Banff DM2020, Days 2 and 3

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The view outside Kinnear 205, where we spent the majority of the past two days

Through an orchestrated frenzy of oversized multi-colored post-its, flip books, breakout sessions, brain dumps and debate, we managed to deliver some valuable data and shed light on potential future scenarios for the role of Digital Media Research at the Banff Centre. I applaud all who participated, especially the DMR Director, my old friend Mark Resch, who deftly articulated the Summit’s goals and strategies, and Gavin McGarry, the session’s facilitator and President of Jumpwire Media.

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A glimpse inside Kinnear 205 at the Banff Centre’s Digital Media 2020 Summit

Towards the end of the two day Summit, debate turned to the legitimacy of the term ‘digital media’ and what exactly it encompasses. The concensus for now is that it is not at all an apt term but will suffice out of force of habit and in lieu of anything better. ???? ????? When pressed to define ‘digital media’, Sarah Cook, an independent curator based in the UK, said she considered digital media to be any electronically produced product where ‘the means of production and the means of distribution are the same‘. We agreed that this is a paradigm of traditional craft, along with the open source and DIY strategies gaining popularity in digital media. mexico city ivermectin study

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Banff Digital Media 2020 Summit, Day 1

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A tame stretch of the Bow River

I was surprised to wake to a light snowfall after my first night at The Banff Centre. I’ve been invited to participate in the two-day Digital Media 2020 Summit, and arrived a day early to collect myself and orient to this spectacular mountain oasis nestled in the Bourgeau Mountain Range of the Canadian Rockies.

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an appealing window display at the Hudson’s Bay Company in downtown Banff

After breakfast I hiked to the town of Banff, toured the Hudson’s Bay Company store and the town’s two skate shops, then continued on to the bank of the Bow River, where I picked up a trail that meandered along its shore, over cliffs and falls to the forest. The air was tinged with sweet cottonwood despite the late season snow, and I felt revived and refreshed from the high altitude exercise. ivermectin on goats

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The Summit will be held at The Kinnear Centre for Creativity and Innovation

The group of 44 participants will assemble for the first time this evening for a general orientation. It’s a diverse crew from an international pool, representing the realms of technology, education, government, business, and cultural production. medicina ivexterm As the only one present for whom digital media is an adjunct to an art and design practice, I’m happy to be a bit of an outlier to the conversation. As a maker, I see the possibilities inherent in open/crowd sourcing, social networking and cloud streaming as extensions of my toolbox as I design and make tangible things and places. For me, the collaborative, public nature of digital media is very much a contemporary manifestation of a traditional craft ethos and methodology.

In the near future, as more people make more of their lives public, I anticipate the types of innovation in digital media will shift away from the form or interface and towards the content and quality of the narrative, and that technological innovations will increasingly emerge from our collective desire to lead interesting and meaningful lives, especially the more they are on view. I can anticipate an era of bold experimentation in visual narrative. dr. hans romey ivermectin

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Cabin Fever

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My recently completed House of Tree project, lit by kerosene lamps

I’ve always loved designing and building cabins, and was thrilled to have two simultaneous commissions over the past year and a half, both of which are recently completed. I’d like to design more of these simple, hand-built houses and intend to promote these recent projects, so we hired the architectural photographer Tim Maloney to document them. Tim shot each project in a single day, working closely with Ene, who staged the interiors. I’ve posted my favorite images from each project below, beginning with House of Tree, a tree house/observation tower that I designed for a client in West Sonoma County, built by Tom Holland and Richard Ernst. The second is a Guest House in Marin County, designed by Dotter/Solfjeld Architects, for which I was commissioned to design and build the interior, including all built-in furnishings and fixtures. All images are by Tim Maloney of Santa Rosa-based Technical Imagery. You may learn more about the development of these projects by clicking on the links above.

HOUSE OF TREE:

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H of T8 Continue reading “Cabin Fever”

Wowhaus Projects Update

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My 1/6 scale model of the humpback whale tail for our ‘Fluke’ project

The arrival of spring typically finds Ene and myself juggling proposals, installations and fabrication at the wowhaus studio, having spent the rainy months laying the groundwork for new production in public sculpture, furniture and product design. We’re particularly excited about a new commission from the City of Santa Cruz to create a public project for the new NOAA Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center. We proposed making a full scale whale tail to be cast in bronze and sited at the new building’s entryway courtyard, for which we also designed a colorful hardscape. Based on the stylized tail of a diving humpback whale, the sculpture is called ‘Fluke’ and will be approximately 13′ long and 3.5′ high.

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rendering of ‘Fluke’, showing the hardscape (illustration by Chemisa Kellogg)

I carved a 1/6 scale model of the sculpture, which is now being scanned by Scansite in West Marin County, one of the world’s most reputable 3d scanning services. A full scale 3d model will then be CNC cut in foam, which we will texture with plaster before molds are made and it is cast in bronze by Berkeley’s Artworks Foundry. I carved the model from old growth coast redwood and Alaskan yellow cedar, both species native to the Pacific Coast where the humpback whale makes its annual migration. The tight grain allowed me to cut precise, symmetrical  contours by eye using tiny spokeshaves, the grain’s pattern changing subtly enough with each shaving to match the two sides. I would occasionally rub the model with wood ash to expose slight imperfections.

