Asking one officer, they occasionally perform anti-terrorism formation drills, mostly at a lot out in Brooklyn. This month's just happened to land at the Critical Mass in Midtown Manhattan gathering. Either it was a lucky coincidence, or cyclist are terrorists. To avoid arrest / ticketing, I was warned that I needed to be in strict compliance with all new york city bike laws. (Rear / front lights and a bell). So I now have a bell for my bike, it zings. To further avoid arrest, we walked our bikes on the sidewalk to the local precinct where the police chief of thirty-three years was retiring. We figured, they can't arrest us if we're walking on the sidewalk. We weren't impeding traffic on the street. We arrived at the precinct and presented a peace offering to the retiring chief, a cruiser! Sources from within the precinct say they all found the event pretty humorous. There was a call to disperse or be arrested, so we set off. Riding from the West Village down Broadway to the Brooklyn Bridge and back up to the East Village. There were some 200+ cyclists that night, so it was a pretty good turnout for a cold night. Back to Time's Up (bike co-op) and hanging out there for a while, living, loving, sharing beautiful stories with beautiful people. By far, the most fun I've had since this summer.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
critical mass,
If I've ever witnessed martial law, it was Friday evening at the Critical Mass. The last friday of every month there is a gathering in cities all over the world of bicyclists. The idea is to promote awareness for alternative transportation and as a way of saying, bicycling is traffic too. We met in Union Square only to face confrontation by forty to fifty police squad cars, some motorcycles, trucks, etc. 
Asking one officer, they occasionally perform anti-terrorism formation drills, mostly at a lot out in Brooklyn. This month's just happened to land at the Critical Mass in Midtown Manhattan gathering. Either it was a lucky coincidence, or cyclist are terrorists. To avoid arrest / ticketing, I was warned that I needed to be in strict compliance with all new york city bike laws. (Rear / front lights and a bell). So I now have a bell for my bike, it zings. To further avoid arrest, we walked our bikes on the sidewalk to the local precinct where the police chief of thirty-three years was retiring. We figured, they can't arrest us if we're walking on the sidewalk. We weren't impeding traffic on the street. We arrived at the precinct and presented a peace offering to the retiring chief, a cruiser! Sources from within the precinct say they all found the event pretty humorous. There was a call to disperse or be arrested, so we set off. Riding from the West Village down Broadway to the Brooklyn Bridge and back up to the East Village. There were some 200+ cyclists that night, so it was a pretty good turnout for a cold night. Back to Time's Up (bike co-op) and hanging out there for a while, living, loving, sharing beautiful stories with beautiful people. By far, the most fun I've had since this summer.
Asking one officer, they occasionally perform anti-terrorism formation drills, mostly at a lot out in Brooklyn. This month's just happened to land at the Critical Mass in Midtown Manhattan gathering. Either it was a lucky coincidence, or cyclist are terrorists. To avoid arrest / ticketing, I was warned that I needed to be in strict compliance with all new york city bike laws. (Rear / front lights and a bell). So I now have a bell for my bike, it zings. To further avoid arrest, we walked our bikes on the sidewalk to the local precinct where the police chief of thirty-three years was retiring. We figured, they can't arrest us if we're walking on the sidewalk. We weren't impeding traffic on the street. We arrived at the precinct and presented a peace offering to the retiring chief, a cruiser! Sources from within the precinct say they all found the event pretty humorous. There was a call to disperse or be arrested, so we set off. Riding from the West Village down Broadway to the Brooklyn Bridge and back up to the East Village. There were some 200+ cyclists that night, so it was a pretty good turnout for a cold night. Back to Time's Up (bike co-op) and hanging out there for a while, living, loving, sharing beautiful stories with beautiful people. By far, the most fun I've had since this summer.
Monday, February 19, 2007
march, cue themed music,
March is looking to dominate my mind over the next weeks. Some things I can anticipate, while others I can only dream.
