09/10/2010

Entry #1
Friday, the last day. We have to leave on Saturday to drive back to Virginia with a brief stop over in Columbus once again staying with Dave and Molly, our most gracious hosts. Not one’s to rest we spend the day playing in the sandbox that is Ox-Bow, first traveling back up to the Crow’s nest to capture more footage since the weather was better. The sun was out and the temperature was warm. The view was really nice. It has been a long time since I have seen Lake Michigan and never from this sort of vantage point. My remembrances have always been from Chicagoland. Navy Pier, Millennium Park and the sandy (and somewhat rocky) beaches of Evanston. Michigan has almost always been dominated by experiences of visiting my grandparents in Detroit. Both of which have since passed. I guess its weird for me to visit all these places that are similar and close to places where I grew up and spend time as a child, and to experience that time separation- the emotional, the mental and the physical, and to understand what it is that has brought me to these places. “Understand” is not the best word for what this feeling is that I have, rather recognition of what is happening. Everything changes.

09/09/2010

We are having a blast manipulating Jennida’s 7D with a macro lens attached. Most of today has been spent in and around the Scanlin switching back and forth between quiet images of fictitious living and experimental camera movements and close up magnifications. I rigged up a tripod to act as a “boom” in which to try and capture smoother movements but it is a hard task to muster. In addition to this there is always the shallow depth of field to account and compensate for. You can follow this link to see me in action as well as other photos at jennida's Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennida/5016398279/in/set-72157624893508665/
We also spent time capturing more ambient sound for sound effects and we continued this effort up the trail to the Crow’s Nest, which overlooks the lagoon at Ox-Bow as well as the nearby beach on Lake Michigan.
Life has been really good the past few days. There have been some ups and downs though. Simply trying to maintain a supremely focused level of energy to work work work work work wears you out- especially when the rest of the world seems to be moving in slow motion. The air has also conspired to hamper our energy as it has been cold (and by cold I mean twenty degrees colder than we’ve been used to just two days prior.) But these are minor grievances. It feels more relaxing here in Michigan working than it does in Virginia…. not working (on art). The other mildly distracting thought is the idea that we are only here for one more day. I have just begun to realize that as good as it is now, we should have at the very least done two or three weeks just to get the most out if the experience. I envy everyone else that just on a social level will get to interact with each other and exchange ideas for another several weeks in addition to pursuing and contemplating work. With a lengthy stay the option to contemplate more would come easier with the "work", "work," "work." But as it is we are out of here Saturday Morning and back to Richmond…but only for a week!

09/08/2010

We spent most of the day recording around the Scanlin house today. This is the house that we had our social on Monday. Monday was very nice because it was a little “put you in a room and start talking” exercise. An exercise we all passed I must say. It was also one of the few time so far that I’ve been able to talk with some of the staff of Ox-Bow. It’s hard for me to imagine staying here year round. It feels very remote (which I know it’s not) and also has this odd abandoned village feeling to it.
The shooting that commenced today centered on very isolated gestures and actions with in the space of the small cabin. The Scanlin consists of a fair size living room with two beds and off of the main room (living room) there is another smaller room primarily for sleeping as is the loft above that has two small windows that allows one to gaze down in to the main room or out the rather large window in the ceiling. We also shot a really nice clip of my hand interacting with a light bulb from a string of Christmas lights. I wanted a very simply play of hands exploring material in slow motion. Hopefully I shot it well enough so that once it has imported and then switched to 24p(the footage was shot in 60p) the footage will have a nice soft slow motion feel to it. I also shot a series of fake tree limb shots. Apparently, there had been some tree branch chandeliers that were made of real limbs, fake leaves, “silver berries” and white Christmas lights, that had been used and then discarded only to be rescued and then hung outside the Scanlin (lovingly called Scantron). I shot a lot of stills today just for giggles and am very pleased with the results. And then there is Jerome. Jerome is one of many Ox-Bow’s four legged residents. We did a small photo shoot as well. I will include photos of as many things as possible. After lunch we began to use my Nikon 60mm macro on Jennida’s 7D! Earlier this summer I ran into a former undergrad film student from VCU that put me on to an adapter that allowed the use of aperture ring model Nikon lenses to be used on Canon camera. Much experimenting ensued. Results still out. Also began playing with the portable mini video flips and trying to put them places you might not think or desire to with an “expensive” full size video camera.
After dinner I took a quick jaunt into Saugatuck to get some supplies and arrived back just in time to give our presentations. Every resident and all staff make a small presentation of their work. Tuesday night we got to learn about John the handyman’s creation and exploration of “Pricker Boy.” That I think was the highlight. It is a bummer however that most of the presentations will be made after we have already departed. I’ve had many interesting conversations with some of the other artist but I still haven’t gotten to see what any of them have been doing. I actually was supplied with people’s info before hand but decided to abstain simply because I thought it would be more interesting to encounter the people and the work simultaneously. Ah Well….
All in all the presentations went well and we invited everyone back to our studio space so that everyone that wanted could see what we were up to since we haven’t been the most social (totally busy), but also to see and talk more about things in general. I was fortunate to have a really good and long discussion centered around “locative arts” and what could be the possible course of actions given the current mobile app selections at our immediate disposal…. And I recorded it all with my binaural mic and Sony Mini Disc recorder. I haven’t had a chance to listen to it all but I think it will be good reference material as I continue musing on the emotional and temporal nature of “place.”

