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| The Sculptures by the Sea complement the landscape. |
I don’t know much about
art, but I know I like public outdoor art exhibitions where dogs are welcome.
And it turns out that Sculptures by the Sea is the world’s largest public
outdoor art exhibition. So we travelled to Bondi Beach to view the sculptures
there.
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| Phil wasn't sure about this one (Thomas Quale's "Comenavadrink and waddayalookinat". |
Even without sculptures,
the Bondi to Tamarama walk is stunning, especially early in the morning. And
the thing we’ve discovered about sculptures is that once you start looking at
them, every structure you come across on the bath seems like a sculpture. A
simple rubbish bin between artworks prompts the question “is this a sculpture? What
does it mean?”
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| Sculpture by Julie Collins and Derek John, "Evidence based research: crossing the line". |
Unlike just about every
other art exhibition I’ve been to, at Sculptures by the Sea, you don’t have to
cloak your bag, photographs are encouraged and touching of works (at least some
of them) expected.
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| Kerrie Argent's work, "Overconsumption" is meticulously constructed from bottle tops. |
If you are in Sydney this
weekend and looking for something nice to do, it’s well worth a visit – though
I strongly recommend public transport or car pooling.
More information here.
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| Harrie Fisher, "Which way forward?" |
In other news we were asked
a question by Judy G about what to do if an animal is bitten or scratched by a
bat. The NT’s Chief Veterinary Officer released information this week about
Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABL) being detected in the Northern Territory. I
think the best resource (though NSW-centric) is the Department of Primary
Industry’s guidelines (click here to view the PDF).
(One thing I found
interesting is that the key differential diagnosis for bats showing clinical
signs associated with ABL – seizures, tremors, paralysis, paresis, weakness,
overt aggression, ground-dwelling or acting unusually – are rat lungworm and
head trauma. Another reason for vets to be aware of rat lungworm infection).
Essentially if an animal
is bitten or scratched by a bat, the bat – where possible – should be submitted
for testing. If the body is NOT available for testing, vaccination of the
animal against rabies is recommended. This is done under a permit system. The
animal is also monitored for two years.
If an animal is bitten or
scratched and the bat tests NEGATIVE, vaccination is not required. More details
in the guidelines here. Excellent question!
