The Artistic Edges

Two Feet in the Air - Jumping Jacks with the First Lady

2011-10-07T17:02:00.000-05:00

Just when I thought I wasn't happy with my country any more, Michelle Obama has created an event that makes me smile. She is attempting to help kids set a new world record for the largest number of people 'jumping jacks' at one time. This takes little time, it's good for us and it brings light hearted purpose at a time when we need to stand together.

Go Michelle!

Check out the National Geographic website for details
http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/lets-jump-community/

Meditations from 100 Feet in the Air

2011-09-25T18:11:00.000-05:00

One of the great joys in my life is living 100 feet in the air over a gorgeous green park with mature hardwood trees, a wildlife pond (yes, there are blue herons) and a major body of water. I like to call it Lake TV as a friend mentioned that I have a wide screen! There is always something to view and think upon. It brings together nature and commerce in the most interesting of intersections.

The nature part of the advantage is obvious. With such an active body of water (color change and conspicuous wave action), bird life and cloud formation, there are literally changes every minute. Clouds at this time of year bring special beauty and challenge with both color and shape, and especially the storms they contain. A couple of times every year there is the magic of a double rainbow, a rain display in a single, tiny location or a glasslike body of blue/grey water to soothe the most troubled spirit.

With the shipping lane, trolleys in the park and cars, scooters and packs of cyclists, the commercial element might be less obviously full of artistic display. Yet, the removal of 100 feet gives energy and structure to the display. This is a world that diminishes any personal or inward trauma. The magesty of size reduces my personal imprint. This is a wonderland that can really dish it out with downed trees, instant lagoons and the thrash of post natural stress-syndrome, not unlike the stuff we small mammal types experience.

Here is a sense of purpose out of time. The rhythm is macro-dimensional, I can react, but there is not instant need. As an artist best grounded in sound, the advantage of having immediate and constant access to such visual grandeur is astounding and forces me to grow, even if it comes with a bout of tears or stirs yearning I cannot stem or escape. Viewed from the safety of 100 feet, structural steel and cement and the knowledge the I am a speck, this is a new version of symphonic awakening that gives something new every hour, every day and certainly every season.

The Noise from Protest Central

2011-02-21T23:51:00.001-06:00

Having settled into my second day of life at the Capitol, it seems that noise levels can act as an excellerent for the crowd. Or is it just group think? Midday inside the Capitol the decibels were toward the top of the charts according to my iPhone voice memo app (the debut on this tool for me; this will be an excellent device next time I need to break up a dull workplace meeting). Place yourself here, listen for drums, chanting, metal whistles, the occasional harmonica. It feels so good, but without the mud and stink of Woodstock.

We had a quick discussion with a gentleman who had been an activist at the Pentagon protests in Washington in the 60's. He recalled his anti-war stance at the time but expressed well formed concerns about being swept up by the fever pitch (literally the sound levels) in this instance. As my ribcage pounded with the reverb from a 6 story, fully marble clad rotunda with the hint of a tear headed toward my eyes, I could see his point. It's like the movies! But I didn't feel quite as stirred about standing in the sleet outside the Capitol minutes later. Guess I'm not so tough now.

Noontime special:

In one of many rallies that purport to continue into Monday, local firefighters joined state workers in a march inside the Capitol building beginning on the ground floor rotunda and heading up to the second and third floor balconies. Fire fighting gear ran the gamut from '90's gear to looks from the 60's (much the best looking in terms of the toughness factor, but probably not great protection post 9/11). I admit television ads for insurance feature better equipment bling (okay, helmuts with clear visors), but the firefighters were exempt from Gov W's cuts...gotta' give 'em credit for coming out and the crowd LOVED them, as did I. what is with the emotion thing?

Check out the picture.

Heard around town:

List of things to bring to a rally (strait from a rally supporter)
- Posters
- Markers
- A fifth of whiskey (ok, not really, but those teachers like to feel hip)
- Wet scarves (great for tear gas protection, but not required here in the Heartland)
- Lipgloss, because it is oh so dry in February in the hinterlands

Signage at the UW bookstore has new meaning
- "Special on markers, big and small"
- Printed "Kill the Bill" posters (free, which is great when you have used up your markers)
- "Rally sandwich special (includes a handmade chocolate truffle)

As much as I try to summon up my inner curmudgeon, the events this weekend in Wisconsin's Capitol are considerably more stirring than anything I have read or seen as distilled through secondary sources. Speaking for a passive generation, this has thrilled me like nothing else and I'd like to think those nice Midwestern folks might open the door to some talking or at least a reasonable chat rather than the usual snarkiness which just leaves me wishing I still drank coffee. I always think of the best response at 2am.

Protest Central

2011-02-20T08:25:00.002-06:00

I'm here in Madison, WI early Sunday after a very stimulating day in the Capitol with what was purported to be 65,000 protesters (and 150 police professionals). The demonstrators outside the capitol building appeared to be slightly more in favor of the governor, with the stroller brigade bringing in the union position and support for collective bargaining. We met friends who reported being jostled, but otherwise everything was very civil and reasonable. Yes, they are 'nice' in Wisconsin.

Wave after wave of new protesters arrived at Capitol Square throughout the afternoon, but the crowds really thinned out by 5:30 when darkness revealed a large moon and we went in search of dinner in what felt more like apres-ski crowds. Life on the square continued to get quiet, but not entirely empty, so at 8:30 we headed over to the Capitol building to check out what a third day of action 24/7 might look like indoors.

It was astonishingly powerful. Inside the capitol building were three floors of mostly young and middle-aged protesters, generally against support of the bill. There were students with sleeping bags, families, pizza and lots and lots of drums. The beat made the marble vault hum with power and dignity. Gallery after small gallery tucked away in this beautiful building was full of people who clearly planned to stay the night. At one point the Star Spangled Banner broke out and for the first time in my recent experience liberals were unapologetically providing at least the appearance of patriotism without being self-conscious.

What's with the pizza reference? In one interesting twist, the State Journal reported that Ian's Pizza on State has suspended in-store operations to concentrate on taking orders for the protesters. "Donations have come in from 30 states and 5 countries including Egypt, Korea and Canada." Later when I tried to check the reference, I was without creditable citations. I am wondering if this means Egyptian UW students were behind this effort? (an internet search queried "did you mean egyptians?" when my vain search for egypt + pizza failed to deliver)

Pictures include viewing the rotunda from above and signs posted by protesters as reminders of civil behavior.

Instructions for keeping it cool with Teapartyers

What Is the Purpose of Habits

2011-01-09T17:48:00.000-06:00

In trying to describe a habit I think of anything that I lean to naturally, any behaviors that lead to known quantities or expected outcomes. In doing any sort of body work (yoga, deep breathing, anything related to singing are examples) the efficiencies provided by our physical systems are meant to assist in ease of completion, yet over time, they provide negative benefits. Even habits of discipline can aid lack of mindfulness, blinkered thinking or stuffiness when looking at new material.

Donna asks, "what are helpful habits and what are not, and what makes up the difference? Where do these habits come from...what kind of habits are actually going on inside and/or are characteristic of "the big middle?" Does one have to identify habits in order to bust out of them...." (see her comments attached to the transformation post for the full monte).

The big middle is the ideal 'location' to challenge habits because getting those pesky bad habits exposed to sunlight and examination reduces the likelihood they can do lasting damage. However some habits are of a friendly nature and need nurturing. Which are the weeds and which the flowers?

One place to start is where I am now, what exactly is the big middle?
- of the country
- my possible existence
- a transitional spot or the main event
- is my big middle full of the same artifacts and milestones as it is for others (hunting for universality)

Examination of habits invites a review of roles. A feature of the big middle is where there is room for pre-defined roles to be set aside for more rewarding, dimensional and bespoke behaviors and processes. Recent writings on mass behavior suggest that American men returning from the horrors of WWII sought structure and predictability and laid out the suburban landscape that directs family life in this country since the 1950's up to today (see this week's Economist magainze). Well defined roles do enable hard work, stability and goal setting. They also occasionally stifle creativity, hinder innovation and at worst provide the backdrop for atrocity as smothered individuals thrash about.

As we assume a role, we acquire habits to suit. This is where danger lurks, definition becomes hardened and the imposition of external expectation leaves us in a strait jacket. Stieg Larsson's thoughts on girls with dragon tattoos exemplifies the unpleasantness of society that imposes views on individuals without flexibility or attention to room for individuality.

So dump all habits and bust out of our roles? Like all of creative conundrums, it's never that easy.

Transformation

2011-01-02T22:52:00.002-06:00

To bring 2010 to a close I signed up for transformation. Really? Yup, I made a plan, I told a couple of people, I set off. That's a big word, what's the idea here?

I wanted to know if it is possible to pursue real change actively, alone or with assistance. Within the big middle does change only arrive as a kick in the head or on the crest of some unwonted disaster? I have defined 'the big middle' as a time for semi-affluent types that spans 30-65 (the Heartland says 38-70, so I'm in the ball park; Jonathan Franzen also has ideas on this topic). The idea is to explore how we behave when we step outside what is required and play in the space known as what is possible with a bit of extra effort.

I have become increasingly averse to risk taking, hesitating to state a sketchy goal that might require inconvenient follow up. I find I never get after myself in ways that hold me fully accountable or skirt the possibility of humiliation, can I share my privacy if it means later awkwardness. How can I unload this behemoth of mindset, behavior pattern and limiting construct? Is this a safe haven or a nice box with what looks like a control panel painted in pastels that drip down the wall when it rains?

With only a few days left in the calendar, I headed off to the Midwestern hinterland, literally the Heartland (which is a place, not a concept; check the reference using: Illinois, Gilman). I had a few stated goals, mostly less well conceived, hazy hopes. Sounds like my favorite bad dream on the day before school starts.

Since this is just a lighthearted post, I feel the need to post disclaimers. This isn't a recipe for anyone else, I can't repeat it, there is no pattern for good luck or happiness. It's just a reminder to myself not to be so lacking in initiative or, better yet, in courage. Lots of help is out there but a small request is the first order of the day. It turns out that the instant I ask for assistance help is at hand.

The purpose of creativity

2010-12-12T19:18:00.001-06:00

A general point of agreement amongst highly productive creative artists is that inspiration is for amateurs. To be disciplined, to be available for the next big thought requires a routine and a willingness to get down to work. Underneath that means that a certain amount of work is not going to lead to a new creative output.

What is the purpose of creativity? I know that I sustain higher energy levels when I am tapping in to my creative work stream or pool or whatever it is that gives me new thoughts or the desire to express something in a new format. I simply feel I'm a whole being when my creative thoughts come together into realized work. I also feel more successful when I have chances for collaboration.

Recently there has been a lot of writing about collaboration in the business press. For many years mercantile processes involved either highly hierarchical (read uncreative) productivity or downright poor labor conditions to produce commodity related products. Are we now in an era where new concepts and services might only be possible if collaboration in support of creativity and innovation is the way forward? I hope so.

I would like to think that a framework of process that supports artistic creativity. Think of it as scaffolding when working on the construction of a new form. New forms are the products of creativity. I have found that a framework I developed for being able to dance and later to sing (starting with learning) has worked also for learning and producing in less traditional creative environments. I believe this is born out if we look at highly productive artists who switch media (check out performers who produce wonderful drawings or paintings). How does productivity in the plastic arts produce fine chefs? Does craftmanship play a role?

Craftmanship is only a part of the creative process, but beginning with that basis can be freeing when proper constraints are in place. Knowing how to produce a fine work, as a craftsman, provides keys for when to continue burnishing a piece and when to let the work stand. This relates back to the big middle where constraints can provide wonderful opportunities for new outlets.

More Thoughts from the Big Middle

2010-11-14T16:30:00.001-06:00

After considering the vast opportunities that are part of life without many boundaries I find myself seeking structure and constraint. Artistically it is always simpler to produce a new piece when some definition of what drove the work or inspired the thinking has been identified. But is it always good to share the construct? Critics rush in where rules of engagement are known. There is no shortage of, 'but you didn't' when falling short of a difficult or murky goal.

Revisiting a subject is both enriching and painful when folding in learning from the first attempt and gatherings from the meta-structure. And the fifth attempt should yield yet a different lesson, but too much working the dough and you have a starter tough as nails and nasty tasting as a boot. I long to capture the lofty spirit without introducing bombast or silliness. Does that require just the right spice, word or dance step? Can I get my point across without being adept?

The beginning of the big middle seems full of space, light, adventure. Yet without my alethiometer or a compass of some sort I have visited the gardens of several potentates without learning the language of the land and certainly no taste of pomegranite was there for me. It turns out that when I have no expectations whatsoever I can learn nothing in return. Who expected that the opposite of close minded turns out to be mindless, or worse yet heartless?

As a practice within a private space I have set goals for many years. I'm not sure why I have a drive to do this, but some findings I can share are these. If you wish to set goals, you need to write them down or they are just fairy stories, entirely useless. Some of them had better be ridiculous, either fun or impossible or it is just drudgery or self-flagelation. Set a cycle for this (think periodic like monthly or yearly), if you just do it in some chaotic fashion you won't understand what they mean later.

