ARTIST & ACROBAT

"If you have a good time, it is for you. If the lights go out, it is for you. If you walk into a..."

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:38:00 +1000

“If you have a good time, it is for you. If the lights go out, it is for you. If you walk into a wall, it is for you. I’m not sure what all the fuss has been about.. Do whatever you want.”

"I would like to mark a moment: Kieran Law has done his first huge circus trick today. I stood on his..."

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:51:10 +1000

“I would like to mark a moment: Kieran Law has done his first huge circus trick today. I stood on his head 3 times without any help from a wall. It was solid.”

Hot off the office works press! :D

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:38:36 +1000

Hot off the office works press! :D

Acrobats down at a park in Malvern a month ago. Photo: Skye...

Wed, 09 May 2012 15:59:22 +1000

Acrobats down at a park in Malvern a month ago.

Photo: Skye Gellmann

Blindscape 19-27 May , Timeout - Town, Circus, Performance Art, Theatre, Theatre Previews

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:09:00 +1000

Blindscape 19-27 May , Timeout - Town, Circus, Performance Art, Theatre, Theatre Previews:

skyesarticles:

Immersive virtual soundfield, fragmentary acrobatics, ghosts and iPhones: this is circus the Skye Gellmann way

First published on 7 May 2012. Updated on 8 May 2012.

“It can be really heady, actually,” says Skye Gellmann about his latest hybrid circus work, Blindscape. Or,… (follow title link to original article)

Screen Skipping (by SkyeGellmann)

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:59:02 +1000

Screen Skipping (by SkyeGellmann)

How to stand out with the crowd

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:31:00 +1000

How to stand out with the crowd:

skyesarticles:

CAMERON PEGG

From:The Australian

April 24, 2012 12:00AM

Skye Gellmann, right, with Kieran Law at rehearsals for Blindscape, which benefited from crowd funding. Picture: Aaron FrancisSource: News Limited

BRISBANE artist Jason Bray is happy to… (follow title link to original article)

Some photos from our creative development. Like Blindscapes FB...

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:26:00 +1000

Some photos from our creative development. Like Blindscapes FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blindscape/150782484979276

Photo

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:24:51 +1000

Pole junky Skye Gellmann and Blindscape sponsorship rep Kieran...

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 18:07:35 +1000

Pole junky Skye Gellmann and Blindscape sponsorship rep Kieran Law throw down their challenger warning to all at tomorrows Australian Pole Fitness Championships!
Book tickets here: http://australianpolefitnesschampionships.com.au/

Gap Between Circus Artists & Venues

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:47:54 +1100

I would like to propose a new online venue directory for circus / highly physical art practice.

There are plenty of venues but I have a lot of trouble getting seasons beyond Fringe Festivals and it makes my practice unsustainable in Australia. Currently my personal venues list is obvious, lacking, and mostly unattainable for me: Malthouse, The Arts Centre, Powerhouse, Judith Wright Centre, Artshouse, PACT, Carriage Works, Performance Space, Sydney Opera House, Mona Art Gallery, 45 downstairs, Spiegel Tents, Red Bennies, Revolt, Substation.

I’m told to look on venue listing websites like creative spaces, but when I search term ‘circus’ only 6 venues come up in Victoria, 1 in NSW and none anywhere else are listed. Generally searching for a venue is hard. The information I need isn’t on their tech specs and I get wide eyes and half answers when talking to a venue about it’s fittings. I feel technically difficult, too weird, or not part of their creative vision. It is true that I am technically difficult and weird, but there is value in that, so why can’t I be part of a venues creative vision? This is what I think:

The main problem isn’t a lack of venues, but a communication gap between venues and circus artists.

I would like to start a conversation about how to fill the communication gap. A conversation about making circus / physical theatre part of the programming vision for venues.

To do this we need some tools at hand. One which would be most useful is venue directory. For the directory to work, we need lots of attention, otherwise venues wont sign up. We need to become sexy, but we also need to be solid. We need to be concrete.. Sexy Concrete! A few new ideas could help us get there: a circus industry awards night and a main stage circus venue (I think Gail from ACAPTA mentioned these 2 things to me at some stage and I agree with her).

An online directory needs to be made which specifically lists venues which are interested in circus / highly physical works. Venues need to be encouraged to be listed and state specifically what they have to offer. Likewise the directory needs to communicate to venues what myriad of possibilities we have to offer. Circus and physical theatre companies should work with ACAPTA or another body to build the venue directory by using their personal databases as reference, and also conduct research with the industry to find out what types of spaces are being sort after. A big update is required on Creative Spaces too. We need this new circus / physical theatre database to be hot property - For it to make us invaluable - it will. By simplifying the process for both venue and artists.

This value can be accumulated in other ways too. The circus industry awards night would raise the profile of circus in the public eye, as would a main stage circus venue with various sized theatres and spaces. Maybe our industry isn’t big enough yet for this venue (or maybe we just need the space to grow), but it should be part of our plan.

