Visual Sociology of the Year’s End

This visual sociology for December 2017 begins with a reflection on the need for a Treaty with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the nation of Australia. The rest of this post has us visiting a Peruvian restaurant in Sydney, the LEGO exhibition in Melbourne, the sublime Pipilotti Rist and of course, my annual visual sociology of Christmas nonsense.

Treaty Now

Australia is the only Commonwealth nation without a treaty with First Nations people. In national consultations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, published as the Uluru Statement, a pathway to (and beyond) treaty was outlined through truth telling and a makarrata. This is the Yolngu word for various overlapping processes of peace negotiations, as well as an agreement to solving conflict and restoring justice.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have attempted to negotiate treaties since colonialism began, and a makarrata since the 1970s, to address formal recognition that the land belongs to Indigenous people, along with plans to address other cultural and socioeconomic issues.

Both sides of Government addressed national media and promised to establish a makarrata at the Garma Festival in August 2017, but have since rescinded their support.

Sydney at the end of 2017

Social rituals: sometimes humans choose to gather en mass, put on an uniform, sing and yell with delight in public, and some men will also take off their tops to scream even louder. 2 December 2017

Chocolate happiness! 2 December

Wagana Aboriginal Dancers, women and girls group from the Blue Mountains, at the Blak Markets. This was a beautiful day. I bought gorgeous jewellery by Aboriginal women designers and artists. 3 December

Help. 10 December 2017

Yes! 11 December 2017

“Home Via King,” now with scare quotes. 11 December 2017

Newtown street art. 12 December 2017

Sydney will have trams. Again. 14 December 2017

Inca’s restaurant, Darlinghurst, Sydney. 17 December 2017

The art of dumplings. 23 December

Melbourne

Brickman Experience

The largest touring LEGO exhibition in the Southern hemisphere. Most creations take between 60 to 200 hours to make. There are stations where lovers of the famous play bricks can make and display their own works of art. On in Melbourne at Harbour Town.

The Melbourne Museum always delivers. 28 December

Back to Sydney

Pipilotti Rist

Sip My Ocean. Wonderful and immersive exhibition by Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist.

Visual Sociology of Christmas

Rise.

Human beings are gathering in high numbers around blinking lights. Something is happening. Perhaps a Pagan ritual of some kind? Christmas is actually based on Pagan rituals – including the idea of a Christmas tree! Christians forced Pagans to covert to Christianity or killed them, but they absorbed many aspects of the Pagan religion. Colonialism is awful from its tiniest detail buried in mass culture, to its massive destructive power of genocide and land degradation. 02 December