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Archive for November, 2012

Nefertiti and The Sphinx {postcard from Paris time}

Posted in art, Drawing, History of Architecture, Poetry, sketchbook, sketching, Writing, tagged , , , , , on November 30, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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Ink and lipgloss on hand. book paper. November 2012.

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There is a Room

Posted in art,poetry,writing on November 25, 2012| 1 Comment »

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Photo from lifeinitaly.com –
The Lovely Italian Doors and their Designs

 





There Is a Room in My Heart
{or  Housecleaning}


Hubris:

I am not
like other girls
walking in malls
wearing mirrors out ,
newscaster hair
brought to you by the color pink.

I am comfortable in grayscale layers,
scarlet inside.
My mind is an unfinished cathedral
made of wire
difficult to climb and tame,
crystal heart
vast, fragile and peopled.

There is a room in it
with your name.
There is a door.
There are no jails
made for our guilty eyes.
The Bull is the Goddess’ constant companion.
There is no airtight chamber
for feelings.

In our time
Planes crossed the skies
white threads crocheting
our narrative,  thin like icy air.

Woven strands of vapor and steam
our strength
blown, blown by northern winds.

Namaste,
All that is best and highest in me greets and salutes all that is best and highest in you.

I remain, ever, your trusted friend.

Forgive these broken letters.
Time is the measure of poetry.
I can only speak to you in allegories
for my mouth and hands
are bound.
This is my answer.
Shoot the artists and poets
for they play with fire.
Hide their dangerous words.

I am imperfect
I still leave
lipstick stains on pillowcases
-the eyes of a fawn in the forest-
I set my house in order
as one reorganizes
thoughts and feelings,
heart and mind.

Patience.
The fields need to be readied
before the seeds can be sown.

The names of the rooms are continuously changing,
the landscape threatening to
shatter into a million tiny pieces.
A myriad teacandles on the Ganges at Diwali-
Walls dissolving into pearls
falling in unison.

Our house was built on quicksand
thick with secrets.
I clean the city
off the window blinds.



San Diego, November 2012

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Gratitude

Posted in art,poetry,writing on November 22, 2012| 3 Comments »

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Today i am thankful for hands.
All photos by Ray Massey

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Waiting {arab family waiting for the arab film festival}

Posted in art,poetry,writing on November 16, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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The composition was irresistible.
I had to steal a photo…it was not easy.
The two twins, one seated, one perched on the armchair, reminded me of prettygreenbullet’s girls. It is her sense of aloof aesthetics that I recognized.

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Censorship of the Eye {and quiet good news}

Posted in art,poetry,writing on November 16, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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New drawings and experiments on a November night.

I received my green card today : on it my likeness and the words ‘permanent resident’..still it does not seem real.
A small piece of plastic that changes my life forever.
The price: a human heart.

Quiet celebrations (for now), a new muse, and new ways to do art, to keep showing up to the work, the words…to do it all or just one layer…but to keep trying again tomorrow.

Recommended reading:

Downcast Eyes: The Denigration of Vision in Twentieth Century French Thought by Martin Jay

The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses by Juhani Pallasmaa

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Like a Candle in a Dark Room: Happy Diwali {the festival of lights}

Posted in art,poetry,writing on November 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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Diwali, Divali, Dewali, Deepavali (Buddhism, Hindu, India)

Diwali is a five day Hindu festival which occurs on the fifteenth day of Kartika. Diwali means “rows of lighted lamps” and the celebration is often referred to as the Festival of Lights. During this time, homes are thoroughly cleaned and windows are opened to welcome Laksmi, goddess of wealth. Candles and lamps are lit as a greeting to Laksmi. Gifts are exchanged and festive meals are prepared during Diwali. The celebration means as much to Hindus as Christmas does to Christians.

Because there are many regions in India, there are many manifestations of the Diwali festival. In at least one area, the festival begins with Dhanteras, a day set aside to worship Laksmi. In the Indian culture, wealth is not viewed as a corruptive power. Instead, a wealthy person is considered to have been rewarded for good deeds of a past life.

On the second day Kali, the goddess of Strength, is worshipped. This day also focuses on abolishing laziness and evil.

