Linguistic Underpinnings » Art perhaps..

Ode to the Pushcart

allyreeves — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:31:02 +0000

Show of Carts and Hand painted signage by Michael Genovese in Chicago, IL. Worth a look…

Posted in Art perhaps.., Mobility

Public and Private Space in Mumbai

allyreeves — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:11:11 +0000

At first the mere delineation of public and private space in Mumbai seems a joke:
Laundry is drying on the divide of the street median, children are using the restroom wherever they choose, and every surface in most every time of day is an appropriate place to nap.

With so many activities that seem to only take place indoors in most western culture taking place outdoors, it is surprising to note that care-taking of public space fluctuates greatly. While some vendors on the street may clean and sweep near their “shop” regularly, others leave everything to the wind and rain, with wrappers piled left and right, mud all across the sidewalk, and concrete rubble piled along side of daily activities.

The city street itself seems a constant churning of physical forms, people, fruit, dogs, dust, rain and even the cobble stones themselves, flip out of order regularly only to be nudged back into place by the bare hands of some sari-dressed day laborer. The order is hard to describe though it does seem there is some logic to it, though the sense and purpose are more nested in immediate pragmatic needs than in the actualization of some method of work and living that will ever make things easier. Even in social settings, planning is unheard of and it seems even rude to ask for a plan. If a plan is set forth it usually changes completely with meetings happening instantly or not at all.

Here and there beautiful things happen though—out walking one evening I passed one of the multi-trunk trees here (the name of which is still unknown to me) and for whatever reason the tree had been fitted with boards between the trunks to create a sort of public bench. Small tin images and decorations were also pressed between trunks giving the tree a very welcoming presence, as though it were a lone wolf-tree park that admitted just two persons at a time.

Certainly, I am still new to the city and perhaps my way of looking for signs of how space is used here are not yet fitted correctly to the culture. At best, my indications so far are that though chaotic, the streets have an accessibility to all classes that western streets do not. This is an interesting place for urban planners, artists, and social scientists of all sorts to begin from as they query the best methods for engaging, serving, and housing Mumbai’s growing population.

Posted in Art perhaps.., Mumbai reflections, urban planning issues

A Dearth of Dreamy

allyreeves — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:58:15 +0000

Here I am in the wilds of Alabama feeling more inspired than I’ve felt in a long time. Maybe it’s because the town I’m in is so small. For example, I feel like I could make a bad t-shirt and it would be okay. I also feel like I could do any drawing project and it would be well received. That’s a sounds a little like I’m disregarding the taste of the locals but in this case, it feels like the locals would just like a bit of stimulation or something out of the ordinary.

I come here and feel like I can think about life, but this place does not look like or work like my life and after I leave it will be funny to try to fit the logic of this town and time into my life back in Pittsburgh, PA. Maybe that’s why I can think about life here: this is certainly not my life…but it could be! And so suddenly my life feels a little fragile and mutable and that’s exciting.

Pittsburgh is routine for me. I feel like I know who I am there and that makes it hard to think about who I’d like to be. I am a tool box that knows its contents.
The brain of a tool box that only takes inventory of it’s own contents at times.

“Hum, let’s see, I contain a hammer, a wrench, a measuring tape….”

So your brain starts thinking it can only make things with the stuff it contains.
or
in my case, (zoom out from the analogy) I start thinking only in terms of affecting the world around me in the city I live in (which I’ve officially decided is small) and I start thinking of things to do, projects or work, that only involves the institutions right in front of me or the organizations right in front of me. I think this is only natural in some ways, your body and brain adapting to your location, but I also think it can be so stifling sometimes that you just need a change of scenery so you can have a new idea.

Why do I feel entitled to this journal-esque blog entry? Well because I do. In the place I’m in right now everything closes down at 7pm and if you don’t have
daydreaming and rambling then you don’t have very much at all.

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Posted in Art perhaps..

