Expired Yugoslavian Passport turned secret diary of poetry & ephemera, shared with a friend never met (like most of you) in Gifu. He’s from BC and met my brother in another life, somehow. Heck of a writer.
Anyhow, we fill up pages as desired and mail back and forth like a secret for everyone to see.
Projects of all kinds, a talk/presentation in this case, usually start with some kind of plan… (seems obvious so i’ll explain further).
In this instance, this is the *origin document* of what turned into a talk for Pecha Kucha night Vancouver “All-Star edition” at Vogue Theatre in the 20 slides for 20 seconds each format. e
Later, the “slides” became part of a longer form version at “Poets, Punks and Revolutions: Forgotten Vancouver Stories,” Northern Voice in a three-dimensional mixed media environment (campfire on stage, easels, record players, a comfortable chair and so on.
The idea started at a sort-of-secret-hideout with single malt, in conversation with a (now-former) mayor of Vancouver, his chief of staff, and the CEO of a significant company. Realizing the mayor didn’t really know a lot of renegade Vancouver stories, especially around counter-culture, I riffed off a few and later thought might be useful, amusing/educational/entertaining, or whatever for a wider audience.
Continue reading Riff: blueprint for a creative process / Vancouver Stories (prezo plan)Charcoal Kiln drum – improving the campsite
Ryoko has a notion to make charcoal using a 200 litre (50 g) drum as a kiln. She’ll cut in a chimney & stuff it with hardwood and/or bamboo and use charcoal for tea ceremony, grilling & whatnot.
Ryoko’s charcoal making kiln project continues – includes ridable machines and metal work and bricks. I made her an iced chai. #Helping
Also: last week, she was singing on a live stream, this week she’s running a power shovel, she also performed tea ceremony and a dozen other specialty skills #AmazedDaily – and all of it is done like “it’s no big deal, I just figured out how to do this and think it will be interesting“
Question: Make charcoal? Why and is this for you or she has been hired?
Charcoal = yes
Why? = for experimenting in sustainability and general arts and crafts (i.e. use chopped down bamboo in a sensible manner + use the finished charcoal for tea ceremony brazier, barbecues and woodstove)So, no not for me specifically, nor for a client. Just “to do it”
PS This morning she transplanted a tree after moving a bunch of dirt at the end of day yesterday for her tea garden in the front of the house, she was up on the ladder pruning branches but I missed the chance to take a picture so you’ll just have to believe me
Posted as a comment on an article about someone’s kominka (trad Japanese house) project, sharing here so don’t lose it… ya know “the record” or posterity or amusement (with mild edits).
Hello from Sunny Okayama where my wife Ryoko and our new baby live on ancestral land in a “cottage” (kinda shotgun house slapped together) next to the parents who renovated Grandma/Grandpa’s kominka about 4 years ago keeping all the original touches but doing some practical and comfortable upgrades.
We are staying in a big tatami room while doing some changes to the cottage – lovely sliding doors, changed form original but maintaining aesthetics, engawas (where i sit now) now have thermal glass windows but also open fully for the fresh breeze.
We’re now bringing this full circle as we use the old sliding doors to the cottage reno, plus re-wrap the tatami mats rather than tossing out, plus adding an efficient wood stove (my wife is an arborist so always has wood gathered) – don’t get much snow but does get chilly and summer’s of course are hot and humid – plus adding a new room, moving kitchen into a more open location and whatnot. Also added a new ofuro bath so the 3 of us can bathe together #heaven.
Unlike the parents’ house, the cottage is sorta slapped together but we resisted a tear down and start again and making incremental changes. (Funny the parents said “you will just live in our house when we pass away” to which i replied, “you are 65 year old healthy Japanese so that means 30 years from now!”
Anyhow, the property also has a magnificent 150+ year old “kura” grain barn with massive wood beams, mud walls and 3 thick doors with cast iron puzzle keys. This has turned into my art studio and music lounge (needs a few little upgrades for safety and power/lighting) and a “naya” tool shed for wife’s business which also has loads of Grandpa’s heavy duty pre-war farm tools (including probably 6 pick axes!).
Documenting loads of this life (amongst other projects) if curious. Not a plug, just me saying “right on with your awesome project”.
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See Hannah Kirshner’s Lessons in Sustainable Living From My 100-Year-Old Japanese Farmhouse also aded to Akiya Resource round-up dossier
Spectacles (modern collection) / with accessories
I’ve bought boats for optometrists
Trying to see more clear
Paid for orthodontists
for kids of ophthalmologists
Sent the work of opticians
to unknown recipients
Examined construction of lens
from a bifocals dented nose
Understood refraction more than options
conglomerates of industrial design
Still evidence glinty abounds
enough to make a mobile
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Personal Archeology – #daveo50 (spectacles, various, vol. 1 / classical collection)
Daily Ephemera, Oddities, Artifacts, Mementos, etc
2020 6.26 ~ 8.16
I’ve bought boats for optometrists
Trying to see more clear
Paid for orthodontists
for kids of ophthalmologists
Sent the work of opticians
to unknown recipients
Examined construction of lens
from a bifocals dented nose
Understood refraction more than options
conglomerates of industrial design
Still evidence glinty abounds
enough to make a mobile
##
Personal Archeology – #daveo50 (spectacles, various, vol. 1 / classical collection)
Daily Ephemera, Oddities, Artifacts, Mementos, etc
2020 6.26 ~ 8.16
Personal Archeology – #daveo50 (pocket knives, various)
Daily Ephemera, Oddities, Artifacts, Mementos, etc
2020 6.26 ~ 8.16
Personal Archeology – #daveo50 (lighters, various)
Daily Ephemera, Oddities, Artifacts, Mementos, etc
2020 6.26 ~ 8.16
Any guesses on what the string of letters mean? #spygames
Have you hit up the Riverwood Inn in Phillipsville, CA? Its haunted (i stayed the night there).
Personal Archeology – #daveo50 (lighters, various)
Daily Ephemera, Oddities, Artifacts, Mementos, etc
2020 6.26 ~ 8.16
Personal Archeology Exhibit – #daveo50
Pre-scheduled Daily Ephemera
2020 6.26 ~ 8.16
Fuji panorama camera
Purchased 1993, TOPOS discount department store (approx ¥3000), Tottori, Japan.
Used extensively (was first panorama camera i’d ever seen and i was fascinated and amused by function and design).
Still have instruction manual and receipt somewhere (note to self: add for the permanent record).
Note: when loading (35mm) film, had to choose “panorama” or “futsu/regular” for the whole roll. Developing in full-size panorama was expensive and not readily available so often shot panorama and developed “normal” resulting in a letter box style print (as you may have noticed in the personal archeology project).
When possible, chose to develop the full size panorama images which i find so interesting (and take a deliberate mindset to shoot).
Indeed, many snaps from 1993-6 (until the winder crank broke likely from salt water immersion though the camera was ostensibly waterproof) appear as rotating header images in this creative life archive – especially from Japan, Guam, Hawaii etc.
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