Tuesday 13 September 2011
Saturday 10 September 2011
Bright Sparkes Event - it all unfolded wonderfully!
Sparke Street seems very quiet this morning ... I wonder if everyone is as exhausted as me? The street event was great and it all went off without a hitch. So many adults and children appeared on the street once the council barricades went up. Groups clustered around the kids party at the northern end and then slowly gravitated towards Paul's barbecue in the middle of the street, enticed by the smell of sausages and onions. Talking about sausages - thanks to the local Georgetown butcher who donated them, and to Tammy for chopping the onions!
There were people from Sparke Street, other locals, friends and family members and many interesting tales were narrated of life in the street. I overheard stories of conflicts in the 1930s over the Catholic/Protestant divide, the types of work people have in the street (jockeys, police, nurses, etc) and I really enjoyed meeting the family that used to live in my house. Those children found it very strange to come inside and see odd furniture in 'their' house!
Kids charged around the semi-darkness on their bikes and scooters and people strolled along to admire the many variations of lanterns and decorations. The lanterns looked fabulous although the southerly breeze was doing its best to snuff out the candles (note to self: use battery operated LEDs next time).
If there was a prize for the best lantern, it would have to be awarded to Betty for her masterful creations. Thanks, Betty for getting right into the spirit!
It was fantastic to see artist Ken O'Regan come along to see the results of his workshop twirling in the breeze and I look forward to seeing his photos. In the meantime, here are a few from me ... thank you Sparke Street for a truly memorable night!
There were people from Sparke Street, other locals, friends and family members and many interesting tales were narrated of life in the street. I overheard stories of conflicts in the 1930s over the Catholic/Protestant divide, the types of work people have in the street (jockeys, police, nurses, etc) and I really enjoyed meeting the family that used to live in my house. Those children found it very strange to come inside and see odd furniture in 'their' house!
Kids charged around the semi-darkness on their bikes and scooters and people strolled along to admire the many variations of lanterns and decorations. The lanterns looked fabulous although the southerly breeze was doing its best to snuff out the candles (note to self: use battery operated LEDs next time).
If there was a prize for the best lantern, it would have to be awarded to Betty for her masterful creations. Thanks, Betty for getting right into the spirit!
It was fantastic to see artist Ken O'Regan come along to see the results of his workshop twirling in the breeze and I look forward to seeing his photos. In the meantime, here are a few from me ... thank you Sparke Street for a truly memorable night!
More media
A nice mention in The Newcastle Star:
http://www.newcastlestar.com.au/eventdetails/bright-sparkes/55866.aspx
http://www.newcastlestar.com.au/eventdetails/bright-sparkes/55866.aspx
Wednesday 7 September 2011
Monday 5 September 2011
Glowing Lanterns
Ken O'Regan sent me this image of his prototype lanterns glowing in the dark:
I can't wait to see Sparke Street illuminated with everyone's creations.
Sunday 4 September 2011
Lantern-making: what fun we had!
The lantern-making workshop on Saturday was a great success! So many Sparke Street residents appeared - at least for a cuppa, scone and a chat - and most joined in the workshop to learn about the fine art of lantern-making, led by Ken O'Regan and Marly. A few people, originally convinced that they couldn't possibly make a lantern, DID make a lantern and were very happy to take home their creation of cane, greaseproof paper, tape, PVA glue and string.
Some great stories came out of the gathering - tales of people who had lived in various Sparke St houses in the 1930s and another story of a family of 8 squashed into a 2 bedroom home - cosy! Much of the conversation was just about getting to know one another so Sparke Street, which has always been friendly anyway, will be even more neighbourly.
We guess that at least 30 people came along and certainly in excess of 30 lanterns were made. A production line emerged - a few guys seemed to particularly enjoy the engineering side of the cane armature while others were happy to get smeared in PVA glue and cover the cane with greaseproof paper. As the day progressed and confidence increased, people became more creative and innovative with their designs. So we ended up with lots of beautiful cottages but also with a tee-pee, stars and the ubiquitous outside dunny, with redback spider, of course! People adorned their cottages with pencil-drawn carpentry, shrubs, flowers, pets and solar panels.
Thank you to Jenny from City of Newcastle who popped around to enjoy the scene. A BIG THANK YOU to Ken and Marly for their fantastic preparation and patient guidance in lantern-making techniques. And a very, very BIG THANK YOU to Tammy, Paul, Alice and Tom for the use of their backyard!
We're really set for a fun night next Saturday 10th September 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM.
Here are some pix:
All images: Carolyn McKay or Brian Joyce
Some great stories came out of the gathering - tales of people who had lived in various Sparke St houses in the 1930s and another story of a family of 8 squashed into a 2 bedroom home - cosy! Much of the conversation was just about getting to know one another so Sparke Street, which has always been friendly anyway, will be even more neighbourly.
We guess that at least 30 people came along and certainly in excess of 30 lanterns were made. A production line emerged - a few guys seemed to particularly enjoy the engineering side of the cane armature while others were happy to get smeared in PVA glue and cover the cane with greaseproof paper. As the day progressed and confidence increased, people became more creative and innovative with their designs. So we ended up with lots of beautiful cottages but also with a tee-pee, stars and the ubiquitous outside dunny, with redback spider, of course! People adorned their cottages with pencil-drawn carpentry, shrubs, flowers, pets and solar panels.
Thank you to Jenny from City of Newcastle who popped around to enjoy the scene. A BIG THANK YOU to Ken and Marly for their fantastic preparation and patient guidance in lantern-making techniques. And a very, very BIG THANK YOU to Tammy, Paul, Alice and Tom for the use of their backyard!
We're really set for a fun night next Saturday 10th September 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM.
Here are some pix:
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