Sandwich Mountain

2011-10-20T04:26:00.002-05:00

And some more adventures in Port Headland...

Still galavanting

2011-10-20T03:59:00.009-05:00

Those lucky Littles are certainly getting the grand tour over in the West. They've just come back from a conference in Kununurra where it looks like they were put up in the perfect Little's house.

They also modelled for a Lomography workshop at Midland Atelier...

and got to have a poke around the studio....

... and check out some of the machinery

They're never going to want to come home at this rate.

(that baby must be due sometime soon tho....aaaaw, a little Little)

The Little's hit the West Coast

2011-06-29T03:58:00.005-05:00

Well after being shoved in a box and left on a shelf for the last 6 months, these Little's are pretty happy to be out and about again. They're having a bit of a sleepover at FORM in Perth. Here they are at FORM, fresh off the plane...

Admiring the sculptures by Violet Samson at Form's Gallery...

And checking out the art scene further afield at the Courthouse Gallery in Port Headland (and looking fine in a swanky new yellow jacket!)

The way to the cherry blossom?

2010-07-22T06:07:00.007-05:00

Up close and personal with pourers

2009-08-05T22:15:00.007-05:00

The Little's spent quite a lot of time getting up close and personal with the towering pourers in the collectors cabinet at Object Gallery....

And then Tragedy struck....

2009-08-05T22:10:00.002-05:00

Despite the warnings of Object staff not to go into the enclosure, this over zealous little recruit ran into a little trouble on his first tour of duty....

He'll be buried with full military honours of course....

Conversations at Sabbia

2009-08-05T21:59:00.008-05:00

Some of the Littles were lucky enough to make it to the opening of Conversations at Sabbia Gallery. Here they are checking out some of the work...

A Little Littles' plug!

2009-07-08T23:36:00.005-05:00

A fun little plug for the Littles in Sydney at Object Gallery, with a little help from the Sandwich Mountain Choir...check it out!

The first of the Southern Adventures

2009-07-08T05:13:00.009-05:00

Well its another week before the Australian Ceramics Triennale starts and instead of kicking around the gallery these Little's (with the help of Jessica from Object!) hightailed it out to the Blue Mountains to soak up some of that lovely Southern scenery.

They stayed in a lovely B&B, checked out the Three Sisters and had Devonshire Tea at the Hydro Majestic.

Not a bad start to the southern adventure at all! Thanks Jessica!

A trip to Sydney!

2009-07-01T17:13:00.013-05:00

Well its all hustle and bustle around here at the moment as the Little's prepare for a visit, en masse, to Object Gallery in Sydney for the Australian Ceramics Triennale. A quick group shot before boarding their fancy carriage for Old Sydney Town, and they were off!

They'll be at Object from July 10th to 26th, and the nice folk there will be taking them out on some adventures around the city and the Triennale venues, so keep your eyes out for them!

These Little's below just couldn't resist showing off their new swimsuits and soaking up some of the winter sunshine down by the Brisbane River before heading off to chilly Sydney. Hope they packed a coat.

A quick trip to Bunnings

2009-07-01T17:11:00.005-05:00

The Little's go to Washington!!

2009-01-21T00:22:00.020-05:00

It's been a big week for these Little's....

They went on a holiday to the USA and you'll never guess who they met on the train.....

They really hit it off with Mr Obama and Mr Biden, who invited them to Washington for the inauguration ceremony....

They even got invited to take a stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue with the President and the first lady....

What a day!

Trees

2008-11-18T20:49:00.011-05:00

"Gee...these are funny looking Christmas trees!" said the Littles.

"But where are the presents?!" said baby Little.

"Maybe they are just Kenji's crazy seaweed trees after all!"

And they all stood around chuckling....

They had a strange feeling they were being followed....

2008-09-24T05:40:00.003-05:00

The Little's go to the moon!!

2008-08-30T23:47:00.003-05:00

The Littles hit the big time in Brazil

2008-06-21T04:07:00.004-05:00

Kenji and I haven't had a lot of time lately to play around with the little people. But despite our neglect it seems they've been doing ok on their own, starring in this little feature in a Brazilian magazine called GLOSS. We have absolutely no idea what it says about them or us, but we're thinking we might just have to send them over to Brazil for a visit now. A little time on the beach...a bit of dancing...I better whip up a bikini or two for them!

Konnichiwa from Japan!

2008-05-07T04:00:00.013-05:00

Recently, we went to Japan for another adventure! As soon as we arrived, people wearing black and white suits escorted us to some public transport. They were very kind.

It was very easy to get to Osaka castle, thanks to our guide!

Mum loved the spring time flowers.

We attracted attention wherever we went - they seemed very interested in people from overseas - and I think we are cool too.

We made it to Tokyo!

What an adventure we had in Japan!

