Quite a belated post which I’ve been putting off for close to four months now. But before you watch the film, please read this backstory.
It all started with this post. A quirky idea sprouted from sporadic threads and tangents of my life at that moment, to make something visually unique and bizarre. That a dream is only as good as it is unachieved.
The first objective was to acquire a giant weather balloon. I cannot tell you how amazingly polite and friendly the staff were at the Bureau of Meteorology, who were all extremely helpful in linking me up with my very own weather balloon. Having just inquired casually over the phone, I drove out to the Mascot observance station right near the runway and was given 2 Japanese made 100 gram Totex corporation meteorological balloons completely free of charge.
With one hurdle down, the next was securing a helium source for what would undoubtedly need a massive amount of gas to fill it. Fortunately again, a retired balloon filler, Wally Reynolds came to the rescue, and, wielding his giant tank of helium, inflated the balloon happily and without charge. Having expected to pay upwards of $100, the charity surrounding just the construction of this ludicrous moon was already amazing and quite humbling.
And so the stage was set. It was early one winter morning in May. After having made the moon, what was left was transporting possibly the least transportable item ever constructed. Thankfully I was once again graced with the help of my good friend, Adam Arnold, a fellow media student, who drove all the way from Bondi in his heavy Audi and the dark of dawn. This giant moon, wrapped about with copious amounts of rope, jutting out of a reinforced boot was quite nerve racking, but the Japanese make a strong balloon and needless to say it didn’t pop. We arrived at our destination, Fagan Park, and were greeted by many curious onlookers and friendly flâneurs.
People would stop and look, and more importantly smile for one reason of another. Be it just an odd sight, or strangely delightful. Upon filming, we realised that this moon, and the cumulative effort, grace and awe of those who came in contact with it, the story behind it, was just as valuable as the film we were making. I hope to some extent, that this was captured in the final product. That’s quite enough preamble for now..
‘Of Mice and Moon’ was exhibited as part of the ‘Whack the Moon’ exhibition, at Io Meyer Studio UNSW on the night of the Wednesday 9th June, with which I was also involved with helping out at. Many thanks (formally) to those who made this project possible.
This video is by Mark Starmach as a project submitted toward a degree in the Media Program in the School of English, Media and Performing Arts at UNSW, 2010.
