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The Ebb and Flow of E-Waste

Even though there are numerous facilities across the country dedicated to recycling the technology we use and discard so frequently (cell phones, computers, printers, appliances, etc.), it turns out that sudden shifts in the marketplace are having a profound effect on what can and cannot be lucratively recycled by these industries. The New York Times reported this week on the vast amounts of outdated tube-based monitors and televisions that cannot be recycled because they have been rendered obsolete by the advent of flatscreen monitors and projectors, and so facilities no longer have the machinery needed to break them down appropriately.

The issue raises several warning signs in regard to our recycling system’s dependency on the fluctuation of the technology marketplace, which happens to be one of the most difficult to predict, and continues to become evolve rapidly. This leaves states with the burden of abandoned stockpiles of valueless goods, and no proper means to repurpose or dispose of them. Often the manufacturers left with these items are forced to harbor them somewhat illegally, since there is a limit on how long these products can be housed without being broken down safely.

The solutions to the problem have not been reassuring, with some states authorizing these products to be sent to landfills for the next few years, since the demand is so low for the raw materials they are made of. It’s a stark reminder that just because we take the care to recycle something, that doesn’t necessarily mean there is enough money to offset the cost of doing so. This is a problem not just for the companies and the government, but for the consumers as well, who are responsible for the near-doubling of e-waste over the past five years.

Mar 19, 2013 | Categories: Sustainability | Comments Off on The Ebb and Flow of E-Waste

SEARCHING FOR THE SEVENTIES: THE DOCUMENTERIA PROJECT

Abandoned automobiles and other debris clutter an acid water and oil filled five acre pond near Ogden, Utah, 1974. Photo: Bruce McAllister—The National Archives

Over the past thirty years, the relationship between the Environmental Protection Agency and the government that created it has been, to be polite, contentious. Born in the early 1970’s and put into implementation by Nixon, it’s often sited by conservatives as being wasteful and econony-stalling. It’s such a hot button agency that it was one of the only agencies Gov. Rick Perry could remember in his famous “oops” moment from this election’s primary cycle.

But when the EPA was created, the US was, to quote TIME Magazine, “an ecological mess. Poisoned smog cloaked cities like Los Angeles and New York. Rivers were full of industrial waste — TIME described Ohio’s highly flammable Cuyahoga as the river that “oozes rather than flows.” Documerica, a project started by the EPA, documented scenes like this. The photos are stunning, drawing from more than 20,000 images in the National Archives. As TIME says, “these are images from an America that seems further away from us than it really is, one that’s grimier and poorer.”

A lot has changed since then and things have significantly improved in a lot of these areas. But the images stand as both a testimony to what the EPA has helped to accomplish and as a warning: this could easily happen again.

The show opened last week at the National Archive building in Washington, DC. A selection of images can be viewed on TIME’s Lightbox blog.
Read more.

Mar 18, 2013 | Categories: Sustainability | Comments Off on SEARCHING FOR THE SEVENTIES: THE DOCUMENTERIA PROJECT

Thierry Cohen’s Darkened Cities

San Francisco

Those who were near lower Manhattan during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy may have experienced the rare and eerie view of the city’s skyline gone partway dark. Biking through Manhattan at dusk that week, the loss of power made the night feel that much deeper, and the bright sky that much more brilliant. What are the real consequences of keeping our cities lit? Can you imagine your own city turning its lights off at night?

Since 2010, photographer Thierry Cohen has been manipulating his images of starlit desert skies over recognizable cityscapes as part of his “Villes Enteintes” (Darkened Cities) project. The result, both gorgeous and foreboding, depicts what the world’s largest cities would look like without light pollution. The show opens on March 28th at at Danziger Gallery in New York City. More from their site:

Cohen’s method is original and precise and harkens back to the methodologies employed by early 19th century photographers like Gustave Le Grey. He photographs the world’s major cities, seeking out views that resonate for him and noting the precise time, angle, and latitude and longitude of his exposure. As the world rotates around its axis the stars that would have been visible above a particular city move to deserts, plains, and other places free of light pollution. By noting the precise latitude and angle of his cityscape, Cohen is able to track the earth’s rotation to places of atmospheric clarity like the Mojave, the Sahara, and the Atacama desert. There he sets up his camera to record what is lost to modern urban dwellers.