Circus shows should be on main stages ALL the time. Circus & physical theatre companies should be forging the new way. The underbelly and independents should also take suit and bombard Australia with it’s enormous talent and potential! And whatever you do, don’t make work which challenges anybody in any way, it will only confuse the dialect we are trying to create! (italic words are warmly ironic)

Lastly, there is one easy thing you can do: Create circus which is exciting and tell everybody about it! Go to arts events and opening nights. See theatre, dance, and other great art forms which get lots of playtime on all those great stages, and talk to people. Get your beautiful circus body seen in these places and call yourself a circus performer or circus director!

There are other facets to this situations like lack of rehearsal spaces, funding system issues etc.. Venues are what my intuition tells me to talk about about though. This is the start of the conversation. I would like to brainstorm new and stirring ideas for becoming sexy concrete and filling the communication gap!

Me/I is/am go/going too/to origin/land off/of ...

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:07:45 +1100

Me/I is/am go/going too/to origin/land off/of Sydney/Sydney tomorrow/to bean/be happy/gay tomato/tomorrow

I don’t know whats going on in the stars but everybody i...

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:59:06 +1100

I don’t know whats going on in the stars but everybody i bump into seems really messed up the last day or so. Take care of each other.

"… It’s a hard day when the internet doesn’t talk back…"

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 21:53:03 +1100

“… It’s a hard day when the internet doesn’t talk back…”

This is what happens when your todo list gangs up on you.. It...

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 15:18:06 +1100

This is what happens when your todo list gangs up on you.. It has babies in the form of postit notes..

And just now off camera, the babies are growing arms and legs.. Flowchart tentacles engulfing me.

Just updated my personal website

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 02:17:12 +1100

Just updated my personal website:

You may need to push SHIFT+REFRESH to see the changes.

GETTO AI MODIFICATION (NIKON F LENS 50mm 1.4 ON F100 BODY) Just...

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:52:00 +1100

GETTO AI MODIFICATION (NIKON F LENS 50mm 1.4 ON F100 BODY)

Just installed a Getto AI Modification on my circa 1970s Nikon F Lense (50mm 1.4).

I’ve only made one cut because this is all I needed for my Nikon F100 to take the lens. But there are other tutorials (see below) which will give you more details if you need to modify a lens fully.

What I’ve done:

(If there is one) Unscrew the Meter Coupling Prong (not in picture) from the side of the lens.

On your aperture ring, with a pencil, make a mark in line with the centre of your 8 aperture position. Then follow it around clockwise 53mm and make another mark. This is an approximate measurement so you might want to check this if you plan on doing a full modification (not getto f100 version).
Mask the whole lens with masking tape. You really really really don’t want aluminium flakes getting into your lens. Avoid this at all costs. Cover EVERY part of the lens.
Using a fine file remove about 1.5 mm off the aperture ring edge from f/8. I haven’t bothered doing the full 53mm length. I’ve only cut down 1.5mm at the 8 aperture side then slowly tapered the cut up.
Remove masking tape. Make sure no aluminium is left on the lens. Use scrap masking tape to remove aluminium flex with its sticky qualities! Fit to f100 and test!

NOTE: This version of the modification is the most dodgy way to do it. I did it this way because my lens screws were so stiff I couldn’t take it apart. Other tutorials can walk you through that process. I’m not sure if this will work for other Nikon lenses and bodies. One tutorial below gives you aproximate measurements for cuts on other sized lenses. You best find an AI version of the lens you want to modify and measure it yourself before you do anything.

A collation of some great AI Lens Modification sites:

http://www.zi.ku.dk/personal/lhhansen/photo/repair/aimod/aimod.htm

http://www.chr-breitkopf.de/photo/aiconv.en.html

http://www.aimodification.com/

After Thoughts: I read somewhere that this method was quite risky, but I think if you’re careful and have a steady hand you should be fine. You can do this in a few hours (with no experience). It only cost me $18 for the tools and tape.. Which isn’t that cheap, but at least I didn’t have to wait for parts in the post or send the lens off to an over priced repair shop. Just be really careful not to over cut as you can’t put the metal back on! Also, just so you know. This lens is metering 1 stops off on this body, so I’ve set the camera to compensate.

Skye

PS. I take no responsibility for how you use this information. You make this modification at your own risk.

"Wouldn’t it be nuts if EVERYTHING EVER POSTED on the internet went VIRAL!!!"

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:49:52 +1100

“Wouldn’t it be nuts if EVERYTHING EVER POSTED on the internet went VIRAL!!!”

- Skye Gellmann

Best photo from the roll I just had developed!

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 04:33:06 +1100

Best photo from the roll I just had developed!

"Did you know that birds are hands and hands are birds?”….. “No. But now I..."

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:18:55 +1100

““Did you know that birds are hands and hands are birds?”….. “No. But now I understand why Cat’s like my hands so much.””