And what I mean by later is the cool part. They are absolutely meaningless as goals all by themselves. Hurray, I'm free, goals are not part of the critics packpack. Where they actually help me is that first I set them out in some sort of written format and then I revisit them later. They all get noted in the same place so it is easy to see what I dreamt, how I thought it worked out a year later (in my case) and then over a longer time what those longer term thoughts meant to my earlier self.

The value of life in the Big Middle is that there is some wisdom available. The difficulty is that I am still working out what precious learnings have value and what tools will assist most is mining some wisdom.

Taking a Trip with the World Kitchen

2010-10-03T10:11:00.000-05:00

If you haven't tried a class at Chicago's World Kitchen, you are missing out on more than food. I recently signed up for "Antojitos for Independencia" with the City's Executive Chef, Judith Hines. This day became extra special for me because I got to take an armchair 'trip' to Mexico.

I have taken several classes before, each one entirely different in theme from any other. Part of what makes courses there so very deluxe is that Judith and her team do all the kinds of work that make a restaurant hum, yet the students have the sense of truly learning about and producing the dishes that we then devour in spirited communion at the end, generally while talking with our mouths full. Each class begins with a detailed yet personal history covering aspects of the food on offer. The class size ranges from 20-25 people, and all the food stuffs, herbs and spices and any special presentation materials (for example the classic Mexican hats a proper indenpendence day presentation) are shared round the room. After a half hour of instruction and virtual travelog, we divide into teams and get down to work with our team of master chefs on hand to advise and give spot instruction on knife skills, the proper reduction consistency or how to present a finished dish with a flourish.

For this class, Judith spun a story smacking with details that were too outrageous for fiction. I found myself in a small town in central Mexico preparing for a wedding. First we heard about someone else's that ended in a kidnap. Perhaps the bride was not so eager to marry her intended and she arranged for another groom? Next our master chef walked us through the year I might spend in preparation for my own wedding.

To begin with I would carry around a book to family and friends to catalog what items of food would be brought the week prior to the big event. My expectations for largesse would be based on what I had provided for her event the previous year (a lesson to not to be stingy when giving gifts). Based on the year's crops and husbandry bounty, I might have quite a lot of food, or it might be more presentation and less caloric. No matter what there would be months of prep work and then a week of reviewing the final ingredients and determining the menu. In order to have those lovely, fluffy corn tortillas, first the corn will grow, then it will be picked and dried, hulled and ground, soaked and then finally cooked and prepared for our wedding feast. And that's only the beginning.

In Mexican cooking, nothing is ever cooked just once. After all the drama with the tortillas, there is what you put in them. I was lucky enough to be on the team that prepared the Taquitos with Chipotle Chicken and Potato (rolled like fat cigars and then deep fried!). Each item that goes into the taquitos is first rolled or pressed or dried, then roasted, then reduced in a sauce or sauteed. For the expectant bride, she is coached for a year, living with her future mother-in-law so her cooking will be identical and her husband will feel at home once they are wed.

For us as students, by the time we were ready to fry the fully prepped taquitos with delicious, beautifully spiced tomato with multiple chiles and gently mashed potatoes with yet different chiles we had 7 people working for an hour and a half (10 hours of labor). Mexican cooking is best as a group effort. We had a group with varying degrees of experience and with this complex recipe, we inevitably mixed up our chiles and worried about how thick the sauce should be. We went through pots and pans like crazy and our devoted staff kept a step ahead of us with rapid dish washing and kind supervision.

When the little 'cigars' were complete, Judith showed us how to arrange a large basket with an appealing display of multitudinous, crunchy taquitos sauced with orange, green and white to match the colors of the Mexican flag, for this was our independence day celebration, for Mexico 200 years in 2010. This was only one of eight dishes and two delicious fruit mojitos. As patrons of the celebrations, we tucked in with spirit, Mucho Gusto y Viva Mejico!

The Big Middle

2010-09-23T18:51:00.000-05:00

When I use the title big middle, I wasn't so much thinking of my expanding waistline as the middle ground of life that offers so much opportunity with so little structure to priveleged persons after 30 and before 65, that chasm of space known as not young, not old (check out the Republican Young Guns who are 45-60 if you think I gest). What are we to do if we are mindful and hoping to add our mite to a chaotic space?

So many of my colleagues lead lives so hectic, so barren of an extra moment, that this question barely bounces off a distracted surface point. The concept of choice has been squeezed right out of daily habitude. I long not to be part of this cadre. I fear appearing at the finish line, a pin ball virtual citizen who's scuffed surface no longer reflects anything other than 300,000 miles and looking every minute of the trip. Or my opposite number who is chic and soignee, but mummified for lack of fresh air, but with perfect toes.

My usual saw, "show some discipline" is probably shiny at first view, but asking too much except for those already accustomed to that protocol. What I'm seeking is incremental change that can lead my lost self out of the dark forest of "can't make a decision" to "jeepers I wound up here by accident, but I think I like it."

A friend and I revisited concepts of stuckness today. He introduced me to this term (which made a debut in this blog quite some time ago). Now I find that Jonathan Franzen is using the term on his current new bookbuzzfrenzy. Franzen is a thoughtful writer I admire, I am intrigued to find he has thoughts on the topic. And he stirred my genuine admiration recently for saying that he (only recently) feels his own age (my words) and that this is a good thing.

Is it enough to be mindful but often inept and to accept our position in the continuum that is our own tiny dot of time on the planet? I suspect it's at least a place for me to begin if I am to improve.

Another Cooking Faraddidle

2010-06-23T20:39:00.004-05:00

I have given more thought to what made me cook; like to cook, feel connected as I cooked, compelled to cook, feel comforted by cooking, understand the science of cooking and so many other emotions (plus how often can you employ a semi-colon in a food thought?). Cooking has always been a safe haven and a joy in giving to others. For me it has roots in nourishing, providing an 'experience' especially when poor and travel is confined to walking someplace not too far away. It is armchair travel with recipes read and experiments tried, drag out those clothes that mimic the cuisine.

In addition to the early work with my mother and gran, another vivid memory of cooking is rooted in my first real apartment with roomates in college. I shared a large apartment with two chaps both of whom loved to cook but knew less of ingredients, prep or presentation than I (though they both took professional jobs and went on to be successful chefs). They were both very game to host parties and try new dishes. It helped that we lived in a wild part of Minneapolis and had neighbors who were all older and more experienced in life than we, they brought every sort of good drink and story to help us out.

One (now) funny consequence of our joy in the kitchen was a lack of serious oversight. I plunged a filet knife into my finger resulting in buckets 'o' blood. I found myself telephoning my mother, 500 hundred inconvenient miles away, for consultation (go to the emergency room of course, she is rooted in practicality). The boys were likely more horrified and confused at the blood-fest than I. My collapse into shock and duh was rather less the issue, it was a disgusting mess, let's not make more. We just hadn't planned on a serious wound and had no supplies on hand. I am now the proud owner of a scar, no loss of finger motion and I keep my knives sharp and lots of bandage material on hand.

When I think of several phone calls at strange hours in those days, they always involved, "can you tell me how to make X" which included chocolate mousse for 200, what to do with 50 pounds of leftover Y, "I have buttermilk, kale and some sort of Indian spice that tastes vaguely like licorice, any thoughts?." Alas, today all I have is a mobile phone and I turn it off at night. Think of what I am missing.

Ode to my mother - Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-10T15:22:00.004-05:00

When I was 8 after incessant begging, my mother made a weekday evening our 'cooking night'. This quest on my part to learn to cook and present a perfect meal most likely stemmed from a wish to take credit for this worthy pursuit. My father's mother was the consummate baker and presented cookies and cakse for very occasion. I apprenticed on her kitchen floor with my own eggwhites beaten to a pulp at the tender age of four or five to keep me from being underfoot. Julia Child was igniting America's interest in French cooking at the same time as macrobiotic and other sorts of health food were entering the mainstream. Our next door neighbor had the first 'health food store' nearby and she was raking in the bucks.

The weekly ritual would start with a proper shopping list of ingredients ensuring a successful evening's prep. We would walk or bicycle to Mr. G's, our local food emporium or perhaps the Co-Op if items exotic were required; exotic in those days including such basics as fresh garlic or ground lamb. Everything seemed to involve butter or cream or bacon to deliver that perfect thing known now as mouth feel.

In later years I paid my way with catering, working in cafes and for an exciting if terrifying 6 months a true position as line chef at a fancy French hotel (the chef threw his favorite knife when angered, though never at staff to be fair). I still find the act of prepping food, getting the proper mise en place, my most relaxing and indulge in that craft even when cooking just for myself (all those little containers to wash are nothing). I find I am most popular with friends for quietly stepping into that task, they think I do it for them.

This year was most fulfilling as my mom and I tried multiple versions of french toast. Who knew that croissants with all their lovely butter make dandy specimens. They crunch, they turn an adorable golden color, they go beautifully with maple syrup or with just picked strawberries tossed with powdered sugar. Don't forget to dip something in chocolate.

Uncle Vanya in Russian

2010-03-20T17:36:00.004-05:00

It turns out that performances in the original language actually do have advantages to offer that range well beyond the meaning of the words without benefit of translation. Having just seen Theatre Maly's gorgeous production of Uncle Vanya, in Russian with an audience that seemed largely Russian speaking and Russian heart-feeling I am a convert, even though my Russian is non-existent.

I wish I could offer a richness of 'what I had in mind' but sadly not. Any thoughts?

Life in the new lane

2009-12-25T21:42:00.003-06:00

After a grand creative burst, I have fallen and need to reappear. It seems appropriate to share a few learnings and remember why the 'artistic vacation' was in fact a good idea. And then on to the new terrain.

I am still powered by the experience of having a 'character' take over the page. If you can give them space for their voices, they will launch forth and typing is all that's required for the first round. But the editorial position gets dicey. How do we listen and yet apply light rules, help with good structure? I have tried to rewrite what appeared on the vacation pages, but realize that I didn't yield enough content. But sharing more raw content---no, no. So good to know that some privacy is good for all the parties.

On to the new experience...I believe play scenes will present good stuff. Nothing finished, rather like making a new soup that gets 5-10 renditions until the flavor is so good that the recipe is loaded into the archive. This will be a playground for dialog without the requirement for too much context.

Have patience with me. This is where commentary will provide the most value.

The Artistic Vacation

2009-10-21T18:44:00.003-05:00

2/28/11: Since my original posts, I placed the 'five easy pieces' outside the blog for a tuneup.

***

I'm late in wrapping up. I waited to gather feedback, incubate my own thoughts and got swept up in the next big thing (which is very good, this added new perspective). My immediate thoughts were that some strengths and weaknesses of my vocal performance practice and discipline played out here in a 'character realization' mode.

I had an entrancing time channeling someone else, especially in another time in a city I cherish and about which I continue to learn. Having a regular routine around research and writing really helped, much like researching new music, practicing regular breathing and scale exercises and learning a new piece does. I know to continue this work whether or not it goes well, stop at an alloted time to save on strain or burnout. Yes, it turns out I can remember something on Tuesday that I failed to write about on Monday because time was up. Only it is better there is new creative input if I can hold my horses and write the next day. And I didn't get a sore throat. Limiting writing time, like practice limits, really adds to the experience, the sense of balance and the quality of the products sought.

My current (and lifelong) vocal downfall is that after lots of work to deliver a song arc (the line and lyricism), I sometimes drop out before the finish line. Literally it feels like I can see the finish line before it sees me and I peter out. So work on volume and intensity gets my voice to the last row, but not always for the duration. That was a definite truth about my last post on Inga's behalf. She was too glib, not really as good as the penultimate piece because the artist behind her gave up before the filly came into the final post. At least I am consistent. I suspect I will gain value in my song practice before I can complete this learning as a writer.

Please let me know what you think.

The Project - Details for each day (Major Update)

2009-10-03T13:47:00.011-05:00

The Challenge: to gather artistic impressions from past, current and fictional experience. I have chosen an avatar who is able to travel through time and space without the pain of passing through the metal detectors at ORD or the need to eat, drink or blend in. Her back story will gather detail as the project progresses, but there are some details available for the first piece. The research notes for creation of these pieces will be stored off-line. They will serve as material for later use, as needed.

Avatar: Inga MacGuinan, a 37 year-old swede married to a Scotsman, settled in Chicago but originally from Sundbyberg, SV. She is a trained singer and amateur artist using pen and ink. She has a special interest in women artists. She is from a humble background, but her wealthy merchant husband (also from the lower ranks) has opened her eyes to the world where an artist might have a patron or be able to sell works or be paid for performing. Few women participate in this artistic world and Inga is still quite dependent upon her husband for any independence she is granted. As she moves through these pieces, she will still bring her mindset along, but she may change as she experiences new ideas, is exposed to new cultures and people.

UPDATE: I decided to keep to a Chicago setting with Inga, but continue the piece over time. Instead of having her travel she will meet visitors one of whom will be from India who is a visitor at the 1893 Columbian Exposition and the Parliament of Religions. I ran into difficulties with Siem Reap because the Wats were in disrepair at the end of the 19th century and China was equally unknown other than the difficulties between the UK and China over the tea trade.

The 5 (not so easy) pieces:

Sunday is set in 1877/Lincoln Park and the new Lily Pond and the greenhouses.

