SYMBOLS IN STONE - sculptor John Edgar interviewed on his art and the future amalgamation of galleries and museums

Auckland sculptor John Edgar celebrates a deep connection to Neolithic art forms

with his minimalist stone pieces, their timeless qualities not preventing him from

exploring contemporary themes in his exhibitions.  Prehistoric influences are

celebrated in the continuity between these ancient forms and the modern themes he

explores.

Edgar’s work is unique, so he says that describing it to someone who has never seen

his work is difficult if not impossible, lacking reference points of other artists.

35 years’ experience in sculpting – mostly stone but also metal and glass – has

meant Edgar can appreciate the way different stones can be shaped, so rocks are

chosen carefully to create a desired piece.  He uses rocks of a similar hardness if

joins are needed that a perfectly flush, grinding them down level.

Edgars exhibitions include “Digit”(fossil code and cyphers),

“Calculus”(investigation of mathematics), “Making Amends” (examining individual

and collective responsibility), “Lie of the Land”(portraying the relationship between

people and the land), and “Flags and Phases”.  Edgar speaks of an interest in

geomorphology and geology, and a desire to manifest the landscape in his pieces as

well as explore abstract concepts like mathematical operations in the Calculus

exhibition, and the digital age of information in “Digit”.

http://www.johnedgar.co.nz/

Public pieces, for example the large pieces in the Auckland Domain, are valued by

Edgar as everyone can interact with them.  Privately sold pieces in contrast have the

disadvantage of being unsure where they end up and how they are looked after.  That

is an advantage of putting pieces in the public domain in museums or galleries, John

says.  He does both public and private commission work, and the next exhibition is

scheduled for 2012.

Also, he contends that the separation between museums and galleries is an arbitrary,

artificial, and unnecessary one; and NZ should follow international trends to

amalgamate the two institutions into “art museums”.  There is art of ages past in

museums, and the separating of the two cultural institutions is not useful in his

opinion.

Edgar dislikes the distinction between art and craft, citing the plurality of the

modern art work.  “Creativity is the most important thing in the world.”

 Edgar is a timeless craftsman working in an ancient medium to communicate and

explore contemporary themes and issues.  He prides himself on creating pieces that

are “parts of the world”- manifested in fragments of stone - to travel into the future

and confront future audiences, challenging them to create their own interpretations

 

of them.

Stone has a certain longevity as a medium, so Edgar’s works will be around for

millennia, just like the creations of prehistoric man are a legacy of their time, his of

ours.

GNS SCIENCE KEEPS CLOSER EYE ON “BLIND FAULTS”

GNS Science is involved in monitoring, modeling, and community resilience for earthquakes; and has intensified its monitoring of seismic activity in Canterbury since the September earthquake.  Neither the September quake nor the 6.3 magnitude earthquake on February 22 was on the main south island "alpine fault", occurring instead on previously unmapped subsidiary faults.

GNS Science increases understanding of earthquakes by identifying faults and measuring tectonic-induced movement in the earth's crust. It also describes earthquake locations and investigates the behaviour of New Zealand's many on-land faults. Permanent earthquake monitoring networks include both seismographs and strong-motion sensors.  Seismographs measure the magnitude, location and characteristics of earthquakes.  Strong-motion sensors monitor buildings, bridges and infrastructure to ascertain how structures perform in earthquakes.  A strong-motion sensor measures ground acceleration, and is not as sensitive to ground movements as are normal seismic instruments. However, they remain operating during the strongest seismic shaking.

In addition, GNS Science operates a national network of GPS stations that measure slow micro-movement in the landscape due to tectonic forces. These instruments help to pinpoint where strain is building up or being released in the Earth's crust.

Modeling work predicts the likely effects of large earthquakes on the community.  This underpins their work in community resilience, "developing design requirements and engineering solutions to protect buildings and infrastructure, and improve survival rates".

John Callan, spokesperson for GNS Science, says the Canterbury monitoring network consisted of about 30 strong-motion sensors and 12 seismographs prior to the September earthquake.  An additional 20 to 30 temporary seismometers were added after the first earthquake.  "And after the magnitude 6.3 quake of 22 February, we installed a dozen more instruments around Christchurch and the Port Hills," Callan stated. Denser instrument networks provide more precise information on the location, depth, and size of aftershocks.

