twodays twonights

posted by on 2011.03.31, under art, video

About a month ago I had one of those ideas that just arises, one that seems to be uncovered in the mind.  I’m making it seem like it was some knock-your-socks-off idea, and, well, maybe it was and maybe it wasn’t but what it was was a clear idea; with a static video camera, shoot two matching clips during the same ten minutes of consecutive days.

Rise Industries forces aligned, (Might Morphin Power Risers are GO!), and I shot my consective days video in Boston and Jeremy and Michele shot theirs  in LA.  And that is what is shown below.

Two Nights- Los Angeles March 2011

Two days- Jamaica Plain Feb 28 2011,  4:11-4:21pm, March 1 2011, 4:11-4:21

We look from left to right for the inconsistencies in framing, as if trained to do so. And from this we get more information than what is contained in the frame, gestalt at work.  We get iformation about what has happened in the interim, some snow has melted, and the camera has moved. Isn’t it strange how the tire tracks are tracks in the snow in the left, and  negative tracks in the right?  Ghost like, the day in between speaks to us when we put time together this way.

In Los Angeles, there was no snow to be melted, and the two shots are so similar that it is as if the 24 hours in between has melted instead. The inconsistencies in light, weather, and the movement of the air are highlighted instead, and even the air seems choreographed to rustle thorough the left tress, and then the right trees, as if doing a job.

In both, the passage of those twenty minutes reveals the light changing as the day approaches dusk. In the right shot in LA, dusk comes on as an intense pink glow. And it seems appropriate that this wild act of light has been recorded, because it seems to be performing on the second day because it missed the opportunity on the first.

Sound in LA is much more interesting because it was recorded outside, in Boston the camera was inside the house . In LA it is hard to distinguish the source of the sound until you have a visual cue to link it to. If there is no visual cue the sound works as a mending agent across the gulf of the two days.

To me the work is evokative, mysterious. It’s as if  juxtaposing the two intervals opens a secret portal through which the very passage of time can communicate.

The Boston shots can be improved, would like to crop like LA shots (can’t do it in Final Cut Express) more to be done on this project. I’d like to see how it looks projected large or on large monitor. I’d like to try shooting with matching cameras. It is actually pretty complex if you watch all four shots at once. And at the beginning I actually intended to shoot a closeup as opposed to the more landscapey shots we did. I think we should try the closeup next. Another way I saw this was to have the right shot be live, and the left be 24 hours ago…..Mighty Morphin Power Risers, assemble! (wait I think that’s Voltron or something).

 

RIPT page

posted by on 2011.03.18, under rise info

So here is a post to tell you to click on the link in the sidebar >>> that says RIPT (on the riseindustries.org page for those seeing this in FB). It has Tim’s brand new report on creative people and how they structure their time, and you should read it.
RIPT is a new feature, a series of reports that will come out from time to time on topics you need to know about!

Up in the Mountains

posted by on 2011.03.11, under photo

I just got photos developed from our (Michele and I that is) trip this past summer to the Mammoth Lakes area. These are from my fabulous Yashica twin lens reflex, shooting medium format Kodak 160 film (natural color I think). I have got to shoot some more with this camera, love the detail it captures.

Tomorrow, in Glendale

posted by on 2011.03.10, under art, exhibition, public art

My new public artwork Tomorrow is up in Glendale, and will be showing for several months. It is presented by Glendale Area Temporary Exhibitions (GATE) along with works by Srboohie Abajian, and P. Williams. This new text-based installation spans several storefront windows on Wilson Ave, inviting viewers to ponder the future. In addition to the large graphic, a video displaying quotations about tomorrow gives the work varied contexts.

The installation can be found at the corner of E. Wilson and Maryland, across from a small city parking lot. 116 E. Wilson Ave, to be precise. It should be easy to find, what with the giant yellow text and all. Don’t miss the video, its tucked into a niche near the middle door.

Big thanks out to Tucker Neel and Eric Qvale of GATE and David O. Johnson of Leaf Cutter Vinyl for making it happen!


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DIY Backpack

posted by on 2011.03.02, under design

I am constructing my own lightweight backcountry backpack…

I was inspired by Ray Jardine’s book “Trail Life” to do it.  Ray sells inexpensive “Ray-Way” kits on his website with which you can make all your own camping gear from scratch.

30 or 40 hours in, I’m about 2/3 completed now, with only a large purple extension collar to add to the top, a waist strap, and perhaps also a Rise Industries patch?  When completed it will only weigh about 10oz, which is far lighter than any factory-made pack of similar capacity.

Doing this is making me wish that my music projects also came with step-by-step instruction guides!

Mountain documentation

posted by on 2011.02.27, under art, video

Finally, here is the video documentation of my Mountain installation at Kristi Engle Gallery from earlier this year.

