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Tonight I made my way up the mountain for the last time. Driving the ascent in thick fog keeps you alert. High beam is more of a problem in these conditions, the light bounces back and vision is obscured. It makes more sense to keep the lights low even though I have to crawl along. Going slow is a must anyway as there is always the possibility of a stag on the road. Tonight I see one; off to the side, on the verge, I’m glad I was moving slower than usual as the thought of being struck and knocked off the mountain makes me shudder. I continue up the mountain, constantly twisting and turning, past Clover power station and up towards the village. Seeing the lights of Bogong sprinkled down the side of the valley never fails to impress. As you navigate the last hairpin corner they appear to the left and you can finally relax into the seat and roll down the slight descent into the village.
The final week of the residency started with a community bonfire in town. It was ignited just as Madelynne and I arrived. The flames reached into the night sky and the heat was enough that we had to remove our heavy coats. We wanted to stay to see it burn out but were informed it would continue to burn for a day or two. I drove back down the following morning to film the fire only to be sabotaged by a puncture. After finally getting the car back on the road I discovered the fire was out anyway.
Bogong power station is open to visitors once a week so I went to investigate the two large underground turbines. I could only get close enough to see the two metal plates indicating the placement of turbines below. However, reading the material supplied and looking at the plans I know that they are definitely the cause of the spasmodic rumble that can be felt across the village. Unfortunately I never did manage to record it.
Madelynne was kind enough to instruct me on recording electromagnetic fields and we recorded the sound of the neon Bogong Electric light buzzing. Investigating sound this way has me curious as to how it can be used in an artwork. The residency has allowed me time to film and record a significant amount of raw material to take away. What that will be is yet to be resolved but I am excited at the prospect. I will miss our dinners and movie nights, the freedom to concentrate on work and our adventures. Until next time.