Along with all the epic-sized Lite-Brites and wing-flapping guardian angels at Creators Project this weekend in soggy Fort Mason, there also was plenty of super bass-heavy, heart-pumping, mind-expanding live music. Again, all free.
In the airport-hanger openness of midday in the Festival Pavilion — after a brief, freak hale storm outside — a loud, high-pitched electro-clatter came ringing down the forever long row of speakers. The culprit being Bejing indie rock act, New Pants.
With rapid energy the band bounced through hyperactive synth pop “punk disco,” while video projections by new media artist Feng Mengbo flashed on the screen behind. I most recall one song nearly matched up lyrically with clips from Spongebob Squarepants — the lyrics inexplicably being “I am not gay. Gay gay gay gay gay” and later, New Pants singer Peng Lei in a white button-up smashing a computer on stage, much to the small gathering crowd’s amusement.
After a quick trip back through the "Origin" cube and a saucy vegan tofu burger with pineapple from an Off the Grid truck (Koja Kitchen), I crawled back through the slightly more filled up hanger for always-entertaining LA noise band, HEALTH. As far as I’m concerned, the best parts of HEALTH were the drumming and the headbanging, which went hand in hand.
The experimental sounds, the mixed vocals, the frantic live show, it was great — but the drummer just killed it, and when another band member picked up the sticks to drum along in pummeling unison, it was near blistering perfection. And to my other point, I just like seeing bands headbang on stage, especially in this odd setting .
There was one true fan in the crowd — though I’m sure more were there, just possibly bodily contained — that couldn’t help but headbang along with dark flowing hair flying, jump methodically in place, and throw a near-empty cup of beer, much to the chagrin of the nerds around him.
The Antlers followed, and were rather unexciting. It was just that mild, lovely indie rock from a former blog buzz band, suitable for impassioned scenes on nighttime soaps. Though they played it well, not a whole lot of heat.
Seattle’s Shabazz Palaces brought the fun back. While the music off last year’s Black Up is sometimes playful, there’s a refined dynamic in the act, laid out by the casual-close interplay and synchronized dancing between smooth lyricist-808 controller Ishmael “'Palaceer Lazaro” Butler and bongo slapping multi-instrumentalist Tendai “Baba” Maraire. Lots of grooving followed, and some memorably awkward white boy shoulder jerks of free-form dance in the crowd.
After a round of sweet potato tator tots from Brass Knuckle, it was Zola Jesus mind-melting time. And just in time to catch that powerfully operatic voice soaring through moving single “Avalanche” off Conatus.
The diminutive vocalist, wrapped in her usual flowing, cape-y white frock, spread her winged-arms out wide during high notes, giving the illusion of a bird about to take flight, or an eerily angelic force, like the inverse of the black angel in Chris Milk’s interactive installation in the nearby Herbst Pavillion.
She was the first act of the day able to truly transcend the challenges of the wide-open space fighting the elements . Though that also could have been because the sun was finally officially down, and the true crowds were finally there, more efficiently using the room to huddle.
And this is when a balding elder with a badge around his neck began holding up his camera and filming Zola Jesus’ set. And it was right in front of me. And then I was watching the floating eerie angel through his tiny screen.
With general media personnel, bloggers, reporters, Intel people, and VICE people all there with a barrage of fancy cameras with huge lenses, or iPads, or iPhones snapping away all day, it felt like nearly everyone was there to document the event. If not for a specific outlet, most definitely for some form of social networking.
It left me wondering, who was there to simply absorb the magic in real-time? Who came for fun? Are we all part of some scary dystopia in which nothing happens but documentation? But also, perhaps paradoxically, who cares? This was a great event, tying together master creators in the worlds of technology, art, music, and food. Who am I to shit on that?
Left pondering this, I realized: my cheeks were frozen stiff, my belly ached from fried foods, and my ugly sniffling cold was rearing its ugly sniffling head. It was time to go home. Luckily, my photographer stayed behind to document Squarepusher and Yeah Yeah Yeahs for those who missed it real-time.
