The Fine Art Of Plastering

I spent my summer holidays kneeled on a tarpaulin, wearing glue-coated rubber gloves and a mask. All the while I could hear my family splashing in the pool. But I persisted with the thin pages and enough runny glue to give anyone a bit of a high, closed in their bedroom.

This was artistic transformation. An art from of decorating created by pasting cut-outs on an object and coating it in layers of lacquer or clear varnish. Decoupage is one of the easiest and oldest forms of decorating. It is thought to originate from the Chinese and Japanese, who in the 12^th century were using paper cut-outs to embellish windows, lanterns and other objects. In the 17^th century, oriental lacquered furniture became very popular in Europe and the fashion began.

I’m avid reader, I love my books and I was so bored with my plain white bookshelf I couldn’t handle it anymore. So why not take a chance, use a bit of spare change and cover it with the pages of my favourite book, The Hobbit? After spending $14 on two secondhand copies of the novel, and $25 on a litre of glue, I buckled down to work. Before long Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf were very present in my bedroom.

The process:

1. Cover your work area with painting sheets, tarpaulin or newspaper.

2. Chose an area of the object to start with and brush on a thin layer of glue.

3. Press the cut out onto the object, make sure there are no bubbles and it is securely glued down.

4. Tessellate the cut outs, ensuring there are no bare sections and cover the entire object.

5. Brush a layer of glue over the top and let it dry.

6. Apply another four or five layers of glue, waiting for it to completely dry between each layer.

Decoupage is terribly easy and because there are no rules, the possibilities are endless. You could have your own original piece of furniture within a few days of hard work.

And who needs to wait for the movie when the words of Tolkien can be shared as art?

JK Uses Image To Good Effect

In 1884 the first New Zealand representative rugby team was formed. Ever since, the All Blacks have been the male icons of New Zealand. They are muscular, toned, tough and invincible. Young boys and men all around the country aim to be just the same as Richie McCaw, Jonah Lomu, Colin Meads, John Kirwan, and Sean Fitzpatrick. The list of macho sportsmen is huge and under our noses all the time.

When the All Blacks win a game it’s front page news. More important than any other event, worldly or national. The highlights of an amazing try or tackle are replayed for weeks after the game. And the stars of the match sell endless products on TV. Whether they are flexing their biceps to sell bottled water or pushing cars to promote Powerade, they are strong, tough blokes who let nothing get them down.

For decades we have lived in a country where our males are expected to be the epitome of masculinity. And only recently are our men being allowed to have a softer side. No longer are they just burping, belching, burly brutes. The Ministry of Health’s recent depression ad campaign featuring John Kirwan has revolutionised the expectations of men in NZ.

John Kirwan was an all star All Black who had ‘lived the New Zealand dream’. He was staunch and strong. The ultimate bloke. It wasn’t until the ad campaign, in which he talked about his own personal battle with depression, that the country realized he wasn’t just a beefy, black t-shirt running around the field.

The main message of the television ads is ‘Depression. There is a way through it.’, but the usage of John Kirwan, a role model for so many boys and men in NZ, has meant a nationwide shift in what is acceptable.

The statistics show that there are significantly more male deaths by suicide than females. And a main reason for this is the way society puts the walls up around men. You can’t cry. You can’t talk about your feelings. Don’t be a sissy. Harden up. Be a man. Get over it. But finally, these walls are being broken down. In the five adverts featuring Kirwan he swings the mallet himself, ‘I went to a mate of mine and he said ‘harden up’. Hardening up is not what you need to do’ and ‘You need to tell someone…just reach out.’ For a man of such prestige in NZ to say these things, it is evident that social acceptance is taking a real turn for good and for once, we can applaud the media for their influence.

The Ministry of Health’s research report shows that only 11% of men had either negative or neutral feelings towards the campaign. The wide positive reaction to the ads shows that one campaign has been able to change the view on men who need help dealing with stresses and pressures in life, thus counteracting the masses of adverts that show men exercising, building, drinking and driving cars; anything tough and physical.