Where is 100 Days in the News?

allyreeves — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:35:08 +0000

Dear readers: 100 Days in the News has taken a step forward by getting a nifty little site of it’s own apart from the In Lieu blog! What does this mean? Several things:

1. Yes Oh Yes the project is still kicking. >>>kick!!!<<<

2. If you subscribed to In Lieu like a faithful reader, and you would still like to receive 100 Days in The News updates you will need to subscribe to the new site. Visit the site and look at the column on the right. There you will see a place to jump on the RSS feed that you can attach to Google Reader. Easy right?

3. In Lieu is going to sway back towards my general writing. I hope all of this isn’t too much to follow but 100 Days needed some space of it’s own. It’s independently hosted now and that gives some added flexibility that was much needed.

Join me on the new site!!!

Posted in Art perhaps..

100 Days in the News: update update update

allyreeves — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:50:04 +0000

Yes, fine friends some of you may have noticed a slowness in my posting and it’s time to fess up and make amends. I have had a touch of the flu over the past few weeks and while I completed a number of projects, at the end of the day I was too pooped to post.

The whole experience made me question whether or not I should press on with the “consecutive” part of the 100 days project. I’ve decided to stick with it though- realizing that I am a creature who needs structure:)

It has been very meaningful to read the news to know I need to respond to the material at hand. I am more alive in my reading now. Hopefully I will acquire this disposition permanently.

Here we go with a barrage of posts! Each will be posted to the day it’s inspirational articles are drawn from.

Posted in Art perhaps..

100 Days in the News: day thirteen project: Bling Natural

allyreeves — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:42:44 +0000

Welcome to day 13 of the 100 Days in the news project. For 87 more days I will be pulling news stories from my Google reader and making artwork about it!

Today’s news inspirations are:

from Tree Hugger:

One Small Step Away from Extinction: Polar Bears to be Granted ‘Critical Habitat’ by Department of the Interior

by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 10. 7.08

from boingboing:

One in four mammals facing extinction

Posted by David Pescovitz, October 7, 2008 9:30 AM

and from Born Rich:

Too Hot To Handle: Diamond Encrusted Earplugs

Atul | 16 hr. ago 10.7.2008

In the face of hardship nature must adapt. With two articles in one day warning about the not so bright future our four-legged friends face it’s time to talk strategy. Fluff and whiskers just isn’t cutting it anymore. This year’s cute and furry is Bling Natural. Keep an eye out for squirrels burying designer acorns: platinum and emerald with sapphire-topped white oak acorns;perfect squirrels with modern, elite tastes- or bronze and sliver acorns topped with diamonds for winter snacks that last “forever”.

total amount of time spent: 2hrs.

cost of materials: $0

amount of fun had: $10!!!! Yee Haw! I love these things.

Posted in Art perhaps..

100 Days in the News: day twelve project: I’m a Maverick too!

allyreeves — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:13:09 +0000

Welcome to day 12 of the 100 Days in the news project. For 88 more days I will be pulling news stories from my Google reader and making artwork about it!

Today’s News Inspirations are all from Boing Boing ( thanks BB!):

The Maverick Family in Texas Asks: “Who You Callin’ a Maverick?”

Posted by Xeni Jardin, October 6, 2008 9:49 AM

and

Old timey Halloween photos

Posted by Mark Frauenfelder, October 6, 2008 9:34 AM

and

Life Incorporated

Posted by rushkoff, October 6, 2008 6:02 AM

Today’s project is a real mash-up of reading and experiences of the last 24 hrs. I’ve had the flu lately so I’ve been a bit slow about posting things- I’m not so much dying as I am generally slowed down and dealing with several projects at once.

Coming over to a friend’s house last night a neighbor heard he and I complaining about being sick and quickly offered us Airborne and Emergen-C. (note: She is an amazingly sweet neighbor the likes of which I only wish I had) This got me thinking of the vast array of flu cures that have circulated through out the centuries, and about western medicine in general which often treats symptoms rather than causes.

Last year I started thinking about health in a more holistic way and have really felt differences in mental and physical capacities. While I used to see food in terms of a simple fuel to keep me moving I’ve started trying to remind myself that whatever I’m eating will have a broad impact on how I’m feeling, thinking, and moving not only today but potentially weeks or years from now.

