a fake currency and bodily sales, Shop Pty Ltd. implicates consumers in the act of exchange. There is nothing new here. Our body is already devoted to industry and production in diverse and interesting ways: typically physical labour, intellectual property and/or prostitution. Time and labour are the essential elements of our relationship to the world; in particular our implicit exchange value. Here, our effort is measured in currency. Seen in this way, blood, sweat and tears represent more than mere toil but a spiritual union to the world through an intimate, considered and laborious exchange with it.

Shop Pty Ltd. thereby enacts a mimetic paradigm of a larger social system. It examines how value is constructed and applied through the act of exchange. By subscribing to a defined currency you are implicated in an act of Propriety that is determined by capitalist laws of supply and demand. When applied, these laws will value your body and mind, crediting you accordingly. With your credit you can purchase things from a range of consumables whose value can now tangibly be appreciated. The transformative propriety of your body, from its initial sale as a physical element, to tradable currency and then consumable item, enacts a symbolic mise-en-scène of capitalism.

At its heart Pty Ltd is interested in desire: the attraction and appeal that is at the core of the products, objects and artworks on display. Where Shop Pty Ltd. might function best however, is through the observation of transgressive modes of behaviour that a mimetic social environment might spawn. Investment, loans, bribery and theft along with donations and charity are creative and real by-products of exchange. Their deployment has the potential to disrupt conventionally accepted standards of behaviour or morals. As Shop Pty Ltd. unfolds during the course of it’s opening, the imaginative use and misuse of propriety will likely steer the experiment. Whether mild anarchy ensues or a collaborative and community oriented use of currency is developed is anybody’s guess.

Shop Pty Ltd

There comes a time in many art students' lives when they reflect upon where they are and what they have achieved and think to themselves, "What the fuck have I been doing?". It can be the incentive for a much needed shift into gear, and for some, it is the beginning of a prolific career.

I am not one of these. To my surprise, it wasn't guilt or fear that motivated me to swim outside the placental waters of QCA, but something I think is far more interesting. A simple conversation, an exchange of ideas is sometimes all it takes.

I have spent the past two months working with two of my classmates, developing an idea born out of our frustration with the dime a dozen art shows that the industry is rife with. You know the ones I mean, your inbox is flooded with invitations to them. My relationship with them is similar to my relationship with felafels. I used to like them, because they are cheap. They are extremely easy to find. As far as I know, they are good for me. But there's only so many felafel kebabs you can eat before you realise they are dry. There are boring. And no matter where you go, felafels are always the same.

I think I speak for both myself and my collaborators when I say I would rather eat a thousand felafels than put my name on a show where the expectation is passivity. We thought about this word, 'expectations'. We wanted to list all the expectations that someone who attends an art show might have, and then we listed the opposite. What we came up with was a show that did not have free alcohol, passive engagement was replaced with active participation, and 'participants' could stop pretending they were looking at art, because art, per se, was excluded from the show. It was hoped that the removal of these structures would create an environment where social relationships could be interpreted with the same level of interest and analytical rigour as more conventional forms of art have been in the past.

When looking for a model for human interaction, the social and economic principles of capitalism present a fascinating template for a new way of engaging with art. In the first place, it is a model with which almost every person on Earth is extensively familiar with. For some time it has been the topic of contentious discussion. It is important for me to recognise the evolution of thought that has led my collaborators and I to our specific area of investigation.

Since the end of the 19th century, the zeitgeist of critical thinking has been one of lofty ideals of brotherhood, whose proponents were of the catchcry that money is the root of all evil. Modernism ushered in the advent of communist and even anarchist thinking within the realm of art and by the end of the 1950s, performative and interactive work such as Fluxus and Happenings had almost succeeded in completely expelling art from the sphere of commodification. But it wasn't long before the hippie movement ran out of steam. Vietnam was over. The hippies had spent all their money on placards and suede tassels - they went back to mom and dad in upstate New York, Kusama went back to Japan. 

Less an umbrella of thought, and more an arsenal of everything from b-b guns to booby traps, postmodernism has long been the voice of subversion. There isn't a facet of human existence which has not in some way been consumed by postmodernism and, once excreted, is somehow sillier, less frightening, ultimately changed. By the end of the 1980s, the global economic boom had well and truly soaked up the snake oil of the communist utopian dream. The Wall had come down and artists like Koons were selling absurdity at prices well into the millions. Was he critiquing the capitalist tendency to apply (astronomically high) value arbitrarily? Is that a capitalist tendency? Perhaps it is an explicitly human one, bound up in centuries of social mores and codes of behaviour that have existed within, and even in spite of capitalist systems.

It is this question, which my collaborators and I hope to better understand. By applying a formula - that of supply and demand - and activating it in a controlled environment, we mean to infer whether money truly is the root of all evil, if we really are our brothers' keepers or if we are simply the benefactors of an evolutionary code that ensures our capacity to continually surpass our existence.

What became of all the Nonnas?

 This.

Inna Pasta

Man:

"Porco miseria!" "Per che you gotta putta anchovies inna pasta?!"

Woman:

"Ma che anchovy. I no putta no anchovy."

Man:

"Stronza! Donna you lie to me! I canna smella anchovies!!"

Woman:

"Si....you canna smell. Anchovy uppa your culo!"