Monday is 1887 and includes a visit to the lavish Marshal Field Shopping Emporium

Tuesday is set in 1891 the day before Inga's wedding, some progress on the conservatory

Wednesday will take place in 1893 after an encounter at the almost complete Lincoln Park Conservatory with a very grand Raja, Swami Vivekenanda from India who is visiting for the Parliament of Religions.

Thursday takes place in 1895, there is an opening gala for the new Lincoln Park conservatory, complete with fireworks an art exhibit and featuring a singing student of Inga's. Followed by LPC in 2017 at the ceremony to dedicate the new space. The narrator will be Inga and Samuel's great, great granddaughter who has been reading Inga's diaries.

Saturday wrap up and thoughts on the process.

New Project - Taking a vacation from myself

2009-10-01T15:30:00.004-05:00

In my last post I set out the parameters for a different sort of vacation. The problem statement requires me to access my other selves and I have a special opportunity of time in which to do it.

Here's the plan so far: I have 'gone off the grid', really only the responsive portion, no business related voice or electronic messages (my blackberry, oh no). I will do the healthy things we do when we take a vacation. Change my pace (faster and slower), look for ways to nurture my spirit and physical self, learn and play.

Saturday will be a day of prep for my 5 upcoming project days. Sunday-Thursday will each feature a project of my choosing. I will create and update my proposed project list, that will be posted Saturday and will be updated over the week as I learn more about how to plan my approach. Some considerations are time travel, locational travel, vocational travel, new selves, access to others with whom I have not traditionally had connections.

A note on time travel: although many of us long for a time machine, I suspect we have those machines already. Taste something from childhood long forgotten and I am transported. The same goes for music, viewing pictures, donning clothing or using tools or structures from other times. Theatre gives us renderings from other times and places. Productions that most delight include successful lighting, set, sound, costume and integration designs (direction). My design for each type of project will include those elements as well as considerations of time, location, my 'self' and those with whom I will interact.

How design drives process

2009-09-14T14:28:00.005-05:00

One way I fight the urge to micro-manage is to head up the slope to 10,000 feet. From there I can see my forest even if the trees are still easy to distinguish. On the trip up I open the car windows, get that great smell of fresh cut grass, autumn herbs and a forest getting ready for the cold season. My Journey into the higher space slows time, resets the lights and reminds me about scents that refresh.

As my earth has been spinning faster and faster I am searching for rocket ship rescue. Some orbital flight options include: pressing the eject button - leaving the scene for awhile (radical change of place); parting the atoms to walk through my walls and spend time in a new room (minor change of place); or morphing into something else (changing self). The more I contemplate a change of scene, the more I find something to distract me in another direction.

But instantaneously changing myself, how will that be effected? This will feel like a game of walk the blindfold, that exercise from childhood where you don a blindfold with a friend who will guide you through familiar spaces and you gain new perspectives on your environment with the loss of a key sense like sight. I propose a design for that process that looks like this.

Big Picture:
- Demarcate a time (aka timeboxing) during which the old self will be placed in an unnamed, secure location for safekeeping (sequestered). Incidentally the true sense of the word demarcate includes setting limits, always a help in the creative process.

Repeated smaller picture:
- Choose a prep or pre-production technique for being ready for an iteration or realization of the new self. Cleanse the mind, access the genie or djin and pluck out an idea. Find props for which to remind the new self of the idea and take a test run. Use "yes and" techniques from improvisation frameworks to build a couple of simple behaviors in the new self. Practice.

...
- Within the cycle, assuming multiple cycles within the time frame allowed, set a 'production' period. When will this self be allowed out and what is the target location. Will the self interact with others, will they react? Is this in physical or virtual space? If the physical space is the same as for the sequestered self, how can preconceptions be removed to inject newness? Go forth and produce. It might be an hour it might be 2 days.

...
- After the production cycle has been completed allow time for reflection. Gather impressions in a plastic format. That can be in writing, pictures or other media that capture images. A color exercise, an expressive musical or interpretive dance piece can work, if some written notes are also collected.

Repeat cycle (new productions)

Stop and close out the process. At the end of the timebox, gather any bigger thoughts unrelated to a specific production. Review learning from each production. Save and get a good night's rest, it's been a busy week.

The Dangers of Hiding Out

2009-08-20T20:33:00.008-05:00

For all that our muses require us to hang alone and commune, they drive a seductive vehicle that isolates. A prolonged journey into self can in fact be a flight of madness that serves no artistic purpose except as a quick trip to the inner scary spaces. It is within that visit that we might become inspired with new notions, but equally there might be an evil poseur using a hint of catnip to lure us over the edge. Here lies the critic in wait and she's not always helpful.

I have been exploring the effects of isolation on people during a period of great change for myself. As an introverted individual, I find periods alone essential to my well-being. However I have had to gravitate to more group activities in the last few years to find balance for creating my art and other types of work which I do alone.

During this strange period of upheaval in society it is quite easy to identify those persons who are spinning through the universe entirely alone. Some clearly lose their way. The increase of paranoid commentary, polarization in opinion sharing and a general lack in the realm of 'getting along' is making it both more and less difficult to collaborate artistically.

There are more opportunities than ever, but the dangers in the river of options are also greater. It is simple to find places of strong action and then form a reaction. This is happening all over the political landscape. New participants who have not expressed political opinions are popping up and popping each other right in the kisser.

But the realm of fewer opportunities is more troublesome yet. I would describe this space as the new political correctness. As the world becomes more polarized, the provocative artist can be viewed as the contentious artist. Never has it been so easy to invoke dem's fighten' woids just by following through on an artistic notion. And for all but the most robust this can cause us to edit ourselves to oblivion. Thus the new political correctness is utter silence, or at least trivia.

Dare I say more?

Playing in the dirt

2009-07-27T19:49:00.003-05:00

How does working in clay employ a performative element? I think from the artist's perspective, throwing clay pots includes a luxurious component that involves the moments when the wedge actually assumes shape and becomes the basis of its new entity. There is a fulcrum for this experience. At a certain point the piece is placed squarely into its final form and all the rest of the movements are merely elements of finish, decorations, riffs on the central theme.

Size plays into where the 'selfness' of the will be realized. A small piece is truly more self-contained, has less room for those variations. A large piece can acquire a large amount of embellishment without changing at the core. But that revelatory moment of new being is in fact a performance.

Outsourcing snark centers

2009-07-22T15:34:00.003-05:00

In reference to Scott Brown's article "Attack of the Clones" in the July issue of Wired Magazine, I wonder if it is possible to outsource cultural commentary. He posits the notion of outsourcing social commentary. How much does the bang-bang of interaction in our cultural worlds change what we feel and think. Can someone who is web 2.0 connected keep up virtually?

As a writer who does a good bit of reading, I feel that my connection to life is often fascilitated on-line, but I can't imagine jetting into town and really fitting right in.

Shoplifting

2009-07-10T07:44:00.012-05:00

What happens when you see something you wish you had not seen? The role of theater and literature is often to examine those things we would rather leave under the big, dank rock. As a writer is it possible to write authentically if the experience is not your own? If you internalize it, rather like a method actor event, how does your own story change the pitch (think music, also think cricket as a spectator, yet it is 'so real').

And then there is the issue of validity: did I see it? Did it happen. I think I'm so rational, but when I reexamine the event it turns out my own memories betray me. Can I rely on my own data once I work through this ugly truth. What role does our subconscious play on how we portray drama?

The role of action in a plot set: am I supposed to do anything about it? The event is making my heart twist, but do I actually need to act. If my action causes future problems...blah, blah. I can see all of this in the surface of the dirt...ok clay. Is rendering in the plastic arts any different than in a performative space?

Is it worse when it happens in a family context...what role does context play? Context can make an event personal, but does that add to the experience? And then there is the role of viewer, audience participation as an anthropological take; does the audience change the experience? And post-production cocktail; viewing a dicey event, with commentary by viewers--it certainly spices up the theater in total. How does live theater differ from the stuff elsewhere?

Production Values

2009-06-30T13:32:00.013-05:00

When I noted recently that I differentiate between production values and content I was pleased to get a response ping, although I detected a certain amount of sabor rattling to be more accurate. Sitting in the theater 3-4 nights a week, I feel there is a giant 'bounce' that occurs for most shows depending upon production values.

Why is this? Most of us are not heading out to entertainment wearing our form and analysis mindsets. Onsite evaluation of dramatic structure, pacing and character development is difficult. Somewhat less troubling is the search for good dialogue - it you are yawning by the end of the first scene, it is a good bet that character chat does not reveal character value. Authentic revelations only occur with a certain amount of trouble taken or felt by persona dramatis.

Sometimes a promising show gets a first production in really low rent circumstances and it shines because of the content of the show. The actors and director really produce authentic, believable material. The dramatic ebb and flow keep the viewer riveted, the characters have defined arcs that draw us in, the ending is pure joy. Who cares if they use only a refrigerator box, an athletic sock and a flashlight? This is based on the value of performative art delivery based on strong dramatic content and deserves its own discussion.

The import of quality content is paramount and nothing can replace it. A show that has high value content can succeed on stage, in film, on TV. It can take a small or large venue, it flexes to considerations of setting, timeframe, casting and more.

But what happens when the content is solid, but perhaps stuck in a single locale or era or only works with certain cast members? Bring on the designers! Let's have a brilliant set, costume, lighting and sound design. Smell-o-rama is in and out of vogue, but quite electrifying when used to good effect. Good design features can really pop for the audience and a slightly small show can amaze and delight, even if you cannot remember why over dinner at that cool new place.

But here's the real gist of this post. What happens when you have seriously flawed dramatic material in a design space to die for? Think of TV serials that had the 'look' that gets the viewers, but the story is so preposterous that all those gorgeous bods, clothes, houses, etc. are the same week after week? Or that uber-cool opening night where all the participants have friends in the house to give edge to the performance, but you cannot remember the main elements of the show the next day. It looked and smelled great, but your stomach is growling in the early morning.

A gorgeous gown on a runway model has to look grand on normal me in the middle of a dull winter's day, or it is not worth the price of a value meal at Mickey D's. Those luscious costumes help you hear the music of the setting, you can taste the chocolate cake. But turn off the high def, add a wobble in the image and you keep seeing the crumbs on your couch and decide a good vacuuming is in order.

Channeling the voice of Julia Child

2009-06-15T18:17:00.008-05:00

Having breezed my way through Julia's last book (written with her grand-nephew), "My Life in France", I was struck by both her approach to creativity and her sensible thoughts on aging. The connection between those two topics might seem rather obscure, but strong creative practices keep us youthful and flexible and sensible approaches to aging support continued creativity.

Creative life requires resiliency, the ability to adjust goals to fend off defeat and depression; a balanced approach to productivity. Recently a visit to my favorite technology laboratory yielded some lively feedback on where creativity and money making share space. Currently too many business types have bored Gen Y to insensibility with guidance on making money with no commentary on keeping alive creatively.

Julia's adventures with her husband in France framed the beginning of her life as a chef and writer. She embraced French cooking in a manner that literally launched what has become the slow food movement in the U.S. Her discipline and thorough analysis of cooking and then producing recipes revolutionized the structure of cookbooks forever and she essentially created the venue for cooking on television. Her portrayal of herself and those around her as maturing, growing, changing individuals has challenged my thinking on how to embrace the march of time with joy.

I have spent the last several months perfecting my own cooking and have found a new mantra for experiencing life and friends. After years of hiatus from professional cooking I have found a new serenity in the kitchen. The content on the plate is enhanced by the presentation, understanding what went into the preparation. My life as an artist is extended from artistic performance, singing, dancing, designing and writing, to presenting an artful picture that nourishes the spirit and the body.

Those who can, do -- those who can't, teach?

2009-06-01T19:41:00.009-05:00

Balderdash - what a way to begin a post! Let's hope balderdash is still in the vernacular and that this stirs someone up. Here's the real stuff: does the teacher stand between the creative artist and the critic? I think the creative continuum has a special place reserved for those wonderful teachers who press artists to produce and critics to critique and learn and help the public learn. But to be fair to those of us artists who hang ourselves out for pot shots, tar and feathering, etc., being taught, reviewed and chatted about can smart. Teachers and critics do some special stuff for those who are crazy enough to present our benighted children for inspection. How can artists keep supple during this hurricane?

As I reinvent myself for a new round of life I am at a crossroad: am I designer/artist/organizer/communicator? I sweat away anon in search of a self. Can we package ourselves, is that choosing a language or hiding out behind a facade?

The value of professionals

2009-04-11T19:20:00.007-05:00

After visiting the set of a certain infamous television show that involves people beating on each other, I had some thoughts on watching amateurs. There has been a proliferation of entertainment (I do not call it art or theater or even theatrical) that is 'reality based'. It involves watching amateurs doing things. Things that require revealing so-called personal information, doing embarrassing or frightening things, being in some sort of moment to draw us in.

Does good production value count enough to gloss over lack of content? Most of the televised versions of reality seem to involve lifelike sets (overproduced for verity) or visits to the real world that are 'managed' by onsite personnel. Interestingly there is a huge amount of process involved in producing these shows, but only one repeated outcome, the same show over and over with different permutations.

How does embarrassment play into the realness of reality? I find myself far too embarrassed for the reality-amateurs to watch. Is this the way I should feel. Am I meant to peek out and shudder but secretly think I can do better? Or are they looking for that 'intensity' that comes with showing something personal that is meant to be kept back.

