This is a special year for me. Why? Cos its the YEAR OF THE TIGER (that’s me!) If you have surrendered to know any of us, you’d understand that we’re a special bunch…
Giant Robot in Los Angeles is hosting Year of the Tiger, a group art show celebrating 4708 on the lunar calendar. They’ve graciously uploaded some preview artwork to Flickr, for all of those non-LA folksies. Show lasts from February 13 – March 10th… looks pretty fucken tight! RAHHH!!!
I went to Ocean Beach the other day and discovered this. You can’t tell from the pic, but the waves were ginormous that day, I swear!
Seeing this reminded me of my favorite outdoorsy, acid-trippy joint, the Albany Bulb. Originally a landfill, this place is a maze of trash art, graffiti, and architecture… like a library and a castle. Plus birds, fishies, old folks walking their dogs, and Jimbow the Hobow (who runs the library). The entire thing is actually very peaceful, in a chaotic sorta way… Nevertheless, a lot of the artwork has been dismantled throughout the years in favor of turning the area into a park.
The photos range from 2007 to 2009.
That’s my friend Mei, kickin it with the wailing lady.
So I’ve gotten lazy with my bloggy lately cos I’ve been clicking, cropping, and Indesign-ing my evenings and weekends away. Never mind my social life.
This is my baby of 3 weeks… it’s a booklet I designed for a film and webisode series called Open Minds Open Mouths. The project documents the impact of Berkeley Unified School District’s Food Policy, which ensures that all BUSD students have daily access to organic, locally grown breakfasts and lunches.
In typical Berkeley fashion, the policy’s got its share of fans and haters. Which mostly makes me wonder what the people being most affected by the policy– kids of color and their families– have to say about all of this. Anyway… as someone who doesn’t know much about food policy, I ought to get schooled a bit, check out the doc when it becomes available, before adding yet another 2 cents to the chorus…
I experienced Dengue Fever on Tuesday night. It was TIGHT (literally… wall-to-wall people emanating the sweet stank of B.O. and ganj). But it was also tight in that it was like, really fuckin amazing.
The music is inspired by Cambodian rockers from the 60s, many of whom where murdered under the Khmer Rouge. Below is a track by Sin Sisamouth, a huge artist of the time.
Before I went to the show, I kinda sorta had the band members pegged as major Asian fetishizers… history stealers… Silver Lake goons who happen to make good music… etc. etc. Which, given the creepy and condescending media coverage of the music and its history (painting Zac Holtzman, bushy-bearded guy, as the creative genius of Cambodian music… and Chhom Nimol as his fairy bride) is not that unfair.
In fact, right up until they came on stage, I was plotting to write a disapproving blog essay (with PROOF) about the colonizing mentality of Dengue Fever… but I can’t anymore! I’ve been converted. It’s hard not to fall in love a tiny bit when a band’s getting down and ugly for their music. Even when they can eat you alive with their beards.
But in all seriousness, the music is important. The history — which, after all, isn’t just the past but the driving reality of the present — is important. Maybe the band’s privileges are less significant than the people it honors and reaches out to (and I’m not talking about the hipsters). I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m not Cambodian or Southeast Asian, and it’s not exactly my place to be the judge in all of this… but I was thinking about how I’d feel if say, some white guys from LA came out with music inspired by “North Korean funk from the 50s”… how would I feel? Would I see it differently? Would I be happy to connect with a part of my history that I never knew I lost? Would I be creeped out at how said white guys are becoming the keepers of that history? A little bit of both? Something else entirely?
Don’t really know the answer to those questions. I do know its hella powerful to see Chhom Nimol rocking out like it’s no one’s business, though. For now, that’ll have to do.
Today marks the 1-year anniversary of Oscar Grant’s death at the hands of BART police officer Johannes Mehserle and the case is far from over. Grant’s family has a lawsuit pending against BART, Mehserle is set to face trial in Los Angeles in 2010 and there are still cases against 3 activists that allegedly participated in the January 14th protests in downtown Oakland.
It’s the dawn of a new decade and emotions in Oakland are running high-from renewed anger over police brutality, to BART announcing increased police patrols for the night to the collective hope that this tragedy will be the catalyst to address some of our most pressing issues.
And as Susan states in her essay, the Oscar Grant case was essentially the spark that stoked Oakland Local’s fire. Frustration over with the way the media coverage unfolded and the lack of diversity in the coverage sparked its creation. Oakland Local was formed with the goal of providing a platform for the city’s diverse voices across race, class, gender and political lines, a starting-place we lacked.
In recognition of Oscar’s death–and the impact his killing has had on our city, Oakland Local has asked local leaders and just plain folks to look back at Oscar and the year. We’ve also collected compelling coverage from the past year, including testimonials, community news reports, essays, poetry, and video. This is our attempt to honor those opinions. This gallery is a collaborative effort by a wide range of individuals and we thank them all for their passion and participation.
As the new year rolls in let’s take this time to reflect and ask ourselves how we can all do better in 2010. Not just for ourselves, but for the community, the city and our collective well being. There’s a lot of work to be done. Let’s make those 1st steps together.
Check out Oakland Local for more essays, photos, and artwork from the New Year’s vigil.
For now, artistry in and around the bay. Graf by GATS and stencil lifted from Endless Canvas. Bottom poster by Paul Barron, photographed by Gordon Gekkoh.
