Category Archives: Inquiry

Inquiry: Landhuis Chobolobo – Blue Curacao Cocktail Workshop

WILLEMSTAD, CURAÇAO – Friday, I went to the Landhuis Chobolobo Cocktail Workshop and learned how to make a cocktail with the Blue Curacao Liquor. I highly recommend this workshop for any foodie as it was very informative and entertaining. The workshop started with a tour of an exhibit of how the liquor was made, then a tasting and a workshop to make two cocktails. After the workshop I had dinner at the Cabana beach club near my hotel. A taxi ride got me to the tour and back to the hotel and I was able to reserve and book through the website – Viator.com.

Here is some info about Landhuis Chobolobo (Landhuis is the word for plantation).

  • Landhuis Chobolobo is one of Curacao’s most renown 19th-century country mansions
  • Visit the Curacao Liqueur Distillery
  • Learn everything about the Genuine Curacao Liqueur and the island of Curaçao
  • Taste a sample of our fine craft Genuine Curacao Liqueurs
  • Have a unique cocktail experience in our Chobolobo’s Cocktail Workshop
  • Grab a bite or try our locally made ice cream
  • Find original Curacao souvenirs and gifts

 

 

Inquiry: the Need for Survival in Plant-Based Cultures?

This week at work there was a presentation on the sustainability efforts and Microplastics. I was able to share a cool experience I had in Greenland about a woman who lived at the dorm while I was there who was working toward her PhD. She and her team were using microscopy to determine if the substances they were making were dissolving the plastic and from there I suppose you could develop environmentally-friendly packaging.

But recently that got me thinking about my project, initially my project was proposed as something to document the affects of climate change through my photography/imaging techniques. While in Greenland I took two plant-based subjects and photographed them four times through four different imaging techniques to get the artwork. After the fact and some thinking, the project is developing around the need of survival and the juxtaposition of aesthetics and art. But after this recent presentation and the woman who lived at the dorm sharing what she was doing, it gave me insight as to what climate change is doing to the environment of Greenland NOW rather than in the past or future. That the effects of pollution (and climate change) is impairing our need for survival.

This got me thinking about how other parts of the world survive. Greenland is very much a hunting culture (for both land and sea) so what about plant-based cultures and habitats, what are their needs for survival and how is pollution, microplastics and/or petroleum affecting their communities?

I am excited for how this development of the project will lead. Foraging is definitely a huge aspect of the need for survival and am wondering how other communities translate the organic byproducts into other parts of their society.

 

