Concert at Greek's Pizza

The View from Below
Originally uploaded by DerekSee

Tonight was bitter sweet. Stephanie invited me to a concert at Greek's Pizza (a place I had never heard of). We got some food and waited for the music to be played. A couple of artists performed, mainly just singer/guitarist. We came for DM Stith, who played last. Stephanie is friends with him from grad school. His music atmospheric. I think what really made it special was the addition of jazz trumpet, trombone, and saxophone. Randomly, the bassist is a guy I met when I was in Japan.

That was the sweet part, the bitter part was paying the cover charge, paying for James' cover charge, paying for James' and Stephanie's pizza, and then getting a parking ticket. Darn

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

Today Winnie and I took a trip downtown to check out some art. It sounded simple enough, just take the CTA to the museum. Of course, it ended up being much more difficult.

I picked up Winnie and we started driving. The only problem was that neither of us could remember how to get to Midway. We have both been there many many times, but we never really pay attention. After spotting a plane in the sky, we drive to wear we think it took off from. It didn't take long and we had found the airport. We had to circle around it until we found the train station, plus we had to get lunch and figure out where to get 1-Day passes (they no longer sell them in the train station). Turns out the nearest Currency Exchanged (yes, exchanged) ran out.

Finally we got on the train and I thought all was well. Well, we forgot to pay for parking. When we arrived at Roosevelt to transfer we walked up to the nearest person with a suitcase. She was heading to Midway and offered to take our money and pay for the parking. She actually did, the car wasn't towed or ticketed! I love the kindness of strangers!

The MCA was fantastic as always. The main exhibit was work by Olafur Eliasson. Fantastic! One highlight was a hallway filled with orange lights. Since they are monochromatic, it turned everything black and white. I've never seen an effect like that, the world turned into black and white. Another highlight featured a fan and a rope. The fan was hanging from a rope and swinging in all sorts of directions.

The next stop on our art adventure was the Michigan Ave. Art Festival. What a disappointment! It was closer to an arts and crafts festival. The only redeeming feature was the free ice cream.

After meeting up with Lindsey, we headed over to our last stop: the Chicago Cultural Center. Main exhibit: Art From China. It's the second time I've seen the exhibit. There was a good mix of work, from sculpture to photography. The highlight was a video located at the entrance. It showed the coordinated exercises and chants employees perform before work. Hilarious! We watched it twice.

Experiencing Art

The island of Naoshima in Kagawa, Japan offers many surprises. Reached only by ferry, Naoshima's charm comes from its partial isolation and intimacy. The streets are lined with a mix of traditional and modern Japanese homes, emphasis on the traditional. As we walked through the small town, we received tickets to what they said would be 6 recreated Edo period homes. The first one we entered honestly bored me, but only because I didn't understand what I was looking at..

The next home had a wonderful Japanese garden in front. After admiring the nicely trimmed landscaping, we removed our shoes and entered a dark room. Once my eyes adjusted I realized the center of the room was missing the bamboo floor and instead had a giant black pool. In the pool were many one-digit digital displays producing a seemingly random progression on numbers and letters. I was mesmerized. It didn't take long to realize these recreated Edo homes we fused with contemporary art! It was no wonder the first home was so confusing!

My favorite of the buildings held an installation by James Turrell. No more than eight people could enter the large building at any one time. Each person is led into the building by assistants because inside it is pitch black (it's very scary not being able to see your hands in front of you). They sit you down on a bench after winding through the dark hallways. I sat staring into the darkness wondering what would come next. My eyes played tricks on me. Blobs of blacks floated around as my eyes attempted to cope with the darkness. After three minutes a gray rectangle suddenly appeared in the distance. Then we stood up very quietly and began to walk through the darkness to the faint light in the distance. The assistants stopped us a few feet from the box and proceed to tell us what we just experienced. The gray box had actually been on since we entered the room, but it was so faint it took multiple minutes for our eyes to adjust to seeing it. To top it off it really wasn't a gray rectangle it was a window into another giant room, lit too look like an even toned shade of gray.

From the experience I realized you don't always see what is right in front of you and when you do sometimes you can't understand the depth. I've never experienced art in such an all encompassing and profound way. By looking at light on a wall, I found a new appreciation for the world and how I see it.

(Source)

Credits

The cinemas in Osaka are of the highest quality. The other day I went to see Terminator 4 (not my choice) at Toho Cinemas in Umeda (A). I was blown away by the cleanliness and quality of the experience, although that is what I should expect for a ticket that costs ¥1,800 (about $18). They use all digital projectors which produces the best quality image I've seen at a theater. Though impressed by the experience, I realize you can get the same in the US. What really surprised me was what happened after the movie.

The final scene ended and the screen went blank. I began to get up when I realized everyone else in the theater was still seated. Not only did they remain in their seats, they also stayed as quiet as they were during the movie (during which I didn't hear one cell phone). The entire audience quietly watched the all 6 minutes of credits roll by. Once the credits ended, the lights finally went up and the theater quitely emptied. As you left (being careful to pick up any and all trash you produced) a group of friendly employees collected your garbage at the door at sorted the cups, straws, lids, wrappers, bags, etc. into the proper recycling bins.

