Really, what's the point of any memorial? Of digging up the deepest, darkest chapters of our human experience? Of forcing one to look head on at something that's much more comfortable to turn and walk away from? Why. Why?
I can only speak for myself here.
Honestly, it's not that i have some morbid curiosity for death and violence. I do, however, possess a rich appreciation for the past. For history. And for what people with beating, feeling hearts and minds have done to one another throughout time.
Chris and I biked down the west coast of Ireland 11 years ago. We always had room in our limited panniers for books on Ireland as we roamed the landscape. We were there for adventure, but also to learn about that island. One day, as we found ourselves biking on a lush green bit of flatland near the northwestern coast, we stumbled upon a sculpture that made our jaws drop. In the seeming middle of nowhere, here was this huge metal art piece: a ship. Three masts. And sails...not of iron cloth, but of clinging skeletons. Out there, on an empty oceanic edge of this emerald island sat a memorial to the Irish famine victims. The ones who fled on the "coffin ships" to America, hoping for the chance at a better life...and not always making it.
This piece of art affected us profoundly. We found more books specifically on the famine. the events leading up to it. those who suffered. those who managed to escape, with generations of sadness on their shoulders. This memorial shook me to the core. Enriched me. Surprised me with it's unexpectedness upon the lush landscape of Ireland. I will never forget it and because of it, i will always have compassion for those souls who lived, died or survived that experience.
Memorials -- whether expressed through music, poetry, sculpture, painting, films, novels, oral traditions or any other creative human form -- are a vital necessity to our very human fibers. To our connections to the past.
I could go on all night, sighting memorials that have affected me deeply and have been expressed in all the disciplines listed above, but the hour is late and there are still bills to pay. I had to stop and reflect on this a moment because, well...it's been on my mind.
i wrote this tonight while listening to Rachel Portman's soundtrack from Oprah Winfrey/Jonathan Demme's film adaptation of Toni Morrison's work "Beloved"--a trifecta of memorial expression to African Americans struggling to pick up the pieces in a post-Civil War landscape.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Sunday, March 2, 2008
March forward
My time in the month of March will be three-fold:
1.) Quality family time (spring break approaches)
2.) School studies
3.) Bridge building with Rwandan contacts here and abroad.
I recently read a quote featured on the liner notes of a great CD called "Somewhere in the World" by the multi-faceted LA-based group "Word Of Mouth". Take a look:
"If we are to have peace on earth...our
loyalties must transcend our race, our
tribe, our class, and our nation; and this
means we must develop a world perspective.
No individual can live alone, no nation can
live alone...We must either learn to live
together as brothers and sisters or we are
going to perish together as fools."
Those are the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. I think that, for some, developing a "world perspective" is overwhelming and scary. But, for me, the only path i wish to pave here is one immersed in an open world perspective. Interconnectedness exists already. It is our job to build bridges all about us as we move through our days so as to illuminate the interconnectedness. Tiny bridges made of sticks and twine. Colossal bridges trussed with steel.
I know that i'll refer back to this quote when a needed jolt of inspiration is in order.
1.) Quality family time (spring break approaches)
2.) School studies
3.) Bridge building with Rwandan contacts here and abroad.
I recently read a quote featured on the liner notes of a great CD called "Somewhere in the World" by the multi-faceted LA-based group "Word Of Mouth". Take a look:
"If we are to have peace on earth...our
loyalties must transcend our race, our
tribe, our class, and our nation; and this
means we must develop a world perspective.
No individual can live alone, no nation can
live alone...We must either learn to live
together as brothers and sisters or we are
going to perish together as fools."
Those are the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. I think that, for some, developing a "world perspective" is overwhelming and scary. But, for me, the only path i wish to pave here is one immersed in an open world perspective. Interconnectedness exists already. It is our job to build bridges all about us as we move through our days so as to illuminate the interconnectedness. Tiny bridges made of sticks and twine. Colossal bridges trussed with steel.
I know that i'll refer back to this quote when a needed jolt of inspiration is in order.
Friday, February 22, 2008
No Money, No Nails, No Space, but Clarity
Last weekend, i was slowly, slowly sinking into a pit of overwhelm, discouragement and melancholy. this piece is so important to me. i want and need to create it. And there is no doubt that i will, in a symbolically timely fashion. But i've been spending week after week trying to attack many aspects of this work simultaneously: writing grants, shopping for nails, gathering wood, a few calls here for documentarians, a few letters there for benefactors, a few hours spent getting a list together of rwandan contacts, many hours designing and redesigning the wing on paper. And i was suddenly looking at April 6th (begin hammering) with great dread. Chris and I were considering using our savings to start bankrolling this project so that i can begin to actually build and hammer the wing together. That felt like a slippery slope of potential stress, debt and uncertainty, which our family does not need right now.
