Yes, I’m still alive.
I’ve started Animal Care at CPIT (Christchurch Polytech) and I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! Animal care, where have you been all my life? Oh that’s right, you were there the whole time I was studying Fine Arts, I just ignored you… I don’t regret doing Fine Arts at all, I learned loads and met lots of cool people, I just feel like maybe I should have only done it for 2 years instead of 4. Oh well, I can’t turn back time. All I can do is keep enjoying what I’m doing

With the course I have to do 60 hours of work experience at cat and dog facilities. I’ve done 20 hours at a pet shop and met lots of cute puppies, kitties, fish, birds, mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits! I’ve also helped out at Puppy Preschool class and got to look after the shops Pomeranian Miniature Foxy cross! so TINY!
I’ve done one shift at Dogwatch, a sanctuary for abandoned dogs – which is heartbreaking but good to know that little things like cleaning there rooms is helping them have a better life. I just wish I could save them all, they’re all such sweet dogs. Will be doing more shifts there soon. If you want to learn more about Dogwatch go to http://www.dogwatch.co.nz I’ve fallen in love with Lacey (see her on the Dogs to Adopt page)
I’ve also done 6 hours at a cattery, which is fun. Some of the cats are the sweetest, and some…not so much hehe.

So I haven’t been up to much over my study break. I am starting Roller Derby training though! I’ve only been to the info night and free skate so far. But tomorrow I hand in my sign up form and pay my subs and I’ll start the 4 week training! After that the Dead End Derby league will pick 20 girls to continue on Fresh Meat training.
At the moment I think there are 40+ girls wanting to train, so I’m not sure about my chances of making it, but hey it’s gonna be fun learning to play etc so who cares!

If you don’t know about Roller Derby here are some links and pictures you can look at
Roller Derby (wikipedia)

Dead End Derby (Christchurch derby league)

Also Youtube has lots of cool vids to check out

I’m always searching the net for this I can’t have. So I thought I’d share a list of these things I want so badly but can’t afford.

BROOKE JOHNSTON doiley necklace

$98.00AU

“Sterling silver and beautifully crafted by Brooke. This incredibly stunning and detailed piece of jewellery is a sentimental reminder of tea and scones with Nana that you can enjoy every day.”

so so pretty! more info at Bob Boutique

SKULK OF FOXES antler necklace

$175.00AU

“Handmade sterling silver antler necklace. Made by Natalie from A     Skulk of foxes in very limited edition. As always comes with beautiful presentation gift box.”

for more info visit Bob Boutique

bob badge i love squirrel

$3.50

The one thing actually within my price range…

“i love squirrel! No not in your pie!!! just in general….please. also available in the i love range, i love fawn, i love bunny and i love owl.”

for more info visit Bob Boutique

Captivating Cuckoo Clock brooch

$16.00AU

“Pin to your Jacket, Blouse or T-Shirt and wait for the oooohhh that’s so sweet and ahhh that’s so adorable.”

for more info visit littleshopof.com

Sweet Bird Swap Card Pendant

$35.00AU

“Gorgeous vintage swap card pendant!
Made at Mikes!
This comes boxed beautifully, ready for giving to someone special!
Silver Plate – Resin – Paper”

for more info visit meetmeatmikes.com

The Hatch Exhibition in Sol Square is now closed. Many thanks to those who came by. And a HUGE thanks to those who purchased some of my work! I hope you enjoy my photographs on your wall

Following those sales, I’ve decided to put a “SHOP” section up on the site.

So my series of plates titled Serving Suggestion is showing in the exhibition “Hatch”. It opens this Thursday (the 17th of December) and is located down His Lordships Lane, off Lichfield St in Christchurch. This location is also known as SOL Square, a small area of popular shops and bars. Hatch is showing in the old Illicit Clothing shop, and it open until Christmas Eve.

Other artists include:
Lucy Atkinson, Nick Heaphy, Doug Marquet, Amelia Rayner, Hayley Roberts, William Shaw, Charlotte Suckling, Mallory Tippet and Kelly Williams.