Identifying Intra-minority Bias: a response to critique

I'm sitting with a jar of peanut butter trying to come to terms with the ruling that was handed down last week. I submitted an installation which included the videos Foambroidery, Persimmon After Almodóvar and Riti Manuali. While the numbers on the feedback form correspond to an excellent grade and the work of a promising artist, the feeling is one of total vacuity. I am bewildered for several reasons. In the interests of clarification, I will list them. 

Concerning all three videos, there is the potential for a new and more refined pontification of gender roles and sexuality. It is one that should address my personal conflict between a comfort and familiarity with particular clichés and my hesitation toward complicity in clichés that are based on and actively perpetuate gender stereotypes. Simple enough, but for some reason the thought of approaching this utterly confounds me.

The question of how recognisable these stereotypes are is a bone of contention for some tutors. The installation was criticised for employing obscure stereotypes which, although may seem obvious to me, bear no significance to an audience. I was advised to utilise clichés that an Australian audience would automatically respond to, such as spaghetti, pizza, and concrete lion statues. It seems apparent to me that immediately recognisable subject matter negates the process of learning, and thus, without an investigation of previously unfamiliar clichés, nothing of value is being contributed. Such criticism has ultimately restored my proud affection for subtle, culturally unique metaphor.

Finally, and getting to the point, I considered my previous works and have found a link between former attempts to infiltrate Sicilian culture and what I refer to as 'intra-minority biases'. I've recently had a couple of experiences that have suddenly and resolutely made me aware of the exclusivity and bias (or loyalty and dedication to cultural preservation) that exists within the diaspora of migrant communities.

I've noticed this on two occasions, in exchanges with Italian strangers who became noticeably more open and casual with me upon learning of my heritage. I was astounded to notice that I have subconsciously imposed the same cultural bias on people my entire life. It became evident this week, when hearing the story of a family of womanising brothers who went on to father numerous children. Once someone mentioned the surname of the boys (Italian), I realised something within overruled my previous determination as philandering hillbillies and I was decidedly comfortable with the notion that they were just typically Italian - eager young casanovas.

Hopefully such a link is enough to substantiate my work within my own methodology, and I feel far more positive about creating new work based on this, rather than the tangential experiments of the beginning of the semester, which I feel were only loosely defined by my overarching concept. 

Yet problems continue to come to light - such as the consistency of video quality. Agreed, the contemporary audience is drawn to the high definition image. It is slick. It is seductive. It echoes the authority of precision and demands the concentrated attention of its viewer. But at this stage, I don't know if I want my viewer to be seduced or repulsed. Would a low resolution video really make the whole affair seem less glamourous? Would it move an audience to rebel against what they were seeing? I need to come to terms with my exact feeling about 'intra-minority bias'. As in the case of producing a work on gender roles, I am vexed. Do I love and long for the feeling of belonging to an exclusive community? What if that community's roots in social ignorance and misogyny and homophobia are too insidious to overlook?

Perhaps I'll find the answer at the bottom of this peanut butter jar.

Riti Manuali

Riti Manuali hopes to be a sequence of videos of my hands performing basic tasks that allude subtly to some form of ritual or tradition.

The first video was made after my nonno told me my passionfruit vine will never grow in a pot, so I decided to dig a hole for it in the garden. The first video shows my hands stubbornly digging at the earth with insufficient tools. I am wearing the 'Italian Costume', which occasionally comes into the frame.

The next video presents my soil-covered hands over a fruit bowl, on top of the orange patterned blanket that features in some of my other videos. I am using olive oil and sugar (an exfoliation technique my nonna taught me) to scrub the dirt from my hands. I consider this to be a form of ritualistic cleansing.

Between the second and third videos is a shot of my hands pulling pilled fabric from the blanket. It is a sort of 'tidying' in preparation for the overt feminisation that occurs in the third video, where I paint my fingernails bright red.

In the final video, I have filmed my freshly painted fingernails chopping garlic, as reflected on the blade of the knife. The fourth video is the final step in a journey across genders via my personal interpretation of certain cultural stereotypes. In order to eat, I have to grow food. In order to eat that food, I have to cook it. I think the video is a very simple reflection on the essentiality of existence in terms of sustenance and sexuality.

Dolce & Gabbana 2012

Since 2009, Dolce and Gabbana's advertising campaigns have embellished ritual, culture and tradition to create cinematic images of Sicilian life. While these photographs borrow from neorealism, the inevitable glamour of the photographs insinuate an invented reality. The dialogue between characters draws on the social experiences specific to Sicilian people, focussing on relationships between men, women, women in the male domain and particularly family dynamics.

I have selected a series of photographs by Mariano Vivanco from Dolce and Gabbana's 2012 collections (both summer and winter) as examples of the fashion house's ability to pinpoint the cultural essence of a race, deconstruct it, locate those elements permissible as haut-couture and reinvent them to produce an image that is as visually engaging as it is marketable.

The work I am making in relation to this piece is exploring if, through playfulness and criticality, misrepresentation can subvert stereotypes. In order to uncover the factors that comprise these stereotypes, it is necessary to look at the thematic content of the images.

How do these images compare with or deviate from neorealist styles, and how does self-reflexivity position these images between high and low art?

