Category: Ecstasis

by jad

Keffiyeh Day

Yesterday was Nakba Day, and these were taken on Keffiyeh Day, May 11, in Westlake Park, at a rally marking the 76th year of rallies just like this one. The same chants, the same keffiyehs, the same fury in the face of the same injustice. I took these on expired film because these images could have been taken decades ago. I pray that they won’t be taken decades from now. Free Palestine. The rallies are the same, but the passion this year feels different. We’re at a tipping point of some kind. One of the UW student protestors spoke of … Continue reading “Keffiyeh Day” →

by jad

The Lord Will Provide

I finally made it out to GT Recording, the only place I could find in Seattle that can digitize 16mm film reels. They’re only open by appointment and at odd hours, and when I got there, I expected to find some grumpy Gen Xer behind the counter. I was pleasantly surprised to meet the sweetest old lady named Connie who gently laughed at my offering extra leader in case my reels were a little worn out. She said they deal with even older and moldier stuff than mine. I took these photos about five minutes apart. The light can change … Continue reading “The Lord Will Provide” →

by jad

Houston: Y’All Come Back Now

There’s a place in the mall where I’m staying (yes, my hotel is in the mall) that’s called the museum of illusions, which sounds a lot like how this part of Houston feels, especially in the early morning fog. I took these after breakfast yesterday. I could have stared at that thing for hours. It’s fascinating how much this part of Houston reminded me of Dubai, even in its muggy evening breeze that indicated to me that there’s a gulf out there somewhere around here. More street scenes from my first Texan morning. The first breakfast wasn’t included in the … Continue reading “Houston: Y’All Come Back Now” →

by jad

Seattle’s Nuclear History: TerraPower

“Nuclear power gambles with disaster; even proponents acknowledge that accidents are inevitable. Smaller reactors would mostly be clustered together to generate more power and offer no more safety than larger ones … Nuclear power is of course far less dangerous to human lives and the environment than fossil fuel power. But this comparison is irrelevant. The proper comparison of nuclear power is not to fossil fuel energy but to renewal alternatives like wind power, solar power, and geothermal power. These are far less risky, dangerous and costly than nuclear power. Hydropower is also a renewable energy technology; however, it has … Continue reading “Seattle’s Nuclear History: TerraPower” →

by jad

Black History Month

There’s a lot of talk right now in astrology circles about stepping into our most future-forward selves with the turning of the plutonic clock towards an age of Aquarius, and the best advice has been to figure out what that means by looking at how far we’ve come. There are certain dates they suggest to help mark these shifts, but I’m less interested in the details of the plot than I am in the overall shape of the story being told: that our tomorrow is forged in yesterday’s fire and quenched today. I had the honor of being invited into … Continue reading “Black History Month” →

by jad

Asteroid City

“But you can’t wake up if you don’t fall asleep So go live your dreams and live them real deep. There is some countin’ money and there’s some countin’ sheep. Oh, you can’t wake up if you don’t fall asleep – If you don’t fall asleep.” (Jarvis Cocker) I watched ‘Asteroid City’ on the ten-hour flight to Frankfurt coming here, and I don’t think I was fully awake to fully grasp it, but I think it’s a movie about grief and purpose and the stories we let ourselves to find purpose in grief, or grief in purpose, etc. “Asteroid City … Continue reading “Asteroid City” →

by jad

Saints in the Mirror

This one killed it last night, and those aren’t even my words; it’s what so many who were there at her “Saints in the Mirror” exhibit have been telling me all day. I know how hard she’s been and still is working on this project, and I couldn’t be prouder. Two of the twelve pieces from @christine.bingham.art‘s “Saints in the Mirror” exhibit at Epiphany yesterday, depicting Sor Juana and Saint Rose of Lima. You should ask Christine about her collaborative process with our cat. I was so happy to see so many of you there to support Christine! It was … Continue reading “Saints in the Mirror” →

by jad

Nuclear Vancouver

We packed a lot into our very short time in Vancouver, but my favorite stop was the opportunity to visit and hang out with atomic photographer, filmmaker, and sole @uraniumfilm festival coordinator in Canada for the 2024 tour, Jesse Andrewartha, in his East Van home. Here we are in his darkroom. And here he is displaying the radioactive properties of his prized slice of polished uranium ore. Let me tell you: that crackling of the Geiger counter is an eerie basement sound! Jesse Andrewartha is a Canadian filmmaker, photographer, and visual effects artist specializing in historical & obscure darkroom techniques … Continue reading “Nuclear Vancouver” →

by jad

Seattle’s Nuclear History: Satsop

Satsop isn’t actually abandoned, but I like how this Instagram location tag plays on the indeterminacy of this place as both modernist ruin and post-modern investment opportunity. 20 minutes to Aberdeen, 1 hour 30 minutes to Seattle, 1 hour to the Olympic National Forest, 30 minutes to Olympia, 3 hours to Portland – that’s how the Satsop Business Park website sells this enticing real estate. I wonder how those proxemics would read today had this plant actually gone live. x Why choose Satsop? “The Park offers facilities from 5,000 sq. ft to 300,000 sq. ft. In addition, more than 400 … Continue reading “Seattle’s Nuclear History: Satsop” →

by jad

Nuclear History is in the Present Tense

In “By the Bomb’s Early Light,” Paul Boyer writes about the ebbs and flows of nuclear criticism as atomic dreams and radioactive nightmares danced across this nation’s psyche throughout the Cold War. He wrote his book during such a peak and prefaced his second edition with a question about the next peak to come, as the Cold War had been called off by then. In the intervening years, there have been blips of renewed interest, especially around the time of the radioactive catastrophe at Fukushima, but with rising geopolitical tensions and increased climate emergency, it seems like we’re re-entering another … Continue reading “Nuclear History is in the Present Tense” →