'To Make Love To The Walls'

l'image1 FLY's latest short film features the artistic works of Petra Mrzyk and Jean-Francois Moriceau. A masked narrator reads a text about Mrzyk and Moriceau written by Michel Vaillant, exploring the subtleties and novelty of their work. The narrator wears five unique masks, created by Mrzyk and Moriceau exclusively for the film. He reads:

"Last year, Petra Mrzyk and Jean-Francois Moriceau wrote to me to tell me that at the other end of the world they were making love to the walls. This tells us a great deal about the capacity of these two artists to tame the bare walls of a gallery space with a biting iconography that makes the work reactive and sexy."

The film celebrates their creation of the new Collector's Edition for FLY: two round series of 25 screenprints.

Neuroenhancement

Brain Gain A fascinating article in The New Yorker by Margaret Talbot, Brain Gain: The underground world of "neuroenhancing" drugs, discusses the rising off-label use of prescriptive medicines commonly used to treat ADD and ADHD, in order to achieve a heightened sense of focus in crunch time. Talbot thoroughly explores the intrigue and dangers of these 'steroids for the brain'.

"Don't neuroenhancers confer yet another advantage on the kind of people who already can afford private tutors and prep courses? At many colleges, students have begun calling the off-label use of neuroenhancers a form of cheating. Writing last year in the Cavalier Daily, the student newspaper of the University of Virginia, a columnist named Greg Crapanzano argued that neuroenhancers "create an unfair advantage for the users who are willing to break the law in order to gain an edge. These students create work that is dependent on the use of a pill rather than their own work ethic." Of course, it's hard to imagine a university administration that would require students to pee in a cup before they get their blue books. And though secretly taking a neuroenhancer for a three-hour exam does seem unfair, condemning the drugs use seems extreme. Even with the aid of a neuroenhancer, you still have to write the essay, conceive the screenplay, or finish the grant proposal, and if you can take credit for work you've done on caffeine or nicotine, then you can take credit for work produced on Provigil."

Talbot argues that, like cosmetic surgery, cosmetic neurology is probably here to stay. But, while the comparison to caffeine and nicotine can be drawn, the heart of the problem, as it seems to me, is the lifestyle choice behind such an impulse. While many Americans might perceive neuroenhancers as giving them a competitive advantage and increasing work productivity, it reeks of the mentality that life is about work and nothing more.

One of the supposed benefits of neuroenhancers are that they could reduce intellectual equality across social and economical sectors. Rather than suggesting we should turn to a pill to solve such problem, I have to side with Nicholas Kristof's New York Times column that intellectual ineqaulity can be leveled by promoting the right environment.

But, in the end, neuroenhancers aren't so much about intelligence and creativity as they are about efficiency and productivity. And, in this era, it's hard to imagine that the Creative Class will be ousted by straight-faced robots.

Polka Dot Passion

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq0LXh3sais&hl=en&fs=1] Yayoi Kusama, one of Japan's greatest female artists, works are currently on display at the Gagosian in New York and the gallery in LA. The exhibitions celebrate her 80th birthday and anticipates this forthcoming documentary Kusama: Princess of Polka Dots. The bi-coastal exhibitions feature several new works including Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity (2009). The Gagosian Gallery describes it as

"...a mesmerizing "infinity room" that operates on a system of simple yet ingenious optical devices. In a dark void, a delicate, shimmering mirage unfolds around the viewer, a myriad of gleaming lights that reproduce and reflect endlessly upon each other in golden silence."

Henry Jenkins on Participatory Culture

henry jenkins In this video, Henry Jenkins, author of Convergence Culture and director of the Comparative Media Studies Program at MIT, discusses the role

"As we moved into the 20th Century [...] images now belong to major media companies who claim exclusive ownership of it. What we're seeing is in the digital age, as the public began to take media in its own hands and began to assert its right to retell those stories, the public are taking the media without the permission of copyright owners and innovating, experimenting, recontextualizing, responding to those images in new ways."

He continues to discuss that this participatory culture has created a complex mediascape that has the potential to further propel the diversification of the world. Phone cameras, text messages and open forums have the potential not just to upend politics, reshape entertainment, and expose the life of the 'average' person, but it also can push forward human rights by offering a platform to the most oppressed segments of society.

Love in the Time of Cholera Covers

covers A book I've long intended to read, I was a bit disappointed when the only copy at the bookstore was (apparently) the design from the film poster. A red rose? What an unfortunate cover (bottom right). Last summer I saw a beautiful cover of a friend's copy from Spain. Searching for it proved to be unsuccessful, but I did find some others which would all be preferable to the one I have. It's interesting that on two covers the title is most prominent, while on the other two the author is.  I would have most liked the cover on the bottom left, with the title and the author reversed. The contents of the book are what make it a beautiful or disappointing read, but the cover design should always be well thought out.

