T A S K O N E

T H E B R I E F

This was my own little interpretation of the brief for the first task:

Create a simplistic game that has it’s heritage in an Australian related sport and that can be carried out around a bar/public house/bar like surface. This could be any sport that is enjoyed in Oz, focusing particularly on creating a game that can be played with an active participation. The consumption of alcohol, though not specifically suggested, has a place within the culture of both Australia and pubs and therefore it would be slightly disparaging to not involve at least a few alcoholic beverages...

Fun.

[I’ll take this moment to clarify that 1000heads certainly didn’t condone the involvement of alcohol within this project. This was something I most definitely took open myself to not only actively involve but also make sure others did to – I can’t imagine these games being that fun without an element of alcoholism involved at some point...]

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D I A R Y – T A S K O N E

My train of thought over this first brief was a tad erratic [to say the least]. Combining my own drudging work schedule with my lack of time management skills, I left it to a frenzied weekend of partying, pretty girls and the occasional binge upon assorted alcoholic beverages to inspire, and to set aflame to, the creative qualities necessary for me to adeptly compete in this first showdown task. Impressive then that I managed to think up anything at all. The lack of ingenuity within my idea [by my reckoning at least] is something I would possibly blame upon misdirection by a bunch of New Zealanders on Friday evening – truly unhelpful bastards – and a parade of pretty Australian girls who only managed to distract me from the task at hand.

That being said, and though I now associate Australia [well Brisbane at least] with tanned skin and long legs, I am personally not unhappy with the fruit of my limited imagination. Deciding not to focus on a generic sport, I wished to utilise the raw materials that were at hand within my environment, whilst coming up with something both engaging to watch and participate in – that, I quickly learnt, was the beauty of Sydney cricket – without digressing too far from the sport . I started this task how I would when tasked with sculpting, and went about collecting [in my notebook at least] the raw materials I had at my disposal, already with a resemblance of a direction stored discretely within the memory banks of my brain. It was difficult however to bring about these different bits and pieces of ideas - I initially struggled to formulate anything tangible – but this was, of course, until I started working on making the ideas come to life and, with the help of a long legged, sun kissed, Brisbane born lady or four I managed to make something happen.

In terms of outreach, my only involvement I directly aimed at ‘my community’ was to let fly a few emails, tweet a tad and to make sure that I was allowed to use certain more creatively inclined members of my network in future tasks. I have yet to blog about the project, but this first task has proven to me that I must bring in as many people as is possible, thus, for the next task, I shall have the full force of my friendship groups, work buddies and assorted associates behind me so I can not only win, but win in the crushing kind of manner that would be befitting of a Jabba the Hut type character, or one of those awful American wrestling fellows. Nice.

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S U R F A U S T R A L I A

S U R F I N G I N N S W

Surfing, so I hear, is big news out in the land of Oz [hell they’ve got the weather for it] and I thought it would be befitting to look at a sport that I immediately associate with Australia [cue Home and Away theme tune], and one that will hopefully be over looked by other contestants.

New South Wales itself is home to the countries oldest, and largest, state surfing body, whilst the area plays host to some 721 beaches, 2137 km of coastline and offers more accessible surf beaches than any other state in the country, providing space to both serious surfers and for beginners.

Surfing is widely lauded too in Australia for successfully crossing the cultural line between sport and fashion in an effective and irreverent way, as funky swim wear is an ever present in the NSW youth population, with brands such as Billabong, Quicksilver and sister brand Roxy taking full advantage of this opening within the market.

Attractive to both young and old, extreme sport types and families the holiday maker and the tourist, surfing is synonymous with Australian culture, a place where it has truly integrated itself into both the lifestyle and society. It is the single sport that I personally synonymously associate with Australia [possibly due to soaps such as the aforementioned Home and Away] as it is not only one of the world’s premier surfing destinations, but it has also shaped the sport due to the several innovations by Australian based surfers. With a dissociation almost with Aussie rules, the lack of skill in Australian soccer and being an England cricket supporter, surfing is one of the only Oz related sports that will continuously grab my attention.

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T H E I D E A

I N T R O D U C T I O N T O T H E I D E A

‘The Sydnut Surfers’ [somewhat unimaginatively named perhaps, but I doubt anyone will know or care by the time they finish playing] is a game that pits two [or more] individuals against one another, whilst sticking to the key values of surfing by actively riding waves in what is one of the world’s most exhilarating extreme sports. Bringing together one of Australia’s most popular sports, a British pub, and a barrage of alcoholic drinks, Sydnut Surfing requires diligence, years of hard training and an accurate perception of ones allergies [certainly not safe to play if you have a nut allergy for example].

