An Cathach

Brain Food

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:49:00 +0000

In an on going effort to stimulate my remaining brain cells, i am constantly on the lookout for educational opportunities be it in everyday life or academically. However finances and time don't always allow for much of the academic side :)

I wanted to give you a heads up if you hadn't heard about the following. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are providing 1,900 courses for free on their website. They are offering materials used in almost all MIT courses including syllabuses, lecture notes, problem and answer sets, labs, readings and reading lists, videos and special features.

Subjects vary hugely and you can access everything from History, Comparative Media Studies, Brain & Cognitive Sciences, Media Arts & Sciences to Women's & Gender Studies amongst others. I'm in the midst of wading my way through 'Gender & Media Studies: Women and the Media', 'Human Rights in Theory & Practice' and 'The Supernatural in Music, Literature & Culture'.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste...

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

Image of Neuron: Green Spine

You're So Cool

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:43:00 +0000

"I kept asking Clarence why our world seemed to be collapsing and things seemed to be getting so shitty. And he'd say, "that's the way it goes, but don't forget, it goes the other way too." That's the way romance is...usually, that's the way it goes, but every once in awhile, it goes the other way too "

Alabama from True Romance

Lotion

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:05:00 +0000

Equal parts catchy and creepy. Times like this, i wish i had a penis to tuck between my legs and dance like a madman round my living room to this song :)

"It rubs the lotion on its skin
Or else it gets the hose again
Yes Precious, it gets the hose..."

http://www.myspace.com/greenskeepersmusic

Stellar

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:34:00 +0000

Every Wedsneday night for the past month, a building on West Hastings St across from the refurbished Woodwards Building has played host to a wonderful series.The W2 Real Vancouver Writers Series,which was organised by Sean Cranbury and others has showcased writers, publishers and creative literary artists.

I had the pleasure and privilege of attending all four nights and as a result have been exposed to some phenominal work. Each night showcased local writers doing short readings of their work, book sales, signings, a multi-media component, music, cash bar and a weekly raffle. Last night was the final night in the series which featured luminaries such as writer and journalist Leilah Nadir, poet Weldon Gardner Hunter, artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, writer Timothy Taylor and Vancouver Poet Laureate Brad Cran. Cran closed the series with a rather fitting piece of work entitled 2010 Handbook for Entering Canada.

2010 Handbook for Entering Canada
For Howard White

Are you bringing any fruits or vegetables into Canada?
Have you visited a farm in the last 30 days?
Are you now or have you ever been a member of a group that disagreed with government?
Do you intend to ride the zip line?
Do you approve of product placement in movies?
Do you like my uniform?
Are you bringing into Canada any currency and/or monetary instruments of a value totalling CAN$10,000 or more per person?
Have you ever assaulted a police officer with a stapler?
In describing my uniform, would you say that it a) inspires respect or b) breeds contempt?
Have you ever dreamed of shooting a fascist dictator off a Spanish balcony?
Do you approve of John Furlong?
Can you give me an example of the words in your head and how they might be used while in Canada?

Do you vote?
Are you now or have you ever been a person who carries MasterCard?
Were you aware of the Oka uprising, and if so, whose side were you on?
Remind me again about the zip line.
Do you read poetry?
Do you believe in homelessness as a right of the people?
If you were Canadian, and if it were possible to do so, would you vote for John Furlong?
Does the colour of your socks match the colour of your pants?
Do your children own an effigy, stuffed or otherwise, of the Olympic mascot?
Our premier rode the zip line. Did you see that? It looks awesome.
Please arrange the following terms in order of preference, starting with the least important: Health Care, Education, the Environment, Homelessness, Logo Placement at Sporting Events.

Do you now or have you ever owned a copy of Raffi’s Baby Beluga?
Do you own a cell phone?
Are you carrying any printed matter that illustrates same-sex love?
Are you bringing into Canada any firearms or other weapons?
Did you know that each year, more Canadians trust RBC Royal Bank® for their mortgage solutions than any other provider?
What is the total monetary value of the goods you will be leaving in Canada?
Let’s go back to my uniform for a minute, you gotta admit it’s pretty fucking awesome.

