Just winding down from a busy month, catching my breath before the next adventure. I've been backpacking for the past few weeks, first in San Francisco then Boston and Western Mass. New Years was amazing, made it back to LA just in time. Right now the lack of excitement is making me itch, finally sitting still and taking the time to commit my experiences to type before they fade into the haze.
My friend Peter from the Bay asked me to come play at a Rhythm Society event on the 14th of Dec. I drove up and stayed with an old friend from the Playa before the party. She lives at an intentional community in Oakland. They grow their own food, generate their own power, and are truly on the sustainable path.
The party was absolutely amazing. It was held in a church in San Francisco proper, big arched ceiling and windows. I spent all day helping the Rhythm Society family set up. The other VJ's and I set up the video system. We hung a globe from the top of the arched chapel, projecting onto it from both sides so video completely covered it. Two 10ft circular screens filled the adjacent corners of the room. I ran into many of my friends from my earlier trip to Willits Farm last summer, it felt like a reunion. I have lots of good memories from my travels to the Bay in large part due to the Rhythm Society, a beautiful open and warm family.
On my way home to LA my faithful Subaru that had carried me across the country finally died. I was stranded in the mountains surrounding the city. Thank god for triple A. On the way back to the Sugar Shack the driver of the tow truck told me it would have cost $900! Crazy. He was cool, dropped me off at my door.
The next day I woke up at 5:00am to make it to the airport. My roommate gave me a ride, even made coffee. Got to Boston 8 hours later and stumbled into a blizzard. What is this white powder falling from the sky... oh yeah, I remember. After a quick cab ride I was embracing an old friend and drinking wine. It was obviously going to be a merry XMas. I had forgotten how much I missed my home, brown slush on the roads and all. 6 years in one town created a bond that will stay with me the rest of my life. LA is beautiful and new. It's also strange and can be a cold place in a warm sort of way.
After a few days spent in Boston I made a rendezvous with my friend Ashanti in Western Mass. We celebrated the solstice Pagan style at a beautiful house in the forest. Big party, filled with all kinds of people young and old. We sang songs to the earth. We tied our intentions into ropes and burned them in the fire. The house was built by hand and it's architects had used sacred geometry throughout its design. After the party we drove west to a huge house in the wilderness. It was another intentional community called The Ark and was inhabited by Zen Buddhists. They were raw foodists, and made us an amazing meal uncooked and unspoiled. Ashanti led a workshop and guided us through a group meditation. We played in the snow and walked in the woods, admiring the beauty of nature.
Next stop was my parents house in NH. Somehow it managed to get colder as I continued north, taking the Amtrak right into town. In a recent turn of events my parents have stopped celebrating Christmas as a christian holiday. It's become a total commercial farce, they told me. The expectation of getting tons of gifts introduces an element of greed to a holiday that's lost its meaning in this society. Instead we celebrated "Family Day", simply a gathering of all my parents and brother, aunts and uncles. I got to catch up with my cousin Heather. She lives in London and I'm going to go visit her (and the rest of Europe : ). I love my parents. I'm so grateful for having the ones I do. While I was home I was contacted by the Transformus Festival Organizers (a regional burn in Asheville, NC). They were giving me an art grant to build a set of elaborate projector screens. I had submitted a proposal weeks ago and assumed I hadn't been chosen. Christmas presents after all.
I flew into LA on the 28th. I had a layover in Charlotte, they asked me if I'd give up my seat for a round trip ticket anywhere in the US. Hell yeah I'll give up my seat for a round trip ticket anywhere in the US! It took me a few extra hours (like 6) to get back, but I did. Score. I had a big show to prepare for. New Years Eve at Space Island. Stefano wanted a countdown animation synced to custom audio a DJ was supplying. Scramble to prepare a sequence and recollect my scattered gear from the Rhythm Society party. Day comes and of course I'm at the venue by 3pm setting up. Space Island is a loft in the warehouse district of LA. With an enclosed outdoor courtyard it's an ideal spot to throw loud all night parties. An enormous 3-story platform is set up in this courtyard. It features a crane structure that extends out toward the center of the courtyard. Again the 8ft globe screen took center stage, hanging above the heads of the dancing ravers, pulsing to the music like a big neon disco ball. It was nice, I had a little roped off station up in the balcony. It was set up like some kind of VIP area with couches and fluff so I had plenty of visitors all night. My roommates Ryan and Elizabeth had taken two of my comps, Jen 1-Luv and her boy Moses took the remaining 2. They kept me company and fed me liquor and red bull until the early dawn. The night was so cold. I made a new friend, we kept each other warm. I ended up staying until 4 in the afternoon the next day. Waiting until most everyone had left to break down my gear. I was that kind of tired where you just want to fall over and die and you feel so cracked out that your eyes are burning from cigarette smoke and who knows what. I collected myself and drove home. Sleep never feels as good as it does after NYE.
For the past few days I've been catching up on some work. I've been writing a piece for Live Design, an industry magazine that covers the show production and touring world. They wanted a VJ's perspective and someone to tell them about innovations coming from the video artist community. Totally a great opportunity and it gave me the chance to reconnect with all my VJ friends. Putting the spotlight on VJ's is so gratifying as they are so often ignored or marginalized. Actually sitting down to write the article was a trip though. I hadn't written anything serious since college and was sorely out of practice. Fortunately my roommate is a magazine editor and she took my work and turned it into something that sounds like an article.
And now my projects are done, this little chapter of excitement has passed, and I'm already feeling antsy. I'm already catching myself planning. Where's the next party? Let's go on an adventure!