09/07/2010

Today I was an early riser, but I skipped breakfast because breakfast is for suckers! I stayed up very late working on my vocal track for the installation and combined it with the sounds of rainfall I collected. Having worked so constantly over the summer and spring, it is refreshing to simply listen to things and enjoy being aware of my senses. There have been times when rushing to and from one job to another has hindered even the most basic of day-to-day functions. Don’t get me wrong, this is all work. But it’s the satisfying type of work of seeing something accomplished, or sensing the progress being made on a project. Having direction feels good- even if I have six of them!
I have met a few very interesting people so far. I am torn between the desire to work and the desire to make connections. Part of the residency experience is meeting new artist, comparing notes and exchanging ideas. Being as though we have only one week, it’s a mean line to toe. We could probably stay another week but we don’t have the money really and there are a few commitments we must keep. Ever the responsibilities of life make no breaks for work or fun. The agenda is to get as much out of Ox-Bow as possible, and carry it to Elsewhere and on and on and on.
Here is a small list of artist on the scene at Ox-Bow:
Mitchell Squire- http://mitchellsquire.com
Lisa Walcot- http://www.lisawalcott.com
Joelle Francht- http://www.joellefrancht.com
Maren Miller- http://www.marenmiller.com
Jennida Chase- http://www.jennidachase.com
Hassan Pitts- http://www.hassanpitts.com opps! That's me. ;)

We spent the day deciding what to do and directions to march to. It is a balancing act, trying to embark on new experiments while working on current projects. I am still trying to get the vibe here. I am doing a lot of looking and listening. There is a lot to observe and understand about a place if you just stop and pay attention. One common theme for Jennida and I is that we have moved so often that places become explorations more than they become homes. Often habitations are temporary and feel like costumes to be discarded after they have fulfilled their use. She is interested in exploring the idea of interacting with our surroundings the way that children invent new places from existing structures through imagination. I am simultaneously interested in trying to understand how our surroundings function and feel to exist within. I think the two concepts will co-mingle and affect each other’s approach as we consider an as of yet unnamed idea on temporary domiciles.
More field recording today. This time, wind in the trees and video footage of leaves in motion affected by the wind. Mostly studies and ways of engaging the senses. Hopefully all of this will make sense at some point but I’ll wait for it. I’ve got time. I’m just playing the collector now. Tomorrow will bring more possibilities and the need to revisit an old project dealing with my grandmother who passed two years ago. I have the material and now may finally be the time to react to it.

