Balloons

Rooftop Beach

One of the nice things about summer in New York is that you can usually find a nice flat roof with a great view to substitute as a private beach when you can't make it out to a real one... This happens to be the roof of my building, which as you can see, has a really nice view of the Williamsburg Bridge to the left (and if you look really closely you can see the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges AND the Statue of Liberty in the distance) and of Manhattan to the right.

Les Ephémères

Thanks Elise for getting me tickets to one of the most amazing shows I have seen ever! Elise works for Le Théâtre du Soleil, the world renowned French theater company that performed their 7 hour show, Les Ephémères, as part of the Lincoln Center Festival, in association with the Park Avenue Armory. (Here's a link to their website , if you understand French) Les Ephémères "explores personal stories of pain and compassion in episodes that reflect our common experiences to find meaning in the mundane." The acting was so rich and nuanced and the lighting and music set the stage just right, that by the end of the show, I felt as though I knew the characters and had lived with them through the pain they endure in the story.

The audience sits on either side of the elliptical stage, but the actors literally float before your eyes on circular platforms that rotate and move across the stage as they are pushed by other members of the cast.


Their entire stage and set is a freestanding structure, like a rectangular circus tent, that can be erected in any large space. The main room in the Armory was perfect for it.


Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures during the show, but here are some photos of before, where you can see the actors putting on their makeup and costumes. If you ever have the chance to see any performance by Le Théâtre du Soleil, take it.

Susan Gardner

My friend and former art professor, Susan Gardner, 8 years ago stepped outside of her house in Brooklyn and began gluing things to its facade. I spent the afternoon with her as she worked, greeting the neighborhood children, and making sure all the beads, buttons, and bits of broken plates didn't roll too far away into the street.

Over the past 8 summers, its become a beautiful masterpiece, bringing joy to everyone that passes by. If you have a chance, go and see it. Its on Wyckoff Street between Smith and Bergen in Cobble Hill, and you can't miss it.

And don't forget to look at her other works here: http://susangardner.com/

New Notebook

Thanks Julie for this beautiful new notebook.

PEX Fest '09

At long last, here are the PEX Fest photos...

I took these on a disposable camera, because I was afraid to bring my nice digital and lose it or ruin it. Kate Fry of Done Daisy, who was there with me and Burt, also has some great photos from the event.


Dancing in the Pavilion...



Sitting in a pool of rose petals...


Our cabin. Our neighbors.




Practicing my acrobatics skills.... Trapeze photo taken by Rachel Moore, one of our lovely cabin neighbors.



The Kate Fry.

My Pride

Tripped on the sidewalk
Wounded my pride.
Put a band-aid on it
And put it to bed.
Bought it some flowers.
"Why thank you," it said.
"I'm gaining back my
Strength, but I feel I
May still need more rest yet.
"When do you think you'll
Be back up and running?"
I nervously asked, a rising
Panic building in my chest.
"Hard to say," my pride answered
"That was a bad fall we had
Back there."
"But what will I do without you?
How will I get out of bed every
Morning? How will I go to
work and be the boss I
Need to be? How will I have the
Strength to go on?"
"You'll think of something," it answered.

Found Object Project

My friends and I decided to make a sculpture out of things we found in the street. Luckily, you can find all kinds of useful materials just outside your door, on the wonderfully clean streets of Brooklyn.

First, we photographed each object as it was found before collecting it.

Then we got to work...



In the end, not only was it a sculpture, but also a chair, and also a game.

For the Circus

Here's a little sneak preview of a project I've been working on with the New York Circus Arts Academy. More on the way...

ArcheDream for Humankind

Hey Readers,

I've returned from the woods and I'm back with all kinds of great new inspiration and information for you.

One of the highlights of my 4th of July weekend is that I had the opportunity to see ArcheDream for Humankind perform. They are a dance company that incorporates black light into their performances, creating a vast new world of possibilities in their shows. The dancers wear costumes that glow with hundreds of colors, beautifully detailed masks, and they seem to float through the air. The company invites dancers from all backgrounds from all backgrounds of dance to join, and incorporates many different styles of dance into their choreography.

The show we saw is called Chorus of Dreams - a 60 minute, 3 part show that covers the past, present, and future of life in America and the New American Dream. It was written in collboration with composer Eric "EO" Oberthaler, of The Brass Menažeri. As I haven't gotten my pictures developed yet, here's a trailer of the show for now.

World War

The other night I finally got to see Biet and Nathan of World War, perform in my neighborhood. Biet has a beautiful voice. And their music has that happy yet melancholy, smooth yet sparkly, wonderfully colorful feeling. Check it out.