2012年2月9日星期四
Art Installations and Performance by Aman Sandhu
Aman Sandhu's artwork, re-, is a performance and sound sculpture that includes five speed-cubers who will continuously be solving the Rubik's cube for two hours. Each speed-cuber will have a microphone attached to their sleeves and the sound captured will be amplified through speakers placed outside the gallery. This artwork exposes and exaggerates hidden processes while also addressing anxieties about incompletion. The Rubik's cube was created by Erno Rubik, a sculptor and architect, in 1974. He first called it the "Magic Cube", and the traditional 3x3 format has 43 quintillion possible figurations, but only one solution.
Sandhu is currently studying Sculpture at OCAD.
The mathematical equation of the Lokta-Volterra model measures the rate of change of predator to prey taking dynamics of environment into consideration. This equation proves that the predator is solely reliant on the prey and if the prey diminishes, the predator population extinguishes or finds new prey. Tamhane’s sculptural installation consists of box with a python and a rabbit separated by a clear layer. This work, titled ‘Dumb Bunny’, evolved from a series of drawings that discuss consumption and how different societies confront the natural cycle of life and death. The consumer and that which is created to be consumed are a co-dependent, co-reliant relationship that evolve together and become more and more sophisticated for each other. Tamhane is an artist and curator, currently based in Toronto, Canada, and has been exhibiting since 2009 in Delhi , Bangalore .
Doug and Debbie Grills of D & D Exotics are kindly lending an 18-foot python, who is currently under risk of being euthanized by the city of Oshawa because the company is wrongly being accused of reselling rescued reptiles and may have to shut down. The rabbit is also being lent by these owners and is not a feeder rabbit.
Reposado's (at 136 Ossington) is kindly offering half-off appetizers and $2 off their featured tequila from 7:30-8pm, while the second installation is set up.
Sandhu is currently studying Sculpture at OCAD.
The mathematical equation of the Lokta-Volterra model measures the rate of change of predator to prey taking dynamics of environment into consideration. This equation proves that the predator is solely reliant on the prey and if the prey diminishes, the predator population extinguishes or finds new prey. Tamhane’s sculptural installation consists of box with a python and a rabbit separated by a clear layer. This work, titled ‘Dumb Bunny’, evolved from a series of drawings that discuss consumption and how different societies confront the natural cycle of life and death. The consumer and that which is created to be consumed are a co-dependent, co-reliant relationship that evolve together and become more and more sophisticated for each other. Tamhane is an artist and curator, currently based in Toronto, Canada, and has been exhibiting since 2009 in Delhi , Bangalore .
Doug and Debbie Grills of D & D Exotics are kindly lending an 18-foot python, who is currently under risk of being euthanized by the city of Oshawa because the company is wrongly being accused of reselling rescued reptiles and may have to shut down. The rabbit is also being lent by these owners and is not a feeder rabbit.
Reposado's (at 136 Ossington) is kindly offering half-off appetizers and $2 off their featured tequila from 7:30-8pm, while the second installation is set up.
2011年11月22日星期二
A study in contrasts
If Mitt Romney is weak broth, Newt Gingrich is a bouillon cube. Watching the two Republican presidential front-runners in New Hampshire over two days has been a study in contrasts. Romney is a known conservative ingredient suitable in a main dish. Gingrich is a powerful dose of partisan flavor to be used sparingly.
Gingrich is having his moment now because he offers punchy answers and ready solutions to seemingly insoluble problems. If he endures an examination of his personal baggage, his record on the issues, and his private-sector career, it will be in part because he is the "Republican Ideas Man." But when you listen to those ideas--the scope of the change he is proposing, and the punch with which he delivers his pitch--you get the sense that that voters may not be interested in the Gingrich past because they're too scared of the Gingrich future.
As Romney finished a four-day campaign swing through the state where he has dominated the polls, he touted his recent spending reduction plan and offered his carefully honed lines. President Obama "said if he was unable to get this economy turned around, he would be looking at a one-term proposition," Romney said. "Well, I'm here to collect."
Romney is the safe and steady candidate, and he joked about that when handing out sandwiches at a local diner." This is Mitt Romney "raw and unleashed," he said, referring to a Saturday Night Liveskit that made fun of his boring personality. (It's true: There are reports he returned a VCR tape in the late 1980s without rewinding.)