GNS Science also provides the background seismology data that is incorporated in the New Zealand building code. At this stage, however, "it is too early to say" whether building codes will be reviewed and upgraded in the wake of the Christchurch earthquakes.


Mapping of South Island faults hindered by complex systems and geological complexity:

The alluvial river sediment overlying the tectonic plates in much of the South Island - particularly in the Canterbury region – hinders seismic mapping of the unknown faults, observes Dr Barry Brennan of University of Auckland Geophysics department.  “There is a network of ‘blind faults’ hidden under the younger alluvial (river-carried) material”.  Brennan further states that earthquakes behave as complex systems, much like the global climate does.  ‘Complex’ systems exhibit “non-linearity” - large outputs for tiny inputs - the main consequence being hindering their predictability.  For example a tiny shift of a plate boundary could have largely amplified consequences in a far-flung location.  An implication of this, Brennan admits, is that there could be not just practical but also theoretical limits to the science of earthquake prediction.   He agrees that a denser monitoring network will aid in prediction, however.

Christcurch company Roam3 is developing an early-warning system using the faster, non-destructive, P-waves from quakes to trigger mobile phone warnings 3 seconds prior to imminent activity. (As reported in Herald, March 10) Civil Defence rescue teams are currently trialing a prototype of the system, which they claim could ultimately give people several minutes warning of a rupture.  Brennan agreed there was a benefit to be had from early monitoring systems.

The Arabs Awakening to Operation Odyssey Dawn- the devolution of the democratic dream

This is something I wrote during the Arab Spring. Still topical however, with the RE-revolution in progress in Cairo today...Better than “Infinite Justice”, the name Bush gave to the Afghanistan occupation, objected to by Muslims due to the idea that only Allah can give infinite justice.  Their mistake was taking Bush’s overblown rhetoric literally – if you take “Odyssey Dawn” as an emblem of the newly named- “Arab Awakening”, the dawn waking them to the democratic dream is a bloody sky filled with fighter jets and cruise missiles.
So here we go again.  Kuwait, Kabul, Baghdad. Now Libya suffers a US-led bombardment.  The UN resolution was passed last Thursday to allow “all necessary measures” employed to prevent the maddened dictator continuing his politically motivated genocide.  That’s why they’re there, honest.  It’s not about stabilising oil prices, it’s mere coincidence that the NY Times reported a DROP in oil prices directly after the resolution was passed. That the markets adjust so rapidly to the internationally sanctioned attempt to restore stability to the region shows how much the Libyan strike is motivated by economics rather than the abstract ideals of Freedom and Justice claimed by Obama.  He rallied under the peacenik banner, and vowed withdrawal from Afghanistan, now he extends the US further into the mire of the post-millennial Middle East.  It is highly doubtful that he wants to engage the US in a “long, bloody, and fruitless” conflict, as Gaddafi promises it to be.  Costs of eliminating the Libyan air force ran to US$800m, and the US is still having trouble withdrawing from the mess they made of Iraq’s post-Saddam power vacuum.
Believe the lies of the Pentagon PR machine and you will also believe what we were told about the fighter jet fiasco with the two US soldiers parachuting into Libya and rapidly rescued by heavy artillery over-kill. In true American style, two 225kg bombs dropped either side of the pick-up point to ensure a “safe” rescue were requested by the soldier, as he was paranoid about the approaching soldiers with weapons.  No mention of whether they were killed, or even whether they were loyalists or rebels. ”Friendly fire” takes lives in every conflict, and usually the combatant s are far more distinguishable.  In an internal conflict like this, how many rebels will be killed by coalition forces mistaking them for Gaddafi loyalists?   Obviously an American life is valued so much higher than Libyans of either side, so the bombs were dropped.  Poignantly, the soldiers were rebels and approached the soldier hugging him and thanking him for bombing the loyalists.  I wonder if they are so thankful for the coalition now their fields are flattened by trigger-happy “GI Joe” paranoia?  Welcome to democracy with cluster bombs from the sky, red white and blue.