Within the series, some photographs depict scenes of festivity, celebration and 'La Dolce Vita', or the good life, yet others demonstrate more simplistic scenes such as the humble family portrait. The shifting context of the images from neorealist characterisations of poverty (mitigated here as modesty) to an entry into bourgeois territory can appear arbitrary, but it is possible that Dolce and Gabbana use this dichotomy of old and new to evoke a sense of timelessness, explicitly in their collections and implicitly within Sicilian culture.

The presentation of cameras within photography also raises the question of the significance of self-reflexivity within the images. The production designer's apparent disregard for continuity emphasises that the images are a series of advertisements and as such may be forgiven for such discordance, but there is more to the composition than that. That there exists any camera at all within the images suggests that Vivanco has given consideration to both art historical precedence as well as the pervasive influence  of new media communication technology and its infiltration in daily life and thus, the arts.

This image features the hallmarks of contemporary art/life: a camera phone, a full colour photograph and an unorthodox composition using cropping.

Alternatively, this image uses the same devices in exact opposite: a sepia tone, a vintage camera (used by a man, not a woman) and the formal structure of a family portrait.

As for relationships between men, how are masculinity stereotypes reinforced or challenged?

Several images within the campaign depict a suggestion of daily life for Sicilian men. They are portrayed in large groups, casually chatting and joking with one another, apparently doing little else. When these men aren't avidly conversing, they are brazenly pursuing (in pack formation) a pretty girl in white crochet or a vixen in black lace. The suggestion of their relaxed nature and sense of playful brotherhood is also met by the darker side of the Sicilian male psyche: that of pride, ego and revenge. One such image very subtly alludes to the preamble of a conflict: while two men face each other off, a group of men in the background are discussing something with grave expressions, as a woman (or a prize) stands alone between them.

The final facet of the Sicilian man according to Dolce and Gabbana is that of the stupendously potent, loving and protective father. While most of the images of large family scenes contain a patriarchal type, there is one image in particular that conveys this aspect so boldly that it borders the absurd. Somewhere in Sicily exists an opulent room (n.b. the leopard print curtains), where a man and woman who both appear younger than thirty have somehow produced six children. 

The image cleverly associates luxury with masculine fertility, taking virility to the ultimate hyperbole - an artful strategy for countering the 'masculine' tendency to dress simply and cheaply.

Do Sicilian women live in the male domain? What are the roles of women in Sicilian society?

A common theme runs throughout the campaign: the image of a solitary woman who seems to enjoy being surrounded by men. She is the object of desire, a symbol of pursuit or achievement, or a reflection of a man's status in the world. According to this campaign, women come in three forms: the first is the elderly matriarch whose sexual appeal has long since faded and so busies herself with domestic chores, craft-making and caring for her ever expanding family. The second is the naive young thing who is not quite a 'woman', but still sexually desirable. Finally there is the embodiment of passion, the perfect union of domesticity and sexuality (played convincing by Monica Bellucci in 2012 and somewhat artificially by Madonna in 2010) - this woman, of course, is the 'Sicilianized' femme-fatale. While the three women are clearly living in a man's world, some power is evident. Aside from their skills in areas generally uninhabited by men, the woman's command of persuasion through sexual power is clearly exaggerated. Though she may be politically, culturally and financially tethered to her male counterpart, her ability to please a man allows him to become the vehicle through which she can lead a more independent life.

The Sicilian man is so irresistible that this woman doesn't mind the leering and joking of his companions. Contrary to a dominant and enduring dogma of sexual politics, this woman is not ashamed of her sexuality. In fact, in this man's arms she is wilfully communicating her sexual desire. 

An analysis of family dynamics presents the final question: How authentic is a woman's power and to what extent is she an authority? How is homosexuality expressed within this dynamic?

Although clearly contrived, this image depicts the tribulations of child-rearing in a lighthearted way. A young boy is being reprimanded for upsetting (assumably) his younger sister. While Bellucci scolds the boy (with the signature 'wog' gestures of brandishing hand movements and a face whose frozen expression is one of fury), the other two 'types' of women are amused by the histrionics of the situation. The younger woman, perhaps because such strenuous activity will not concern her for some time. But the matriarch's gaze is not directed at the instigator of the drama a.k.a the boy, but at Bellucci. Perhaps she is laughing for the fond memories of her similar experiences, but her mirth could just as easily stem from a superciliousness that subtly undermines Bellucci's authority. This interpretation implies that it is only through old age (once the follies of sexuality have diminished), that a woman can gain respect within her community. 

Interestingly, a subdued homoerotic element exists within many of the campaign's photographs. While female homosexuality is totally omitted (there are barely more than one woman in many of the images), certain dynamics between men clearly retain some essence of the homoerotic that frequents male fashion photography. While physical affection between men is common in Italy (as in many non-Anglo parts of the world), the seriousness of these boys' faces, their shirtlessness and the body language enunciated by one turning enticingly away from the other, entertains the potential for gay family members not only existing, but being accepted within the Sicilian family unit. This image overwhelmingly reminds us of the power of advertising to understand the desires of the consumer and create a world where those desires might be realised, if only as a model for actuality.

Looking to the future...