Do you or have you ever listened to Democracy Now?
Can you finish the following sentence? Baby beluga in the deep blue ______________.
What colour is your heart?
Do you believe in global warming?
Have you ever purchased No Name brand products? You know, the ugly yellow ones?
If while in Canada you were tasered, would you be upset or go into cardiac arrest?
Do you support an international unelected and roaming fourth tier of government as set out by a non-existent charter of the IOC?

If your government acted against the principles of democracy, would you be compelled to action or would you just tell yourfriends you are miffed?
Do you ever experience emotions stronger than miffment?
If someone you knew spoke up against your government, would you a) listen or b) think that was a little weird?
Which of the following does not fit? Osama bin Laden, Louis Riel, Chris Shaw, Gordon Campbell.
When asked, will you keep the flow of traffic moving smoothly?
How long will you be staying?

http://realvancouverwriters.com/

Cicatrix

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:25:00 +0000

"Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn’t it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life…You give them a piece of you. They didn’t ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn’t your own anymore.

Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like ‘maybe we should be just friends’ turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It’s a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love."

Neil Gaiman

Thaumaturgy

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:16:00 +0000

John Nolan studied cinematography with the London Film Academy and Make up and technical effects for the performing arts with the London College of Fashion. He specializes in animatronics and has worked on 'Where the Wild Things Are', 'Dr Who', 'Being Human' and 'Hellboy 2' amongst others. His tongue in cheek faux advert for Nolan's Cheddar (below) brought a smile to my face and prompted me to check out his amazing showreel. Exceptionally talented guy.

http://www.johnnolanfilms.com/

Nom nom nom

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:56:00 +0000

Huge thanks to anyone who voted - An Cathach has been nominated for the Best Arts and Culture blog in the Irish Blog Awards 2010

A Hundred Other Words

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:52:00 +0000

There are those you let into your life, confide in, spend time and energy with, trust in & care about. These people support you; there’s an exchange of energy, respect and friendship.

Then there are those who you let into your life, confide in, spend time and energy with, trust in & care about. These people lie, take what suits and offer nothing whatsoever in return. The kicker is that they don’t have the courage to discuss it; instead choosing to build a wall of silence. Tired of trying, now I’ve chosen to walk away.

This one is for you

Housing is a Right, Not a Privilege

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:58:00 +0000

Vancouver is tangled up in a flurry of activity as it plays host to the 2010 winter Olympics. Over the past few days the city has been flooded with hundreds of thousands of people keen to watch the events and partake in the revelry that accompanies them. The games are a subject that strongly divides opinion but they have had a number of negative effects on the city.

Vancouver won the bid to hold the games in 2003. In 2004 the estimated cost to the taxpayer was $1.35 billion which seems minuscule compared to the current figure of $6 billion. $1 billion of which is being spent on security- five times the initial security budget estimate. Even those who originally supported the games have been shocked by the amount spent and the lack of public accountability. Funding the Olympics has also involved siphoning funds from libraries, schools, community services and medical services to fund VANOC. The cost to taxpayers is astronomical-current and future generations will foot the bill for the 2 week party.

Criminalization of the poor and homeless in an effort to make the city appear cleaner and more appealing to tourists - a 'sweep it under the rug' approach.

Low income residents have been displaced and many people who were living in SRO’s (Single Room Occupancy) were forced out of their homes in order for developers/owners to ‘renovate’.

Despite claims and statements about "sustainability" the 2010 Olympics will be amongst the most environmentally destructive held-native land has been used, over 100,000 trees have been felled and the destruction done through the expansion of Eagleridge Bluffs for the Route 99 “Sea-to-Sky” highway leading to Whistler.

The games are being held on unceded native land.

The infringement of civil rights and liberties; not to mention the police intimidation towards those who speak out against the games or those who report on the reality of the situation as opposed to IOC sanctioned pieces.

I can’t understand why the city/province is willing to spend approx $6 billion on a sporting event before it attempts to deal with issues of homelessness and poverty that continue to affect its citizens. I’ve written previously here about the homelessness problem in Vancouver. Canada's homeless population is somewhere between 200,000 - 300,000 and remains the only G8 nation with no national housing plan. In Vancouver there are currently about 2000 homeless people living on the streets. Visitors need to be made aware that this is a reality in the city and that gentrification, high cost of living, minimum wage and other factors all contribute to the problem.

