the whitney b..

Reading the New yorker review of this year's Whitney Biennial..Schjeldahl talks about how the curators percieve the latest currents int he art worls to be more inward looking rather than issue based-I think this is a shame wrt green practices..more works should be aligned with green practices driving studio practices, and also green issues in general..a good review overall though see it here:

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/artworld/2008/03/17/080317craw_artworld_schjeldahl

philagraphika

I am in this show and very excited about my new piece which features both recycled packaging and relief print:
http://seraphin.squarespace.com/printable-philagrafika/

Recycled Materials Project

Please check out my latest project the RE: shade a collaborative effoert with Beth Emig and Betty Bluvshtein theis project is made from a recycled quiznos sign panel and is being featured in the Philly Works Exhibit at the UPenn School of Design info Below:

Philly Works
Meyerson Hall 34th and Walnut
Opening Event Friday October 9 5:30-11pm
Exhibit Open:
October 7-10 12-4pm

The Re:shade can be seen at:

http://reshadow.blogspot.com/

ready to post

Ok summer is almost gone, and our travels are over..this blog has languished due to what a busy summer its been. I have completed a collaborative project using recycled sign materials, the link for that project will appear here shortly, but I wanted to say a few words about how the focus of my research has changed over the past few months. I am realizing that there are very few artists working with recycled materials, I have started to include them in my art practice and they are becoming part of my method. I am wondering why so few artists have found the re-use of materials to be a valid enterprise, and I can only say that it must be an issue of control, its hard to control what you are not sure about. When one re-uses materials, you take the luck of the draw in some ways in what material you get..My work lately has included a lot of recycled packaging, we go through a lot of cereal and crackers in my house, the boxes for these things have always struck me a beautiful raw material..this link links to a page of my recent work so you can see what I am talking about:
http://www.myartspace.com/artistInfo.do?populatinglist=home&subscriberid=hg8yx2t8k9u2lz81

glad to be blogging again..

dumpster pools

Pools made from re-used dumpsters! VERY INTERESTING!

http://www.readymade.com/blogs/readymade/2009/07/07/dumpster-diving/

RIO EYES

Artwork in the Favela of Rio ....this is an area of that city my studio studied in 2008, they live and build on top of each other there, this work is amazing..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8091890.stm

Ok so its been a while since my last post here isa quickie about a street art team that uses old fur coats to make graffitti art that comments on nature:

http://www.babelgum.com/html/clip.php?clipId=3020158&utm_campaign=cat_metropolis&utm_medium=cpc_socialmedia&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=FurGraffiti&utm_term=

plastiki

http://www.adventureecology.com/theplastiki/

Interesting expedition across the pacific on a boat made out of plastic bottles..great you tube trailer I would love more info about the actual vessel...in the trailer when the truck is pouring out plastic bottles the length of the pour really made me think about all the drinking that lead to all those bottles...

materials reuse on my mind and in my past

I have been trying to write this post for a few days now..I am drawn to this topic by my childhood traveling experience. when I was 8 we moved to Nigeria for a year and a half; I saw things there that have stayed with me since. The one thing that struck me was how the people there were able to get by with so little. Everyone had very few clothes and household objects; things were constantly re-used there. A house could be mud or sticks or old signs. I am still thinking about this over 19 years later and I can't get it out of my head. I found some images on Flickr that evoke- in a way- some of the paucity/abundance of that place and I am posting one of them here as a sort of placemarker. I would love to hear from you about your cultural experiences with poverty; necessity and culture.

Image by Alf Gilman flickr

also I will be posting some images from a studio that I taught last year that was on this topic, called Materials Reuse and the Megacity...stay tuned...

Illness and fatigue and a few other things

The Blog has been on my mind but far from my hands in the past two weeks as we have struggled with a never ending series of colds. I have been thinking about this idea of recycling and re-using and how its really season-dependant for me...I set up a composting system, but I can't really monitor it until the weather is warmer as a trip outside alone is impossible right now and my little ones are all too sick to go to the backyard..

I am also thinking about our connection to the outside more than ever these days as my son wants to go outside every day even when its 10 degrees...when did this primal urge stop being so urgent for all of us that we could cement our selves inside all day to work? He would always rather be out even if its wet or cold...

Here is a link to an interesting article about ditching the fridge:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/garden/05fridge.html?_r=2&hp

although I think this is not as much of an option if you have kids; and I have to be honest the woman they interviewed claims to be trying to live greeen and then she says the main thing she misses is premade foods from the grocery store; well she probably could have just given those up and kept the fridge and made almost the same impact..DUH!

and a new enviro blog referenced in that article that I really liked:

http://www.thecrunchychicken.com/

more soon....thanks and a tip'othe hat to John Armstrong

check this out!