The past few months have felt like a long hiatus from both art making and recording the process of doing so. In that time I took part in an exhibition (courtesy of QCA) called the F-BOMB, organised by Maura Reilly and her crack team of feminist art theory students. The exhibition was an opportunity for me to showcase the Ancora! photographic series, but unfortunately the space was too 'small' for the accompanying sound piece. The exhibition came at the end of an arduous (albeit thrilling) semester, and regrettably I did not remember to take photos of my photos (which can be seen on a post from 17/5/12). There is however, a catalogue written by honours student Lisa Bryan-Brown, that blurbs the artists and unpacks the challenges and new directions that contemporary feminism(s) face today. A copy of the catalogue is available below. Apologies for the bizarre formatting - I'm still not entirely sure if it's possible to upload PDF files to blogs.

Since then, I spent a month travelling from HaNoi to Saigon. I had written extensively about the journey, furiously and dedicatedly scribbling (or tapping) away the beauty and inimitable wonder of a foreign land. Four days before my return home, my phone was stolen from the dorm room that I idiotically left it in, and with it, 25 days of my soul. It wasn't as tragic as it sounds, for the richness of an experience with corrupt and surly 'law-enforcers' truly cannot be beat, but I'm not going into details here. In fact what I would like to stress, on this notion of recording the process, is that some things are better left unsaid. If anyone really cared to know what it's like to feel alpine vapour on sunburned skin as they ride through clouds on pine covered mountains above jungles and rice paddies and the sweet, smokey smell of tiny villages, they would do so.

And as such, I hope that the work I produce now and in the future does more talking than I will.

Ancora! is done...

Ancora! is a continuation of earlier investigations into migrant ethnicity, identity and modes of assimilation. While in other works, such as Memory Deep, I used mimicry and humour to explore pop culture models of Italian identity, Ancora! looks more closely at the definitions and stereotypes of the ‘authentic’. Once again grappling with the hybridity of being a third generation Italian-Australian, Ancora! opened a path to discover the variations between Nonna’s kitchen and Milanese fashion houses, to find who ‘real’ Italians actually are. 

I had initially planned to make a series of videos highlighting the frustrations of linguistic barriers and the degree of estrangement or involvement they can impose on an ‘outsider’. I was required to repeat a sequence of phrases in Italian, with the ‘authentic’ interrupting where necessary to correct me. The phrases consisted of a one-sided conversation, a monologue listing the excuses for never having been to Italy, for not being able to speak Italian, for being born on the Gold Coast etc.

After placing an advertisement on Gumtree looking for native Italians to participate in the videos, I received several responses, incidentally all from men. As the correspondence through Gumtree, Facebook, email and text message went on, a fascinating story began to unfold, which I felt spoke more clearly than any video I could produce. It divulged the hidden layers of the male Italian psyche – a realm doubly mysterious to me in both its assertion of a national identity and its affirmation of being my sexual other. The digitally composed soundtrack was made to give a realistic voice to the cyber-reality in which these stories exist. In a game of spot-the-authentic, the photographic series depicts four men of different ages, from different regions of Italy, dressed in what I refer to methodologically as my ‘Italian Suit’. In the headscarf and dressing gown that reminds all five of us of our grandmothers, descriptions of gender and ethnicity begin to blur into one another.

As the participants volunteered without payment, the notion of exploitation must be considered. While each respondent had a unique motivation, many ranging from boredom and loneliness to curiosity and genuine interest, the spectrum of difference would ultimately, and perhaps inevitably result in one final purpose: that is, my ability to manipulate these people into works of art. This allows me to tell a story in spite of my severance from language, culture and roots. It is through my interpretation of who they are, who I am, and my ability to impose that upon them that I can identify the absurdity of the ‘authentic’. Anyone can be real, just as anyone can be a farce. It the context of the story that decides.

Raw materients...

Ancora! Photographs

WOGLOG

WANTED: Native Italian for performance video art.

I am looking for a native Italian to participate in a video performance I am making about third generation migrant ethnicity. The Italian person is basically required to listen to me say some phrases in Italian (the phrases are excuses for my cultural ignorance) and I am to repeat those phrases with her/him correcting me where necessary, until she/he is satisfied with my pronunciation. 

If you would like to know more about my work please visit my blog here: 


http://altitudinalalterity.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/exegesis_25.html 



or you can watch one of my videos here: 
http://vimeo.com/34186933 

Thanks, Cassandra

From Gumtree on March 17 2012 at 7:49 PM, Cassandra wrote:


Maybe we can help each other?

From Gumtree On March 17 at  9:01 PM, Italian wrote:

ai am Italian haha giv mi mor informations ;-)

From Gumtree On March 17 at 9:41 PM, Cassandra wrote:

What else would you like to know? I will probably film the video in a studio at the Queensland College of Art in South Bank. In the video you don't have to say anything other than 'si' or 'no' unless you want to. Tell me some things about yourself, such as where in Italy you are from and why you would like to be in my video. 

Grazie!

From Gumtree On March 18 at 10:17 AM, Italian wrote:

Yes, hoo ar yoo and were doo yoo cam from?


Ceers
Andrea

From Gumtree On March 18 at 8:04 PM, Cassandra wrote:

My name is Cassandra, I am an Australian art student living in Brisbane. My request is a little more specific than a language swap. I would like to make a video performance about my Italian heritage. I am looking for a native Italian (or very convincing Italian speaker) to participate in a video performance I am making about third generation migrant ethnicity. The Italian person is basically required to jot down some phrases in Italian and I am to repeat those phrases with her/him correcting me where necessary, until she/he is satisfied with my pronunciation. 

