Current Projects



photo by Susan Gordon-Brown
The Holy Moly Masonic Temple, in the downtown historic blues precinct of Clarksdale, Mississippi, is my current project.  Revitalisation of the downtown area has been going on for a few years, fuelled by a cultural economy.  The masonic temple was purchased in September 2012, and plans are currently unfolding for its rebuilding.  Part of The Holy Moly will be an artists' residency, so that my partner, Carla, and I have somewhere to stay, as well  as for other visiting artists to the Delta.


As distinct from being the owner builder at Tasma House, I now find myself in a new role.  The property is now managed by me, as an exclusive group facility; and the redirection from family home with a few cottages for rent, into its current use, has taken round 2 years.  I find all major projects take me 2 years:  around 18 months of dreaming, talking, and making mistakes, and about 6 months of targeted effort.  Tasma needed a new direction as much as I did. Its purpose is now clear for the foreseeable future, yet I find it fascinating that it has found its future by looking to its past.  As modern individual nuclear families, we have almost forgotten the joys of extended family gatherings over long summers or lazy weekends, without a long list of "to do’s," with more time to just be, with your mob around you, enjoying the fun as it unfolds.  My project here is to facilitate others' desires for slow, beautiful, meaningful celebrations and gatherings, together with hosting events of personal interest.

Partnering with other Musicians
I love to play music. I can’t read it or write it, but that doesn’t stop me doing it. This extends to wanting to play with others.  There are many musicians along my journeys I have loved playing with, some as performance and some just to play.  In the last 4 years, I have gone through some profound life changes, which have made me look differently at what I want music to be in my life. Two years of busking on the street 3-4 times a week, sometimes with friends and sometimes on my own, have strengthened my understanding about where the fun bit is.  
Playing with others, with no prior knowledge of how the music will present in performance is both risky and rewarding, and like the Blues, both bitter and sweet at the same time.  So without it being a formal project, I try to indulge this side of me as much as time and other people allow.

Here are links to the people I am currently playing with:

Hosting/facilitating events at Tasma House:
*Hosting creative writing events in conjunction with the Words In Winter writers festival.
*Hosting songwriters weekends together with the Australian Songwriters Association. Click here to watch a video of a songwriters workshop previously hosted at Tasma House and Gardens.
*Facilitating retreats for artists of various disciplines, to inspire and encourage their creativity.
*Hosting international touring artists/facilitators for house concert events and workshops.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)