Alive in a cemetery (day 190)

Just got back from the fourth installment of Paul Wong's 5 Projects.  This time it was at the MountainView cemetery.  For some reason before I went there I had visions of Halloween with spooky soundtracks and disturbing images.  It wasn't that at all.  Turns out Paul has a fascination with death in a way that I can relate to.  There were 16 works in total, each really interesting.  Some highlights:

• Vigil 5.2 - Video documentation of Rebecca Belmore's performance at the Talking Stick Festival in 2002.  She wrote the names of the missing women in the DTES on her body and screamed out their names then ripped the leaves and petals off of flowers with her mouth.  She also nailed her dress to a pole and ripped it free.  Repeatedly.  A lot of grief.
• 60 Unit; Bruise - First colour video from Western Front, 1976.  Paul Wong and Kenneth Fletcher exchange blood.  The video was shown at Kenneth's grave site.  He committed suicide two years after the video was shot.
• in ten sity - an intense dance piece shot from above a padded room where bodies throw themselves about the room and each other.  Dedicated to Kenneth Fletcher.  It was projected on a petal-covered sheet underneath a tree.  A lot of grief and frustration and energy.
• Burka - slide show of soldiers killed in Afghanistan.  The slide show was projected on the wall, with a woman (mannequin) in a burka looking at it, lit from the inside.  She is standing on what seems like traditional carpets but upon closer inspection there were woven guns and war machinery on them.  The soundtrack is a machine voice.  I wasn't able to quite make out what it was saying. It was interesting to see all the faces.  Some looked very disconnected and dead even while alive.  Others looked completely normal and happy.
• Hungry Ghosts - A five channel piece about death.  Different types of deaths, rituals around death, talk around death, violent death, natural death.  A really touching piece.

Many other interesting pieces.  The setting of the cemetery was really amazing.  This was the best of the projects so far in my opinion.  Everything worked really well together.  I'm glad I went and gave it some time.

A song for this post.

The promise of compromise (day 189)

The search for a portable S3D continued yesterday and today.  Some incredibly useful people helped narrow down the search including Michael Verity, Vic Love, and Chris Lakes.  There is no perfect solution out there but in the interest of time and future intrepid field stereographers of the S3D Centre,  I had to make a decision.  I settled on a system by Inition which integrates lower end but narrow Sony HVR-A1 cameras on a side by side rig, a LANC sync method, and a 3D preview monitor.  The total weight should be around 30lbs but I'm missing some info to give a precise number.  I think this system will be a nice complement to the full-featured Kerner rig with Sony HDC-P1 cameras.

All this last minute shopping has made me realize how much I hate making decisions.  Yes, I'm a director and making decisions should be easy by now but sometimes knowing that there is no perfect solution is really heart-breaking.  Or knowing you don't have the right people for the job but strategically you still need to go ahead and hope the right people show up.  And seeing everyone else's press releases on the same things you are working on and wondering how you'll ever stand out in the crowd.  I find comfort in logistics but just like cooking, there's no point being precise without a plan for all the food to complement each other.  This is where a good team comes in.  And I do have a good team.  Shout outs to Rob Inkster, Alexandra Samuel, Dawn Whitworth, Lynn Leboe, Shannon McKinnon, Morgan Brayton, Simon Overstall, Rick Overington, and Bobbi Kozinuk!

A song for this post.

A 3D you can lift (day 187)

bacterial update: I'm waiting for my tea to cool down so I can put the kombucha mushroom in it.   It's important not to shock the mushroom.  Usually I spend time worrying about things getting cold.  It's amazing how long it actually takes for things to cool down.  I've been underestimating all this time.  Next time I'll plan a bit better.  When I did a taste test today, I realized that I had to bottle the current batch before it went way too acidic.  So it was a bit of a mad rush around the kitchen to get everything organized.  I think this batch ended up with a bit too much yeast.  It's not as good as the previous one.  And the mushroom didn't form as quickly or get as thick either.  Hopefully this next batch is a bit more healthy.  I also realized that I need to buy a jar with a spigot.  That way I don't disturb the mushroom formation when I need to test the pH.  These used to be so popular in the early 80s because of Sun Tea.  You'd think they'd be a dime a dozen.  But a quick look at the Kitchen Store didn't yield any loot.  The Happy Herbalist does sell some containers with spigots but they are twice as large as what I currently have.  With the size of my kitchen I can't really fit anything bigger than a gallon jar.

I spent the day looking for portable stereoscopic 3D solutions.  They are harder to find than I thought.  Panasonic just came out with a twin lens solution but it's not really available yet and has limitations like fixed inter-axial distance.  Still at 6.6 lbs it's an amazing solution for quick field work.  Other than that, it's really a DIY market out there.  I love the little Iconix cameras but the issue with those (besides the steep price) is getting small diameter matched lenses.  It would be so great to have such small cameras to work with not just because of the lower weight but also to shoot in confined space or at close range.  Love knows no bounds and I will find a way.  I've also been looking the 3DFilmFactory rigs for smaller side by side setups.  The ideal setup would be a system where everything fits in a backpack, is less than 30 lbs and runs on batteries.   I remember seeing pictures of Ansel Adams and all the gear he use to lug up mountains in Yosemite.  Not sure how much weight he had but it probably wasn't much more than that.  I have to have some sort of defined shopping list by tomorrow morning.  I've put out lots of leads out there, hopefully some of them pan out.