Drinks are provided by Cartel on the open night.

Or a bunch of them!

My brother’s band, Suede Arcade, have made it to the National Finals of The Battle of the Bands! It’s in Auckland so many of us are not going to be able to be their to support them, but they need votes to win (and they deserve to win!).
So all we need to do is text Suede Arcade to 787! you can vote up to 10 times a day until the 19th, and it’s free for Vodafone users.

You can watch the finals on Juice TV on the 19th from 8pm.

So Pearl Jam played in my hometown of Christchurch last night, and they rocked big time! Best concert of my life, and it’s not just cause they’ve been my favourite band since I was 15, they were genuinely amazing. They had great energy, and they really enjoyed performing and entertaining the crowd. The crowd were awesome, I was second row on the left up with fellow Ten Clubbers who were lovely. Some non club members pushed in when PJ came on, a dude stole my spot and towards the end some crazy b*tch pushed her way up. I still stayed in the 2nd row, just a little squishy.

The Set list was epic, and as follows:

Given To Fly, Got Some, Animal, Once, Unthought Known, Tremor Christ, Small Town, Worldwide Suicide, In My Tree, Marker in the Sand, Even Flow, Force of Nature, I Got Shit, Life Wasted, Garden, Do The Evolution, Go

1st encore: The End, Happy Birthday Matt Cameron, Red Mosquito w/ Ben, Indifference w/ Ben, State of Love and Trust, The Fixer

2nd encore: Jeremy, Better Man, The Real Me, Better Be Home Soon w/ Neil Finn & Liam Finn-(N. Finn), I Got You w/ Neil Finn & Liam Finn-(N. Finn), Alive, Rockin’ In The Free World w/ Ben Harper & The Relentless 7, Liam Finn & Eliza Jane Barnes-(Young), Yellow Ledbetter

I’m usually quite shy and an introvert but towards the middle I couldn’t hold my excitement, I was singing along at the top of my lungs and wasn’t bothered about getting soaked by the rain.

I took some pictures, most are blurry cause of unsteadiness of being in the mosh…

that’s my hand holding my club ticket AND JEFF AMENT’S BASS PICK!

check out the rest here!

what a way to top off the weekend of the completion of my BFA!

I just had my final assessment! An external examiner came in to analyse and ask questions about our work. This is the assessment where they decide our grade (eg. A B C, + -) but we don’t get that for a couple of weeks.

Anyway, IT’S ALL OVER! it’s just the Exhibition tonight, Graduation on Thursday and then DONE!

as far as the years work, it’s all done. Wow.

(image courtesy of cute overload)

I’m baaaack!

I took my installation shots so here you go, have a look

Serving Suggestion and Megabean Zine each stem from a genuine concern I have for animal welfare and a personal belief that if an individual chooses to consume meat, they should not be sheltered from the truth of where that meat comes from. Nor should they be sheltered from the torture that an animal undertakes to be delivered to their plate.

Serving Suggestion explores anti censorship of meat production: the six antique china plates display drawings of animals being tortured and stripped of their flesh for consumption, on the very plate from which meat is consumed.

Megabean Zine is a small locally distributed magazine that features stories, facts, cartoons and drawings on the topic of animal mass production and consumption; the purpose of which is to share my views on animal treatment with the readers of the zine.

Serving Suggestion
October 2009
Lazertran on 6 antique china plates
Variable dimensions

Megabean Zine
September – October 2009
10 page Xeroxed magazine
21 x 14.9 cm

Genna Laban.

Hey yo,

So I’ve been installing my work this morning, got my plates on the wall in a different placement. I quite like it, it’s less circular and more scattered. Will post pictures this afternoon.

I just had to come home and work on a new poster for my zines, I was going to put a poster on the wall behind my display table but it didn’t really work cause it’s near the plates and the poster caught your eye more than the plates.

So I’ve made this table top sign!

it will lay flat on my circle table.

Two days til Final Assessment and Exhibition…oh boy…