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Our ‘Watershed Creek Marker’ project is being installed at 5 sites in Oakland (photo: Ken Katz)

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(photo: Ken Katz)

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mother & daughter peets

Meanwhile, Ene has been working with a construction crew in Oakland, installing the cast bronze stepping stones for our ‘Watershed Creek Marker’ project at five sites throughout the City. To read more about the development of this public art project, click here and scroll down.

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research for the visual identity of SHED, a project in development in Healdsburg

I’ve also been working closely with Cindy Daniel, Doug Lipton, and Mark Jensen Architects, designing furnishings and consulting on the visual identity and material culture for SHED, an innovative new concept combining local food and garden-related retail, and community gathering under one roof. The project will soon be under construction in Healdsburg, CA, and I’ve thus far designed and prototyped three new chairs, several built-in seating and retail display units, and two types of table, one of which has a stacking base and easily disassembles for storage. I will post more as this project takes shape. Meanwhile, please click here to follow earlier posts.

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prototype of my shed stool concept, which can be modified for use as an indoor/outdoor cafe chair


Joan Martin Constable 1936-2011

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Joan M. Constable 1936-2011

Joanie’s joyous and generous spirit encouraged the same in others. Throughout her life, she found immediate and often lasting connection with everyone she encountered. ????? ???? Joanie sought out the best in people, always willing to expose her own vulnerabilities to put people at ease and find common ground.

While broad minded and generally tolerant in her judgement of others, Joanie was a fierce advocate and uncompromising champion of the things she held most dear, ranging from progressive education to the best brand of laundry soap.

Like all great performers, Joanie was first and foremost a dedicated and loyal fan, and eagerly cheered on her many friends, students and especially her family. Her stage was daily life and her story was in sharing its bounty. ?????????? ???? ?????

Most significantly, Joanie served as a touchstone to us all, the irreplaceable steward of our inner lives. For this she will be most missed, but the greatest gift of her life is in demonstrating what is truly important. She leaves us all with no regrets and will forever remain the touchstone of our hearts. arab casino

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Colin Reedy’s Dispatch from Bali

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A Balinese Jukung (photos by Colin Reedy)

The following text and images are by my old friend Colin Reedy, who has been making an extended excursion by scooter throughout the countryside of western Bali. Colin is a Seattle-based designer and adventurer, who recently completed an expedition down the Mekong River by kayak. Thanks Colin!


Balinese Jukung by Colin Reedy

Living the past 18 years in the Pacific Northwest brought me familiarity with a wide range of watercraft: sailboats, kayaks, runabouts, tugs, and numerous types of fishing boats. Each vesselʼs lines and design details clearly communicate itʼs purpose. I feel like I understand the language of boats at a glance but always enjoy improving my fluency by discovering new parts and nautical systems with curious functions. Traveling through a different culture brings a flood of observations in everyday life, but I especially appreciate how a culture designs and builds its boats.

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No boat Iʼd seen around Seattle prepared me for my first glance at a Balinese “jukung”. ?????? ??????? Iʼm not sure which hit me first, the bright gaudy colors or the odd proportions of a narrow hull and spindly outriggers, called ʻamasʼ. Hundreds of these boats crouch on Baliʼs beaches like insects having just crawled out of the sea. And like just about everything else in Bali, the jukung boats are spiritual entities whose creation and use follow long established traditional practices. ??????? ??? ??? ?????

On a recent scooter-powered road trip around western Bali, I took a spontaneous turn off the main road in search of a route to the black sand beaches not far in the distance. These little side wanders thru rural village alleys, rice fields, and even footpaths often lead to good discoveries and chance encounters. This wander didnʼt get me to the beach, but dead-ended at the bank of a shallow river where five men worked around the construction of a new jukung.

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Traveler’s Mindset

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The final bend home on my return from the coast along Estero Americano

Some days I like to do things that help me maintain a Traveler’s Mindset, so critical to sustaining the enjoyment and success of our wowhaus projects. Yesterday I rode the tide down my favorite local waterway, Estero Americano, to the mouth where it drains to the sea. With the tide moving at about two knots and a rare land breeze at my back, I reached the coast with minimal effort and was able to enjoy watching birds and listening to the fields draining in rivulets and miniature waterfalls along the way. ??? ??? The route is becoming familiar and I knew just where to position the boat in the channel of the slough to take advantage of wind and wave. ???? ???????

A simple, half-day excursion like this has many parallels to the life cycle of our projects. The beginnings are straightforward, almost mechanical, following known protocols we’ve patterned through experience. The destination and goals are hypothetical, with room left for adjustments along the way as conditions change. The return trip can be more arduous than expected, but it becomes evident that the ultimate point of the journey is safe passage to home turf, and the clarity of perspective to recognize its beauty. ?????? ?????????

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homeward stretch on Estero Americano