A song for this post.

To spawn or not to spawn (day 186)

Recently a book review in the Globe and Mail caught my eye, and the eye of many others. It became one of the most shared articles for the week.  The book?  No Kids - 40 good reasons not to spawn.  It caught my eye because I'm quite ambivalent about having kids but deep down I think "but everyone says it's so wonderful, am I missing out?"  It was actually refreshing to hear a woman say "I had kids and I regret it".  I haven't read the book and judging by the review it may be quite deliberately provocative.  Still it's a voice that's not often heard.
Corrine Maier wrote the book in reaction to a policy push in France to promote higher birth rates.  Apparently the policy worked.  But the author claims many have been duped into procreation by a baby marketing drive.  She is there to prevent that from spreading.

She took a pretty big beating in the comments section particularly because she apparently gave a copy of the book to her two children (who can read).   I'm assuming they've been around her antics long enough not to pay too much attention.  Love is in the details.  Nonetheless, it will make for some good stories later on.

I think having kids is like winning the lottery.  If you were happy before, you'll be happy after. If you were miserable before you'll be miserable after.  Same thing when the bio-clock stops.  There's no point agonizing over what could have been or resenting your own life.  So, as much as I admire Corinne for having written the book, I think a pros and cons kind of list doesn't really cut it when it comes to kids.

For reference, here are the 40 reasons:

1. The desire for children: A false aspiration.
2. Childbirth is torture.
3. Don't become a travelling feeding bottle.
4. Continue to amuse yourself.
5. Subway-job-kids: No thank you!
6. Hold onto your friends.
7. Do not adopt the idiot language we use to address children.
8. To open the nursery is to close the bedroom.
9. Child, the killer of desire.
10. They are the death knell of the couple.
11. To be or to make: You shouldn't have to choose.
12. The child is a kind of vicious dwarf, of an innate cruelty.
13. It is conformist.
14. Children are too expensive.
15. You become an ally of capitalism.
16. They will destroy your time and your freedom.
17. The worst drudgery for the parents.
18. Do not be deceived by the notion of the ideal child.
19. You will inevitably be disappointed by your child.
20. To become a merdeuf (soccer mom) - what horror!
21. Parenting above all else - no thanks.
22. Block your professional path with children.
23. Families: They are horror and cruelty.
24. Don't fall into an overgrown childhood.
25. To persist in saying "me first" is a badge of courage.
26. A child will kill the fond memories of your childhood.
27. You will not be able to prevent yourself from wanting your child to be happy.
28. Child care is a set of impossible dilemmas.
29. School: a prison camp with which you'll have to make a pact.
30. To raise a child, but toward what kind of future?
31. Flee from the benevolent blandness.
32. Parenting will make you soft.
33. Motherhood is a trap for women.
34. To be a mother, or to succeed: You must choose.
35. When the child appears, the father disappears.
36. The child of today must be a perfect child: a brave new world.
37. Your child will be in constant danger from pedophiles and pornographers.
38. Why contribute to a future of unemployment and social exclusion?
39. There are too many children in the world.
40. Turn your back on the ridiculous rules of the "good" parent.

Two songs for this post.
One for the adventure without kids.
One for the adventure with kids.
Same artist.

Kinda over (day 185)

I wonder why the Para-Olympics are treated so differently than the Olympics.  I also wonder why women are not allowed to ski jump in the Olympics.  Those two things seem like they belong in the same category.  It didn't seem right to me that the closing ceremonies should be held, and the flame extinguished only to be lit again.  I'm not sure of all the complexities of having the Para-Olympics but perhaps one solution is to fully integrate the two so they take place simultaneously.  The whole party lasts a bit longer and both get the recognition they deserve.  As it is, we're in a no man's land of Olympics.  Closing ceremonies have happened but some Pavilions are still up and the Live sites are still there (at least the Yaletown one is).  We have to wait for a couple weeks before the Para-Olympics start.   The good thing is, we have a second chance at the closing ceremonies.  Maybe theirs will have good music.

While we wait, a joke I heard from my friend Alex:

Mukmuk! Who's there? Miga. Miga who? Mukmuk! Who's there? Quatchi. Quatchi who? Mukmuk!Who's there? Sumi VANOC, it's just a joke

A song for this post.

Busy not being (day 183)

I overheard someone talk about her realization that she was living someone else's life.  She talked of getting married early ("you were married?") and building an image of what she thought others wanted to see ("you know?").  She divorced,  went to art school and learned to do and say what she really feels ("that sounds great").  I didn't turn around to see how old she was.  The sound of her voice was mid-thirties.  I had the urge to ask her how she knows she's not still living up to an image.  There are so few genuine people.  I could still hear fear in her voice.

A song for this post.

A gift of poetry and song (day 181)

I don't even want to write about the K'naan concert for fear of ruining the memory.  It was so amazing.  He gave generously, humbly, with incredible energy.  That guy has so much life force he seems immortal.  We need more like him.  K'naan for prime minister.

A song for this post.