Taking off

What a crazy time of the year … what a crazy year!!!

So many pictures to post – of the time in Europe, of Japan adventures, of this late spring in Australia. One step at the time though, I will take it easy now (even if that hurts : ).

All will be well.

Hoping to fly towards the sun tomorrow. Almost time for season's greetings. Stay tuned, take care, chat soon!

30/11/11

20/11/11

26/11/11

Man jewellery!

Inari Kiuru 2011, Armour for the heart. Steel, glass. 

MANJEWELLERY was a project initiated by the amazing jewellist Melissa Cameron and published at Crafthaus website in 2011.

My theme for the two brooches, especially created for this virtual exhibition, was 'protection', something masculine in form but universal in nature, designed to shield and to ground.

Photograph by Marc Morel © 2011 Modelled by Shaun Tan, Marcos Guzman
Inari Kiuru 2011, Windy day anchor. Lead, iron, 18ct gold. 2011

Japan 4: nemuri masu

© Photo from Tokyo National Museum

I also really like the interesting series of tired Tokyo commuters leaning on surfaces, Tokyo Compression, by photographer Michael Wolf (an image from his series below). You can see more of his series here.

And finally, asleep at home …


© S.Tan 2011

a visit

mother, sister, love

turn up the volume and be glad to be alive

Japan 3: sound, nightline

For Yasuko & Mark









Kyoto, October 2011

Japan 2: spirits, underground

Tokyo and Osaka subways, October 2011

Japan 1: hikari, akari, kaze ...

Koyasan on the mountain, October 2011

archives of thought

awake, asleep

August 27–September 4, 2011
Besançon, France

just now

kokoro

Hi for the longest time.

I stayed in France and Switzerland for six weeks, and finally, all is well with my parents. Perhaps I'll write more about what happened, later, after some time has passed and I've had time for contemplation – for now, the only thing that matters is that we all survived, and will be able to move forward as stronger and hopefully more positive people; a family.

48 hours in Melbourne in between continents, now in Tokyo. We came down the mountain from the thousand year old Koyasan yesterday, a night in a temple; stayed in Kyoto for a while before and after, and this morning, flew through the flatlands in a whale-nosed shinkansen. From the 22nd floor heights of this building, a cloudy afternoon, I am looking down to the boiling center, human traffic, of Shibuya and trying to make sense of life.

Best thoughts to you all, more pictures soon, and a new leaf.

A difficult time

Dear All.

I have been quiet for a while, and may remain so for some time. However I wanted to write a small update on what has happened.

My parents were involved in a motorbike accident while on a road trip, and flown to a hospital in Besancon, East France. I have been here with my sister since last weekend, and my husband was able to join us this Thursday evening. My mum is now OK with only broken bones, but dad is still in intensive care after emergency surgery. Mum and my sister have been taken back to Switzerland where my other sister is waiting for to help, and dad will be transported in an ambulance tomorrow to a hospital closer to home. His condition is stable. My husband and I will remain here to see him off, and follow by train. We are staying positive and just happy we are able to be here, and that we're all able to be together as a family. Things are improving day by day.

I do not have words to describe this time yet. Just that life is precious and unpredictable.

I will keep in touch after some time when things settle.

Meanwhile, take care.

Inari

… pink champagne on ice?

sydney 31/07/11

invisible, indivisible

all you gotta do

The First Quarter