Mountain is an attempt to build a mountain using methods inspired by image mapping in 3d modeling software and Google Earth’s terrain view – composited video landscapes are projected onto a faceted construction, stretching the image out as it follows the shapes of the form. The video is in some places abstracted, distorted and pixilated, and in other places a clear representation of landscape.

Video shot at Kristi Engle Gallery during TBA, A Group Video Exhibition in 7 Parts.

Photos for the Nave show

posted by on 2011.02.08, under art, exhibition, performance, public art

Here are some photos from the show I had at the Nave Gallery for my “History of Somerville, 2010-2100” community art project.

At the gallery.

Visitors could add their own predictions to the timeline.

About 40 new predictions were added during the show. In this photo, there are a number of hand-written notes on the wall.

This is the same wall, before the show.

At the reception, futurist Seth Itzkan gave a short talk about thinking about the future-- and then led us on a guided future-visioning exercise.

After futurist Seth Itzkan's talk, we had Future-aoke-- the open mic about the future. About a dozen brave, thoughtful souls got up, and spoke about their ideas and concerns about the future.

...Another Future-aoke speaker...

After Future-aoke, Neil Horsky and Anna Horsky played some music on instruments that haven't even been invented yet.

...and then there was Mingling...

“History of Somerville, 2010-2100” at the Nave this weekend!

posted by on 2011.02.02, under art, exhibition, performance, public art, social practice, urbanism
Hi everyone-
 
Just wanted to let you know about an art show (and performance) at the Nave Gallery this weekend. It’s for my “History of Somerville, 2010-2100″ community art project.
 
Between Feb. 2009 and Dec. 2010, I spoke to residents about what they hoped/feared might happen in the future; collected official governmental and city plans; and think-tank vision statements– and created a history of the future based on what I found.
 
I’ll be presenting this information at the Nave Gallery this Saturday and Sunday. There will be a timeline that you can read– and add predictions to. At the reception, there will be a short talk by futurist Seth Itzkan; theremin music by Adam Schutzman; and something I call “Future-aoke”– where people can step up on the mic for a few minutes, and share their thoughts on the future. Gallery website:
 
HOURS
Saturday, Feb. 5, 1 p.m.-9 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 6, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
Opening reception, Saturday at 6 p.m.
 
The Nave is at 155 Powderhouse Blvd., Somerville.
 
Hope you can make it!

Mountain at Kristi Engle Gallery

posted by on 2011.01.19, under art, exhibition, video

My new video installation, Mountain, will be showing next week at Kristi Engle Gallery in Highland Park in Part 5 of her show TBD: A Group Video Exhibition in 7 Parts. Mountain is my attempt to build a mountain using methods inspired by image mapping in 3d modelling sofware and Google Earth’s terrain view – composited video landscapes are projected onto a faceted form, stretching the image out as it follows the shapes of the form. The video is in some places abstracted, distorted and pixelated, and in other places a clear representation of landscape.

The show will be open from the 23rd to the 29th (noon-6pm each day), with a reception on the 29th from 7-10pm. See here for a map.

Language Lessons

posted by on 2011.01.15, under art, culture, education, performance, social practice, video

For the past few months I have been learning how to say “I have to tell you something, but I don’t know how,” in several languages as an ongoing performance/video/installation project. This endeavor is proving to be both challenging and rewarding. I think there is inherent failure in it, but I recite the sentences in my head frequently to keep what I’ve learned, and will take Erika’s suggestion to make an MP3 of all my instructors/collaborators saying the sentence so that I can listen to the correct pronunciations and intonations on a loop while driving. I can now say this sentence in Japanese, German, Thai, Armenian, Korean, and Spanish – although with a slight American accent. I also learned Farsi and Hebrew, but have yet to memorize them. So far even with two years of Hebrew School under my belt (although 26 years ago) that was the hardest, and perhaps a bit disappointing to realize how little I retained from Hebrew School. Or perhaps just that originally learning Hebrew with a NY accent made perfecting the Isreali accent much more difficult than I anticipated. Gil was a patient, yet serious teacher, working with me to get the sounds right, but after over an hour (and a change of videotape) we resigned to the fact that certain sounds cannot be made by everyone.  Video stills from each lesson with be added as the project continues… email me if you have a language to teach and want to participate.

video still from Japanese lesson with Takeshi Kobayashi

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video still from German lesson with Rashad Navidi

video still from Thai lesson with Hataya Tubtim

video still from Armenian lesson with Maria Khachatryan

video still from Korean Lesson with John Kim

video still from Farsi lesson with Solange Petrosspour

video still from Spanish Lesson with Erika E. Reynoso

video still from Hebrew Lesson with Gil Barel

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