Marketing or Crime Spree?

The AP Poll recently put up an article about a man who put up little LED lights of the Mooninites from Aqua Teen Hunger Force and was arrested. The authorities thought the little LED figures were bombs...go figure. Anyway, a funny read especially after Steve Kirtz' visit. Check it out here.

Ken Robinson's Chat About Creativity in the Academic Setting

Just a quick post commenting on this video featuring Ken Robinson @ the TED conference. He speaks to how creativity and the arts are consistently devalued in our current academic system and how creativity and different styles of learning for students is often seen as a type of handicap rather than a good trait. Also how children's creativity and imagination is often squandered. He says "We don't grow into creativity, we grow out of it".

I am installing a piece dealing with some of the topics discussed in this peace during week seven at the Laverne Krause. So, go ahead and spend 19 minutes and watch a great video.

Second Week: "Money Doesn't Grow on Tree's"

Week two. Let's see...I got another job (Home Depot), started getting some progress done on some long term projects as well as some new work and of course, worked on BFA. So, without too much personal mumbo-jumbo, here's the....

UPDATE:

• It's over yes, but a lot has been done this week. I was able to make it out to the other location that Mr. Murphy would rather have me use. The location can be seen on this map. The setting is more in the forest, has a set of train tracks and also has a stream running through the middle of the factory which is a nice addition. You can check out the photos of the new site at this link. So, I think that I will go ahead with this site. The new location is logistically better: not right off the highway, more parking and slightly closer to Eugene. But, it has its drawbacks too. I was hoping to draw some visitors from Florence, but now this is a bit farther out of Florence it may be difficult to convince people.
  
• I also did some calling around about pricing for the light towers and renting a bus. The prices are as follows: Light Towers = $95.00 / 24 hrs rental with 8 hrs of run time. Generators = $66.00 / 24 hrs rental no limit on runtime. Bus = ~$1200.00. Miscellaneous Costs = Who knows. SO, I need to make some decent cash here to even have a hope of setting this up. I just hope that I can get some donations or something. IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO HAS CONNECTIONS TO MASS TRANSPORTATION OR EQUIPMENT RENTAL LET ME KNOW. Sorry for caps.
• I've been researching artists like James Turrell. He has worked with light installations and is currently working on a project called "Roden Crater". Check out his stuff here. How he talks about the essence of light at it's most elementary level: luminosity, brightness, darkness, etc. It's really opened up the installation for me.
  

Week One: 90% of Your Work

Well, it's that time again and we're all back in school. I think that it's been a little bit tough getting re-adjusted into the school mode because of the long break. One quick way to get shocked into realizing that it's time to work is Salter saying "I want 90% of your work done by the end of this term". I know this got me thinking. I was mainly considering how I can actually judge how much of a percentage that is done.

It's a question that I constantly ask myself anyway...how do I judge my progress as an artist? Is it through the number of works that I create? The times I have drawn and re-drawn a sketch? Anyway, thats a bigger question that will probably take a few to answer. Let's get past the babbling and get to the....

UPDATE:

• I met with Mr. Murphy this week. He owns the plant in Kushman (just outside of Florence). I went to his office and had an real official meeting with him while he sat in his big leather arm chair. He was a real nice guy and offered me an alternate place to use instead of the initial factory. This could totally change my construction of the project
  
  
• In reference to the first point, my perception of the project has adapted anyway. It has become more and more about the audience, the space itself and the notion of memory in a place rather than about the files themselves. The files were a great jumping off point and will likely be included in the final presentation, but they are not the driving force behind my perception of the project at this time.
  
  
• I have a lot more planned for the following week including what could be a more difficult meeting with Mr. Murphy regarding my choice of plants. We'll see how these go. The next couple images show some conceptual drawing of the space as well as a floorplan. Enjoy and good luck!

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