So, to quote my dear friend Bill--who used to say this when he saw me get overwhelmed with excitement and ideas--i said to myself, "cool your jets, cowgirl."
So, I stopped. And I breathed. And our family spent president's day weekend together, just being with friends, live music...with each other. And I breathed some more, wondering how I would face the week ahead. Two yoga classes helped.
I regularly turn to the written pages of others for support. I'm re-reading Miriam Greenspan's wisdom a lot right now. She's a psychotherapist and author from Boston (yet another example of how all great things come from Massachusetts women) who sees the beauty of negative emotions as valuable, spiritual teachers -- "if we can live mindfully of them." And last weekend, I clung to her words:
"Fear, grief and despair are uncomfortable and are seen as signs of personal failure...we call them 'negative' and think of them as 'bad'. I prefer to call these emotions 'dark', because i like the image of a rich, fertile, dark soil from which something unexpected can bloom."
And for me, clarity bloomed after a very dark weekend...with the support of in-depth discussions with friends Sarah, Laurie, Eleanor, Gina, Jill and Beth and, of course, Chris. She always goes without saying, but no, her support must be mentioned, and often.
I love the enthusiasm that these friends have. I was hit with a barrage of supportive ideas and questions on wednesday morning:
"Did you get your nails?"
"What kind of space do you need?"
"Talk to this person."
"No! Put this person's name in your cell phone. Call her! She's a Texan, too."
"Do you have a documentarian yet? You really need one."
"How much more wood do you need?"
"Is it really that hard to set up a non-profit?"
"Can you work downtown? I gotta guy who's got space downtown."
"No, she needs to be close to home."
"But if you've got 5,000 sq ft downtown and it's free....!"
"How about the grassy knoll behind your house?"
"Maybe...Hmmm."
"So, when do you need this? When do you start?"
"I can help you with that. I know a guy..."
"So, when are you going to Rwanda?"
"Did you get your tickets yet? Is your passport up to date?"
AGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH! These are all the questions that i approach alone during the few hours i can focus during the week. AND, I'm home w/the kids in the afternoon. AND, I'm in graduate school. AND, this is all too much.
I can do this the right way. Or the wrong way. I got clarity on how to make this wing the right way and not compromise my need for symbolic timing. I have to raise the money first, and then make the art. I have to go to Rwanda first, and then make the art. Many potential grant organizations want and need to know if i have an ultimate sight for this wing to rest before they will consider any funding. My friends Chris and Laurie both said this right away: "why don't you just go?" "How can you not go?" "you have to, otherwise, you're doing this thing in a vacuum." "Build that connection, that bridge, first. Then make the piece." I think that, if i can secure my location with an organization there in Rwanda, that will open up wider avenues for benefactors and funding. So, here's my new schedule of clarity...
Late Spring, Early Summer 2008 -- fund and arrange a 10-day trip to rwanda
Late Spring - Early Fall 2008 -- make the wing panels
October 2008 -- display wing (w/out nails) as the structure for
the Day of the Dead altars at Edison Elementary.
January - March 2009 -- Hammer 800,000 nails for 100 days
April - June 2009 -- Disperse nailed panels throughout LA County
for many types of groups and people to tie
red threads throughout this 15-yr mark of the
exact days when the genocide was occurring.
July 2009 -- Collect all panels, deliver them and assemble
the wing in Rwanda at the time that reflects the END
(not the beginning) of the genocide.
This way, I can give the wing it's needed "loving attention" so that it is spectacular, not just interesting. I can also not sacrifice the much needed "loving attention" that our family needs at this time. And my schooling.
So, i spend the rest of this year researching the various aspects, raising funds and constructing the part of the wing that costs little to no money. And in 2009, I make, and the community makes, the art.
whew.
So, to quote my dear friend Bill--who used to say this when he saw me get overwhelmed with excitement and ideas--i said to myself, "cool your jets, cowgirl."
So, I stopped. And I breathed. And our family spent president's day weekend together, just being with friends, live music...with each other. And I breathed some more, wondering how I would face the week ahead. Two yoga classes helped.