Moderation and terms thereof

2009-03-07T11:24:00.005-06:00

"Those of us in the moderate tradition — the Hamiltonian tradition that believes in limited but energetic government — thus find ourselves facing a void. We moderates are going to have to assert ourselves. We’re going to have to take a centrist tendency that has been politically feckless and intellectually vapid and turn it into an influential force." - David Brooks, NYT March 3, 2009

I do believe there is a difference between being centrist to avoid confrontation and standing in the center in order to see well in all directions. Is it possible to be intense and still centrist? It seems to me it is, but it requires constant researching, seeking, questing. And that active work probably involves a certain amount of arguing or confronting less moderate positions to understand where the value lies. There often blows a strong wind in between the spaces that are more one-directional. Intensity is then required to remain standing in the middle.

Is Creativity Dangerous?

2009-02-11T11:07:00.006-06:00

After listening to Elizabeth Gilbert's talk on creative genius at the TED talks this year I am contemplating the dangers of being an artist and in participating in creative life. There is a certain pressure on artists, especially post-successevent of some sort. The role of criticism to stifle artistic expression seems dangerous, but that is not where the danger lies. It is the willingness to expose oneself to the muse, only the muse is a daemon or genius or genie who may or may not have the artist's interests at heart.

3/7/09: It strikes me that creativity poses danger because to do something new is to be unfettered by the rules that keep us safe. The first time I ice skated in an indoor rink, I went really fast as I learned the cross over step and then promptly smashed into a wall that appeared to come at me with blinding speed. As I spent more time at the rink, I learned to take speeds and alternate them for more control. I could not have entertained my skating genie without learning about speed, but I got bruised along the way. The thing thing occurred with skiing and several other sports.

Taking off the filter for safety opens doors to the new, but training to be able to recover seems to be the only way, lacking an overseer or mentor, to allow for new learning that also invites a lack of safety. This seems closely related to trying the same trick multiple times while expecting differing results - the common description of madness.

I will add to this over time.

***

Some excellent talks hosted on TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design Forum).

"Ole to you for continuing to show up." - Elizabeth Gilbert

"A near death experience is good for creativity." -Amy Tan

"Some stories haunt me until I write them." -Isabelle Allende

On Form

2009-02-06T10:22:00.004-06:00

Borrowing from musical form and analysis terminology I have started to produce a couple of base forms for several reasons. I'm getting a sense of how much clay to grab for a given size and working on a consistent, flared vase shape with the thought that I'll see how much curve I can get without having the top droop. It turns out those early English Normans were right about a heavy bottom when you need an arch (pre-flying buttresses).

So my form for the last two weeks started out the same. Spend a lot of time centering, it really saves drama later. This is true for singing and dancing as well, I suppose any performing art. And wheel work with clay has a definite performative element that I never thought of until now.

From that form I produced two vessels that were 'machined', meaning I chose to use tools other than my hands to finish the outside surface, and I compressed the bottom of the pot multiple times for strength as well. I trimmed the bottom in a separate leather hard state.

The first form was entirely generated on the wheel and is merely a flaring cylinder. To the second piece I added an organic element prior to the leather hard trim session. I removed the vessel from the wheel and let it dry with a fan for about 30 minutes. Then I took a thumb and two fingers and formed the top of the vase into curls. I am still working on that piece and will not trim the bottom until next week. With luck I will also be able to apply a little imprinting using metal dyes for a ring around the bottom and perhaps an emblem of some sort. I might add a little something inside that only I would be aware of, as well. With the imprints, the glaze pools slightly inside and gives a two-tone finish that is alluring and somewhat tactile. With both pieces using a sponge to smooth the surfaces after the piece has dried will give the glaze a smoother finish.

Thoughts on process

2009-02-05T11:46:00.004-06:00

To get myself out of a rut I started working in clay last year. I found to my delight that I remembered bits about the medium from long ago, but there's lots of unknown space to confront. The studio where I work is full of great energy and caring artists. We're a poor lot with city provided facilities, so there is a big need to share and be nice to each other which is just what I was seeking.

I had no idea that there were so many types of clay, so many firing temperatures, differences with glazes and other decorative techniques to explore. The first week in the studio I was exposed to pinch, slab and coil hand building techniques. As a person with wheel experience it was grand to get a sense of how the chemical makeup of clay works with dryer building approaches.

After a couple of months I settled into the wheel practice as many of my studio mates seem to prefer hand building and there is generally a wheel available. In early sessions I whipped out a lot of product without much thought to process. I concentrated on trying throw a piece that I had conceived of beforehand, but not much else was in the process. Over time I realized that spending the week before looking at other work would make the wheel time more productive and thoughtful.

Turning to thoughts on process itself I find that there is designing and conceiving of the work; this includes materials which consist of clay type, any slip finishes or clay decorations, firing temperature, type of and colors of glaze and any other decorative process that might need to occur at any time. Start to finish a piece is created, trimmed or finished when leather hard, dries to hardness, fired to bisqueware, finished with glaze and fired a second time. It is possible to add more glaze and fire again. There are also some special processes for print transfers, use of wax to keep colors and unglazed sections discrete, raku and more.

Politics in the theaters...Art of non-rational decision-making in the political media

2008-10-27T10:32:00.004-05:00

After taking a nice long summer break, I'm back, having seen a huge amount of theater, new museum installations and public art beginning to address what's going on in politics. The biggest theme seems to be that people say one thing and do another.

In the theatrical realm a lot of old shows are back on the ticket if they include content on saying what you mean, doing what you say...though often the results include other behaviors. New shows are exploring people doing bad things in the name of something good and other complicated set ups leading to failed outcomes.

I've spent the last year reading Nassim Taleb (The Black Swan) and Daniel Kahnemen (www.edge.org) on psychological economics and David Brooks (NYT) on politics and the face of conservatism and the psychology of power. And recently I attended an event featuring Dan Hill and his book "Emotionomics" in which he makes an argument that rational decision making is rare and most of us make a gut decision and then rationalize that (the real decision and the good decision). All of these writers seem to have been waiting for today's events. Brooks NYT column dated 10/29 points to all but Hill as writers and I think he would be interested in what Hill has to say as a marketing consultant focusing on advertising media.

The old adage that tough times give us lots of black automobiles and plenty of cleavage is giving way to some very thinky theater and some well written journalism. I'm hoping this bodes well for the long term future. For certainly we have some more short term labor and teeth gritting to get through.

Trends: Entertainment v. Art

2008-07-03T08:12:00.007-05:00

There is hazy dividing line in live performance between artistic endeavor and entertainment. The movies have faced this down and now the term Disnification is part of the mainstream lexicon. Art house film is differentiated from block buster styles. In live theater, especially in the musical theater genre the same dumbing down has been taking place.

Goodman's current production of Million Dollar Quartet feels like entertainment rather than art. Its Wednesday evening performance had the feel of a live concert due in part to the enthusiasm of a considerably older audience who's memories of Cash, Lewis, Perkins and Presley pre-date my own arrival on the planet. Although the show is loosely constructed as a musical with a thin dramatic movement forward which ends in the talent stable at Sun Records turning over (except for Jerry Lee), it's essentially a vehicle for covering classic rock and roll songs a la Jersey Boys, Altar Boyz and that entire genre.

I'm curious how much influence as exerted by an audience can change an experience. What is the tipping point for when a show is intended to mimick a live concert and when it becomes the live concert? The show's construction included an 'impromptu' encore to give the feel of a piece unstaged, but the "audience went wild" was something of an understatement. They wanted to be at a concert, they settled for a re-enactment.

The case for change in a world that's not for it

2008-06-27T20:24:00.005-05:00

A good friend spent some precious hours at my place recently. He posed an enticing and intriguing question. Should he remain at our place of employment and try to enact real change from inside the machine? Is it possible to move up the ladder and truly effect global change on idealistic subjects within an organization devoted to objectives that have little to do with idealism?

For once in my opinionated life I had no answer other than to state that I was fascinated by the question and would like time to consider and another opportunity for discussion on the topic. And being me, I also said we should bring the topic up at work. Keep in mind "our place of employment" is one of those global empire shops with notions of changing the world in the name of commerce, while not making too much mess socially (is this even possible, do those in leadership even believe this intriguing paradoxical premise?). Is there truly any appetite for social change or is it just a prop to keep 'evil' out of the empire moniker?

Immediately I was internally castigating myself for waffling. My friend said he marvelled at my thought to bring it to the corporate discussion forum. Just when I think I've totally sold out, a darling political friend thinks perhaps not.

Recently on Lincoln Avenue and the Naked Bike Ride

2008-06-15T19:14:00.009-05:00

A few days ago on a balmy evening walking down Lincoln Avenue, I was intrigued with this snippet of conversation.

"What, are we in China now?! There's a guy pedaling a rickshaw!" I cannot help but add IN TONES OF OUTRAGE. The guy was offended at a bicycle-based ride service, on a perfect night for such travel. I only caught fragments of the diatribe to follow, but it seemed to be some sort of class-based rap, how could we...wealthy, urban Chicago not only offer but suffer this option on our fancy pants bar, cafe, almost-no-one walks-here-but-for-drink-street? For moments on a warm, youth infested/invested strip of urban street, we had third-world-ism in our midst. Conversation was provoked.

In Cambodia the seductive and always quietly uttered "Tuk tuk" signals the presence of a cyclo (a 150cc motorcycle with mpg's exceeding 100) attached to a sedan cab with seats available. A beguiling ride through the streets of Phnom Penh or another large city is much more relaxing than racing around on the back of said cyclo itself or sealed inside an automobile style taxi-cab. Even better in our fair city on a relatively quiet evening to grab a seat in a mercifully silent, bicycle powered ped-cab. Never mind that growth in Asia is in double digits, while we struggle to hit 2%while continuing to live as if we too grow in double digits anywhere except at the waistline.

A bit of trivia from wikipedia -
Cycle rickshaws are known as cyclo (pronounced see-clo)
in Cambodia and Vietnam, cycle rickshaw in India and Bangladesh, trishaw traditional Chinese,simplified Chinese, pinyin: san lún che), from "tricycle rickshaw", in Malaysia and Singapore, becak in Indonesia and bicitaxi or taxi ecologico (literally "ecological taxi") in Mexico. In the Philippines, they are called tricycle/traysikel, traysikad, pedicab, or padyak. Cycle rickshaws are known as saika in Myanmar, a transliteration of English "side car". In the United Kingdom and United States cycle rickshaws are more widely pedicabs. In Buffalo, New York, this type of vehicle is known as a bike taxi. In Thailand, any three-wheeler is called samlor which literally means "three wheels"), whether motorized or not, including pedicabs, motorcycles with attached vending carts or sidecars, etc. The driver is also called samlor. True, Thai auto rickshaws are known in popular parlance as tuk-tuks, but in Thai the latter usage as well as its characteristic style is largely restricted to Bangkok and Chiangmai.

Back to Lincoln Avenue: The chatter from the more-enlightened companions of this urban traffic fashionista was in praise of bicyle culture and having additional
leisure travel options. You can see somewhat more at 4 mph than at 30, they patiently explained, while avoiding the atmospheric and wallet-draining effects of gasoline. Not to mention caloric and revenue advantages for our heroic rickshaw entrepreneur! I like to think the eye of this anti-rickshaw storm was simply providing profound possiblities of conversation and continuing thought, for which I thank him from my heart.

Minutes later, I came home to the treat of the last few moments of the Naked Bike Ride brigade parading through my 'hood, darkly and musically exuberant on joyful display. The excitement of a sudden and unexpected arrival of hundreds of cyclists, singing, whistling and yet quiet with only peddle power was magic. Maybe we are ready for change. The fact that they were gorgeously supported with full police escort on the first reasonable weather moment in our strange June through the park on Stockton added to my impression of a Brigadoon moment, soon vanished. I love my city and I'm proud of our commitment to change.

I salute those who rode! You have made my life better forever, hope is the right course. Thank you.

Around the World with Zorro

2008-05-25T09:01:00.002-05:00

Zorro was really good. Good like an excellent cheese burger, really hot, really fresh, not perhaps all that nutritious, but oh so delicious. They really wrote/played it for laughs, but also as a real swashbuckler. The lead was remarkable, not the typical casting, very slight and elegant which was good for Don Diego, but he managed to be so adept with the sword and with movement generaly that he came across as super hero-like as Z. And this was hands down the best fight choreography I have ever seen. Which is something because the theatre only holds about 65 seats and I was in the second row.

Downside to this production: I liked it because of the superhero component. My serious theater friends were not impressed. They found it amateurish. While I think that is a bit harsh, I suspect the treatement more than the production itself lends credence to this criticism.

I was trying to think of why I thought the adaptation was so strong and I think it was because it captured a longing for passion. Passion of romance, passion to do things in aid of justice, passion for life. Again pointing to black and white, heroes, man and superman. In a world of money grubbing and daily compromise, wouldn't it be nice to be a hero?

In some ways it was an opposite treatment from Around the World in 80 Days. That show also captured my heart. 80 Days is about curiosity, says the adaptor/director. And I think she has a point. Fogg is so stuck in his life and so attached to his routine. And then he takes off on a trip around the world with only the thought to make the finish line. And yet he unthaws in the process, not so much because of what he (doesn't truly) see(s), but because of the people who join him and the awakening in him that lets in love for a woman.

