Why Is a Mouse When It Spins?

According to our research, toddlers and young children have been trying to get off the ground for many, many years. Now, for the first time, we have photographic evidence of this so-called ‘flight frenzy’ experienced in olden-times by the very young. Why were they so eager to get off the ground? Was there candy up there? Will we ever truly know, and if not, do we want to? Perhaps. Ultimately, however, the answer, like so many balloons, may be lost to the sands of time.

Young Platie Mulrooney, thinking of a flight by parasol.

Chirrep Monatan’s mother kept her from realizing her dream,
this sunny October day.

Young Millicent Seworthy studies the principles of gravity and aerodynamics,
but pretends she is merely playing with a ball.

Sonia Plutarch schemes, adorably.

Look up.

In the land of shadows, dwells a girl.

She keeps the shadows at bay.

Lucy Plumvitae

If you wish to help in her fight, turn a light on.

fluorescent lights
shiver
cold green room

life inside a membrane
nothing chases    down my spine

Since you’re gone, I’m all pulled together
a net full of gleaming minnows

And they’re all facing
the same direction

And they only want
to swim back home

time has no meaning here

it’s a trap and a tumble, but it’s poorly made

we’ll fall out, I expect

and when day once more breaks,

the tune of it will drown out

the ticking

of all these

clocks

When police asked him why he walked on a wire between the two towers of the WTC in NY, Philippe Petit  said, “There is no why.”

Philippe Petit, 1974.

An action of beauty and wit, explaining it is absurd. But humans desire explanations.

I did a series of B&W photographs in my junior year in art school. They were done with a bellows medium-format camera (basically macro photography with a very short depth of field). Only one small part was in focus, and the rest was a lovely, warping fuzz. I photographed everyday objects, concentrating on shape and light, rendering the objects unrecognizable. During the critique, many classmates were frustrated and wanted to know what the objects were. I refused to say, because if I did that, they would never be able to see them the right way again, without context. That was the whole point of the photos, anyway.

There’s beauty and freedom in suspending your reason. Silliness and random enthusiasm are baffling to many, but are gratifying ends in themselves. Here’s to no why.

“If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.” – Louis Armstrong

“One must not wish first to understand and then to feel. Art does not tolerate Reason.” – Albert Camus

When we go out into the world, we have many opportunities to discover new ideas, new products, and yes, even new species. Next time you find yourself in the park or a public toilet stall, look around and see if there are new things to observe and learn.

On a recent outing to a local shop, I was lucky enough to see the reclusive and hard-to-spot microsaur, specifically a demibrontosaur. The demibronto lives wherever it fits. You may see it in a child’s sneaker, a fish tank, or hiding in the grass near a bus stop.

The demibrontosaur inhabits nooks and display cases.

I’m remembering the reasons I went to art school, ten long years ago. The main one was that I was unhappy in my office job, and I wanted to do/make/think things that were of interest to me. Quitting the job and starting school was the #1 Best Thing I Did this past decade.

And now I’m back in an office job. How did this happen? I grew frustrated with the art department’s philosophy, the emphasis on solipsism and narrative. My projects were often deemed “too subtle,” which was both frustrating and very funny. The concepts were not subtle, but the presentation required viewer participation. Subtle? Sure. But fun. Memory, time, light, etcetera. And the absurdity of art.

Things happened, I got divorced, left Denver, and returned to Seattle. Finished my degree here, in French (hard to transfer for the final year of study on a BFA).

And: job.

2002, Untitled Screenprint (the Dream of Flight)

Humans are very easy to trap.

Need: housing, health care, food, clothing, basics.

Your time and labor can be exchanged for money.

This can cause fatigue of the body and mind, which makes alternatives seem infeasible.

It’s a simple thing, and subtle. At some point, you realize you’ve been working in an office job for far too long. Images of metamorphoses and bank tellers, Brazil, and Being John Malkovich.

The dream of flight. Der Traum vom Fliegen. Try again.

Click here for musics -> What You Do

A rough mix from the upcoming Mountain Kids Fantasy CD. Listen, and enjoy. Here is a picture for you to look at:

Painted by an audience member during the show.

Many of you know that I make music. I make music in a solo fashion (links to the right) as well as in what is known as a “rock band.” We could be described as “alternative.” You will find the band site here www.mountainkidsfantasy.com and there, you are welcome to  listen, look, and learn in a whole other way.

In the mean time, I would like to share with you a newish song of which I am rather proud. Listen, and turn it up, for Pete’s sake.

Strike Two Stones

And here is a photo for your enjoyment:

As some of you may know, I went to Art School. This is important because it informs my use of language when discussing drawings, sculpture, and your family snapshots. It is also important because that is the place I first learned about papierzoologia.

Driger, usually found in the hilly lowlands.

Papierzoologia is the study of or obsession with paper and lifeforms that exist only in paper form. It was a popular hobby for bachelors during the 17th through early 19th Centuries, but waned as photography and prostitution became more practical.

A rare shot of a hunting Gulvine.

The most common application of papierzoologia was to keep cartographers from charting the location of your store of hooch, or spirits*, by making them think that Drigers were prevalent in the very same area. This made accurate or detailed mapping impossible.

*It was not until the early 20th Century that your store of booze was discovered.

It was believed by many that stalling the efforts of mapmakers was in the best interest of everyone, as the less that was charted, the more there was to be discovered.

One man in particular, Mr. Joseph Rayonne of Clairbetters, MA, believed this so strongly that he took to damaging or hiding all rulers, compasses, and eyeglasses in town. While this did not inconvenience any mapmakers, since none were in residence, it did allow for a very circular traffic system to develop.

The Vicenecked Heelbird is into that.

Mr. Rayonne was more outspoken than most, however, and the majority of people were satisfied with learning about all of the wondrous animals on paper.

In conclusion, many animals exist, and many more do not. It is the role of men and women of leisure to study the latter.

The Terrierer is not recommended as a guide dog.

Onglofier showing Winter plumage

The Lamguin is very happy to see you.