THE THYLAZINE FOUNDATION STORY
By Coral Hull
Thylacinus cynocephalus - "The pouched dog with the wolf's head."
Welcome to the twelfth issue of Thylazine: The Australian Journal of Arts, Ethics & Literature.
Everything we do, every thought, every intent, every action has ramifications. By choosing to live ethically we allow ourselves to make empowered choices on how we impact on those around us. This can be anything from what we choose to eat, to how we choose to treat others. Is this action going to cause pain and suffering to someone else? What are the long term ramifications of my actions when it comes to my own development? Ethical living is a way of living that is beneficial because it empowers all beings; it connects and unites us all.
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When I first entertained the idea of starting an ezine and a company that focused on the altruism of the creative arts community while supporting that community at the same time, I was warned that arts and ethics were not compatible. The general feeling amongst people I consulted outside the arts, seemed to be that creative artistic types were a lot of pretentious, shallow, mentally-ill, self-serving ego-maniacs, who were out of touch with the wants and needs of the public and the majority of the population.
I was told by a young woman who had attempted a similar venture in the Australian fashion industry not to proceed. "Don't even go there," she said. "They don't care about anyone but themselves. They are only interested in their own egos." Disheartened and defeated, she chose to leave it all behind, finally joining an 'alternative community' where ethics were more readily embraced and where she now markets vegan healthfood products. |
[Above] Pushkin rescued and rehomed, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. (Photo by Coral Hull, 2005)
Having been loosely involved with the creative arts scene in Australia for over twenty years, I had an idea of the kind of attitude that she was referring to. But I didn't agree that the idea of mixing art and ethics was an impossibility. Many great artists and writers worldwide have and continue to supported the higher purposes in life as part of their creative work. So I began with the challenge of the Australian poetry scene, since much of the performance and street poetry I had been exposed to, that was coming from the poorer classes and/ or the socially disadvantaged, seemed to be concerned with issues of a social and ethical, as well as a personal nature.
I was also a creative artist who was torn between working voluntarily for high profile activist groups such as Animal Liberation Victoria and my involvement in the literary world as published poet. My question was, how could these worlds of social morality and personal creativity be so isolated from each other? I wanted an outlet where I could combine the two worlds of creative arts and ethics. Hence the birth of the Thylazine e-zine in 2000, followed by the creation of a company, The Thylazine Foundation: Arts Ethics and Literature in 2003.
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For the first few years Thylazine was run out of suitcases on a laptop. It was challenging work from the outset. As a woman with Autism, I went well beyond what was expected of me and in some ways what I was allowed to achieve, in the eyes of my 'more-abled' peers. While attempting to excel beyond one's limitations might be said to build strength and endurance, it can also prove to be challenging and, for many Autistic people who attempt to be 'normal' while hiding their disabilities, physical illness is the result. Yet I really saw no other way, but to keep going, even if it was harder and took longer as one was less supported than those who were more abled. |
[Above] Donating Library Books for Children, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. (Photo by photographer unknown, 2003)
Human society has not as yet advanced to the stage where are all beings are afforded equal consideration. But we are coming across new types of 'disabled' people who are determined to utilise their strengths, rather than be victims of circumstance. Being marginalised due to disability, means that some of us are not able to properly work our way into society. Yet I do not see that we have to be accepted by anyone in order to make a positive contribution. A majority of people seem to be too busy looking for a way out of the situation they have created for themselves, to be able to do much else in the present. It is also important to remember that when a society has lost its soul to sociopathy, everyone will be outcast at some point in their lives. As fringe dwellers, for whatever reason, perhaps we have a better chance of showing them the way out, since we are already there.
I was amazed several weeks ago to receive an email from a young artist who equated ethics with a religion or a cult. In her mind, ethics, or even the idea of simply being supportive to others, was so foreign, that the only analogy she could bring it back to was 'a mystery'. How many other young creative thinkers are living in this reality? In the same way, an older male academic poet did not want to be associated with any cause such as world peace. Since when has 'peace' been a cause and 'ethics' a religious cult? Have we become so sociopathic as a species, that we view 'kindness' as something to be wary of and 'ethics' as something to avoid at all costs?