Does Fogg become a hero? Perhaps not truly, but he awakens to his own heroic potential in the style of Joseph Campbell. Live your life as heroically as possible for optimum fulfillment.

To Be or Not To Be

2008-05-05T11:52:00.002-05:00

In a comment involving an earlier post in this blog, I mentioned the word "being." Someone picked up on the term and suggested that I do a post on the subject. So here are a few angles on the word, culled from a variety of sources as best I remember them. As you can imagine it's a tough topic, and my mental pebbles are just a few from off a vast beach of them. I am setting these stones specifically inside a human context or frame. And I would be most interested in knowing whether any of the following stuff has resonance today.

To begin with, "being" is one of those words with a long history of controversy. Said differently, it's a word ancient in origin, linked to a variety of world religions and spiritualities, unable to be scientifically validated, mostly dropped from the late modern lexicon (especially in the West), and very difficult to use in a postmodern world--or so it is often thought.

So what's the word basically about--what's the reality and/or realities the word seeks to identify? Here are a few takes for reflection: the foundation brick of human existence; the nucleus of human personhood and identity; the residence of the human spirit; the rudimentary "soul" of personality; the launchpad for integrative activity; home to the mind/the will/and the affections; the anchor for what used to be called human nature; the seat of universal existential life--thereby offering common ground and a level playing field for uniting persons and and communities/cultures.

While the preceding offers interesting material to think about, "being" seems to have lost credence as a philosophical subject. However, I continue to think the word fingers something foundational, dynamic, and universal. An idea /reality still worth exploring. Now for a couple of footnotes.

If "being" is a living/breathing reality and not just a name on a page, then it seems to me that this reality oozes with implications. This includes implications for the world of art and as well as for a global world that shows itself deeply divided. Second, the whole subject prompts for me the question whether human beings are smart gorillas, or a species of life that has evolved into its own unique and/or special category/taxonomy.

Back to beginnings. "To be or not to be." What sorts of things might Shakespeare have had in mind? And Hamlet?

That's it for now folks.

The Third Culture and Living on Edge

2008-04-17T09:44:00.006-05:00

I managed to miss the first anniversary of the blog (3/26) and clearly I have been in absentia for some time. I made a pilgrimage to Cambodia which was eye opening. I was staggered to find such a disciplined people, largely very hopeful and generally very compassionate (95% are Buddhists). There are still landmines everywhere. The jungle is a constant threat both in terms of who lives there and its ability to grab back the land and all the temples. There is not enough money to fix most things and lots of foreign types are in residence as the leadership of the country is somewhat slow to act (new king and parliament, no real war crimes tribunal, too many Khmer Rouge still around). The foreign types can be restoring temples or they can be marrying poor and poorly educated Cambodian women for a fee. Soon they will be able to buy property.

With all that, the country maintains the rice loft of the world, literally the country floods and they get a special third harvest of superior rice. As the price of rice goes sky high, this may cause interesting affluence among a people who revere their land for reasons having nothing to do with interest in affluence. I was profoundly affected by my exposure to Cambodia and Cambodians and have found 2008 to be flooded with questions about happiness, fulfillment and artistic quality of life.

This reminded me of Daniel Kahneman and the aspiration treadmill (are you happier if you aspire to higher things) and lead me to Edge's on-line presence (http://www.edge.org, which is full of interesting thoughts by scientists and art types). This treadmill was a darling idea that he and his team had to abandon, yet it holds appeal.

As an artist on hiatus, off slogging it out in the money-world for awhile, I find that my happiness quotient is always higher when I am working on a new piece or project. Although I find fulfillment in being self-supporting, my work at ye old day job is never enough to sustain and nourish me thoroughly. But as soon as I pull out the vocal instrument, my camera or pencil, brush and paper, I am back on dry land feeling Csíkszentmihályi's famous flow.

Aspiring to create art helps to make me an artist. Producing quality work is another element. Just living an artistic life is not fulfilling. Is it what I expected in my 20's when I first chose to train and work as a singer? In part yes, because I had many mentors and heavy doses of realism helped keep me centered. Am I happy when seeing myself as only a part-time artist? Not as much, but it is a continuum. Performing too much commercial work wasn't great either. But taking a break to earn a different living from full-time performing has had some unexpected permutations. Not the least of which is that it turns out I learned a lot of good business practice managing my own vocal career and someone wants to pay me for that in a different field for awhile. Is it selling out? That will be determined by sticking to the path, getting back to full-time artistic practice in the timeframe I elected to create.

Art, Living, Art of Living

2008-03-29T20:41:00.004-05:00

It's often said of artistic works that they "take risks" or of the creative process that it requires getting "out of the comfort zone." There are also people (less likely to be the high-critic type) who seek out works that entertain and comfort them without challenging too much.

Likewise, there's a broad range of taste out here regarding how much risk is appropriate in one's life. Of course, on THIS stage a wrong note/flubbed line/misstep could lead to limitless bad consequences (and not only for the person making the choices.)

Of course, a lot of great art concerns itself with depicting people's lives, too. Some people videoblog practically everything they do, now. Others have paparazzi to do it for them. And the basic urge to live life in a way that inspires or informs or transforms others is an urge much older than those phenomena.

This is left very open to try to elicit musings and heartfelt comments.

Speaking with your characters

2008-01-12T14:06:00.000-06:00

A daring friend suggested she might consult a character in a live theatrical production for thoughts on another character still in the making. The voice teacher in me quakes for my students when looking to a live theatrical production for character inspiration. I don't like my students to listen to other, professionally produced singers too often, or to learn a new piece by listening to someone else's recorded piece; too intimidating for most, adds to derivative interpretation for a few others.

Still, when is it possible for each of us, seeking new inspiration to populate a character, either in writing or performance, to visit with some of the current creations out and about in someone else's interpretation? When are we finally strong enough to look at someone else, have the light turn on and not find our own soul crushed?

For me the answer can be now and never, depending on the timing, the impact of the influence and how I am finding my own self to be, robust or pliable. When I am drawn strongly to someone else's work, I know that I need time and discussion to get around to understanding what those influences will do to me and what I should let them do.

The urge to have a character under one's own direction speak with another, unrelated or unlikely character is very alluring. What will 15th century French St. Joan say to my contemporary self? Will she have thoughts and conversation with my 19th century Camille? Will they get along, influence each other? Can they converse in French from different eras, or perhaps some magic meta language that is the language of inspiration itself?

I long for a series of 10 minutes plays, perhaps 3 produced together, but not the same play. The first conversation between Joan and Camille, women of passion for very different reasons. The second might be between Joan and Betty Ford. They might talk about public life, passion and the need for moderation, being taken seriously in a man's world. The last piece would feature three contemporary women, each is reading about one of the 3 women featured previously. Hmmm.

Scholar critic v. media critic

2007-12-08T11:47:00.000-06:00

After an interesting conversation with a friend, I was stimulated to think about the differences between scholarly criticism and that type of commentary from the media. Borrowing from my conversational companion, is the role for those voices located in the media more to promote and market the artist's work, leaving the scholar-critic to inform and interpret?

In the large, Midwestern city in which I live, there is something of a tradition in the media of promoting art and being either kind with criticism or veering away from commentary and providing lightweight education if the subject matter is thorny or difficult and perhaps inspired but less than well executed. This type of criticism is often witty, but not necessariy terribly complex or deep; no 21 paragraph analyses of the artist's oeuvre here in the Heartland. Get 'em out to see the thing, then let the chatter commence.

A recent post in the Chicago Tribune by a reader states, "...I long for the days when critics (such as Frank Rich) could write reviews as well as any playwright could write a play, and create a criticism that was not bound up in what appears to be an insatiable need in today's reviewers to be celebrity critic whose words are quoted in newspaper ads and on the backs of published scripts." (12/5/07 - postscript to Jones' review of the NYC staging of Osage County)

I would tend to agree with this comment. Attending a large chunk of regional theater, I find opening night is cluttered with critics who are there as much to see and talk to each other as to drink in the staging and craft gorgeous commentary that enlightens us as to what we can expect or how we should think about the experience.

So I await and expect from scholars what I thirsted for from others.

What is it really about?

2007-11-25T07:39:00.000-06:00

While attending the current production of Savannah Disputation, a friend asked a truly perceptive and intriguing question: what is it really about. This was in response to someone else's comment about another play - "of course you know what that was really about." Bringing my thoughts squarely to rest on the playwright's thinking for Savannah Disputation in particular was a happy place to land.

This play examines the disappointments of women, priests as people and as symbols, religion, power, mortality (sort of), the role of constraints and those thing forbidden, relationships generally, the South vaguely, America and it's use and mis-use of religion, how we fight and 'getting along', and likely more to add mess to a well constructed run-on sentence. Evan Smith's new play pushes a whole bunch of buttons.

I suspect a certain flatness to the production comes from a linear construct within the play itself because the writing appears to run through a list of questions rather than creating a carefully constructed dramatic progression. The female actors had to work to portray real people because most of the dialog supported light weight characters going after heavy weight material and getting flattened in the process. Occasionally the character of Mary gets something meaty to set up action for Father Murphy. And Robert Scogin's portrayal of the priest has real depth and pathos, partly the result of stellar acting on top of a character with real issues. He shines with masterful power as he commands Margaret to stop second guessing all of catholicism as a result of an afternoon's chat with a sophist-fundamentalist. And his cynicism is front and center when he tells Mary she may as well remain a catholic because she doesn't believe in anything else and, "then you can go to the same church as Margaret."

I would like to see Smith go back and make a less orderly examination of his questions, shake up the situation comedy. But the production is well done and affords laughter about serious rather than solemn topics that invites continued disputation over time.

Cooks, Cubans and the role of atmosphere in theater and our daily lives

2007-11-23T18:11:00.000-06:00

This is the second in a series of posts that will be dubuting in the space as "works in progress'. I plan to post these only partially completed in case I can convince some of my collaborating artists to participate prior to completion of the product. This will involve some necessary mess because the pieces will change in mid-stream. This will also require me to leave commentary posts up that may not make sense as the pieces change in scope and even perhaps in direction or conclusion.

***

The Cook, in a production currently playing at the Goodman started a conversation on the role of set design in creating atmosphere. In a world that is highly theatrical away from the theater, I wonder if part of the intrigue of that play is a sense of 'trying out' a space. The story itself revolves around people who are preserving a house for differing reasons. The audience reaction so far is that the set is itself a character, one that sets up expectations and then follows up with the process of aging we all must endure.

In shelter magazines the notion of a kitchen as stage is nothing new. The fabulousness of our kitchens tells our friends something about each of us. I long for a kitchen that is the heart of my personal and social life. My kitchen has always been my 'best' room, the place I spend the most time and where most of my friends participate in various creations and evenings of learning. Recently I have been spending a lot more time in my new, small kitchen cooking and contemplating how to make it more mine.

Chatting with our demons, on heroes and anti-heroes

2007-10-08T08:42:00.001-05:00

Having recently seen two vastly different plays that each include discussion around war or terror, discipline and how we prepare for things, I wonder if it is possible to dramtize contemporary issues without the passage of time to lend perspective. John Patrick Shanley's "Defiance" covers material from the early 70's. Brett Neveu's "Weapon of Mass Impact" seems so very current. I think one succeeds and the other needs some more thought. In addition Evan Smith's "The Savannah Disputation" tackles the search for heroes in the world of today.

Shanley's play is set within the world of the career military in the early 70's. The main issue at hand is race, though there is plenty of room for all sorts of bad behavior. His main topic is the nature of heroes, how are they created, how they behave, can they tangle with women succussfully (in the standard world of real people it seems that men are heroes and women foil their man's best self if they cannot reinforce it). His main character aims for hero-state but misses, never resting on cynicism as a crutch. Does that mean he was never meant to be a hero? Defiance also points to Martin Luther King as hero and as the black captain's excuse for avoiding acts of heroism, though it is his final inability to avoid hero behavior that lends the drama credence, keeps the action moving forward and brings about the end of the Lt. Colonel.

What is the difference between the failures of hero Odysseus when returning to the ever-waiting Penelope and the Lt. Colonel's single transgression? According to the Mrs. it is that he reaches for heroism when he himself isn't one and thus, cannot make the mark. Whereas Penelope expects and demands a hero and thus, does Odysseus' behavior remain heroic. Is this a modern failure to allow for heroes?

After seeing Evan Smith's new play, The Savannah Disputation, I would add another question. Is it possible to be a hero and a cynic at the same time? Women seek heroes, Mary is looking for one in Father Murphy and he acts heroically at the end of the action, but his cynicism shines through as well. Does cynicism make room for an anti-hero?

Neveu's focus is on preparing for a kidnapping and perhaps other acts of terror, how to prepare a potential victim through study, enactment, discussion between victim-students. All the students are women, they are quite different in their character expression, though all are roughly the same age, ethnic and socio-economic background, outwardly the same woman times three. This playwright is always willing to look at fear emotions, internal turmoil, current events as a driver for topic and plot.

