Mr Ulankski's 7th & 8th Grade Poem Anthology

I love living in Clifton. Case in point - as friends and I were walking back from Murphy's Pub a heavyset man with a floppy, curly mohawk invited us in for "one more beer for the road." We naturally accepted, and after smooth introductions, found out that he is not only in a ska/metal band, but also teaches 7th and 8th grade at a downtown charter school. We were really only two houses from home, but it was a welcome detour that resulted in one beer, one Loudmouth CD (his band), and most notably one Poetry Anthology from Mr. Mike Ulankski's writing class.

Sure, we all used to write poetry in Jr High, but none to much was worth mentioning. Lots of soppy unrestrained sentiment and entire poems with every single line rhyming - and some of these poems are just that. But reading some of these poems from kids who obviously have a lot to deal with was enlightening and inspiring, and I was really impressed with the frankness and honesty that these kids displayed. Maybe it's just been my experience with art school, but honesty and frankness are both seem to be in rare supply.

Here are a few of my favorite poems. No grammar corrections have been made.


It's Just My Imagination
by Shoneica Freeman

In the dark I dream of ugly creations
It was just my imagination.
In the dark I dream of ugly creation.
Sounds that scare me.
It's just my imagination
In the dark I lay
I wonder if it's near me
In the dark I dream of ugly creations.
I hear things it say
I wonder if it hears me
It's just my imagination
In my mind I pray
Don't appear to me
In the dark I dream of ugly creations.
Under the covers I shake
My eyes get teary
It's just my imagination
Now he's close I see his face
Now he's near me
In the dark I dream of ugly creations.
It's just my imagination.


______________________________________________________________



Young Boy Becoming Bad Old Mother Becoming Sad
By Rauquelle Smith

Young boy becoming bad
Night time is darker than dark
Old mother becoming sad

As a skater would say that's rad
In the night there is no sparks
Young boy becoming bad

She sees that her son is bad
Young boy left in the dark
Old mother becoming sad

More badness in his bad
Left in the water with the sharks
Young boy becoming bad

All mothers scared of the draft
Lots of cars but no where to park
Old mother becoming sad

Sad because his mother is sad
Standing around but no dogs bark
Young boy becoming bad
Old mother becoming sad

______________________________________________________________

Random Thoughts
By Shawntez R

We were crossing the padding and it was dark.
All in the valley of death.
And miles to go before I go to sleep.
Burned up 100s of millions of dollars.
That cursed bet.

Afraid that we'd run away.
I was happy to be out in the world again.
Cradled in her arms.
I could see him standing.
I am the greatest.

RESHOOT RESHOOT | Process Document

2007



2009

David Lynch | Interview Project

David Lynch's Interview Project started June 1st and it looks like it will come out to be a compassionate portrait of America at a rough time. But I have to admit that ever since that Iphone clip, I can't help but bend over laughing every time he opens his mouth. His straight face, odd enuncation, and that goofy ass music is too much for me.

RVCA SKATE PROMO

So, this is a promo put out by RVCA featuring Leo Romero, Kevin "Spanky" Long, Josh Harmony, Cairo Foster, Austin Stephens, Ed Templeton, Keegan Sauder, David Reyes, Nestor Judkins & Julian Davidson. I think everyone knows RVCA for their clothes, their Artist Network Program and the ANP Quarterly, but the actual athletes seem to get marginalized in the big scheme of things. And really, it's what they do that inspires a lot of the art that comes out of the ANP.

I really like the notion that skateboarding itself has specific aesthetic decisions that are made at all times when someone is on a board. And what about the influence that skateboarding has had on culture? I wonder if skateboarding should be taken a little more seriously in mainstream circles and more importantly the art world. Anyways, enjoy the promo - you don't have to skate to take a look.

RANDOM INSPIRATION

Some recent inspiration:

Matthew Palladino

Erwin Wurm's 'One Minute Sculptures'

Below two: "How to be politically incorrect while searching for a bomb"

Kevin Christy

Via Fecal Face

RICHARD ROSS

From the Aperture blog Exposures.

I find this work really intriguing and inspiring, even if it isn't necessarily that innovative. The whole series can be seen online here.


Richard Ross: Photograph as Empty Stage and What's Next from Aperture Foundation on Vimeo.

"Opening in Washington D.C.’s National Building Museum this Saturday is Richard Ross’s exhibition, The Architecture of Authority. With this body of work, American photographer Richard Ross presents unsettling pictures of architectural spaces that each exert a kind of power over the individual. From a Montessori preschool to churches and mosques, to an interrogation room at Guantánamo and segregation cells at Abu Ghraib, Ross’s photographs reflect the state of our post 9/11 world—one in which he believes the public has become accustomed to the abuse of power, erosion of individual liberty, illegitimate authority, and constant surveillance.