Listening to Gingrich is a more rock-'em-sock-'em experience. He's a whirring dispensary of ideas and insults. He's going to eliminate White House czars on his first day in office. The supercommittee "is the single dumbest legislative idea" he's ever heard of. Government retraining will be available for lawyers who lose their jobs because of tort reform. The delay in building a border fence is "utterly stupid."
It's easy to see why Gingrich is appealing to Republican voters. They don't need to imagine the stupidity in Washington that Gingrich lampoons. His ideas sound thoughtful. He is good with a political attack or jibe, which is appealing to voters trying to find the magic trick to beating an incumbent. So when Gingrich boasts that he is the best candidate because he can beat President Obama in debates, he adds that Obama won't possibly say no to his suggested three-hour Lincoln-Douglas-style debate because an Ivy Leaguer would never admit to being "afraid to be on the same platform with a guy who taught at West Georgia College."
Gingrich is competing on Romney's turf with that claim about debates. Polls regularly show that voters believe Romney is one who can beat Obama. His business background gives him a good pitch on the economy. Gingrich is trying to leverage his impressive performances in the debates into an argument for why he can go the distance.
Like many of Gingrich's theories, it sounds good--but general election debates will have a different audience. Gingrich won't be pitching to conservatives looking for a fighting champion. He'll be talking to independent and undecided voters. Do they really want Gingrich's message of big change, brusquely delivered?
In scope and personality Gingrich asks a lot. He's talking about profound change. (His boldness is a regular theme of his talks.) But people are already bounced around by change. Do voters really want a constant flow of it from the professor? Even if the strategy is to make government more efficient and get it out of your life, the main takeaway of the Gingrich idea flurry is that everything is going to get thrown upside down.
Gingrich is having his moment now because he offers punchy answers and ready solutions to seemingly insoluble problems. If he endures an examination of his personal baggage, his record on the issues, and his private-sector career, it will be in part because he is the "Republican Ideas Man." But when you listen to those ideas--the scope of the change he is proposing, and the punch with which he delivers his pitch--you get the sense that that voters may not be interested in the Gingrich past because they're too scared of the Gingrich future.
As Romney finished a four-day campaign swing through the state where he has dominated the polls, he touted his recent spending reduction plan and offered his carefully honed lines. President Obama "said if he was unable to get this economy turned around, he would be looking at a one-term proposition," Romney said. "Well, I'm here to collect."
Romney is the safe and steady candidate, and he joked about that when handing out sandwiches at a local diner." This is Mitt Romney "raw and unleashed," he said, referring to a Saturday Night Liveskit that made fun of his boring personality. (It's true: There are reports he returned a VCR tape in the late 1980s without rewinding.)
Listening to Gingrich is a more rock-'em-sock-'em experience. He's a whirring dispensary of ideas and insults. He's going to eliminate White House czars on his first day in office. The supercommittee "is the single dumbest legislative idea" he's ever heard of. Government retraining will be available for lawyers who lose their jobs because of tort reform. The delay in building a border fence is "utterly stupid."
It's easy to see why Gingrich is appealing to Republican voters. They don't need to imagine the stupidity in Washington that Gingrich lampoons. His ideas sound thoughtful. He is good with a political attack or jibe, which is appealing to voters trying to find the magic trick to beating an incumbent. So when Gingrich boasts that he is the best candidate because he can beat President Obama in debates, he adds that Obama won't possibly say no to his suggested three-hour Lincoln-Douglas-style debate because an Ivy Leaguer would never admit to being "afraid to be on the same platform with a guy who taught at West Georgia College."
Gingrich is competing on Romney's turf with that claim about debates. Polls regularly show that voters believe Romney is one who can beat Obama. His business background gives him a good pitch on the economy. Gingrich is trying to leverage his impressive performances in the debates into an argument for why he can go the distance.
Like many of Gingrich's theories, it sounds good--but general election debates will have a different audience. Gingrich won't be pitching to conservatives looking for a fighting champion. He'll be talking to independent and undecided voters. Do they really want Gingrich's message of big change, brusquely delivered?
In scope and personality Gingrich asks a lot. He's talking about profound change. (His boldness is a regular theme of his talks.) But people are already bounced around by change. Do voters really want a constant flow of it from the professor? Even if the strategy is to make government more efficient and get it out of your life, the main takeaway of the Gingrich idea flurry is that everything is going to get thrown upside down.
