1) You are sitting on a stage, wearing a blind-fold. 2) Every electrical device in the building around you is on. 3) Suddenly, you detect a slight difference, a vague change in sonic pressure somewhere, as if an extremely distant mosquito has been swatted – a spot of silence, as it were, has appeared in the room. 4) "Toaster, fourth floor!" you call out – and you're right. Someone turned off the toaster. 5) You win a trip to France.
Space as a Symphony of Turning Off Sounds
at BLDGBLOG
Labels: Great Thinking
Monday, April 28, 2008
Night Diving with Manta Rays
The sunset that night does not spread itself out like a stain across the sky; it does not explode into great symphonies of crimson and mango but remains strangely minimalist, like a Japanese flag, a simple red disk descending beyond the Pacific. Our boat captain signals its primal retreat with the call of a conch shell and on its note we prepare our own descent into the waters below.
On our journey out to this spot, earlier that afternoon, just off the black lava cliffs that edge the Kona airport, a troop of dolphins had raced our hull, breaking away to leap and spin in the air like exclamation points to the anticipation that we all shared staring out over the bow. For we were going out to night dive with manta rays, a major notch on any diver's bedpost; an experience that defied comparison I had been told, that was "of an other world."
From wikipedia:
"Mantas are most commonly black dorsally and white ventrally, but some are blue on their backs. A manta's eyes are located at the base of the cephalic lobes on each side of the head, and unlike other rays the mouth is found at the anterior edge of its head. To respire, like other rays, the manta has five pairs of gills on the underside...Distinctive "horns" (from which the common name Devil ray stems) are on either side of its broad head. These unique structures are actually derived from the pectoral fins. During embryonic development, part of the pectoral fin breaks away and moves forward, surrounding the mouth. This gives the manta ray the distinction of being the only jawed vertebrate to have novel limbs ... These flexible horns are used to direct plankton, small fish and water into the manta's very broad and wide mouth. The manta can curl them to reduce drag while swimming."
We have placed lanterns on the ocean floor within a tight square of rocks. Like a campfire around which 20 of us will swim down to and sit, each with our own torch shining up towards the surface; meanwhile, a handful of snorkelers circle above us, they too baring torches that they shine down, all of this creating a concentrated single column of light amidst the fathoms of black. Into this column swarms plankton, the moths of the deep, tricked into the worship of a false god, they in turn become the evening's sacrifice as we summon our own winged spirits.
And they come, appearing like phantoms from above, like the bat signal over Gotham, soaring in and out of the light and then, suddenly, they are directly in our circle, two rays spanning 8 and 10 feet across swoop down, at times mere inches away, their wide gaping mouths all but swallowing us up along with their microscopic prey. So eerie in the glow of the torches, our campfire ghost stories come alive. And yet they are gentle, nonthreatening, even delicate in the way their hulking bodies navigate the space. At one point the larger of the two begins swimming in grand backward vertical loops, to such an extent that one could almost begin to believe that it was for our benefit.
Our two species make strange bedfellows, and yet there is an amiable exchange between us: an easier night's meal traded up for a glimpse into a different realm; Never has the world seemed more alien to me and yet at the same time never have I felt more aware of its wider plan. To be a stranger in this world and realize that it is not ours. To be the humbled guest in another creature's sphere. And so, with our tanks at half, we bid farewell and kick back out into the jet black depths.
Photos (hopefully) to follow. In the meantime, makai.makai's collection of videos on Flickr does a damn good job of capturing the surreality of the evening. For more info, rates etc. check out Jack's Diving Locker
The sunset that night does not spread itself out like a stain across the sky; it does not explode into great symphonies of crimson and mango but remains strangely minimalist, like a Japanese flag, a simple red disk descending beyond the Pacific. Our boat captain signals its primal retreat with the call of a conch shell and on its note we prepare our own descent into the waters below.
On our journey out to this spot, earlier that afternoon, just off the black lava cliffs that edge the Kona airport, a troop of dolphins had raced our hull, breaking away to leap and spin in the air like exclamation points to the anticipation that we all shared staring out over the bow. For we were going out to night dive with manta rays, a major notch on any diver's bedpost; an experience that defied comparison I had been told, that was "of an other world."
From wikipedia:
"Mantas are most commonly black dorsally and white ventrally, but some are blue on their backs. A manta's eyes are located at the base of the cephalic lobes on each side of the head, and unlike other rays the mouth is found at the anterior edge of its head. To respire, like other rays, the manta has five pairs of gills on the underside...Distinctive "horns" (from which the common name Devil ray stems) are on either side of its broad head. These unique structures are actually derived from the pectoral fins. During embryonic development, part of the pectoral fin breaks away and moves forward, surrounding the mouth. This gives the manta ray the distinction of being the only jawed vertebrate to have novel limbs ... These flexible horns are used to direct plankton, small fish and water into the manta's very broad and wide mouth. The manta can curl them to reduce drag while swimming."
We have placed lanterns on the ocean floor within a tight square of rocks. Like a campfire around which 20 of us will swim down to and sit, each with our own torch shining up towards the surface; meanwhile, a handful of snorkelers circle above us, they too baring torches that they shine down, all of this creating a concentrated single column of light amidst the fathoms of black. Into this column swarms plankton, the moths of the deep, tricked into the worship of a false god, they in turn become the evening's sacrifice as we summon our own winged spirits.
