Looking on the bright side

OK. It's not all gloom and doom about the art school. Well, it's pretty manky and stinks to high heaven of mouldy ceiling tiles and rotting carpet underlay, but bits of the school are less damaged than others, and it looks like we'll be able to resume most classes from tomorrow, albeit with lots of corridors cordoned off and warnings to all about OH&S and sensible shoes and clothing.

But really, last week the university had a bona fide chance to pull the plug on the school, something people have been predicting for years if an event like this happened, and they didn't. They decided to support us and do the (substantial) repairs. Unbelievable, really. My faith in the system is partially restored. Now all they have to do is stop threatening to offload sessional staff, and I'll be really happy.



Anyhoo, from what we've been told, the rest of the semester sounds like it's going to be a big game of Twister. No one is encouraged to set up permanent studio spaces, as the repairs will be progressive, and room by room over the next few months we will be shifted and stored and renovated and repaired, and then shifted again. All this will hopefully inspire not only some healthy creativity, but also a renewed sense of community and camaraderie amongst students and staff in the face of adversity.

And happy hours will be celebrated with intensity. We can only hope.

If you're a student and you're visiting me because you've been told I'm the only one giving out info, welcome. I'm only telling you the stuff that won't get me sacked. Turn up tomorrow for the 9am meeting outside the library, and you'll hear all the relevant info about your particular workshop. Be gentle on your teachers. They've been doing their best to save your stuff amid the roaming electricians and floating workpeople and rising carpet fumes and flaking chipboard. It hasn't been very entertaining.

But truly, what more do we really need but some paper and a pencil? It's art. We don't need machines to have fun.