WAR!

OK, so if you know me at least half well, you know I have pigeon tattoos and I really do like pigeons....
That said... THIS IS WAR!!! Some pigeons keep getting into the stairwell here and that's where my kitchen is... so... its really war!

Here is a sign I made to try to help people remember to close the door always and also I am looking for one of those wooden bead hippy curtains so they don't fly in.

I researched ultrasonic, motion detection and other bird deterrents, but since we want to keep the nice birds and insects comfortable in the garden, I can't really get too vicious. So for now... keep the door closed!

This is a picture snatched from that great book The Pigeon find a Hotdog by Mo Willems. I will eat hotdogs in Montreal soon. Sorry Jeje.

running! - day 3

I'm so into running each day! I went again today and ran a bit longer. I used Helsing's trick lats night and wore sunglasses so I would not be bothered, and I think it worked. Except today I ran a bit later and it seems the public was a bit more feisty... not so cool. Like 10 cars slowed down and told me how hot I was and a few people walking past as well. I just ignore them, and then I feel totally snobby.. but really, I just want to be left alone. Do these guy really expect a reaction? Do they really imagine that I would like to talk to them or even hear what they think. Sorry everyone. I just want to run. Nice ot know you think I am hot though.

But regardless, its amazing this running... immediately since the first time, I suddenly went form feeling kind of depressed and disliking myself to feeling really great. And this is just from 10 minutes a day! I always thought people running seemed so silly hammering themselves into the earth, but now I'm starting to catch on. Also its not painful. My muscles are just a tiny bit sore so far, but no nasty knee pains or anything.

MARTIN GORE Santa Barbara 2002 © ANTON CORBIJN

a wedding!

My brother is getting married in July 18th in Whistler so I'll travel to Canada soon.
I get to be a bridesmaid and wear this dress :D

running! - day 2

I did run again today, for a tiny bit longer than the distance yesterday. When I woke up this morning, I was a little sore, but it was fine when I am running. Now afterward I am a bit more stiff, but I can tell its in the places where my muscles are the weakest. I think I'll try to run tomorrow also. I feel so much better. I can't write about it right now thought.

I watched a movie about time going in different directions and paces for different people... with Brad Pitt! The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The movie is actually half decent. The characters are all so worried about not sharing their troubles with their loved ones, but somehow they still all manage to care for each other until the end. Maybe its about just flowing along.

R.I.P. Boyan Radanov/Rapresent

I am so sad to hear the news that on June 11th, 2009 in Belgrade, artist Boyan Radanov aka Rapresent passed away at 21 years old.

I was so lucky to meet Boyan in the winter while I was organizing the Tensions+Breaking Points exhibition in Pancevo, Serbia.

Boyan came and created an amazing graffiti piece on the front of Pancevo Gallery of Contemporary Art as part of the exhibition and also inspired me, Branka and Vincent to make a painting as well. He was a kind, smart, modest and funny young man. Boyan's parents passed away when he was a young boy and he lived with his older brother until he also passed away a few years ago. When I met Boyan he was living on the streets of Belgrade because he had had not been granted the rights to take over his brother's former apartment, but even then he remained in a good spirit and carried on taking care of himself. He was working part-time in a youth center telling kids not to get into trouble. It was obvious as soon as you met Boyan that he had seen a lot in his life and grown extremely wise through it. On the day that we painted, a young boy stopped by and was immediately drawn to Boyan's strong and good energy. But life is really tough.

This was a really perfect day for all of us so I want to share these photos of Boyan. If you would like the larger versions of the photos, let me know.

Boyan's sister, the last member of the family is now waiting for her passport to travel from Croatia to attend the funeral that will take place soon in Subotica, Serbia.

It is so unfair how some people are just left on their own. I don't think people can survive alone.


I feel an urge in ending this post to remember another incredible artist friend, Canadian, Avers, Lee Matasi, who also passed on too early. I hope these guys can meet up now in some graffiti paradise, they both deserve it and would have a lot of fun together making things colourful.

running! - day 1

so.... I started to run today!
even though basically everything for me is going really great, I have been feeling kind of terribly crappy for the last couple months, and I finally realised some action needed to be taken.
I haven't found a nice yoga studio in Brussels yet and also I don't really have the money to go to one, so I just decided to try running.

I have so great shoes but unfortunately they are far away in Berlin, but today I found some really new great runners in a second-hand shop for 15e and I bought some nice socks and...... then I took off!

OK well first I asked Steve and Danny anf Frieda for some running tips. They all said to just run for 10 min or so, not longer, do this for a week and then next week I could try 15 or 20 min.

