west uptowner

dance in Mtl, originally uploaded by plastictaxi.

Doing dance/ theatre in a bar is great: the mood is loose, and the connection between performer and audience is immediate -- and, as mentioned, you are in a bar. People tell you right away when they love the work, and can buy you drinks to prove it.

Doing dance/ theatre in a bar sucks: everything you first created in a theatre must be reinvented in a ghetto-style improv with half the time you would otherwise expect. You have no place to warm up or escape the noise and crowd before you have to step up and do the show. It's hard to do it well, and when you don't quite achieve what you are going for, you feel like an abject failure.

But hey, you're in a bar: and better yet, this bar is in Montreal.

It's been fabulous bumping into all sorts of people I haven't seen in a while -- a lot of folks are in town for the FTA (Festival Trans-Ameriques), and playing in an "off-FTA" venue.

Montreal makes you look at yourself. The other day I felt good about our work here, but because I was so absorbed in it, and worried about stuff back home, I felt apart from the artists around me. Like when you are lonely and want to connect, but don't know how to be around people. Thinking that you mess up good moods by opening your mouth. It's all nonsense, really, compounded by lack of sleep and other things... We are in a beautiful city surrounded by talented people struggling to make something precious; but at those times I wonder if my longest list of achievements is an interminable sequence of beautiful moments that I somehow mess up... and when I say that, I don't mean my work as a designer, but as a human being.

And then someone tells a joke and you respond, and that moment of doubt is gone.

# posted by trev @ 11:44 p.m. 1 comments

birds eye goggles with monitor, originally uploaded by plastictaxi.

I spent a Friday night geeking out in the corner of my study completely hemmed in by wires and tools to make a head-mounted video camera with a few bells and whistles for a show going into Summerworks this August. (It will be called "Bird's Eye View" and it will be gorgeous so come out)

I haven't had a chance to make funny looking shit in a long time. What a hoot.

But I do think, wacky mad scientist fun aside, that this image might also be a cry for help - I need to spend more time on a patio having a few pints with friends.

# posted by trev @ 11:38 a.m. 1 comments

bridge of one hair sneek peak - pots, originally uploaded by plastictaxi.

I have rediscovered what a home is. It has been a half-busy week: many little things to do for various jobs, not all of which are for money, some are even for our home life. Many meetings and the like.

I don't think I can talk much about the show I've just done: it ate my life, it was glorious and meaningful and confusing and gorgeous and overwhelming and satisfying and nuts. Community theatre on a grand scale. Quotes:

"do not bring your televisions tomorrow!"
"I am a womanist and I fight for the woman"
"if you are a pigeon, go to where you think you're supposed to be"

A variety of projects are coming quickly along. A few projects I won't work on this year:

- a synopsis of new developments in stupidity
- developing a system of voting in which voters get 3 votes:2 votes for and 1 vote against
- a photo series from the Age of Air Conditioning
- a gesture that means "trust yourself, you're on to a good thing"

# posted by trev @ 10:02 p.m. 1 comments