At this point, I'm going to Philadelphia for spring break. Stacy, our wonderful office assistant, has some friends in Philadelphia that are either apart of the Simple Way or have friendships with many of those living in that commune. Either I'll be staying in a hostel, or with those beautiful people. Not quoting, but generalizing, she described it saying, "better to stay with some wonderful people who can show you the city, allowing you to discover the true philadelphia, than to come for two days and visit the tourist spots."
Only days after returning from Philadelphia, Regina. I bought tickets last night. Whether this succeeds or not, I'm in contact with the venue (Purchase College) potentially arranging a media pass. After all, I do work for the New York Center for Art and Media Studies. (that's true, i'm the Darkroom TA) (mom, you can't get around that). I saw Jess, one of the girls in the program, moments after buying my ticket, showed her my receipt. In her three weeks that she's known me, "Jordan, I've never seen you so happy." Yeah, in October, when Regina came to Minneapolis and it sold out, I cried. Okay, I teared up, but that was traumatic for me.
At this point of march, it should be significantly warmer than it is now. It's not terrible biking weather, but it's not quite enjoyable biking weather. If you haven't guessed what I bought, it's a red single speed beauty. Not as amazing as my Schwinn LeTour, but amazing for 45 dollars when bicycles of this quality usually sell for 200. I will say, I'm not a fan of new york city biking. There are lots of bike lanes, but there could be more. I have three lights, and that reflector vest that I received for Christmas, that was a wise gift. I'm getting a helmet soon. I don't think of these as costs incurred, as when I leave this state, I can sell all of that at a very high cost (especially because summer is high biking season).
Here is a photo that I handed in for critique today. Conceptually, I'm attempting to give urban decay a measure of redemption. One might use the word 'sublime,' although it has been a bit overused in the art world in the past several hundred years. What's different from this from previous works along similar ideas, I'm attempting to turn one-dimensional objects, one flat plane, into multi-dimensional objects. I'm trying to make the photos twist, pull, pop, turn, etc inside your head, working with lines, colors, forms, weights, and separations. This photo, I'm attempting to make it pop out at the viewer. Click the photo for a much larger image.
On another March note, I walked out of the George (my dorm) yesterday and I heard birds chirping! It wasn't the fact that I heard them, but I heard them and I didn't hear the city. I heard the birds! It gave me a little hope for March. Sorry, there was a minor connection and the opportunity jumped at me.
At this point, I'm going to Philadelphia for spring break. Stacy, our wonderful office assistant, has some friends in Philadelphia that are either apart of the Simple Way or have friendships with many of those living in that commune. Either I'll be staying in a hostel, or with those beautiful people. Not quoting, but generalizing, she described it saying, "better to stay with some wonderful people who can show you the city, allowing you to discover the true philadelphia, than to come for two days and visit the tourist spots."
Only days after returning from Philadelphia, Regina. I bought tickets last night. Whether this succeeds or not, I'm in contact with the venue (Purchase College) potentially arranging a media pass. After all, I do work for the New York Center for Art and Media Studies. (that's true, i'm the Darkroom TA) (mom, you can't get around that). I saw Jess, one of the girls in the program, moments after buying my ticket, showed her my receipt. In her three weeks that she's known me, "Jordan, I've never seen you so happy." Yeah, in October, when Regina came to Minneapolis and it sold out, I cried. Okay, I teared up, but that was traumatic for me.
At this point of march, it should be significantly warmer than it is now. It's not terrible biking weather, but it's not quite enjoyable biking weather. If you haven't guessed what I bought, it's a red single speed beauty. Not as amazing as my Schwinn LeTour, but amazing for 45 dollars when bicycles of this quality usually sell for 200. I will say, I'm not a fan of new york city biking. There are lots of bike lanes, but there could be more. I have three lights, and that reflector vest that I received for Christmas, that was a wise gift. I'm getting a helmet soon. I don't think of these as costs incurred, as when I leave this state, I can sell all of that at a very high cost (especially because summer is high biking season).