I regularly turn to the written pages of others for support. I'm re-reading Miriam Greenspan's wisdom a lot right now. She's a psychotherapist and author from Boston (yet another example of how all great things come from Massachusetts women) who sees the beauty of negative emotions as valuable, spiritual teachers -- "if we can live mindfully of them." And last weekend, I clung to her words:
"Fear, grief and despair are uncomfortable and are seen as signs of personal failure...we call them 'negative' and think of them as 'bad'. I prefer to call these emotions 'dark', because i like the image of a rich, fertile, dark soil from which something unexpected can bloom."
And for me, clarity bloomed after a very dark weekend...with the support of in-depth discussions with friends Sarah, Laurie, Eleanor, Gina, Jill and Beth and, of course, Chris. She always goes without saying, but no, her support must be mentioned, and often.
I love the enthusiasm that these friends have. I was hit with a barrage of supportive ideas and questions on wednesday morning:
"Did you get your nails?"
"What kind of space do you need?"
"Talk to this person."
"No! Put this person's name in your cell phone. Call her! She's a Texan, too."
"Do you have a documentarian yet? You really need one."
"How much more wood do you need?"
"Is it really that hard to set up a non-profit?"
"Can you work downtown? I gotta guy who's got space downtown."
"No, she needs to be close to home."
"But if you've got 5,000 sq ft downtown and it's free....!"
"How about the grassy knoll behind your house?"
"Maybe...Hmmm."
"So, when do you need this? When do you start?"
"I can help you with that. I know a guy..."
"So, when are you going to Rwanda?"
"Did you get your tickets yet? Is your passport up to date?"
AGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH! These are all the questions that i approach alone during the few hours i can focus during the week. AND, I'm home w/the kids in the afternoon. AND, I'm in graduate school. AND, this is all too much.
I can do this the right way. Or the wrong way. I got clarity on how to make this wing the right way and not compromise my need for symbolic timing. I have to raise the money first, and then make the art. I have to go to Rwanda first, and then make the art. Many potential grant organizations want and need to know if i have an ultimate sight for this wing to rest before they will consider any funding. My friends Chris and Laurie both said this right away: "why don't you just go?" "How can you not go?" "you have to, otherwise, you're doing this thing in a vacuum." "Build that connection, that bridge, first. Then make the piece." I think that, if i can secure my location with an organization there in Rwanda, that will open up wider avenues for benefactors and funding. So, here's my new schedule of clarity...
Late Spring, Early Summer 2008 -- fund and arrange a 10-day trip to rwanda
Late Spring - Early Fall 2008 -- make the wing panels
October 2008 -- display wing (w/out nails) as the structure for
the Day of the Dead altars at Edison Elementary.
January - March 2009 -- Hammer 800,000 nails for 100 days
April - June 2009 -- Disperse nailed panels throughout LA County
for many types of groups and people to tie
red threads throughout this 15-yr mark of the
exact days when the genocide was occurring.
July 2009 -- Collect all panels, deliver them and assemble
the wing in Rwanda at the time that reflects the END
(not the beginning) of the genocide.
This way, I can give the wing it's needed "loving attention" so that it is spectacular, not just interesting. I can also not sacrifice the much needed "loving attention" that our family needs at this time. And my schooling.
So, i spend the rest of this year researching the various aspects, raising funds and constructing the part of the wing that costs little to no money. And in 2009, I make, and the community makes, the art.
whew.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Gratitude
It's sunday night. the bathrooms are clean. the floors, swept. the kitchen floor, mopped. The kids are in bed. Our household is ready for the week. I figured that i should lay out my goals for the week and that may help clarify my path:
1.) Order nails at Fisher-Lumber
2.) Get possible options for space from 2 City of Santa Monica folks.
3.) Define space needs (over a 15 month peroiod) on one sheet of paper.
4.) Get in contact with anyone familiar with Rwandan natives in LA.
5.) Complete 2nd revised wing drawing.
6.) Write a new song.
That's enough. I feel like i made $ 7,000 on Saturday, when I got an estimate for the nails from a local Santa Monica hardware store that was $ 5,000-7,500 cheaper than 3 previous estimates. I want someone to sponsor (pay for) these nails.