No longer do males have to hide their emotions. They are allowed to cry and they are allowed to talk about their feelings. After all, if the big man in black can, any man can.

Are We Really Kiwi As When It Counts?

July 4. Disneyland. I queued for the Alice in Wonderland Tea Cup ride with my family and marvelled at the sea of red, white and blue around us. There was a family of six in front. Each and every one of them wore a ‘Faded Glory’ t-shirt, white wash with stars and stripes flying across the front.

January 26. Bondi Beach. The sand was speckled with gold and green sports shirts and Australian flags cut into bikinis.

February 6. Nothing.

On Waitangi Day New Zealanders sleep in. We go shopping. We go out for lunch (with a surcharge of course). We do anything but celebrate.

For too many years, Waitangi Day has been an open invitation for political and activist groups to complain about settlements. Very few Kiwi’s attend organized celebrations, like the annual festival at Okahu Bay. Instead they ignore the day completely. Waitangi Day is supposed to be our national day, but it is infamous for being surrounded by heated debates. Is that really how we want to celebrate what it means to be a New Zealander?

February 6 is undoubtedly an extremely important day in New Zealand’s history. In 1840 representatives of the British Crown and 500 Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document. But ever since, the significance has been lost in arguments of land, and demonstrations against the injustice of what happened over a century ago. Our country is stuck in a place where the majority of people are unable to celebrate the nation’s day.

We are a patriotic nation. Many of us have All Black jerseys and we’re always ready to wear them. Many of us mourned the deaths of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Peter Blake. Many of us love fish ‘n’ chips, L&P, barbeques, pavlovas, kiwifruit, backyard cricket, pineapple lumps, and our childhood buzzy bee toy. Why then, is Waitangi Day not a day where we can reflect on what it is to be a New Zealander with the Kiwiana symbols we all love?

America celebrates Independence Day with passion. Australia celebrates Australia Day with enthusiasm. The sky is alight with fireworks on their sacred days. The streets are paved in their colours. They know what it means to be patriotic.

We, as New Zealanders, need to take a leaf out of their book and show off our pride. We need to leave the anger and blame of the past behind us on Waitangi Day. We need to come together as a nation and celebrate our country.

Josh Fountain

Walk down a main street or through the grounds of a high school and everyone’s plugged into their MP3s and iPods. Yes, we are all carrying our music. Everywhere we go. For most music is the staple diet of teenage social life; for a select few, music is more than just a meal.

And Josh Fountain is a meal ticket – and more.

In seventh form, everyone around him seemed to be preparing for university and had plans set in stone. Yet Josh didn’t feel that was right for him. Instead he followed his passion. “Even though I didn’t take it as a subject at school, music was the only thing I was really passionate about so I decided I would try and make a career out of it! I didn’t want to go to Uni just for the sake of it and spend 3 years doing something I didn’t enjoy.” Josh had the guts to deny the norm and follow a career more difficult than any other to break into. And now he is one of the essential parts of New Zealand’s own Kidz In Space with Ashley Hughes and Matt Neshat.

Josh Fountain has been on the NZ music scene for a number of years now. He has worked with many different artists, the most famous being Smashproof and Young Sid. Of course most recently he has become part of the groundbreaking hip hop/pop/dance band, Kidz In Space. Their single, Downtime has been a huge hit and the music video is doing just as well.

But the musicians’ world isn’t as glamorous as it looks. “People tend to think that because they see our videos on TV and hear our songs on the radio that we are rich and famous but unfortuantely that is not the case…yet”. It’s taken a lot of passion and hard work from Josh, and the other band members, to get the music out to the public. And of course, being in New Zealand, makes it even harder. With such a small population, and so many wishing to make it in the entertainment industry, it’s only the very best and most dedicated who make it.

Fortunately, Josh has proven to be just that and is one of the recent artists making NZ music better than it ever has been. His single, Downtime, was recently the C4 song of the week, showing that our local music can compare to the rest of the world. “The hardest part is making songs that can stand up to those done by international artists. We have to use what we have, we don’t have the big budgets that big artists have but NZ can still make world-class stuff.”