2011年9月14日星期三
Cube Litening Super HPC Pro review
The Super HPC Pro has more modest components than the 2010 Shimano Di2-equipped Super HPC, but Cube isn’t cutting corners with its Ultegra and FSA gearing, Syntace stem, bar and seatpost, Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels and Schwalbe tyres. And this model is also more practical for most riders. The separate seatpost may add a few grams compared with the all-in-one seatmast of the Di2-equipped model, but it’s a boon if you ever have to box it for flying or stick it in the back of your car. It has the same tapered Easton EC90SL fork though. Made of unidirectional carbon, it’s light and stiff and contributes to the Cube’s lightning-quick direction changes. Its Litening name may be misspelt – Germans, eh? – but it’s not a misnomer.
This super-quick handling comes courtesy of a monocoque frame with the usual modern attributes: tapered head-tube, oversized bottom bracket shell with press-fit bottom bracket, and oversized carbon bar and seatpost. It all feels suitably stiff and Teutonically efficient, but slim seatstays, the oversize carbon Syntace bar and Fizik’s manganese-railed Arione saddle keep any discomfort at bay even during long, hard rides.
Ultegra does its usual excellent job, aided by FSA’s high quality and well finished SL-K Light chainset with its hollow carbon fibre arms. This shifted perfectly, and proved both flex and creakfree. Ours came with a standard 53/39 chainset, which made some of our local climbs hard going, but the Super HPC Pro is also available at the same price with a lower geared 50/34 compact option for those who prefer to spin rather than crank their way up the hills. There’s also a second colour option available, Cube’s much more muted ‘Blackline’ which lives up to its name.
Wheels and tyres match up to Cube’s high standards. The Fulcrum Racing 5s come in at a decent weight, are stiff and, in our experience, should prove durable too. Schwalbe’s excellent Ultremo ZX tyres complement these superbly, combining good rolling resistance and excellent grip with a layer of Kevlar for puncture protection. Performance from wheels and tyres was faultless.
Geometry is the same as all Cube road bikes, our 56cm test bike having a 54.5cm effective top-tube, which is about 15-20mm shorter than typical for a 56cm frame. This contributes to the rapid and direct handling of the Cube, but does mean you have to take care with sizing, particularly if you’re long in the upper body or arms. Overall, though, this is about as good as it gets at this price for a high performance mile-eating machine that balances comfort and performance so well.
This super-quick handling comes courtesy of a monocoque frame with the usual modern attributes: tapered head-tube, oversized bottom bracket shell with press-fit bottom bracket, and oversized carbon bar and seatpost. It all feels suitably stiff and Teutonically efficient, but slim seatstays, the oversize carbon Syntace bar and Fizik’s manganese-railed Arione saddle keep any discomfort at bay even during long, hard rides.
Ultegra does its usual excellent job, aided by FSA’s high quality and well finished SL-K Light chainset with its hollow carbon fibre arms. This shifted perfectly, and proved both flex and creakfree. Ours came with a standard 53/39 chainset, which made some of our local climbs hard going, but the Super HPC Pro is also available at the same price with a lower geared 50/34 compact option for those who prefer to spin rather than crank their way up the hills. There’s also a second colour option available, Cube’s much more muted ‘Blackline’ which lives up to its name.
Wheels and tyres match up to Cube’s high standards. The Fulcrum Racing 5s come in at a decent weight, are stiff and, in our experience, should prove durable too. Schwalbe’s excellent Ultremo ZX tyres complement these superbly, combining good rolling resistance and excellent grip with a layer of Kevlar for puncture protection. Performance from wheels and tyres was faultless.
Geometry is the same as all Cube road bikes, our 56cm test bike having a 54.5cm effective top-tube, which is about 15-20mm shorter than typical for a 56cm frame. This contributes to the rapid and direct handling of the Cube, but does mean you have to take care with sizing, particularly if you’re long in the upper body or arms. Overall, though, this is about as good as it gets at this price for a high performance mile-eating machine that balances comfort and performance so well.
2011年5月18日星期三
A Bafta, a book launch and a magician: Neighbours celebrate hat-trick of successes in the same week
A street in a sleepy village of just eight houses is celebrating a stunning hat-trick of successes.
