Zoom into Concrete

I haven't posted in a while, and probably won't be posting very frequently in the near future, as I've been pre-occupied with working out some challenges in my studio. One of those challenges is quite large...over the years I have become quite invested in concrete as a material for sculpture, and I'm pretty comfortable with using it now. I've been fighting against myself to make sculptures in a totally different way, so that I can avoid some of the weight & storage issues of concrete. Despite that, I may have to simply give in at some point, even if I succeed in another direction, simply because I love concrete.

I found this video, which zooms into a block of concrete all the way down to the atoms. It's pretty interesting, check it out.

Video by Weird_Weird_Science. He's got more videos zooming into other materials, such as steel, carbon fiber, and hair.

Trying to Imagine

I think my imagination is broken. I've been suffering from a creative block for a while, and it's gotten worse since my sewing machine broke. I was planning on using it a lot during my break, but now that that's not happening I've been forced to confront a nearly empty studio without much of an alternate plan. These past few days have not been very fruitful. I've been doing a lot of reading and thinking, but barely any making. Trying to stay positive, I keep telling myself that I'm just going through some necessary mental process before I can start making stuff, but I'm beginning to think I need to just buckle down and start doing, even if I'm not totally into it or it results in bad art. After all, you can't really fail if you don't have a goal...maybe it will lead to something good.

But after a few unproductive days in the studio, I couldn't stand the idea of going back there today. I felt the need to head out into the city on my bike with my camera and some empty bags to see what I could find.

I got sidetracked. But it was good.

Shortly after leaving my house, I saw two guys on fully loaded touring bikes. That's not a very common sight around here, so I took notice. I went on my way, running a quick errand, and then I saw them again on the bike path about an hour later, so I decided to talk to them.

They just arrived in NYC today, from Montreal, after seven days of riding. They weren't really focused on seeing New York--the trip was all about the journey and they're catching a train back to Montreal tonight--but they did want to stop by Central Park and see the John Lennon "Imagine" memorial. I volunteered to ride with them as a sort of tour guide. Truth is, despite living in New York for 11 years, I had never seen it myself. I always imagined it was much bigger...go figure.

John Lennon "Imagine" memorial, Strawberry Fields, Central Park

(hey guys, if you find my website, send me a message, I'd like to know more about your trip, since I'd like to do a similar ride in reverse.)

I rode with them a little more, before parting ways. It's cool to be a part of such a journey, even if it was only for a couple of hours in my own city.

Tomorrow, I'm taking the car to Home Depot to pick up some supplies, and then drop my sewing machine off to get repaired. Hopefully a working machine and a studio full of materials will help me be more productive before my vacation is over and I'm back at the office.

Off to a good start (sarcasm)

The first two days of my 19 day break from the day job are over and pretty much everything I planned has gone wrong so far.

I figured I'd spend day one taking care of the laundry in the morning and then check out some galleries in the afternoon. I did 6 loads of laundry (it's been a while). There are only 3 machines in my building, so I had to do it in two parts. After I already started the second set, the first three loads came out of the dryer just as wet as when I put them in. Since all three dryers were not working, I got stuck with 6 loads of wet clothes. Figuring out how to deal with them resulted in leaving my house 2 hours later than expected.

The galleries were a disappointment. I arrived in Chelsea a bit late and there's not much going on this time of year anyway. I quickly got bored and don't have anything to report. I was also planning on buying a very long, white nylon zipper, which I need for my project. I thought it would be relatively easy to find in the garment district, but I had no idea where to look once I got there.

Day two was to be spent in my studio practicing on my sewing machine so that I could hopefully get good enough to complete my project during my time off. However, the newly repaired machine broke the first time I used it. I had the tailor who works down the hall from me take a look at it. He was able to diagnose the problem, so at least I know that I didn't break it. Regardless, until I either get it fixed or replaced, the project I've been working on is currently suspended.

The weather is looking pretty ominous right now, so rather than ride my bike up to the studio, I'm staying home and working on Plan B for the rest of my time off. In the meantime, enjoy these pictures of the maze of clotheslines cris-crossing my apartment:

Summertime blues

Generally, I don't really like the summer. It's too damn hot and muggy, and lately it's been raining a lot. However, I've grown to reluctantly embrace summertime because with the exception of a short period at the very end of the year, it's the only season when I can take significant chunks of time off from my office job.

Lately I've been at the office 3 days a week, leaving me with 4 day weekends--wish I could do that year round. Next week is my last week before taking 19 consecutive days off. That time is crucial to my studio practice. I spend a lot of time anticipating my personal summer "residency" so that I can be prepared from day one when I get into my studio. Those 2+ weeks are coming up real soon, and I'm excited for them, but simultaneously worried that I am not prepared enough to take full advantage. It's time to start really cracking down on the game plan.

Maybe it's a bit early, but I'm beginning to be filled with a sense of dread for the end of the summer. Once the time off is over, I'm back to work full time and it's harder to make it all happen in the studio. The office job gets busier, and I begin my Mandarin classes again. This all happens at the beginning of autumn, which is otherwise my favorite season. But it's sort of a nice challenge to try and keep the summer momentum going into the fall.

I'll be in the studio for the next 3 days...

Call for help - plastic bags

I've been working on a project that involves fusing together plastic bags into single sheets of plastic, which will be used as the raw material for a sculpture. I've been saving plastic bags from grocery stores and so far I have a lot of them, but I still don't have nearly enough.

I have lots of white bags already. What I really need are colored bags. I am collecting all colors, but I have a particular need for brown plastic bags.

The lack of bags is beginning to slow down the project, so if anyone out there can donate some bags, please contact me.

Storage in the studio

I moved everything out of storage and into my studio this weekend. It wasn't as bad as I anticipated and it didn't feel like I had as much stuff as when I first moved it in. It actually packed up quite nicely into the corner and doesn't take up too much of my work space. Eventually I'll probably put up some sort of permanent storage system.

Part of my motivation for doing this was to save a little bit of money each month, but more importantly, I'm hoping that having to physically face the amount of stuff I have everytime I walk into my studio will help me be more careful and thoughtful about what I make. My relationship to "stuff" is conflicted, in that I'm reluctant to throw things out, but aspire to minimize my belongings down to a few favorites or heavily used items and I hate to generate waste. Already I'm looking at the pile and plotting about what I can get rid of. This situation has been playing a big role in the way I'm trying to change the way I make my art.

The Upsetter (quick review)

After seeing The Upsetter movie this past weekend, I have to say that it is really good. Lee "Scratch" Perry is an amazingly unique and interesting artist who has fully integrated his art into his life. His music, art and life are one and the same -- he lives his work. For that reason, I'm glad that Ethan and Adam chose to let Scratch tell his story mostly through his own words and actions. Seeing Scratch perform various actions and ritualistic performances puts his work in context so that you can really begin to understand where it ultimately comes from. An accompanying narrative fills in the blanks and touches on Scratch's tremendous influence on other musicians, without turning it into every other music documentary or VH1 special by leaning heavily on artist interviews. I've been listening to Radio Scratch on upsetter.net for the past two days now.