Life Support (day 238)

I took a breather today.  After attending the Masters of Digital Media graduation ceremony (which was awesome), I arrived home around 4pm and decided to make some tea, eat some chocolate from chocolate arts, and spend some time with a book that I've been meaning to re-open: "The Art of Projection" edited by Stan Douglas and Christopher Eamon.  A few pages in I started to get some ideas about the screenshots and snapshots I've been collecting.  I started to think of what it feels like to be observed by my own computer.  At the beginning I was self-conscious, then I became annoyed, then oblivious, then embarrassed, then impatient.  As the shots pile up, I've become somewhat anxious about what the end game is.  What will I do with all these?  Steve asks me every now and then.  I've always replied that I didn't know.  Today I had an idea.  The sketch is below.  A LCD screen shows a video of the screenshots, and the top of the screen where a camera would usually be, a miniature projector projects the portrait snapshots onto a suspended concave structure (textured material, probably paper clay).  In between the two, embedded in a supporting plinth is an organ-like inflatable structure that 'breathes' (mechanics and electronics inside the plinth).  The sound is similar to a life support respirator in a hospital.  I'm not clear on the form of the breathing structure.  Probably amorphous.  I'd like it to be uncanny, like an organ.  With an affect similar to the organic game pod in Cronenberg's Existenz.

A song (clip) for this post.

Booked on the weekend (day 233)

I finished the book "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo".  It was a quick and entertaining read.  I'm curious about how well it works as a movie.  It's the first of a trilogy but I'm not sure when I'll be able to convince myself to take a full day to read again.

The other book that I finished a while ago and forgot to mention is "The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster.  Jaron Lanier recommended it during his talk at SXSW.  The book was written in 1909 so is in the public domain.  It's set in a futuristic world where humans are living underground, each in separate apartments fully managed by the Machine, which has become something like a God to them.  Birth and Death are managed and travel is not desirable.  "Ideas" are the most valuable currency (if you read the book you'll understand why I put ideas in quotes). The short story is about the gradual decline of the machine as the inhabitants gradually become ignorant and complacent about its maintenance.  An amazing tale even if it was written today.  The fact that it was written in 1909 is almost unbelievable.

I was a panelist at the Diane Farris Gallery on Saturday.  Hank Bull was a fellow panelist and Lili Vieira de Carvalho was moderating.  The topic was social media and art.  It was interesting to hear Hank talk about the beginning of network art in the 1970s when artists were using the telephone, the photocopier, and the precursors to the fax machine and video phone.  He said something that stuck with me: when it became clear that artists would be able to link to each other in a great network around the world, the belief and hope was that there would be large collaborative works, no longer individual works.   I'm very much paraphrasing from memory and I wish I remembered his exact words.  He also said it's worth noting that it's called social media, not socialist media.  This is after some discussion about the role of corporate interests in web 2.0.   It was interesting to me that the optimism of the early 70's has been partially realized in the sense that the technology is more available than ever but there has also been the disappointment of losing control of the medium.  Overall, a pretty good panel.   It probably would have been more balanced if Kris Krug had been able to be the third panelist.  We needed a convert I think. 

A song for this post.

A taste of last minute (day 226)

Today was the last day of the Ed Pien installation at the Museum of Vancouver.  It was there for three months and even though the museum is barely two blocks away I waited until the last day.  I regret this very much now for two reasons: it was amazing and I would have loved to go again, and I would have loved to convince others to see it.  The mostly blue paper sculpture was intricately painted and cut.  You could walk inside and look through multi-layered and coloured cutouts.  There was a large cylindrical room with a circular video projection up above, with animated ink drawings.  The feeling  of the projection was moon-like.  The paintings on the paper structures where mythical human/animal combinations.  Between two cylindrical structures was a thin hallway that shimmered and waved as you walked through.  It's hard to describe the form but the feeling was of being outside at night with a kind of melding of human and wildlife, very mythical, and reverent.   There was neutral ambient sound.  I took many pictures.

The other half of the exhibition was crafts from Canadians and South Koreans.  That too was amazing but for a different reason.  I was awed by the combined person years of expertise in the room.  The objects were each precious and precisely executed.  I enjoyed seeing all the different materials: glass, metal, wood, thread, felt, clay.  I bought the catalog and even though I'm glad I have some record of the artists in the show, it doesn't come close to the great way the whole was put together.