Before i dive into the rest of February's goals, I wanted to thank a few people whom i've sat with recently, to turn over ideas:
--Stevo L. A former co-worker. We've worked our tails off together on past feature films. He and I have exerted energy over film sets that make me exhausted just remembering them. We both know the depths of hard, hard work. Long hours. Aching backs. And lots of laughs. Stevo looked at my wood pile and drawings and we brainstormed on how to connect the panels together and how to lay out the wood so as to best bring out the details of a bird's wing through wood.
--Bill S. A production designer/mentor who i worked for on many a motion picture when i first landed out here. A great guy all around. Over too many glasses of wine (and a few shots of tequila) he expressed how compelling the idea of one woman pounding in the nails is to him and how "there's nothing more important to do in this world than make art like this. what else is there?" He's an incredible folk artist himself. His own pieces are kinetic, tactile, raw, fascinating.
--Debbie M. A fine friend. She and I sat on her deck in the sun last week. We ate soup and stared at my wood/nail/thread sample. I'm about to give birth to this. She's about to give birth to twins. Our lives will change. As an architect and artist, she helped me plot out a few ideas over structure. She will be a good source for seeking out a structural engineer, when the time comes. The sheer scale of this is going to require some metal armature work, definitely...in order to stand firmly upright.
--Nery. I had another incredible sit down meeting with him. And, I told him that he was right, about the machetes. My museum friend, Chris, had given me a copy of his catalog from the "Orphans of the Rwandan Genocide" project from a few years back. The catalog features the words of many children speaking about putting their lives back together and moving forward in an uncertain, traumatized world. One of them said this:
"I think memorial houses should be built up, books written, churches in which people died should be used as memorials, weapons used to kill people should be put in those memorials. All this in order to help people never forget what they have been through and let our next generations know that."
I shared this with Nery. We talked about the importance of that. I suggested that, if machetes are going to be imbedded into the tips of the wings feathers, then, i want to bind them in something. red cloth. red thread. something.
--Others who expressed support and/or ask me about my progress. Thank you:
nancy, margie, vpdp parents, danah, debbie b, ericka, chris and the kids, nina, chris y ilda, grace, john s, jon s, jennifer, deniz, laurie l, martha r, ashly, marjorie m, lori, lynn, rosa, linda, dave and liz, celeste, marion and chris, julie, rebecca, sarah, ronnie and more. thanks so much. I move forward with your encouraging words.
1.) Order nails at Fisher-Lumber
2.) Get possible options for space from 2 City of Santa Monica folks.
3.) Define space needs (over a 15 month peroiod) on one sheet of paper.
4.) Get in contact with anyone familiar with Rwandan natives in LA.
5.) Complete 2nd revised wing drawing.
6.) Write a new song.
That's enough. I feel like i made $ 7,000 on Saturday, when I got an estimate for the nails from a local Santa Monica hardware store that was $ 5,000-7,500 cheaper than 3 previous estimates. I want someone to sponsor (pay for) these nails.
Before i dive into the rest of February's goals, I wanted to thank a few people whom i've sat with recently, to turn over ideas:
--Stevo L. A former co-worker. We've worked our tails off together on past feature films. He and I have exerted energy over film sets that make me exhausted just remembering them. We both know the depths of hard, hard work. Long hours. Aching backs. And lots of laughs. Stevo looked at my wood pile and drawings and we brainstormed on how to connect the panels together and how to lay out the wood so as to best bring out the details of a bird's wing through wood.
--Bill S. A production designer/mentor who i worked for on many a motion picture when i first landed out here. A great guy all around. Over too many glasses of wine (and a few shots of tequila) he expressed how compelling the idea of one woman pounding in the nails is to him and how "there's nothing more important to do in this world than make art like this. what else is there?" He's an incredible folk artist himself. His own pieces are kinetic, tactile, raw, fascinating.
--Debbie M. A fine friend. She and I sat on her deck in the sun last week. We ate soup and stared at my wood/nail/thread sample. I'm about to give birth to this. She's about to give birth to twins. Our lives will change. As an architect and artist, she helped me plot out a few ideas over structure. She will be a good source for seeking out a structural engineer, when the time comes. The sheer scale of this is going to require some metal armature work, definitely...in order to stand firmly upright.
--Nery. I had another incredible sit down meeting with him. And, I told him that he was right, about the machetes. My museum friend, Chris, had given me a copy of his catalog from the "Orphans of the Rwandan Genocide" project from a few years back. The catalog features the words of many children speaking about putting their lives back together and moving forward in an uncertain, traumatized world. One of them said this:
"I think memorial houses should be built up, books written, churches in which people died should be used as memorials, weapons used to kill people should be put in those memorials. All this in order to help people never forget what they have been through and let our next generations know that."