What if instead of handing our friends an Emergen-C when they aren’t feeling well we handed them oranges,

mangos or papayas every now and then? Maybe fruits and vegetables need labels too, or school teachers bragging about how gosh-darn good they are. Today’s project gives credit where credit is due.

total time spent: 1hr.

cost of materials: .50

amount of fun had: 6

Posted in Art perhaps..

100 Days in the News: day 11 project: Campaign Poster

allyreeves — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 03:58:07 +0000

Welcome to day 11 of the 100 Days in the news project. For 89 more days I will be pulling news stories from my Google reader and making artwork about it!

Today’s inspiration comes from the Psychology Today blog:

The power of yard signs I: Goal contagion

By Art Markman, Ph.D. on October 05, 2008 in Ulterior Motives

My roommate went to get an Obama yard sign yesterday only to find that they don’t exist in our state. Apparently yard signs are being reserved for states where spending a few extra bucks on a sign will hopefully sway some of the more reluctant voters. We put campaign signage up on our door instead but I was still aching for a yard sign- what can I say? I haven’t been rooting for a candidate this much in a long time.

I was trying to think about how to make a sign more interesting than the predictable schtick of campaign colors and symbolism. I decided to go with a Rubus puzzle in hopes of confusing my neighbors just enough to force us to have a conversation about it.

My original intention was for the sign to read: “I vote for change”, with the word “change” repeated four times to prompt “for” but as I made it I realized it could also read: “I vote for change again and again”

amount of time spent: 1.5 hr

cost of materials: $3

amount of fun had: 7

Posted in Art perhaps..

100 Days in the News: day 10 project: Frontal Cortex Cheesecake

allyreeves — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:00:52 +0000

Welcome to day 10 of the 100 Days in the news project. For 90 more days I will be pulling news stories from my Google reader and making artwork about it!

Today’s project is inspired by a blog from the Science Blogs Channel re: a blog called The Frontal Cortex:

Calories are Rewarding

Category: Brain & Behavior
Posted on: October 4, 2008 9:52 AM, by Jonah Lehrer

Today I stumbled across Jonah Lehrer’s blog and appreciated his personally driven interest in understanding what pushes us to eat something even when we are sated. I am always looking for ways to help myself memorize and understand new information and find the best way to do this is to figure out a way to make the information a more elaborate sensory experience i.e. not just sight or sound, but sight + sound+ taste+ touch+etc. I like to figure out how to create these circumstances for myself and am even more interested in passing them on.

Today’s project is proof as to why I would be an amazing parent: a cheesecake boasting an image of the very brain region that tempts us into wanting it in the first place! The brilliant little cheesecake seen below sports a spicy brain of cloves with light brown cinnamon filling in the frontal cortex-the brain region involved in your experience of motivation, reward, attention, cognition and learning to name a few of its many roles. Could it be that this sweet treat could be a quick way to lure a snacker into memorizing valuable information? Can I take a class where my lessons are contained within a meal?

It was as tasty as it is clever if you must know. I doubt this nugget of information will be slipping out of my mind any time soon!

Total amount of time spent: 2hr

total cost: $4

amount of fun had: 9! Because I got to share the cake with my roommate and the dopamine flowed like wine.

Posted in Art perhaps..

100 Days in the News: day nine project: Personalized Currency

allyreeves — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:56:11 +0000

Welcome to day 9 of the 100 Days in the news project. For 91 more days I will be pulling news stories from my Google reader and making artwork about it!

Today’s inspirations both come from Boing Boing:

Comfort Dollars

Posted by rushkoff, October 3, 2008 6:21 AM

and

Mackerel economics in prison

Posted by David Pescovitz, October 3, 2008 7:53 AM

Today’s news brings thoughts of alternative currency as the dollar weakens and small loans become unavailable. One of the first few posts I ever added to this blog was about creating local currency so it’s nice to return to this subject. While in some cases local currencies can weaken or isolate a community, in some situations it seems like a useful way to create a more fluid method of bartering among small businesses.

I thought I’d take a shot at creating a currency of my own. Wonder if local coffee shops might give it a try?

total amount of time spent: 1.5 hr

cost of materials: $0

Total amount of fun had: 5

Posted in Art perhaps..