The Red Tent Campaign is attempting to draw attention to this issue and the goal of the campaign is to get the Conservative government in Ottawa to create a National Housing Policy to assist the homeless. The PIVOT Legal Society has distributed hundreds of tents as part of The Red Tent Campaign. Many of these are erected on a vacant lot on East Hastings Street in the heart of the down town east side. Volunteers and supporters are being encouraged to join the campaign by sponsoring a tent or taking to the streets themselves for a night. If you can't make it, please feel free to spread the word on Twitter or Facebook

To support The Red Tent Campaign and find out more:
http://www.redtents.org/

For independent news coverage on the 2010 Games:

http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/

Red Tent Campaign Images:
Luv and revolution

Fiendish

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:39:00 +0000

Latest single from Gil Scott-Heron: 'Me and the Devil' from his new album "I'm New Here"

http://gilscottheron.net/

Untethered

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:04:00 +0000

'It's Raining In Love'

I don't know what it is,
but I distrust myself
when I start to like a girl
a lot.

It makes me nervous.

I don’t say the right things
or perhaps I start
to examine,
evaluate,
compute
what I am saying.

If I say, "Do you think it's going to rain?"

and she says, "I don’t know,"
I start thinking: Does she really like me?

In other words

I get a little creepy.

A friend of mine once said,

"It's twenty times better to be friends

with someone

than it is to be in love with them."

I think he's right and besides,

it's raining somewhere, programming flowers
and keeping snails happy.
That's all taken care of.

BUT

if a girl likes me a lot
and starts getting real nervous
and suddenly begins asking me funny questions
and looks sad if I give the wrong answers
and she says things like,
"Do you think it's going to rain?"
and I say, "It beats me,"
and she says, "Oh,"
and looks a little sad

at the clear blue California sky

I think: Thank God, it's you, baby, this time
instead of me.

Richard Brautigan

Exo

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:01:00 +0000

Ayala Serfaty was born in Tel Aviv in 1962 and studied Fine Art in the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. She was the recipient of the America- Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship to Middlesex Polytechnic in England where she concluded her BFA. Over time her style and interests became more rooted in design practice and in 1994 Ayala founded 'Aqua Creations' with her photographer husband Albi Serfaty. 'Aqua Creations' was founded with the aim of creating lighting and furniture that melded advanced technology with organic design.

Serfaty has been working on a project since 2002 that has lead to the development and creation of sculpture/lighting called Soma. The word Soma comes from the Greek word for body and the structures are composed of glass and polymer-skin. Layer upon layer of transparent glass create the 'frame' that gives the structure depth. Polymer is sprayed over this to create a skin.

The video below shows how a Soma structure is built and assembled.

Serfaty states that "Soma's structure is composed of 'lamp-worked' layers of tinted transparent glass veins that create both depth and surface. A clear membrane-like skin is webbed over the glass structure. Both materials are extremely fragile. Their symbiotic relationship creates a strong spatial structure, merging the two materials into a new specificity. Soma illuminated objects explore the interaction created between the glass structure and the skin, and the relativity of coverage to visible depth. The practice of Soma evolves from one piece to the next. Each of these pieces explores ways to transform calligraphy into texture and into structure. In each piece various particular relationships are created between the surface, light, and shade. The configurations show a more abstract authenticity of the Soma practice, a form created by free drawing in space, captured like a frozen moment of existence."

To see more work from Ayala Serfaty and from Aqua Creations check out the following links:

http://www.ayalaserfaty.com/

http://www.aquagallery.com/

Libidinous

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:59:00 +0000

http://www.galtmacdermot.com/

Unforgettable Part 2: Sojourner Truth

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:29:00 +0000

The woman who eventually became Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree. One of 13 children, she was born in 1797 on the Colonel Johannes Hardenbergh estate. Her parents Elizabeth and James Baumfree were slaves on the estate in Swartekill which was a Dutch settlement in upstate New York. Isabella spoke only Dutch until she was sold from her family around the age of nine. She was sold along with a herd of sheep to John Neely for $100. Neely's family only spoke English and beat Isabella constantly for frequent miscommunication. It was during this time that she found refuge in religion and started to pray aloud when she was scared or hurt. Over the next few years she was sold a number of times and endured horrific treatment at the hands of her owners.

