Neesha Thakkar Photography

Candied Grapefruit Peel

2010-12-28T20:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I turned this

into this

and then this

and finally...this (later covered in dark chocolate-yum!)

The Nutcracker and the Grapefruits

2010-12-28T19:36:00.000-08:00

I've been back to my family home in Houston for the last week and it has been awesome. Relaxing in the suburbs is so different from living in downtown Austin. First of all, its QUIET! There is no construction, nightlife, or activity on my parent's block ... ever. Its pure heaven for those on vacation. Secondly, there are many of my high school friends who still live in close proximity to my parents' house. Despite time and distance, late game nights and shopping trips with said friends make me feel as though our friendship has not skipped a beat. Its good to be home.

First fun activity: The Nutcracker at the Houston Ballet with the entire family. My mom surprised us with a day show and orchestra seats. I was thrilled. We dressed up, sipped wine and oh-ed and ah-ed at the dancer's performance. And we hung out with a mouse. (I was also a mouse in the Nutcracker in my elementary school days)

In between some brunches, a couple of fires in the fireplace, presents, delicious homemade dinners, and trips to see Christmas lights, we settled one of my dad's favorite activities. Many years ago, my parents gardened and had a thriving compost area. As my brother and I got older, less of my parents' attention was paid to gardening and more to rearing children (us). The compost pile was neglected until one day--the day they saw a tree sprouting up. The parents decided to let it grow--and how it has! It is currently a 25ft + tree that yields hundreds of fruits every fall/winter. So, every holiday season we spend many a mornings harvesting this tree with its bounty.

The art of blogging and the extended holiday vacation

2010-12-28T19:28:00.000-08:00

So my blog is back here and I am the process of I merging my posts from the website neeshathakkar.com to here. I love the new customizable features here on blogspot, so I'm back.

You can see 2006-2009 and current posts on this blog
You can see 2009-2010 posts at neeshathakkar.com/section/blog

Happy hunting and let me know if you have questions!

Blog has moved!

2009-02-20T07:14:00.000-08:00

Please update your bookmarks:

New blog at: http://www.neeshathakkar.com/section/blog/

Website: www.neeshathakkar.com

NPR needs your help...

2008-12-12T14:13:00.000-08:00

I got this email today:

Dear Neesha,

You may have heard recently that NPR expects a budget shortfall of $23M this fiscal year. This is a staggering $21M more than the $2M deficit they projected in July. This substantial and precipitous drop clearly has us concerned.

While we have serious questions for the NPR board and management regarding their budget planning and forecasting, we have complete confidence in NPR as a news organization that is critical to our understanding of our community and world.

KUT Is Helping
KUT is one of NPR’s largest member stations paying about $575,000 a year in membership dues and program fees. We have the option to pay these fees in semi-annual or quarterly payments, but we have chosen to send NPR our entire annual fee payment in return for an interest rebate on the amounts that would be due later in the year. As some stations may not be able to make their entire fee payment, our move provides NPR with a small measure of predictability while they concentrate on addressing their budget issues and delivering the news we expect.

Because You Have Been Generous
KUT is able to do this because of the support you have provided the station and our belief that you and other listeners will continue to contribute to our efforts. So far, our fundraising and revenue efforts are on track.

We want you to know that we are not taking your support for granted. Over the past few months, simply as a precaution, KUT managers have helped us scrub about $120,000 out of our current budget. As always, we evaluate expenses and operational costs with an eye on our bottom line and our service to the community.

Please Share Your Thoughts
Thank you very much for your confidence and support. Our listeners are generous, smart and experienced. I’d be pleased to hear your thoughts and ideas regarding our efforts. And, it would also be good to know if we can continue to count on your support.

Sincerely,

Stewart Vanderwilt
KUT General Manager

Think of how meaningful a charity donation can be this christmas. Give your loved ones the gift of public radio.

3 months since I last posted.

2008-10-15T12:24:00.001-07:00

That must be some sort of record. Yes, so life has been busy as usual. In between July and October quite a bit of art related stuff has happened.