On the third day (the last day of the year in the lunar calendar), lamps are lighted and shine brightly in every home. The lamp symbolizes knowledge and encourages reflection upon the purpose of each day in the festival. The goal is to remember the purpose throughout the year.

The fourth day of Diwali falls on the first day of the lunar New Year. At this time, old business accounts are settled and new books are opened. The books are worshipped in a special ceremony and participants are encouraged to remove anger, hate, and jealousy from their lives.

On the final day (Balipratipada) of the festival, Bali, an ancient Indian king, is recalled. Bali destroyed the centuries old philosophies of the society. However, in addition to this, he is remembered for being a generous person. Thus, the focus of this day is to see the good in others, including enemies.

From the University of Kansas Medical Center


Diwali this year starts on November 13. Blessings and light to those near and far.

…

You can go into a pitch black room full of
evil, full of darkness, and light the smallest candle : instantly that darkness flees.
But you can’t do the opposite.
You can’t go into a room full of light, truth, wisdom, joy, health and harmony with the universal power, with amount of darkness, and have any effect whatsoever.

Paraphrased from a Len Horowitz quote.

A candle loses nothing of its light by lighting another candle.

James Keller


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We Interrupt This Broadcast

Posted in art,poetry,writing on November 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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Sleeping under the American Flag. San Diego, November 2012.


1. There are an estimated 10.000 homeless people in San Diego county.

2. This estimate does not comprise of people sleeping and living in their car.

3. The winter shelter that is about to open after much waiting has 400 beds.

4. There has been a 20% increase in homelessness in the past two years, and many are homeless as a result of continued recession, job loss and home repossession by banks.

5. 32% of the homeless in San Diego have a four-year college degree.

6. There are approximately 30,000 vacant houses, condos and apartments in San Diego County. See below for more info.



In North San Diego County alone, as of August 2011, there were 15,168 vacant homes (3.5% vacancy ). In Southwest San Diego County (Metro) houses, condos and apartments went from 88,090 to 191,513 due to the early 2000’s building frenzy. By 2010 Southwest County had 7.9 % (vacancy).
This means that in the metro area, where most homeless people are found, there are 15,129 vacant houses, condo and apartments. Data is extrapolated from info found here.

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Le Cirque des Rêves

Posted in art,poetry,writing on November 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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San Diego. November 2012.

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The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

From the novel ‘The Night Circus’

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Variations on a Saturday Night …and Gillian Welch

Posted in Architectural Photography, art, Art Gallery, Art Show, Digital Manipulation, Music, NaBloPoMo, Photography, Poetry, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 10, 2012| 3 Comments »

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The set above was designed by Jenna Ann Mac Gillis for the performance
‘The Desperate Characters of Mercer County’ which took place at San Diego Space for Art on November 10, 2012. Read all the lurid details of this Americana story here.

…

Like a Gillian Welch Song

I can feel poetry
rise out of silence
like an undeniable tide,
a Polaroid floats to the surface.

The words appear
Oh honey, just take out your lighter,
they are written in lemon juice

Loving you was like
carrying a cardboard suitcase
in the rain

In the absence of

I collect mugs by my bedside
Ride in empty buses
-straw bale leggings-
and always get to the theather
after the movie ended

I walk among the Saturday night revelers huddled around a screen
-the miniskirts march in lockstep

It’s date night in San Diego
a cold one too
knights in shirt sleeves have donated their coats
and presents are opened inside cars.

I steal glances and compose poems
that don’t help anyone tonight.
The lines start to sound
like a Gillian Welch song.
If you have a mind like a diamond,
expect it to cut.

I was in love with the dream of you
And now I am shackled to a ghost.

Some kinds of pain never die;
they can only ease a little,
and not every day.



San Diego, November 2012

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Night Sky | Aquarius

Posted in art,poetry,writing on November 9, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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We Are All Dreams { digital derives }

Posted in art, Cures for the Nothing, Digital Manipulation, Experiments, F R A G M E N T S, Painting, Thinking with my hands, tagged , , , , on November 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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Poem at 4.17

Posted in Le flâneur, Poetry, tagged , , on November 7, 2012| 2 Comments »

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Poem at 4.17 AM

You left me with all the pieces of the engine laid on rags – garage floor

I sat there wearing my nightgown trying to make sense of the puzzle – there are no instructions and I’m not a mechanic

I sat there for a year.

