the visual architect.

DJ LEE.

Mon, 28 May 2012 01:46:47 +1000

DJ LEE.

The story about not knowing the story. Often, when taking an...

Mon, 28 May 2012 01:42:49 +1000

The story about not knowing the story.

Often, when taking an image, we are left wandering in the available information and wondering what context the image is in.

I found this truck in a street far less traveled in the culture hub of Fitzroy. There are no traces to where the cut-off tree was originally located, no sign of a driver, and definitely no indication to show how many hours, days or weeks the truck has been sitting stationary there. There may be little or no connection between the vehicle and the building beside it.

After closer inspection, and having no original intention to discover what the posters on the building say, a close up view of each reads:

Every child has the right to feel safe and to thrive. (Simply ironic that the tree on the truck has been cut short. Stunted growth or necessary pruning?)

Young men and women can change the outcomes of their lives with safe and trusting adults to guide them. (The parallel with the witches hat shows guidance, safety and caution)

There is no greater gift than the gift of learning. (Any space in the image with no information can be interpreted as a space of possibility)

Training needs to be engaging and fun. We learn the best when the heaviness of theory is translated into practice in ways that lifts one’s confidence. (There is no theory with the tree cut down and someone had to take action)

The garden of Jasper Mountain Eugene Oregon a safe place for unsafe children. Prime Focus Consulting is committed to supporting workers and carers create safety for children on three levels (the word level is an assumption); the physical… unfortunately the leaves have covered the rest here.

The final poster reads: random acts of kindness. creating hope.

The initial fascination came at the foreground, however the image has now provided a new layer at the background. There are two stories evident. But how many more are there?

As the story cannot be understood in its right context, there is a complete disconnection between the audience and the image.

The only appreciation I have in this image is that, as great as the tree may have been, the tree had gotten in someone’s way. Or in other words, it was all up in someone’s grill. Perhaps a portion of the branch fell on the side of the road and needed to be removed to provide a safe way of moving forward. Perhaps the roots weren’t deep enough and was on the verge of collapse. Perhaps the homeowner of the tree could no longer see beyond the branches of this tree outside of their living room window. Perhaps someone required more paper. Perhaps the purpose isn’t that significant, rather the outcome of the purpose.

Do you often find yourself in the same predicament? After uploading an image which speaks a thousand words, there are one million words returned? The million words may not be truth based solely on wrong context.

Perhaps an image can’t speak a thousand words. Perhaps the only words an image can convey is summed into a guessing game.

My guess is that that’s the beauty of a story. Someone has to share it.

I’m left wandering, and wondering again.

It’s Mother’s Day - make mum smile by sending her a...

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:58:18 +1000

It’s Mother’s Day - make mum smile by sending her a photo to laugh at!!!! With, sorry, laugh with!!!!

ANTI HERO, skates.

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:37:00 +1000

ANTI HERO, skates.

The story of the engagement.

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:33:59 +1000

The story of the engagement.

Sit. There’s plenty of chairs. Be still. Free from...

Sat, 12 May 2012 01:05:08 +1000

Sit. There’s plenty of chairs.

Be still. Free from disturbance, agitation and commotion.

The story from the peasant to the princess. Rosemary...

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:12:00 +1000

The story from the peasant to the princess.

Rosemary Maturan.

Psalm 23:6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Rosemary was born in Pasig Philippines.

In July of 1998 she moved to Australia with her mum and younger sister. She was excited and mesmerized at the prospect of being in a new country, and those same emotions followed through when she arrived. One of the things she misses is the authentic Filipino food, fish balls and puto bumbong (steamed rice in bamboo canons) from hawkers or what we know as “carinderias” – street traders selling food. Delicious would be an awful understatement.

She is proud of her history. Having been born in the slums, she knows what life is like having none or plenty. She has learned to be thankful eating only one meal per day.

When she was twelve years old, door knockers from a Christian church invited her to a concert called “Change of heart”. This event literally changed her heart and began as the stepping stone to pursue God and lead her in the direction He wanted her to walk towards. God had given her a purpose, and with that purpose, hopes and dreams.

One dream God gave her was that she would be given the opportunity to share the love of God to a dark-skinned community and this came to pass in 2007 when she went to her first international missions trip to Fiji. It was through an organization called House of Restoration. She connected the experience to God’s dream and promise, and this led her to trust Him more and more. Another prominent dream given to her was that she was on a stage in front of a sea of people. She has feelings of being overwhelmed, in a great way. She is hopeful that God would reveal more about what this dream entails.

Rosemary’s grandmother, Gregoria, or popularly known as “Lola Goring” was a beautiful and caring role model who taught her the Filipino tradition of honouring and respecting older people. Although her grandmother was strict, it was from a protective standpoint. Rosemary was not allowed to play with her older cousins for her grandmother feared she would get hurt physically.

Other notable role models who fall in line with her life’s calling include Heidi Baker and Mother Teresa.

Having lost her job last year, and in a season of trusting God more, she is using this opportunity to reflect and focus on the most important thing in her life – her walk with Him. She is seeking first His kingdom. This season has seen her be blessed in many ways – spiritually, emotionally and financially. She would like to thank her family at Stairway Church for extending their arms and being ambassadors of generosity, kindness and wisdom. God has worked through them to reveal to her that actions speak louder than words. She is forever indebted.

She continues her walk, content and amazed at His goodness.

