ancestral echoes

I've been working with some friends on an intricate mural job for a new yoga studio. I found myself delegated to this arched niche, which I was on top of that scaffolding to work on tonight. It seemed vaguely familiar. (My grandfather Francis makes his third appearance in my blog):

harvest

I've got beans! I only just noticed. Plus the surviving worms of the worm tragedy that occurred a few weeks ago are doing really good.

earthquake

On Tuesday a big quake hit Yushu in the Tibetan autonomous region. 90% of structures in the town of Jyekundo were leveled, with 740 casualties counted so far, many missing, and thousands injured. A dam cracked, and 100,000 people are in jeopardy.

Jyekundo is populated mostly by nomadic Tibetans who have been pushed from their herding grounds and into a sedentary life in poorly built public housing. Many of the dead and injured are children of migrant workers housed in boarding schools.

Aid is hindered by the remote and elevated location, but the Huffington Post has a list of organizations taking donations. I am posting this since lack of video seems to exclude this disaster from major media coverage.

Photo from Reuters article here.

travelers

By wagon, by horse, by boat, by cities that swim.

Live Before You Die from Dreamtime Film on Vimeo.

ROLLING THUNDER trailer from Dreamtime Film on Vimeo.

Swimming Cities of the Switchback Sea from ekai on Vimeo.

linked

For Illustration Friday. Blogger doesn't love a vertical, click on full picture below for a bigger view. 

doppelgangers

So for a year I've held the prestigious position of "Yale Costume Stock Manager" at the Yale School of Drama. I have a real day job now. I check out and restock costumes in a big basement warehouse 4 days a week. I complain a lot about the stinky thousand or so pairs of shoes to be kept in order, the messy students, and the stagnant air, but I freakin love it. The nicest part is I get to see the Yale Rep shows for free, and hang around the productions in some pretty spectacular theatrical spaces. 

The best thing I've seen in a long time was the commedia dell'arte The Servant of Two Masters. It was gorgeously made, and so well performed. Partly I loved it because of eery similarities to a tiny 6 minute vaudeville act I did a few months ago for the Forgot to Laugh Festival, including an illuminated moon for a finale and a musical saw cameo. I mean, obviously there's no way anyone at Yale saw my show, which was slapped together and silly- it's just one of those amazing sort of synchronicities that made me love the Yale show in a way my mind will set on for a long time. 

Photos from my act for Forgot to Laugh with fantastic dance, juggling, and puppet help from Nicholas Ridiculous, Lisa Anamasi, Pam Terror and Dot Mitzvah. And below, a video from The Servant of Two Masters.

rescue

For Illustration Friday.