The experience highlighted a strong contrast between the culture in the US and Japan. Out of respect and tradition the Japanese watch the names of everyone involved in making a movie. It doesn't matter what type of movie, or its quality, each is shown it's proper respect. In the US you would be given evil stares by the cleaning staff if you were to watch all the credits.

For the same reasons as watching the credits, the theater is kept spotless. As I walked out I didn't see one misplaced piece of popcorn or forgotten napkin. The theater was left in the same condition it was found. The pride the Japanese show for their country and surroundings inspires me.

Who are the Japanese?

In an effort to develop my style, I am taking portraits.

Before now I have been too scared to take photos of strangers. Something about asking someone I did not know if I could take their photo frightened me. I now realize that if they say "no," I can just move on and take the next person's photo. It's still a little scary, but I'm getting over it. One of my goals for this trip is to capture Japan through its people.

Today at the park I took some fantastic portraits of the people. There whole park was filled with Japanese people. There were lots of races and marathons being run at the stadium, but many people were just there to enjoy their day. It made me realize how much personality and warmth the Japanese have. Everyone I talked to was friendly towards me.

I took photos of people buying plants, street musicians, children, parents, old men, old women, and anyone else I could find. It was a good day. It taught me quite a bit about the Japanese. They are some of the nicest and most genuine people I have ever met.

Osaka

Osaka is amazing. This city is the largest most chaotic metropolis I have ever seen. Yet with all the chaos, there is a peacefulness about it. The streets are small and the tiny cars are very quiet. It's so quiet, I feel like I am in the suburbs.

It is impossible to understand Osaka. The sprawling unnamed streets are teeming with little stores and restaurants. I spent half a day in just a four block area of Osaka. Just within that area there were enough little streets and stores to keep one busy for weeks. Then I find a random staircase and realize there is an entire underground world. This underworld is like a giant mall beneath the city. I just cannot get over how large Osaka is!

The program is going really well. I am really thinking about my concepts and what sort of work I want to produce. The other people on the trip are very passionate and are great to discuss ideas with. I am having so much fun!

Embarrassing Photos

Embarrassing photos can manifest themselves in many forms. You could be captured in an awkward position, be seen with your eyes closed or tongue out, making a funny face, etc. The possibilities are endless. Recently, I have discovered a new way to take embarrassing photos.

During my senior year of high school I took a black and white photography class. I used my parents old Minolta SLR. Once the class was over, I decided to primarily use my digital SLR because of greater control in development. Normally I would say that black and white film in a dark room gives you the most control, but since I was out of the class I had a significant lack of dark room.

The old Minolta was left in a sparsely used compartment of my camera bag through the summer and into my first semester of college. Then, on one of my photo expeditions, I decided to shoot old school. I was in luck, the camera informed me of 17 remaining shots on this roll of film. I really wanted to make this roll count. Every picture I was going to take on this roll was really going to mean something to me.

Taking my time, I spent the rest of the year filling the roll with quality photographs. There was portraits, nature shots, landscapes, macro, a whole slew. Just this weekend I was coming to the end of the roll. Having not finished a roll since about a year ago, I couldn't remember if it would stop automatically at the end or if it would continue to double and triple expose the last photo. I took a few shots past the 24 limit and it kept going. I began to get worried about ruining my last photos so I rewound it and opened the case.

What I found behind the light-proof door was a surprise, to say the least. I found emptiness. Well, not emptiness, but a roll of embarrassing photos. I had spent half a year meticulously setting up and taking 17 photographs but to no avail. I can only hope that none of my portrait subjects ask for the results of my shots or that none of my friends will ask me what has become of my beloved roll. This is the ultimate form of embarrassment for me when it comes to photography. My friends know me as a pretty knowledgeable photographer and I like to keep my photography up to very high standards.

I had a similar incident happen to me in the field of baking. As I am with photography, I like to be precise and careful with my baking. I have make four layer cakes, scrumptious cookies, and other delicious treats for which I am proud of. But, upon trying a very difficult devil's food cake recipe I failed. This recipe, comes from a cookbook of mine which has some of the most difficult creations. Though they all take quite a bit of time, the outcome is always worth it. Since the book uses a nonstandard measurement systems I always have to check my measurements three of four times. I didn't check enough for the baking soda. They cakes were bitter. BITTER! I was so embarrassed, I swore my family to secrecy. My reputation was on the line. Well, after having gone through the same ordeal with photography, I have found there is something to learn from these situations and I should never forget about them. Though cliché, I have learned first hand to always be careful and never take things for granted.

Luckily, I will never have to worry about anyone seeing my embarrassing photos, but unfortunately, that is what makes embarrassing.

Leaving School

My freshman year in college is over. I'm sorry because this post is going to be very sentimental and sappy. You have been warned. Well, the year is over. It went by very quickly.

I started out the year in Canada on an "IU Beginnings Trip." You move in a week early and you can choose to go on a variety of trips with a small group of people. I went on the Theatre Immersion trip. We went to Stratford, Canada to see their annual Shakespeare Festival. I am still great friends with some of the people I met on the trip.