Women and Thier Work, an organization I keep close to my heart has had two wonderful exhibits and events. Red Hot Red Dot was a success. I photographed the event, noshed on some delicious food, and even purchased some artwork by Christine Simon. I had my eye on Eric Uhlir's piece which I saw later in the evening. I'm keeping it in mind for a birthday present. :)

Right now, rush down to see The Activist Impulse. It is a fabulous show curated by Regine Basha (independent curator who formerly was affiliated with the Blanton). It features work by Emily Jacir, Andrea Geyer, Kristin Lucas, Judi Werthein, and Valerie Tevere & Angel Nevarez. I'm working on a more thorough review of the show to post at a later date.

Some other art that you may find interesting:

Liliana Porter

Cao Fei

Getting Ready!

2008-07-24T12:15:00.001-07:00

More details: Austin Figurative Gallery is having a show of my work Saturday, August 2nd. The opening is from 7 pm - onwards at 315 Congress at the Austin Art Alliance (Above the Elephant Room and below Kyoto). So come, bring your friends, and be prepared for a good time.

Whoop whoop

2008-07-17T06:02:00.000-07:00

Justin's put up the beginnings of the website: www.neeshathakkar.com

If anyone is looking for a creative, experienced, and efficient web developer, here's your man:

http://mr.tatiandjustin.com/

Canon 5d

2008-07-16T10:16:00.001-07:00

HAS ARRIVED!

Official.

2008-07-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

Summer has been good.

Something interesting to ponder:
Last night we watched The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez on PBS, a documentary created by an Austin filmmaker. The work tracked the history of US Military forces operating on US soil against the war on drugs. In 1997, marines accidentally shot and killed an 18 year old in the process. A US citizen, Esequiel Hernandez, was tending to his goats at the time. Neither he, nor the town's residents were aware of the military presence.

A summary courtesy of pbs.org

The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández tells a frightening and cautionary tale about the dangers of using military as domestic law enforcement — a role that the military, under the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, had been prohibited from taking. That changed when, in 1989, the George H.W. Bush administration declared drug trafficking a "threat to national security" and authorized the deployment of thousands of troops to the U.S.-Mexican border. In 1997, during the Clinton administration, Esequiel Hernández became the first American killed by U.S. military forces on native soil since the 1970 Kent State shootings. Shortly afterward, the administration suspended all military operations along the border. Nearly 10 years later, the military returned to the border, this time as part of the war on terror and the George W. Bush administration's effort to stem illegal immigration.

Success!

2008-06-09T10:00:00.001-07:00

I finished the Danskin Triathlon-1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike (hills!) and a 3.1 mile run. I clocked in at 2:33. Had it not been for an 11 and 6 minute Transition 1 and 2, I could have shaved a bunch of time, but this year I was more concerned with completion and surviving in the record-breaking hot weather. It was so much fun, I can't wait till next year!

Solo Show!

2008-05-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

August 2nd, 7:00pm at the Austin Figurative Gallery, more details to follow!

I'm fashioning a paper

2008-05-06T19:55:00.001-07:00

on the writings of the late art critic Clement Greenberg, whose texts I have a love/hate relationship with. Greenberg touts modernism, and targets abstract expressionism as the art that will save your soul. Or something like that. Although he does not indicate that all art should follow these defined rules, he does believe that to be a painting, the picture prepared must adhere to these rules:
1. flatness- appear, reference, or convey flatness, 2-d not 3-d. Illusionism and realism are bad and try to make painting sculpture, straining the medium.
2. reference the frame- square canvases have a square shape or convey the idea of framing, this one is a bit tricky. It doesn't mean circle canvases must contain circles, but merely demonstrate an awareness of the frame
3. color/pigment- its good, use it, think Monet and the Impressionists and their use of color for optics. Greenberg liked optics and an interest in all-over color and the relationship of one color to another

So, in a general summary, Greenberg liked: Cezanne, Newman, de Kooning, Olitski (loved him), Pollock, among others
He abhorred: realism, photography, anything that attempted 3-d on a 2-d surface.
I wonder what his thoughts were on film...?

Okay, off to write my papers.

