Community Weblog - [ November 1, 2003 - December 1, 2003 ]

- Jos. Gibson Irvin  [ 11/27/2003 - 05:05 ]   #

Hello.

For my first entry I would like to quickly ruminate about the state of the British monarchy. We all know that the monarchy in England is a joke. They have been distilled down to but mere figureheads that hold no real power. Granted that when asked if they owe their allegiance to Parliament or the Queen most Britons will declare the Queen their leader, the Royal Family is still an institution of both ridicule and unnecessary pomp. But this is not what really concerns me about the Royal Family. What concerns me is succession.

It is quite sad that power may never change hands again in England. The Windsor family has been in power for almost one hundred years and in that near century political power has really been handed over to the people. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it is almost a slap in the face to history. With my very limited view the Windsor family will always wear the crown. There was a day when a man of ignoble birth could take the crown by force and declare himself King of the Britons. And although I do not condone regicide or bloodshed of any type, I still long for the day that if I really wanted I could become King. People in this country know that when Queen Elizabeth passes away her son Charles will become King. And when Charles' time to pass comes everybody knows Charles' son William will become King. I think this complacency is quite sad.

Because world politics are what they are, nobody will ever storm the gates of London again. There will be no fighting in the streets. No bastion from which cannons will be shot. No uprising from the oppressed fieldhands. And I think people are fine with that. But it depresses me.

jgi

And if you're interested: http://www.britannia.com/history/h6f.html

- Julia Yezbick  [ 11/18/2003 - 19:15 ]   #

 
When you're having one of "those" days, and it just doesn't feel like the planets are in alignment for you, take a peek at this powers of ten applet to put it all back into perspective.....

View the Milky Way at 10 million light years from the Earth. Then move through space towards the Earth in successive orders of magnitude until you reach a tall oak tree just outside the buildings of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Florida. After that, begin to move from the actual size of a leaf into a microscopic world that reveals leaf cell walls, the cell nucleus, chromatin, DNA and finally, into the subatomic universe of electrons and protons.

 .......all thanks to the designers, Charles and Ray Eames, the initial "powers of ten" creators.

- Nick Gaydos  [ 11/18/2003 - 08:22 ]   #

Interesting article at Metropolis:

"But the cell phone has changed our sense of place more than faxes and computers and e-mail because of its ability to intrude into every moment in every possible place. When you walk along the street and talk on a cell phone, you are not on the street sharing the communal experience of urban life. You are in some other place--someplace at the other end of your phone conversation. You are there, but you are not there. It reminds me of the title of Lillian Ross's memoir of her life with William Shawn, Here But Not Here. Now that is increasingly true of almost every person on almost every street in almost every city. You are either on the phone or carrying one, and the moment it rings you will be transported out of real space into a virtual realm."

Rebuttal at Gizmodo.

- Ben Gaydos  [ 11/17/2003 - 07:28 ]   #

whether or not we care to admit it, many of us are where we are at today because of legos. yes, i know, you may think that is a stretch, but i know that without those colorful bricks, i would not be the fine manipulator of visual space that i claim to be, and i wouldn't love the danes so much either. in my web hopping today i found out where they really come from: "they are scraped off the inside of magical trees by tiny danish elves, right?." not really... enjoy this trip to the lego factory: the making of a brick

"the making of brick" was created by flash animators extroardinaire, pop! lot's o' neat stuff there... check em out.

sidenote: in my search for a lego image i found this: the brick testament (yes lego bibletales). enjoy.

- Ben Gaydos  [ 11/14/2003 - 06:52 ]   #

an inspiring (and overwhelming) work has been installed in the tate modern's turbine hall [a 500ft x 115ft space]: the weather project by olafur eliasson. the size of the installation itself is amazing (especially since it is indoors), and the atmosphere created by the large sun-like mass of mono-frequency lamps, a ceiling length mirror, and the ever present haze caused people to either stare in awe, sit, or lay down when i visited it (see picture).

link: understanding the project

"In this installation, The Weather Project, representations of the sun and sky dominate the expanse of the Turbine Hall. A fine mist permeates the space, as if creeping in from the environment outside. Throughout the day, the mist accumulates into faint, cloud-like formations, before dissipating across the space. A glance overhead, to see where the mist might escape, reveals that the ceiling of the Turbine Hall has disappeared, replaced by a reflection of the space below. At the far end of the hall is a giant semi-circular form made up of hundreds of mono-frequency lamps. The arc repeated in the mirror overhead produces a sphere of dazzling radiance linking the real space with the reflection. Generally used in street lighting, mono-frequency lamps emit light at such a narrow frequency that colours other than yellow and black are invisible, thus transforming the visual field around the sun into a vast duotone landscape."

the artist presented his work at the tate modern on november 18th. view the webcast (real media player needed).

- Ben Gaydos  [ 11/10/2003 - 08:51 ]   #

there is less than a week left to submit entries for the outside circle collective's publication, jowai: the journal of words and images. thanks to all those that have submitted work thus far. we've got a healthy collection of photos, short stories and poems, but we still want more! we are especially lacking in handmade art (paintings/ sculpture/ collage/ drawings/ crafts/ etc). so if you've got some work you haven't sent in yet, don't miss this opportunity to get your art out there!

all entries can be emailed to ben@gaydos.org. when emailing images, please keep the images hi-res (+150dpi).   the entrants will be notified when published. questions? email ben (see address above).

