“When the lion bleeds, the jackals take back courage.” –Author Unknown

Fifty People, One Question: Brooklyn from Crush + Lovely on Vimeo.

Kim Joon, Bird Land-Armani (detail), 2008

Just got this great summary from Artkrush who will be on the scene again this year bringing you all the goodness to be found. Be sure to keep checking back as the month develops…

"Pockets will be substantially lighter at this year's Miami
Basel, but there will be no shortage of eye candy for those of us just
coming to look. As usual, Artkrush provides a tidy honor roll of our
personal favorites, with special attention paid to Art Basel Miami Beach, as well as Scope and Photo Miami contributor Julia Fullerton-Batten, a London photographer whose studies of adolescence picture girls looming larger than life, suspended in midair, and lost
in the uniform masses. Meanwhile, Artkrush editor Paul Laster connects with the Campana Brothers in Brazil to discuss the latest installment in their sci-fi furniture design series TransPlastic, included this year in Design Miami/. Across the bay from ABMB, we highlight the stylish counter-culture publications of
PictureBox — exhibiting at Nada Art Fair Miami — before leaving the Sunshine State altogether to review Sze Tsung Leong's photographs of Chinese suburbia in Los Angeles, and Roman Signer's slapstick videos in the Netherlands."

read the rest here…

Please join CoCA as we play host to Pecha Kucha Night. This month’s theme is "Trouble". You’ve got some, we got some – let’s share. We’ve
assembled an incredible roster of writers, visual artists, race car
drivers, actors and other creative luminaries. Share ideas, see great
work – we’d love to see you there!

EVENT DETAILS
Thursday, September 25^th
Doors Open 6:00 PM
Presentations Begin at 7:00
CoCA Ballard: Inside the Shilshole Bay Beach Club
6413 Seaview Ave NW  Seattle, WA 98107

Free entry and parking
Dinner Service & Cash Bar Available 

PRESENTERS:
Dave Clapper, Writer
Heather Budd, Performing Artist
Joe Whinney, Theo Chocolates
Jamie Drzayich, Stock Car Racing
Thomas Wurst, Illustrator
Jonathan Zegars, Architect
Adina Gillet & Andrew McMasters, Experts

get the deets here…

“It is essentially a worship of the Imperfect, as it is
a tender attempt to accomplish something possible in this impossible
thing we know as life.”

- Kakuzo Okakura
The Book of Tea

via Whisky River

In art school we called it Wabi Sabi, in reference to objects that are imperfect, decaying or in various states of entropy. Picture an old barn, a rusty shovel, or even a rock worn smooth by rushing water, but be sure to leave out the romanticism. Wabi Sabi embraces and celebrates decay, acknowledging it as an essential part of life. The movement of all matter in the universe from order to chaos, from organization to disorganization.

This
reminded me of a conversation I had over the weekend with a good friend
of mine. My friend championed philanthropist and founder of the Glenn
Foundation for Medical Research, Paul F Glenn as having essentially a
Buddhist mindset. I thought he was talking about Aubrey de Grey, one of
the most vocal [and eccentric] biogerontologists [the study of the
aging process] working today, and my initial reaction probably did not
betray my dislike of the man [I am good at feigning ignorance]. But
after a little research on Glenn, I discovered that the two men could
not be more different, and that fact made me rethink my opinion.

My friend’s main argument was that Glenn, in seeking a way to halt
the aging process and eventually find a way to live for thousands of
years, is essentially on the same path as a Buddhist, that is, he is
trying to find a way to end human suffering. And I can see his point;
when looked at through the lens of what is possibly the central
question of all religion, that of human suffering, then yes, Glenn
could be seen as a Buddhist, or any other religious pilgrim for that
matter.

But in my opinion the problem with the analogy is that it is
stillborn. If the question is how to end suffering, then a person’s
response to the question is what characterizes them Buddhist, Taoist,
Muslim, Christian, Athiest etc., not the fact that they address the
question. What I mean is, we all on some level want to end suffering,
if not for the entire human race, then certainly for ourselves and the
ones we love. We all address the question of human suffering. But we do
not all address it in the same way.

So, if our response to the question is what characterizes us, then
it seems obvious that Glenn is in fact quite the antithesis of what
classical Buddhism teaches, that is the divestment of desire, the
pursuit of the middle way and the acceptance of the human condition.
Paul F. Glenn’s position is stated on his site;

“The Paul F. Glenn Laboratories are dedicated to
understanding the mechanisms of normal aging and the development of
interventions to delay its onset and progression, thereby extending the
healthy years of human life.”

An
admirable sentiment, but not Buddhist. Why? Because it is the opposite
of the divestment of desire; it is the opposite of acceptance; it is
the pursuit of Life, not the pursuit of Enlightenment.

Returning to “The Book of Tea”, I’ll leave you with this image, and
the words of Kakuzo Okakura, and the hope that we may all find peace;

“Meanwhile, let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow
is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight,
the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle. Let us dream of
evanescence, and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things.”

They also make me think of the effects of space and time in the way Thomas Mann used space and time. Mann suggested [in The Magic Mountain] that movement through space has similar effects upon a person as those of the passage of time; distanciation, obfuscation and disorientation. Not ‘time-traveling’ but ‘travel-timing’; faster if not as permanent.

Anyway, check out the video too…

From Inhabitat:

“Theo Jansen has been creating wind-walking examples of artificial life since 1990. What was at first a rudimentary breed has slowly evolved into a generation of machines that are able to react to their environment: “over time, these skeletons have become increasingly better at surviving the elements such as storms and water and eventually I want to put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives.”

Constructed as intricate assemblages of piping, wood, and wing-like sails, Jansen’s creatures are constantly evolving and have become excellently adapted to their sandy beach environment. The creatures sport legs, which “prove to be more efficient on sand than wheels . . . they don’t need to touch every inch of the ground along the way, as a wheel has to”. .”

read the rest after the jump…

From The Stranger:

    "The other modernism, the sort Kundig represents, retains the minimalism of zero-degree architecture, but it does not banish the processes of aging and physical change. In Kundig’s work, materials are not only exposed to time but time itself becomes a material. It is for this reason that his homes already have in them the majesty of their movement through time. "Buildings outlive people, you have to design with this in mind," Kundig points out. Buildings, like people, are not permanent; they have life spans, they are born, grow old, decline, and crumble."

To my thinking, Mudede doesn’t make a convincing case, but I’m up for more. [Kundig's aesthetic is far from 'zero-degree' IMO] Regardless, it’s always great to see Kundig’s work getting the attention it deserves. He’s a Northwest treasure.

Read the rest after the jump…

From The Stranger:

"The other modernism, the sort Kundig represents, retains the
minimalism of zero-degree architecture, but it does not banish the
processes of aging and physical change. In Kundig’s work, materials are
not only exposed to time but time itself becomes a material. It is for
this reason that his homes already have in them the majesty of their
movement through time. "Buildings outlive people, you have to design
with this in mind," Kundig points out. Buildings, like people, are
not permanent; they have life spans, they are born, grow old, decline,
and crumble."

To my thinking, Mudede doesn’t make a convincing case, but I’m up for more. Regardless, it’s always great to see Kundig’s work getting the attention it deserves. He’s a Northwest treasure.

Read the rest after the jump…