I miss Japan

2008-05-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

This is real.

Flickr Deconstructed

2008-05-04T22:58:00.000-07:00

So Tyler pointed me to this article on Flickr in the New York Times. The advent of digital photography democratized the medium, although I still prefer my film camera's effects. I think the writer for the NYT has some valid points, digital photography and the flickr share-space favorites sometimes have me scratching my head in wonder. I'm no pulpit climbing purist, so judge for yourself. I'll try to share more insight when I am more awake.

Flickr: Sepia No More

People yearn for romance, courage, and bravery

2008-04-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

Last night we attended a design show featuring our friend Jose Minguell at DWR. It was an architect and designer's showcase of selected furniture works that were beautiful, sustainable, and locally produced.

Jose's Lilio chair (built from recovered walnut if I remember correctly)

Also a lovely piece that won best design was Janice Abram's bent plywood bench. Wish I had a photo, but I bet its still at DWR if you want to swing by.

Collaboration

2008-04-24T10:45:00.001-07:00

I'll preface this post by saying I have neglected art shows the last month in favor of writing about art for school. So there. Great things are happening this weekend.

Well, of course there is Eeyore's Bday in Pease Park on Saturday for the requisite hippies and hippie-huggers. I'll be there to snap your photos and maybe even beat a drum in your drum circle. Keep your fingers crossed for sunny weather.

Also, the lovely Lisa Choinacky is collaborating with video artists at FuseBox08 at the Salvage Vanguard theater on Saturday 7pm.
More information on the fun that is Fusebox at: www.fusebox.org.

Last weekend Women and Their Work celebrated its 30th Anniversary at Tocquingny, an advertising agency/color wonderland on the 17th floor at the Frost Tower. I was pleased to be able to snap photos.

Here are some shots to give you an idea of the space and the party:

So this summer I'm embarking on some personal photo projects. If you are up to being a model, email & send me a pic and we can talk.

Of late

2008-04-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

I've been terrible about blogging, but you know other things (2 part time jobs, photography, school, and triathlon training) keep me crazy busy. But that's the way I like it. I think I thrive in the chaos and clamor.

Yoon Cho's show opened last week at Women and Their Work. Attendance was good (despite an AMOA artist talk happening at the same time). Part of the fun about working the openings pouring drinks is not only getting to chat with (almost everyone visits the bar at some point) but watching how people respond to work. Cho gave a detailed artistic talk, relaying her interest in the formulation and revision of identity. I think the audience appreciated this. Show's on view until May 10.

One project that I am smitten over is one by Hasan Elahi, a Bangledesh-born artist who teaches at Rutgers University and was repeatedly interrogated and subject to lied detector tests after 9/11, suspect by the government of being a terrorist. In order to verify his innocence, the government requested proof of his whereabouts. Hasan Elahi responds to the pressure to be accountable with self-surveillance, implanting a GPS in his cell phone, detailing his flight pattern, and photographing his surroundings and meals as "proof" of his travels. Elahi uploads these to his website to complete Tracking Transience: The Orwell Project that makes private public, and doing so, deflates its importance. He states, "I share everything with the FBI—and everyone. Their currency is secrecy and access to information. Making information public devalues their currency.”
The project funded by Creative Capital can be found here: www.trackingtransience.net

Lanie

2008-03-08T15:24:00.000-08:00

Photograph by Lanie McCormick

Yesterday I was in the Self Portrait Show at the Austin Figurative Gallery. I forgot to tell most of you that!
It was a fun show, the beer steer was out in full effect and the show had a good turnout despite the chilly weather. An alaskan huskie roamed the gallery to complete the ambiance.

But, all of it is possible due to the tireless work of one Lanie McCormick, who also teaches art at Allison Elementary on the east side. When I dropped of my pieces last week we had a chance to catch up and she told me about this great project she was working on. A photographer by trade, she has started a program in her school where she is able to teach elementary kids photography, purchase cameras, and subsidize developing prints as a part of the kid's art curiculuum. Not only do the children have a newfound confidence seeing their prints, but she arranged to exhibit the photographs in a show at the Austin Figurative Gallery (courtesy of David Ohkerling who has also generously welcomed the younger folks). A few kids even sold work and painters at the AFG did a set of paintings inspired by the photographs. Overall, the program sounds like a success. So if any of you know about grantwriting and want to help Lanie or check out her stellar photography, you can find her HERE.

