antipopper

Went to Sandy‘s seminar on Friday. Now, the only times in the last decade that I’ve been back on the Sydney University campus for actual academic stuff have been for such seminars, hosted by the Gender Studies Department. It’s been interesting to be back in that old space — I practically grew up there. And I know that the Sydney University (that über-bastion of crusty elites) has a troubled, almost colonial relationship with the surrounding neighbourhoods (which house the most significant urban indigenous population in Australia), but it nonetheless affords an interesting set of spatial ambiences. My own university campus is nearby, but it’s not much more than a couple of massive, anonymous buildings stuck together, which means there’s no outdoor space, no neighbourhood, to traverse, no moods to montage. And I miss that.

For example: to get to Sandy’s seminar, I got off at Redfern station, and promptly bumped into Kirsten, one of the few non-right-wing evangelical Christians I’ve known — it had been years. Then, around the corner, on Abercrombie St, I ran into Wire (below), and we talked about this gig he hosted the night before at the State Library (and you thought the Writers’ Festival was unlikely, Sandy!).

Then I rock up at the seminar, and Hon was there — we’d been trying lamely to hook up on our own campus for weeks. In the middle of Sandy’s paper, Rawan unexpectedly walks in, and I let her know how amazing she was at the Suad Amiry event. It was the best afternoon of randomness, evar! (Oh yeah, and Sandy’s paper rocked, but I can’t really do justice here to such a remarkable analysis of Australian late social democracy’s management of the turn to affective labour and the heteronormativity of border control. Everyone’s heads were exploding! And he wore a linen suit!)

Meanwhile, there are advantages to my own university. Number One: the kids are a billion times better looking on my campus. (I mean, with Sydney Uni being a sandstone institution, the students there are mostly ruling class, white, inbred twats). Hmmm. Actually, that’s all I can think of right now…

+  +  +

In other news, I think I finally have a workable thesis topic!

[ tags: ambience, mcwire, neighbourhoods, sydney-university, urbanism ]