A veeeery late conclusion to the blog!

After a trip back up to sunny Agnes Water,

a quick weekend down in Sydney,

and saying farewell to beloved Brisbane,

it was time for a trip to Cape Town with Marcus,

and end the 7-month journey in Mozambique with the family.

I am now back in cold Sweden, working on my thesis project and will get my degree in Graphic Design this June (finally)!

Since the Australia trip is over, this blog will no longer be updated, but please do check out my new blog, Design... with reckless abandon!, where I will be keeping you filled in on all of my graphic design & photography related works and musings.

Stay well, my lovelies, and thank you for following me in this wild journey around the world! :)

Photo Media exhibition

My folio for the Photo Media class was apparently ranked as one of the best this year, so it's been selected for an exhibition at QUT! Awesome!

Here are my favourite photos from the 3 sets, along with a layout sketch of how the whole thing is to be shown at the exhibition.

The introduction of my Artist's Statement:

'Society often lables people with body modification as ”different” from what we tend to call ”normal” people. For my Folio I have photographed people from alternative cultures, with tattoos and piercings, in their day-to-day routines. Despite often being considered outsiders in society, by seeing them do their everyday things in their own homes, we see that they are, in fact, just as ”normal” as you or me.'

Deadlines deadlines..

Here's my second Digital Media short film which I handed in yesterday - a commercial for Pepsi. Or rather, a spoof commercial :) Had loads of fun making it - maybe it shows?

Pepsi commercial from Anna Brandberg on Vimeo.

Tomorrow is the deadline for our Print Media artbooks, so I'm sitting here scanning and Photoshopping like a maniac. But I love it! Tomorrow is also the deadline for the Print Media moringa report, however, and the photography submission for the Photo Media Folio. Thursday the completed Folio is to be handed in, together with the Artist Statement and the last photography assignment - AND the final Unspeakable Beauty essay. GAH! Another coffee, please!

Farewell party

This Saturday is my farewell party.. can you believe it's been 4 months already?? Depressing. I don't want to leave - I love this place :(

Court

Spent the morning in court with the assault-case.. Met the girl who did it, and the second she saw me she burst into tears and couldn't stop apologizing. I gave her a hug and told her it was ok and that I really hope she's off the drugs. She is off the drugs now apparently, but she's facing 15 months.. I know I shouldn't, but I really do feel sorry for her. She has been abused in so many different ways her entire life, and although it doesn't change the fact that she has to take responsibility for what she's done, it does mean that I now have the possibility of making a difference in her life.

I've spoken to her lawyer and told them I'm willing to go to mediation. I honestly don't think jail is the best option for her in the state she's in - it would probably just be even more detrimental. I'd rather see her go to rehab and try to change her life around.. The police, however, are definitely not keen on that idea. They want her in jail, period. For that reason, I'm writing a Statement now that we'll send them - seeing as I'm the complainant in this case, surely what I want should be worth something?

This is a really difficult situation which will end up drastically changing this girl's life in one way or another. Please cross your fingers and keep me in your thoughts..

Heavy heart

Chris, my lovely. They played your song at Ric's last night.. and it totally broke my heart. I'm on the other side of the world, doing everything I can to forget the pain, but still everything reminds me of you. Then when I got home, I saw someone had uploaded an old video of you dancing onto Facebook, and I couldn't help but smile from beginning to end - what perfect timing.. It was just the lifter I needed.

This coming Friday it would have been your birthday.. But instead of letting myself get miserable, I've decided we're going to go out, have some drinks for you, and go dancing.. I know you'd have loved it ;)

I love and miss you, my friend <3

Agnes Water & Town of 1770

Am sitting in sunny Agnes Water right now at the 1770 Backpackers enjoying my midterm.. :) Why, why, why do I have to go back to the city?? I want to stay here!

This backpackers feels like a luxury hotel after our night in Bundaberg haha.. We went surfing yesterday which was really fun (3 hour surf-school for $17!) and today was spent on a tiny secluded beach a short boatride from the 1770 marina. The only bummer is that it is SO windy, so we can't go diving as the currents are too strong and the visibility won't be too great :( This midterm will be my only chance to dive on the Great Barrier Reef so I'm reeaally hoping that the wind will die a little so we can go diving before the week is over!

Last night I finally saw my first kangaroos and wallabes - and they were not in a zoo ;) We did a sunset tour with a guy called Paul, who took us all over the peninsula here to look at the roos, and finally to a lookout spot where we could see the sun set over the water (one of 3 places where you can see that here on the Australian east coast). The trip was rounded off with a cold beer on the rocks by the bay as it got dark outside - so lovely.

I'm seriously wishing I didn't have to go to class for the rest of my time in Australia. I'd love to just do the rest of my assignments online and stay here in Agnes haha! But the week will have to end, unfortunately.. such is life. But until then, I'm going to enjoy every last minute of this place :)

Bundaberg

Spent a night in Bundaberg. Traumatised.

The backpackers was soo dirty and the whole city kind of smelled of sweat. Even the distillery was a bit of an anti-climax. What a waste of 24 hours haha.. Oh well, it's experiences like this that makes us appreciate the good places!

Midterm

And midterm is upon us! Will be travelling towards the Great Barrier Reef with Sara and Lola.. First stop is the famous rum distillery in Bundaberg for a night, then on to Agnes Water and the town of 1770 which are in the middle of a few nature reserves, and on the edge of the reef. Hoping for some wicked scuba diving!

We don't really have much else planned, we'll just kind of wing it from there.. If you don't overplan things and have really high expectations then you can't be disappointed. If something sucks we'll move on, if it rocks then we'll stay - simple as that :)

Sneak preview

Got a phonecall from the police today who told me that the woman pleaded guilty and that a date has finally been set for the trial! Yay :) On the 20th October, good folks, I will be making my court debut.

Have been working like a maniac on the material for my new website these last 3 days and finally got everything done! The new website (which is www.annabrandberg.com if you haven't already figured that out) should be up and running by the weekend.. But here's a sneak preview of some of my design work for you who are wondering exactly what it is I do in class :)

And maybe this is a great time for some shameless advertising - if you need any graphic design work done, give me a shout! Anything from logos to business cards to posters to menus.. you name it. If it's in print, I'll do it!