http://www.pedalcoop.org/

re:use artist

Another artist whose work focuses on the re-use of materials and trash:
http://carriedickason.com/home.html

green home magazine

http://www.plentymag.com/

fun green site

http://www.ecorazzi.com/

AL Gore's Blog

http://blog.algore.com/

Consumer Product Safety exemption for second hand goods

Dear Ms. Nicholas:Thank you for taking the time to contact me with your concerns about the implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. I appreciate hearing from all Pennsylvanians about the issues that matter most to them. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 was signed into law on August 14, 2008. The purpose of the legislation is to provide safeguards to prevent dangerous goods from being manufactured and sold to children through better screening of noncompliant products and more effective product recalls. I supported this legislation because I believe it promotes greater safety in children's products. I understand that there are concerns about the law's interpretation and implementation as it is scheduled to take affect on February 10, 2009. In particular, I have heard from many Pennsylvanians about their ability to buy and sell second-hand children's goods. On January 8, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced an exemption for resellers, determining that thrift and consignment stores are not required to test products prior to resale. Businesses that resell children's goods are encouraged to exercise judgment in removing noncompliant products and continue to follow all product recall advisements. I understand that the Consumer Product Safety Commission continues to refine the regulations through an on-going rule-making process. I am concerned about the impact this process will have on businesses and consumers given the rapidly approaching enforcement date. I will continue to monitor the rule-making decisions of the Commission and promote quick decision-making so that businesses have an adequate time frame to respond to the new regulations. If you have specific questions about the law, please visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission's website at www.cpsc.gov/cpsia or call (301) 504-7923 to speak with a Commission representative. Again, thank you for sharing your concerns with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.If you have access to the Internet, I encourage you to visit my web site, http://casey.senate.gov. I invite you to use this online office as a comprehensive resource to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office or share with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to Pennsylvania.Sincerely,Bob CaseyUnited States Senator

Florida Trash: traveling thoughts

Ok so after a week traveling with two kids I have some thoughts about reconomics on the road.

You have to buy water when you travel on a plane. I could not come up with a way around it; for me I don't mind drinking from a tap in the airport, but for the kids it was not possible...

I ate a few meals where the level of packaging was through the roof..even though we recycled it, I still could not believe it, like 3 containers per person or something like that.

Being away from my routines made me feel even more shocked at how much packaging gets tossed in airports, and at tourist attractions..we went to the Miami seaquarium and I did not see a single recycling bin anywhere....it was a big bummer because of course all the food that you can buy there comes in plastic containers..it was discouraging to say the least...

I just think Florida is about 5 years behind us in terms of etiquette, recycling awareness all of it..I've never had so many people try to touch my baby; in Philly it seems as if people know that you don't do that and that you recycle your plastic; Florida not so...What is up with that?

Florida Trash:

The one thing I did notice was that city of Fort lauderdale collects organic yard waste separately for composting; this is good because there is a lot of it. I was there on trash day and I witnessed a lot of trash picking, in fact I actually participated a little, in that I spotted some stuff for my mom..but still people were putting big huge things out, and I think they were going into the landfull. One of the problems is that the weather is really tough on anything in your backyard, and these things wear out and look really bad very quickly so people are constantly ditching lawn chairs and poolside furniture; and no one is really trash picking that stuff unless it has hope..its a real shame.

I was completely blown away by the trash collection there..its a one man operation, they have these standardized bins that the trash truck picks up with a grappling hook, this is then dumped into a bin that sits in front of the driver and that big bin is then emptied into the body of the truck every so often. I saw one of the trucks do this periodic dumping manuever, and it of couse dumped out some stuff onto the lawn of the house it was in front of...in Philly those standardized bins would get stolen in two seconds. The truck I saw had one operator who was emptying the bins and driving; he was swerving a little here and there. Anything oversized is then collected by a separate crew with a backhoe and dump truck. Then they have trucks for recycling and the yard waste; its better system than we have here; I wonder if any of the larger stuff gets re-purposed or if they just take it straight to the landfill.

Next time I go home I am going to try and visit the landfill as I think it will be very interesting. One thing about Florida is there are a lot of animals there. Nature is not really under control at all; and not from a lack of trying. You see iguanas, racoons, egrets, seagulls, snakes, lizards, opossums and all kinds of other creatures and they are living off of the improvised ecosystems that have been imposed by our carelessness. I remember growing up my mom used rescue birds on the beach that had gotten tangled in lines or hooks left by careless fisshermen; that kind of entanglement happens so much and it seems there are still people who believe that we can control or "tame" nature. Or that we should-so sad. The good thing is the more I find out the more I talk about it; I bent a few ears on my trip and the reception was pretty positive.....

what to do with the old computer

a site for the recycling of used electronics:

http://www.eleminc.com/

thanks and a tip o 'the hat to Rebecca Rutstein

quick facts about worm composting...

http://www.redwormcomposting.com/quick-facts-about-worm-composting/

Japanese house heating thoughts

Wonderful guest post on No Impact Man about the way people use home very little home heat in Japan..I remember when my friends went there the lack of heat was something we discussed at length this is an incredible post:

http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2009/01/how-to-cut-out.html

I find it amazing that the habits that lead to less consumption also lead to more time together and relationship building. This started as a blog about how to live more responsibly but its turning into a blog about how to live in the moment responsibly...