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The ethical aspect of Thylazine has proven to be most challenging for many creative people. I've even had a poet accuse me of censorsip, since I would not allow poetry that promoted sex with children. In his eyes the censorship of the poet's work was far worse than the promotion of child abuse.
My respose: if you are creating art that harms others, this ezine is not the place for that work. Likewise, I do not publish that promote the exploitation of, the wearing of and/ or eating of the corpses of murdered animals. Thylazine promotes and incorporates ethics alongside creativity, encompassing all creative thinkers and all sentient beings via ART.
In a spiritually evolved society, there will no longer be any interest or desire to promote the cruel and unnecessary harming of others through creative arts, or as part of our moment to moment living, whether they be children, animals, the environment, the disabled, the eldery, women, the gay community, indigenous people or our own creative peers. All sentient beings will be considered worthy of love, acceptance and support. |
[Above] Feeding The Rylstone Cows in the drought, Rylstone, New South Wales, Australia. (Photo by Coral Hull, 2002)
If I pretended that the promotion of arts, ethics and literature has received huge support from the creative arts community in Australia, I would be telling a lie. In the narcissistic, self-serving, competitive social and political consciousness, that is driving human society towards it's transformation, running a small company and an ezine that combines arts, ethics and literature and that is all inclusive, was initially considered outrageous and people who are still caught up in that destructive mindset, hated what I was doing, because it asked that they change their current mindset, which basically meant to start considering others, rather than just themselves. I now view attitudes such as these as further evidence of a time of great personal and social crisis for humanity.
Despite the challenges of running a small company on a voluntary basis with little to no support, my work with The Thylazine Foundation continues to be deeply fulfilling. I have been given the opportunity to promote others whose work I enjoy, and to come into contact with giving and sharing individuals who care about their fellow creative artists and who are leading the world towards a new future through their own creative work. My experiences with Thylazine have allowed me to develop my understanding of the wants and needs of others and how assist the creative arts community in serving the society in positive, productive and sustainable ways.
Thylazine was the first to run an all inclusive online Australian Poets Directory and a Poets for Peace project. Both have now progressed to include all writers and artists. Thylazine commissions and pays contributors but does not charge for the ezine. Everything, including advertising on the website, remains free. The Thylazine Foundation trading as Artesian Productions became the first publisher in Australia to place all its work under the Creative Commons License in support of free culture in the public domain. Being unsuccesful at inspiring other poets to do the same, I went on to become successful at publishing and selling my own work under this label.
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At present The Thylazine Foundation remains an important contribution towards the creative arts community in Australia. It is more effective and dynamic than ever. The energy of volunteers remains firmly focused on creativity and service that will move us all forwards into a world where art, literature and ethics become the given situation, rather than something to be argued against, censored, boycotted, distrusted or despised.
This ongoing work exists as a reminder that we can rise above our own personal and societal challenges at this time, in order to be of service to others through creative arts. It relieves the narcissistic ego of its preoccupation with the self in isolation. It asks us to both create art and to consider others. In this way it makes art real, and when we have the real we find the spiritual. |
[Above] Kids Xmas Hampers, Palmerston, Northern Territory, Australia. (Photo by photographer unknown, 2004)
To date hundreds of people have been published in Thylazine: The Journal of Australian Arts, Ethics and Literature, The Australian Artists and Writers Directory and in Australian Artists and Writers for Peace. With the assistance of writers, poets and musicians, The Thylazine Foundation has contributed over 2000 books to libraries in working class areas and remote locations in Australia, has feed 250 children from disadvantaged situations and has assisted both directly and indirectly in saving the lives of various animals. The Thylazine Foundation remains a pioneer in this area of arts, ethics and literature in Australia. In the future I hope to see a lot more organisations, clubs, unions, journals and individuals in mainstream areas of arts and literature in Australia discussing and embracing the idea that arts, ethics and literature are all perfectly compatible.