He is currently working on finishing the album for its upcoming release. Unlike the other band members, you’ll find him writing his music away from outside influences. His favourite band is N*E*R*D and most recent loves include Drake, Paramore, Miike Snow and Gorillaz. “Took me a while but I think Lady Gaga has won me over as well.”

Josh has made it so far. Already. And he is sure to go further with his obvious talent and love for music.

Once the album is out, the next thing on his list is to showcase Kidz In Space to the rest of the world. Oh, and he would love to work with Kid Cudi or Andre 3000, “If you could sort that out for me, that would be great! Cheers!”

Book Search Definitely Worth The Effort

In South Auckland, squished in between two dollar stores, empty lots, fast food joints, and the Onehunga cop shop there’s a treasure trove.

If you are willing to sift through the plastic in the surrounding shops, walk over the black stained footpaths and search hard enough, there is a pot of gold waiting in The Hard To Find (But Worth the Effort) Second-hand Bookshop.

Hard To Find was opened 26 years ago when owner Warwick Jordan decided to sell some of his books over the counter for extra money. He had been a handcraft printer and publisher in a basement in Onehunga.

Since 1984, the store has grown to hold over 140,000 titles, and take the title of biggest and best second-hand bookshop in New Zealand.

“You can get lost in this maze”, a fellow shopper said to me as we bumped into each other in the aisles.

He had been here for a half-hour scanning titles on the endless shelves of books. And he’s right.

At first glance the store can be overwhelming with books cluttered around the counter, piled on the corner of each stair and wedged tightly together on shelves.

“The shop is deceptive, it seems causal, but it is in fact very organised. Just ask any of the staff and they’ll guide you to the right spot” says Warwick.

The informal layout of the store makes it easy to wander around the pages and lose track of time. This makes it a much more relaxed shopping experience than in the chain bookstores.

“The voyage of discovery is a big part of the pleasure of being a customer at our shop. It is not metal shelving and staff who just know how to work the cash register.”

Along with the store in Onehunga, Hard To Find also has an internet catalogue, separate to the shop stock where books can be easily bought online.

Will the E-book epidemic wipe out the real, tangible book? In a shop like Hard To Find with regular, passionate, book-loving, customers, it is hard to see how this will ever happen. And Warwick scoffs at the idea. “Books are going to be wiped out ‘just like vinyl and CD’s’ – well, vinyl was in common use for about 70 years at most, and CD’s lasted around 25. Books have been printed for around 500 years, and before them manuscript books for even longer.

“I don’t have any interest in owning e-books – I see them as a fad about as long lasting as bell-bottom jeans.”

Hard To Find has stood the test of time, which isn’t surprising considering their prestigious reputation. Once, there were nine different stores scattered around the country. But for Warwick that turned what started as a passion into a stressful business.

“It wasn’t making me rich, but it was adding to my grey hairs”.

So he decided to shut up shop everywhere except at the original Onehunga store, which continues to thrive off loyal regular customers.

Had the recession dented his sales?

“In a positive way…our regular customers are sticking with us, and many who would have purchased books new, no realise they can get books that are just as good, and often in as-new condition, for us for a lot less expense”.

The shop has a distinct atmosphere – homey and comfortable.

This goes against claims of a ghost in the building. The story stems from the start of last century when a patient of a dentist operating upstairs died while receiving anaesthetic.

Aside from giving rise to the ghost story, the incident led to a change in rules for administering anaesthetics.

“I lived in the upstairs area for some time and I was fine - just funny stuff like doors opening on their own, taps turning themselves on, mystery footsteps, says Warwick.

“Nothing bas has happened so I can only assume if there is any ghost , it is friendly,. At least there’s plenty for it to read!”

Hard To Find (But Worth the Effort) is always attracting new customers with their ardent, helpful staff, and affordable, quality books. Any customer, with any range of interests is sure to found a book worth reading, including Warwick Jordan’s personal top five reads; Moby Dick by Herman Melville. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Bleak House by Charles Dickens, Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, and The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad. You just have to be willing to search.