City-Esteem and the Grand Scheme

Phases of development for cities - population growth, geographical expansion, production...these things are always in flux. Ok so we know this. Different cities experience these phases at different times. I have lived in seven cities throughout my life - all at different phases in their existence. The first four I took at face value - they didn't seem to lack in cultural or economic propensity - either this or I just wasn't paying attention. These places were doing well (Nashville, Baltimore, Boston, Glasgow, plus lots of time in DC). Then I moved to Knoxville, a town with great potential. I lived within walking distance of downtown and frequented places that crossed my path with other downtowners. I quickly gained a sense of community and felt empowered by people's hope for what could be. Knoxville has never been a big city. Of course it is relative, but I believe the current population for the downtown area is just over 100,000. I love Knoxville, but after four years of living there, I lost a little steam for trying to get things off the ground and I left for New York.

Now, the thing about New York is that it is a type of center for the universe. People from every culture live there and you will interact with these people on your commute to various parts of the boroughs. Aside from that you walk among people from every financial background - from money you've never dreamt of to poverty you never want to know. New York is truly the melting pot - salad bowl - salsa supreme of culture, religion, money, style, and opinion; but it is not THE center of the universe, as it often thinks it is. I tried to remember this, living there, but there are so many times a day you say "WOW!" that anywhere else can easily bore you. What's my point? Just that New York may be at its peak for city-ness. It has a sense of accomplishment that cities like Knoxville aspire to. Not that Knoxville wants to be New York, but every city wants its people to be proud of it.

Pride. This brings me to Detroit, where I am, now. There are some who'd challenge this, but Detroit is a city in decline. I recently got a subscription to the local paper and, yes, the city is seriously thinking about declaring bankruptcy. Now, for lots of young people living downtown buying up buildings, trying to revitalize it and redefine it - it is very much an alive city - and I support these people 100% - but in the grand scheme of things, Detroit's peak moment has come and gone.

It's a very common topic around here, which is what brings me to write anything about this. When I first showed up I noticed that people are obsessed with having pride for Detroit, even if they don't live downtown. I couldn't tell if it was rooted in insecurity or if they really believed it to be a great city. People were making art about it, talking about it, writing about it......all in a very direct and literal way. I started to get tired of hearing about it, actually. It's exhausting to ask so many questions that don't have short answers. That's not to say I don't believe that people are changing the city - it HAS to change. I just wanted to point out that it's a strange phase for a city to be in. It's uncomfortable. Cities aren't good at falling apart. That's not what they're meant to do - or is it? Isn't it natural for things to be part of a cycle, a chain of life?

I think so. And that would mean even the decline of Detroit is a positive thing. These young people wouldn't be so proud if it weren't.

I'm not from here. I don't know if I'll stay here, but I'm happy to be here, now, and do what I'm doing and have it be, in some way, a small piece of what is going on. I'm happy that I've lived so many places, too, because I feel it allows me to make the comparison of one place to another - to then see cities as they see themselves and how they all really fit into one, grand scheme.

Philosophy of looking up

New project.
Full scale tree, made of paper, set in a tall and narrow space.
100% white.
Why white? Because the reflectance of white allows for you to see every detail - the quality of a surface, of a material.

Why a tree?
Well, I saw an image on an architect's website that had a white tree on it and since trees are among my favorite things in life, I said "hey why not".

But as it is with all things you are drawn to but do not understand, the process of exploring it must unravel some of the mystery.

In the past year I have been thinking about the act of looking up.

I have begun to construct a false science about this (aka philosophy) that when you look up certain things happen.

1. Typically more light enters the eye, because typically light comes from zenith, and more light makes for less tiredness.
2. Your windpipe opens - allowing more air to come in.
3. Your view becomes uncluttered - there is a ceiling, or a sky.......not much to confuse you....and so you empty your thoughts for just a moment.
4. The act of lifting the chin invites a sense of pride or confidence.

These things I find to be physiologically positive, and so, with this tree made of paper, the viewer will (after removing their shoes - because shoes are a hindrance to energy flow) step into a space that forces them to simply look up. The light between the paper leaves may be visual clutter, but hopefully it will have the same effect of campfire, or ripples in a stream on a sunny day - it will mesmerize.

We'll see. I'll post new images as things progress.

100 Valentines Project

If you're reading this you've probably received one of the hundred valentines I made this year. Now let me tell you why I did this.

People say Valentine's Day is a Hallmark Holiday, created to increase profit for the Hallmark Card Company, but I don't care and it's irrelevant to me even if that IS the case.

Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday because:
1. Pink and red is my favorite color combination - so happy and full of energy
2. I love glitter and valentine kitsch
3. It's about LOVE, and I don't think it has to be about romantic love, but love in general - for friends and family as well as lovers

What better way to show someone you love them than by making them something. The most valuable thing to make is time. I would say food is runner up. But for far away valentines, tokens of creativity suffice.

Now - let's consider materials - paper, glitter, glue, paint, stickers, pencils, scissors, tape - easy breezy and cheap! We are surrounded by paper in our culture. We are bombarded with catalogs, magazines, flyers, menus, business cards, wrapping paper, newspapers.........here is a wealth of material just waiting to be reused! And let me tell you, 100% of all 100 valentines are reused material.

On many cold cold nights in Brooklyn in my studio I was tearing, cutting, pasting thousands of paper bits together - translating the anonymity of consumer culture into unique, personal messages.