I shared this with Nery. We talked about the importance of that. I suggested that, if machetes are going to be imbedded into the tips of the wings feathers, then, i want to bind them in something. red cloth. red thread. something.
--Others who expressed support and/or ask me about my progress. Thank you:
nancy, margie, vpdp parents, danah, debbie b, ericka, chris and the kids, nina, chris y ilda, grace, john s, jon s, jennifer, deniz, laurie l, martha r, ashly, marjorie m, lori, lynn, rosa, linda, dave and liz, celeste, marion and chris, julie, rebecca, sarah, ronnie and more. thanks so much. I move forward with your encouraging words.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
2 Months and Counting...
Yes, i am 2 months away from beginning the process of nailing. We are 2 months and one year away from the 15 year mark of the Rwandan genocide. I could spend days, weeks, months talking to various individuals about the theory of this memorial. the building of it. the purpose of it. i've experienced incredible conversations with so many people regarding the why and where of making 800,000 nails come to fruition.
And now it's time for not just talk, but daily action. the getting of the nails. the space. the rest of the wood. from individual donations to grants to any corporate donation, i will need to be raising about $80,000 dollars to fulfill this vision. So far, i've raised not a dime. Here i go, walking alongside fear again for a moment. i've got many letters and applications written and mailed. we'll see what comes up.
anyway, one of the many things that drives me forward with inspiration from genuine friends is this:
Two artists who i find to have incredible talent, wisdom and heart have looked at my drawings and samples up close. We've talked about the piece in depth. and they have both said: "wow, this is going to be beautiful." Nery and Linda. And if Nery and Linda can envision this piece from my heart and my drawings, well, i know that it's worth doing...and it will be beautiful. compelling. provocative. powerful.
In one week, i need to have the nail order be fulfilled, paid for, ordered and on their way here.
And now it's time for not just talk, but daily action. the getting of the nails. the space. the rest of the wood. from individual donations to grants to any corporate donation, i will need to be raising about $80,000 dollars to fulfill this vision. So far, i've raised not a dime. Here i go, walking alongside fear again for a moment. i've got many letters and applications written and mailed. we'll see what comes up.
anyway, one of the many things that drives me forward with inspiration from genuine friends is this:
Two artists who i find to have incredible talent, wisdom and heart have looked at my drawings and samples up close. We've talked about the piece in depth. and they have both said: "wow, this is going to be beautiful." Nery and Linda. And if Nery and Linda can envision this piece from my heart and my drawings, well, i know that it's worth doing...and it will be beautiful. compelling. provocative. powerful.
In one week, i need to have the nail order be fulfilled, paid for, ordered and on their way here.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The Wing Takes Shape
this piece of art must be approached constantly from so many angles -- regarding logistics, materials, funding, philosophy, political science, history, conditioning, space, design, support, etc. this is what i love about the process. however, the chunks of time that i carve out during the week never seem to be quite enough.
it seems that every person i know has some contribution to make in moving 800,000 nails forward. on monday, two friends well-versed in politics and fundraising reviewed my letter for nail donations. throughout the rest of the week, i found time to reshape the letter and the focus of those whom i wish to contact for the nails, which i have to get out by no later than tuesday of this coming week.
Martin Luther King day brought a beautiful development. The kids and i went down near the santa monica pier to walk around with our neighbors. the sun broke through brewing rain clouds and everyone seemed to be soaking up the afternoon break in our winter storms. even the birds. i had a long moment to lean on the pier railings and watch, very closely, the gliding wings of seagulls. how they expand open, take shape, hold and soar. i got to thinking about the wing.
that night, i studied more images of birds wings and sketched a design that i think will really work, while listening to some incredible music of politics, protest and love. it was as if the feelings in the music went into my ears, down inside me and back out through my pencil onto the birds wing sketch: reinforcing my belief that one pure expression of art can inspire another pure expression of art, of an idea. and so on.
Later in the week, I scaled it out, figured out that (30) 4 x 8 panels need to be constructed and this will be done in March. I'm going to host a "wing-raising" in the tradition of an old-fashioned barn raising. except, this will happen over 3 days, not one.