If this is something you think you might be interested in helping me with, write back with more information about yourself and maybe we can meet up. 

Thanks, 

Cassandra

From Gumtree On March 18 at 11:15 AM, Italian wrote:

Hhello 
aim ah twenty faiv gay,

from italy. 
Aiv bin here in australia,

sinz tree and half months.

ákchully aim in brisban sinz a cappl ov vik. 
ai grraduayt from accademy ov fain arts,

in graphic desain,

 in october too towzand eleven. 
I alredi did sum video works in mai cantri,

and ai hav sum video experienz. 
Let mi no if yo ar interested. 
Ceers 
Daniele

From Gumtree On March 18 at 11:30 AM, Cassandra wrote:

Hi Daniele, 

What sort of videos have you made? Do you have any online that I could see? Perhaps if you're free we could meet on Tuesday afternoon and I can get a chance to see if you're what I'm looking for in the video. 

Thanks, Cassandra


From Facebook on March 19 at 4:03PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hi Dan, I'm a friend of Sophie's. She told me you might be able to help me out with a video I'm making because I need someone who speaks and looks Italian. Just wondering if you'd be available?

On March 19 at 9:39PM, Dan wrote:

Yeh, that shud not bi ah problem.

On March 25 at 6.50PM, Dan's friend Peter wrote:

Spiks Italian bat looks laik ah derti Mexican hahahahaha

On March 26 at 4:30PM, Cassandra wrote:

OK great. If it's alright with you I'd like to meet you first, just to make sure you're right for the video. We could meet for a coffee some time?

From Gumtree On March 19 at 4:19 PM, Italian wrote:


Dir Cassandra,
ai ama twenty six yeers old gay.

ai giast took  too maunth ago mai degree and aim carrently heer to improve mai inglish, and travel. Ov cors if ail faind somthing heer, ai want to leev ther. Aimm frendly and open mainded person. 
ai put mai ad for a langwadj exchandj so, ai can exchange wat yoo ask mi with a lesson.
Wat yoo tink abowt it?
Ceers
Andrea

From Gumtree On March 19 at 3:49 PM, Italian wrote:

Yes! Let's doo it! Aim Leo, nativ Italian

From Gumtree On March 19 at 5:09 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hey Leo, 

I'd just like a bit more information first. Please tell me where in Italy you are from, your age and how long you've been in Australia for. Also, I'm interested to know why you'd like to be in the video. If you're free tomorrow afternoon we can meet at South Bank so I can see if you're right for the video. 

Molto grazie, 

Cassandra

From email On March 19 at 5:33 PM, Italian wrote:

Hai Cassandra,

Mai full naym is Maurilio EMANUELE,

bat, obviosly,

ozis wud never say it correctly

so aim nown as Leo.

aim from ah plays cald pescara

it is in de abruzzi region

almost de saym lattitewd as rome, giast on de opposit cost.

mi and mai Gerlfriend ferst landed here in brisban on de twenty fort september too towzand ten,

so ui ar kwait new,

bat in de far naintin aiyti nain to nainti, ai livd in briten for a wail.

wai ai wanna do de video…

well, aiv bin involvd in many tings laik dat.

ai don't consider maiself an artist bat ai reckon dat de art will sayv de world

(if it will ever be sayvd)

ai didn't no ai was ganna appeer in da video,

ai giast taut dat ai had to help yoo wit de pronunzation of sum words

bat anyway is fain for mi.

ai tink ov maiself as fri from de moni grid

in a world dat always expect a sertain amount ov moni in ciandj ov sumting.

ai laik to ciandj mai taime wit nu experienzes, self impruvmenz, discoveris, interestin ciats and human filins as gratitud and frendship.

if it is fain for yew,

ai can bi at sowt bank stayshon at about three pee em,

as at faiv ai hav an appoyntment wit mai immigrayshon loyer.

if yoo fanzi a ril cioccolata calda or ah proper cappucino,

ui can also mitt at pane e vino in de siti.

a presto.

From email On 19 March at 5:40 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hi Leo, 

As much as I would love a hot chocolate, I have to stay in South Bank for my next class at uni. There is a cafe called Garage in between Little Stanley street and Grey street. 3pm is perfect for me. My number is 0488997337. Let me know if you can't make it.

From email  On March 19, at 5:46 PM, Italian wrote:

Ok Cassandra,

 meet you der.

three sharp!

Ciao

Leo

From gumtree On March 19, at 4:25 PM, Italian wrote:

Ehi, aim an Italian student stadying inglish, in Brisban. mai naym is Dario, and aim from Roma. ai giast watzed yor video, and red yor blog, so maybe ai can help yew; Becoz of mai hóliday from school, I hav plenty of fri taim at de moment; giasst let mi no.

From gumtree On March 19 at 7:16 PM, Italian wrote:

ai replaid to de email yoo sent mi.

bat aim not shur yoo can reziv it;

 giast let mi no;

 Dario

From email On 19 March at 7:29 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hi Dario, 

Thanks for getting back to me. Perhaps if you're free we could meet tomorrow afternoon and I can get a chance to see if you're what I'm looking for in the video. But first, I am interested to know why you would like to be in the video. 