Gifted neighbours in East Bergholt, Suffolk, have won a BAFTA, published a book and been accepted into the Inner Magic Circle - all within a week of each other.
High-flying Julian Healy, 41, Pavlenka Small, 56, and Dr Todd Landman, 45, live in the small cluster of homes in Mission Lane.
Triple triumph: Dr Todd Landman, Pavlenka Small and Julian Healy all live in the small Suffolk village of East Bergholt
Triple triumph: Dr Todd Landman, Pavlenka Small and Julian Healy all live in the small Suffolk village of East Bergholt
The three friends toasted their staggering treble with a party.
TV production designer Julian won a BAFTA award for his set design of ITV's The Cube.
He said: 'We're a group of like-minded people who get on well. It's a really good support network - if you run into trouble someone will help you out.'
The popular television show, hosted by Phillip Schofield, sees contestants perform a series of tasks in a 4x4x4m Perspex cube to try and win £250,000.
Reflecting on the incredible triple success, Julian added: 'I don't usually play the lottery but I might just start now.'
Mrs Small, who lives opposite Mr Healy, is also celebrating after receiving the first copy of her newly-published book, 'From Dream To Reality - 7 Steps to Setting up a Small Business'.
The Cube: Phillip Schofield presents the popular ITV1 show which tests contestants skill, nerve and determination to win
The Cube: Phillip Schofield presents the popular ITV1 show which tests contestants skill, nerve and determination to win
The personal development and career coach said: 'I suppose it was just destined to be. What a lovely way to celebrate with people you get on so well with. We genuinely care about each other.'
She added: 'I would not want to live anywhere else. 'It's the kind of environment I have always wanted to live in and there's no better place to live.'
The street also drank to Dr Todd Landman after the respected American academic became a member of the Inner Magic Circle after passing a tough selection process.
Dr Landman, an enthusiastic magician in his spare time, is professor and director of the Institute For Democracy and Conflict Resolution at The University of Essex.
The Magic Circle, founded in London in 1905, has 1,500 members - with only 300 of them accepted into the hallowed Inner Magic Circle at one time.
Gifted neighbours in East Bergholt, Suffolk, have won a BAFTA, published a book and been accepted into the Inner Magic Circle - all within a week of each other.
High-flying Julian Healy, 41, Pavlenka Small, 56, and Dr Todd Landman, 45, live in the small cluster of homes in Mission Lane.
Triple triumph: Dr Todd Landman, Pavlenka Small and Julian Healy all live in the small Suffolk village of East Bergholt
Triple triumph: Dr Todd Landman, Pavlenka Small and Julian Healy all live in the small Suffolk village of East Bergholt
The three friends toasted their staggering treble with a party.
TV production designer Julian won a BAFTA award for his set design of ITV's The Cube.
He said: 'We're a group of like-minded people who get on well. It's a really good support network - if you run into trouble someone will help you out.'
The popular television show, hosted by Phillip Schofield, sees contestants perform a series of tasks in a 4x4x4m Perspex cube to try and win £250,000.
Reflecting on the incredible triple success, Julian added: 'I don't usually play the lottery but I might just start now.'
Mrs Small, who lives opposite Mr Healy, is also celebrating after receiving the first copy of her newly-published book, 'From Dream To Reality - 7 Steps to Setting up a Small Business'.
The Cube: Phillip Schofield presents the popular ITV1 show which tests contestants skill, nerve and determination to win
The Cube: Phillip Schofield presents the popular ITV1 show which tests contestants skill, nerve and determination to win
The personal development and career coach said: 'I suppose it was just destined to be. What a lovely way to celebrate with people you get on so well with. We genuinely care about each other.'
She added: 'I would not want to live anywhere else. 'It's the kind of environment I have always wanted to live in and there's no better place to live.'
The street also drank to Dr Todd Landman after the respected American academic became a member of the Inner Magic Circle after passing a tough selection process.
Dr Landman, an enthusiastic magician in his spare time, is professor and director of the Institute For Democracy and Conflict Resolution at The University of Essex.
The Magic Circle, founded in London in 1905, has 1,500 members - with only 300 of them accepted into the hallowed Inner Magic Circle at one time.
订阅：
博文 (Atom)