Circa 1815 she fell in love with a fellow slave named Robert. Robert's owner forbade the relationship. He did not want his slave having children with a slave he did not own as this would mean that he would not own the new 'property'. Robert visited Isabella but was followed by his owners who beat him savagely, bound him and dragged him away. She never saw him again. Isabella bore Robert a daughter whom she named Diana. In 1817 Isabella was forced by her owner to marry an older slave named Thomas. They had four children: Peter, James, Elizabeth, and Sophia.

In 1799 the state of New York began to legislate the gradual abolition of slavery; which actualized on July 4th 1827. Isabella's owner at the time, Dumont, had promised her freedom before the state emancipation on the condition "she would do well and be faithful." She did so but he claimed a hand injury had made her less productive and used this as an excuse to renege on his promise of freedom. She was angry but continued to work until she had completed enough labour to quell her sense of obligation to him. She escaped with Sophia and later spoke of the incident "I did not run off, for I thought that wicked but I walked off, believing that to be all right."

In 1827, New York law emancipated all slaves and she went to work for the family of Isaac Van Wagenen. While working for Van Wagenen she discovered that a member of the Dumont family had sold one of her children to slavery in Alabama. As her son had been emancipated under New York law, she sued with the aid of a quaker family and was successful in freeing him. It was around this time that she became more immersed in religion. In 1843 she took the name Sojourner Truth, believing this to be on the instructions of the Holy Spirit and became a traveling preacher. Sojourner made a lasting impression-physically strong and over six feet tall, she also had a powerful, booming voice

In the late 1840s she connected with the abolitionist movement and became a popular speaker. In 1850 she also became involved with woman suffrage and became famous for a speech she delivered at the 1851 Women's Convention in Akron, Ohio

"Ain't I A Woman?"

"Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or Negroes rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him. If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say. "

Truth met Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote about her for the Atlantic Monthly and wrote a new introduction to her autobiography 'The Narrative of Sojourner Truth'. During the Civil War she raised food and clothing contributions for black regiments and met Abraham Lincoln at the White House in 1864. Whilst she was there, she tried to challenge the discrimination that segregated street cars by race.
After the Civil War ended she again spoke widely-mainly to white audiences and mostly on the topics of religion, African American and women's rights. She remained active until 1875 when her health started to deteriorate. She died in a sanitorium in 1883 due to infected ulcers on her legs and was buried in Battle Creek, Michigan.

The Narrative of Sojourner Truth

Fecund

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:35:00 +0000

This is the female form,
A divine nimbus exhales from it from head to foot,
It attracts with fierce undeniable attraction,
I am drawn by its breath as if I were no more than a helpless vapor,
all falls aside but myself and it,
Books, art, religion, time, the visible and solid earth, and what
was expected of heaven or fear'd of hell, are now consumed,
Mad filaments, ungovernable shoots play out of it, the response
likewise ungovernable,
Hair, bosom, hips, bend of legs, negligent falling hands all
diffused, mine too diffused,
Ebb stung by the flow and flow stung by the ebb, love-flesh swelling
and deliciously aching,
Limitless limpid jets of love hot and enormous, quivering jelly of
love, white-blow and delirious nice,
Bridegroom night of love working surely and softly into the prostrate dawn,
Undulating into the willing and yielding day,
Lost in the cleave of the clasping and sweet-flesh'd day.

This the nucleus--after the child is born of woman, man is born of woman,
This the bath of birth, this the merge of small and large, and the
outlet again.

Be not ashamed women, your privilege encloses the rest, and is the
exit of the rest,
You are the gates of the body, and you are the gates of the soul.

The female contains all qualities and tempers them,
She is in her place and moves with perfect balance,
She is all things duly veil'd, she is both passive and active,
She is to conceive daughters as well as sons, and sons as well as daughters.

As I see my soul reflected in Nature,
As I see through a mist, One with inexpressible completeness,
sanity, beauty,
See the bent head and arms folded over the breast, the Female I see.