Now is the time to create situations where creative artists, writers and organisations across Australia will begin to incorporate ethics into what they are attempting to achieve as normal part of their day to day operations. The animals, the earth and future generations of creative practitioners are depending on us to act now. The Thylazine Foundation is a small start and it's a very good start. Art and ethics can make a positive difference.
Dr. Coral Hull (Editor)
Thylazine thanks the following people for their generosity: Tatjana Lukic ($50.00), Terry McArthur ($100.00), Julie McNeill ($20.00) and the writers and artists who donated their fees to support Thylazine No.12 and The Thylazine Foundation's charitable work.
A special thanks to the contributors: Kaye Aldenhoven, in memory of Patrick Alexdander (2006), Timoshenko Aslanides, Judith Aquilina, David Barnes, Judith Bishop, Michelle Cahill, Bill Cobbett, Angela Costi, Peter Davis, Tricia Dearborn, Nicole deWilde, Levin A. Diatschenko, John Edwards, Geoff Fox, Barbara De Franceschi, Liz Hall-Downs for her valued work as a proofreader and her ongoing moral support, Kris Hemensley, Andy Jackson, Norman Jensen, Jen Jewel Brown, Jeri Kroll, Tim Heffernan, Matt Hetherington, Coral Hull, (that's me), Terry Jaensch, Justin Lowe, Tatjana Lukic, Tim McKew, David Musgrave, Mark O'Connor and his faithful companion Kendall, Geoff Page, Pamela Sidney, Cornelis Vleeskens, Chris Wallace-Crabbe, Debra Westbury, Jane Williams, Deborah Young and the many artists and photographers whose work is included in this issue.
And others; Artesian Productions, Magdelena Ball, In Memory of Lisa Bellear (2006), Season BubbleGirl, Bridh Handcock, John Jenkins, Terry McArthur, Joyce Parkes, Judith Rodriguez, Malobi Sinha, In Memory of Elaine Schwager (2006), John Tranter, James Waddell, Cornford Press, Dangerously Poetic Press, Five Islands Press, Interactive Press, Lythrum Press, Pandanus Books, Ptilotus Press, University of Queensland Press, Wakefield Press, the poets who contribute their books for review, Kindi and Binda (who both passed away in early 2005) but who renew my dreams on a daily basis, the black Angus cows from Rylstone - Mille, Amanda, Marguerite, Ruby, Rachel, Caliban, Faith, Emma and Stevie for surviving the drought and for being who they are, and in memory of Kinsella (2001) and Monica (2004); Charlie Rosenberg and the crew at The Institute for Global Communications (IGC) and the EnviroLink Network (San Francisco, USA) without whose assistance this website would not be possible.
About the Writer Coral Hull
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Coral is the author of over 50 books of poetry, prose poetry, fiction, artwork and digital photography. Born with Autism in 1965, she was raised under disadvantaged circumstances in the working class suburb of Liverpool in Sydney's outer west. Coral became concerned with issues of social justice and spirituality from an early age. Coral became an ethical vegan and an animal rights advocate who has since spent much of her life working voluntarily on behalf of animals and the environment, both as an individual and for various non-profit organisations. She is also the Executive Editor and Publisher of Thylazine, an electronic journal featuring articles, interviews and reviews of the recent work of Australian writers and artists. Coral Hull's complete works are now available from Artesian Productions (Darwin, Australia). Coral holds a Doctor of Creative Arts Degree (Creative Writing Major) from the University of Wollongong. An extensive biography, list of publications, festivals, interviews, articles and reviews are online. Coral is The Director of The Thylazine Foundation: Arts, Ethics and Literature. Coral Hull's work is in the public domain for non-commercial use under the Creative Commons License. |
[Above] Coral Hull, Elliot Hotel, Elliot, Northern Territory, Australia. (Photo by Coral Hull, 2001)
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Thylazine No.12 (June, 2007) |