20 to Watch

2008-03-02T11:22:00.000-08:00

Yes I've already commented on this show, but as a supplement to it, you must check out the nicely made online interviews. Bless the technology and funds that makes access to information so simple.

AMOA Interactive.

20 to Watch

2008-02-27T19:07:00.000-08:00

In 2005, when I embarking on a change in careers there was one thing that solidified my decision. I think I went to AMOA's 22 to Watch at least 3 times. The works bowled me over and I continued to return to what I found there: diverse media (computer projections to thread and nails) and an artistic pioneering spirit. My understanding was that "# to Watch" shows displayed new theories, new methods, and new materials for art. And along with the aforementioned, the art was taking us, and everyone, into uncharted waters. (An aside: I tend to favor conceptual art, I do. I enjoy the demands and expectations placed on the viewer.)

Now, flash forward to the present 20 to Watch: I liked Yoon Cho's projections exploring identity in How to Spell My Name and Hair. The Museum of Natural Ephemerata fashion spectacles always please. I toured the gallery ages ago, 3-legged at the request of Jen Hirt & Scott Webel -- as in a 3-legged race -- to gaze upon Marilyn Monroe's last cigarette, an alligator statue that cries real tears, and Isaac Aismov's penis pump. Oh my! Hirt and Webel's most endearing trait is their skillful fashioning of a magical story, something they accomplished with horseshoes from Willie Nelson's ranch. Truth or fiction, it was a satisfying work. As a whole, the exhibit overemphasized 2-d media, but in the mix I enjoyed Raymond Uhlir's gouache, enamel, and ink works and the amorphous wood cutouts of Xochi Solis.

Maybe its not fair to compare this show to its predecessor, but the bar was raised in 2005. This year, even though I didn't love everything, I continue to be excited about the progress of art in Austin.

Moon Trees?

2008-02-27T15:05:00.000-08:00

Do you know about moon trees? Before today, neither did I. Man's exploration of space not only brings scientific discovery and progress, but another place to project mysticism and wonder. Now, most of us know about the Voyager Golden Record. If you don't, look here And let me know of you can secure a copy that we can listen to here. On Earth.

But, back to the moon trees. In 1971, Apollo 14 set out with Stuart Roosa, who formerly worked for the US Forest Service. While Alan Shepherd and Edgar Mitchell, the other two astronauts on the mission, frolicked on the moon while Roosa was content to hang out in the command module. In a joint project between NASA and the Forest Service, Roosa carried seeds with him into space to test if space travel affected tree growth. The trees used were: Loblolly Pine, Sycamore, Sweetgum, Redwood, and Douglas Fir. Eventually, 400+ seedlings were produced and were planted throughout the US. Since their inception, the moon trees have steadily persisted no different than their native counterparts. If you want to visit one, their locations are carefully documented here.

The trees have been used for diplomacy-- presented to the emperor of Japan and planted in the International Forest of Friendship (who knew this existed?). Legend has it that the trees will continue to grow forever, futility stretching upwards to reconnect with the moon.

Masculine/Feminine

2008-02-26T09:44:00.000-08:00

This week

2008-02-19T16:59:00.000-08:00

I helped deinstall the Donna Huanca show at Women and Their Work, saw 20 to Watch at AMOA, and the Jorge Macchi show at the Blanton, and attended the Artist's Boot Camp at AMOA. I will tell you my thoughts on them soon.

Yesterday

2008-01-29T10:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday while volunteering at Women and Their Work, the lovely Lisa C. let me photograph the Bowie HS kids while they visited the gallery and made collages inspired by Donna Huanca:

More photos on flickr

Casualty of War

2008-01-24T10:28:00.000-08:00

Not only is the war eroding the US economy and my faith in the government, but it is also permitting the loss of a silent casualty: history.

