Monthly Archives: October 2013

Film Fest

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Today consisted mostly of watching movies. Movies in the morning, and in the afternoon…movies in the evening, and underneath the moon. Really though, I enjoyed seeing the student works interspersed with big production work. It made me realize just how simple filmmaking is, and simultaneously, just how hard it is.

One grade eight group learning the basics of camera shots had a series of outtakes, just a closeup, just trying to capture an angry face. The two girls in the group tried and tried again, struggling to portray anger through an assault of giggles. In the end, the straightforward task of filming someone’s angry face on camera failed. I pondered this deeply later on while watching some Quentin Tarantino scenes — now those are some angry characters!

All in all, the success of the day can be summed up by this meme.

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This Body is a Vessel

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There’s never been a time when I’ve felt completely at home in my body. There have always been times where I’ve felt too big or too small, too pimply or too hairy or too smooth, too dark or too light, my hair’s been too curly, my hair’s been too straight.

The performers in high school drama always seemed to know their bodies best – they knew that we’re always shape shifting. They seemed to be most aware of the fact that we are always changing – they just put their minds two steps ahead of their bodies and acted the part. “I’m no octopus, but I might be later on, so here’s how it feels to be an octopus. It’s not so bad – I can maybe get used to this!”

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I was working on a series of lesson plans lately that would have the theme of the body. I realized that if there was anything that could get any young person to feel at home in who they live, that’d be a great lesson. How do you get someone to be aware of their body without feeling self-conscious of it? How do you get someone to be conscious of their body if they’re generally unaware?

In the end, I resorted to having the students interact with each others’ bodies. Paint a peer’s legs or arms, or paint their back or face. Is interacting with a friend’s body work out the same issues as working with your own? Now your just comparing bodies. “So and so has blonde hair while mine is just a boring brown.”

The only thing you can do is act like the drama kids and try it on.

The Super Suburbs and Cities

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“All constructed places and spaces exist for the use, pleasure, convenience and support of human activities,” or so says Associate Professor in the Art Education Department, Paul Langdon, at Concordia University in his essay Sensing the City. However, look left, look right, and all I see are dingy, dicey architectural decisions, risky roadways, and uninhabitable suits. I wonder sometimes if the planners of these living spaces were/are even vaguely aware of the purposes of their designs — to encourage human endeavours in the environments that they’ve made, to promote well-being and to contribute to the factors of safety, security and prosperity. I’ve lived in so many apartments in this city below ground, wondering, why even build a human home below street level when it has the potential to cause so much emotional misery or c02 poisoning?  And what’s the point of these miniature abodes without the decency of balconies? And we as citizens have responsibilities to make the most of our spaces too — who are all these people driving large SUVs through the tiny urban streets of Vancouver?

It’s not all doom and gloom — there are some pretty excellent constructed locations around town, like the beach — which is man-made.

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An ever-changing, unresolved space, open to so many potentials, used by many, public property, and home port of my sailboat.

As for suburban spaces, that’s a whole other story. James Howard Kunstler, author, blogger, speaker extraordinaire sums it up nicely, and it’s worth the watch. One of my favourite TED Talks that describes perfectly the state of most localities in North America:

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My favourite, less mentioned form of constructed spaces are those of the transient realm. What of the short-term properties, the nomadic recreational vehicles, the portable camps and the wandering water-craft? There’s nothing like the sound of rain on your tent’s canvas, knowing that when you stuff those temporary walls away into the stuff bag, you’ll leave nothing behind but maybe the imprint of the spot where you slept, and the holes in the dirt where you drove in the pegs. The makeshift, non-permanent places are my favourite.

 

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Sochat

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When I was in high school, I used to AIM and MSN Messenger with my friends all the time. I used to write a lot. Man oh man, I’d come home in the evening, after a whole day of learning, reading, processing, and just chat chat chat on the keyboard about silly nothingness until late late late.

I used to message good friends, acquaintances, and people I’d never met in real life. With my good friends, folks like Juli(a), we’d just go on and on about music, Barenaked Ladies, concerts and songwriting. We used to write songs. We used to write in complete sentences. I had a dictionary on the desk next to my computer. I used to write a lot.

I’d hit up any leisurely contact on my list and have a debate. We’d discuss Toronto, we’d discuss the Leafs and the Senators. I would tell them all about how the drummer Tyler Stewart threw a couple of Typhoon drumsticks into the crowd at a show and I caught one. We’d argue song meanings, song titles and chords.

I don’t think I’m nearly as articulate I was then. I don’t have those kinds of written debates anymore. I’ve given up on conversation out on Reddit — that gigantic forum is notorious for having harsh response. Sometimes I’ll have a good conversation about veganism or two.

People like to fuss about egomania in social media. I like attention just as much as the next person — in order to converse. I like to deliberate. I’ve been trained to argue my work. I put up a picture, and I expect critique. Please tell me why my Macbook-selfie sucks.

 

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