Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The Plastic Wave

Back in Sydney after a very wild time in Timor Leste. Didn't take the board with me in the end because when I consulted with 
the President's Office staff they told me there was no surf in the country. From what I can gather it's all over in West Timor but I 
did feel as if I'd missed out as I watched all the surfers load up their sticks at Denpasar airport. Among them was Steve 
Ormandy from Dinosaur Designs who said he'd had some of the best surfing ever in Bali - and he's been there heaps over the 
decades I've known him.

Meanwhile I was hanging out with the inspirational Jose Ramos Horta driving in a massive convoy through the remote border districts
promoting peace and unity and generally trying to be a tourist in a place that's really not ready for tourism yet. 

Every Friday morning the Prez goes down to his local beach in Dili with all his staff and does a massive
clean up job, watched over by the beefy Portuguese United Nations Guarde National with their dark sunnies and security ear-pieces
marking them out from the crowd.

You could make a major installation from all the plastic that he and his posse collect each week in their efforts to inspire local pride
in place.

Liane Rossler (Steve's co-director of Dino Designs) sent me this link of a work by surfing artist Kathleen Egan from San Francisco's Ocean Beach
which highlights the issue of pollution in the waves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq0jXNq-lSY


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