And they come, appearing like phantoms from above, like the bat signal over Gotham, soaring in and out of the light and then, suddenly, they are directly in our circle, two rays spanning 8 and 10 feet across swoop down, at times mere inches away, their wide gaping mouths all but swallowing us up along with their microscopic prey. So eerie in the glow of the torches, our campfire ghost stories come alive. And yet they are gentle, nonthreatening, even delicate in the way their hulking bodies navigate the space. At one point the larger of the two begins swimming in grand backward vertical loops, to such an extent that one could almost begin to believe that it was for our benefit.
Our two species make strange bedfellows, and yet there is an amiable exchange between us: an easier night's meal traded up for a glimpse into a different realm; Never has the world seemed more alien to me and yet at the same time never have I felt more aware of its wider plan. To be a stranger in this world and realize that it is not ours. To be the humbled guest in another creature's sphere. And so, with our tanks at half, we bid farewell and kick back out into the jet black depths.
Photos (hopefully) to follow. In the meantime, makai.makai's collection of videos on Flickr does a damn good job of capturing the surreality of the evening. For more info, rates etc. check out Jack's Diving Locker
Labels: Diving, Travel, World at Large
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Criterion's Mishima
I was quite taken tonight by the cover of Criterion's re-issue of Paul Schrader's Mishima. Interestingly, from what I've found online, not everyone approves, my favourite pan being "this thing reminds me of the make-up gun that Homer invented in that Simpsons episode."
The design is by Tadanori Yokoo, a Japanese graphic designer, illustrator, printmaker and painter who was not just a contemporary of Mishima's but also a friend and collaborator (he actually makes a brief appearance in the movie). All of which makes his contribution of the DVD art appropriate not to mention that his design and art are fantastic. A decent survey of his work can be found with a Flickr search.
I was quite taken tonight by the cover of Criterion's re-issue of Paul Schrader's Mishima. Interestingly, from what I've found online, not everyone approves, my favourite pan being "this thing reminds me of the make-up gun that Homer invented in that Simpsons episode."
The design is by Tadanori Yokoo, a Japanese graphic designer, illustrator, printmaker and painter who was not just a contemporary of Mishima's but also a friend and collaborator (he actually makes a brief appearance in the movie). All of which makes his contribution of the DVD art appropriate not to mention that his design and art are fantastic. A decent survey of his work can be found with a Flickr search.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
"No global reasons.."
It was only after seeing the rendering for the Hines tower next to a photo of the Institut du Monde Arabe in today's NY Times Magazine article that I made the connection and realized, holy shit, Jean Nouvel is hands down my favourite architect. Then I got lost in his website for about 3 hours...
It was only after seeing the rendering for the Hines tower next to a photo of the Institut du Monde Arabe in today's NY Times Magazine article that I made the connection and realized, holy shit, Jean Nouvel is hands down my favourite architect. Then I got lost in his website for about 3 hours...
Labels: Architecture, NY Times
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Thursday Tunage
THE LOVELY SPARROWS – DEPARTMENT OF FORSEEABLE OUTCOMES
Department of Forseeable Outcomes seems like the perfect song for the last scene of an HBO pilot: A son finds out that his parents are bank robbers when he accidentally blows up his dad's car while trying to make meth in the back seat and the money from their last heist that was hidden in the trunk now rains down on him. He stands in the middle of the street with his arms stretched up to heaven laughing at the irony of it all.
Camera pulls up directly above him.
Fade to credits..
ANNUALS – SORE
Alright now, pay attention: this tune Sore is from Annuals' recently released "Wet Zoo". It is one of three tracks by Annuals on the EP; the other two are by a band called Sunfold which is the members of Annuals only with guitarist Kenny Florence driving the bus instead of Adam Baker. Check out Sunfold's mySpace page and decide for yourself whether or not the two sounds are unique enough to warrant the confusion.
LANGHORNE SLIM – THE REBEL SIDE OF HEAVEN
"We ain't goin' to hell/We're goin' to the rebel side of heaven"
I am still waiting for the lab to get back to me with the results on what is in the Brooklyn water that is producing such consistent musical talent. Langhorne Slim is yet another fresh driving sound to emerge from the burrough. It is great to hear soulful rootsy music like this. His voice reminds me of Maroon 5 only without the disco beats..and not crappy.
More on his mySpace page.
THE LOVELY SPARROWS – DEPARTMENT OF FORSEEABLE OUTCOMES
Department of Forseeable Outcomes seems like the perfect song for the last scene of an HBO pilot: A son finds out that his parents are bank robbers when he accidentally blows up his dad's car while trying to make meth in the back seat and the money from their last heist that was hidden in the trunk now rains down on him. He stands in the middle of the street with his arms stretched up to heaven laughing at the irony of it all.
Camera pulls up directly above him.
Fade to credits..
ANNUALS – SORE
Alright now, pay attention: this tune Sore is from Annuals' recently released "Wet Zoo". It is one of three tracks by Annuals on the EP; the other two are by a band called Sunfold which is the members of Annuals only with guitarist Kenny Florence driving the bus instead of Adam Baker. Check out Sunfold's mySpace page and decide for yourself whether or not the two sounds are unique enough to warrant the confusion.
LANGHORNE SLIM – THE REBEL SIDE OF HEAVEN
"We ain't goin' to hell/We're goin' to the rebel side of heaven"
I am still waiting for the lab to get back to me with the results on what is in the Brooklyn water that is producing such consistent musical talent. Langhorne Slim is yet another fresh driving sound to emerge from the burrough. It is great to hear soulful rootsy music like this. His voice reminds me of Maroon 5 only without the disco beats..and not crappy.
More on his mySpace page.
Labels: Music, The Payola Chronicles
