west uptowner

zimmer on the wall, originally uploaded by plastictaxi.

This is a shot of Jacob, seen through a video camera and projected onto the brick wall in the basement of the Great Hall. Ame thought it would be cool. It was.

We've closed \dance\songs\ , but life has only sped up. We were striking until midnight on Sunday, then I got up at 6am to proofread a script before going to a warehouse to check up on an exhibition I'm consulting on lighting for. I am some pooped, but I am not going to complain anymore: it's an interesting life. I will try not to mention having no time ever again. Sujet fermé.

During the development of the show I wondered if we had been getting lost in our own language - of movement and sound and how our sense of what's going on in each segment of the show gets deeper - that in deepening the meaning of the piece we had gone too deep, so to speak. That we were too weird, and maybe out of touch with the casual observer off the street. Now I feel differently. We didn't let ourselves get weird because we kept our eye on people, on mixing up -- or feeling -- the audience as we went along, checking in between tracks, doing slightly different things for them every night as we got to feel them out. I mean, sure we are kind-of weird, but not alien weird. And acknowledging the people in the room is key to that. Lesson for life.

# posted by trev @ 6:47 p.m. 1 comments

dancesongs sneak chad and matija 2, originally uploaded by plastictaxi.

The picture is from \dance\songs\ -- now on at Toronto's Theatre Centre (1087 Queen W at Dovercourt) until Nov 26 2006.

I had a moment today -- the business of getting the show up and being firm on my lighting cues (and making a million last minute minor changes) had me so distracted that it wasn't until about 15 minutes before the show was to start that I looked up, saw someone enter the theatre whom I am eager to make an impression on, and suddenly -- really it was on me in an instant -- I got nervous. Stage nerves. That heightened sense of tension that really forces you to focus tighter than an undersized set of speedos.

Then we had a beautiful show and all decided to love the world.

Tomorrow we'll work again.

# posted by trev @ 1:10 a.m. 3 comments

dancesongs break for Chad and Claudia, originally uploaded by plastictaxi.

Chad and Claudia, seen chilling between moments in our chillin' corner - it's a bizarre little pocket in the corner of the old Theatre Centre (sorry - now "The Great Hall Downstairs") that looks inexplicably cozy. I think we'll just keep it for the show - though it's not part of the stage or audience, it's too nice to lose. I'll post more pics of the show as they come in: it's a dance piece, a very theatre-and-performance-art-influenced dance piece, and it opens nov 17 2006 - runs until nov 26th. It's a very easy show to enjoy, I am loving working on it and with these people.

Meanwhile Bea is in Medellin with her mother - she will be hiring someone to look after her, the Alzheimer's has progressed in the last 6 months.

I've got to go now to paint another coat on the deck.

# posted by trev @ 11:04 p.m. 1 comments

parking meter solar panel, originally uploaded by plastictaxi.

Feeling a little stupid today - I am wondering if I have lost a bit of my ability to think. What does it mean, though, "to feel stupid?" ...if you are getting stupider how do you really know? Wouldn't you be too stupid to notice? And couldn't that be fun?

It was my performance that tipped me off (as it will do among men). My first clue was a tepid run at this week's Sudoku's, and now everything else seems to take too long to do as well.

Bea does this thing, when she's forgetting names because she's juggling too many tasks. She puts her hand to her mouth and says: "oh no! It's the Alzheimer's!"

It's a busy week - I'm trying to get a lot done for all the other shows (Jumblies, Aluna, Sheep + the Whale) because next week is tech week for "\dance\songs\" - which means I'll spend more time inside the Theatre Centre than out of it. So, along with sporatic meetings, it just takes a long time to get all the homework done at once. Maybe I'm not stupid in the hands-on, slog through jobs sense -- I'm dumb in the multiple priorities, why-can't-you-focus-on-your-own-life-and-its- priorities sense. It's the kind of busy that starts to distract you - it can MAKE you stupid if you're not careful.

Meanwhile I took another consulting gig to do lights for an Art installation / opening in early December. Very excited about that one, actually.

And all this time Bea is in Colombia at the Magdalena Festival, making connections, taking video, submerging herself in a world of art. And dealing with family. Here we work too much. There it all seems to be about family.

i think that in some unrecognized way, work is our candy.

hunh - and doesn't that sound like a protestant talking.

# posted by trev @ 9:04 a.m. 1 comments

exploring ingo maurer at pearson2, originally uploaded by plastictaxi.

airports. I have come to know Pearson's Terminal 1 a little too well lately. A little too well for me, how about. Today I brought Bea away and stayed for a bit to see her off - we have had so little time together this past month, I had to stick around. It was lovely - we didn't say much, but we sat together, speking a little, enjoying the feeling of love while we waited.

Then she walked through security and cruised off into the southern sky.

Airports are inevitably sterile, wide-walled, and efficient - made for harmonious traffic of many bodies, easy to clean, modern in spirit. What an odd counterpoint to the simple fact that people are often going through intense emotional moments in these brisk environments. I didn't care that I was in an architectural monument to the glory of global travel, I just wanted to spend time with my baby. It was a nice surprise to bump into this aquatic sculpture again - it's to your left as you enter the final departure area before the security gates. It's called "Earth - Unbound", by Ingo Maurer. It reminds you that some things move slowly.

The goodbye cost $7 (coffee) +$9 (parking) +$10 (gas in borrowed car) = $26.

# posted by trev @ 8:19 p.m. 0 comments

gizmo test 3 - AGO 06, originally uploaded by plastictaxi.

Our "Zoetrope" in action. This is before the pre-Halloween Fundraising event at the AGO, and on the day I had to shield the lights within so they couldn't hurt the eyes of the wealthy diners.

We've done this gig for four years now (designed by Steve Lucas) - each year we swear we're done with it. This year was no different, only I seemed to have more fun on the night of than ever before. Why is that?

# posted by trev @ 8:00 p.m. 0 comments