It is, however, extremely dependant on the contestants willingness to engage in the social aspect of this game. Egging on a surfer is smiled pleasantly upon, whilst gambling and sabotage is actively encouraged. The customary dash of cheery ‘Australian-ness’ must come into full effect whilst playing the game in the winning, competitive spirit that makes Australian’s so annoyingly good at anything sport related, is also extremely important.

The inspiration behind the idea lies within the varied bits and pieces that clutter the average pub and the want to utilise as many objects I could hold in my hand as was possible. As much as I liked the Sydney cricket idea, I wanted the whole game to revolve around things I could pick up and play with in my local.

By attempting to be engaging I hope the game fulfills it’s role as a fun fixture of a drunken evening and, though not for the light hearted, it is definitely a game I can imagine a few motely fat fellas playing in a disgracefully drunken, debaucherous manner at some god awful time in the morning in a grime laden pub, most likely situated in some shite hole in South London.

Enjoy.

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E Q U I P M E N T & A P P A R A T U S

You shall need the following to compete as a Sydnut Surfer:

2 x Contenstants

2 x Annoyingly cheerful sense of Australian spirits

2 x Pint glasses

2 x Beer mates [it would be rude not to use them]

2 x Plastic straws

1 x Packet of nuts [no particular preference here, though an Australian variety would be rather befitting and perhaps one with lots of powdery sh*t on it would be most entertaining – hell it’s to your discretion!]

1 x Willing bar staff [preferably female, voluptuous and overly flirtatious in that order]

1 x Unlimited reserve of alcohol [of the Australian variety – of course]

[Note – Don’t scrimp on the alcohol here guys, it’s not the kind of game you want to play sober, plus participants must all contain an ‘annoyingly cheerful sense of Australian spirit’ remember!]

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M E T H O D O L O G Y

Detailed methodology of how to go about the task of playing the Sydnut Surfers:

1.  Take the clear two clear pint glasses and place in front of both contestants on the two beer mats. Harass the unlucky bar lady until she fills up both glasses to one third of their capacities with beer [preferably Fosters].

2.  Following the arrival of the water harass the sorry bar lady a tad more, first for a pack of nuts and then for an insensible amount of shots [choosing to not down one prior to the beginning of this game would be perceived as rude, unsporting and can potentially get you disqualified before even starting the game] followed up by a request for two plastic straws.

3. Open packet of nuts and after locating two of the largest specimens, plop them whole heartedly into each of the glasses of beer with enthusiastic aplom.

4. Stare in a typically aggressive Australian manner at your opponent, using the opportunity to down another shot [whilst they still taste good] and to mentally prepare for the task ahead.

5. Take a straw each and carefully slid them into the pint glass, careful to avoid the now floating nut [aka the surfer].

6. Get another friend [or of course the harangued bar maid] to be the referee over the proceedings. On their cue both contestants must begin blowing into their glasses, causing the beer to violently begin bubbling, the waves tossing the nut/surfer around and into the air [whilst probably screaming ‘g’day mate’ in it’s nutty tone at the top of it’s voice].

7. The contestant that wins the challenge is the poor bastard that can keep blowing the longest [or can keep it’s peanut surfing on the most hardcore waves for the longest] – the contestant that stops first is the loser and must do a forfeit.

8. The forfeit, as you may have guessed, involves both alcohol, and nuts. The loser of the surf challenge must empty a shot [of choice], into the pint glass containing both the beer and, the now extremely bedraggled, nut and drink the lot.

9. Round 2 anyone?

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T O C O N C L U D E

Thanks for reading through my rambled, random writings in this little document. I like presenting things this way, but please do let me know if there is a problem with this format or with anything I’ve written [hope I didn’t let my occasionally foul mouth run away with me].

Again thank you for allowing me to participate in the project and for providing us with such an imaginative first task. It got my creative juices flowing and I’ve had fun attempting to ‘grapple n’ tackle’ it head on.

Get in touch if you have any questions, queries or complaints [details over the page].

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SAFE www.whathehellewonders.blogspot.com/

With thanks to the 1000 Heads team for allowing me to participate in this project.

+447508 023 712 Tarik@RubyPseudo.com

Tarik Fontenelle

C O N T A C T

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T H E E N D