Al Jazeera interview with 'Fighting the Silence' filmmakers

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZKyG9bNt4w&hl=en&fs=1] Dutch filmmakers Ilse and Femke van Velzen recently appeared on the Al Jazeera documentary channel Witness to discuss their 2007 film 'Fighting the Silence' about rape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Presenter Rageh Omaar asked them how they were able to encourage the women to speak to them about an act that is considered so shameful in Congolese society. Isle and Femke respond that they found the women through local women activists. Because the women who had been raped trusted these activists, Isle and Femke were able to more easily create a bond of trust with them. Secondly, the women were told exactly why they would be doing the interviews. But the biggest motivation was that they wanted to share their story. Ilse and Femke state that they did not want to victimize the women. Yet, I wonder, how can they walk the fine line between not victimizing them women in order to show their real strength and needing to create sympathy within the audience? The goal of documentary films about human rights is not just to extend knowledge to the audience, but, I believe, to create action and encourage the audience to see what small part they can play in fighting for the right's of others.

The Real Rock Stars

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMlWbTqwkdU&hl=en&fs=1] This new Intel ad, from their recently-launched 'Sponsors of Tomorrow' campaign, is spot on. Today's real rock stars should be the brains behind all the technology that has changed our lives and prompted the world in new directions. And, in many ways, they are. I wonder how many people would opt for a free computer over free concert tickets. I know I would.

Right now, I'm knee-deep in a research project about future technology and I must say it's really inspiring. Intel's Exploratory Research Projects, NTT DoCoMo's (the Japanese rock stars of all that is mobile) Mobile Society Research Institute, and Singularity University (to-be-opened in June, sponsored in part by Google, of course), to name a few examples, are all scheming away for the next big breakthrough. Rock stars to be.

So Far

books so far After buying a new book for my upcoming flight to the other edge of the world, I decided to assess what I have read since the start of the year. Here is a summary of what I've gone through and a bit of background on how I came to read it: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin My parents came to visit me in the fall and my father arrived with this book in hand. When he finished reading it towards the end of the trip, he gave it to me.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho A Christmas gift that I enjoyed while in Berlin and also the first Coehlo book I have read. It will not be the last.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon I read this back in 2006, but left my copy somewhere in Cambodia. Christopher was even more inspiring the second time around. Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni I found this book among a pile of freebies on the landing of my old apartment last summer. It tells the story of two girls in India, growing up and learning that changed relationships can never break a bond. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer I must admit, I first saw the film. The version I watched, however, didn't have subtitles, so the parts in Ukranian were lost on me (which ended up being over half the film). So, I read the book then re-watched the film. The book is far superior.

Wonderful Fool by Shusaku Endo The latest venture in my love for Japanese fiction was also found on the apartment landing. No, that's wrong. I found it at a used book market at the Dam. Yes, I can see from inside cover that I paid €4,50. Annette Vallon by James Tipton Last summer, the Goethe Institute was under restoration and, apparently, also cleaning out their library. I was biking past and stopped to look at the books displayed on the table. Gratis. I'm not sure what this book about the French Revolution (written in English) was doing there, but I happily took it, intrigued by the quote on the back cover, "Be careful reader: my troubles started because I read novels."

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë A book lingering from my undergraduate years, complete with five critical essays at the end, which (yes) I did read. A good book for banter in a university classroom, but I mostly enjoyed the essays at the end. A bit of theory that I've been starved of since finishing my MA.

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo A book I grabbed from the overflowing bookcase of my parents when I was visiting in February. In my haste, I failed to notice that it was the abridged version.

The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury

Ha! I posted this entry before I noticed that I forgot to write about this book. Indeed, that's just about how memorable it is. I think it's riding on the popularity of The Da Vinci Code (which I haven't read), or something. A visiting friend decided to leave it with me.

Persuasion by Jane Austen The last of Miss Austen's six glorious novels that I had to read. She never fails to impress, please, and challenge. She is undoubtedly one of my favorite writers and I look forward to returning to her beautiful words again.

A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon Inspired by his first book, I purchased this at a bookstore. An enjoyable, humorous read. I look forward to his next. The Red Notebook by Paul Auster A collection of short, true stories. Unfathomable coincidences and curious events of happenstance. I have only read Timbuktu prior to this, but there are several more works by Auster waiting on the shelf.

Canoeing in Leiden

leiden canals Two weekends ago I went canoeing through the canals of Leiden early enough (at the beginning) to enjoy the quiet. I came upon this duck, also interested in the dejected Christmas tree with its lone red ball still hanging from its dried branch.  Perhaps it served as a temporary decoration for a boat party in December. Too laborious to carry inside, it was left behind to decompose. Along with the boat. Or perhaps, one January morning, a Dutchman tossed it out his front door to be picked up, when a large gust of wind caused it to tumble into the canal and land conveniently in the boat. The duck, a master of luck himself, claimed it as his own and raised his family beneath the protective branches. He watches passing canoes with great suspicion.

Café Contentment

From the far end of this café something goes back over the scattered moments of this Sunday and solders them together, gives them a meaning: I have gone through the whole of this day to end up here, with my forehead pressed against this window, to gaze at this delicate face blossoming against a red curtain. Everything has come to a stop; my life has come to a stop: this big window, this heavy air, as blue as water, this thick-leaved white plant at the bottom of the water, and I myself, we form a complete and motionless whole: I am happy.

Nausea, Jean-Paul Sartre