Later in the afternoon Liz and I went to Chinatown and I was able to pick up some dried flowers for my tea: Chrysanthemum, red rose buds, and Osmanthus.  We ended our excursion at Arts De Chine, a tea shop at the corner of Pender and Columbia.  I wanted to buy more Pu-Erh tea and had a notion that I would buy some as a gift for someone else.   He had many to choose from and explained the different regions, companies and ages.  I settled on one and we sat down for a Gong Fu Cha style tasting.  I mentioned that I was looking to buy some as a gift and after asking a few questions he wondered if the person might not prefer the Iron Buddha oolong tea.  After tasting it, I agreed that this was indeed a delight that they would enjoy.  It was fragrant beyond belief even (especially?) after several steeps.  The fragrance lingered in the most pleasant way.  Of course with the tea I had to get a clay tea pot.  I'll season the pot before giving away.  If you are looking for a great tea shop in Vancouver, this place is definitely a great experience.  High quality teas, friendly instruction, and no pressure sales.

A song for this post.

Anticipation (day 155)

I spent an hour this morning trying to plan my way through all the events at the Cultural Olympiad.  So far I have tickets for Laurie Anderson, Robert Lepage, and K'NAAN.  And plans for many openings including of course the CODE Live opening on February 4th.  The painful part is that there are some overlaps where I have to miss something.
I'm looking forward to seeing Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's work, Vectorial Elevation.  He is starting to install and I saw the lights moving tonight, near my apartment.  It looks like I'll be able to see some of the effects of the lights from my balcony!   He's installing big search lights on either side of English Bay which will light up the sky and water in patterns input by people through a web interface.  I hate to say this, but I think I'm getting Olympic fever.

I stopped by to see the David Hoffos work at 560 Seymour.  His work is always interesting.  He does 3D video without resorting to 3D glasses or any binocular tricks.   It was the biggest installation I've seen of his but I think I prefer his smaller work, especially the ones that integrate the viewer in the scene.    The feeling of this work was one of detachment, like someone filming a scene...everyone having a role but nothing being real.  Because I already felt detached from the vantage point of the sidewalk, the subject felt really far away.  A very lonely feel overall.  Still, very much worth seeing.

I'm also looking forward to seeing Ed Pien's work in person.  I've only see pictures of his intricate paper cut-outs.  Bonus, his exhibit is only steps from my place.

I feel so lucky to be able to see all this work in the city.

A song for this post.

Efficient language (day 90)

My friend Nathalie said something interesting tonight at dinner.  She said that religious language is very efficient.  It bypasses the frontal lobe and goes directly to the limbic system.  It creates affect without trying very hard.  It's efficient language.   I wonder then what the relationship between art and religion is.  Perhaps other people have wondered this and there is a whole discourse for which I have a blind spot.  But tonight marked the first time I'd ever really parked my awareness on the question.   It seems that art is related to religion in their desire for short-cutting preconceptions to create emotional insight or affect.   Art can be very efficient communication.  I suppose when people talk about the sublime and sublimation are referring to that efficiency of state change.

A song for this post.

Pancakes and art (day 45)

I've mentioned before that I have pancakes every morning.   Since tonight is a late one (btw, if you're a night person are you more likely to have a hard time dying?) I will share my pancake mix recipe and call it a night.  Oh and maybe share some art pieces that I think are ok...

Here is the recipe:
2 cups of unbleached white flour
1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup of buckwheat flour
1/2 cup buttermilk powder
1/4 cup vanilla sugar (plain sugar will do but really the vanilla is a nice touch)
1/4 cup freeze-dried cocoa powder (mycryo) (optional but makes it moist)
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

To make a good size pancake you mix about 1/3+ cup with a little more water than that.  I just wing it every morning to get batter that is a little more runny than cake batter.
These days I add coronation grapes but the season is almost over.  Blueberries of course work well.

And here are two art links that I think are all right:
"Best Buy" by Borna Sammak
"Tiny Sketch" competition

A song for this post.