The rest of the week involved more brainstorming thoughts over fundraising, more wood collecting, conversations on structure and reading current news of rwanda. not bad, considering monday was a holiday and tues/wed, cooper was home with a fever.
i did get out to kickbox twice. this is very important conditioning now. i used to kickbox for anger, when i started two years ago. now, i box the bag for fun and power. the class forces me to spread my strength and stamina out evenly over an hour, so that i don't crash midway. i counted as best i could and figured that i hit the bag at least 1500-2000 times in an hour. i think of hitting 800 nails/hour for 10 hours a day and know that i will need to meditatively spread my strength out over each 10 hour period. i also know that...i will do it.
it seems that every person i know has some contribution to make in moving 800,000 nails forward. on monday, two friends well-versed in politics and fundraising reviewed my letter for nail donations. throughout the rest of the week, i found time to reshape the letter and the focus of those whom i wish to contact for the nails, which i have to get out by no later than tuesday of this coming week.
Martin Luther King day brought a beautiful development. The kids and i went down near the santa monica pier to walk around with our neighbors. the sun broke through brewing rain clouds and everyone seemed to be soaking up the afternoon break in our winter storms. even the birds. i had a long moment to lean on the pier railings and watch, very closely, the gliding wings of seagulls. how they expand open, take shape, hold and soar. i got to thinking about the wing.
that night, i studied more images of birds wings and sketched a design that i think will really work, while listening to some incredible music of politics, protest and love. it was as if the feelings in the music went into my ears, down inside me and back out through my pencil onto the birds wing sketch: reinforcing my belief that one pure expression of art can inspire another pure expression of art, of an idea. and so on.
Later in the week, I scaled it out, figured out that (30) 4 x 8 panels need to be constructed and this will be done in March. I'm going to host a "wing-raising" in the tradition of an old-fashioned barn raising. except, this will happen over 3 days, not one.
The rest of the week involved more brainstorming thoughts over fundraising, more wood collecting, conversations on structure and reading current news of rwanda. not bad, considering monday was a holiday and tues/wed, cooper was home with a fever.
i did get out to kickbox twice. this is very important conditioning now. i used to kickbox for anger, when i started two years ago. now, i box the bag for fun and power. the class forces me to spread my strength and stamina out evenly over an hour, so that i don't crash midway. i counted as best i could and figured that i hit the bag at least 1500-2000 times in an hour. i think of hitting 800 nails/hour for 10 hours a day and know that i will need to meditatively spread my strength out over each 10 hour period. i also know that...i will do it.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Linda and things that begin with the letter "g"
Linda Newman is a fine, good woman. she is goddess-like, gracious, gifted, gorgeous, giving, goofy and, yes, often full of genius. On Friday, Linda and I sat in our sun-drenched living room, looking at the most recent nail/wood prototype that i made earlier in the week, experimenting with different sized nails. Four kids frolicked around us in almost a surreal state of harmony, which allowed Linda and I to actually have a conversation. The sun hit the nail heads beautifully and she and i began talking about the community contribution to the wing. I had told her of one thought of people being able to paint the heads of the nails, but that didn't feel very inspired. A second idea was for me to just get the nails in the wood and then others could bring their hammers and pound the nails deeper into the wood. but that could be disastrous. men, women, children, hammers, fingers, noise. no.
And Linda, as rich of an artist as she is a deeply insightful human being, envisioned something which brought me to a new level of excitement and tears. She suggested red sewing thread. This thread could be tied to one nail and then connected to another and another and so on. An individual could spend time just tying bits of thread to single nails, leaving a length of it hanging in the breeze. Or, they could create an elaborate web of thread connecting many nails together. There would be no right or wrong way for a person to contribute to the piece. any way works. Cooper and Eleanor spent some time doing this during the weekend. Their process was silent, peaceful and intimate.
What Linda suggests, in my view, adds a vital third element to the wood and nailed wing that introduces so many needed things: color, movement, participation, fragility and impermanence. Yes, hundreds of people could spend their time tying red thread onto the nails in any way they wish and eventually, due to the elements of nature, their contribution will fade, decay and fall. And over time, new waves of people could put their thread on the nails. In binding a group of nails together, it looks as if a family is being bonded together by the thread. Or a group of students in a school. An orphanage. Or a small village. It's possible to contemplate these aspects of the loss while meditatively winding the thread around the nails with ones own hands. Of course the thread is red, representing blood. Blood that was spilled. The blood that runs through the hands of the living as they pay homage to the dead. The blood of life.
