Bellingen Turtle Festival Focus: Vanishing Shapes

Answered by: Timothy Merrikin

When did you find out about the plight of George and his fellow Bellingen River snapping turtles and what made you want to help out by playing? We happened to meet a person involved with the festival after a gig in Bello on a recent tour. We were able to find out about the ecological objective they had and then one thing led to another.

How important is it to support the current shift towards eco conscious events like Bellingen Turtle Festival? Very much so. Most people understand why we need to minimise our environmental impact and the next step is to bring a scrutiny to every aspect of your life including the events you attend.

Have you ever loved turtles to the extent of having a pet turtle? I think the best way to show love towards animals is to leave them in their natural environment. Our unwarranted interaction with the environment has often had unplanned follow on consequences, possibly including George's demise.

Is music a good medium to get out a message, such as with the Bellingen Turtle Festival? It sure is! As a performer you are able to capture an audiences attention and appeal to their emotions whilst guiding them through a world created with music. With an attentive listener you have a lot of time to develop a high level of connection to a message within their person.

Turtles have a famous design flaw in their inability to flip themselves over. Do you have any secret weaknesses? Tahini. And similarly to many instrumentalists, tuning and intonation in a space with fluctuating temperatures (such as those found at an outdoor festival), they wreak havoc by making small changes in an instruments materials.

When can we catch your set at the Turtle Festival? 1 Oct, Turtle Dome, at 4.30 (we are planning for this to include a collaboration with sand painter John Thiering); 2 Oct, Main Stage, 12pm.

Website link for more info? vanishingshapes.bandcamp.com