Excerpt from 'I Sing The Body Electric' by Walt Whitman

Integument

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:05:00 +0000

Derick Melander is an American artist whose work mainly consists of large geometric structures made of clothing. Melander was born in Saratoga Springs, New York in 1964. Over the years he has a vast wealth of experience in numerous fields: an Associate Degree in Communications from Elizabeth Seton College in NY allowed him to study music programming, film making, acting and graphic design.

Upon graduation he moved to Philadelphia where he sang in a band and worked as an assistant to the artist Jerry Goodman for a few years. After moving to NYC in 1987, he taught nursery school and continued playing music. He earned a B.F.A. in 1994 from The School of Visual Arts and continues to make art from his studio.

His pieces (usually in the form of wedges,walls and columns) are constructed from precisely stacked second-hand clothing that can weight up to two tons. Melander states "As clothing wears, fades, stains and stretches it becomes an intimate record of our physical presence. It traces the edge of the body, defining the boundary between the individual and the outside world. The clothing used for these works is folded to exact dimensions and attention is paid to the ordering of the garments. For example, the sequence can relate to the way we layer the clothing we wear or the clothing can be sorted by color, gender or by the order that it was received."

"Individual components are often connected together with shirt sleeves, pant legs and belts forming bridge-like appendages. For me, the process of folding and stacking the individual garments adds a layer of meaning to the finished piece. When I come across a dress with a hand-sewn repair, or a coat with a name written inside the collar, the work starts to feel like a collective portrait. As the layers of clothing accumulate, the individual garments are compressed into a single mass, a symbolic gesture that explores the conflicted space between society and the individual, between the self and the outside world. "

http://www.derickmelander.com/

Elapse

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:39:00 +0000

"This fall I think you're riding for - it's a special kind of fall, a horrible kind. The man falling isn't permitted to feel or hear himself hit bottom. He just keeps falling and falling. The whole arrangement's designed for men who, at some time or other in their lives, were looking for something their own environment couldn't supply them with. Or they thought their own environment couldn't supply them with. So they gave up looking. They gave it up before they ever really even got started."

J.D. Salinger (1919-2010)

from 'The Catcher in the Rye'

Vincire

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:45:00 +0000

There will be some happy endings
There'll be dreams that don't come true
But in the times ahead, there's love and hate and hope and dread coming
All and all, in makes it that much harder for you, yeah
I know you're worried - I'm worried too

But if you're ready, I'm here to fall with you...

Ownership vs. Embodied Knowledge

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:04:00 +0000

"There are likewise three kinds of dancers: first, those who consider dancing as a sort of gymnastic drill, made up of impersonal and graceful arabesques; second, those who, by concentrating their minds, lead the body into the rhythm of a desired emotion, expressing a remembered feeling or experience. And finally, there are those who convert the body into a luminous fluidity, surrendering it to the inspiration of the soul."

Isadora Duncan

Image of Martha Graham: "Letter to the World (Kick)" by Barbara Morgan

Paradise Circus (NSFW)

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:06:00 +0000

One of the shit things about not blogging regularly over the past 8 weeks: there is now a backlog of links/videos/music/art that i need to shift through and share with you. In the meantime the video above has whet my appetite for the forthcoming Massive Attack album 'Heligoland' , which is due for release on February 8th . It's atmospheric, edgy, beautifully lit and shot and definitely NSFW. Directed by Toby Dye and featuring frank observations by Georgina Spelvin who starred in the 70's film The Devil in Miss Jones.

http://www.massiveattack.com/

Realisation

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:54:00 +0000

"Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option"

Mark Twain

Unforgettable Part 1: Vali Myers

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 01:42:00 +0000

With flame red hair, heavily kohled eyes and tattoos curling around her lip, Vali Myers cut a striking figure. Born in 1930 to a violinist mother and marine officer father Vali displayed a talent for art at an early age. The family moved to Melbourne from Sydney, Australia in 1941 and Vali left home at 14. After working in factories she became immersed in dance and later became the leading dancer for the Melbourne Modern Ballet Company.

She travelled to Paris at the age of 19 to follow her dream of dancing for a living. She had not anticipated a city completely ravaged by war. The stark poverty of Paris in 1949 was a shock, money was scarce and jobs were almost impossible to find. Vali began living in the Latin Quarter of Saint Germain des Pres on the Left Bank with the rest of the displaced. She lived on the street, survived on bread and milk and carried a knife for protection.

