Stupid question from an American: how do you do the whole mandatory voting thing without an address?
In federal elections it is not compulsory to vote if you have no fixed address (and in most state elections, but WA and SA are the exceptions). You can still enrol and vote though. There are a few rules to determine which state and electorate you are eligible to vote in. Australian Electoral Commission info page
Wow, that’s a pretty thorough way to make sure anyone who wants to vote can
This is shit. I’m glad he at least has the van but not even being able to join a library…
I love this style of art, and it’s a beautifully written article. Would like to know where I can get some of it, but I can’t seem to find any more info about him. There’s a Michael Koren who makes bendy wooden spoons and a Michael Koren who is a musician, but I can’t find this guy.
From the article, it doesn’t sound like he’s the sort of guy who would have much of an internet presence. The only service he can probably access is cellular, and out where he’s at might only have Telstra, maybe Optus. He doesn’t have an address, so he likely can’t get a postpaid plan. Aldimobile probably has the best prepaid deal on Telstra’s network, $59/month for 175GB.
But also, I think he might just prefer physical mediums. If that’s the case, he probably has no way to scan them to put on the internet. Remember, the local library won’t let him join without an address. He sketches on A3, a scanner that big would probably be really cumbersome to keep around in a van that small.
All of which seriously sucks. You’re right, his art is really good, and I wish I could buy a print online to support him a bit
I think he’s the bendy spoons guy; they both talk about north Queensland, and the spoons guy worked with fallen wood. But it doesn’t seem like the spoon guy has produced much in the past few years, which might coincide with him moving into his van.
I also found this listing [ https://creativeriverina.com/listing/wandering-artist-group-michael-koren/ ] which I suspect is also the same guy; it has photos of a couple artworks and a couple bendy wood pieces. It’s not clear that anything is for sale, but he lists “artistic services” and has an email, so you might drop him a line if you’re serious.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
That’s a 1x3 metre metal box on wheels, full of my tools, books, clothes, bed, gas stove, water drum, deep cycle battery and solar panel, food drum and cardboard box full of beans, rice, olive oil and spices; my children’s drawings from when they were little and about 300 A3 drawings done with black biro I’ve done over these homeless years.
When summer comes, even in tree shade (which can be hard to find or perilous to park under) the metal of the van becomes so hot it’s uncomfortable to touch.
I would like workspace – I have a lot of craft and art skills beyond drawing in a pad with a black biro and have used them to support myself and others in my life.
There are three sorts of weed in the creek – one that likes to mat the shallows, a small crimson fern-like thing, and Salvinia, the most prolific, which colloquially fits into the duckweed category.
Where I usually go to dip the tubs in was full of Salvinia weed again, stained with oil and the floating carcass of a big water dragon.
I imagined local and travelling artists could utilise these spaces, where art is responsive, immediate, accessible and in the act of creation; alive.
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