I like looking into people's eyes; usually with a camera on my hands. I love what I find.
The Lost Ark is a project that brings to the limelight our unique Australian fauna and flora in the aftermath of the bush fires.
One year on, we are looking at the possible ways in which we, as artists can raise awareness of all the conservation work that needs to be done.
“Small Things” is a piece bringing up the importance of small things that make up for a bigger picture.
Original score by Harvey Welsh Images by Akka Ballenger Constantin © 2021 Ballenger/Welsh
“Dawn” is the next piece in our series – a beautiful morning out in the grasslands.
The Lost Ark is a project that brings to the limelight our unique Australian fauna and flora in the aftermath of the bush fires.
One year on, the grasslands are coming back to life and we are looking at the possible ways in which we, as artists can raise awareness of all the conservation work that needs to be done.
Original score by Harvey Welsh Images by Akka Ballenger Constantin © 2021 Ballenger/Welsh
The Final Cut for “The Lost Ark – Nocturne” is finally here.
The Nocturne was in the making for a long while and we kept tweaking it, but I think we are finally done with this piece. I am totally in love with the music – it works so well with the images.
If you joined us later, The Lost Ark is a project that brings to the limelight our unique Australian fauna and flora in the aftermath of the bush fires.
One year on, “Nocturne” is a glimpse at the way the grasslands are coming back to life. We are looking at the possible ways in which we, as artists can raise awareness of all the conservation work that needs to be done.
Original score by Harvey Welsh Images by Akka Ballenger Constantin © 2021 Ballenger/Welsh
One year on, the grasslands are back to life. 2020 has been very trying on the native fauna and flora: we’ve seen the effect of extreme draught, after the fire, smoke and hail…It’s a wonderful sight, seeing everything coming back to life.
Image: Akka Ballenger Constantin
Original Score by Harvey Welsh
“The Lost Ark” is an opportunity of learning together. This series of drawings, linocuts and etchings brings back the focus on the aftermath of the 2019-2020 bush fires and their impact on our unique Australian fauna.
An interim report, “Australia’s 2019-2020 Bushfires: The Wildlife Toll” commissioned by WWF Australia concluded that more than three billion animals were killed or displaced: 143 million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles, 180 million birds and 51 million frogs.
I am an art educator, working with young children. Often, I find myself embracing their spontaneity in my own artistic practice and for this body of works I chose the same informal approach, where feeling and playfulness prevail, taking over realistic/ natural illustration detail.
Through these images, I hope to bring to limelight some of our unique species and I would like to encourage the public not only to learn more about our wildlife, but also to donate their time and to support financially the Wildlife rescue program.
* 10% of the works on sale will go to two local charities, ACT Wildlife and Wild Talk.
Please consider donating to these two charities. Thank you
Click here for a donation to ACT Wildlife:
Click here for a donation to Wild Talk
“About the Eyes” – a collaboration with the talented musicians Harvey Welsh and Chris Holly. I love their gentle conversation with the poem.
I wrote this a while ago, but under this new way of living, I think now it is most important than ever to acknowledge that we all live under the same sun, that we are all equal.
I imagined 4 different characters, with different languages, different eyes colour and different life experience. They are made by the different memories each of them carries.
The black eyes remember storms, wars and their mother, trying to find her children’s next piece of bread. Even when they found peace, living in a different country, a country of blue-eyed people, the memories come back.
The green eyes remember different kind of storms and Spring nights.
The brown eyes remember the enchanted forest of their childhood.
The blue eyes have never known famine and they reassure the black eyes that they will never have to worry about the bread.
Recently, I had the privilege to be part of Mother Tongue’s Multilingual Poetry Night at Smith’s Alternative. During this event, “An Army of Her Own” poem finally took flight after a long time in the making. I didn’t know it at the time, but this event was part of the Poetry On The Move 2019 fringe festival. I was so impressed with their program. I look forward to seeing more in the future.
I feel privileged to have so many creative friends and to learn from them, share ideas and create new works together.
The very talented local musicians & composers Harvey Welsh and Chris Holly have came up with a new song that resonates with me quite a lot, in light of the latest political and economical developments. Harvey has given me permission to share it with my followers. In fact, he would love to see it shared by everyone, so please feel free to do so. Until they upload their song on a platform, you can follow them on triple J unearthed or on band camp, by clicking on these links. Listen to their other songs and give them some love here:
https://www.triplejunearthed.com/jukebox/play/track/8296531
https://thescreamingzucchinis.bandcamp.com/
You can listen to “Everything is normal blues” right here:
It also reminded me of a poem I wrote last year, but I never managed to put it out there, so here it is:
Fractures
The world is mad, and we’re all falling through the fractures
Of things half done, where we’re half right amidst the clamours;
Half spoken truths, to hide intentions and to ease the conscience
Just like half-hearted love, sold for a petty halfpence.
The world is staring through the bottom of the barrel, half-aware
Of all the halfwits and madmen who hold the mighty triggers
Over impressionable youngsters, bereft of father figures.
And we’re half way to chaos, delusion and despair.
Half whispered wishes abandoned in a lonely patch of green,
Half-hardy crops and chains of thoughts that wither unforeseen
A life half lived in fears of others and their hissing,
A pitiful existence, where half the words are missing.
Automatons perpetually trapped in rushing hours
Without a lot of feelings, half-broken and half-free,
Leaders of no one, sealing the deal that always sours,
Who know they’re only half the men they used to be.
A moon – half hidden, raising high above this madness,
Lights up the sky just like the full moon, with just the same bright light
And in the end, all gravitating halves will even out in roundness,
Making the world a whole again, setting its new and unexpected flight.
Akka Ballenger Constantin 