An old article from the nytimes tells us more:

AFFTERAFFECTS

The news covered theft in National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad, but there is conflicting data on the extent of stolen goods. Regardless of the amount, the damage is tragic for historians and the masses alike.

More photos at

2008-01-02T16:01:00.001-08:00

www.flickr.com/photos/neesha

Done!

2008-01-01T22:45:00.001-08:00

Installation work

2007-12-29T00:12:00.000-08:00

Currently, all 180 feet of fabric have been sewn, the lumber has been cut, the mending, designing, and creative part is over. The only few things left to do are the painting and the installation construction. Pictures will be posted tomorrow.

We will be setting up my "time mandala" on Auditorium shores from 8-12 monday if you are so kind to help this year. Tyler and some other beloveds will be out there (along with myself) wielding rubber mallets and garden spikes to pokes holes in the soft soil and spike and tie everything together. If you can, stop by First Night to check out the festivities : www.firstnightaustin.org
Its an all-day event and completely kid friendly.

Also, I am performing in my friend Lisa Choinacky's performance, Everybody Ever at 7:30 and 9:30 for firstnight. Come, pray for warm weather and have a terrific new years.

Strange and Brilliant Mythology

2007-12-02T14:40:00.001-08:00

"In book 4 of Ovid's Fasti, he tells the story of Cybele making Attis promse always to be the guardian of her temple and never to love another. The beautiful nymph Sagaritis, however, makes him forget his promise. Cybele kills Attis's lover, and his is seized by madness, cuts himself with a sharp rock and turns into a pine tree. Violets grow from his blood."

Zorach, Rebecca. Blood, Milk, Ink, Gold: Abundance and Excess in the French Renaissance

Public life is rich in pageants

2007-11-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

2007-11-05T08:55:00.000-08:00

From: Digital experience @ wordpress

Krzysztof Wodiczko is internationally renowned for his large-scale slide and video projections on architectural facades and monuments. Since the late eighties, he has developed a series of nomadic instruments for both homeless and immigrant operators that function as implements for survival, communication, empowerment, and healing.

Projecting images of community members’ hands, faces, or entire bodies onto architectural facades, and combining those images with voiced testimonies, Wodiczko disrupts our traditional understanding of the functions of public space and architecture. By appropriating public buildings and monuments as backdrops for projections, Wodiczko focuses attention on ways in which architecture and monuments reflect collective memory and history.

The projections often consist of a mix of pre-recorded and live video feeds. This is done by positioning cameras so that they capture the participant’s hands or face. Engineered wearable instruments which include cameras, lights, and microphones frees participants to walk amongst the crowd of onlookers while their likenesses are projected onto the surface of the architecture like a second skin.

Krzysztof Wodiczko is a Professor of Visual Arts at the Department of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT.

an aside:
I wonder if Luke Savisky, a First Night Austin artist found inspiration in Wodiczko and even Tony Ousler. There seem to be some obvious parallels between the two works: projection style, ephemerality, local incorporation of tradition etc.

Two shows in October and November

2007-10-05T13:08:00.001-07:00

I will be participating in these two shows this fall.
I feel like a busy busy bee.

2007 Charity Art Auction for Keep Austin Beautiful
Wednesday Oct 24, 2007
Canvas Bar and Gallery
7-10pm

http://www.artistsforaustin.org/

and

Austin Figurative Gallery
Layers Show
November 30th 7-11

http://do512.com/event/2007/09/25/afg-call-for-enteries-layers

not to mention making a giant mandala for New Years Eve. Fun times ahead...

Art I Like

2007-10-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

Gabriel Orozco:

Knitta"

Conceptual Art

2007-09-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about how to marry conceptual art and photography together. My ideas have had various incarnations, using topography and cartography juxataposed with archival-like arrangement of photographs. This work would comment on context and/or iconography of functional and familiar objects.

Then, my fascination with ritual and the immersive quality of installation has had me mulling over the concept of a stringy or fabric mandala: large and expansive, which plays with perspective and the nature of ritual.

