My Calendar Says

I was sitting at my desk one day, bored, when my eyes settled on the calendar on my desk. Usually, the advice or saying seems to mean something but mostly it’s rubbish.

Then I wondered about all the other calendars out there today? Calendars in other countries, other cultures? And that’s why this blog exists. Hopefully it’ll also be a bit of fun.

So please take a moment - your calendar is right there beside you on your desk - and enter what advice you got today.

http://twotitsandavote.com/ (from http://sabrinadent.com/)

Two Tits and a Vote is a political action campaign, designed to get women to use their muscle as voters to take action around a single issue at a time. Men are very welcome to take part; the platform is merely aimed at mobilising women.

It’s built around the concept of “armchair activism.” Armchair activism enjoys reasonable take-up online, but is often decried as ultimately being rather useless because it rarely translates into the real world. I started to think a lot about how to merge all of the good stuff about armchair activism – it’s fast, it’s accessible, it’s not a big ask, and it delivers a feel-good factor to the participant – with actions that could actually take form in the real world.

From IMMA’s website… I’ve added paragraphs ;-|

Japan’s leading electronic composer/artist, Ryoji Ikeda*, focuses on the minutiae of ultrasonics, frequencies and the essential characteristics of sound itself. Since 1995, Ikeda has been intensely active through concerts, installations, and recordings, integrating sound, acoustics and sublime imagery.

In the artist’s works, music, time and space are shaped by mathematical methods as Ikeda explores sound as sensation, pulling apart its physical properties to reveal its relationship with human perception. This performance at IMMA includes two of his most influential and acclaimed performances C4I and Datamatics.

Using computer and digital technologies to the utmost limit, his audiovisual concerts suggest a unique orientation for our future multimedia environment and culture.

Ryoji Ikeda* –> cool website

Comments, if any, will be very moderated to prevent libel.

William Gibson has a new book out called Spook Country* and he’s doing the rounds at the moment doing book signings. Of course, he won’t be visiting that little island off Engerland called Ireland so the nearest location is Forbidden Planet in London on Wed, 29th August. I’m half-tempted to go (I like London) and take a few days hols there but I can’t seem to get a flight out of Dublin for anything less than €150.

The price of the flights are weird because I can do the London–>Dublin route for a fiver plus taxes, but Dublin–>London is €150 for the Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed on both Ryanair and Aer Lingus. Strange.

*Spook Country:
Spook Country is the sequel to his last book Pattern Recognition. It follows several different plotlines concentrating on a man working in information transfer, an investigative journalist, a junkie and a military troubleshooter. Spook Country also deals with themes of espionage and the media. Added to all that this multi-layered political thriller also revolves around a mysterious cargo from Iraq.

China has been forced to mull the possibility of allowing double-barrelled surnames – a break with the ancient tradition that citizens adopt one of a hundred single character surnames…

…In fact, other less common surnames bring the official total of permitted surnames to 161, but this doesn’t do much to offset the fact that there are now 93 million Wangs in China – closely followed by 92 million Lis – something which is causing the authorities a bit of a problem.

Best comment was by Simon Holt who wrote: “Looking through the Beijing phone-book must give thousands of Wong numbers“. Well, it was a new one to me!

Three small negatives to get out of the way first:

– The graduands should be encouraged to work out of their comfort zone. Too much of it was self-centred or introspective, and there was little or no representation of people, say, over 30.
– The assistants were students – they’d probably be offended if I called them s’curity guards. Perhaps some of them were even the artists themselves. It is perhaps disrespectful to visitors, and their own work, to stand around gossiping and sniggering and generally being a distraction.
– The signposting was non-existant. I’m pretty sure I missed about 20% of the exhibitors. The exhibition was staged across 3 buildings (?) and I found the buildings. But once inside, it was a different story.

Now that I’ve got that off my chest, I’d definitely go again next year because:

Roisin Morris was the star of the show for me. I think I even saw her in the corridor!! Her photographs were just stunning. Her theme, albeit introspective, was relevant and insightful. There were only 6 photographs but I think they transcended the limitations of ‘ink on paper‘ and she really got her message across. There was a real depth and a tactile feel to them and her ‘What Waited Inside Herself 4“* was rightly the centrepiece of her display. Oddly enough, the catalogue just called it No. 4 or something like that. This is her college website and her personal website (although it’s not working yet).