List of Opposites

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A
absent – present
abundant – scarce
accept – decline, refuse
accurate – inaccurate
admit – deny
advantage – disadvantage
against – for
agree – disagree
alive – dead
all – none, nothing
ally – enemy
always – never
ancient – modern
answer – question
antonym – synonym
apart – together
appear – disappear, vanish
approve – disapprove
arrive – depart
artificial – natural
ascend – descend
attic – cellar
attractive – repulsive
awake – asleep
B
backward – forward
bad – good
beautiful – ugly
before – after
begin – end
below – above
bent – straight
best – worst
better – worse, worst
big – little, small
bitter – sweet
black – white
blame – praise
bless – curse
bold – meek, timid
borrow – lend
bottom – top
bound – unbound, free
boundless – limited
boy – girl
brave – cowardly
bright – dim, dull
brighten – fade
broad – narrow
build – destroy
C
calm – windy, troubled
can – cannot, can’t
capable – incapable
captive – free
careful – careless
cheap – expensive
cheerful – sad, discouraged, dreary
clear – cloudy, opaque
clever – stupid
clockwise – counterclockwise
close – far, distant
closed – ajar, open
clumsy – graceful
cold – hot
combine – separate
come – go
comfort – discomfort
common – rare
compulsory – voluntary
conceal – reveal
contract – expand
cool – warm
correct – incorrect, wrong
courage – cowardice
courteous – discourteous, rude
create – destroy
crooked – straight
cruel – kind
D
dangerous – safe
dark – light
day – night
daytime – nighttime
dead – alive
decline – accept, increase
decrease – increase
deep – shallow
definite – indefinite
demand – supply
despair – hope
dim – bright
disappear – appear
discourage – encourage
diseased – healthy
down – up
downwards – upwards
dreary – cheerful
dry – moist, wet
dull – bright, shiny
dusk – dawn
E
early – late
east – west
easy – hard, difficult
empty – full
encourage – discourage
end – begin, start
enter – exit
even – odd
expand – contract
export – import
exterior – interior
external – internal
F
fade – brighten
fail – succeed
false – true
famous – unknown
far – near
fast – slow
fat – thin
feeble – strong, powerful
few – many
find – lose
first – last
float – sink
fold – unfold
foolish – wise
for – against
fore – aft
forget – remember
fortunate – unfortunate
found – lost
free – bound, captive
frequent – seldom
fresh – stale
friend – enemy
full – empty
G
generous – stingy
gentle – rough
get – give
giant – tiny, small, dwarf
girl – boy
give – receive, take
glad – sad, sorry
gloomy – cheerful
go – stop
good – bad, evil
grant – refuse
great – tiny, small, unimportant
grow – shrink
guest – host
guilty – innocent
H
happy – sad
hard – easy
hard – soft
harmful – harmless
harsh – mild
hate – love
haves – have-nots
healthy – diseased, ill, sick
heaven – hell
heavy – light
help – hinder
here – there
hero – coward
high – low
hill – valley
hinder – help
honest – dishonest
horizontal – vertical
hot – cold
humble – proud
I
ill – healthy, well
immense – tiny, small
important – trivial
in – out
include – exclude
increase – decrease
inferior – superior
inhale – exhale
inner – outer
inside – outside
intelligent – stupid, unintelligent
intentional – accidental
interesting – boring
interesting – dull, uninteresting
interior – exterior
internal – external
J
join – separate
junior – senior
just – unjust
justice – injustice
K
knowledge – ignorance
known – unknown
L
landlord – tenant
large – small
last – first
laugh – cry
lawful – unlawful, illegal
lazy – industrious
leader – follower
left – right
lend -borrow
lengthen – shorten
lenient – strict
less – more
light – dark, heavy
like – dislike, hate
likely – unlikely
limited – boundless
little – big
long – short
loose – tight
lose – find
loss – win
loud – quiet
love – hate
low – high
loyal – disloyal
M
mad – happy, sane
major – minor
many – few
mature – immature
maximum – minimum
melt – freeze
merry – sad
messy – neat
minor – major
minority – majority
miser – spendthrift
misunderstand – understand
more – less
N
nadir – zenith
narrow – wide
near – far, distant
neat – messy, untidy
never – always
new – old
night – day
nighttime – daytime
no – yes
noisy – quiet
none – some
north – south
O
obedient – disobedient
odd – even
offer – refuse
old – new
old – young
on – off
open – closed, shut
opposite- same, similar
optimist – pessimist
out – in
outer – inner
over – under
P
past – present
patient – impatient
peace – war
permanent – temporary
plentiful – scarce
plural – singular
poetry – prose
polite – rude, impolite
possible – impossible
poverty – wealth, riches
powerful – weak
pretty – ugly
private – public
prudent – imprudent
pure – impure, contaminated
push – pull
Q
qualified – unqualified
question – answer
quiet – loud, noisy
R
raise – lower
rapid – slow
rare – common
real – fake
regular – irregular
rich – poor
right – left, wrong
right-side-up – upside-down
rough – smooth
rude – courteous
S
safe – unsafe
same – opposite
satisfactory – unsatisfactory
scatter – collect
second-hand – new
secure – insecure
separate – join, together
serious – trivial
shallow – deep
shrink – grow
sick – healthy, ill
simple – complex, hard
singular – plural
sink – float
slim – fat, thick
slow – fast
sober – drunk
soft – hard
some – none
sorrow – joy
sour – sweet
sow -reap
start – finish
stop – go
straight – crooked
strict – lenient
strong – weak
success – failure
sunny – cloudy
sweet – sour
synonym – antonym
T
take – give
tall – short
tame – wild
them – us
there – here
thick – thin
tight – loose, slack
tiny – big, huge
together – apart
top – bottom
tough – easy, tender
transparent – opaque
true – false
truth – falsehood, lie, untruth
U
under – over
unfold – fold
unknown – known
unqualified – qualified
unsafe – safe
up – down
upside-down – right-side-up
upstairs – downstairs
us – them
useful – useless
V
vacant – occupied
vanish – appear
vast – tiny
victory – defeat
virtue – vice
visible – invisible
voluntary – compulsory
W
war – peace
wax – wane
weak – strong
wet – dry
white – black
wide – narrow
win – lose
wisdom – folly, stupidity
within – outside
wrong – right
Y
yes – no
yin – yang
young – old
Z
zenith – nadir
zip – unzip