The past week felt like one of small accomplishments: a new prototype, a gathering of more wood from a kind gentleman in the West Adams district of LA, more scheduling organization, etc. And Linda's input was hugely inspiring regarding the thread.
On Saturday, we hosted a family here for dinner. Ilda and Chris came with their two children. These two provided rich insight into the cultural perspective of this art. Chris is deeply imbedded in work at the California African American Art Museum and Ilda's personal immigrant family history is so rich. It made for a genuine evening of conversation and turning over of ideas. I kept asking Chris about how the piece would be received in Rwanda next spring, and he kept shrugging his shoulders, suggesting that, it doesn't matter how it is received. "you just have to do it. And see what happens." He's going to help me be as prepared for that phase of the piece as i can be. He will be a link to Rwandans in the Los Angeles area and those whom i may be able to contact in the country itself. I just feel that he will be very helpful in that way. As it is now, he and Ilda are incredibly supportive. He left a catalog and power point presentation with me about a recent show at the museum: A photography exhibit on the orphans of Rwanda. I hope to find some uninterrupted time tomorrow to be present with this material and take it in.
Whew, what a week. I still don't have nails because i didn't ask for them. However, I just completed an artist's statement and letter tonight that i will be sending out to corporations and individuals this week to see what will unfold.
Oh, and today was the first day of my graduate studies. This semester's course: "The Roots of the Holocaust in Western Culture: Anti-Semitism from Antiquities to the Shoah." The first day's lecture was fascinating and I know this course will illuminate similarities for me between the struggles of Jews/Christians...Tutsis/Hutus. Onward...
And Linda, as rich of an artist as she is a deeply insightful human being, envisioned something which brought me to a new level of excitement and tears. She suggested red sewing thread. This thread could be tied to one nail and then connected to another and another and so on. An individual could spend time just tying bits of thread to single nails, leaving a length of it hanging in the breeze. Or, they could create an elaborate web of thread connecting many nails together. There would be no right or wrong way for a person to contribute to the piece. any way works. Cooper and Eleanor spent some time doing this during the weekend. Their process was silent, peaceful and intimate.
What Linda suggests, in my view, adds a vital third element to the wood and nailed wing that introduces so many needed things: color, movement, participation, fragility and impermanence. Yes, hundreds of people could spend their time tying red thread onto the nails in any way they wish and eventually, due to the elements of nature, their contribution will fade, decay and fall. And over time, new waves of people could put their thread on the nails. In binding a group of nails together, it looks as if a family is being bonded together by the thread. Or a group of students in a school. An orphanage. Or a small village. It's possible to contemplate these aspects of the loss while meditatively winding the thread around the nails with ones own hands. Of course the thread is red, representing blood. Blood that was spilled. The blood that runs through the hands of the living as they pay homage to the dead. The blood of life.
The past week felt like one of small accomplishments: a new prototype, a gathering of more wood from a kind gentleman in the West Adams district of LA, more scheduling organization, etc. And Linda's input was hugely inspiring regarding the thread.
On Saturday, we hosted a family here for dinner. Ilda and Chris came with their two children. These two provided rich insight into the cultural perspective of this art. Chris is deeply imbedded in work at the California African American Art Museum and Ilda's personal immigrant family history is so rich. It made for a genuine evening of conversation and turning over of ideas. I kept asking Chris about how the piece would be received in Rwanda next spring, and he kept shrugging his shoulders, suggesting that, it doesn't matter how it is received. "you just have to do it. And see what happens." He's going to help me be as prepared for that phase of the piece as i can be. He will be a link to Rwandans in the Los Angeles area and those whom i may be able to contact in the country itself. I just feel that he will be very helpful in that way. As it is now, he and Ilda are incredibly supportive. He left a catalog and power point presentation with me about a recent show at the museum: A photography exhibit on the orphans of Rwanda. I hope to find some uninterrupted time tomorrow to be present with this material and take it in.
Whew, what a week. I still don't have nails because i didn't ask for them. However, I just completed an artist's statement and letter tonight that i will be sending out to corporations and individuals this week to see what will unfold.
Oh, and today was the first day of my graduate studies. This semester's course: "The Roots of the Holocaust in Western Culture: Anti-Semitism from Antiquities to the Shoah." The first day's lecture was fascinating and I know this course will illuminate similarities for me between the struggles of Jews/Christians...Tutsis/Hutus. Onward...
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