This clip, taken from the Lars Von Trier film Dancer in the Dark, always succeeds at attacking some of my own paranoia with my own poor vision. In the film, Björk’s character has become almost completely blind and she pitches her glasses off a bridge because she no longer needs them. That moment had much impact on me, because I have dreamed of doing the same action but discarding the glasses because my vision was healed. With my recent Lasik surgery in Hong Kong, it’s a dream come true. I’m just coming out of the main part of the healing process and am not allowed to swim or go to saunas among other things, but I have resumed trumpet playing and exercise and feel a new kind of independence that is the opposite of Björk’s character’s desperate indifference to her lost vision.
Former Dentonite and University of North Texas alumnus Chris Nicholas joins with Korean composer JooWan Kim (aka Mik Nawooj) in California for a a new take on music-making which truly blends classical music with hip hop and other popular forms. Chris Nicholas is a featured soloist in their chamber hip-hop opera (or as I like to say “hiphopera”) titled “Great Integraton.” JooWan Kim was formerly managed by Jazz legend Ahmad Jamal who helped Kim secure a lifetime endorsement from Steinway & Sons Piano Company. Utilizing social media and their musical talents, the group is fundraising to perform a touring full version of “Great Integration” complete with dancers from the Pushdance Company and various Jazz and classical musicians including MC Kirby Dominant. Check them out everywhere online:
Facebook: Great Integration
Myspace: Ensemble Mik Nawooj
Motion Fest: Fundraising site
Video and audio content used with permission in association with Ensemble Mik Nawooj and MyDentonMusic.com
video by Michael Goodier
additional video by the Push Dance Company
Remix by Michal Garcia
The thin line film fest has just begun in Denton, Texas. There you can watch numerous world premieres and regional showing of films that border on the thin line between fiction and truth. If you’re not already keeping up with Denton, you should be. I predict that by 2015 the town will have exploded into America’s awesome underground town (figuratively typing). It already is that town, but non-locals don’t flock there yet. I’m also excited about NX35, but that’s still a ways away.
I recently checked out Hong Kong’s Hasselblad event with Jing Jiang and played with all their expensive imaging toys, including the latest 50-megapixel death machine. Well, it’s not the latest, latest H4D but it still takes great photos. Shriro in Hong Kong deals Hasselblad and also the fun accessories that Lastolite puts out.
One week ago, I spent a morning at the refractive surgery department of the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital (NOT pictured above) getting Lasik surgery. Lasik is a simple procedure (though highly technical) in which a flap over your cornea is cut with a laser (or less expensively with a surgical grade can opener) and pushed aside as your cornea is reshaped (effectively barbequed – you can even smell the smoke!). The flap replaced and Voila! You can see. Just don’t do anything too vigorous (or underwater) for a few weeks and it’ll heal like a little cut on your knee. I’m already enjoying my new life without glasses or contact lenses. It’s quite a relief too because I’ve been wearing glasses since I was about 8 years old.
Below are a few shots of the eye shields I had to wear the first day. Photography below by Jing Jiang on her mobile phone. Shot above by me, of Composer/Arranger John Guari (Shot in Harlem, New York)
This is your typical Rooster in the Philippines checking out a book by Chase Jarvis titled “The Best Camera (is the one that’s with you)” – this was part of the contest I entered and won, for a trip to Seattle to meet Chase Jarvis and friends and collaborate creatively. See the original post here. I’ll be posting more of these images periodically, because if they’re half as fun to look at as they were to shoot then that’s still awesome
Over the Christmas holidays, I took a few fun photos and won a trip to visit Chase Jarvis and friends in Seattle. Much respect to Chase and his team for the work they do, and much gratitude toward them for choosing me as the winner. As I get more information on when the trip I’ll post images I took for the contest on this new blog. Stay tuned for details and catch the original announcement here.
The Scat Jazz Lounge in Ft. Worth has brought together the art scene of downtown Ft. Worth with the talent of New Orleans’ own drumming talent Adonis Rose for a Wednesday night each week of New Orleans style Jazz. The very beautiful sound about this music is that it’s rooted in tradition, yet entirely modern at once. One must hear it to appreciate it, so make your way to Texas.
This month, you can expect writer and social media expert Sarah Crisman to team up with superband Snarky Puppy for a number of exciting variety shows of Southern talent.