Grazie!

Cassandra

From email On march 19 at 7:40 PM, Italian wrote:

hai Cassandra,

akchully ai towt yew giast nidid sum help wit yor italian pronanziayshon.

ai didn't no ai wud appeer in de video.

bat ui can tork abowt it.

ai min, aiv never tayken part,

 as an actor in a video or sumting laik dat.

ai cud appeer in it giast becoz,

 ai faund yor prodject interesting

bai de way, tomorrow afternun ai will bi fri,

 and if yew want ui can mit.

ai liv in de siti so its ap to yoo abowt de plays and taim.

ciao,

dario

From text message, on March 20 at 10:46 AM, Italian wrote:

Good morning, ai ges de café is espresso garadj. OKAY, see yoo der at too pi em.

On March 20, at 12:08 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Okay Dario, see you there at 2.

From text message on March 20 at 2:27 PM, Italian wrote:

Hai.

it's Leo.

aim alredi at de cafe if yor fri.

From text message On March 20 at 2:27 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hi Leo, I'll just be about 10 minutes. See you soon.

From text message On March 20 at 3:35 PM, Italian wrote:

Sarah sed yew ar ah ray ov lait,

shes rait.

ui ar hapi dat ui met.

a presto! 

From text message On March 20 at 3:35 PM, Cassandra wrote:

You two are lovely. I'm looking forward to meeting again :) A presto!

From gumtree On March 23 at 11:59 PM, cassandra wrote:

Hi Andrea, 

Sorry for my late response. I'd like to meet you first so I can make sure you're right for the video. Also, I'm curious to know what part of Italy you are from and why (if there is any other reason aside from a language swap) that you would like to be in the video. I'd be happy to give you a lesson in exchange. 

Cheers, 

Cassandra 

From gumtree On March 23 at 2:59 AM, Italian wrote:

Hello,

ai helpd de director wit futadj,

 and ather staff for dis cappl ov videos

vimeo.com/8647340

vimeo.com/10520817

dis ather uan descraibs mai experienz with videos

www.facebook.com/profile.php

bat akchully ai don't no if yew can rice de payge.

ai liv in new farm akchully and ui can fix an appoyntment if haven't alredi faind summon els.

Ceers

Daniele


From gumtree On March 23, at 10:13 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hi Daniele, 

Those videos are interesting. I need you more for your voice/presence in the video, rather than to film it. So I'd like to know just a little more about you, such as where in Italy you are from and why you would like to be in the video.

Cheers, 

Cassandra

From email On March 23, at 10:04 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hey Leo, 

Hope you and Sarah had a good week :) 

I'm going to try to book a room at uni for this Thursday afternoon if that is a time that suits you. In the mean time, here is the list of quotations, first in Italian and then in English:

"Mi dispiace, non capisco"

"Si, dalla parte di mia madre di famiglia"

"No, non è nata li, è nata qui."

"No, non ha mai imparato."

"Un po'."

"Si, vergognava che suoi genitori erano liberali."

"Io non me ne pento, è interessante per me."

"No, ma un giorno lo sarò, lo voglio daverro."

"Si, lo so."

"Si."

"Stai cercando di farmi sentire male?"

"Beh, mi ci è voluto un po' per rendermi conto che questo è importante."

"Si."

"Questo è ciò che è per la mia arte."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"Yes, on my mother's side of the family."

"No, she wasn't born there, she was born here."

"No, she never learnt it."

"A little bit."

"She was ashamed and her parents were liberal."

"I don't regret it, it's interesting to me."

"No, but one day I will. I really want to."

"Yes, I know."

"Yes."

"Are you trying to make me feel bad?"

"Well, it took me a while to realise this is important."

"Yes."

"That is what my art is for."

If you wouldn't mind checking that my translations are correct I would really appreciate it. 

Talk soon!

Cassandra

From email On march 23, at 10:06 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hi Dario, 

It was really great to meet you the other day. I'm going to try to book a room at uni for this Friday afternoon if that is a time that suits you. In the mean time, here is the list of quotations, first in Italian and then in English:

"Mi dispiace, non capisco"

"Si, dalla parte di mia madre di famiglia"

"No, non è nata li, è nata qui."

"No, non ha mai imparato."

"Un po'."

"Si, vergognava che suoi genitori erano liberali."

"Io non me ne pento, è interessante per me."

"No, ma un giorno lo sarò, lo voglio daverro."

"Si, lo so."

"Si."

"Stai cercando di farmi sentire male?"

"Beh, mi ci è voluto un po' per rendermi conto che questo è importante."

"Si."

"Questo è ciò che è per la mia arte."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"Yes, on my mother's side of the family."

"No, she wasn't born there, she was born here."

"No, she never learnt it."

"A little bit."

"She was ashamed and her parents were liberal."

"I don't regret it, it's interesting to me."

"No, but one day I will. I really want to."

"Yes, I know."

"Yes."

"Are you trying to make me feel bad?"

"Well, it took me a while to realise this is important."

"Yes."

"That is what my art is for."

If you wouldn't mind checking that my translations are correct I would really appreciate it. Then I can practice them and you can practice correcting me :)

Talk soon!