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WQ: Pioneer Valley Coral and Natural Science Institute Lab Visit

AMHERST, MA – The week before I travelled to Greenland, I reached out to the Pioneer Valley Coral and Natural Science Institute to see if they’d be interested in working together to establish and art and science initiative based on the research I am doing visually in Water Quality/Treatment. A woman name Lily reached out to me and we connected at Amherst Coffee.

After my experience in Greenland, I recently reconnected with her to do a lab visit and to take some photos. We then briefly discussed the next step and ideas that we’ve generated since last meeting. We have some idea and plan of how we vision this to pan out and our next meeting is in two weeks!

Below are some of the photos I took of the visit, and I’m excited to notetake and keep track of the progress of this new venture! I was literally beaming on the way home from the visit as this is WHY I originally moved out to the Pioneer Valley!

Greenland is Coming!

I’m nearly there with preparation. This weekend I ordered my supplies and some new photography/film equipment I’m excited to use. I bought a 28” suitcase in hopes that everything will fit. I also plan on buying a small backpack. I started on the script/outline for the movie and an itinerary on how I’ll spend my time. I booked my hotel and car rental for my 30 hr layout in Iceland on the way home. I booked a hiking activity in Greenland to experience more of the landscape. I finalized my budget, itemized it and developed a plan on how to pay for it. I submitted my press releases and contacted the right people for blogging. Other things I’m probably forgetting.

I do plan on doing a test drive of the drone if I have the time before the trip around here as well as some tests with the new camera and developing process.

New Equipment

  • Canon Camera with video capability
  • Drone
  • Stablizer
  • Canon Microscope Adapter
  • Tripod

Traditional supplies

  • RTV Silicone Putty (for impressions)
  • Developing Trays
  • Vitamin C
  • Instant Coffee
  • Developing Paper
  • Regular Paper
  • Ink for printmaking
  • Fast drying clay
  • Herbarium
  • Washing Soda
  • 2×3 photo paper for mobile printer
  • Sketchbook
  • Colored Pencils
  • Travel Watercolors

Current Equipment

  • Laptop
  • Kirlian Device
  • Microscope
  • Mobile printer
  • Vlog Camera – Samsung NX Mini

Progress on Research Trip

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been working hard on my research trip for Greenland this May. I’ve already gotten a schedule down, the campaign and fundraising launched as well as an idea of what imaging techniques to do. 

It’s funny because sometimes I think of something and in that moment when I go work on it, it may not have any substance and stash the idea/project away. Then months later when I am involved in something else I think of, ‘hey, I did that thing months ago that I can use again now!’ I usually love when I am able to recycle projects because it usually turns into something else that’s more sustainable.

This time it’s my topography project. I did the first run months ago when the idea came to me, but didn’t see it go anywhere because it didn’t produce a result that I was expecting but didn’t hate the result either, just didn’t know what to do with it. Yet after some thought of image-making I went back and thought that the result can be used in graphic design and realized the value of this result.

This came about after talking with the eco-technology company – The Ocean Cleanup. I had been working on the campaign for the research trip and been following people who are aligned with the arctic circle in some way. One connection was the ocean within the arctic circle since the campaign focused on the ice element. I started following smaller businesses who may not mind collaborating on something and reached out to them. Through some thought and soul-searching, I proposed to them to create some sort of image technique – unique – to their company to help raise awareness of their work. Unfortunately, they didn’t not have the Human Resources to help carry this out. But it gave me another use for my topography project. 

I think I am going to keep and eye out for waste-damage in Greenland and see if I can make a topographic impression of it – or several and then use this to create a series of prints. 

WTA – Ferrofluid Cells

(above image is a result however it’s very faint and shows up better in video)

I have been working on my ferrofluid visualization technique in my MagKnotic project. I had been studying the video that I am using to replicate the process and just had a ‘d’oh’ moment. I was seeing the process as an imaging technique. But, yes it is a technique, however, it’s technically a DISPLAY. The image that appears is merely an effect of the DISPLAY. As such the liquid between the hele-shaw cell needs to remain relatively clear for it to display any sort of image. I bet that this is how most displays were originally made and maybe even made today. 

