TOIstudio, on the road

For those of you wondering where the heck I have been lately, I was quite occupied with work for a while there and didn't really have much time to explore any opinion or thoughts on much except for being tired and hungry.

Currently though I have started fulfilling my wanderlust and am sitting in a rather nice apartment of some other TOIstudio-ers who have made the move to NYC in an effort to see what all the hubbub has been about.

Thoughts and impressions are varied. I actually really like the city because there is really so many interesting things to see and do, however at times the cacophony can be quite overwhelming, especially to such a small town boy as myself.

I haven't really done any things that one could consider 'touristy' except for Cai Guo-Qiang exhibit at the Guggenheim.

The major reason for my journey to NYC is Suzi's MFA exhibition at Pratt which I am excited to see the end result of the installation and will hopefully have some good pictures of the exhibition up soon (with Suzi's permission of course).

Regardless for those of you curious as to where I have been, that is where. Next week I plan on heading up to Toronto with the MarJ (who did not make the NYC trip and whom I admit I miss quite a lot) for some exploration of their waterfront. Hopefully I will have some coherent thoughts and impressions in a little while as I get to take the time to type something up. In the meantime I hope everyone is enjoying this little respite from my angst and taking some time themselves to relax.

Tremont Art Walk March 2008

Tremont Art Walk
March 14th, 2008
Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio
6pm - 10pm

Alright, I don't know if this is a new website for the Tremont Art Walk but it is the most current one. At least it has the correct year on the calendar. Anyway, it seems to be still going on (13 years so far!) and despite the massively horrible winter weather it looks like it will start to really warm up Thursday and possibly be quite nice on Friday. So...go check out some galleries that typically have stringent hours when you have the chances to visit a bunch of them in one fell swoop.

LEAP night recap

LEAP night redux

I wussed out and drove down to LEAP night instead of taking the train. Mostly because I was travelling with the delightful MarJ and another friend and figured we would be too cold to wait around for the Red Line when the night schedule takes over.

Upon showing up at the site the first thought was that we had stumbled upon a homeless encampment. Huddled masses arranged around metal drums filled with fire, in the distance a small bonfire burned. I suppose the major difference would be the food tents, the projected "Rock Band" competition, the fire troupe and the freestyle snowboard, ski ramp.

I was amazed at the good turnout. When we were there (for the hour and change that our poorly dressed bodies could handle) we saw entire families with little kids running around, young and old couples, and the typical 20something crowd looking at the ruins of the city, the frozen river and the going-ons.

Gypsy Bean and coffee operated a food tent supplying pizza and similar fare (and cookies!) with coffee or hot chocolate to stay warm. Either folks dressed as bears, or well spoken actual bears, mingled in the crowd handing out snacks and checking on everyone's health. The only thing that didn't cooperate was the weather. If it would have stayed cold then the ground wouldn't have devolved into inches of slush. It is hard to argue when the weather gets warmer in February around here so I won't make much of an issue about it.

As we were leaving it seemed as if many more people were arriving and that parking was going to get quite scarce, quite quickly. I was actually really excited and think the folks putting this thing together deserve quite a bit of credit. They managed to pull off a rather fun and interesting event on a spectacular locale and, well to be honest, it rekindled a little spark of hope that has seemed so dim lately*.

*I will wax poetic any damn time I please.

GO VOTE!

Well, I braved the wet and cold to go visit a church and cast a vote in the fellowship hall/basement. Someone at the polling location was commenting on how the paper ballots were a step backwards. I find it interesting how people have been trained to associate shiny, electronic and new with progress. I would ascribe 'progress' as the simplest, most reliable and most efficient solution to a particular problem regardless of technological prowess. Perhaps that is why I am grumpy all the time.

The only thing that appeared on the ballot that made me question the choices being proffered was the re-election of Tim Hagan as a County Commissioner. I don't necessarily think anything particularly unpleasant about the fellow, I just think that he embodies quite a bit of what is wrong with the city and why progress in the region is slow to dismal.