Studio Space in Brooklyn

Hooray! I've landed a studio! It's at Fountain Studios, where my husband has his printing studio....and it is a 2 minute walk from our home. The rent is very affordable however I cannot do any welding, here.


I have 150 sq ft, a window, and a heater. It came with table and shelf.......there is a wood shop in the basement, and the people there are awesome!

So far I am drawing - investigating what it is about the bulb shape I have been attracted to for so long. In college I made piles, which are bulb-shaped, and then with lighting, the A lamp is a perfect pear/teardrop/bulb shape, as well. So I am exploring - drawing - casting things in resin - making canvases - wrapping things with paper strips - and making a few valentines, as well (my favorite holiday, only because I love pink and red together so much!)

Sounds and smells

How much do you remember about a place you've left. What things exist everyday in your world, today that you could miss if that world changed?

In Brooklyn I never smell fresh cut grass, but instead lots of lacquer smells from the auto body shops in the neighborhood. In Manhattan there is the constant sound of cars, buses, horns, stereos, protesters, ambulances, police sirens, construction, wind, and people. The smells in Manhattan shift depending on how fast you're walking: coffee, fish, rotting vegetables, baking bread, sewage, car exhaust, fried garlic, falafel, trash.......... In Knoxville, you always hear trains. The city doesn't have passenger trains, only freight, but the tracks seem to be ubiquitous. Trains honk their horns before every intersection of track and road. I've heard they have to do this, especially in crossing that don't have gates. I don't hear these trains anymore, because I live in Brooklyn, nor do I smell the burnt coffee smell of JFG on Sutherland Ave, where my studio used to be. JFG moved from downtown Knoxville to Sutherland Avenue around 2006, the same year I began renting space at Mighty Mud Studios. Standing out on the loading dock, you could hear trains, football practice on a nearby field, and smell burnt coffee wafting through the air. The studio, itself, had no windows, but the bay doors were mostly kept open, allowing fresh air to move through, all day long. I've been thinking about this, lately, because I want to start looking for a studio in Brooklyn, and know that it's hard to find one with even a window, let alone a view or fresh air, but I'm curious to see what reveals itself as possibilities.

I'll post what I find.

Poetry, History, Mud, and Gold

I just wanted to say a few things about this island we currently know as Manhattan. In the past year, the Manhatta project published a book about how the island has changed since Henry Hudson came here four hundred years ago. One of the things I read that mosts stands out in my mind is the fact that Times Square used to be a red maple swamp, and actually today, it is one of the only place on the island where access to the deeper layers of earth allows geothermal air conditioning to be possible.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/podcast-making-tkts-hip-to-be-square

http://themannahattaproject.org/

Last fall, I was on a team of architecture students conducting research on the geology of Manhattan, as it related to the site for our project at the time. This is when I learned about Manhattan schist, the bedrock strong enough to support the weight of so many skyscrapers on such a small stretch of land. (It is said that the cityscape contour follows the presence of manhattan schist, faithfully). This is the rock you see jutting out of the landscape across Central Park. In 1924, it was also decided that the schist would make a suitable floor to stack one third of the world's monetary gold reserves on. So the Federal Reserve Bank of New York did just that, creating a vault 50 feet below sea level. I love the image of a room full of gold set deep within the interior of a hard, black, knotty bed of stone.















And lastly, in the past week, at the site of the former World Trade Center towers, the remains of an eighteenth century ship was found. In the 18th and 19th century, fill dirt and random debris was dumped along the shore of lower Manhattan in an effort to extend the terrain. Battery Park City alone is built on the displaced soil that was excavated in order to build the WTC towers. Today on the WTC site, there are several new towers and a memorial being built, but excavation now went deeper than it did in the 70's and that is how the ship was found. Again, the image of time's relics set deep in the black mud of one of the busiest cities in the world, is a very poetic image. You can't help but wonder what other gems lie silently underfoot of 8 million people.

http://www.wtc.com/media/

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/18th-century-ship-found-at-trade-center-site/

2010 Men's World Cup

10 am and I' watching the Chile/Switzerland soccer match, the second of three games each team plays before countries are eliminated from the month-long competition. I love this game, for many reasons Here's a short list:

1. It's not your typical American sport
2. How many things can you NOT use your hands for?
3. The televised games only have commercials at halftime.
4. Each team is from another part of the World
5. Virtually every emotion is packed into a 90 minute window

Watching the teams play, I'm reminded of my own experience at grad school, and then also looking for jobs. There are moments of players really pushing themselves to run JUST A LITTLE FASTER, to try JUST A BIT HARDER. This is physically amazing. There is a strict protocol to play without cursing at the referee or fighting with the other players. The teams have to respect each other. There is extreme joy at a goal made, ESPECIALLY if is done in a clever, skin-of-your-teeth kind of way. There is extreme disappointment when a goal is ALMOST made, but perhaps not because a foot wasn't angled right or a teammate wasn't there to see something through. There is extreme pride when a goalkeeper does his job well, acting as an iron wall that cannot be crossed. It breaks my heart to see a team lose, yet I feel ecstatic for the teams that win. My least favorite teams are the ones that don't play aggressively. I don't mean dirty, I mean sharp and on point. In this game you HAVE to use your teammates. Sure, there are key players, but ultimately the ball has to work its way through the constantly changing set up of players. I think of it as high speed chess!

Can't wait until next year - the WOMEN'S World Cup!