09/06/2010

Well, we have been here for a day and I have to say it’s wonderful! Ox-Bow is an artist retreat and summertime school located in Saugatuck, Michigan off of Lake Michigan. It looks and feel like a cross between a miniature village and campground. We have a modest size living quarters shared by five or six other artist complete with heat, running water and shower facilities. Our Studio is located above the printmaking studio and normally functions as the campground's only computer lab. And it’s all ours! Plus there is a gallery space that we have also annexed that has white walls perfect for projection, wood floors as well as pre-mounted projector and sound system.
Meals are proving to be very impressive. Continental breakfast at 8am (I don’t know if I can get up EVERY morning at 8am) with a lunch consisting of soup, sandwiches and leftovers from the night before. There is always coffee and small snacks no matter what time of the day.
We are a small crew in the fall, seventeen artist/residents and a handful support staff/artist. Some of the residents will be here for up to five weeks. Part of me is envious, but I am still trying to imagine what it must be like here after a couple of weeks. The camp seems pretty remote in some senses. Maybe that is because it rained for most of the day today. I spent a good chunk of it recording the raindrops. We will use it for a piece that is in the works that started out primarily as studies in capturing images of rain on the windshield of the car. A month or so ago I had intended on shooting an outdoor production of a Midnight Summer’s Dream in Petersburg, VA. The place where it was to be held was at a place called “Battlesea.” Unfortunately it was rained out. Fortunately Jennida had a video camera and we proceeded to take advantage of the severe thunderstorm that put the play out of commission. Some of those images are being used to construct an instillation of sound and video. An added conceptual component has been added which refers to a sense of place and the implications that technology is bringing to our perception and interaction to the physical and the virtual. I have been thinking a lot about the idea of locative arts, which in some sense has not yet materialized but has been proposed through writings by authors such as William Gibson in Spook Country. I find the thought interesting that soon we will have the possibility of virtual landmarks and signposts accessible purely thorough GPS enabled devices. The future’s virtual graffiti where anyone can leave their tag, mark their passing, tell their tale. Imagine. But this is one of many projects on deck. Images and progress to come!

09/05/2010

The trek to Ohio was quite easy and largely uneventful. The highlight was stopping in Waynesboro, VA at the self serve Dunkin Donuts where you can get fresh off the farm breakfast sandwiches! I must confess that the excitement of arriving at Ox-Bow was overshadowed by the anticipation of arriving in Columbus. It was good to see many of my friends and seeing some of their children wasn’t so bad. You might call me “Kid Awkward.” I think that Jennida weathered the storm quite well. It’s always hard to meet a big group of someone else’s friends, especially when there is catching up to do. During our stay we did happen upon “Bacon Camp” at the North Market. Apparently everything bacon was the agenda. As an aside I also got to taste several faithful yet extravagant flavors of ice cream, chief among them was corn and red raspberry relish.
After our rest we headed out across Ohio, into Indiana and on into Michigan. The most remarkable thing about our drive was that it lacked the usual “get there as soon as humanly possible” credo. We arrived with plenty of time and in the process got to travel some of Ohio’s better-known back roads. The sky was the star of the trip and it reminded me of several conversations I have had with friends from Kansas about the sense of space that the Midwest imparts on the psyche. The idea that the horizon is where the sky meets the land, not the tops of buildings or tree. There is recognition of scale that is different for the body against the backdrop of a large city.
The drive to Ox-Bow also brought up many conversations about art and our own need to make art. The feelings and senses that have remained where all else has receded, that it is what seems the most important above all else. We being of a similar age have found ourselves here after so many years, seemingly unable to “get it right.” Unable to find that "perfect fit" within that "perfect job." Knowing full well that a J.O.B. is just what we will always have to have, but that art is the goal, the thing that gives the paycheck meaning. It has become time to embrace that. It has been a hard thing to understand myself, much less explain it to others. Part of this blog is my attempt not only to provide a semi-sensical explanation but also to share the part of me that is so hard to explain in everyday words and sentences. I will endeavor to provide photos; clips and sounds of our ongoing trek though the next seven months as we go from State to state and country to country until it finally brings us home...
Home, such a complex concept for ones such as we.