Compositing the two images, Cohen creates a single new image full of resonance and nuance. The work is both political and spiritual questioning not only what we are doing to the planet but drawing unexpected connections between disparate locations. Equally importantly it asks: what do we miss by obscuring the visibility of stars? As the world’s population becomes increasingly urban, there is a disjunction with the natural world which both Cohen and science posit causes both physical and psychological harm. Cities that never sleep are made up of millions of individuals breaking natural cycles of work and repose. Cohen’s photographs attempt to restore our vision, and in beautifully crafted prints and images offer the viewer a possibility – to re-connect us to the infinite energy of the stars.

Danziger Gallery Exhibition
March 28-May 4th, NYC

Rio de Janiero

New York City

Mar 15, 2013 | Categories: New York City, Random, Sustainability | Comments Off on Thierry Cohen’s Darkened Cities

Expo 1: New York, Rockaway Call for Ideas

Via MoMA PS1:

In an effort to foster the creative debate on urban recovery after Hurricane Sandy, MoMA PS1 and MoMA’s Department of Architecture and Design are calling out for ideas to create a sustainable waterfront.

Artists, architects, designers, and others are welcome to present ideas for alternative housing models, creation of social spaces, urban interventions, new uses of public space, the rebuilding of the boardwalk, protection of the shoreline, and actions to engage local communities.

Twenty-five selected proposals will be presented publicly in the press and social media and on-site in a series of live presentations and lectures organized by MoMA PS1 in its temporary relief and cultural VW Dome 2 in Rockaway Beach during April 2013.

A jury including curators Barry Bergdoll, Klaus Biesenbach, Peter Eleey, Pedro Gadanho, Niklas Maak, Hans Ulrich Obrist, and other influential architects, urban planners, and designers will make the selection from the open call.

Applications due March 15, 2013.

Mar 14, 2013 | Categories: Creative Culture, Nature, New York City, Sustainability | Comments Off on Expo 1: New York, Rockaway Call for Ideas

Upstream Color

Following up on Kathleen’s post, and since I am currently in Austin taking in as many films as possible during the SXSW Film Festival, I’d like to highlight one film in particular, a remnant from Sundance in January but with enough staying power that the talk about the film has continued into March. In fact, while in line for the film, Upstream Color, I heard nothing but comment after comment from people who had seen it once or twice, but wanted to see it again, to see what they might get from it this time.

I think it is probably most filmmakers’ dream not just to create something that people want to see, but to create something that people want to see again and again, that will reward the viewer not just while they watch it, but after and forever. In that sense, Upstream Color has succeeded in a way few films do.

The film is the long-awaited follow up to director, writer, actor, and producer Shane Carruth’s 2004 indie hit Primer, and the wait, though certainly frustrating, seems to have been worth it. Shane had been in different stages of production for another film, but when it seemed to be going nowhere, he started working on this film instead. Though the narrative is somewhat abstract, the performances, the score, as well as the beautiful visuals and editing keep the film together, resulting in a poetic meditation that is simultaneously gripping and suspenseful.

Without a doubt, wider audiences will soon be seeing this film after the festival circuit.

Mar 12, 2013 | Categories: Creative Culture, Travel | Comments Off on Upstream Color

Within Sight: A Photo Show and Auction to Benefit Sandy Victims

If you are free this Thursday (and happen to find yourself in the New York area) check out this group photo show at Picture Farm Gallery in Williamsburg (388 Wythe Ave). The group photography show was curated by professional surfer and filmmaker Mikey DeTemple and showcases prints from several of the most dynamic surf photographers in the industry including Dane Peterson, Nick LaVecchia, Todd Glaser, Chris Burkard, Zak Bush, Ryan Struck, Matt Clark and Chris Pfeil. All works feature one of a kind, wooden frames crafted from reclaimed pieces of the now-destroyed boardwalk.

