by jad

Solidarity Isn’t Scary

I went to a Halloween party slash fundraiser called SOLIDARITY IS NOT SCARY on Friday dressed as the most terrifying thing I could think of, but you had to be there to be in on the bit. I was actually attending in my dual-card capacity as a member of @seattledsa and ACWA, so I spent much of the night standing behind a table with flyers and this vantage point, until the speeches started, when we heard from members of the two SAM labor unions that we were raising funds for, as well as @kcimmigrantrightsalliance, who were also receiving a portion … Continue reading “Solidarity Isn’t Scary” →

by jad

WHAT WE BELIEVE IN

“BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO FEEL THIS RIGHT NOW” From WHAT WE BELIEVE IN, by @elleglasseart, at @base.camp.studios 2—a multi-sensory exhibit that functions as full-body immersion into a space of ritual and propaganda, in their widest sense: the things to be observed and propagated. This video loop evokes classical propagation in its mesmerizing insistence: “To be effective, propaganda must constantly short-circuit all thought and decision. It must operate on the individual at the level of the unconscious. He [sic] must not know that he is being shaped by outside forces…but some central core in him must be reached in order … Continue reading “WHAT WE BELIEVE IN” →

by jad

See You at the Fair

I finally got the scans back from the roll I’d taken to the WA State Fair on Labor Day. We’ve gone almost every year since moving here, but not last year. As has become a minor tradition, I brought along yet another camera with me. It was fun to try and see something “new” in a place that’s been comfortingly the same ever since Christine could remember. x This is a roll of LomoChrome Classicolor. I really enjoy the greens and reds in this stock, but as seems to be pretty common with Lomography’s products, it sometimes struggles with dynamic … Continue reading “See You at the Fair” →

by jad

Author & Punisher

This was @authorandpunisher at @substation.seattle on 9.27.26. It’s been forever since I’ve taken my camera out to a show. I haven’t even been to many concerts in the last three years; I sort of fell out of love with it after throwing myself at live music when covid restrictions started to ease and I was desperate for a hit of that energy again. The old binge and purge dialectic, I suppose. But I could not pass up the opportunity to see Author & Punisher live after two decades of only seeing him on YouTube. I even wore my old “SET … Continue reading “Author & Punisher” →

by jad

Until Next Time, Gorgeous

It’s almost September, which means it’s nearly time to put the summer behind me. One or two more hurrahs left for the closest thing we have to an eternal city on this continent. x It’s funny that I still haven’t done any of the most stereotypical things in NYC yet, but this time, I got real close. x It’s also funny how it was only after we got back from NYC that I started watching all these shows about its urban history. We’ve barely scratched the surface of this place, which is why I love it so much. It’s not … Continue reading “Until Next Time, Gorgeous” →

by jad

NYC Kodak Moments

We stumbled on a so-this-city scene when we found these FDNY firefighters training in the middle of the street. One of the older guys was encouraging a younger recruit (“it ain’t easy”), before a dude on a bike and two dogs strapped like babies showed up to chit chat. The very last slide isn’t from this street, but it seemed like it capped off the set nicely. x x x

by jad

Cat Power at CHOMP!

I’ve been listening to @catpowerofficial for years and years, ever since @aliciammmm first introduced her to me a lifetime ago, but I never got the chance to see her perform live—there’s a whole era of artists that shaped me from afar when I lived in places they never ventured, and I’d long resigned myself to keeping it that way. But when I heard that Chan was playing at @kingcountychomp this year, and for free (!!!), I knew I had to be there. What I didn’t expect, though, is how moved I’d be. From the first notes of ‘The Greatest,’ my … Continue reading “Cat Power at CHOMP!” →

by jad

St John the Divine

On the morning of my birthday, we went to visit the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine bright and early, so we were two of a handful of people there. I was amused when the very cool and very bored person at the counter asked what the nature of my visit was—this was early in our trip, and I wasn’t yet used to these buildings being seen as tourist traps, plus his question was giving “border control”—and even more amused when he tripped over my reply: prayer. After a beat, he made sure I knew that photography isn’t allowed if … Continue reading “St John the Divine” →

by jad

New York Aura

I’d planned to get an aura photo taken upon my solar return and was pleased to see that @magicjewelrynyc did that sort of thing in a convenient location in Chinatown. Drop-ins welcome too! Alas, the only woo-woo that was to ensue was our circling the block a dozen times in the scorching heat before realizing that the location had disappeared off the face of the earth. Grand rising! We had a good laugh about that and greatly enjoyed the insanity that is Canal Street and its Canal Street bling. We also seemed to stumble upon some police raid that was confiscating merchandise, … Continue reading “New York Aura” →