The Australia Day // Australia as the largest penal colony in the world - The Aboriginal issue & Other Stories...

----- 26th JaNuArY 2015 -----

"Once People come to Australia, they join the team" - Tony Abbott



Vintage buses running through the City
on the Australia Day

Good evening to everyone! It's dinner time Up Above here :) And I will just write a quick post to tell you a bit about the history of Straya.

Two days ago it was the National Day of Australia, the Australia Day.

It marks the day in 1788 when the so-called "Father of Australia", Captain Arthur Phillip, and his first Fleet of 11 ships arrived at Sydney Cove from Great Britain. Those ships were carrying convicts, who turned Australia into essentially the world's largest prison.

Governor Phillip founded a system of labour in which people, whatever their crime, were employed according to their skills - as brick makers, carpenters, nurses, servants and farmers.

To tell the truth, not all Australians have been proud of the country's past as a penal colony.

Another controversial aspect about this day refers to a delicate issue: Who belongs this anniversary to?

Two cultures meet on Australia Day.
Their worlds might touch but their views can be worlds apart.

Most Australians celebrate Australia Day as the day Australia was founded.

However, to many Aboriginal people there is little to celebrate and it is a commemoration of a deep loss. Loss of their sovereign rights to their land and the right to practice their culture.

Many of them rather call 26th January Invasion Day or Day of Mourning.

“Freedom begins where it ends ignorance” - Victor Hugo

 ------------------

Interesting to point out: The Harbour Bridge March.

On 26 January 1988, up to 40,000 Aboriginal people (from as far away as Arnhem Land in the NT) and their supporters marched from Redfern Park to a public rally at Hyde Park and then on to Sydney Harbour to mark the 200th anniversary of invasion. It was the largest protest since the 1970s.

Well... I will talk more about this topic in one of my next chapters. Stay tuned ;)

Ha... by the way...

.... though states and territories began marking Australia Day in 1935, it wasn't till 1994 that Australians began to celebrate Australia Day as a public holiday on Jan. 26.

???? See ya ;)

---- mY StOrY---

When I was there the Australia day was a Monday and with my special Husky friend (Alis) we went to Manly. Though it was Summer that day was pretty rainy but still we had a lot of fun in getting our faces tattooed as two teens.

Copenhagen // Superkilen - Nørrebro // Urban Project and What We Forget

"Triton: I just don't know what we're going to do with you, young lady.
Ariel: Daddy, I'm sorry, I just forgot, I." - from the Little Mermaid - Walt Disney

Last December I was in a surprising beautiful København and thanks to Claudia, my sister, I discovered a very particular area, called Superkilen, a urban open space in Nørrebro located in the Quarter of Mimersgade.

Superkilen is a half a mile long urban space in one of the most ethnically diverse and socially challenged neighborhoods in Denmark.

This project was born from the collaboration between BIG, Topotek1 + Superflex, which represents a fusion of architecture, landscape design and art.




It's a urban park divided in three main sections:

- The Red Square
+ The Black Market
- The Green Park

It looks like a giant exhibition filled with objects that come from all over the world.

A sort of an open-air museum that reflects the true nature of the neighborhood.

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." - The Complete Fairy Tales - H.C. Andersen

3 ZONES - 3 COLOURS

Red Square // Photograph: Nanna Flachs

The red square is conceived as an urban extension of the sporting and cultural offerings of Nørrebrohall. It's a massive outdoor gym, exactly like Muscle Beach in L.A., where residents can meet for physical activity and games.

Black Square // Photograph: Val (that's me LoL)

The black square is a kind of urban living room. Mimers Plads is the heart of Superkilen and in just a glance it sums up 4 or more Countries (I've recognized just 4 of them, but as you can see from link to the document I posted below, it's plenty of objects coming from everywhere).




A suggestive Moroccan fountain and a Turkish bench under the Japanese cherry-trees is where usually the locals meet around.

Turkish bench + Japanese cherry-trees // Photograph: Torben Eskerod

Green Park // Photograph: Mike Magnussen

The green park is a place for families, picnics, relaxing, sunbathing, for hockey tournaments and badminton matches.

Actually there is much more to talk about this lively area of København but at the same time I do not want to bother you with too many words, that's why I'll just suggest you this interesting document if you want to know more about Superkilen and its world in miniature.


Bauman once said:

"Sport is one of the few institutions in society, where people can still agree on the rules". 

No matter where you are from, what you believe in and which language you speak, you can always play football together.

And Superkilen is a perfect example of it!