Tag: music

by jad

Twenty Years Later: Back in New York, Turning 40

After twenty whole years, I’m back in “the city that blends and mends and tests”—and I still have a screenshot of that split second when my name pops up in the Beastie Boys video as my email avatar. I came here back then as a kind of escape; to be totally anonymous even for a little while; to turn 20 away from everyone, almost to prove a point: that I could make something out of this “great, unstable mass of blood and foam.” And this city did not let me down. It consoled me when I was at my lowest … Continue reading “Twenty Years Later: Back in New York, Turning 40” →

by jad

The Girl Closet at Once Removed

This was @atm__4ever at @once__removed 02 last night with @sofiiakmusic playing in the background. I’ll have more to say in another post about this durational dimension of the exhibit beyond just “wow,” but for now, just enjoy the interplay of light and shadow. x If @once__removed is an interrogation of impermanence, then @atm__4ever’s durational piece at last night’s opening of this second activation of a home destined for demolition is a searing indictment of time. You’ve heard of “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”—this is whatever that means for the ephemeral within the truly fleeting. I first … Continue reading “The Girl Closet at Once Removed” →

by jad

Third Side of the Moon

And the cottonwoods in summer are falling like snow many moons ago. (The All-American Rejects – Green isn’t Yellow) x My heart pumps faster than could possibly be alright; I read a magazine before – You only get so many thumps in your whole life. (Modest Mouse – Third Side of the Moon) x I’ve been taking a drive along a memory and had an awful thought: What if I’m wrong and you were right all along? (The All-American Rejects – Get This) x

by jad

An Anti-Fascist Sing-Along at Folklife

In celebration of a successful collaboration, members of @brivelemusic, @shpilkisseattle, and the wider Samovar Art Collective put solidarity and ubuntu into practice by joining with Seattle @demsocialists in activating our shared exhibit space with a semi-sanctioned parade connecting the sing-along stage at the Cornish Courtyard with the Center Theatre, where you can still see our installation, THE RAISED FIST. Thank you @nwfolklife for accommodating a little bit of anarchy today. This was such a thrill! I loved seeing the wide smiles on your staffers’ faces, despite our making their lives a little more complicated for 20 or so minutes 🌹 … Continue reading “An Anti-Fascist Sing-Along at Folklife” →

by jad

Erase and Rewind

“Erase and rewind, ’cause I’ve been changing my mind.” Do you remember the video for that song? The walls closing in on the band until the very last second? Does anywhere remind you of that? What I mean to ask is: have you ever lived somewhere that seemed to make your world smaller by the day? Closing in on yourself until you’re more compact and neatly stackable, fitting in by shrinking down? It’s a genuine question. Because I’ve lived places that felt the opposite. Places that didn’t crush you if you stretched yourself out and took up more space. I’m … Continue reading “Erase and Rewind” →

by jad

Antigravity (On the Cost of Film Photography)

It’s been harder to justify the cost of film photography lately, but the siren’s call is almost just as hard to ignore, so I decided to stretch a roll out across a couple of weeks, like an “everyday carry.” This is counterintuitive, because the cost usually makes me more precious about the shots, needing them to “mean something.” These don’t mean anything. We took the new light rail to Mercer Island and found some earthworks, walked around, then took the light rail back. x I didn’t think about it at the time, but these fit well with an advertising project … Continue reading “Antigravity (On the Cost of Film Photography)” →

by jad

A Faltering Body and a Lonely City

I think about this whenever my attention’s brought back to my faltering body, usually “when it’s screaming,” as the upper cervical chiropractor put it this morning: I wonder to what degree what I know as my “self” is just a pinched nerve or a blocked flow or a chemical out of place. Can a personality really be (mis)shaped by spinal health? Did you know that chronic pain from spinal issues triggers the body’s stress responses, increasing cortisol and reducing motivation, often leading to a “short fuse” or high anxiety? Or that persistent discomfort and reduced mobility can lead to social … Continue reading “A Faltering Body and a Lonely City” →

by jad

Swap n’ Soup (and Johnny Don’t Like the Teacher)

I’m so excited to see these scans from my swap n’ soup with @_fromthemorgue! I took the first exposures with Christine during @seattlefilmclub’s Sight & Sound photowalk—we listened to a curated playlist while exploring Belltown’s back alleys—so there are layers upon layers here. I was nervous about using my Konica C35 AF2 for this, but it really lends itself to street photography. Morgan took the second exposure with a Lomography Fisheye No. 2 and souped the roll in laundry detergent, kosher salt, white wine, and boiling water. The results are insane! x I’m especially pleased because I was especially bummed … Continue reading “Swap n’ Soup (and Johnny Don’t Like the Teacher)” →

by jad

The Shankill Butchers (and a Sweet New Year’s Eve)

“Two, three, four The Shankill butchers ride tonight You better shut your windows tight They’re sharpening their cleavers and their knives And taking all their whiskey by the pint. ‘Cause everybody knows If you don’t mind your mother’s words A wicked wind will blow your ribbons from your curls. Everybody moan, everybody shake – The Shankill butchers want to catch you awake.” x We started our New Year’s Eve down in Pike Place before heading up to Capitol Hill. It was a very sweet atmosphere. x “They used to be just like me and you They used to be sweet … Continue reading “The Shankill Butchers (and a Sweet New Year’s Eve)” →