Saturday, September 4, 2010

Friday, September 3, 2010

cultural references from the road

paul Verhoeven, bill & ted, seventh seal, Marcel Duchamp, maximum overdrive, emilio estevez, stephen king, seven, the cell, Simpsons, baldessari, disembody, disembody's guest palm reader, douglas coupland, Jesus, jazz hands, tremors, dune, douglas adams, terry pratchett, zardoz, total recall, Chris burden, richard serra, louise bourgeois, jeff koons, aliens, Cicero, Michael jordan, Bollywood, m night shyamalan, Nikolai moderbacher, nightmare city, hippy goths, ebenezer Scrooge, materials & applications, topped w love's travel center & dinner at chili's in barstow.
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210 parking lot

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on the parking lot known as the 210

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Thursday, September 2, 2010

DJing

for the ride to LA I'm DJing folk metal/Viking metal and country music. brilliant.
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late start

but great sign post
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pulling out of Oakland

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slow packing

Underestimated load time. Leaving Oakland now.
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San Fran-c-u

Carson & I are loading the truck! Woohoo! Next stop west oak to load the sign. Then LA for the night & to pick up Amy.
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Monday, August 30, 2010

The Deadline Approaches!


Saturday started off a HUGELY busy weekend and upcoming week getting ready for Lee's and Carson's imminent departure on September 3. Most of our time was spent prepping and priming the sign box and faces. It's super exciting to see everything really taking shape. It's hard to believe that in less that 2 short week this sign will be shining bright in the wilds of west Texas.

The sign started to take on more of it's finished appearance when we started applying the fancy red paint. Also, with the help of our incredible electrician, Kenny, the electronics of the sign came to life. The solar works!!!

Also here's a sneak peek at the EbM world we're creating for display at Texas Tech -->





Lee is currently casting some magic spells and conjuring up spirits to make it look even more incredible than he already has. Who knew little worlds could be so exciting!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

EbM Site 001 install - 17 days and counting

Yow!
First off, thank you to everyone who helped out with Kickstarter. We didn't quite make it, but almost 2/3 of you discovered an alternative donation method - our little "Donate" button at nerdshop central online. You have no idea how much it means to us that you offer your support in this way.

Carson and I are 17 days (02010, September 3) from rolling out of the Bay Area in the truck of the world's most adorable yet frightening patron, Nightmare City's own Mrs Carruthers!
We will be loaded down with tents, sleeping bags, tools, a 6' x 2' x 2' steel sign, a bowel-squinching load of solar electricity supplies, 15' feet of steel tubing sign post, a 6' x 3' diorama, and his frightening collection of sci-fi audio books.
That evening we will pick up the mind-altering goodness of Amy Sampson.
The next day we hit PLAND to visit Nancy Zastudil, and then Bledsoe, Texas!
On Sept 6 we install our dioramatic exhibition in the cutest and teeniest gallery at Texas Tech!
On Sept 7th we pick up Heidi and Ben, flying in from Copenhagen.
Alex Clausen joins us on Sept 10.
Heidi (and briefly, EbM) lectures at TTU on Sept 16!

Woohoo! Can you say exciting! Yup, I'm simply squirming in my skin with gleeful anticipation, as if I were crawling inside with psychic pleasure maggots!

Here's the sign as of a couple days ago.


It was built by Terry Mason. We will soon install the solar powered bulbs and batteries. Then plexi behind the letters. Then red paint, just as our artist requested!
No seriously, I do need to use all these exclamation points because I am just that excited!

And here's the diorama in different states.



Oh, heavenly sexy wood and paint and grit. Most reading this will not live to see the world terraformed to our vision, but our wealthier followers, you will get to watch across the centuries as we transform Earth and human consciousness, the grandest work of art ever attempted!

Meanwhile, 2011 and 2012 are shaping up nicely. It looks like we'll have three to four installs each year, with one each year outside the U.S.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Mighty Cascadia

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Yowza, since leaving Texas a couple weeks ago, EbM has been wandering the great American Northwest looking at sites and meeting folks.
But before we visit Cascadia, did I mention Jon and I got stuck in the Bledsonian desert for five hours? We were trying to offroad it to the site, but hit loose sand and spun out.

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We got out just in time for me to catch my bus to Cascadia. 50 hours later, I met Carson in Tacoma, WA. We were there a few days. We met with a lawyer who is advising us on our 501(c)3 filing. He was great. I'm now working on that paperwork much more confidently. We will file for a business license in CA (or OR, if I move up here?) after the Bledsoe install in September. Then, hopefully, next year we'll file for our 501(c)3. We also met with an architect who has installed signs much like ours before. He gave us lots of helpful info on how to properly secure our sign in the desert sands!

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We also met with the Tacoma Arts Commission. The folks there are wonderful. They have great visions for Tacoma. Their SpaceWorks project, installing works in abandoned store fronts, was particularly impressive. This type of project is being executed in a number of US cities (and probably internationally, as well.) But, overall, I liked the works in Tacoma far more than I liked the works in the SF variation from this year.
Beyond SpaceWorks (and several other large-scale art projects), the TAC is converting an old rail line into an art trail. We are beginning a proposal to participate in that project.
We discussed a second possible project with TAC, one I am particularly excited about. Unfortunately, I can't discuss it just yet. We need to put together a proposal and send it out before blathering about it all over the internets.

In a bizarre rout, and turn of events, Tacoma ended up being the first installation locale for EbM. We came across a Readymade we have claimed in the name of Earthbound Moon! My friends, I give you the 90 degree expressway curve.

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As if the fact that this exists isn't enough, Carson and I had been discussing commissioning (and until financing materializes, creating models of) just such onramps and offramps to nowhere (inspired by Seattle's wonderful and bizarre expressways), moments before coming upon this most artistic site. I mean, talk about having no use value! Brilliant!

In Gig Harbor we visited the incredible Susan Joyce. <3

In Port Angeles we hung with Carson's brother, Clay, a park ranger, surfer and musician. Check out The Artichoke Project.

We also visited my new favorite sculpture garden, "Art Outside" in the Webster Wood's Art Park at the Port Angeles Fine Art Center.

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This program is phenomenal. And the work is really excellent. Clay and Carson and I spent an hour or more wandering around the park, totally inspired! This is very much the model EbM is considering for the possible sculpture parks we're discussing for the future. (Is there enough hedging in that sentence for you!) And, the sort of sculpture park we envision EbM being, once the future has arrived and folks can zip from one of our locations to another via teleportation or jetpack or quantum-slippage or space folding or however we'll be traveling in 23 years or so.
The next morn we met with the PAFAC's director, Jake Seniuk.

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Totally inspiring. He's an artist, curator and director. He shared his morning telling us about PAFAC and his time there. EbM will be making many more trips to the Olympic Peninsula, if only to visit with Jake.

We visited Port Townsend for a day. There a good friend of Carson's schooled us on self-sufficiency and solar power. He also coached us on yurt building.

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In 2011 and 2012, EbM has a couple/few yurts to build. And now we are so ready! We got more excellent solar advice from Kurt at Solar Motive.

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We also looked at potential sites for a 2011 install. Definitely not here, because, you know, how could you improve this:

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In Olympia, we visited Winsor Fireform. This is where, if there are gods above (and they are not the ones I adore), we will get our information signs for EbM's sites made. Holy mackerel, people, this place brought tears of joy (and jealousy) to our eyes.

Then we rolled into Portland. From where I bring this exercise in how not to write a blog (infrequent updates with 1000s of words and too many pictures). More on EbM's adventures in PDX in a couple days!