The disastrous effects of Hurricane Sandy are still a daily reality for numerous individuals and businesses decimated by the storm in October. “Within Sight” is born from the surf community’s desire to reinvigorate awareness and continued community support around this fact.

An opening night party and silent benefit auction will be held this Thursday, March 14th, 2013. All proceeds from the sale will benefit Waves for Water, (www.wavesforwater.org) a non-profit organization founded by former professional surfer Jon Rose and the charity’s Hurricane Sandy Relief Initiative that focuses on supporting individuals and businesses in New York and New Jersey surf-based coastal communities hardest hit.
About Mikey DeTemple
Mikey DeTemple is a New York native, professional surfer and filmmaker. Matt Pruett, editor of Eastern Surf Magazine, described Mikey this way: “Few surfers personify the essence of modern East Coast long boarding like Mikey DeTemple –classic yet rebellious, stylish but aggressive, competitive though utterly soulful.” Mikey has been an integral the East Coast’s surf scene since the age of 16, when he won his first pro contest and became a staple in the world of pro surfing. He has graced the covers of numerous worldwide surf publications and produced two of the best-selling surf films of the past several years.

Since Hurricane Sandy, Mikey has been constantly active in the relief effort, coordinating and participating in volunteer rebuilding efforts, hosting multiple events, donating artwork for fundraising purposes and using his high profile to keep attentions focused on the continuing needs of those affected.
www.highseasfilm.com

About Picture Farm Gallery
Picture Farm Gallery was opened in response to what is perceived as a diminishing community vibe in the increasingly populated neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It looks to support local artists and concerns, giving month-long solo and group shows to friends, friends of friends, and friends of friends of friends during a season stretching from March to November. Picture Farm Gallery also acts as a community center for volunteer efforts for Hurricane Sandy relief and provides a creative space for local crafts people.
www.picturefarmpro.com

About Waves for Water
Waves for Water works on the front-line to provide clean water solutions to communities in need around the world. They work with world leaders and strategic partners who take a “no-nonsense” attitude toward making global change. Waves for Water is a non-profit organization founded in 2009 by former professional surfer Jon Rose and supported by Hurley International. www.wavesforwater.org

Mar 11, 2013 | Categories: Creative Culture, New York City, Surfing | Comments Off on Within Sight: A Photo Show and Auction to Benefit Sandy Victims

SXSW Film Festival Kicks Off in Austin

Every March, thousands of filmmakers, fans, and industry representatives gather in Austin for the South By Southwest Film Festival, where over 100 feature films screen over the course of nine days. Boasting one of the best festival programs in the country, South By Southwest consistently accepts films from both emerging and established artists. For the past several years Indiewire has put together a ‘Meet the Filmmakers’ list with brief interviews on how some of these small budget films were made and what inspired their creators. Stay until Closing Night and you’ll have an opportunity to catch The East, involving a group of anarchist eco terrorists who go on missions to infiltrate and punish irresponsible corporate organizations.

SXSW® Film Conference & Festival champions the vitality, innovation and opportunity that drives the entertainment and media landscape, and boldly tackles the evolution of all aspects of today’s “film,” down to its very definition. Every March, creatives of all stripes gather in Austin to witness, share and inspire the visions that will galvanize the filmmakers and creative ideas of tomorrow. A nexus of discovery and collaborative energy, SXSW Film celebrates the art and business of the possible.

March 8-16
Austin, Texas

Mar 08, 2013 | Categories: Creative Culture | Comments Off on SXSW Film Festival Kicks Off in Austin

Michael Gaillard (Harmony Artist-In-Residence)

The work in this installment represents some more experimental work I did during my stay. I use the word experimental to signify their incompleteness rather than in relation to their relative novelty. I see the abstractions as drawings or sketches to be readdressed within my studio and repurposed within the context of their eventual exhibition space. I am interested in these images not only aesthetically, but also symbolically. I see multiple planes of agency intersecting to create the aesthetic captured within the piece—the patterning of the sand, the reflections in the water, the force of the ocean, my sculptural interventions, and finally, my framing—and in this overlapping I see rich potential for further experimentation within the studio.