On some nights I imagined them chess pieces, and played against
you, them, myself

On some other nights I wrote on walls with no ink or feather
about snake charmers
and wolves in sheep’s clothing

Narcissus was tired
The Prince’s treasure, under lock, turned out to be a room full of mirrors.

Mornings I thought

For a summer I made sculptures and looked at photos

That night in the warehouse, our distracted dance, our last

You drove away
with an engine-less car.

San Diego, November 2012

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History of Architecture: Analysis and Synthesis Through Visual Notes | Paper Abstract

Posted in Architecture, architecture, art, Art Show, art,poetry,writing, Drawing, Graphic Design, Ink, Lectures, Paper Goods, Research, school, School Work, Watercolor, writing, tagged , , , , , on November 2, 2012| 1 Comment »

Drawing by Jackie McDowell.

I am posting the first of a series of samples of student work from the exhibit  History of Architecture: Analysis and Synthesis Through Visual Notes. Moving chronologically, today we start with the Beginnings of Architecture.  This body work was completed for the Graduate History of Architecture sequence, comprising of three courses, which i taught during the 2011-2012 school year.

I will also post some photos from the Exhibit.

These visual notes are by Jackie McDowell.

Drawing by Jackie McDowell.

Drawing by Jackie McDowell.

And here is the  paper abstract summarizing the project objectives and research purpose.  The full paper will be presented and published next Spring. 

History of Architecture: Analysis and Synthesis Through Visual Notes

Miti Aiello, Full-Time Faculty

NewSchool of Architecture and Design, San Diego, California

The need to update and make relevant the study of History of Architecture in an evolving profession and academic environment has never been more urgent: our discipline demands not only an expanded scope (mandatory inclusion of global or ‘non-western’ traditions and architecture of the vernacular), but new methods of delivery and course projects that are interdisciplinary, that bridge the divide between studio courses and history and that educate the young practitioner in reading history utilizing the same
methods learned in design practice.

Spiro Kostof, the legendary UC Berkeley architectural historian, advocated giving students “something tangible to carry away to the drafting table”.

It is possible to adopt an educational methodology that questions monumental architecture of the past and the traditional, vernacular “architecture without architects” in the same way as students approach a design problem in studio. Hans Morgenthaler’s “Chronology versus System: Unleashing the Creative Potential of Architectural History” – which served as this paper’s catalyst- denounced the inadequacy of relying on the chronological organization of history and suggested designing the History course as a series of design problems or buildings/events, illustrated through architectural drawings (the language of our profession) and not photos. History of Architecture instructors are encouraged to “occupy themselves simultaneously with the study of the past, with critique, and with invention”.

The argument for learning history through drawing, in this case in the form of student-generated visual notes based on textbook reading is related to the ‘invention’ mentioned above and supported by Morgenthaler: “This approach derives from the understanding that a drawing is capable of communicating information about buildings impossible through other means. In addition, as a subjective record, drawings could become part of the history of ideas, as opposed to photographs, which are only evidence. Moreover, drawings express the “belief in architectural precedent and typology which gave relevance to history.” Rachael McCann in her “Exploding the History Survey” also introduced ‘graphic summary pages’ as active inquiry in her course at Mississippi State University, breaking down her large lecture course in smaller sections which would investigate a question brought forth by a particular building, through visual analysis. It is clear that History of Architecture lecturers are seeking novel, more critical models to articulate the course, and better narrate “a story of architecture”.

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The Flaneur Lives (and gets published)

Posted in art,poetry,writing, tagged , , on November 1, 2012| 5 Comments »

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It is that time again. November First-ish, and like every November I will try to join the marathon of Nablopomo, and maybe even Nanowrimo. I have failed so far in my previous attempts to post everyday, and while i know that the definition of madness is doing the same thing expecting different results, every November finds me with renewed hope. I have good news today. Do you remember the post on the Flaneur? My drawing of our stroller and wanderer with turtle has caught the eye of a small, independent art press and will be used as a logo for a series of walks that will be published in pamphlet form .. ‘Basically, these are poetic/conceptual walks written by writers in different cities. Readers can buy the walks/pamphlets and take them as the writer instructs’. The project just started but please take a peek.

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