Here there and Everywhere

2008-03-14T01:03:00.021-05:00

Well these little fellas have been on quite the adventure! Many moons ago they were posted over to Rome to have some fun with Anna Davern while she was adventuring around Europe. Unfortunately, due to an inconvenient public holiday and a tight time frame, she was unable to intercept them and they languished at the post office for months before eventually being returned to us.

They then languished in my studio for another few months until Ms Davern turned up right here in Brisvegas to reclaim them....where they then languished at her house in Melbourne for another few months.... until they were brought out for the whiz bang opening of her show Nukk at Seventh Gallery, and got up close and personal with the art, and even met some characters littler than them...

After all this languishing I'm guessing they were pretty happy to be getting out and about....even if it meant being slobbered on by a big black dog called Humphrey!!

They're gonna spend some time down in Melbourne with Anna so keep your eye out for them you Melbournians, you never know where they might turn up....

untitled

2008-02-08T05:59:00.000-05:00

A Little Tragedy

2008-02-04T03:35:00.004-05:00

It’s been a while between updates here at Sandwich Mountain. There was a terrible tragedy, and its only now that we feel we’re able to talk about it.
Here’s what happened.

While travelling up in Northern Australia last year, the Little’s set off on a day trip to the beach. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and the ocean was a glittering sea of blue...

Dad had a little dip, and then they sat on the water’s edge enjoying the sunshine and the peace and quiet...But unbeknownst to them, the tide was fast coming in. Dad climbed up a hill and looked out over the roaring torrent of water that had carved a river through the sand, blocking their only route of return...
There was nothing for it but to go down and try to find some way across. They trudged along the edge of the river for hours, looking for a shallow place to cross.

Mum and Kiddy Little could go no further, so Dad did his best to make a boat from an enormous leaf that had dropped to the ground.

They pushed off into the river but soon found themselves swallowed up by the raging torrent, their little boat sunk and destroyed.

Dad, in a valiant effort, managed to drag mumsy and Kiddy Little across to the other side of the river and haul them up onto the edge. They were safe. P-H-E-W!!!

But that’s when the real tragedy struck. As they lay there gasping for breath, a hungry little North QLD crocodile jumped out of the water and bit Mums foot clean off. We won’t show you photos of that though. They’re a bit too gruesome.

Dad and Kiddy Little managed to fight off the beast and drag Mum to safety before she was eaten entirely. They flagged down a passing four wheel drive and took her to hospital where she’s been recuperating for the last few months and learning to get around on her one remaining foot.

It was a tragedy indeed. But on the bright side, at least she’s still with us.

Hungry Little People!

2007-10-08T02:20:00.001-05:00

Little people hit Japan!

2007-08-22T21:14:00.000-05:00

A day at the beach

2007-08-21T01:55:00.001-05:00

2007-06-14T01:19:00.000-05:00

A brand new batch!

2007-06-14T00:09:00.001-05:00

We've been busy little bee's slipcasting and firing and decal-ing our little folk. So here's the latest little gang, 3 of whom are going to be jetting overseas tomorrow for some adventures with Melbourne jeweller and garage sailor extraordinaire Anna Davern. So the next month or so should see some interesting photos back with two sets of Littles travelling the world!

And yes fashionistas, that is a Dolce & Gabbana shirt, complete with mini logo. He is going to Rome so we thought we better dress him up a bit fancy!! These two Littles are stylin all the way!

Speaking of stylin...it doesn't get much more stylish than the Brisvegas football team right.....!!?? Say hello to Bronco Little. This group should be interesting travel buddies me thinks.

And last, but certainly not least.....Lance Corporal Little, security and surveillance. Keep a sneaky eye out for this fella....

Bad Influence

2007-06-01T01:31:00.000-05:00

So here we are trying to bring the Little People up to be good law abiding, cultured citizens and look what they're getting up to behind our backs. We wandered the streets searching for them everywhere and finally found them in a bar being led astray by bad people drinking beer.

In a desperate attempt to save them (particularly HER!) I had to down that beer immediately to get them out of there! They were exhausted from trying to tread water in that glass for all that time (particularly hard when you have a straw or two stuck up your leg I imagine).

And then for some reason as we were heading home on the train I had such trouble focussing the camera…..weird.

Anyway, we’re a little worried about the people they’ve been hanging out with lately so we’ve decided to send them away to get a bit of culcha. Kenji and I were really looking forward to going to the Venice Biennale this year but have selflessly given our tickets away to them in the hope that it will straighten them out and help them develop a deeper appreciation of some of the finer things in life. They’re going to be chaperoned by one of the most sophistimicated brisvegas ladies we know too, so there’ll be no more shenanigans in the pub for these two.

Look out Venice…..here they come!

Full of curiosity

2007-05-31T20:30:00.001-05:00

At the gallery opening, the Little People had lots of other adventures (captured by Jim). They found a huge birds nest made of porcelain (by Shannon). They kept looking at that nest for a long time. I guess that bowl made them calm.