Postscript: My installation project was approved and I will get funding this year for another installation on First Night. Anyone have a Jig Saw I can borrow?

Good News Abounds

2007-08-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

I have great news! One thing I can tell you is that I am going to be in a photo show Sept 2nd.

The other is one that has to wait until Sept. I got a 99% confirmation on it.

Summer is almost over!

2007-08-14T08:15:00.001-07:00

Considering entering one of these to a self-portraits photo show. Which do you think?

or
or

This one needs a bit of color correction!

or pick one from here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neesha/sets/72157594357937464/

The fervor

2007-06-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

of work is good these days. I spelled out my idea for FirstNight2007 last month and shipped it away--perhaps the same good fortune will befall me again. Think: undulating shimmering walk-through mandala. Fingers crossed.

Many hours of my time in this stormy weather are being logged in at the hospital. Good stuff. Its nice to refresh my memory on what seems to be a former life.

Also I was hired as a real photographer for an engineering company -- some nice photos have resulted.

follow these links to see:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neesha/sets/72157600468162932/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neesha/sets/72157600341549733/

You can see the learning curve with my new digital camera. Still working out some kinks, but the switch has been fun. I think the best part about coversion to digital is the ability to share photos faster, though I miss the surprises.

In the works

2007-06-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

I might have a significant photo commission in the works. We are still working out the details and I wish to still shoot film, even though patrons request digital. Perhaps I will try to make the switch soon.

Hello all

2007-05-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged in a significant amount of time. Rest assured, everything is well. Summer is here. And I have photographs for sale. Stay tuned.

Home

2007-01-15T20:36:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been out of the country since January 4th and just returned yesterday to find emails and coverage of the installation theft by the austinist. While the project did not conclude in the manner that I anticipated, it was ephemeral and had a lifespan. And by January 1st it ceased being relevant. The work was about people's experience and what they felt in the moment -- not the actual bells or rope or materials.

Public art, by its nature, is controversial and we all have varied opinions on the subject. So, thank you everyone who has expressed encouragement (and even criticism) along the way.

More photos to be posted sometime soon.

Photo

2007-01-02T07:57:00.001-08:00

Photo courtesy of lasuprema (flickr.com)

Theft

2007-01-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday or early this morning every handmade brass bell was stolen from the first street bridge installation. If you have any information about this or know where the bells may be or who may have removed them, please contact me at neesha.thakkar@gmail.com.

The pieces of the installation were to be a gift to the community. I am sorry that until they are found they will not be available for distribution.

Thank you for your interest and support.

Further information

2006-12-31T10:42:00.000-08:00

FirstNightAustin.org for more information on schedules and events.

The installation will be up through the first of January and bells will be distributed at no cost to members of the community in various locations. Check here on January 2nd for information on where you may procure a part of the installation-- a bell of your own (for free) to swing above your doorstep or attach to your rearview mirror for the new year!

Any questions please feel free to contact: neesha.thakkar@gmail.com or leave comments.

Installation complete!

2006-12-31T10:34:00.000-08:00

Well, thanks to a mountain of dedication and handiwork of friends and family the installation is complete as of noon today. We started before the sun peeked out of the sky at 6:30 am and suspended the bells tirelessly in the windy weather. Thank you to my family, shawn, meredith riggs, tatiana reinoza, justin perkins, alisa pekar, nathan teegarten, and petra vastenhouw for braving the cold weather this morning to climb on ladders, untangle ropes, and being joyful cheerleaders before sunrise! Thank you to carmen and dan muldoon for your supplies and support. Thank you to the entire First Night team and ajantaenterprises.com for being an in-kind sponsor. Thank you all friends and loved ones who have been encouraging, uplifting, and inspirational brilliant forces throughout this entire project.

The site

2006-12-29T11:36:00.000-08:00

Photos of the bridge before the installation. This is the first street pedestrian bridge - west side. The bells will span from city hall to auditorium shores.

The process

2006-12-27T21:15:00.000-08:00

The detailed plans, graphs and measurements

The mountain of bells.

Fixing each bell (a total of over 500)

Playing with the tensile strength (and unwinding bells) on christmas eve

The preparation done at last...!