Eitan Schlaks. Eitan, pronounced “ay tohn”, is a jack of all...

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:45:00 +1000

Eitan Schlaks.

Eitan, pronounced “ay tohn”, is a jack of all trades. He is a 23 year old self-publicist in the thick of running his own magazine, called Underscene. The purpose of the magazine is to commit to helping local artists strengthen their creative endeavours – particularly in the areas of skateboarding, design, music, photography, graffiti and dance. On top of this, he is a jack of all nations, half Chinese, half Austrian-Polish.

Born in France, he moved to South Florida when he was merely a one year old. Among his later interests in design and photography, he is most passionate about music. He plays the piano, guitar and drums. As the son of Stephen Schlaks, a US pianist, composer and record producer, it is a gift that flows effortlessly in his family.

As a fan of Robocop, his childhood dreams were to become a policeman.

He has been in Melbourne for only eight months. Initially, he didn’t like the city however it is growing on him. Prior to Melbourne, he was living in Singapore for two years. He is currently studying communication design at Swinburne University. His interest in graphic design began whilst working in a car shop back in South Florida in the year of 2009. He worked with a guy that spoke of the topic, and having no idea what graphic design was, Eitan quickly became drawn to it.

He grew up in the fast lane and learning things the hard way. The biggest blow occurred when he was 15 years old. On Jan 31 2005, his 22 year old sister Eva mysteriously got sick and within a week she passed away. There were no answers. She was his idol, influence and inspiration. Life seemed to go downhill from here. The challenges kept coming at full speed. These experiences have shaped him to respect the good, the bad and the ugly. Perhaps this may be a reason as to why he likes to take photos of rubbish bins, gutters and the sort, as it mirrors finding beauty in life’s onslaught of demons.

It was surprising to have him share such a difficult moment in his life, so bluntly and honestly.

He has eight tattoos that have significant meaning in various seasons of his life. The tattoo of Audrey Hepburn is one of his favourites.

If you are interested in investing in his publication, drop him a line at eschlaks@yahoo.com.sg

Change is tired of waiting. Giles Peyton-Nicoll. Time is...

Mon, 07 May 2012 21:48:32 +1000

Change is tired of waiting. Giles Peyton-Nicoll.

Time is valuable. It is one of our greatest gifts. The increase of social media continues to eat well into our time pie. Chances are that slowing down in likes and shares, tweets and updates, is very much out of any equation. Social media should complement our personal and business relationships, not rule it. Try de-activating our Facebook account for too long, and we are quickly out of social media events. Let’s be honest. We are strongly connected virtually, and weakly connected in person. The like button is not enough to show someone you care. The share button is not enough to sustain any relationship. We have to be there. Physically. “I don’t have enough time” is simply a cop out. We do have enough time. However we have to align them to the relationships we want to last.

Now which social media tool do I post this in? And more importantly, which relationships am I going to invest in?

CAKE! Event: Angelina Heart Cabrera’s dedication. Venue:...

Sat, 05 May 2012 19:32:00 +1000

CAKE!

Event: Angelina Heart Cabrera’s dedication.

Venue: Quat Quatta

Cake: Manilyn Theobald

MC: Jovie Alvarez & Jonathan Lopez

Music: Michael Yadao

necessity > consumerism

Fri, 04 May 2012 03:16:56 +1000

necessity > consumerism

Finding your passion. Do you remember a time when you had dreams...

Thu, 03 May 2012 14:53:50 +1000

Finding your passion.

Do you remember a time when you had dreams of becoming an astronaut, or scientist, or painter, or musician, or writer, or acrobat, or runner, or director, or designer, or inventor, or mathematician? Those passions never left, they waited for us to turn around and pick them back up, and start from where we left off. It is similar to running again for the first time in months, our muscles require regular exercise to be able to perfect and maximize our health and well-being. The most challenging and rewarding step will always be the first one. This fits right into the center of finding your passion. There isn’t an easy answer for “working” on your passion. This varies from person to person. Find it! There are strange turns, and dead ends, or even both! However, what would set those apart from those that are passionate is the ability to be humble and patient, continually learn and make a commitment over a sustainable period of time.

So maybe the question isn’t about finding our passion, maybe it is about remembering it. And then as Nike’s slogan says - just do it.

i don’t think you’re ready for this bokeh.

Thu, 03 May 2012 00:31:05 +1000

i don’t think you’re ready for this bokeh.

When life gets tough, keep chewing.

Tue, 01 May 2012 22:39:55 +1000

When life gets tough, keep chewing.

Goodness gracious, great balls of boulder!

Tue, 01 May 2012 22:36:00 +1000

Goodness gracious, great balls of boulder!

After exasperating a good chunk of the last twenty four hours...

Tue, 01 May 2012 16:10:15 +1000

After exasperating a good chunk of the last twenty four hours attempting to find words to accompany this image, I realized smiles are best served without the side dish. Smile to satisfy.

cake vs castle

Tue, 01 May 2012 12:02:08 +1000

cake vs castle

Caught unaware, or aware of being caught?

Tue, 01 May 2012 11:59:17 +1000

Caught unaware, or aware of being caught?

At arm’s length for now. Close to getting closer.

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:16:28 +1000

At arm’s length for now. Close to getting closer.

The markets and musicians go hand in hand in Melbourne.

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:45:12 +1000

The markets and musicians go hand in hand in Melbourne.