At some point I wonder if the entire back-room napkin contract business model will turn the city into the futuristic version of Marty McFly's hometown (Bifftown). I would argue that I think that would be a bad thing. Regardless it was amazing to find Hagan's name on the ballot let alone unopposed. Either no one knew that his term was up for renegotiation or we are all just too tired anymore to hope for change.

Oh well, go out and vote. You don't have anything better to do.

resources:
Cuyahoga County 2008 Ballot Issues

1/3 Movie Night - Manufactured Landscapes

1/3 Movie Night @ Bela Dubby
Thursday March 6th, 7pm (ish)
A LAUNCH Cleveland Event
Free and Open To All

Edward Burtynsky's Manufactured Landscapes

"A protracted exploration of the aesthetic, social and spiritual dimensions of industrialization and globalization... Raises some significant and sobering questions about the impact that we, as humans, make on our environment"
- NEW YORK TIMES

Edward Burtynsky is internationally acclaimed for his large-scale photographs of nature transformed by industry. Manufactured Landscapes – a stunning documentary by award winning director Jennifer Baichwal follows Burtynsky to China, as he captures the effects of the country's massive industrial revolution. This remarkable film leads us to meditate on human endeavor and its impact on the planet. (from www.mongrelmedia.com)

Google Map

Leap Night - Celebrating one more extra cold day every four years.

LEAP NIGHT
February 29, 2008
East Bank of the Flats (where Dick's Last Resort was recently torn the heck down)
Old River Road

Cleveland, OH
6pm - 11pm
googlemap

A pop up experience with food, fun, and spectacle in the Flats East Bank.

FOOD
Food vendors Ideally, some of the restaurants that will be part of the Flats East Bank development will set up stands and sell food and drinks. Pig roast and/or oil drum barbecues Grilling meat will add warmth and protein to the evening.

FUN
Ice skating If the weather is cold enough in the days leading up to the event, we will flood part of the Flats East Bank site for skating. If the weather is too warm, the rink area will become a pond for toy boat races. Open snowboarding and competition on rails, boxes, and ramps set up for the night.

Video game competitions Large-scale video games (Rock Band, etc.) projected on a blank building wall at the southern end of the site. (Vertical Sound for audio/projection equipment) Snowsuit fashion show and the crowning of Miss Leap Night.

SPECTACLE
Snow installation The Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative and local artists will create a temporary snow environment as a setting for the event, using ice blocks and snow that will be stockpiled on the site in January and February. The snow installation will be constructed during the last week of February, generating interest and publicity in the days leading up to the event.

Central bonfire and/or a series of trash can fires at the river’s edge to provide light and warmth. Dead Christmas tree forest Old Christmas trees will be stockpiled and used to landscape the site for the event; trees will be harvested throughout the night to fuel the bonfire(s). The Christmas tree forest will be populated by polar bears (actually people in polar bear costumes) who will hand out snacks and deliver trees to the bonfire(s).

SAFMOD

Cleveland’s multi-media performance ensemble will create a special fire performance for the event.

LOGISTICS
Safety Fire truck and ambulance on site; off-duty police officers will provide security.

ACCESS

Participants will be encouraged to ride the Waterfront Line to the event; snacks and mittens will be provided at the East Bank Station.

WEATHER

If the weather is unseasonably warm at the end of February, we will cancel the snow machine and have sand delivered to the site; the event becomes a beach barbecue.

It only seems fair when considering that one chooses to live in a region that for about half the year is relatively inhospitably cold hindering proper exploration and the relishing of natural splendor. At least it seems that way as most of the general population would rather stay inside where it is warm (or at least warmer), hence a severe lack out outdoor activities.

However, in a city that is struggling to reinvent itself as a home, full of opportunity and activity, what more perfect way to strike a chord of hope into the hearts of those of us locked in the gloomy and dark pattern that is our winter time routine than a celebration for having one more day of proper winter?