Cassandra

From text message on March 28 at 6:59 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hey Leo, just wondering if you are free on Monday for some filming?

From gumtree On April 1 at 5:42 PM, Italian wrote:

hai,

aim nativ Italian, Italiano al wan handret persent!

Eef yew need mi, yew can contact mi on mai imel.

Ai liv in auchenflower at the moment and ai don't have a car.

bat ui can see itch other around or werr ai liv!

si yew

From email On April 1, at 8:12 PM, Italian wrote:

No wuaris, meglio tardi che mai.

 (layt is better dan never)

ai can correct sum of the phrases,

 and also sum athers mor colloquial

(altho they'r not wrong yushuli, in evridai spiking, they ar sed

slaitly differently.

Okay hirs de list:

Mi spiace, non ti capisco.

Si, da parte della famiglia di mia madre.

No, non è nata laggiù, è nata qui.

No lei non ha mai imparato.

Un pochino.

Si vergognava che i suoi genitori fossero ........ (we have a problem here,

liberali as an adjective can be transalted "liberali" but you mean it in a

political sense so you have to explain me what was their political philosophy,

if you call them "liberali" in italian you mean capitalist!)

Non me ne pento, anzi, per me è interessante.

No, ma un giorno lo sarò (or "diventerò"?), lo voglio davvero.

Si lo so.

Si.

Stai cercando di (or Vuoi) farmi star male?(or sentir in colpa?)

Beh, mi ci è voluto un po' per rendermi conto che questa è una cosa

importante.

Si.

A questo serve la mia arte

Didn't min too chaing them sow mach bat aim traiyng too understand wat is the

reel mining ov wat yoo want translayted.

Anyway we can always isily fix it, I'll bring bay mai dikxonari giast in

cayse...

From gumtree On April 1 at 12:25 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hi Nicola,

Thanks for your response. I'd like to know a little bit about you, such as where in Italy you are from and why you'd like to be in the video. If you're free some time this week maybe we can meet for a coffee so I can get a chance to see if you're right for the video.

Grazie! Cassandra

From email On April 2 at 10:48 AM, Italian wrote:

Hai cassandra,

ai liv in reggio emilia, north ov italy. mai italian is kwait clir and ai don't hav enny strong accent deriving from dialect. ai don't no lots of peeple in brisban at the moment, that's wai aii anserd yor messag.  aim kwait shor ai will bi aybel to mit noo peeple and hav fun mayking this thing. aim looking for a giob so aim kwait fri to mit you if yoo think ai can help yoo. ciao


From email On April 2, at 6:51 PM, Italian wrote:

Hai,

ai hav sin sam ov yor video, crayzy girl!! abowt tomorrow its alraiyt, ai hav an intervyoo layter in the afternoon bat ai can mit yoo at arownd wan o clock in espresso garadj…is it in grey strit? this is mai fonn namber: zero for too for nain three wan seven zero zero, so if yoo dont si mi yoo can giv me a call at sam poynt! bai!

From email On April 2 at 7:12 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hi Nicola, 

Unfortunately I have to reschedule our meeting for tomorrow. Maybe Wednesday is ok for you instead? If not, let me know when you're free. 

Sorry for the inconvenience.

A presto!



From email On April 3 at 11:26 AM, Italian wrote:

ciao,

tomorrow is alraiyt too, ai havnt got a lot to do at the moment! ai prefer in the afternoon, laik three for o clock. 

From email On April 4 at 12:03 PM, Cassandra wrote:
ok nicola, sorry for the late response, i'll meet you at garage at 3.30 if its ok.

ciao :)

From email On April 5 at 10:31 AM, Cassandra wrote:

Ciao Nicola!

My address is 33 Prospect Terrace, Kelvin Grove. If you take the 345 from King Georges Square you can stop just a little after the Red Rooster on Kelvin Grove Road, then I live very close to there. 3 or 330 is fine. 

See you soon!

Cassandra

From email On April 6 at 9:29 AM, Italian wrote:

okay, a dopo! let mi no if ai hav too bring ennything.

From gumtree On April 9 at 8:43 PM, Italian wrote:

ai am italian, how mach do yoo pay? :)

From email on April 19 at 1:25 PM, Italian wrote:

hai casssandra,

how was yor wog ister wik? will be happy to cam arownd to shoot the pics, next wik will be fri the holl wik antil thursday (the twainteeseventh) cos on fraiday wi are catching a flaiyt to italy. samthing cam up saddenly so wi hav to hav a kwik trip over there. will be bak very soon ennyway, in no longer than a capel ov wiks.

Un abbraccio, Sarah and Maurilio

From text message on April 19 at 3:18 PM, Italian wrote:

Okay, ai hav skool from monday to thursday and yushuly hav the afternoon and naiyt fri. let mi no in advanz. ciao.

From text message on April 19 at 6:24 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Okay cool, I'll let you know :)

From text message on April 24 at 8:49 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hi Luca, my name is Cassandra. I am looking for an Italian to be in a performance video I am making and my lecturer, Maura Reilly, told me you might be able to help me? Let me know if you're interested. I'll be filming this week. Cheers, Cassandra.

From text message on April 24 at 11:13 PM, Italian wrote:

Hai Cassandra, Wat's the video abowt it? It souwds interesting….wen will yoo film it?

