Industrial Dance

Images from a recent shoot with choreographers Judith Sanchez Ruiz and Simon Courchel.  The screen is by industrial designer Kentaro Ishihara.  Styling by Aiko Mizutori.  Shot at The Invisible Dog in Brooklyn, NY.

Afternoon Reflections

3pm

Brown Leaves on A Gray Day

One of my most cherished moments of the day is my stroll home through Ft. Tryon Park after dropping my son off at school.  It's my alone time and time for reflection.  A grounding period where I can lay out my priorities for how to structure my non-working work days.  If you've ever worked as a freelancer I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.  This morning I was feeling especially glum.  As I passed through a section of the pathway heavy with brown leaves I caught myself thinking, "uugh, brown leaves."  Sometimes I really have to get my thoughts under control, so I decided to find some beauty in those ugly brown leaves.

Mermaid and The Lion

My favorite time of the year!  

Loving the heart of a child and the magical worlds they envision!

Voices and Dance within the Americas

This morning I was searching through my archives for a file to print and happily stumbled upon these images of Judith Sanchez Ruiz and James McGinn that had been overlooked during the first round of editing. They are from a promo shoot for a Works & Process performance Voices and Dance within the Americas that is running this Sunday and Monday at The Guggenheim. 

I'm so looking forward to this!  Here's a description of the performances I pulled from The Guggenheim's Site:  See three new Works & Process commissions inspired by the Latino multicultural landscape in the Americas. Ballet Hispanico’s Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro has paired Cuban choreographer Maray Gutierrez and Peruvian American composer Gabriela Lena Frank to create a work that explores identity and cultural fusion. Cuban American artist Anthony Goicolea joins choreographer Jonah Bokaer for the multimedia collaboration TRiCK, created especially for this program. Cuban choreographer Judith Sanchez Ruiz and Korean visual artist Sun K. Kwak premiere I will Stay with You Even if You Are Not Here, a collaborative work inspired by the life and work of Cuban visual artist Ana Mendieta, with original music by Cuban pianist/ composer Adonis Gonzales. Wendy Perron, editor-in-chief of Dance Magazine, will moderate the discussion.

Knight In Shining Armor

We're ready for the Medieval Festival today in Ft. Tryon Park!

If The Eyes Had No Tears

"The Soul Would Have No Rainbow 

If The Eyes Had No Tears"

-Minquass Tribe Proverb

This summer as we were traveling across the states working on a personal photo project I came across a book of Native American Proverbs by Guy A. Zona.  This one struck a chord deep within me and has often brought a sense of peace on the days I find myself struggling. 

Yesterday as the rain began to let up after many days, I glanced out the window and saw this beautiful rainbow.  I quickly grabbed my camera and ran out to try and capture it, looking for that shot that would be dynamic, powerful, vibrant.  Returning home I pulled the image up in Photoshop and began to try and work my "magic" tweaking the curves, toying with the contrast and hues but each time I would check my adjustments against the original image I found myself drawn more to it's natural subtle hues and contrasts.  A simple reminder that Nature has it's own intrinsic beauty and magic, as do our Rainbows and Tears.

Eiko & Koma

Occasionally an opportunity arises that reinvigorates my passion for photography.  Last week I was fortunate to be invited to the home of Eiko & Koma to work with them on some process photos.  For the most part I work with digital cameras these days, but decided to pull out my Hasselblad and shoot some film in addition for fun.  I miss the darkroom immensely and am hoping to be able to study some alternative processes in the fall.  I also miss the soft focus and muted colors of polaroid and those happy accidents that occur when the colors tint strangely.  Must be the nostalgia taking hold of me. 

Eiko & Koma are currently touring for their Retrospective Project and will be performing at Danspace Project in NYC May 27-29.  Check out their website www.eikoandkoma.org for more information on them and their works.

Here's an excerpt I pulled from their site about their project Raven which is the centerpiece for the Retrospective Performances:

"The earth is precious in part because it can be unyielding. The landscape does not squander its riches on us; we have to negotiate our survival. Thinking this way, and remembering the pungent street smells from their childhood in post-war Japan, Eiko & Koma add this dimension by scorching the set. The odor of burnt material becomes an aspect of the work and reminds us that it is not only we humans who are hungry; the animals and spirits and the earth itself are hungry for nourishment and for intimacy."

Women In the Heights

Women in the Heights, 
Contemporary Women Artists of Northern Manhattan

March 4 - April 30, 2010

Opening Reception:

Thursday, March 4, 6-8pm

My piece of Jonah Bokaer from the performance of
Replica
at The New Museum

was selected to be part of this exhibit.

New Moon

The first moon of 2010!