Here is a photo that I handed in for critique today. Conceptually, I'm attempting to give urban decay a measure of redemption. One might use the word 'sublime,' although it has been a bit overused in the art world in the past several hundred years. What's different from this from previous works along similar ideas, I'm attempting to turn one-dimensional objects, one flat plane, into multi-dimensional objects. I'm trying to make the photos twist, pull, pop, turn, etc inside your head, working with lines, colors, forms, weights, and separations. This photo, I'm attempting to make it pop out at the viewer. Click the photo for a much larger image.On another March note, I walked out of the George (my dorm) yesterday and I heard birds chirping! It wasn't the fact that I heard them, but I heard them and I didn't hear the city. I heard the birds! It gave me a little hope for March. Sorry, there was a minor connection and the opportunity jumped at me.
Monday, February 12, 2007
greeeeeeeeeeeenwich village,
Everytime I'm walking through Washington Square, I find myself easy amused. Generally, it has to do with marijuana. Either I will see someone smoking pot, selling pot, or trying to sell me pot (which I decline). Mostly, it's because the Square is the epicenter of New York University, but it still is amusing. A police officer said it best, "sir, these tables are for playing chess, not smoking pot." Mostly though, it's nothing of the 1960s. Most of the coffeeshops have been replaced with bars filled with college kids and fake ID's. Where you need to be is either the East Village or Brooklyn. Comparatively, Brooklyn and Minneapolis are very similar. I could never live in Manhattan, though I might survive in Brooklyn if I were to ever live here.
I'm told to "eat my vegetables." There is this vegan shop in the East Village with absolutely incredible "all you can eat" meals for three dollars. It's run through a small collective of Hare Krishna monks who don't like to hurt small (or large) furry creatures. The best meals I eat all week. Monday's, if you have the right connections, it's free.
I'm told to "eat my vegetables." There is this vegan shop in the East Village with absolutely incredible "all you can eat" meals for three dollars. It's run through a small collective of Hare Krishna monks who don't like to hurt small (or large) furry creatures. The best meals I eat all week. Monday's, if you have the right connections, it's free.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
strategies,
"The role of the artist has always been that of the image-maker." Contemporary abstract art is not abstract, it is "the realism of our time." Portions from Adolph Gottlieb, Artist Statement, 1947. Art changes, time and
culture changes, impressionism was the realism of its time, expressionism, romanticism, etc. That was a portion of the dialogue in class today. I cannot just make art, I have to know why I'm making art and why its necessary before I can contribute anything of value.
I'm gradually finding those quirky coffeehouses I love to lose so much money to. I even applied at this lovely coffeehouse in the East Village last night. Hopefully something can come of that. Organic shops are on almost every street, plus my internship is five minutes walking distance from a Trader Joe's. Fresh produce is something I'm always interested in. The city is expensive, but if you look around, you'll find very well priced items, but you have to look. A lovely little benefit at my internship is that they love to eat at this fancy, high-end expensive restaurants for lunch and they pay for my lunch. I'm getting my protein, fiber, calcium, all at no cost.
Now, as for a strategy to living in the city. Walk quickly, avoid eye contact, let the subway be not an experience but transportation, understand the city grid, know where to get cheap food, read lots of Time Out New York.
culture changes, impressionism was the realism of its time, expressionism, romanticism, etc. That was a portion of the dialogue in class today. I cannot just make art, I have to know why I'm making art and why its necessary before I can contribute anything of value.I'm gradually finding those quirky coffeehouses I love to lose so much money to. I even applied at this lovely coffeehouse in the East Village last night. Hopefully something can come of that. Organic shops are on almost every street, plus my internship is five minutes walking distance from a Trader Joe's. Fresh produce is something I'm always interested in. The city is expensive, but if you look around, you'll find very well priced items, but you have to look. A lovely little benefit at my internship is that they love to eat at this fancy, high-end expensive restaurants for lunch and they pay for my lunch. I'm getting my protein, fiber, calcium, all at no cost.
Now, as for a strategy to living in the city. Walk quickly, avoid eye contact, let the subway be not an experience but transportation, understand the city grid, know where to get cheap food, read lots of Time Out New York.
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