Weapon fails to stay on course because the main premise has more to do with exposing ugly feelings while remaining essentially attractive. The emotional crushing of the 'nicest' woman, the woman who truly wants to be liked is at the center of the piece and it has nothing to do with preparing for a kidnapping and is out of place with the device used. This leaves the viewer with two stories that have little to do with each other.

This is a piece in progress and before I finish it, I wonder if anyone else has thoughts? I do believe the subject matter on heroes is what these playwrights are chasing and I find the topic fascinating. How does Joseph Cambell's reflections on being our own heroes work in this thematic area? How about the lack of public heroes lately--our complex world buries their stories. United flight 93 involved heroic behavior unknown until recently (though I believe it happens all the time). And how is it that most compelling stories focus more on those who try and fail to live up to their own expectations?

Theater in all its variety - Chicago has it

2007-10-07T10:43:00.000-05:00

In the last week (and 2 days) I have seen a short-story film noirish Coranado, a brand new cops angst ala TV in A Steady Rain, an extreme post-modern Thyestes, the wildly entertaining So Good It Makes you Wanna' Holler, a traditional but finely wrought Suddenly Last Summer (featuring exquisite set design and costumes and some chilling acting), Kurl Weil-Berlin to Broadway (a review) and Hello Dolly with a stripped down cast. You can't say Chicago is not indulging in the full gamut of genres.

The two pieces that demand the most attention here are the Thyestes and the musical/review Makes You Wanna' Holler, Old v. New Style.

I note Thyestes because it disappointed, which probably says more about me than the production. I came away with a sense of stridency, shrill delivery from an actor not noted for shrill, a sense of two men mis-cast (though upon reflection, aren't we all somewhat mis-cast in our lives?).

A friend recently noted: ...to simplify this issue with two questions: Is Thyestes a striking, artful piece of theatre--why or why not? Could Akalaitis have done more with the very ingredients that she herself selected? I think I see untapped potential in this production....Perhaps Akalaitis, whom I admire, actually did not go conceptually far enough. One thinks here about the "Theatre of Cruelty" popular in the 60s. She is surely aware of the fad. I wonder how this might have helped Akalaitis with focus. Even choices.

The theater of cruelty (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_Cruelty) offers some good insight into what Akalaitis might be trying to achieve with Thyestes. The upfront cruelty that Seneca portrays stands as his commentary on past and present employers (Caligula and then Nero, under whose employment Seneca was ordered to and did in fact commit suicide). The play itself is about cruelty, who are its perpetrators and its victims. And the pitched attack that Atreus plans and executes against Thyestes is in keeping with the play's theme.

What I found lacking was character development in either Thyestes or Atreus. They each portrayed static men, already bound in the present reality of past choices. So from a dramatic standpoint, the play is rather dull because it is unrealistic to expect Thyestes to get smart and head for the hills. Neither does any rightminded individual believe that Atreus will relent and refrain from tormenting Thyestes, he won't change course, but he sure doesn't have much fun with it either. I like my tragedy to be the worse with possibility of alternate routes away from disaster.

What I did take away from the production was that pushed beyond endurance, we are all like one or the other of the brothers, either melodramatic-to-insane (I'm not talking road rage, but in truly terrible circumtances), or wooden and innefectual on decision making that will change the course of the future. And of course one suspects our director is commenting on our national leader(s) who seems to be perpetually either willfully cruel in pursuit of war to the cost of all other programs under his pervue or a dullard.

At the other end of the spectrum, Makes You Wanna' Holler so far exceeded expectations because it has both giant entertainment value and a seriousness in both story telling and production quality. There is tension on what the outcome might be and the ensembles (new style v. old style) are powerhouses of talent. It is both a joy to see and hear and just so much fun I wanted to get up and join in (some of the audience were in fact invited to and did so). It's easy to play down the value of a show that offers so much sheer fun, but this show has both, though I would like to see a bit more dramatization to more the story forward.

I learned more from Thyestes because I had to thrash out my lessons and grind my teeth on the tough sinews and bloody soup of the play itself as well as the production. But I'm revisiting Makes You Wanna' Holler as often and with considerably more enjoyment of its lessons.

What is Redmoon up to these days?

2007-09-25T21:42:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a fascinating screening of a review film (that's my term, I mean a compiled film of a live event) that captures a show that Redmoon artistic director Jim Lasko collaborated 'ensemble' to create with several Australian folks (tech design, artistic direction and they had a fabulous musical designer who seemed to have some stand-alone direction, Basil Hodges).

The overall concepts fit with Redmoon themes and style from the past. What really caught my attention was how successful they were (with the addition of really choice music from the 17th/18th century British Isles traditions - brought to America/Australia - work songs, minstrelsy, vaudeville traditions, plus didgery do, some intriguing drumming, etc. all set out in a through-composed format) in making a documentary that gave at least a strong taste of the live production.

At the q&a session following the viewing, Jim was quick to say that film does not serve the live medium - agreed. But they did have some gains. The ability to show details of face, interior space, 3-dimensional stuff that can be lost to an outdoor audience was impressive.

Mst of all I was captivated by the organic creativity used, with some linear plotting, references to many cultures (really all continents except for Africa and perhaps Antarctica), the story visited timelines in multiple directions. The beginning references the end, the middle; other sections of the piece do likewise. In discussions of the limits of linear approaches this piece makes good use of linearism, but is not bounded by it.

What I really liked about the piece (probably more readily available to the live audience, but glimpsed in the film version) was the marrying of social consciousness-driven thinking, art for art's sake, risk (by designers, but much more by those suspended in the rigging), cohesion through music design, questions viewed multiple times in different media (live actors, puppets, lighting as artistic voice, minstrelsy and circus arts, song-enactment, and from the film perspective--use of close up/full screen cinematic perspective).

Bravo, Jim and Co!

Definitions and Assumptions

2007-09-02T19:03:00.000-05:00

To begin with a quote from a recent comment: "One of the challenges inherent in exploring both of these questions [artistic voice and what is art] is the need for vigilant definition plus careful assessment of personal/collective assumptions. Without attention to both of these hinges on reality, discourse turns muddy, even as mental streams tend to dry up."

I have been busily stripping away as many assumptions as I can (well, ok that's the goal, I'm not there yet). In my tiny world of learning I have been soaking up teachings this summer. One of them is apparently called "MicroInequities" - I believe this is a trademarked term and I love the content encompassed. 10% of our communications are verbal, the rest are non-verbal including body language, pauses in delivery, tone of voice and the flying saucers we envision as we allow the inner critic to dominate the field and tear apart our unworthy opponents.

A microinequity is the small, yet potent message we actually send as we smile and deliver some sultry palaver of platitudes. While that issue may or may not have much relevance in the artistic process, the assumptions that feed into this behavior are at the core of the issue. Why do we make stuff up about: people, places, created works, ourselves, everything?

As I walk about, lie around and just do my daily stuff I'm assuming all of these things. That person has all this baggage I have endowed him with, even though I know nothing about it and he would laugh at what I have assumed. As I am practicing the big strip tease, lose it or name it, I have all of these wild artistic notions. For example...

Returning this morning from a walk in the park I saw a young boy, an old man (truly, those were not assumptions, though I can't say what the ages are, but shorter than adult growth and reclining, with cane and grey haired) I examined my internal dialog. First I decided they were grandson and grandfather. Strike that, could be any relationship. They are definitely male people, humans, persons of color, could be any class, might be any relationship, although it's before 8am, so someone probably knows they are together.

The boy was chasing the geese into the south pond at Lincoln Park. Awesome - just what I always want to do. The older man was ensconsed in a chair with a fishing rod, instructing the boy (he said "do it [this] way", I think it's fair to say he was the teacher). Without going into more assumptions, I named my issue (now don't go making assumptions) and thought how much I would like to be one or both of them (probably not the geese or the possible fish on the hook). They belonged to each other.

What if the story is taking place somewhere else, New Orleans, Mars, a ritzy apartment in Vegas? What if only song is involved? Or dance? Photomontage would definitely show the perspective of the geese, quite possibly the fish as well. I would suggest that to build an entire story about who's who, what the relationship is and then impose a plot is an example of linear thinking.

If this is the case, I finally understand what linear thinking is. Send me your thoughts.

Voices in Voice

2007-08-22T15:29:00.000-05:00

The Jeff Wall entry in "Artistic Edges" got my mind moving on the notion of "voice", especially when it comes to thinking about voice operative inside artistic activity. And once the issue of voice raised its head, mental machinery sprung the haunting question, "What do we mean by voice when talking about artwork?

Clearly the word voice can have multiple meanings; and with regard to artwork, it can involve any genre. Such spread/flexibility/elasticity in using the word makes the list of inherent operative phenomena connected with "voice" seem legion. So what goes on in voice? Are we talking here about things like soul action, interactive contexts and conditions, dialectical activities that involve the liveliness of modulation, inflection, intervals and time? Or taken from another angle, is voice better understood in terms of personality coupled with matters of style [which in turn includes some of the previous items]? Then again is voice better grasped as something indigenous and organic--a phenomenon deeply concerned with personal makeup, self-identity, and integrity all round? With all these possibilities in mind, is voice one item on the preceding descriptive list of words and phrases? Just some of these items? Perhaps all of these items? None of these--something quite different and unique to itself?

On the negative side, what prevents a distinguishing voice from emerging, that is, from asserting itself in a given artwork or act of making? Does the "no voice" problem imply a deficiency of craft, that is, poor knowledge/skill about some facet of the making process [a technical problem], or is the issue something deeper--something more psychological and spiritual--a problem more directly tied to the actual "content" of what the voice projects [including emotional content]? If this is the problem, then getting a handle on voice may involve issues like inadequate depth perception, insufficient personal risk, over use of linear/technological thinking that turns one's mental movements [with its latent voice] into something flat and colorless so that one judges results by saying, "but there is no their there." In other words, a non-voice with little that is distinguishing/remarkable/personally differentiating, especially in spark and tone.

As suggested previously, the preceding questions apply in some way to all genre in the arts. Hence, voice with its nuances and complications involve singers, dancers, poets, painters, playwrights, and movie directors. Moreover, the preceding questions also relate to issues that involve both a private and a public voice [audience matters], especially the "vocal" challenge of moving from one voice to the other. Too much attention to one can potentially kill the effectiveness of the other. For example, when moving from a private voice to a public one, the result often seems less dynamic and colorful. Why? Is the problem a failure on the part of the artist to risk? Lack of personal self-confidence? Too much outer-direction? Too strong a reliance on experts and/or authority? Too much worry over technique ? Too little project focus due to fear? Too much external social pressure so that a distinctiveness gets lost? Enter the intimidating critic from whatever place/location.

Now back to Jeff Wall. What does all the preceding have to do with him? Perhaps it is time to ask, what is the nature of his voice? Where does it come from and/or how does it come about? Which of his works render voice most distinctly? Most effectively? And why?

Perhaps the moral of the story about a voice is this--"know thyself." And when you have found a self, "speak it"--fearlessly and honestly. Pastiche has its limits.

(This is a cut and paste from work originally posted by Donna)

What makes up the artistic 'voice'?

2007-08-22T07:39:00.000-05:00

Once again I must start my exploration of artistic voice from my own experience. I am first a singer, second I have a strong ability to identify others by voice (an asset on the phone, where I make some of my living) and finally I have been trained in music arts and as a singer.

Voices produced by human and other acoustic instruments, violins, guitars, drums etc. (let's rule out electronic instruments for now) can be analyzed from an acoustic perspective, or through the physics of sound. The first striking element is the presence of overtones to differentiate one voice from another. Two bass drums made with, say wood, string and a skin will produce different voices, even if drawing from the same pieces of wood, skin and string. One of those drums might get played every day, the other one stays in the hallway, looking great but making nary a sound. The one that gets played changes timbre over time. The changes can be heard or they can be notated through analysis of overtones, which ones and how many are present.

The artist playing the instrument (or singing) will choose over time to make adjustments to her sound. The same is true for an artist composing a piece of music, a photograph or a painting or movie. In performative media (singing, dancing, any live performance) each performance is the instance of the art piece. With plastic arts, each produced piece is also an instance. Some artists like Van Gogh might produce more than 50 pieces that all contain the same basic content, yet each piece is different. And Van Gogh and Gaugin also tried painting the same subject, multiple times in the presence of each other, yet all the pieces produced were different. I would again point to use of overtone for differentiation.

The view from my window

2007-08-18T16:04:00.001-05:00

Let's face it, you either love an air show or, like somewhat like pro-football, you sneer at it, decrying its commercial and consumerist nature. How could anybody spend all that money and especially all that non-renewable energy on this!

My bad.

I now live approximately 1125 feet in the air facing one of the most gorgeous natural spaces in the third coast area. My box of living space overlooks the south pond of a midwestern zoo, near the largest white sand beach in town (including those amazing guy and gal-athlete amazons called volleyball pros) which provides amazing views of blue, grey and sometimes frozen lake vistas. After living in a sometimes spacious but dark basement all my life, small but beautiful finally has a meaning to me. And don't forget that small means clean up is actually easy. Ok, it's not hose it down style, but compared to ginormous American home-is-my-castle living, this is pretty nifty.

Most evenings I come home from the ever present day job to choose between tv and THAT VIEW. Guess which one wins? But I have one problem. I'm allergic to noise. Ever since I can remember I cannot stand the loud bump in the night. So Air and Water anything was a slice of YOUKNOWHAT.