Next, they faced a dangerous situation.The smallest Little Person was nearly bitten by a crocky! "Watch out!!!"

It's up to you to decide what happened to the smallest Little Person...I think the crocky just wanted to sniff them!

Next, they had an interesting situation.
"What's happening with her.........?"
"Not sure........?"

The Little People are a bit obsessed by playing with things that are hanging. They kept saying, "How can I get that??" I don't know if they ended up reaching it.

Next, the Little People Dad started on his own journey. The rest of the family said, "Where are you going Dad!!!??? Dad didn't have an answer.......!

They had so many interesting experiences in a short amount of time, even before their sleepover with Jim began! (Jim's sleepover adventures coming soon...)

It was just in time!!!

2007-05-27T06:13:00.001-05:00

Recently we took some Little People to the Craft Queensland opening called Queensland New Design. The Little People had know idea why so many people were standing and chatting and drinking in the same room. They could only stand where they were put. Because of their size, someone who didn't notice them nearly stepped on them. But luckily someone spotted them and said, "Stop! Something's down there!!"

Finally they became safe and also they understood about the happening in the room. Perhaps they are still cranky with us. Sorry!! That was a big night for them. It wasn't just a night out, it was their first gallery opening and sleep over with someone they didn't know. In Japan we have saying about kids. "If you love your children, send them on a journey." Let the Little People's journeys begin!
Thanks to Jim for taking the photos.

A New Beginning

2007-05-23T00:19:00.001-05:00

Thanks for visiting Sandwich Mountain! We’ve re-posted the original adventures of the Little People below (just to keep it all neat and tidy), and we’ll be documenting their ongoing adventures in this blog. Meanwhile, here's a peak at the latest Little's, fresh out of the kiln....

More Play

2007-05-22T23:56:00.000-05:00

Kenji and I were talking earlier this year about wanting to become a little more playful with our work. It’s so easy to take it all too seriously. It all becomes about meeting deadlines and rushing things through kilns, and all the other million things we have to do to keep afloat, that sometimes you can forget about the importance of just playing with a material and playing with ideas. So we decided that this year we would try to make sure we get a bit more play in there, a bit of experimentation, without it having to be FOR anything other than our own indulgence. Often this is where the best new ideas come from anyway. This Little People Project has become an outcome of that discussion.

We worry a little that we are too easily amused, as we roll about laughing at a miniature porcelain figure trapped under a slab of butter (see below), but it’s surprising the number of offshoot ideas we have had as a result of these (seemingly frivolous and immature) exercises, and the number of interesting conversations that have arisen about perception and interpretation and scale and everyday objects. This week we took them to our local supermarket. Things got a bit hairy in the dairy aisle, but after a panadol and a quick lie down he was feeling much better.

Originally posted by Mel on Feffakookan 29/04/07

Sandwich Mountain

2007-05-22T23:53:00.000-05:00

Recently I saw our little people at the coffee shop in the middle of the day! It's so funny - as soon as Mel put them down, the coffee shop became a huge landscape. It was surprising! Our little people in an everyday setting, suddenly made something really normal become really unusual! It's a human wonderland!

Sandwiches became huge mountains. Instead of eating them, I think they wanted to climb them! Thanks for letting us play at the coffee shop Jacqui!

Originally posted by Kenji at kamenendo 21/04/07

Little People

2007-05-22T23:48:00.000-05:00

As I've said before, I love doing hand building. But I've also always wanted to try slip casting. So recently I made these figures to see how the slip casting would go - and they came out quite well! Mel and I decided to experiment with them....and she made them look cool!! (see below) It's amazing how different each one is. You can imagine they each have some kind of interesting story - and there is a loveliness about them. Actually, I like watching people's reaction when they look at my work. I can see the difference and similarity between them through their reactions, and a little bit of their stories. It's really interesting! I'm going to keep updating the Little People's Little Project....so stay tuned!

Originally posted by Kenji on Kamenendo 11/04/07

Change the colour of your day!

2007-05-22T23:22:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid there was a commercial on TV for a very yummy chocolate covered bar of honeycomb that just melted in your mouth. The commercial started off in black and white, grey and drab, but when the hip young things in seriously bad 80s outfits, with dubious dance moves and even worse hairstyles bit into the chocolate bar, everything turned bright and colourful, life was good…"change the colour of your day" was the catchy jingle they sang. When Kenji’s little folk (pictured above, about 5cm tall) came out of the kiln, this commercial from the eighties started playing in my head (a little worrying) and I was overcome by an incredible urge to change the colour of THEIR day. Kenji was very obliging so I whisked them away, pulled out my pile of decal scraps and dressed em up! They now sit next to my computer, and freak me out a little bit! They just seem so totally confused in a blank robotic kind of way. We have a few adventures in store for them however….so stay tuned!

Originally posted by Mel on Feffakookan 4/05/07