In this video, Richard Ross highlights the physical relationship between the viewer and his images. Ross also gives insight into his new project, Suitable Placement: Juvenile Justice in America."

ROB DYRDEK - LAFAYETTE SAFE SPOT SKATE SPOT

I know my last couple posts have basically all been about the same thing and not exactly art focused, but I'll have to apologize because here we go again.

But before I get into a whole bunch of nerdy skate crap, here is a photo of the largest skateboard in the world, which was at the Grand Opening of the Lafayette Skate Spot and Rob and the Mayor of LA rode.



SO. We all know Rob Dyrdek even if it's just for his MTV antics. What you may not know is that he is single-handedly leading the movement for the transformation of how skateparks are built, where they are built, and ultimately how society views and incorporates skateboarding. I think part of getting that to happen is for people other than skaters to 'See What I See' as was eloquently showcased in these DC shoes commericials.



Dyrdek spearheaded the building of the first Skate Plaza in Kettering, OH in co-operation with DC Shoes. The idea of this park is to break the traditional box of what a skatepark should look like, and mimic the natural street terrain that skateboarders have been skating ever since Natas Kumpas, Mark Gonzales etc etc in the 80's. The whole point is to provide a place to skate without the legal hassles of skateboarding on private property owned by people who are not stoked on their marble benches getting wax and chunks on them.



Unfortunately, the Skate Plaza in Kettering is a $700,000 slab of concrete that needed to go through all kinds of red tape, and still fit into the notion of a skate park as a destination that one might have to drive to. For example, when I attended the University of Dayton only 15 or so odd miles away from the Skate Plaza I was only able to visit it once. I had a bike on campus too, but it was still too far - by the time I got there I'd be too tired to skate.

The draw of skateboarding is it's accessibility and universality. Given a board and sneakers you could skate anywhere with semi- smooth ground. The fact that I couldn't skate the best skatepark in the world when I lived 15 miles away attests to the 'skatepark as a destination' notion as an inaccessible and incompatible concept with skateboarding.

So finally to the SKATE SPOT idea. Rob came up with the idea to split up the ginormous Skate Plaza and place bits of it around the city of LA for people to enjoy sans car ride. I actually had been thinking about this kind of thing this summer, so I'm glad I didn't have to go through the trouble of making it happen.





A SIDE NOTE ON "SELLING OUT": Rob appeared in a commercial for Carl's Jr. and on a series of their large 'collectable' soft drink cups. How much did he make from this? Nothing. IT PAID FOR THE LAFAYETTE SPOT. Can you imagine that? A burger chain paying for a skate spot? Brilliant.

"Happy Star Just Saved My Life."


www.skateplaza.com for anything else you would possibly want to know about it.

OSLO OPERA HOUSE = SKATEPARK

Photo: Jiri Havran via Wired

When I saw that Wired Magazine recently (Nov 08) did an article on the skate-ability of the new Oslo Opera House I got a little excited, stood up, and maybe...just maybe did a little dance.  In High School I did too much skating and snow surfing to actually become an Architect, but I always knew that my board was helping me develop  a very intimate relationship with our proverbial concrete jungle. My Senior year I won a Scholastic Gold Key for my photos of a skatepark that focused on the architectural merits of the shapes present and my post below about Mark Gonzalez is pretty specific about being hopeful for a more integrated public space and the interaction between skating and architecture.  

The article in Wired is short, but sweet and can be found here. 

"Snøhetta used different finishes of marble to guide skaters looking for rideable surfaces. Acoustically sensitive parts, like above the auditorium, got rough marble that's unpleasant to wheel over. But other areas silently beckon skaters. Surfaces rise up all over the place to become ledges, curbs, and benches—like the jagged facets of a glacier (or skate park). One particularly tempting spot is a 3-foot-wide railing of smooth stone. Snøhetta architect Peter Dang is, ahem, absolutely sure it's skatable. 'Just make sure to fall toward the inside,' he advises."

Another, even more informative and theoretically focused, article called "A Skateboarders Guide to Architecture, or an Architect's Guide to Skateboarding" can be found here.

Recently I rediscovered one of my favorite snowboard photographers, Danny Zapalac. His work is refreshing, and distinct, from the average photo in a shred publication. They stand out for their lack of or restrained use of strobe and their subtle colors. His black and white work also stands away from the pack because of his affection for good ole' grain and tilt/shift lenses. His photos almost don't belong in the snowboard/extreme sports world, so it's no surprise that he has expanded and done advertising work for outdoor sports giants such as: Aspen Resorts, Boost Mobile,
Burton, DC, Hurley, Oakley, North Face, Puma, Red Bull, Rossignol, Vans, and Volcom.

Anyways, I'm jealous of him - enough blathering. Enjoy!

More on his website: www.dannyzapalac.com