To be fair as a small child I witnessed some evil things that always involved BANG at the end; hold ups outside, robberies inside, burnings and and worse. And then later the real bad thing: coup attempt in a small northern African country including guns, rocket launchers, bombs and tanks - curfew took on a whole new meaing. Absolutely no one from the American Embassy was on hand, just when I had the need. The heck with civilized life, apparently local folks will help...and they surely did.

So to my complete surprise I finally SAW the A&W show. Seeing and feeling that show is radically different. I still winced at the noise, but something so big it makes your entire body vibrate must be given its due. And check out these techno-amazing details. It's free. I know we pay for it, it's an advertizement for the might of the military. Since so many of our children now participate, at least let them aim for perfection; although they make it look easy, I'm betting it is difficult to fly 5 feet away from someone else at 400 MPH.

In contrast and with no prior planning I also managed to be on-hand to see the first (and indeed most of the) runners in this year's Chicago marathon. The only noise for this event was really big cheering. Repeatedly. Boy, I like those spectators. Most them are probably neighbors, but some come from a distance to cheer for friends. I had to be a part of that, so for once I found my view couldn't do everything and I nipped over to the park for some ground level ruckus.

Jeff Wall

2007-07-17T17:41:00.000-05:00

I was very interested to listen to photographer Jeff Wall when he was in town. He spoke to a packed house at the Art Institute in June. His large format, mostly color photos have an instant quality to them that belies the staging that generally go into the production.

Having spent a lifetime listening to silver gelatin-wielding friends, it was somewhat terrifying to realize just how much isn't covered in that discussion space. Large format is, from Wall's perspective partly about getting the size of the image to match the size of the original. I like that: my picture is in the 5-6 foot range, not the 8"x10" normally so popular for headshots. Imagine the look on the casting director's face when she unfolds that! Or perhaps you have the item delivered with a truck (look, no creases). Ok, kidding aside, this was an intersting viewpoint that really makes me think.

He discussed the role that critics play in helping the rest of us examine and understand his works. Clearly, he's not a fan of critics. But then he went on to explain when they got it right, for example when pieces of his reference other art works in different media. How his pieces might recreate a scene he has witnessed, how that recreation might change the event itself. He also discussed the differences in approach when planning for a light box presentation v. a hardcopy print using ink jet or other printing approaches.

His approach helped clarify something I've been discussing in terms of artistic voice. How could I render a drawing of a flower, then photograph it, write a poem and sing about it and finally present a dance on the subject. Can I present a compelling personal artistic voice so that another person might say, "that dance reminds me of that song"?

What is the relationship between performative formats? How can dance be like song? Is my crisp movement used to indicate strongly delineated articulation, say a step from right to left (think Twyla Tharp) similar to producing a vocal tone that is also strongly articulated (attention being paid to stop/start, clearness of pitch)? Yes. When a choreographer chooses the sounds to create the sonic portion of a dance piece, she chooses deliberately. Alvin Ailey's Revelations series is costumed with traditional looking clothing referencing, though not reproducing the look of the 18th or 19th century. The music used is choral gospel music. The lighting is bright colors with dramatic contrasts. All of these design elements help deliver the message in the choreography itself.

Where am I headed? Production elements are used to build a complex, unified voice. If executed well enough, that voice can be discovered across performative disciplines and the plastic arts. Sondheim's "Sunday in the Park with George" can reference Georges-Pierre Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. But another artist might want to tackle both a painting and a tone poem or another dyptich of cross reference to enrich the final experience and exploration.

Procrastinating which can lead to stuckness

2007-07-15T15:34:00.000-05:00

One great thing about those painful artist retreats for writers: 4 hours a day, write, even if it's a recipe, a description of doing something or something you remember from someone else. Just begin getting something on the page.

This is not to advocate rushing. Voice is full of phlegm, hum for awhile, gently clean those vocal cords. Clear your throat aggressively and all you've done is assault yourself and make way for some more healing phlegm. Same with ripping the bandage off along with the scab. If it's too soon for action, you'll know it by repeating, repating, repeating.

In response to stuckness

2007-06-28T16:53:00.000-05:00

I have an interesting discussion going about something we're calling linearism. As a result, I've had some thoughts on stuckness. Most of the artistic blocks I have seen are a type of stuckness, though to the artist it feels more like just a blank slate or lack of inspiration.

But in terms of stuckness itself, a linear approach (first I do this, then I do that) to become unstuck is often a critial culprit in stopping progress. All the perfectionists I know have lots of reasons for why they must do a certain something before they can complete a task.

The need to finish things in proper precedence can derail or stop the train because one step isn't working out. I cannot chew the gum because I didn't take the gum out of the wrapper. While it is true the gum will taste better sans paper, it is probably possible to chew the gum with the paper on, removing bits as the paper shreds.

So how desperate are you for the flavor of gum?

encountering stuckness

2007-06-23T02:16:00.000-05:00

Most people I've talked with about it admit they go through times when they know what they want to do (or need to do, or "should" do) but just... don't do it. Sometimes this happens as a full-blown procrastination incident, complete with agonizing. Other times, focus just shifts to something else, and we only later notice "hmm, I didn't do X yet!" Could be good or bad, depending on how urgent/important the "something else" was.

Lately, though, I've been thinking about a related but more-intense phenomenon: the kind of stuck feeling where we know a situation isn't as it should be, but have trouble even coming up with an idea about what we want to do, or need to do, or "should" do about that situation. Sometimes the stuckness even extends to an inability to imagine how the situation could be better! If it's easy to mull over hypothetical options in an abstract intellectual way, but impossible to choose one that seems best, that still counts.

The mental image I'm getting is of a student who can't solve the problem on the board, standing at the front of the class. Nobody sitting behind our student can tell if the problem is lack of comprehension, poor eyesight, fear of public performance, or a deep-seated horror of chalk (OK, OK, dry-erase markers). Maybe our stuck student just doesn't want to show off, or doesn't want to show someone else up, or hasn't had a meal in a while. It's unclear, but everyone involved is painfully aware there's a problem somewhere. The scene has burst out of its script, and nothing is flowing. Until something shifts, only an increasingly uncomfortable pause will be possible...

On the nature and danger of hiatum

2007-05-17T21:43:00.000-05:00

Hiatum: is this a noun setting for hiatus (my intent)? After the joy of new blogging and learning some do's and dont's to posts, I have hidden away and packed my bags. Literally. I move in one short week. All my possessions are packed, I have enjoyed the luxury of living in borrowed digs, walking distance from the day job, but lightyears away from easy blog access.

I fly off for exotic (well, ok, other) climes and plan to return in time for my poor boxes to relocate to a smaller, slimmer, easier locale. Like magic, I will return and remove to the new spot.

Apologies for being out of pocket so long. So many comments are on fire in my mind. I hope to return to thinking out loud and with your assistance after Memorial Day.

Cheers,

Gillian

Artness - both as term and as response to excellent post...

2007-04-23T20:57:00.000-05:00

I was struck by the quality of comments to a post of mine (selling out) that I thought we should take it up with a new post.

Here's the excellent query material:
Is the artness of art happening at the time of creation, or at the time appreciation is posted? What about works that are neglected and then discovered? Or lauded and later rejected?

This is huge for me as an artist: I feel I must NOT be too swayed by feedback, critique, etc., in my work. So even though I will be changed by input (yes, there are plenty of studies about how being studied changes the subject being studied, but I think this is different), I must NOT change my final product.

But the second part of this feeds into artistic voice. Over time producing multiple pieces of art, my voice should grow or at least change.

Those wonderful products that, over time age well are proof of art as useful, as transformative over time. The first part: works neglected, then discovered. This is so true for dead artists, think Van Gogh. The second part, whoopee you get the nod, then fade to obscurity.

Games we play and adopting persona

2007-04-23T19:35:00.000-05:00

After watching Apple Tree's production of The Gin Game, I was struck by the challenges of changing persona. This is a play for two very mature actors - well cast, this means actors in their 70's. If you are sitting close, it really helps that their hands are the hands of 70-somethings. This production did that. I was front row, but current Apple Tree space is basically in the round with two rows. How brave! Hope the theater is recruiting 20-something audience, they need to see this.

Just because we get wrinkley, have veins showing or difficulty in raising a leg to adjust a sock, does NOT mean that life's issues have changed. And let's talk cussing. Wow, the first time a woman says the F-word, if it's this late in life, it has IMPACT. Doesn't mean she didn't think it, hear it, suffer from it. But to say it - this actress really made that experience real.

Anger management gets the real treatment in this piece about two retirement home residents, living in a place neither of them 'planned' for. This guy goes over the top, shouting, throwing, basically doing all the things that aren't allowed in public anymore. Is he a tyrant? I think so, but oh so human, I could be him. And her reaction, she's dominating in terms of winning every card game round they have. Wish it were me winning, but knowing he'll be crazy with irritation each time...what to do. I don't want to be in her shoes because it's clear he will not be gracious.

They talk the middle class game, so how, they reason, did they get the welfare label? Guess what, this isn't the automat where you pays your dollar and you gets your egg salad sandwich. Sometimes stuff just happens to you. It sure does to me and all my friends. I so like these characters, even though they both behave less than perfectly. That's real.

They adopt meeting-each-other personas. And then there is getting-to-know-each-other persona, and then final dreadful, final scene, it's going-to-end-badly persona. How far do we take ourselves in reaching out, trying something uncomfortable?

Transit rage: is this just ranting?

2007-04-18T23:00:00.000-05:00

Reviewing the many uses for blogs, I was informed today that blogs are really for ranting. With the exception of the one that places Mr. Bush and Miss Winfrey in the same sentence (horrors for them both), I have refrained. Clearly it is time to bust out and have some fun.

Here in Olympicmaniatown, it turns out that all forms of mass transit are slower, smellier and less reliable than ever. Why do we wait for a rapid transit option (every 9 minutes overnight) for an actual 30 minutes of an evening? At this point any sane person would look at the packed situation onboard, the state of the heaving train, the lack of apology on the driver's face and having dreamt of a cab, would now find the excuse she was waiting for and hail one. I get right on.

Hmm, the aroma that is that summertime El smell. Old sneakers with some sort of special sauce on top. On Mondays your feet will stick to the floor. Later in the week, there will be additional sniffy treats because of all the meals consumed (against both rules and good sense) enroute. As the week matures, other types of detritus will appear in paper form. IF YOU'RE LUCKY. It does keep the stick-factor down. Clearly it takes ghost busters to wash these things out. I picture the guys in the white suits with full body gear.

Turn to expressways (now, every one of which follows the Dan Ryan mantra -it's been rebranded to take the snailway), add in either a transponder (to ponder what?) or double your fun (and spendrate) by paying cash at tolls every 16 feet. You will crawl, but you'll be able to apply your makeup...or read the paper. But you cannot talk on the phone, that's a $200 fine.

Metra is the way to fly (posh commuter trains for those not yet cozy with the city of big shoulders). Only my friend messed up tonight (I thought I had it bad) and he found himself going back for keys. Going back? He had to go back downtown, get the keys and then ride out to green pastures. His once an hour option turned into once every 2 hours. The last ride starts well after midnight. If he's home by 2am, I'll be surpised. He threated to go to the bar - maybe he found a hotel instead. Only there's 100% occupancy in town now (that means no available beds in English).

Do we have some work to do to get ready for the next Olympic round in '09? It would appear so.

Selling out

2007-04-15T18:58:00.000-05:00

The real problem with being poor is that you never really get to play the grown up. You have no money, you don't develop that much taste because you cannot execute on that taste. Likewise, someone else always has the purse strings and thus makes all the decisions. If you are good at Jane Austin-speak, you'll become adept at being the perfect guest, the right size for hand-me-downs, great at being unpaid help for posh events that let you pretend. But you will not grow better at decision-making because you will make none that are not reactive.

Having lived most of my life as a fully employed and earning performing artist, I wasn't part of the genuine poor class, but rather the artist class. This group has the same issues as the poor, no health insurance, no real sense of where the next paycheck is. But we develop our tastes, get good at recycling items and tarting them up, we decide we wish for our freedom. But what freedom do we actually exercise? It generally sits flabby and palid in the closet waiting for a really good choice to appear. The green see-through chiffon or the chocolate body paint? They both sound good, but they always come with a price tag that someone else sets. What is art and what is commerce?

If it is popular is it still art? If it is perfectly delivered, easy to produce, is there still art in the mix? I always learn something different in performance than in studio - is that fair to the audience? For a singer there are gravy gigs, Easter Messiahs, Holy Week, High Holidays work, that perfect church or synagogue that guarantees weddings, funerals, services without much learning to do. How to manage the balance between building confidence and adding knowledge through risk taking?

Having decided a few brief years ago to take a day job and starve on my own time (note to self - gained 2 dress sizes on this plan), I find that there are points to recommend as well as detract from this plan. I really can choose my medium, pursue the outlay to learn something new, go hear or see someone else who does it well, take a lesson or five. How many times can you sing the same piece of music and add something special to the performance? Is delivering the same performance alright if it is excellent enough? At some point this experience creates challenges to personal growth. But does the growth happen in studio or on the stage or both places? Back again to self-confidence through repetition v. growth through terror....