* This pic is a scan of one of many postcards given away on the day advertising the work of the Graduands. Please contact the college or the artist if you want to reproduce, buy, etc their work.

I also liked Valerie Curran’s Vanishing Points. It was a fresh approach that I haven’t seen before and, as a former scientist, the concept appealed to me. She majored in Fine Art and her piece was displayed in a 3m cubed space and it consisted of styrofoam balls and thread. Have a look here at a small pic.

I, and I’m sure all the other children, blew as hard as they could into the space to see the balls vibrate on their strings. Sadly, the college website doesn’t list a personal website (or a better pic). I hope some gallery takes it in and displays it but, strangely, the pricelist says it Not For Sale.

Final mention goes to Manus Goan in, I think, the Animation class. The catalogue lists him but I can’t find him on the IADT website. His name is unusual and a google search returns up bebo page. His animated video was called something like Dusk to Dawn. The animation, ‘flashing lights’, and music all tied in together smoothly although it was a tiny bit repetitive. Bebo’s Manus Goan is a ‘Hardcore Raver 4 Life‘ so that might explain it! Still, the rendering was realistic and it was a good ‘take’ on Dublin. I’m not being dismissive when I say it would make a good screensaver, or if adapted, a good music video.

Only joking but you heard it here first. I just wanted to highlight justwhisperz photo’s on flickr. She, and she=teenager, only has 50+ photos in flickr but they’re exceptional. I’ve fav’d one and made 3 comments after one visit.

Anyway, this is ‘Dev’ making his pitch around the time the treaty was negotiated. Goto my flickr site site to see some more photos of the other participants.

Street Pageant: “Michael Collins”. Nine days after the visit of De Valera to Dungarvan, Michael Collins “The Big Fellow” came to Town on the 26th March 1922 looking for support for the Treaty amid a volatile atmosphere in the Country at the height of the Civil War. Violent scenes culminating in a gunfight precipitating a hasty retreat. His speech was heckled throughout, leading to ugly and violent scenes in a deeply divided town ending in an affray. A feeling of foreboding and anxiety swept through the gathered throngs. This historic day is being re-enacted in full Military Costume together with the sound of Gunfire once again being re echoed around Grattan Square Later that year on August 22nd Michael Collins made his fateful visit to Béal na mBláth. Grant assisted by Waterford County Council’s Arts Grants Scheme 2007 (Le cabhair ó Scéim Deontais Ealaíon Chomhairle Chontae Phort Láirge 2007).

The actors didn’t use real bullets but the blanks (?) were really, really loud. It was a brilliant performance and I applaude all the actors involved.

Here’s the official 2007 programme. I hope to post some photo’s from the

Traditional Open Air Concert “Cúl Cheoil agus Cáirde” le Ceol, Rinnce agus Amhránaíocht

and

Shinty Hurling – Waterford v Fort William (Scottish Club Champions). See history in the making as Waterford Senior Hurling team take on the Shinty champions of Scotland “Fort William” in an exhibition match at Fraher Field kindly sponsored by “Saltan Properties”.

‘So what?’, says you. Well…

RIAI‘s 3rd annual ‘Simon Open door’ Fundraising Initiative.

Participating RIAI architects throughout Ireland will open their offices on Saturday, 28 April and give members of the public an hour’s consultation with an architect in return for a donation to Simon of €60. Some Waterford RIAI Members will host a stand at the RIAI Irish Architecture Awards Exhibition in the Waterford Institute of Technology from 9am – 1pm on Saturday 28th as part of this year’s John Roberts Festival.

There will also be some Waterford county architects holding consultation in their own offices. Therefore if you need a consultation with an architect that’s where to find them!

It’s an opportunity for you to support the Simon Community and also have a nice day out as well. Have a look at the festival’s programme and I reckon you’ll find something interesting to do.