silly fox

new wave madonna.

I can’t don’t care--or whatever--about much that’s going on there’s not much desaturated there’s no reward why

I think events have outcomes what’s the physics? --causality-- it doesn’t matter is physics even real? it doesn’t matter a quiet allergy I can’t care much about causality

me. on how, in general, boys are p heavenly. so distracting.

THIS IS IMPORTANT

Jack Waterford published this confusing editorial about how Canberra should rename Lake Burley Griffin for Bob Menzies.

for background …

in 1913, Walter and Marion Griffin’s plans for Canberra won them the commission to design the city (on mostly-undeveloped land given up by NSW which, incidentally, had been taken from the native inhabitants some years previous).

sadly, the Griffin’s design would never be fully realised, as the National Capital Empire Development Commission (NCDC, now NCA) wasn’t totally into the cost of what it had committed to. it cut sections and slowed development while, for his part, Walter Griffin grew increasingly frustrated (the integrity of his vision was pretty much being compromised). the NCDC--having decided that Walter was extravagant and petulant--became quite catty, actively barring him from making the decisions that were his legit commissioned responsibility. (for the interest of those not from Canberra, basically every problem anyone has ever had with the city comes down to elements that the Griffin’s designed, but were never created). the Griffin’s direct involvement with the development of Canberra ended before it was completed, and not on particularly good terms.

years later, Bob Menzies rode in to lick the city's floundering development into shape and, when the lake was completed—such as it is—chose to name it ‘Lake Burley Griffin’. the tragic/hilarious joke is not that someone mistook Walter’s middle name for part of his surname, but that everybody knew he loathed the name ‘Burley’, he rarely went by it, and it’s just unrealistic to believe that it was not intended—at least by some—as a slight to him. after all, waiting until Griffin was dead so they could guarantee having the last word just sounds so like the NCA.

regardless, naming the lake for Bob Menzies is clearly a terrible idea. not just because it sounds ridiculous (try saying ‘lake’ with any variation of his names aloud), but because Waterford’s justification is the real heroism of Menzies for sitting on his hands and allowing the lake to be left unfinished (regardless of his actual intention). idk. naming a lake for the guy responsible for it being less-fully realised is ironic and confusing.

having said that, ‘Lake Burley Griffin’ is as-obviously ironic, as-obviously confusing and—as obviously—insufficient. ‘The Lake Griffin’ is a better option. a nice and posh way of acknowledging the vision of Walter and Marion Griffin, without being a dick.

Canberra Peace Park

during roguish internet misadventures, I discovered that this tediously-named landmark (not to be confused with Canberra-Nara Peace Park, which is a totally-different and probably more-interesting place) has existed beside the NLA since 1990. it’s hidden—by some kind of illusion or suggestion magic—between The Lake Griffin and the elegant rise of the Patrick White Memorial Lawn (still the Patrick White Memorial Carpark on Google Earth).

the ‘park’ is this predictably-pathetic patch of scrub and peach gravel, which extends into an avenue—of sorts—with scrubby grass at either end, and all enclosed in plane trees (or whatever). there’s some kind of figure-eight or Pokemon shape or hammerhead cul-de-sac or something going on. this may be symbolic. the general idea is that peace is better than nuclear weapons, which is true, and yet … as a whole … the park confused me and I totally wanted to hate it.

anyway. it happens that sunny Canberra is a glorious wanker, and this is the worst photo I could manage. and, now I look back at it, I remember how the monument in the middle is dense and dull and bronze and rich; slowly charged by sunlight. and how the space is aesthetic with angles, even alongside Griffin’s geometry. and how, maybe, there’s something sexy about how outofplace it all is?