- Julia Yezbick  [ 11/5/2003 - 19:06 ]   #

Sawhuin is celebrated each year on October 31st, as the Celtic New Year, symbolizing the transformation of summer into winter.  In Edinburgh, Scotland, a group of people from the community get together and celebrate this occasion in the form of a grand procession and performance culminating at a central square. Brightly colored hand-made costumes, music, torches, and screams mark the pieces with an air of tradition dating back to Gaelic folkloric roots and legends of  the "green man" (nature) battling the inevitable changing of seasons.  The seasonal festivals that take place each year in Edinburgh are organized and put on by the Beltane Fire Society, a non-profit group of volunteers commited to fostering an awareness of Celtic and Medieval folklore through performance art among other means.

I had the opportunity, with a friend and classmate of mine, to film the event for a class, but if you are interested in watching the footage, you will have to wait until Christmas (unless you are in Manchester). However, Ben has provided us with these stills from his own footage to illustrate the beauty of this convergence of color and tradition.

(The Celtic Medicine Wheel may help to explain some of the underlying folklore.)

 

For the sake of discussion: what rituals (daily or otherwise) can you think of that would constitute a form of art, in your mind?

 

   

- Ben Gaydos  [ 11/5/2003 - 07:18 ]   #

for those that like to say it with style... we have occ business cards available for download. they are available in two formats:

1. .eps for those who own adobe illustrator and would like to add their name and address
   
2. .pdf for those who would like to write their name and address in by hand 

we recommend a stiff card stock when choosing paper to print the cards on.
if you encounter problems, or do not have illustrator and would like a personalized card, email ben@gaydos.org

- Ben Gaydos  [ 11/4/2003 - 17:25 ]   #

in edinburgh there exists a forest: a self-funded, not-for-profit arts café and exhibition space, run and staffed by a collective of volunteers. the forest is an inspiring experiment in arts, food, public space & forum, entertainment, sustainablity, and community. the space the forest (housed in a former church) maintains a gallery, a café/bar, and a gathering area to eat/ sleep /study /converse. it is staffed by volunteers and entirely funded by the food sold off of their menu (the most expensive dish costs £3.50), all of which is either vegetarian or vegan, as well as fairly traded and ethically produced. sound too good to be true? the forest also provides:

Free Bike Hire : passport or credit card deposit required
Free Sewing Machine : just in case
Free Broadband Internet Access : limited to 15mins only when there is a queue
Free Event Space : Host anything, see anything, all for nothin'
Free Workshops : and any event you or your friends wish to have
Ride Share Board : don't like it here, go someplace else
Multi Media Facilities : Super8, 16mm, video and computer projection available
Swap Board : change something old into something new
Open Decks : just ask!
Grants : up to £100 for worthy projects just submit a proposal

those that i talked with were quite interested in OCC as well as creating a dialogue between the two groups. they welcomed OCC's publication, jowai, and encouraged us to enter films in their film festival, and welcomed submissions for exhibition.

 

- Jean Lee  [ 11/4/2003 - 00:41 ]   #

Hey folks!

I know I've been MIA but it's because I've been busy preparing two huge performances.  One is a private performance exam in which I perform for 30 minutes in a near empty auditorium for the entire piano faculty and play non-stop while they write notes during my performance and decide if I can graduate, and two is a public recital.  So, I'm here to announce my senior piano recital!  It is on Sunday, January 18, 2004 at 6pm in the music auditorium of the MSU School of Music.  It is extremely advanced notice, but I know there are a few of you like myself who need the advanced notice in order to secure the date in your busy calendars. I hope some of you can take some time out and come see it!  Here's the tentative program for the recital:

Prelude and Fugue no. 15 in G Major; bmv 884                                       J.S. Bach

Espana: 6 Album Leaves; Opus 165                                                  Isaac Albeniz

1. Preludio
2. Tango
3. Malaguena
4. Serenata
5. Capricho Catalan
6. Zortzico

Prelude in F minor; Opus 25, No.2                                               Frederic Chopin

Concerto in C minor No. 3; Opus 37                                  Ludwig van Beethoven

1. Allegro con brio

(A reception will immediately follow the performance)

- Nick Gaydos  [ 11/3/2003 - 11:32 ]   #

"Meadowbrook Theater in Rochester, Michigan, will be hosting a special performance of the Boarshead Theater's Dark Night series entitled "An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein," written by Shel Silverstein and directed by Christy Pierce; on Monday, November 3rd. The performance will include original music by Peter LeClair of the Lansing-via-Rochester band With Special Guest.

The Dark Night series is put on by the Boarshead Theater's interns, who are given $200 to "mount" each production. This piece was performed in Lansing October 6th and 7th and packed the house both nights.

Attendees will be treated to a show program illustrated by Peter Richards (with invaluable help from Ande Johnston)! The performance is FREE, however your generous donations make more alternative theater possible."

phone: 248.377.3300