Everything about Leigh Blackall

I was doing a teacher prac back in 2002 (or was it 2001? - I can't remember), and the art department there took a risk and let me run a class on stencil graffiti. The kids were great, producing some interesting work, and later that year I heard there might have even developed a stenciling street art culture around Mullum township and Byron Bay. Last time I visited (2008) I saw no evidence of this still existing though :( Anyway, here's a video I made of the day back then.

View Pisa in a larger map

Robin has had this place scoped for a while, so the weekend after the big snow day Shelagh, Robin, Sunshine, the dogs and I all head off for a look see. We stayed the night in a really nice little holiday house in Bannockburn, getting up long before the sun so we could start our way up a long steep route to the Pisa range.

I must admit, when I saw the maps, I had my doubts that Sunshine and I would make it up to a snow line, ski it and get back in one day, but Shelagh and Robin had packed for an over night stay in a hut up over the range on the Cardrona Cromwell Pack Track. That was a better plan as the climb to the snow line was too big for Sunshine and I in a day, seeing us turn back :(

It was a little disappointing to see the snow line wasn't anywhere near the 900m we had hoped, and the car pack was at 400m. Had we bought a 4WD along, we could have driven all the way to the snow line and into it! But the road was boggy in patches after the sun had melted the frost over it - the driving should be done early morning only I'd say...

The view we did get of the range and the bowls and valleys coming off it was enough to inspire a return.. but it is definitely a committing trip, and not one for less than 2 days.

It snowed all day across Dunedin yesterday. The town services closed down including the Polytech, so we could all go out and play.

And play we did! Skiing around the Peninsula! That's less than 200 metres above sea level!




View Dunedin Ski in a larger map

A Google Earth tour of Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics of New Zealand

Creative Commons Attribution - by Leigh Blackall for ITPNZ 2009
Using Google Earth and "Our Slanted Voices" by DoKashiteru on ccmixter.org

Heike and Leigh head out to Owakino, a little ski field in the Waitaki Valley of the South Island New Zealand. They found nice enough snow after the year's first falls in May!

Sunshine and I drove out through Palmerston and along the Pig Route to Dansey's Pass. We took the skis with high hopes, but as always they closed the road to the Pass way below the snow line :(

The hotel is a lovely quiet place to stay with good tastey food, a bar and a big open fire. The drive along the Pig Route is one of our favourites. And Palmerstone was a lovely place to stop and look around the second hand shops and antique stores.

Sunshine's an angel. She researched and organised a road trip for my birthday. Taking us down to Bluff and Invercargill, and back up through the amazing Catlins, stopping in on some really nice walks along the way. I had a lovely time Sunshine, inspired and refreshed. Thanks so much.

Photos


Video


Map (click this link for better detail on road routes)

View Dunedin to Bluff and back via the Catlins in a larger map

Click to Play

Media wikis make life hard sometimes. When all the other publishing sites work wonders to lower the bar, Media wiki keeps it right up there for us. This screen recording will demonstrate how I load images into a wiki page, using Wikieducator as an example. I also take into consideration copyrights, making sure to use an image with Creative Commons Attribution license, and to give it proper attribution. Its a complex task actually, but gets very easy with practice.

Music by Gurdonark

http://ccmixter.org/files/gurdonark/13243

http://ccmixter.org/files/gurdonark/20064

Speakers:

Maralyn Foureur

Caroline Homer

Nicky Leap

Ian Forbes

Caroline Homer

Clare Atkins

Sarah Stewart

Aaron Griffiths

Deborah Davis

NB. This is an old version. Version 2 is recently uploaded.

An audio documentary about the Second Life production of an ideal birthing unit.

Music by Gurdonark

http://ccmixter.org/files/gurdonark/13243

http://ccmixter.org/files/gurdonark/20064

Speakers:

Maralyn Foureur

Caroline Homer

Nicky Leap

Ian Forbes

Caroline Homer

Clare Atkins

Sarah Stewart

Aaron Griffiths

Deborah Davis

In Dunedin and the Otago region there is a controversial issue with a fight brewing, to build another rugby stadium instead of an Institute of Design.