"It was a rough and tough time...there was nothing romantic about it. We didn't hang out in the cafes because it was hip - we didn't have anywhere else to go...dancing kept me alive. I saw so many of my friends die"

Her dancing and haunting face became well known in the city amongst the bohemian set. Photographer Ed van der Elsken made Vali the main subject of a series of photographs, documenting bohemian life in Paris and featuring some of her art that was published in 'Love on the Left Bank' in 1958. Van der Elsken said "Vali, the incredible super freak lives a funny life. We all know that she was the most far out bohemian, hippie, yippie, smokey the bear. She was Vali de St.German-des-Pres; inspiration and companion of artists, eggheads, tramps and travellers. Beautiful, way out, painted like a Papua, dressed like a Gypsy, always in absolutely perfect taste."

Vali was eventually expelled from Paris in 1952 after years of constant harassment over visa papers. Authorities were trying to clear Paris of refugees and unwanted foreigners and after numerous spells in prison for vagrancy she left Paris and travelled around France, Italy, Britain, Brussels and Austria.

It was in the winter of 1952 in Vienna that Vali met Rudi Rappold, the son of a Hungarian gypsy who shared Vali's wanderlust. For three years they travelled and in an effort to keep Vali legally in Europe, they married and returned to Paris. By now Paris was an draw for a lot of artists, bohemians and Vali became friendly with philosophers and writers like Jean Paul Sartre, Jean Cocteau , Tennessee Williams and Jean Genet. It was also during this period that she became heavily addicted to opium. In an effort to kick the addiction that was slowly killing her, she left Paris for the final time.

Months later Vali and Rudi came upon the wild green valley of 'Il Porto' in Positano, Southern Italy. Positano is a small town on the Amalfi coast and the main part of the city sits in an enclave in the hills. John Steinbeck wrote that "Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone."

Vali felt inspired and ''Il Porto' became her home. Protected by 1,000-foot cliffs, the lush and often impenetrable valley opened to the sea and wild animals roamed the hills. One animal in particular made a huge impact on her. A young vixen was found starving after her mother had been shot. Vali cared for the fox who she name Foxy and created an amazing bond with this wild creature over the next 15 years. Vali's distinctive artwork had Indian, Irish and Celtic-Pagan influences and her creativity flourished in the small moorish electricity free pavilion.

"Working under my gaslight at night when all the animals are asleep excepting Foxy and the mice - my inspiration spinning from Irish Monks to Vikings and the Never Never Land - the small fine pen nib placed on a goose feather for lightness in my hand touching the soft white paper...the silence of the great valley... my nights - a harpooned whale turns toward the sun."

The valley eventually became home to her lover Italian artist Gianni Menichetti and together they created art and cared for animals that came to the retreat. Over the years they built up a menagerie of over one hundred. It took years of battling with local police and government bureaucracy but Vali finally obtained permission to turn the valley into a wildlife sanctuary under the protection of the World Wildlife Fund and dedicated all of her money, time and energy into it's preservation.

"They wanted to get rid of me, to use the areas as a source of building materials. The Mafia are honorable gentlemen compared to the police. But I kept fighting - you have to fight for what you believe in. We have a beautiful valley - the largest owl population in Southern Italy. All of the wild animals are returning."

In 1970 she was running low on funds and in an effort to look after herself and her beloved animals, Vali travelled to New York to sell her artwork. One of the first to champion her work was Abbie Hoffman who introduced her to the Chelsea Hotel and its strange mix of inhabitants. Shortly after this Andy Warhol advised Vali to print reproductions of her work and not sell the originals. Given that each piece took her between 6 months and 2 years to complete; she was reluctant to sell her work for less than it was worth. Dali praised the quality of her work and urged her to exhibit formally. It was because of his recommendation in 1972 Vali held the first of her exhibitions in Amsterdam .

"I work on each painting for a long time, some take almost two years, so I remember them all. Most of my work uses the finest English water-color and gold leaf, but now I just work with Chinese ink and a goose feather pen nib. I'm self taught - I naturally use fine technique. I go deep into myself to be distinctive - I gave up using drugs after my youth. The art just comes out. When I feel happy I dance, when I'm sad I paint. I don't justify these feelings - I'm not a thinker. My art has a lot of pain but I'm not afraid of anything - I need to be creative. If there wasn't spirit in life, you'd be a zombie." .