Maybe instead of focusing on creating an IMAGE I could focus on techniques to display an image. The image is a result of a successful display. 

News: Greenland Research Trip

I am excited to announce that I will be going to Greenland next spring! I will officially be launching my ‘around the zone‘ project and will be investigating precipitation (water) in organic materials in the tundra climate zone under different imaging techniques. Since I have to stop in Iceland on the way over, I may include Iceland as a tourist but we’ll see how planning goes. More details to come as it gets closer.

WTA – Burdock

I spent a good amount of time in my studio this past weekend and it felt quite freshing, as I’m starting to see my workflow again. I walked the boarder of the property of my apartment and took some photos of the plants I found ‘in the wild’. Immediately I found Red Clover, Queen Anne’s Lace, Pokeweed and Burdock. I began a few pages in my sketchbook of an herbarium. I have a smaller herbarium for the specimens used in my electrography work but I like to sometimes keep an herbarium of the plants and flowers of the locale environment. I have a field guide that I use to help me identify some of plants and use a Facebook group for difficult ones. One particular plant that stuck out to me was burdock and upon looking it up further I was pleasantly surprised that it is connected to the Turkish culture. In Turkish Anatolia, the burdock plant was believed to ward off the evil eye, and as such is often woven into kilims for protection. With its many flowers, the plant also symbolizes abundance.

The meanings expressed in kilims derive both from the individual motifs used, and by their pattern and arrangement in the rug as a whole. A few symbols are widespread across Anatolia as well as other regions including Persia and the Caucasus; others are confined to Anatolia.

An especially widely used motif is the Elibelinde, a stylized female figure, symbolizing motherhood and fertility. Other motifs express the tribal weavers’ desires for protection of their families’ flocks from wolves with the wolf’s mouth or the wolf’s foot motif (Turkish: Kurt Aǧzi, Kurt İzi), or for safety from the sting of the scorpion (Turkish: Akrep).Several protective motifs, such as those for the dragon (Turkish: Ejder), scorpion, and spider (sometimes called the crab or tortoise by carpet specialists) share the same basic diamond shape with a hooked or stepped boundary, often making them very difficult to distinguish.

All the motifs can vary considerably in appearance according to the weaver. Colours, sizes and shapes can all be chosen according to taste and the tradition in a given village or tribe; further, motifs are often combined. To give some idea of this variability, a few alternative forms are shown in the table.

Kilim motifs and their meanings

Name Turkish Motif Purpose Object Notes
Hands-on-hips motif Elibelinde 240px-Elibelinde2.jpg Motherhood,

fertility

Marriage Female principle (4 examples)[1]
Cross motif Haç 160px-Cross_Kilim_Motif.jpg Protection Evil eye to divide the evil eye into four

(2 examples)[1]

Hook motif Çengel 60px-Hook_Kilim_Motif.jpg Protection Evil eye to destroy the evil eye[1]
Eye motif Göz 240px-Eye_Kilim_Motif.jpg Protection Evil eye to ward off the evil eye

(3 examples)[1]

Comb motif Tarak 160px-Comb_Kilim_Motif.jpg Protection Birth,

marriage

May also symbolise rain, water of life

(2 examples)[1]

Running water motif Su Yolu 160px-Running_Water_Kilim_Motif.jpg Fresh water Life very important in tribal life

(3 examples)[1]

Fertility motif Bereket 240px-Fertility_Kilim_Motif.jpg Fertility Marriage Combines female principle (hands-on-hips), male principle (ram’s horn)

(2 examples)[1]

Ram’s horn motif Koçboynuzu 240px-Ram's_Horn_Kilim_Motif.jpg Fertility,

Power,

Masculinity

Marriage Male principle (2 examples)[1]
Star motif Yıldız 160px-Star_Kilim_Motif.jpg Fertility,

happiness

Marriage Solomon’s seal, a white starlike flower[1]
Love and Unison motif Aşk ve Birleşim 120px-Love_and_Unison_Kilim_Motif.jpg Love and harmony Marriage Derived from oriental

Yin/Yang motif 32px-Taijitu_-_Small_(CW).svg.png[1]

Amulet motif Muska 240px-Amulet_Kilim_Motif.jpg Protection

Luck

Evil eye Amulets worn on the person contained a verse of scripture

sewn into a square of cloth folded into a triangle. (3 examples)[1]

Bird motif Kuş 240px-Bird_Kilim_Motif,_for_luck_and_happiness,_etc.jpg Luck,

Happiness,

strength

Life Owl and raven signify bad luck;

pigeon and nightingale, good luck.

