5/14/2022 #63

Here and Now (Gerry Low-Sabado), Art (art books), Ben Denzer, Grant Hottle, Sadek Waff, Georges Perec, Love Everlasting! and DJ /rupture (Jace Clayton).

HERE AND NOW

This is where I was today:

One of the reasons so many of us were in Pacific Grove this afternoon was to honor our friend, Gerry Low-Sabado, and her work to restore dignity to the cultural legacy of her ancestors who established the pioneering Chinese Fishing Village at Point Alones. For many years, she persisted in her attempts to right the wrongs that were committed against her family members and many others who were part of that fishing community; Gerry made progress, and some allies—but sadly, she passed away last year. Soon after, those allies—such as Pacific Grove’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force—were more than willing to take up the task. Recently, the Pacific Grove City Council voted unanimously to apologize for the 1906 burning and looting of the fishing village, as well as for the racist policies suffered by those families (article from Monterey County Weekly).

The official apology was read by Pacific Grove City Councilmember Chaps Poduri.

After the opening ceremonies, everyone gathered together, formed line several blocks long, and walked to Point Alones, near Hopkins Marine Station, Cannery Row. Many held photographs of their Point Alones family members.

Gerry’s husband, Randy Sabado, led the way - flanked by the Lion Dancers.

*Note: video and photos in this section by Jean Vengua

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SIX QUESTIONS: Despite the great Q&A from Catalina Cariaga featured in EO #61, I haven’t quite gotten myself into gear to push the rest of this project forward—not today, anyway. My schedule, and certain projects have been too demanding. But it will happen!

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ART

For the last several weeks I’ve been experiencing a creative block, so have been posting older work. Finally, a few days ago, I resorted to rule-based art (“OuPeinPo”) to basically kick-start me. It’s a process that seemingly* reduces decision making to a minimum, but still provides some challenges. I returned to a project I’d been working on previously but had put on hold: several accordion-fold art books. In the process I remembered something: when I was in high school, I created a little handmade artist book. I loved doing it, and it inspired me to keep making art. Often it feels like writing and visual art are competing in my life; but it occurs to me that creating accordion-fold art books would actually bridge those two interests. And I know that, so far, I’ve only just touched the surface of what I might do with this. Here’s what I worked on this week:

*I say “seemingly” because—at least the way I do it—I still have to make some decisions about positioning or size of a unit; and some rules, like “draw an inanimate object,” still require that I choose the object to draw).

“Four-letter word” project. Each letter determines the operation. I started to incorporate requirements to draw figurative objects as a way to challenge myself to break out of abstraction.

Two other accordion-fold books in progress:

A “random word” project; letters in words chosen randomly from a dictionary determine what goes into a “unit” on the page.

This is not a rule-based book. It’s closer to a sketchbook of “automatic drawing,” but what’s drawn on each page also connects to subsequent pages.

Do you have any processes that help to jumpstart your creativity when you’re experiencing a block?

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LINKS

• Make a book with meat, or other atypical materials. By Ben Denzer (from Art Assignment):

• Rule-based painting. A short lecture by Grant Hottle:

• Original choreography created by Sadeck Waff for the paralympics farewell ceremony:

• LitTip’s brief overview of Oulipean Georges Perec’s Life: A User’s Manual jives surprisingly well with my current reading of Jodo Shin Buddhism, Jeff Wilson’s Buddhism of the Heart, especially the “unfinished,” “imperfect” and even “failed” nature of the artistic project that’s at the core of Perec’s book:

• I’m old enough to have seen the rise and fall of romance comics. I even remember seeing them on the table in the waiting room of my allergist’s office. On the front cover there was always a hetero-male/female couple in passionate embrace, and they were either in the throes of TRUE LOVE or the woman (always the woman) was teary eyed and despairing. Everlasting Productions’ Love Everlasting comics will take you there – but with a twist, lol:

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SOUNDINGS

• This is not the usual musical selection. In fact, just the opposite: From Jace Clayton (aka DJ/rupture)—Your assignment is to find the quietest place:

• More from Jace Clayton, but this time making sounds. “Salt Wood Salt Wire Salt Salt: Composition 1”:

• Clayton again, as DJ /rupture, this is a bit more “musical.” “Uproot” (full mix):

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Until next weekend, may you find your quiet place . . .