I'm looking for info about urban gardening.
Ian from the Bricolabs list sent this beautiful example to me:

Agnes Deans - Wheatfield – A Confrontation, 1982. She planted and harvested two
acres of wheat in Battery Park landfill, Manhattan

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2009/jun/18/radical-nature-exhibition-barbican?picture=349064137

IRAN - another blog

The New York Times is hosting a blog as well with some civilian footage from Iran.

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/

And here is a time-line of the breakdown since the election:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/06/25/world/middleeast/20090625-iranelection-timeline.html

IRAN - real news vs no news

I have been hearing about the censorship of the media in Iran. I'm not much of a news follower, but I checked it out following geting a link to a really shocking blog by a woman from Tehran and I am completely stunned... in the real media... there is NO NEWS... really nothing. I mean they are just printing some trivial stories about the Venice bienniale and some fossils that were found in Spain. The only actually news is being sent out by bloggers and these people are at great personal risk of being arrested and killed.

Please take the time to check out both kinds of media, I think its the only way to understand the gravity of the situation and also the effects of this media cencorship. I heard also that it is helpful to these personal bolggers that all of us change the time zone settings of our blogs, facebook, twitter and any other social networking sites to Tehran time, so it will become more difficult for the regime to pick out those bloggers who are actually in Iran. I have changed mine now.

Image from the blog of Seda Naiumad (warning, this is a personal daily account, its really emotional and hard to read as it describes a lot of violence in full detail) To see the site you may have to accept the security certificate. Don't worry, it won't give you a virus or anything.
https://un.poivron.org/~tasche/index.php?page=index

And this is the useless trash they are printing in the official media from Iran. This is an english newspaper. But its useless to look here for any real news.
http://www.tehrantimes.com/Index.asp

drupal question

Help! Can someone tell me if its possible, and how to get rid of this doubling in the menu... see the main items drop down a second time before the sub-items in the menu... grrr... no doubles!
ideas? tips? Thanks in advance!

CHAT too

ok I added this completely silly feature to the blog.. see in the bottom right corner?
Well you can talk to me now if I am online at the same time as you....

hehe.. ok I know....gadgets..

R.I.P. Boyan Radanov/Rapresent

KVART magazine in Belgrade was so kind and sensitive to publish a photo of Boyan painting and my letter remembering him. I deeply thank Maja Ciric for sending my communication on to them and also Mia David, the editor. I think Boyan would be touched.

running! - day 4 + 5

Oh, by the way, I did go running 2 days ago, but I got a bit discouraged. While I was running, a goofy loking old man on a bike started to ride beside me, like 2 meters away, at the very same speed. He wasn't even looking at me, but he was really close. For a moment I thought he was just a slow biker and would eventually speed up and pass me, but he just carried on beside and when I slowed down he did as well. Finally I just stopped and said to him that i really just wanted some peace to run. He never even reacted, just kept on going really really slowly, so I turn around and went back the other way.

But now I decided I really can't run in this location on the canal anymore, its really too annoying. This is unfortunate because its the only place around here that I can just run directly from the house without running on busy sidewalks. So now I guess I will have to find a new location and that requires a long walk before or a metro ride. I didn't want it to be this way because it makes it a much longer thing each time and it will be a bit harder to get motivated.

I'll go uptown and try running in the city park today. I'm also looking maybe for a borrowed dog. If I run with a very huge mean looking dog maybe these boring rude gentlemen will leave me alone.

Meet Your Maker!

I collected this first zuchini from the garden and last night Kevin and I made a BBQ and ate way too much... that happens every time we light the BBQ! This is the very first vegetable from the OKNO garden. It was so tasty!

music year

ok while I am on the subject of entertainment... normally I don't like silly joke mail, but my mom sent me this link for the top 20 hits of the year I was born and its actually funny. At first I was freaked out because it seemed so disco, but there are some decent ones actually.

1979. sister sledge, pink floyd, billy joel, chiq, village people(YMCA), michael jackson, the pretenders, amy stewart, kenny rogers!, rod steward, robert john, supertramp, donna summer, DR.Hook, Little River Band, The Knack, Bad Company, Sugar Hill Band, Charlie Daniels. FunnyFunny!
1967 JuKeBoX
1968 JuKeBoX
1969 JuKeBoX
1970 JuKeBoX
1971 JuKeBoX
1972 JuKeBoX
1973 JuKeBoX
1974 JuKeBoX
1975 JuKeBoX
1976 JuKeBoX
1977 JuKeBoX
1978 JuKeBoX
1979 JuKeBoX

Casey's movie list

My friend Casey invariably gives me wonderful movie suggestions.

This week's list:
_ Serial Mom (1994, with long lost Ricki Lake!)
_ There Will Be Blood (2007 with Daniel Day Lewis... total epic)
_ Barry Lyndon (1975, Kubrick)
_ Junebug (2005... gonna watch it now!)

good thing Casey helps me out because DH is off until September! Arg!

Also was suggested Synechdoche, New York... lets see how that goes.

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!