Thanks Pop-Up City folk! Thanks for giving us a spark of hope.

Cleveland Film Festival - Green Slant

March 6th - 16th
Tower City Theaters
32nd Cleveland International Film Festival

Ripped from the aiadocs (Cleveland) headlines:

The 32 Annual Cleveland International Film Festival has a "section committed to green awareness" entitled "It's Easy Being Green" and features five films -

The Green Chain
Mountain Top Removal
The Planet
The Return of the Cuyahoga
Flow, for the Love of Water

Resources:
Official festival trailer.

Ameritrust Tower Still in Peril

Cuyahoga County looks to reopen bidding for Ameritrust complex after K&D deal falls short. Threatens moving ahead with tower demolition and administration complex construction if suitable bidder isn't found.

Plain Dealer writes all about it

Wow.

I knew the KD deal was weak but I didn't realize that the County was angling to use its failure as an excuse to move forward with poor planning decisions (the implementation of the original Ameritrust plan). I wish the FBI would step in and start investigating the County government's current deals regarding the Airport and the Amertitrust tower if only to create a 'clean slate' from which citizens of Cuyahoga County could begin to judge and function.

While the Corridor project moves forward and small sparks of vitality start to ignite within downtown I still find myself worrying that without the proper support for new ideas, proposals and plans that the region will stagnate even after a massive influx of capital.

Granted while the current Avenue plan is bringing people downtown it isn't attracting the sort of citizen interested in an urban lifestyle. The marketing scheme seems more centered on moving the 'suburban dream' to downtown. Granted that without infrastructure to support downtown denizens this seems like a logical and viable plan as residents will have to commute back to the suburbs for certain events, attractions and shopping. Perhaps this reverse suburbanization is the proper plan. Let the outskirts become the central business/retail districts and concentrate habitation in an unsupported urban center.

Although even that comment is unfair. There is some shopping and nightlife areas still open downtown, probably more than there were last year, and it does seems as if certain projects are underway to make Cleveland even more livable. There just needs to be the people to exploit that (Granted winter is a poor time for any sort of empirical study as most stay in their warm comfy homes rather than explore the outside.

The question though, is whether the government is truly attempting to support the region or just trying to find ways to profit personally from it. The major recent projects seemed to have been botched from the beginning. The Airport Expansion, the Lakefront Development, the County Administration, the Innerbelt Bridge/Trench and possibly the Medical Mart projects all share the same heavy handed approach that seemed to lack the finesse and logical approach (or even strong willed decision making) that would have resulted in acceptable implementation. Instead we are left with the very distinct taste of projects that would 'revitalize the city' failing at inception.

Somehow the Euclid Corridor project has moved forward and even though there are definitely some growing pains it is already possible to see the fruits of the project if only to recognize that Euclid does indeed look and 'feel' better (in the areas finished). Will it be enough to attract people and businesses back downtown? Maybe but honestly it is better than nothing.

1/3 Movie Night, 2008 02.21

1/3 Movie Night
2008 02.21
Bela Dubby Coffee House
7pm +/-

1:3 Movie Night is proud to present Baraka as the featured movie of the week.

No plot, no storyline, no acting.

Baraka, filmed in 24 different countries means "blessing" in multiple languages.

A film about the inter-connectedness of human life through powerful
imagery, transcending spoken word.

2008 Skyscraper Competition: Evolo

08 Skyscraper

2008 design competition launched by international organization :eVolo.

There is no site, height or shape restriction on proposed designs however the skyscraper design should be 'technologically feasible' and 'environmentally responsible'.

Registration date is 2008 02.19
Registration fee is $40 US per team
Submission is due 2008 02.26 (23:00 US EST)
Electronic submission (2; 24x48 HORIZONTAL boards) via email

I just had received word of this competition. I know that it comes at an unfortunate time and may conflict with all your busy AFH competition schedules, etc. However if you have the time and want to try to stretch your brain a tad more it could be quite fun. Check out the previous winners. The submissions are quite amazing.