Also souls of the dead; expectation of news.

(2 examples)[1][11]

Fetter motif Bukaǧı 100px-Fetter_Kilim_Motif.jpg Union Marriage To tie family or lovers together.

The fetter tied front and hind legs of a goat.[1]

Trousseau chest motif Sandıklı 160px-Trousseau_Chest_Kilim_Motif.jpg Marriage,

children

Marriage Unmarried women prepared dowry in a chest.[1]
Earring motif Küpe 160px-Earring_Kilim_Motif.jpg Marriage A common wedding present[1]
Wolf’s Mouth motif

Wolf’s Track motif

Kurt Aǧzi,

Kurt İzi

240px-Wolf's_Mouth_Kilim_Motif.jpg Protection of the flocks Wolves (2 examples)[1]
Scorpion motif Akrep 240px-Scorpion_kilim_motif.jpg Protection Scorpions (2 examples).[1] Similar motifs are used for other

animals such as Spider, Crab and Dragon.[4][7]

Dragon motif Ejder 240px-Dragon_Kilim_Motif.jpg Protection? Dragon is “master of air and water”,[1]

cause of lunar eclipse, guard of treasure.

(4 examples)[1]

Tree of life motif Hayat Aǧacı 100px-Tree_of_Life_Kilim_Motif.jpg Immortality Many different plants may be represented,

e.g., beech, cypress, fig, oak,

olive, palm, pomegranate, vine[1]

Burdock motif Pitrak 240px-Burdock_Kilim_Motifs.jpg Protection,

abundance

Evil eye Plant is used to ward off evil eye.

With many flowers, it symbolizes abundance.[1]

Around the world…? no zone…

I’ve been working on a large scale project that involves taking my artistic practice to countries based on the climate zone. One of the challenges of working with organic materials is that you cannot take organic materials across the boarder so the easiest way is to take your practice/research with you while you travel. I have just recently finished the limited edition release of Valley Moments, volume 1, Moments of Creative Exploration  and had a bit of a realization of how to plan the other editions. The next one will be based on the theme, ‘(scientific) Inquiry’ so.. ‘Moments of (scientific) Inquiry’ which got me thinking about this large scale project as it involves traveling also.

The project involves taking my practice/research to a different country in a different climate zone, and my electrography process to photograph organic material within different climate zones. My goal is to see similarities (or continuities?) in each climate zone of maybe similar materials. It has made me pay attention to the destination even more so. For example, Greenland is on my list because it’s climate is within the Tundra zone, however that doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t vegetation. There could be very little vegetation – however it will still be significant to my work. Additionally, the vegetation in the Tundra zones of the world may lie really in the oceans – so scuba diving might be a possibility to collect samples. From observation during my residency in Italy, the voltage and frequency of electricity used within a specific country can also impact results on paper. As observed, the effect on paper was much harsher in Italy since there was a greater use (220 volts vs 110 volts in USA). In Greenland it’s even higher (220 – 240 volts).

Perhaps from a data perspective, my goal is to hope to visualize climate change in a stronger way. To maybe see effects of using organic materials overtime within a specific climate zone. The voltage used within a country shouldn’t change that much, but since the effect on paper is related to water presence in organic materials, we might be able to see things become drier or more moist over time.

WTA – Tracks in a Hydrogen Bubble Chamber

Type: From Physics Research

Title: Tracks in a hydrogen bubble chamber

Description:These tracks (high-res version) were made by charged particles in a bubble chamber (a technology used in the 1970s).  A magnetic field perpendicular to the image produces a force that curves the orbits of charged particles. See Tracks in a hydrogen bubble chamber for information about this image, and to find out more, visit CERN’s Introduction to the BC Site.Image:image © CERN; image source

Image URL:https://www.compadre.org/Informal/images/features/CERNtracks7-25-07large.jpg

Featured:August 1, 2007 – August 16, 2007