In 1991 Vali suffered a series of seizures. She recovered and it was a catalyst for her returning to her native Australia in 1993. Gianni continued to care for the animals whilst she was away and she made the occasional trip back. After returning to Melbourne she opened a studio in the Nicholas building and continued to make art.

She was diagnosed with terminal cancer and true to form she faced death with the same flair that she lived life. In her final interview with 'The Age' she said "I've had 72 absolutely flaming years. It doesn't bother me at all, because, you know love, when you've lived like I have, you've done it all. I put all my effort into living; any dope can drop dead. I'm in the hospital now and I guess I'll kick the bucket here. Every beetle does it, every bird, everybody. You come into world and then you go."

Vali Myers died from cancer on 12 February 2003. Gianni continues to live in 'Il Porto' where he is fending off developers from taking over the valley.

http://www.valimyers.com/

http://www.giannimenichetti.com/

Pavilion Image: Lina Eve

Prosopon

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:17:00 +0000

I have been following a particular project of Vancouver artist Pamela Masik with interest for some time. 'The Forgotten' will finally be unveiled at the end of January. Consisting of 69 portaits measuring over 3 metres in height, each one depicting the women who have gone missing from the downtown eastside over the past ten years. The project has taken her over four years to complete, during this time she found herself becoming immersed in the project, suffered injury (tearing her left rotator cuff) and moved to a new 14,000 sq foot studio.

The huge canvasses incorporate personal information and materials, slashed with deep cuts and feature text, stitches and dense brushstrokes. Each portrait is a stark reminder that each of these missing women were individuals with experiences and stories; someone's mother, daughter, friend, sister or wife. It is too easy to dehumanize these women, to pigeonhole them as prostitutes, to dismiss them. Some had escaped from abusive relationships, some were drug addicts, some mentally challenged, some had families to support and few resources to do so other than prostitution. Masik immersed herself in their stories, building up details of the final sightings through their families, friends and social records.

To date 26 of the missing women have been identified as victims of Port Coquitlam pig farmer Robert Pickton. I was amazed how 69 women can go missing (presumably murdered) and outside of Canada, very little has been heard about it.

Some examples of the vanished women and the time it took for them to be noticed as missing. One of the "official" victims, 43-year-old Sherry Rail, would not be reported missing until three years after her January 1984 disappearance. Thirty-three-year-old Elaine Auerbach told friends she was moving to Seattle in March 1986 but she never arrived, reported missing in mid-April. Teressa Ann Williams, a 26-year-old Aboriginal, was last seen alive in July 1988, reported missing in March 1989. Fourteen months elapsed between the August 1989 disappearance of 40-year-old mental patient Ingrid Soet and the report to police on October 1, 1990. The first black victim, Kathleen Wattley, was 39 years old when she vanished in June 1992, reported missing on the 29th of that month.

Masik states "The intent of this work - not just creating the paintings, but the exhibition of the collection with performance and video/photography of the process - is to raise awareness of the social problem inherent within our society. I believe that because these women were of high risk groups and of marginalized communities, they were already forgotten - they did not exist in society's eyes.

In the future, I aim to sell this collection to a public institution and support a Social Arts Initiative and Rehabilitation Program for disadvantaged groups. It is our collective responsibility to empower individuals to heal and grow, and live a self-sustaining, healthy lifestyle. "

http://www.theforgotten.ca/

Last Image and Forgotten poster: Melissa Gidney

Exert

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:58:00 +0000

“Then this blonde, about 19, with rimless glasses and a smile walked up. The smile never left. “I want to fuck you,” she said. “It’s your face.”

“What about my face?”

“It’s magnificent. I want to destroy your face with my cunt.”

“It might be the other way around.”

“Don’t bet on it.”

“You’re right. Cunts are indestructable.”

Image: Diane Arbus

Carillon

noreply@blogger.com (Green Of Eye, Sharp Of Claw) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:08:00 +0000

As time and age distill me, i am fortunate to have people in my life who speak their minds and are unafraid of hurling themselves into new experiences. Bright pops of color amid a grey landscape.

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!"

Jack Kerouac