Category: Poiesis

by jad

I Am Grief

These double-exposures came about by reloading the roll that got stuck when my Ricoh point and shoot stopped working into a Nikon SLR; the frames clearly didn’t align properly, and the original frames were somehow flipped. No matter. These work well in visualizing my deep dislocation being here while Lebanon’s under attack. It’s a heavy, jumbled up feeling, but — irony of ironies — it’s far from unfamiliar. This slow, rolling rumble of indignation; I’ve felt it before. This gnaw of fear; I’m used to the feeling. These pangs of guilt; they’re always there. It’s all second nature, at this … Continue reading “I Am Grief” →

by jad

Where Gaza Goes…

We found ourselves hanging out with Dr. Jill Stein, Prof. Butch Ware, and some two dozen or more Greens and other Stein-Ware supporters in the Secret Garden at Pike Place today. Their visit was very last minute and motivated by the machinist strike at Boeing, so it was a super low-key opportunity to connect with the campaign. I’ve only been a citizen of this Empire for two years, and I use those words carefully; I am a citizen here the way that St. Paul was a citizen of Rome. I exercise my rights and privileges as an act of defiance. … Continue reading “Where Gaza Goes…” →

by jad

Fragments of a Fair

We sailed through constellationsand were rutted by the stormI crumpled under cudgel blowsand finally came ashore I spent the next two years or morejust staring at the wallWe went to sea to see the world,what do you think we saw? We went to the state fair within three months of my immigrating here and have been back every year since, except for those two pandemic years when it was closed or too weird. I’ve brought a Holga, a Polaroid, as well as a Fujifilm XT4 here, but this year, I reached for the Canon PowerShot A710IS I found in Lebanon … Continue reading “Fragments of a Fair” →

by jad

Glitch Cam

“It’s the glitches and twists, I thought, that make this universe unique and compelling. Without flaws, there would be no depth, no substance.” (Amanda McRaney Jenkins in a YA novel about a demon possessing a teenage boy.) This is my homage to @la__flaneuse_ brought to you by a glitched-out Olympus digicam I have also found. Is there something about this brand that makes their entropy more inevitable? And what is this particular kind of glitching called, anyway? This is a Stylus 790 SW from 2007. The “SW” refers to “Shockproof + Waterproof,” which is an ironic claim given its current … Continue reading “Glitch Cam” →

by jad

Pocket Film

I’ve been curious about 110 film ever since I started noticing these box-shaped spy versus spy looking cameras crop up on eBay, and I finally have my first scans in this format back, thanks to @shutterjunkies all the way out yonder in Texas. I had no idea that very few labs both develop and scan these (in Seattle, most do neither or either/or) because I’d assumed that with a popular brand like @lomography so gung-ho about keeping it alive and the film itself so readily available, surely the processing market would have responded? In any case, I’m pleasantly surprised by … Continue reading “Pocket Film” →

by jad

Costa Rica on 35mm

It seems wildly fortuitous that I get these scans back from @glazersphotolab on World Photography Day, as this kind of portrait has become a bit of a minor tradition of ours as well, having started it in Priest Lake two summers ago. It’s touristy and twee, but it means a lot more to me than you could possibly imagine, so doing it in the waters home to Costa Rica’s “Salsa Brava” just takes the ritual to another level. Here are the very first and last shots I took on this waterproof Fujifilm Quicksnap, connecting the Carribean to Lake Washington, with … Continue reading “Costa Rica on 35mm” →

by jad

Costa Rica: Day 9

After another full day of travel with the usual modern inconveniences of bare minimum offerings for exorbitant prices, constant gate changes and delays, topped off with the most sour-faced boarding pass attendant who probably got her customer training as a prison warden (it was Texas, after all), we’re finally home. And it’s good to say “home.” While I’m not ready to return to real life, I’m happy to be back. This wasn’t my first trip as an American citizen, but, as Christine insightfully put it on our way to the airport, this was my first trip as an American — … Continue reading “Costa Rica: Day 9” →

by jad

Costa Rica: Day 8

Today’s our last full day in Costa Rica and if it hasn’t become disgustingly obvious to you, it is very much clear to me how spoiled we’ve been here. It almost breaks my heart to feel this refreshed and renewed. This is where we’re spending our last few nights. How is this our life? It isn’t — this is only temporary. And yet, what is life but temporary? Is this disassociation, or is this mindful presence? It’s both. It’s the shoreline of our dual realities, sometimes lapping, sometimes crashing, always churning and changing — life’s metabolism. The creation myth of … Continue reading “Costa Rica: Day 8” →

by jad

Costa Rica: Day 7

Today’s the last long driving day when we make our way back to Guanacaste, where we’ll spend a couple more days before heading back to Seattle. So this feels like a good enough time as any to post this random frame I took using Christine’s camera on our most epic moving day when we shuttled back and forth between SLU, SODO, West Seattle, and Madrona. This is where we parked our car when we picked up the U-HAUL. I just love how the light leak that came through after accidentally opening up the back a bit too early actually elevates … Continue reading “Costa Rica: Day 7” →