New Brunswick Power Trip

Interior/Exterior Landscape

I've had a whirlwind couple of days. I managed to weave half a scarf, make it to Moncton, bake a birthday cake from scratch, eat Christmas dinner, hang out with babies, buy and give Christmas presents, play Wii and drink wine, lounge in a hot tub in -14 degree weather, go for breakfast and still make in back in time for work today! I slept for one night (barely) in two days, with a little power napping here and there. I topped it all off with martini's after work (thanks Kathleen). It's now almost 2am and I'm finally thinking about sleeping. I rarely enjoy having so many things on the go, but every once and a while it's truly invigorating. I feel like I've had a short but welcome break.



At afterwork drinks tonight we talked about memories punctuated by lightning and of interactions with whales and dolphins. Erin recommended I check out an old imax movie called "The living sea". Part of the video contains footage of a closed and undisturbed ecosystem that functions much as it had millions of years ago. The area was once the ocean and had become cut off from the rest of the sea, so the creatures have not changed or interbred with their cousins in the ocean. She said there are jellyfish that float around what is now a salty lake have no stingers and they circle the perimeter with the seasons. (Check out the trailer, looks beautiful despite the celebrities.)

Petals of light:

Cheers!

Merry Christmas!

This photo was taken my lovely classmate Juliette Launois. She sent us all some great photos which she took during our time spent together during the installation class. This is me, Michael Fernandes, Jyelle and Abby. Jyelle just started a blog too, I added it to the links so you can check it out.

The Opening

I wish I had more photos from the opening. There were so many great pieces, but I was too busy having a good time to remember to document them all. The group show was great, I really enjoyed everyones work. I love the people I've met in my installation class, I hope that we stay in touch. Francesca from the Gallery Deluxe Gallery ask me to get in touch with her about the possibilty of doing a show. I'm feeling hopeful. Hurray for art!

Abby and I had fun chillin' in Margarets recycled tents. I had a picture of Nikolai in there too, but the photo didn't turn out so great. I think I'd had a few drinks by that point. She made two, one was recycled cardboard, and the other was plastics.

Speaking of Nikolai, I wish I had a clear photo of his work. It resembled a business letter in a frame and read "I propose an attempt to tape the walls of the ballroom together". Dan told me he thought it was "best in show". As per usual with his work, I am still thinking about it and looking at it from different angles.

I wish I had a shot of the works Chris, Scott, Abby and Jyelle installed too. Maybe I'll go back later in the week.

We also played with Sparklers (I couldn't resist bringing them)! Here's Abby and Jyelle drawing with light on Barrington street.

OK, Show

I'm up late testing things for my installation. The group show is opening tomorrow night, the 11th of December, 7pm at the Khyber . Come and check it out if you are in the area, otherwise there will be some form of documentation soon more than likely. The bar will be open as well, so lots of wine, yay!

The First Snowfall

The first snowfall is the true start of winter for me, luckily the snow started just after I made it home from Class. Dan wasn't so lucky, he ended up stranded downtown and walked for hours to get home passed traffic that was at a dead stop. People were getting out of their cars to pick up Fries and Co on Chebucto rd.
Nova Scotians are used to this kind of weather, but the city seemed unprepared for snow. It took all afternoon to clear the roads, I'm sure people will be talking about this tomorrow. It might even make our super lame local news.

Regardless, it was a beautiful day.

New Blog in the Links: Antarctica

Here's an something worth checking out. It's the blog of an artist named David Ruth who has received a grant to travel to Antartica. This is one of the breathtaking photos from his blog. It's hard to imagine visiting such a magical place, and it's hard to imagine how much of it is melting into the sea.

Coffee Filter Experiments

These are part of an installation I wanted to come to fruition last week, but I ended up getting sick. Damn. As a result I am going to try to make it happen this coming wednesday. I'll post photos or video afterwards.

Today I decided to try to think of myself as a microcosm of humanity, a reflection of the larger whole: the body of our species in time. It's a new (additional) contemplation for me, and I hope that I can remind myself of it and alter my reactions to the world accordingly. I don't mean to limit or mask my actions, but to become more aware of where, what and when I am and how I fit into the larger whole. It is action with intention and thought.

We are social animals, we define ourselves by our relationships to others yet we feel strong separation. This postmodern age is so exciting, change is happening so quickly, but it's also such a social downer, in ways. It's easy to foget that we are a very short moment in what, I hope, to be a very long chain of life. We can only hope to work with passion, curiosity and kindness, to live to the fullest and to have others continue in this fashion. Now is it for you and I, but humanity is the sea.