AUSTRALIA SAND-PROJECTS SUMMARY 2003

Aloha Gang! Well, I'm back from the two sand-projects in Australia (Sydney
and Melbourne), which was put on by the great people at Vision Australia.
Yeah, yeah, great time, great stories, and 2 great sculpture projects. Here
is a summary of that almost 2 month adventure.............. Although the
project "officially" started on Jan. 3 (my birthday), we were invited to
arrive early and celebrate New Year's in Sydney! I was shocked that my boss
at the bar I work at in Waikiki said that I could go early provided that I
prepared all the New Year's party stuff for the bar before I departed.
(What a Boss!) December in Australia is their "summer," and I'm sure was a
big draw to those of us who came from places where it gets "cold" around
that time of year (it's always summer in Hawaii). Our first two-week
project, who's theme was "Rain Forests" of the world, was located in the
beach city of Cronulla (just south of Sydney). Our hotel was but just a
short 5 minute walk from the plot (2 per room). Our meals and night
"partying" was just across the street from the project at a Hotel/Sports
Bar/Nightclub called Northies (yes, yes, there was even a mini-Casino in
there for me). It was definitely the hottest place to be at night in
Cronulla! And as for lunch and dinner, the menu selection was large and
varied (funny how quickly you can get tired of steak). The management and
employee's were a great bunch and I couldn't believe that they tolerated
our motley sand/mud covered crew tramping in there for lunch everyday.
(they were great). OK, back to the project. The sand, which is called
"bricky sand" was a very good sand, despite a few teeny-weeny pebbles here
and there. This sand hardened like rock, and took a good soaking or three
to get it carveable again. Kevin Crawford (of Sandscapes) was project/s
leader (and a great job he did). Sculptors were given quite a bit of
artistic freedom with each theme/pound-up. The weather was great (almost as
good as Hawaii), and Aussie beachwear/swimsuits all favored the "how low
can I get these bottoms" look. Besides a slight delay in the pound-up,
everything started out smoothly and continued throughout the project.
Nightlife at Northies was always fun and memorable (18+ drinking age),
although some of us rather forget some of the parties (Greg Glenn) winner
of the "Golden Lampshade Award" and the "Morning of the Living Dead Award."
On one pound-up Myself and Jan and Martijn (of Holland) were given the
honor of doing, was the "Bug Wall" (Rainforest Insects), which ended up
being insects watching a cricket match. It was a big hit with the Aussies
(who are really into cricket). All in all, the first project turned out
great, loved by the media and public! Our group of multi-national sculptors
all seemed to have a great time. The end of the project party was memorable
to say the least! With the second project at Rye beach (just south of
Melbourne), and a week and a half away. Some of us decided to strike out on
their own and "discover Australia," while others of us decided to take the
provided 4/5 day "bus" tour to Melbourne. The exciting part was that it
seemed that half of our intended route was through the, out of control
"bush fires." What with the drought and fires ahead of us, it was always
comforting when our Aussie reps. would call ahead to see if our next hotel
was still there. Yada, Yada, Yada, saw the dry lake, got thrown out of the
War Memorial in the capital, got asked "what are you doing here? Were
evacuating because the fires are coming," at some attractions. Saw the
"landlocked" submarine, the "dog on the tucker box," some famous bar, in
the middle of no where. OK, so it wasn't the best time I ever had, but, it
was "fun." Arriving in Melbourne/ Rye Beach was the end to our adventurous
trip, and was very welcome. Unfortunately, the Caravan Park that was going
to be our homes for the next 2 weeks+ was experiencing one of the hottest
days of the summer. And walking into the mini 2-bedroom (all vinyl) homes,
was like walking into an oven. Finding out that there was only one fan to
"cool" us down, and somehow the "promise" that it was going to cool down
later, didn't help. But, it did, and, that was the only really bad day from
there on. Being located about 3 miles from the project, and the only
excitement nearby was the beach, It seemed like it was going to be a tough
time. But, we were provided with a van and a car, nightly excursions became
common and fun. The project was a Carnival type theme, and with an even
better "bricky sand" and great weather, we began carving. The project went
quick, and the only two "problems" we experienced were taken care of by
Sharon (the project coordinator). Throwing a Aussie joke visual here and
there in the sculpture was fun. My favorite was the vendor selling "Koala
on a stick" with other such things listed on the menu such as, Dingo roll,
Kookaburra Pie, and Wallaby chips, to name a few. Once again, a big hit
with the locals. We finished the project, and it turned out great! Some of
us were invited to do a sculpture for a Aussie "late night show" called
"Rove Live" kind of a "Letterman show." It was fun! With the project
finished, our "sand-family" seemed to depart even before the end of the
project party. While some of us stayed on a while longer to see more of
Australia and others to do a side sand project or two. We all had a great
time together, and look forward to next year! A special thanks to Sharon,
Jimbo, and Becca, who were our little Aussie miracle workers, and all the
other Aussies that made these projects something to remember. Sharon, will
be scouting around for more sculptors this year at the Inaxi summer
sand-projects and at Harrison (she hates butt kissers). Good Luck! Aloha,
Joe