Tremont Art Walk

Friday, February 8th, 2008
Tremont Art Hop/Walk/Skip/Jump....
6pm - 10pm
Tremont Neighborhood of Cleveland Ohio

One of my favorite little reasons to wander around Tremont.

somewhat out of date resources:
ArtHop

You had me at "beer" - City Fresh Monday at GLBC

City Fresh "Farm Link - Cultivating Next Generation Farmers"
Monday, February 18th
Great Lakes Brewing Company
Beer Cellar
6-8pm

City Fresh's next monthly Monday meeting will present a forum hosted by Chris Norman of the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy.

RSVP's are not required but are suggested.

If you are looking to an event where you can quaff some fine brews and discuss agrarian urban living for more environmentally friendly and community based lifestyles than I think I have found the event for you.

By the by, word on the street is that the infamous Blackout Stout is now on tap in the brewpub and scheduled to show up at your local neighborhood grocer or Wine House (Rozi's) or local drinking hole (Melt/Buckeye Beer Engine) which is a very good current reason to like this town.

Resources:
New Agrarian Center
Great Lakes Brewing Company

LAUNCH 1/3 Movie Night

Thursday, Feb. 7th, 2008

As part of the LAUNCH plan to have things that happen (rather scary in how uncomplicated the main purpose is to divulge) part of the LAUNCH crew has put together the 1/3 Movie Night, a bimonthly (as in twice a month) showcase of favorite movies that have some sort of cinematic or design bent to be shown for free on the first and third Thursday of the month

You can discover more at ClevelandDesignCity until I get off my duff and get the LAUNCHcleveland webbernet site up and running.

The first movie is 'F is for Fake', so join us at Bela Dubby's for a good movie and a great time*.

*I think that was my first official cheesy tagline.

Sick of being known as an 'underdog'

With only hours left until the ultimate American Football experience of the year I find myself wondering who I will root for. Since Cleveland didn't make it I don't really hold that much in the way of alliances for other teams.

While I hope the contest is a good one (I won't be watching it, I will be at work) I find the opportunity for one team to have an entire season undefeated rather inspiring. However, while mulling this over I started to wonder what the 'typical' Cleveland reaction would be.

Should a true Clevelander root for the underdog since that is how we constantly see ourselves or could a true Clevelander appreciate the hard work and effort that would go into a perfect season, thus representing the idealized end goal of undertaking?

Granted this is a silly thought but it has stuck with me since the morning when I remembered that Super Bowl was today (I am totally out of it) and I wonder how someone would validate their choice. Is Cleveland truly an underdog? Are we constantly scrambling against the 'big, old boys' to grab some of the pie for ourselves or is that only the facade we wish to embrace as a safety mechanism for failure. I suppose it seems safer to say "Hey, no one really expected us to do anything, I mean, look at us" if an undertaking went sour but I actually loathe that approach. It makes efforts seem half hearted and defeatist and I would rather not perpetuate that mindset any more than I have to.

The other option would be to root for the perfect season. To have something to hold up to as an impressive standard that may seem impossible but at the same time has been proven to be possible. I guess I rather like that point of view. Sure, life is hard. Things are difficult. If you want something you may have to really work to get it. Is that really so bad?

I suppose this rant has its impetus with some current events transpiring locally and internationally where I start to question the validity of a few assumptions that seem to be bandied about overly frequently. Assumptions that I do not feel the need to go into great depth right now.

However, as you sit back with friends, family or whomever you are surrounded with, catching brief glimpses of a sporting event in between the adverts for beers and trucks and cell phones you may want to question if whom you are rooting for has to do with your particular outlook on life and whether or not you are happy with it.

If you are, then fine.

Me? I think I am going to root for the Patriots today for no other reason than I can appreciate a little perfection now and again.