Standard Operating Procedure

Errol Morris' latest film explores the events surrounding the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse.


A guest writer for the Design Observer wrote a nice bit on the screening with Q&A wtih Morris.
"Morris's motives differ in each case, to be sure, but he is nonetheless determined to have us empathize with people who disgust us. He doesn't attempt to extract apologies from them, per se. But at least one of his goals in these movies is to give these villains, whom we have branded and brushed under the rug, a chance to explain"
Also find a NYT blog post by morris, questioning reality and perception in photography.
For NYC you can find it at Angelika

Zero

The ad above is Evan Hecox-esque however, Evan said that the ad agency called him to do it, but he turned them down. Disgusted community members are comparing this with the Sony Bravia bunny spot.
Below is example of Evan's work.Ty Jeannie

Germination 2008

This year (implying previous years) I am attempting to foster growth to thyme, rosemary, cilantro, tomatoes and carrots. I still have 4 basil plants from last year's seeds and the thyme lasted 9 months.
The carrots look like a bad idea for the summer as they don't like heat -I read this after I planted- so I will attempt them again in autumn and we'll just see what happens. It also seems that I will have to provide artificial light.For my own reference I will post each plant's ideal conditions:
THYME: Grow in full sun in rocky or sandy soil with good drainage.
ROSEMARY: To successfully keep as a houseplant, place in a bright window or under a plant light. Mist frequently and water when the top inch of soil is dry to the touch. A cool, well-ventilated spot is best. Harvesting the tips of the branches will encourage bushier growth.
CILANTRO: Grow in light soil with lots of organic matter and excellent drainage. Organic matter, such as compost, will help the soil retain moisture and improves the soil texture. Like most herbs, it prefers full sun.
TOMATO: Like most vegetables, the plants do best in full sun, in soil enriched with organic matter. They like regular watering, and need a lot during hot weather. Tomatoes are great candidates for container gardening because they are heat tolerant. Choose a container that holds at least 3 to 5 gallons of soil, and has drainage holes in the bottom.
CARROTS: Carrots are cool-weather plants. Growing them in really warm weather results in a woody texture and poor flavor and color. Carrots prefer a sunny site, but they can be grown in partial shade.

Chladni Plates

thanks daye

John von Bergen

is super ccol and down-to-earth... and oh yeah, he makes interesting and beautiful works of art. I got the to snoop around his studio and hang out while I was in Berlin. The photos don't really do the work justice.
pencil and paper 18"x24"steel, glass, polymer-gypsum, steel bolts, graphite
polyurethane, steel bolts, paint

Complaint Choir

As part of the biennale festivities, Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen introduced their worldwide project to Berliners. The artists travel to various cities to collect the complaints of the people then orchestrate those complaints into a song that is then, of course, sang by a choir.

My contributions were :
1. loud music on crappy headphones in the subway(though this is specific to NY. Not really Berlin's issue. I guess I just got wrapped up in the excitement of complaining.)
2. I am the most annoying person I know. (If you spend enough time with someone...... ;)
Ty again Gid

The First & Only Sea Organ

Another experimental musical instrument in Zadar, Croatia. The sea organ was designed by Nikola Bašić

Thanks Chris

Lykke Li

Thanks Jas!
also, love this a little bit

Berlin: Art

Jeff Koon's Flower
It was overwhelmingly everywhere. There is a whole "island" of museums(5), two of which I experienced: The old museum and the Old Nation Museum. Guess I will just have to go back to see the rest.
Old Museum: The red neon reads"All Art Has Been Contemporary" I also went to the New National Museum: A lovely building designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (65-68).
New National Museum: Flags are from the biennial Upstairs I found some Berlin Biennial sculpture and film pieces. I was fortunate enough to be with Jorge who worked with the biennial . Even though the pieces weren't especially thoughtful, save one or two, it was nice to hear about the artist thoughts in combination with the incidentals that affected the development of art work. Specifically the artist's work held in the New National Museum were asked to respond to the architecture. So the artist couldn't necessarily use old work.
That same day I walked down to the East Side Gallery which is a long section of the wall. Originally several artists covered sections of the east side of the wall with murals. Now there are a lot of "tags" and "Suzy wuz here" layering over the work. Even though there are signs discouraging this, I saw parents handing there children pens to leave their mark.
East Side GalleryI am not sure what I think of this or if Berlin has a collective opinion thought. I would assume not since the marking continues. Maybe by not policing the wall, it allows the freedom that the wall once suppressed.
More on Berlin biennial / art to come..

Toshio Iwai

The first night in Berlin Gid took me to see Toshio explain his newest creation and watch/listen various artist play it.

The World As Arianna Huffington Sees It

A quick break from the Berlin posts; I went to see Ms Huffington speak yesterday. She's a sharp lady to say the least.

We should be living more balanced lives. Lack of sleep and fitness is not benefiting our performance.
The same people that don't believe in evolution, do believe in torture.
There is not always two legitimate points of view, some things are just wrong.
Our politicians are making world changing decisions based on popularity poles.
The Huffington post has a place for polls.

Slight sidebar: Byrne writes on the unfazed rich

Berlin: Architecture

I.M. Pei's extension to the German Historical Museum.
Tower near Potsdamers platz
Jewish Museum
I was talking to this architect one night and asked her which building I should make a point to see. She named the building that she worked in as one of them and went on to describe how the building was constantly changing because the inhabitants could raise and lower these panels on the outside. Well I totally forgot the name of the building but the next day I was riding around and decided that this may very well be it.
Old GDR building
I was a little lost at this point ....
Berliner Philharmoniker
I took photos of the buildings that I found aesthetically pleasing for the most part. Although, there were some funny/failed attempts in places that helped to tell thte story of rebuilding after the war/wall.. For instance, in a section of the city called Kreuzberg there are old buildings that were preserved by squatters. The otherwise fate can be seen in the tacky 60s/70s structure around the corner.

Berlin: Things I Remember

Recycling bins-for different colored glass, I think.
Holocaust Memorial. It was chilling to walk between the blocks, towards the center. The ground sunk and the blocks rose around me.Gideon explained this to me but I have forgettten the person's name who is known for making the statement.
I cannot eat as much as I want to vomit.
Tiergarden
Downstairs at the Berlin Dom
Its probably because of the time of year, early-not quite spring, but Berlin seemed gray with accents of green. I found this to be very calming.While I traveled alone, I was super lucky to hav my friend Gideon there and to have also met Jorge and Katharina. My trip wouldn't have been as great without them. So I will have to take the next few posts to really attempt to cover all my experiences there.

Roaring Twenties

No coffee tables were harmed during this shoot.

Done

So the shelves and the desk are finished. Things came together.
Cat lamp, bowl of toy mice, pottery by my talented friend Mel and bird illustration.
I hung these glass containers with the intention to hold plants, but without the reason to position them near sunlight. They now hold shade-loving plants. Ty Jeannius.

Frankenhooker

Santi brought this gem home last night.

The DVD cover reads, "From the creator of 'Basket Case' and 'Brain Damage'... A terrifying story of sluts and bolts." Instead of drinking a self-made potion, this mad scientist, employeed by the power plant in Hoboken, New Jersey, choses to drill holes into his brain to gain maniacal genius and relief from his conscience. A brilliant adaptation.