Here's the final question: an early lesson for me was that striking the right price was important. At some point it is better to 'donate' the performance or piece, but demand quid pro quo of some other sort. That ultimately became my path from $25 pay for a full concert (including my paying an accompanist) to earning $1000 for a single performance of work I had performed numerous times. When I can afford to rest, put myself into peak form for a performance, feel my most confident, I can deliver an 'experience' an audience that is transformative. How do we value this in terms of dollar price? And how does an artist maintain freshness - access the artistic universal soul?

How does the audience perception change when they pay? If you have the chance to attend the opera (dance, film, rock concert, pro football game, etc.) through the generosity of a friend, employer, winning a contest - WILL YOU SHOW UP? I think chances fall in this scenario. Yet this model pays for many of us to do the thing we love, commerce often pays for art.

My best recent experience was listening to a free classical concert of Russian piano music at DePaul. I knew up front I could only attend the first half because of additional work on my plate that night. A friend found the listing, we met, ate, listened. Paying for the ticket would not have caused me to stay for the entire event. The quality was amazing. I was there to enjoy the music which I could share and discuss with my friend, not because I hoped someone would see me. I was quality audience. Did that help the performers...maybe.

Equus and Realism

2007-04-06T23:27:00.000-05:00

Equus at Actor's Workshop is excellent. The staging is extremely spare, almost non-existent. Because I had difficulty seeing (if you care, you'll want to get there early and sit up front), I had to rely on voices for some of the production. NO PROBLEM. The main actors were up to the task. In some ways this added to my experience. The work itself is dense and strong emotion, or lack of it, is part of the subject matter being explored. Having an aural component and a certain difficulty in seeing everything was perhaps intended by the director. The doctor's internal dialog is all the more real for being more vocal and something seen.

The lighting was used entirely to set emotional tone rather than for realistic effect. First we were in a therapeutic, almost chilly space, then a bit of red conjured warmth, relaxing into emotion. A beach scene was suffused with soft, mostly blue light for outdoor space. I could almost smell salt water (some foley work helped here). This use of lighting occured again and again, yet was not intrusive. In act 2 backlighting for the young lovers really racked up the sense of a pressure cooker and served in contrast to the dramatic and literally dark scene blinding the horses.

I found the sound design filmic, subtle and personally directed. Music or foley work was added only as needed to increase emotional temperature (warmer or cooler) as originally set by lighting. Because the space at Actor's is so intimate, there was no need for anything overly loud. A courteous audience meant that very small sounds penetrated and were effective.

Directing through a spare concept allowed for strong dramatization by the two main actors. They were not required to compete with a busy set and were often in semi-darkness, as are we all when living with our thoughts. In a dense and atmospheric 'place' there was more work for my imagination than anything solid on stage and this added to to my experience. In food terms this show is both meat and potatoes and the best dessert you will find. The writing makes for serious content, the presentation here is artful. The dramatic voice of the director is clear with lots of light, high tones and authenticity. The playwright's language shown through.

This was a superior use of 2.5 hours.

Form and Analysis - drama realizes a musical form

2007-03-26T21:48:00.000-05:00

Bach in Leipzig is currently playing in Glencoe at Writer's Theater. It's a clever production of a clever riff on the western classical music form known as a fugue. I plan to prose on here about the how the form dictates the content (browse ahead if you are a musician, or better yet, pick a fight on whether I have my facts correct)--more facts coming to a blog near you. 6 players represent each voice part (in music this can be actual singing voices, but it is more often a sort of 'character' in musical terms in keyboard realisation. Ah ha, Bach's the only dude recognized for being able to use 6 vox in counterpoint, damn he was good. And he's the never seen character who will get the job without actually auditioning (we know this from the title - I'm not spoiling anything here).

This bit of goofball writing is a critical work in progress, so commentators, here's where I could use some input from you. Any thoughts on pictoral representation of subject, counter subject, new versions of these, some additional fun facts on fugue devices? I will try for a textual representation as well.

So to continue, there are six characters, subject (Johann I, he will reappear as Johann II and Johann III, different characters within the play who represent the subject i, subject ii and subject iii) and then there's counter subject (Georg - same deal as subject).

I also will try to make a case for a magical device (Telemann who never actually speaks - waste of Mr. Lindner, but he strode across the stage masterfully - I hope he got paid full rate). This is a rather modern approach with terms that are not consistent with baroque styles, but I'll try to get some comment in on that too (ok, I have to do some more research).

These dudes present themselves in various forms: tonic, dominant, inversions, reminders of other devices in fugue form. In music you hear what today we would call a theme or (pop music) a melody repeated in various ways. Theatrically this means that a device like, "I will try to extort funds from the next character to enter stage left" hands action from one character to the next, moves the plot along and finally wraps it up.

All very diverting, but if you realize what's afoot early on, the show is a bit dull, or at least smirky. Was it the production? A lot of wink, wink, nod, nod. It was a Sunday matinee, the audience was justifiably proud for getting the format and the jokes. We were patting our tummies and commenting on the delicious fare. I felt like this was a good 3 stooges with each stooge assigned to 2 parts. They even looked a bit alike because of the gorgeous but not quite authentic costumes. Great detail on the set (how did they paint all that faux marble in time), but again, detail overtook the larger whole.

Ok, enough cattiness, this feeds into a larger discussion that is emerging for me about subtlety v. being ambushed. With such a new show and such a complex structure, some broad hints and a winking is perhaps not altogether overbearing. How rich is too rich?

Mr. Marmalade

2007-03-23T22:43:00.000-05:00

The Chemically Imbalanced Theater Project (sic) has a new show up at the Cornservatory in Chicago that offers some interesting views on extreme behavior, it's entrance into the mainstream, what happens when we ignore issues and behaviors that are outside the lines.

The show revolves around a 4 year's play subject and patterns during one evening while her mother is on a date. She consistently paints vignettes of disturbing and dysfunctional behavior overlaid with her own character's desparate desire for cookie cutter normalcy in the form of mother/father/child playing at 'house' and the introduction of structure where none is likely to occur naturally. The child's characters are all grown, foul mouthed and desparately unhappy, with the startling exception of a truly suicidal 5 year old playmate who is coaxed into the standard, if depressed behavior of the typical American, sport loving, junk food eating male. Ok, I admit it, if the child characters were only about 4 years older, it would be more believable.

Oddly intriguing is the fact that another (not to be named) company is mounting this show in Chicago opening April 5. First, why do multiple companies want to do the same show? I think this is because they do not know who else is doing what else, and hot shows are always of interest. More to the point, the topics covered are truly gripping, universal, the subject has been handled well by the dramatist. This show made me (and other lunatics in the audience) laugh. Sounds callous. Well we weren't, trust me.

Once again I am falling prey to the idea of being ambushed. The point of this show is that these kids are acting out the adult neediness around them. The adults pretend they have no angst so they can elude the guilt gripping them. The kids show us in the fourth wall section what's real.

Extremism: reactions to bad party behavior and other walks on the wild side

2007-03-23T22:37:00.000-05:00

Extremist behavior does not require logical thinking, but often dresses up and attends the party as an intellectual. Every so often I find myself at an event that has nothing to do with politics and zut alors, I realize I've been ambushed by a zealot. Suddenly bunches of data are offered in support of some sort of thinking. Only the data is couched in terms like, "I was watching the Sunday morning lineup...there were all sorts of well regarded journalists...but he said he could pretty much do whatever he wanted." This is not in fact data. But it is wearing the costume of expert opinion and it is ready to boogie.

Because you are not seated at the internet or armed with a copy of the Special Presidential Powers, He Can Do Anything Act (see next paragraph, Joint Auth), you will LOSE any argument you make in return because your data will not be as upsetting as their data. Here's how the argument starts. The president says he can do whatever he wants (who does he think he is, Oprah?). Move on to This is how he trampled all over your civil rights (not mine in fact because I am secretive and do my dirty business on the El where it's so loud, nothing can be tapped, taped or even seen as a rule, but you have the principal).

In rejoinder and because I now AM in my seat in front of the great and powerful INTERNET I refer you to the Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq, here noted verbatim from the White House website. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/10/20021002-2.html. You can pretty much skip the Whereas's and go directly to the Now therefore department. I'm not saying it's pretty, but it most certainly does not say I now pronounce you King and Ruler of the Dominion. So there!

How, you may ask does this apply to art, artists, artistic voice? Well it's a reach, but this was bugging me (get it?). And I do not do my best work when I'm bewitched, bothered or otherwise betwixt myself and someone behaving badly. And besides, if Bush is King, what will we do if a tree or forest erupts on the scene? I cannot create my art when I'm worried about being ambushed at my next social affair. Pass me the crudites.

Acting out and technology - shake it!

2007-03-23T22:20:00.000-05:00

This is just a tiny personal revelation. In unprecedented diligence tonight I decided to deal with my broken iPod. The device has been spinning and hanging and generally not playing music for me. OK, it was fine, then it totally stopped about 6 weeks ago, I never really dealt with it.

For whatever reason I decided to try again tonight. I tried reformatting, looking for fixes on-line, etc. Then I recalled a friend laughing and commenting, "maybe he just body slams it, I don't know how he works on these problems." This was in reference to all broken Apple devices, small of footprint and large in popularity and annoying behaviors. So what did I do?

I shook it REALLY hard and I uttered the ultimate invective, a time honored family tradition, usually accompanied by a coy grin as if to say, "I never actually say this sort of thing." Now it's fine. I'm listening to my music even now (all files present and accounted for).

In principal, this is heartbreaking. This is not the behavior I wish to have rewarded. I tried several different ways to be logical, to be gentle, to be rational. Apparently the temper tantrum does work.

At least I didn't throw it.

Alec Guinness

2007-03-05T12:15:00.000-06:00

"Oh, if only we had written everything down daily we could bore the pants off everyone all the time with our exactitude." From his book, My Name Escapes Me, 1996 (p.115).

and...

"It was the Daily Express, I think, which carried a banner headline which read, 'Deborah Kerr fails for the third time.' A very English assessment. She hadn't failed in any real sense (she had several beautiful performances to her credit) - she just hadn't been handed a trophy. A race or a fight or a game can be won but to call something 'the best' in the arts is absurd. I wouldn't mind betting Dickens would fail to win the Booker Price (too readable and too funny) and Turner the Turner Prize and poor Keats wouldn't even be considred for any poetry prize. And so on. I suggest that the givers of awards to actors, writers and artists should choose half a dozen, almost at random, and say, 'These are people we wish to honour - equally.'

"Geoffrey Madan, in his Notebooks, quotes a Cannon Liddon as follows: 'The applause of all but very good men is no more than the pricise measure of their possible hostility." (p.16)

Stalking

2007-03-04T10:04:00.000-06:00

Watching Infamous Commonwealth's production of "The Homage that Follows" yesterday led to some thoughts on how art reveals truth. The drama recounts the story of an attractive Hollywood actress, Lucy, who visits her mother to rest and recooperate. A similarly aged man, Archie is installed as farmhand. Archie is a mathmatician, not actually a farm hand type who is immediately interested in Lucie, largely for her looks. Why is a brilliant young man interested in a woman largely based on her looks? Why immediately and why are we as audience certain it's innapropriate, lacking in limits? The ending of the drama would be predictable, Archie wants Lucie, she says no, he kills her. Only the structure of the play precludes that by starting with the ending, epic-style and is told from the viewpoint of the mother start to finish.

This play resonated with me because the topic of stalking is intriguing. Why do people do it, who does it and how, what does it do to them and to the person being stalked? Stalking is behavior that is elemental, it's not 'appropriate' because it is expression of emotion that is not reasonable or rational, it is escalated to extremes, it is outside normal boundaries. It is however, authentic, if not acceptable in practice. It actually happens and documentation is increasing that there's plenty of it. Has it always been around? Does it exist more often in urban environments or environments that involve crowding or high density?

Love v. hate is always of interest, what are these emotions, what differentiates them? Are they just versions of strong emotion, two sides of the same thing? Love and hate, again, universal. We feel it as early as memory reaches backward. Babies probably feel these things. Young children state early on, "I love you" and just as easily, "I hate you", sometimes in the same minute.

Archie takes his self-loathing and heaps it on Lucy, blames her. Is she to blame, of course not, she is a new feature in his landscape. Will she change her mind if she feels guilty, is this pure manipulation? If she's guilty, will that relieve Archie of his own personal responsibility? Stalkers tend to follow a familier path. They channel strong emotion, repackage it and call it rational approach. The ones who can't verbalize or act out how they will make the victim pay, may feel the same emotions, but with no impact on the victim, is there no stalking?

Artistic voice

2007-03-03T08:46:00.000-06:00

How does the artist find her own voice? Is that voice the same over multiple medias? As a concept, I value a vocal tone that is focused but with plenty of overtones, neither breathy nor wavering in tonal focus (no guessing at what note she is singing). Agility is important, but lyricism is more characteristic. In vocal terms this is a lyric mezzo voice more than one of coluratura.

Does this correspond to photorealism in any way from a painter's perspective? How does use of decoration blue strait forward presentation of concept? Can you compare a song to a painting or photograph? How about a dance? Can a dance remind you of a painting? What references must be in place for their to be a link? "Sunday in the Park with George" - Sondheim's musings on a painting come to mind.