The lost undertaker, Canberra

(Image source: here )

Going through an internet loop, I came across an article 'Mysterious undertaker riding a coffin appears on Australian lake' and was thunderstruck when I read that the 'Australian lake' in question was Canberra's very own (man-made!) Lake Burley-Griffin.

Was a literary archetype (Villain? Hero? Friendly reminder that death comes to us all?) here in the country's capital the whole time I've lived here? Did he float in from another state? And that most silly question people ask 'why would he do this, what does he want?' apparently when Mashable tried to contact a person they speculated was 'The Lost Undertaker' as he has come to be known, they received this email, apparently not from the figure they thought might be him.

'Unlike Superman, Robin Hood, Zorro, Spiderman, Batman and Wonderwoman, who all revealed their identity to the detriment of their purpose; The Lost Undertaker wishes to hide his true identity. His purpose is to give hope to the oppressed and put the fear of God into the oppressors, villains and rogues that surround us all.'

I for one kind of love this! This obsession people have with 'knowing' who people are dilutes the magic and perhaps the message (The Stig comes to mind). A solitary figure paddling around in the misty morning is an image many won't be able to remove from their mind, particularly when around the lake.

(Image source: here )

(Image source here )

(Image cource here )

(Image source here )

Some of the people in the linked articles talked to him:

“We asked 'coffin man,' 'Where are you going'? His response was, 'To Queanbeyan cemetery as I have a 3 p.m. grave site to prepare,’

The imagery and mystery he has managed to conjure is bang on, especially if he just wants to (perhaps, merely my own speculation) remind us all that in the end, death comes to us all.

(Image source here )

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Graphic Design Canberra: Gabrielle Carrigy

A wonderful artist and graphic designer, Gabrielle Carrigy's work speaks for itself.

 Currently working in Canberra, check this link out here to see more of her great work

Geometric animals! What a wonderful attention to detail, modern and full of vintage charm

I love the one above, just stunning

All photos owned by Gabrielle Carrigy

Support local artists and endeavours! Canberra is full of mega-talent!

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The Nightingale and the Rose, Oscar Wilde and Del Kathryn Barton

Imagine my excitement when I came across a beautifully illustrated edition of Oscar Wilde's tale "The Nightingale and the Rose"- illustrated by none other than the ridiculously talented Del Kathryn Barton 

Oh Oscar! your words are brought to life beautifully in song, art, audiobook and of course, trusted dusty dog-eared tomes of your beautiful prose

Here is a beautiful reading, for if you are pottering away...

What a wonderful idea come to life, Wilde's words with Barton's mind-blowing art.

Enjoy!

All pictures courtesy of Pinterest

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Late Bloomer (for the sky watchers)

I don't even really know if its self-righteous to claim the title of 'late bloomer' as I am still very young

(Single-handedly the most reassuring Wiki entry here)

There are days this collective emphasis on 'having it' and 'knowing what to do with your life' is maddening. Some of us just wake up each day and have no clue. Rather than a complacency thing, I see it as almost the opposite, almost paralysed with too much choice. Potential! The one word always thrown back at you when you're struggling

There are days where I feel myself breaking beneath all my 'potential' selves. The weight of this unrealised future gain is holding me back in the present, and a few other Idlers I have met in my travels. It becomes a trap rather than a release of pent up creativity. Comparison is the thief of joy, and the idealised future you could have is one that makes you feel like a loser in the now....

I don't want to be a sheep maaaaaaann!

But it is getting to that point in life where I have to pick something(s) and stick to them, otherwise they will pick me.

 As the saying goes "Let go or be dragged" some words to live by, I need to let go of this juvenile idea that I will be 'everything' I have planned.

BUT!

This post is for the "late bloomers" or as older generations always like to look down and say, the wasted youth.Why do older people always forget what its like to be young?

The future is equally thrilling and terrifying

We are simultaneously faceless yet working towards that golden mask of unrealised 'time' and 'gains' from 'merit' and 'hard work'. The championing of Liberalism frightens me. In order to believe that people worked hard to be at the top, that they 'deserve' to be there, means by default, the people at the bottom deserve to be there too, it is a dangerously simplistic dichotomy to say the least

In the end, this whole idea of ourselves enduring constantly and forever is a myth, we will most likely, just like the billions before us, be forgotten. And rather than that being a pessimist view, I find it comforting. Even if you're working or not has been turned into a moral currency, you're a good person if you work and contribute, and simply bad if you simply don't. 

I am currently going through a bigger than realised at first stage of Funemployment, no one has what I have to offer, but I must believe that one day someone out there will look at my life summed up on paper, and be interested, mustn't I? 

What a curious way to run the world

So it goes.

All pics from Tumblr, Pinterest, general searches.

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Woodford Folk Festival

UPDATE! FOUND the amazingly talented illustrator behind the Woodford art, his name is Gavin Ryan, more here

Hoping to make it to Woodford this year!

Site here for more info/ tickets

The National folky down in Canberra is always good fun, just a wonderful atmosphere filled with a great mix of people

Woodford program and online art always makes me happy, computer so filled with it all

No amount of words or pictures can convey how warm and responsive people are. The local share economies that pop up when you've forgotten sunscreen or even shoes, your camping neighbours are always more than happy to oblige, always a great bunch of people

And look, they have Paper Lanterns! ^_^ (get it? haha, my 17 year old self came up with this blog title!)