Mentioned in the austinist

2006-12-26T18:32:00.000-08:00

the recommended sites for first night, mine is one listed!

(my name is not spelled right)

see the link:

http://www.austinist.com/archives/2006/12/26/first_night_preview_family_festival.php

Progress

2006-12-26T12:50:00.000-08:00

Work on the project is moving along nicely. So far, 21 of 54 strands are completed. Each strand has the bells tied on with fishing line so that they invisibly float overhead from jute rope. More days of bell fastening ahead, thank goodness for time off during the holidays. Photos of the process will be uploaded soon.

The Bells

2006-12-20T08:33:00.000-08:00

Bells from India and handcrafted in brass. Each bell is unique and has a different ring tone. They will be suspended above the bridge using jute, a rope integral to the culture of South Asia. Jute is a form of plant fiber that is used for clothing and rope and has a profound flexible strength. Unlike its synthetic counterparts, it is biodegradable and earth-friendly.

Also, more updates on where the bells will be distributed in Austin after the installation is complete so you may have your own bell!

Installation Description

2006-12-20T08:30:00.000-08:00

Liminal Spaces (commissioned by First Night Austin.)

On display beginning December 31, 2006 at 2pm.

Over the First Street Pedestrian Bridge (spanning Townlake) Austin, TX

A liminal space is a transitional area – one that is ambiguous, but also brings about profound growth and intense opportunity. These places afford people and cultures thresholds for change. Liminal spaces may be seen in our culture as the area between or movement from a private or a public sphere, work to home, or singlehood to marriage. In these nebulous areas, boundaries dissolve and we are able to reflect on where we have traveled from and what we are building on or moving forward towards. In Eastern religion, this place is deemed ‘the middle way’ where we relax in the unfamiliar and allow transformation to occur. It is the replication of this reflective and contemplative state that I seek to create for First Night Austin.

Imagine the pedestrian walkway adjacent to the South First Street Bridge shimmering with silver and bronze bells suspended from guardrails above you to the light-poles next to you as you proceed above Town Lake. Although the bells twinkle and sound on their own in the wafting breeze, you or your companion may choose to chime the bells by gently tugging on the end of the jute rope to listen to what resounds. As the night progresses, bridge lights illuminate the pattern of the zigzagging canopied bells onto the sidewalk while the bells glimmer in the moonlight. The installation cascades down from the elevated bridge guardrails to the lower lamp-posts lining the pedestrian walkway, creating diagonal slices in space above you.

On each section of rope nine bells (in a mixture of bronze and silver) are affixed and hover approximately 9 feet above the walkway on the pedestrian bridge lamp-poles and continue a length of approximately 12 feet upwards to the horizontal part of the handrail on the South First Street Bridge. The end of the rope that is accessible to the bridge pedestrians allows for a participant to manipulate the length of the rope using circular metal fasteners, similar to a pull-through belt. A secure knot through a small circle keeps the rope at a fixed length until someone pulls on a larger, larger metal circle to make the rope more taut or loose, thus sounding the bells. The maximum rope length would be set so as to not hinder the passing of pedestrians below.

The resonance and repetition of bells and rope in this space represents the movement between grounded and defined states. Through the incorporation of divine and repetitive elements, I attempt to create an idyllic passageway with a processional quality -- one that celebrates this progression. Moreover, the chosen bridge area and the significance of date (the passing between years) embody a transitional component as well. The use of the adjacent walkway appears ideal as it would allow attendees to encounter the art as they travel between Auditorium Shores and downtown. Bells were chosen for this project due to their function in worship: to invoke a higher power, achieve peace, or to signal advancement into a sacred space. The selection of the number nine was deliberate since it embodies tenants in the Eastern and Western world: the Bible is divided into 9 sections, the Thai word for nine (gao) also means ‘to develop or progress’, the human gestational period is 9 months, and important Buddhist rituals involve 9 monks.

After the deconstruction of the installation I seek to recycle and reuse all materials used. Facilitating use of these materials in community would function to minimize any waste or resource consumption from the project.

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