From text message on April 25 at 12:15 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Ummmm. The video is basically about my ignorance of my own culture (not being able to speak Italian). I'm just gonna say some phrases in Italian and you have to correct my pronunciation until I get it right. There will be four videos in total. I've already shot three. There's no rush to film your video but I do need to take a photograph of you (along with the other Italians) as soon as possible. Would you be free tomorrow?

From text message on April 25 at 1:52 PM, Italian wrote:

Okay…hoo ar the other italians? ai maiyt no them. tomorrow ail work ten ay em to three pee em and faiv pee em to ten pee em.

From text message on April 25 at 6:51 PM, Cassandra wrote:

One is called Maurilio from Abruzzo, one is Dario from Rome, the other has disappeared to go fruit picking so I'm gonna need to find one more. If you can come between three and five it would be great. The address is 226 Grey street, south bank. text me when you get there.

From text message on April 25 at 12:19 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Ciao mi amici! Just wondering if you'll be available at 9 tomorrow to come to uni for the photo shoot? Leo, I know it might be cutting it a bit close for you so just let me know if it's a problem and I'll wait till you get back. See you soon. X

From text message on April 25 at 12:23 PM, Italian wrote:

ahm, ai hav skool at nain ay em. ail bi fri from too therti pee em or fraiday…dario.

From text message on April 25 at 6:42 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Okay, if you can come after school that will be fine.

From text message on April 25 at 4:20 PM, Italian wrote:

Wil wi bi tayking the shots at yor plays? Doo yoo want mi too weyr samthing spesifical?

From text message on April 25 at 6:46 PM, Cassandra wrote:

At uni. I'm just gonna bring the head scarf and dressing gown for you to put on. I'm not sure if you'll get to meet the others because none of them are available till afternoon. But definitely we should meet them when you return. A domain!

From text message on April 25 at 8:08 PM, Italian wrote:

Hedscarf and gown? okay ci vediamo domattina

From text message on April 26 at 8:58 AM, Italian wrote:

Wi ar at the yooshual plays…having brakky a switopia.

From text message on April 26 at 8:59 AM, Cassandra wrote:

Okay guys have your breakfast then I'll meet you on grey street.

From text message on April 26 at 9:05 AM, Italian wrote:

Weyr reddy, wayting at food works.

From text message on April 26 at 11:01 AM, Italian wrote:

Okay, giast tel me wer exactly. Ai wil finish at skool arownd too thurtee.

From text message on April 26 at 1:08 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Okay, if you go to the food works on the corner of grey street i'll see you there :)

From text message on April 26 at 2:56 PM, Italian wrote:

aim ther.

From text message on May 3 at 7:48 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hi Luca it's Cass. I remember you said you are usually free on Mondays. Would you be free for filming on the 14th? I'll email you the details tonight.

From text message on May 3 at 8:41 PM, Italian wrote:

Yes shood bi okay…morning or afternoon?

From text message on May 5 at 5:48 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hi Marco, my name is Cassandra. My friend Monica told me you might be able to help me out with a video project I'm working on for uni. If you're interested let me know when you're free. We can meet for a coffee to discuss the details. Cheers!

From text message on May 5 at 10:19 PM, Italian wrote:

Coming bac from Melbourne on Wednesday lanch. Wat abowt in the ivening?

From text message on May 7 at 4:37 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Sure. What time suits you?

From text message on May 7 at 8:27 PM, Italian wrote:

laik six or seven

From text message on May 8 at 10:54 AM, Cassandra wrote:

You wouldn't happen to be free during the day on Thursday would you? If not, 6 is fine.

From text message on May 8 at 11:35 AM, Italian wrote:

No cos aim working all day long :/

From text message on May 8 at 12:00 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Ok no problem, well what's a good place to meet? we could get a drink at olé in southbank.

From text message on May 8 at 12:31 PM, Italian wrote:

yeh it sownds good, at six ther :)

From text message on May 8 at 1:00PM, Cassandra wrote:

k see you then!

From text message on May 9 at 3:15 PM, Cassandra wrote:

hey is it okay if we meet tomorrow or friday?

From text message on May 9 at 3:34 PM, Italian wrote:

akshuly from tomorrow til sat ai work all dai long :/

From text message on may 9 at 3:35 PM, Cassandra wrote:

ok. i forgot about an arrangement this evening. would 7 or 7:30 be okay tonight?

From text message on may 9 at 3:38 PM, Italian wrote:

seven thurti is fain =)

From text message on may 9 at 3:49 PM, Cassandra wrote:

do you know groove train in king george's square? if we can go there i'll buy the vino :)

From text message on may 15 at 7:56 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hey! You wouldn't happen to be free on Thursday evening would you? If you can come into uni I can take your photo. It'll only take 5 minutes.

From text message on may 15 at 7:58 PM, Italian wrote:

Wat taim laik?

From text message on may 15 at 8:01 PM, Cassandra wrote:

After 5, prob 5:30 or 6.

From text message on may 15 at 8:01 PM, Italian wrote:

Wer…in the siti campas?

From text message on may 15 at 10:09 PM, Cassandra wrote:

South Bank

From text message on may 17 at 2:09 PM, Cassandra wrote:

Hey Marco, do you think you'll be able to stop by tonight?