The Hobbit House...

Have you heard of Inhabitat?

Their catch phrase is 'design will save the world' which I love. They're worth a look when you have a spare minute (or 3 hours!) As stated on their website, Inhabitat.com is a weblog devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design towards a smarter and more sustainable future.

Here are some pictures that they posted recently about a home in the UK, rather aptly named The Hobbit House. It cost just 3000 pounds (and a lot of ingenuity) to build.

Banksy

I was catching up on some regular blogs last night and came across a post by Brooke at Boobooksausagedogs. It reminded me I had been intending to post about the very same artist for a while now. On the first day of my arts course we went exploring some of Melbourne's galleries and was introduced to Banksy's work (in the street not in a gallery). I had taken a photo of his graffiti in Melbourne and was going to post it - so at last - here it is.

Keeping his identity a closely guarded secret, the graffiti artist Banksy has made a name for himself with provocative images stenciled around the streets of London. This British street artist with an international reputation has also left his mark in a narrow Melbourne laneway... It's near a corner of a small alleyway just off Flinders Lane, between Degreaves and Swanston Streets.


Funny thing is, it has been valued at $400,000 due to the artist's notoriety! Melbourne council, in it's wisdom, have decided to cover (protect) the artwork (due to it's rumoured value) with a piece of perspex. Hmmm. This is totally against the intentions of the artist, and it is likely will do little to protect the original, but rather be the perfect surface for Melbourne graffiti artists to comment on the councils intellect.

I thought the Banksy website was interesting and I liked a lot of his work. It's worth a look if you are interested. There is a range of images of indoor and outdoor work and some films too. He even has a shop!

"Everything in the shop is free, simply download the file and process the artwork. This shop is for personal amusement only. Please don't use it to start a business. Thanks."

Regret is insight that comes a day too late...

The Queen of the Netherlands ship entered Port Phillip Bay just before 8am yesterday morning. Her arrival marks the imminent dredging of the bay, that for all their assurances, the government cannot possibly guarantee as environmentally sound.

Regardless of their continued talk, I don't believe them. I believe it is a disaster waiting to happen. I believe that it should not go ahead. I believe that the people who are elected to protect and support environmental issues (Peter Garrett, I'm talking to you) should be held accountable if they back down and allow this to go ahead.

Regardless of concerns from many quarters including transport, environmental, academic and community groups, I expect the dredging will go ahead.

Without doubt it is going to have an environmental impact on the area. Tearing up the ocean floor and dumping it elsewhere must have an impact. It is inevitable. There can be NO guarantees that all will be well.

Let us hope that in 10 years time (or 2 or 20) we do not look back and regret what has been allowed to happen despite our protests.

Picture from The Age website, 29/01/08. 'Regret' quote - anon.