I went out, walked for 10 min along the canal and then at the part where there are no cars I started to run. After 3 min I thought I might not make it, but then I just focused on making my breathing regular and it because actually really pleasant and not hard at all. I just went slowly, but I didn't stop. I ran down the canal and after a while the pathway actually ended, so I turned back, still running. When I got back to my starting place, I started to walk again and it was really odd because actually my legs kept on trying to run on their own! They didn't want to quit. But I was advised to keep it short and regular, so I just walked the rest of the way back, which was nice because I saw some teeny baby ducks in the canal and a very big but low and long boat passed by slowly.

So in total (according to google maps) I ran about 1.8km. I guess I was running 10 or 12 min. I didn't have a timer with me. I will keep doing this each day this week and next week I will have to find a new route because the pathway for this one ends at a fence once I reach the industrial zone. Maybe I can just run the other way down the canal.

This was my route:

View Larger Map

As is the nature of Molenbeek (this area of the city), some kind Moroccan men like to call out compliments as you pass them on the street. One guy wished me good luck in the race, another said Guapa! (ye in Spanish, not sure why) and another said the classic... bonjour gazelle! Which I took as a nice comment when I was running.

I stretched a bit after the run and came inside and made myself a nice coffee. I can't wait to go running again tomorrow.

Look! (me right after running) I am not dead!

Actually just before I went out running, i was online and Freida, who is in Montreal was also about to go running. Because of the small problem of vast distance between us, we could not run together but we did run synchronously, which provided some friendly motivation for both of us!

save my online, dear web curators!

Check out this article in NYT about curating online content. at first glance, it kind of takes the punch out of the position of a curator... or does it? I actually like it!


Bits: Curating the Best of the Web: Video
By By Jenna Wortham
Published: May 15, 2009
On the Web, digital curators can help you sort through the deluge of video clips, news articles and links to unearth gems and obscure artifacts. more

Mapping a Network

In this video, created by Jaromil during the INC Wintercamp, the activity of the DYNE.org mailing list over the years is mapped visually. I think this is a great approach to showing what a network is about, because essentially, it's the pattern of communications that describes its activity and can show its scope.

So look at the bottom right corner (sorry, its small here, you can also go directly to the vimeo page to see it better)... you can see the date scrolling along, showing the mailing list time-line. In some moments there is tons of activity, others less and its clear that from the start, throughout, Jaromil is a central point, though in some moments some others take over activity.

FreeJ documentation from network cultures on Vimeo.

PUMPS @ Proximos Festival in Tenerife - Documentation

Jérôme and I built this interactive installation called pumps in true experimental fashion in just 2 days. We didn't know much about the location, so we just brought with us a bunch of motors and wire and some suction cups. When we arrived we found a cool red foot pump on the roof and decided to work with air to spin the motors. Simone helped us in Santa Cruz to find the other materials needed, balloons, hoses, switches and other small bits. It was great that so many kids showed up because this was a really fun thing for them to play with... pump the foot pump and as the balloon gets bigger, the switch is lifted and turns on the pump! Presto! Noise! The kids are dressed in traditional costumes because it was El Dia de las Canarias. Thanks to Bonnie, Simone, Cezar, Proximos and El Paso!

PUMPS @ Proximos Festival in Tenerife

Jérôme and I are in Santa Cruz de Tenerife with Bonnie and Simone. They kindly invited us to their festival proximos.eu .

We're making an installation called PUMPS, a kind of interactive mechanical and electric sound(ok total noise!) mixer in the El-Pa-So bookshop. Here below are some photos of the first building day and today we're completing the installation. Tonight it will be open to the public and we will make a projection of films by Dominic Gagnon(ca) and Clémentine Lemaître(fr) and there will be performances by some local circuit benders. Find out more info on the proximos.eu website.

Team meeting at the juice shop. (Kyd, Simone, Jérôme)Suction cup sensor holder.

All the gear ready to move down to the bookshop for installation.

One of the new foot pumps.
The first balloon blown up.

We're building trhis project on the spot. Before we came we prepared some small motors and though about what kind of interaction we'd like to have. When we got here we found this great red air pump on Simone's roof and we thought it looked just like the kind of power button you'd like to stomp on. We then decided to stick the motors directly onto the glass, and to have them turn on and off by the visitors. So basically... in order to 'compose' some noise, you should keep pumping the pumps (5) which blow up balloons, which, as they rise touch the small switches and turn the motors on. Simple...silly...and funny for here because these pumps are really typical since everyone has all kinds of beach inflatables.