The question/paradox I am going to focus this project on is one that has made me wonder a lot over the past year about a variety of cultures, traditions and more. I will focus on the idea that there is a lot of traditional aboriginal history amongst and alongside the cosmopolitan city life of Sydney, Australia. After spending last spring studying in Sydney, I absolutely fell in love with the city. It’s casual and fancy, trendy and grungy all at the same time. But the most interesting paradox I found was this ancient history of aboriginals, their drive to maintain their heritage, and how they live not so far off from this up and coming trendy city. There is a man I used to see on my way to work every morning who sat by Circular Quay in his traditional aboriginal paints and attire and played his didgeridoo. Obviously, he was there as a street performer to make money.

Aboriginals are very traditional and many keep their traditions strong. There is a very high number of aboriginal children who are illiterate and there are efforts and organizations to help end this issue. There is a high population of aboriginals that live in the outback in the middle of the country, but there are some on the coast in pockets in places like Cairns.

10 People/places/things associated with my topic include:

• Aboriginals
• Australians
• Sydney
• Alice Springs
• Uluru
• Cairns
• outback
• aboriginal art
• Central business district
• Iconic sydney buildings and sculptures

Pretty proud of how they look…

I chose to use the story of Moses from the Old Testament. I will be highlighting different parts of Moses’ life that all are related directly to water. The reason why I chose this story is because there are many moments in his life and significant references related to water, and all dragonflies spend most of their time and live near water because in their larval stage, they are actually in a body of water. The major points during Moses’ life relating to water that would make for a good turning point in a film or a book are when he is found in a basket floating through the Nile and Bithya, Pharoah’s daughter finds him, when he parts the red sea, and when Moses struck a rock with a stick after the Israelites were thirsty, producing water.

In order to accommodate my insect, the dragonfly, I will create the dragonfly as a representation of god as a guardian and a guide throughout his life. In the Nile the dragonfly will be either in the water or flying by the reeds or on top of the basket with Moses in it. At the Red Sea, it will be a side view as if looking across the water with the dragonfly flying through with or near Moses and in the final scene, he will appear by the staff on the rock where there is a crack in it with water beginning to flow out.

Dragonflies belong to the order ‘Odonata’ and suborder ‘Epiprocta’. They have eyes that are so large, they allow them to see nearly everywhere except directly behind them. They also have a  strong transparent wings helps it live in its daily life. Dragonflies have 6 legs but do not walk well. They are one of the fastest flying insects in the world. Their wingspan is usually only 2-5 inches. In the larvae stage, dragonflies live in water and break out of their exoskeleton. Dragonflies are harmless but catch all their prey (and food) while flying, so they will starve if they cannot fly. They can travel up to 100 miles in a single day, but most don’t usually travel that much. They are usually about 1-5 inches in length with very short antennae.

In Europe, culturally, dragonflies are seen as evil and sinister, and sometimes even personify the devil, while Native American culture had them representing swiftness and activity in stories. In certain parts of Asia, dragonflies are eaten as delicacies, but in Japan, they are the symbol of courage, strength, and happiness in haiku poems.

I chose a dragonfly because while there are so many things the body can do, from moving its wings to its eyes, its still flies gracefully. The wings as paper-thin as they are often glisten in light, and I hope that comes through in my Keyshot renderings. I plan to place the dragonfly in a story that takes place near water of sorts because that’s where dragonflies are most commonly found.