s o u l i z b l o g

Sometimes good text complementing a photograph can make it look so much cooler than it really is. Thanks, Audrey Magazine, for using my pics!

Photographer Roy DeCarava passed away yesterday. Images by him:

A Harlem born artist, he sought to portray the conditions of life in his neighborhood from an insider’s point of view. He was the first African American to receive the Guggenheim Fellowship. Since then, his talent allowed him to transition back and forth between photojournalism and art photography.

In the fifties, he was discovered by Steichen, one of the fathers of art photography (rivaling Steiglitz for the title). Steichen, an accomplished photographer/artist/curator in the art world took a few of DeCarava’s photographs and showed them in the Family of Man exhibit at MoMa, a show that is now noted as the first exhibition to use photography as an art medium. This was interesting to me because I had learned extensively about this legendary exhibit in my classes, but never knew that DeCarava was one of the hundreds of artists in it.

Anyway. Lots of photographers or artists use their creative ability as an excuse to seek new things and experiences different from the lives they normally lead. I admit that sometimes I consider a career in photography simply because I would like to use the camera as an excuse to see the world and escape to a life other than my own. There’s nothing wrong with wanting something different, but to escape and never look back is not the answer. I respect DeCarava because he looks within his own world and finds ways to photograph it from different perspectives. The results are aesthetically pleasing, poignant images of life not only relatable to the residents of Harlem, but to people from different backgrounds as well. His photography is beautiful because it shows one’s ability to wrestle with one’s circumstances and familiarities, explore perspectives different from his own, and conclude his journey with a deeper understanding of life around him.

…and Stones Throw and Intelligentsia know it. Their new collaboration is Stones Throw’s Ethiopium blend. Taking orders now till October 31th. Here’s the profile on the cool beans:

Varietal: indigenous, typical sub-type
Region: Yirgacheffe, Sidama
Altitude: 1700 – 1900m
Harvest: December – January

The Flavor Shouts Out: Tilahoun Gessesse
The Acidity Reminds Us Of: Alemehyu Eshete
And The Finish Is All About: Mulatu Astatke

Yeah, I have no idea what all of that means. I’m no coffee guru (there’s just too much to learn, i just like to drink it), but all I know is that I love Intelligentsia. It’s LA’s equivalent to Gimme! coffee in NYC and Blue Bottle up in Norcal. Nothing else compares! The weather in LA’s been a bit chilly these days, it’ll be great to start off one of these mornings drinking a fresh brew of Ethiopium, with a Madlib beat or Mayer Hawthorne’s soothing voice playing in the background. Oh, i guess theyre selling an Ethiopium mix too, by Oh No. Coolest collab ever!

He calls me, almost religiously, once a week to watch a movie. When I show up at the theater he’s already there, waiting with tickets in hand. We watch (Untitled) (2009), a movie starring Adam Goldberg and Marley Shleton, special appearance by Vinnie Jones, about the New York contemporary art scene. Pretentiousness, absurdity, abstraction, satire, it’s all there. We’ve watched so many movies together in the past, but this one hits close to home since our friendship started as art history students in college, where we’d learned to talk and act like artists and gallerists portrayed in the movie.

Afterwards, we go to a diner where we talk about how much the movie relates to our college days as he eats a T-bone steak meal for $7.99, and I enjoy a small sundae with strawberry toppings and a shirley temple on the side. The conversation about our shared past leads to so many other discussions. Professors we’ve admired to people we know mutually, our present, our futures, how photography isn’t attractive to him as a medium, how barbaric i think MMA is, etc. We’ve traveled different roads since meeting each other many years ago, yet we’ve ended up at the same place again, sharing a meal and comparing opinions and experiences. When he’s done with his last piece of steak is when the never-ending conversation is put on hold, to be continued another day. I pay the bill and we go back to our respective homes, feeling satisfied with the movie that we watched and the food and conversation that we shared. Short and sweet.

Who needs a boyfriend when I can have a friend like PM? I get all the perks of having one when I hang out with him; a guy who takes initiative, who can share my interests AND listen to my stories! Sure, we know eachother’s bad traits, which is the best part— we don’t hang around each other long enough to face them! Plus, he’s not clingy but enjoys my company. Sounds like the perfect relationship. It really is too bad that we’re just friends.

Is it that obvious that I’m going through my “I’m a woman, hear me roar” phase? Kinda sad that I think this could constitute a good enough relationship. I need to go away now.

Mt. High, my home mountain (don’t hate), just announced its Opening Day today. October 29th!

This date is INSANELY EARLY. I think the last time the High opened before Halloween was my sophomore or junior year in college. That’s like ..MANY YEARS AGO (not going to say how many years exactly cuz i know ya’ll can do math, and you dont wanna know how old i am)!

I’m pretty excite at the moment. Just looking at this picture gets me thinking about all the memories that I had here. Since school was only 45minutes away, I basically spent my entire college career at this place. Before and after class, during class, weekends, nights, days, I was always here. The only days I did not go were on rainy days, when I had no choice but to go to class instead. People would call me to ask for snow conditions than check the website itself. Even spent Christmas Eve there one year, at night, just going up and down the short runs! It was lonely and there were no one on the slopes, but I was doing what I liked to do best, and I felt like I had the whole mountain to myself. It was awesome.

Yeah, I love Mt. High, the patches of dirt and icy snow and all. It’s where I learned to ride, where I formed lifelong friendships, where I met my last boyfriend who taught me so much about myself, where I got that scar on my arm, where I know the runs like the back of my hand. Man, I can’t wait till I feel the cold air on my cheeks as I cruise down the mountain for the first time of the season. Last one down Wyatt’s the rotten egg!

photo by Mt. High.

more pics here

So I out ran the 36,000 mile warranty on my GTI within 14 months of owning the car. Today was the last service I had for free.

They say my next oil change is going to cost me $650, which is going to be at the next 5,000 miles. According to my calcuations, that means that i have to find out a way to make the extra money in the next 1.944444months. What the german, man. It cost me a total of $650 to maintain my last Honda over its lifetime!

Everything just sounded ridiculous and I really didn’t feel like lugging around  a car without warranty on it. And the new 2010 GTI mkvi was looking mighty fine. So I just traded my old one in for the new one. Problem solved.

vdub forever .

Just kidding. I love my mkv, I would never trade her in. Never! I will scrimp and save even more than I am now if it means getting my eva maintained.

I do have an expired warranty now, though. Time to look for a vdub mechanic!

kaitlyn. janm. coffeebean. janice. ice cream. joezinho and naptime. ultra violet. catalyst. yogurtland. wild things. the human race. chuck e cheese. biennale. fat fish. yogurtland (again). church. berlin wall. kaitlyn.

Went behind-the-scenes during the install of Giant Robot’s Biennale 2: 15 years!

Souther Salazar’s whimsical installation. Love the details!

Beware of what’s behind these crates! David Choe, you never seize to shock the mutha out of me.

Rob Sato standing proudly in front of his two paintings!

You can see the massive amount of pics that i took below.

Thanks for having us EN!

Anyone going to the opening reception tonight?

By far my favorite picture by Nick.