My first semester of classes were fun. My favorites were Music Theory and Beethoven, Mozart, and Their Era. Monday nights I went to Swing Dance Club (didn't last very long). This was also the time when I thought of the Photography Society and started to plan it.

Other highlights from first semester include:

• Random Saturday night trip to Cincinnati
• Camping
  
• Late night trips to Qdoba and Ross' place
• Karen's Party and Quinto's Parties
• The bagillion concerts I saw (Hilary Hahn signed my Violin!)
• Seeing the Dali Lama
  
• Fall

All in all, a great way to start off my college career. Now we have second semester! One again, very enjoyable. The Photography Society had the first meeting and it was stupendious. There were many members (didn't last long) and many plans. I started taking violin lessons with the always unpredictable but amazingly talented Minjung Cho. The Photography Society had a catered gallery opening with live music. That was probably the best thing to happen this year, I'm so proud of the club. PhoSo also got sponsored by the Hutton Honors College! Woo! Maybe we can finally get some cash! Politicians went crazy over Indiana. Chelsea Clinton, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Dave Matthews, and many others made some visits for the sake of politics.

On the downside, I did have to take Honors Financial Accounting. That class was so difficult and so time consuming I really wanted to drop. I stuck it out, and I think I will get a decent grade. Violin lessons, as great as they were, turned out to be a bigger challenge than I thought. I ended up stressing out over them and getting a little emotional, but I did become a much better player.

There were so many other great things that happened throughout to year but I don't want to bore you. College is awesome. You should definitely go, it's worth it. I really hope that my summer and following year can live up to this one. I have made bunches of lifelong friends and unforgettable experiences. I want to go back!!!

Indiana Matters

"For the first time in 40 years, Indiana matters!"

Those words were so eloquently spoken by Bill Clinton during a speech he have at Indiana University yesterday. Of course he did not mean for it to sounds offensive and not surprisingly no one really noticed he even said it. They just kept cheering. The speech he gave was quite good, especially because it seemed like he was improving the majority of it. At times he tried too hard to relate to the "Indiana student" with too many basketball references. That's not what we want to hear about! After the speech, many of us wished he could be president again. He is a good leader and is truly intelligent. I hope that either Hillary or Barack can live up to his presidency. I only had one qualm. He came two hours late! Going back to what he said, there is truth in what he said.

It has been a long time since Indiana's primaries have mattered. All of the sudden the Obama and Clinton campaigns are starting to spend a lot of time in this wonderful state. Last week, Chelsea Clinton gave a speech here. It went well, unlike the speech at Butler University. Yesterday, Jeremy Piven was here campaigning for Barack Obama. He is that guy from the Entourage and the uncle of Pearl from the now famous YouTube video, The Landlord. On Sunday, Dave Matthews Band and Tim Reynolds are performing at Assembly Hall.

I have been getting great benefit from all this activity. I actually got to shake hands with a former president and I was able to get him to autograph my friends pocket constitution. Now, she has both Bill and Chelsea's signatures, there is only one left to go. Even before the political hubbub many of my idols came to visit. The Dali Lama, Hillary Hahn, Joshua Bell, Martha Nussbaum, Michel Camilo, Lewis Lockwood, and more have been lucky enough to be in my presence!

I wonder if the quantity and quality of all these events is typical for IU or if this is just a special year. In some ways I think Indiana actually is a popular campus for people to visit. The size is a big draw and in terms of classical music the Jacobs School of Music brings in famous musicians from all over the world. Picking this school has been one of the greatest choices I've made. Indiana matters!

Paint Reliever

I have been having a bad day today. Nothing very upsetting has happened so my affection remains a mystery. I slept through my Linear class, that was disappointing but not a day altering disappointment. I wore shoes without good support and my feet ended up aching, but again, not that big of a deal. I think it is better, in this situation, to focus on the cure rather than the cause.

Painting usually does the trick for my bad moods. I got out one of my larger canvasses, this large mood swing requires some massive artistic space. Next, I searched my leftover photos from my gallery for a decently easy subject. I found it, Tippecanoe State Park in fall (the picture in this post).

Before I take out the rest of my supplies I consult the book; my painting and drawing instructional manual. Painting just what feels natural can be nice but sometimes it is best to learn from others knowledge. The technique I chose to try was imprimatura. It involves tinting the canvass before you start your actual painting. I painted a blue background for the road, amber for the leafy boarders to the road, and green for the rest. I don't know if it actually made a difference in the outcome, but it was interesting to try it.

After about three and a half hours I called it quits. Surprisingly the painting is practically finished. Usually I obsess over a small portion and take about 5 months to finish it. It was hard to match some of the colors, especially the road. It is very blue in the photograph and if I were to recreate that blue in the painting I think it would look strange. The only part I can't decide is if I should paint the speed limit sign or not. Opinions?

When I finish a painting session I hate to waste the leftover paint. So, to get around this, I cover a sketchbook page in random doodles and experiments. Not having to worry about ruining a canvass makes it so much more enjoyable. Writing this account has also made me much more relaxed. When I finish the painting I will upload a photograph of it.