So beautiful

All pics from Woodford site, and associated fb, pinterest accounts

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Geek Love by Katherine Dunn/ graphic novel

One of the best books ever written, would make for one of the greatest graphic novels ever, I will do this post on the off chance that someone comments/ messages me here on Paper Lantern and artists seriously interested in this endeavour can somehow get in touch with one another? It would make so many literary arty dreams come true?!

(Please note, this is meant as a massive fan post, I truly am delighted that so many artists have shared their works and interpretations of the characters and in return wish to display their work for more to see, if you are mentioned in this post and are worried about copyright infringement, please contact me via comments. ALL pictures have the artists site linked)

(above Laura Park, see below)

I put forth the idea (myself and many many many others) that Geek Love should be turned into a graphic novel. This would of course have to be in agreement with the book's wonderful author, Katherine Dunn who wrote this most brilliant of brilliant books over 25 years ago.

The characters and scenes are all depicted so well, and many artists have put forth their conceptions on their Deviant art accounts, Tumblrs and so forth.

above art by Laura Park her site is here

The above by Deviant art user Jandruff, link here

The above by Brandon Zimmerman link here

This wonderful watercolour creation, I cannot find the original artists name or site, believe me I've tried, please id you know this, link below

another Jandruff as above

modern-replica Deviant art link here

Here is AvatarRutger art based on the story too

It truly has the potential to be a great graphic novel style mix up, like the Sandman series, a combination of artists' work.

I have had these pictures saved on my computer for years and wanted to do a post hoping to probe the waters to see if there is anyone on the worldwideweb who would love to see this dream become a reality!

All pics credited as above

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Carey's Cave, Wee Jasper

Went out to Carey's Cave out in Wee Jasper yesterday, so beautiful! Really wonderful weather to complement the beautiful scenery of the mountains and forests out there

Site info here

The colours are mesmerising and they have lit the caves nicely, not garishly so you can have a great look around and see how far up they go in some places, and how sparkly they are in others

Found the above graffito, from 1879. This is particularly amazing because Australian federation only happened in 1901, and this little "was here" would have just been a fleeting moment for someone, and it is history today for us, it pre-dates the world wars as well, just to give it some perspective!

There are tables where kids can pick up and look at things to their hearts content

All in all, a good day!

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Australian Idle

Bread: Possibly a universal symbol of survival. Once upon a time, bread being a staple of the diet to fuel the long hours in the day (including the harvesting and milling of the very wheat in that bread) was tireless long work, and mills brought about the innovations of water and wind mills. 

People had their own private mills, then these got privatised by the church, the only group with money and power in many communities, and for a small fee, you could pay to use the mill and save yourself hours of work- literally "the daily grind"

But to save ourselves 'work' we have traded our time and labour in exchange for money to pay someone else to do the work which in the past would have taken hours and was a significant portion of the day.

However, self sufficiency, even the simplest of tasks such as baking a loaf of bread, on a small household scale these daily institutions are gone for the most part. Of course, we work long hours, have kids to care for, have homework and housework to do, but this way of doing things has for so long been pushed for consideration to be 'normal'

Consumption and damage levels to the planet are not something we can ignore for much longer. I kind of feel about climate change the way Pascal's Wager is presented. Though I am not religious, it is an interesting line of argument, so we might as well believe climate change is happening, as the consequences are catastrophic if we don't.

Adbusters have a bunch of graphics that condense information and lines of argument into one neat little infographic:

We care more about private property rights than our fellow humans and their rights. An example of this is what Australia is doing to it's asylum seekers, a protected international status. There are plenty of people in Australia working hard to help people who need us.

We are more suspicious of our fellow man than welcoming. Small scale intentional communities, Bush doofs and other festivals and ideas are wonderful initiatives, they provide a community and a sharing economy. When I was at Dragon Dreaming last year, everyone was hospitable to one another. Whether it was shoes, water, sunscreen, food, all you had to do was ask you neighbours. They are wonderful events that make you feel unity, however fleeting.

The above is probably my favourite graffiti in Canberra. It is all over the lane merges and signs. Someone even goes around giving the pedestrian crossing symbols elf shoes

Does anyone else ponder the concept of time a lot? It was Benjamin Franklin who first said "time is money" what a terrible way to view the world. We have been institutionalised to judge someone based on whether they are employed or unemployed, where they live, what they do.

We are all just trying to get through our day, not matter what we have to do:

Sometimes I wonder if this system and way of doing things is a massive course of:

The Idler magazine and the corresponding books How to be Idle and How to be free by Tom Hodgkinson are 2 of my favourites. There is a long favoured history of Idlers. The resentment towards the 9-5 is nothing new. In a country as lucky as Australia, the idea of true need is one that has escaped us. This is why I must get away from it all some days, the system drives me crazy.

Being out on Springbank Island, going to Gibraltar falls, or Carey's caves out in Wee Jasper always recharge the mind and the feeling of one's place in the world. Who wants a nice house and nice 'things' if no one can stand to be around you is my philosophy on life!

That, and a nice bonfire and perhaps a home brewed ale or cider, time to bake some bread and cut some apples!

Pics from Tumblr and Wiki Commons

Fellow Canberran idlers, do drop us a line here if ever you feel compelled :)

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