I feel that I've been relishing in technology too much lately. I don't mean technology per se... I don't know the word. Information, maybe. My wonderful art teacher in high school used to tell us to step away from the "image overload" that society bombards us with daily. He said it pollutes our imaginations (well, roughly, though I'm sure he wouldn't disagree with this wording). And it's true - there are images everywhere. It can be overwhelming. Hell, it IS overwhelming.
Too often I prefer quantity over quality, you know? Quantity does have its place (obviously), but it should not be appreciated at the expense of quality. Oscar Wilde and Julia Child said it well: "Everything in moderation, including moderation." Especially in terms of images. Advertising. Blah. It's a great thing sometimes, but other times it is too much for me. Sometimes I love flipping from one picture to the next to the next, looking for the one that will speak to me. I think they all speak, though....... if we listen. (Cheese and corn alert!)
Join me in learning to appreciate one image at a time.
I was quite the busy bee on Earth Day. We had guacamole / hula hoop / amazing music / eco info festival of sorts at school. I didn't include the above gem of a song on the playlist I made for the event, so I thought I'd spread its presence across the universe here. Or the internet, because these things are not the same.
Thanks and credit goes to my mom for being awesome. About three years ago she bought a used copy of Blows Against The Empire on Amazon upon discovering that iTunes doesn't sell it. And then promptly made me listen to it (while she sang along of course). Good stuff. I couldn't find "Mau Mau (Amerikon)" on youtube, but everyone should hear that one too.
Life is tough . . . What do you get at the end of it? A death. What’s that, a bonus? I think the life cycle is all backward. You should die first, get it out of the way. Then you live in an old-age home. You get kicked out when you’re too young, you get a gold watch, you go to work. You work forty years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement. You do drugs, alcohol, you party, you get ready for high school. You go to grade school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a little baby, you go back into the womb, you spend your last nine months floating — and you finish off as an orgasm.
Recently I was given an awesome opportunity to work with conceptual artist Morgan O'Hara. She was installing a "live transmission" drawing of hers at the LAB Gallery at the Roger Smith Hotel, NYC. Through a professor I found out that she was looking for students to help out with painting the drawing onto the wall.
She describes the process best:
LIVE TRANSMISSION: ATTENTION AND DRAWING AS TIME-BASED PERFORMANCE This work addresses life and the signs of life. The most immediate sign of life is movement. Its purpose is to honor each individual as seen through human activity. Unremarkable or normally unnoticed movement patterns are rendered visible through oscillographic or seismograph-like drawings done in real time in real life. That which is tracked is vitality, the visible pulse of life. That which is alive, moves. The process is interactive. O'Hara works from the premise that while observing and transmitting the movement of a chosen subject, there is a temporary escape from the isolation of dualistic thinking. Anyone who observes the process begins to see more consciously. The best LIVE TRANSMISSIONS occur when the role of observer-participant and participant-observer merge. The drawing on paper remains in life much in the way that a footprint on the beach takes its place. The drawing is a bit more material than a heartbeat but resembles it in its circular flow. Movement produces life produces movement. This work began as a search for relationship and meaning. – Morgan O'Hara
A live transmission drawing was projected onto a huge wall. We painted black in the negative space between each line, down to the smallest detail. Here are some examples of previous installations.
And the time-lapse video of the piece I worked on... so amazing.
I'm spouting this lovely language all over the place. Sometimes I think of the French word before the English one. They say that means progress, though, which is good. Right? Right.
I was just flipping through/ catching up on my favorite blogs. Found an old post from la porte rouge with some lovely shots. Her writings are so thoughtful and gentle. I love reading about life on a farm while listening to the city kids playing outside my window.
This is my 100th post. I can't believe I've sat in front of a computer and typed in this little white box 100 times. It makes me wonder how much I could have accomplished if I was doing something else. But if I thought of everything in this way, I would never be satisfied with anything I do.
Conveniently, Tokyo Police Club has a song called "Centennial". It's kind of cute and whiney in an endearing way. Just when I think I don't like it, I decide I like it. Whaddya think?
Canadian designer Su-Hui Chu is the mastermind behind these sweet designs. She has traveled around much of the world, and I think the global influence is alive and well in her Spring collection. Sadly, Ella Peru is only sold in stores in Canada. Any New York boutiques want to make a wholesale account and stock these pieces? Pretty please?
Spring is finally, really, truly here! I will post more about Montreal later, but first I must get my film developed. Here are some shots from my digital camera to pique your interest!