StopTheStadium has documented an amazing break down in process regarding the stadium idea, to the point that most people here must think there is corruption in our local, regional and national government processes. I suspect it is more like shrewed business people taking advantage of public, media and administration blind spots while initiating the project, and using that to build up and create unstoppable momentum for their short sighted aims. In short, its a classic case of lobbying for a project where the gains are private and the risks are public.

I can't for the life of me see the worth of building an international grade rugby stadium down here, but I can certainly see the sense in developing the Institute of Design. It will certainly cost more to build the stadium than their spokespeople have publicly announced, and considering we can't fill the stadium that already exists, I don't see any evidence that another one will suddenly boost interest and sustain it long enough so as to fill the seats until the debt is paid off.. I might see the sense in an upgrade of the famous "Brook" though. Even if Dunedin did turn into the capital of the South with a population big enough and cashed up enough to be able to pay off the thing, I honestly can't see what improvement it will bring to Otago industry, business, education, imagination and over-all sustainability.

Another, far less controversial proposal is on the table at the same time. The Otago Institute of Design, but the public funding pegged for that is being pulled!? Even without knowing any more about the Institute than its name, it is far more obvious how such a thing would contribute to Otago's economic, industrial, business, educational and sustainable development.

Otago Polytechnic and Otago University are bringing their design departments together to form a new Otago Institute of Design. By pooling their expertise and resources they are creating a centre of excellence for design right here in Dunedin. This initiative will also take collaboration between design educators across NZ and the design industry to a new level, for instance, with their high-tech prototype and modeling facility that will be the most comprehensive currently available in Australasia.

But wouldn't you know it, the Federal Government looks set to withdraw their 12.5 million dollar loan to develop the Institute, instead directing their funds to the rugby stadium to the tune of 15 million!

I can't work this out. Rugby stadium / Institute of Design which one will have more bang for its buck when factoring in all bottom lines? When our local economy starts to feel the pinch of international trade and resource depletion, and we are in need of fresh and new innovation, what will help us? A game of rugby or a few thousand designers developing new technology and testing new ideas?

The only good thing I can think of about the stadium is that with its huge glass cover, it will make a great biosphere to grow the food in that we can longer import because the ships, trucks and trains needed new parts and different fuel.

This letter is sent to:
The Minister of Finance Hon. Bill English b.english@ministers.govt.nz
and Prime Minister, Hon John Key j.key@ministers.govt.nz
cc. Hon Anne Tolley, Minister for Education a.tolley@ministers.govt.nz

Final version of a short video for teh AKO Aoteoroa Best Practices Grant

Heike, Mike, Shelagh, the dogs and I went exploring over the weekend. Last winter I couldn't help noticing the great ski terrain on the southern end of the range that the Ohau Ski field is on. Our question was if access was possible.

Not only was access possible, turns out it is managed by the Department of Conservation and there is a well maintained track heading up through the bush from the end of Quailburn Rd. This road is the same road that runs to the tourist attraction signed "Clay Cliffs" and you pass it on the left on your way out of Omarama to Lake Ohau. It is only about 5 km out of Omarama.

Follow Quailburn Rd onto gravel, and continue through until you reach a old red house with a bridge on its North. Cross the bridge and drive through to park at the old shearing shed museum, where the track begins.

Map

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Photos

Researchers, midwives, architects and teachers talking about the birthing unit project. Unedited audio to be used in a video documentary about the making of the Virtual Birthing Unit in Second Life.

An exhibition opening for an installation I created in an apartment in Taipei 2001

Footage of an MRT ride in Taipei 1999

footage from the A-Bian rally in Taipai, part of the 2000 presidential election campaign in Taiwan

A recording of classical guitarist Yung Gwong Dow playing at a dinner party in Taipei. 2001