Bulletin Board of the Brain » Art

The Memorial Coatroom Literary Society Reads Colette

Kj — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 05:14:40 +0000

Last month, the Memorial Coatroom Literary Society met to discuss Colette’s “The Vagabond” (1910). By an odd chance (or inclination?) we chose yet another book translated from French, written by a famous woman author. None of us had read any Colette, though Courtney directed a play about Colette’s stint as a stage performer, so we opted to try The Vagabond (fiction based on her performing life) rather than her more well-known Claudine books.

And to discuss this post-fin-de-siècle (I guess just siècle?) story of the French stage, we decided to meet up at Seattle’s greatest Burlesque show and bar, Can Can. Buried under Pike Place Market, Can Can is the creative home of the Can Can Castaways: in my opinion, the best artists bar none in Seattle, regardless of genre. The Castaways are avante garde, witty, beautiful and truly celebratory of the human body. (And the bar has some fabulous absinthe cocktails).

So the three of us drank our cocktails and disussed a hundred-year-old book, cuz that’s how we roll.

We all identifed with the protagonist in some enlightening and disturbing ways. We were also suprised to find the story far more existential than plot-oriented. Shasti said she would have liked it more if it been actually written as memoir instead of as veiled biographical fiction. And I agree, since the main character was compelling (or at least authentic feeling) but there was little in the narrative to keep you turning the pages. Courtney called the book more a philosophical exercise than story.

But though we didn’t fall in love with the book by any means, we found it fascinating, and well-worth reading.

AND, since the editions we read were greatly lacking in annotations or informative footnotes, I created an online home for our literary society where we can upload our annotations, research as well as update our list of potential bookclub books!

Yes. Be amazed at our awesomeness.

Here’s my official book review. And coming soon…we dive into 18th century gothic sensationalism! Woo hoo!

The Vagabond by Colette

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

For those expecting “Diaries of a French Burlesque Dancer”, prepare to be disappointed. While one may approach Colette’s behind-the-scenes of a traveling pantomime artist in turn-of-the-century France expecting it to be flavored with salacious frivolity to match Colette’s reputation, what you’ll find is more an existentialist rumination on ambivalence, than story of a passionate life. In fact, if there’s one thing that most defines the divorcee-turned-stage-performer Reneé Neré, it’s her distrust of passion. Colette’s largely-biographical novel tracks the frustrations, distractions and depressions of a woman in her early thirties whom, in the fallout of a disastrous and damaging marriage, chooses a life of solitude on the stage, rather than one of societal rules. But it’s not a story of the gay and free life of an artist. Instead, the monotony and doubt expressed by Reneé are all-too-recognizable for any single woman reader today, particularly if that reader is in-between jobs and still trying to figure out what to do with her life, with men, and with herself. (ahem).

Did I enjoy this book? Not particularly. The protagonist’s reflections on self-doubt and self-denial are disruptive, and even at times, numbing.
Do I respect this book? Absolutely. To read something that speaks so frankly about women’s experience, women’s fears and women’s strength much less about a woman living in her own apartment and making her own living during a time when corsets were still ubiquitous, is both humbling and empowering. But to spend time with Reneé Neré, is to linger in a space of dissociative hesitation and unconscious compulsion. It’s uncomfortable, but truthful.

Read, respect, but do not expect to revel.

**The Dover Edition is terrible. Stanley Applebaum’s introduction is meant to replace what endnotes would be, but this book desperately needs endnotes for the cultural and historical references. Also, Applebaums new “Americanized” translation reads at times like an Archie comic book. The Enid MacLeod translation may be 60 years old and egregiously British, but it’s still better.**

View all my reviews

Enchantment: Living in Magical Reality

Kj — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 05:53:59 +0000

en·chant
–verb (used with object)
1.
to subject to magical influence;
2.
to delight or captivate utterly; fascinate; charm;
3.
to impart a magic quality or effect to;

“Enchantment produces a Secondary World into which both designer and spectator can enter, to the satisfaction of their sense while they are inside.”
–J.R.R Tolkien, ‘On Fairy Stories’

“[The Secondary World] is a place in which transformation can occur; a transformation that does not fade upon reentry into the Primary World, but significantly, casts a new light upon the Primary World. It is, in a sense, a medium of revelation.”
–Kristin Johnson, ‘Tolkien’s Mythopoesis,” Tree of Tales

It is less than two months since I took a fantasy vacation to DisneyWorld and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was a fantasy trip because of the magical, un-looked for generosity that made the trip possible, and now even moreso, because of the enduring enchantment that has continued since my return. I’ve never been a “Disney” person per se, but something deeper and truer than mouse-ears and tween-geared marketing has begun to permeate my world. What was a whimsical trip to a theme park has taken on new meaning in 2011. I’ve become a resident of the Magic Kingdom: not the Magic Kingdom of Orlando—the Magic Kingdom of the Soul.

My ability to take up residence in the Magic Kingdom definitely started in late 2009, when in order to survive the harrowing depths of my final year of graduate school, I became reliant on potent metaphors in order to persevere through impossible tasks and writing of painful words. I was no longer just an MDiv student, I was Hermoine Granger learning with and battling alongside Ginny, Luna, Neville, Ron, Cedric and Hagrid (yes, these are the correlating character identities of my fellow 2010 MHGS MDiv graduates. No one was Harry because we ALL are Harry). I was part of the Fellowship: limping, heavy-laden toward Mordor. I was a Narnian, expectantly awaiting the return of Aslan to bring life where all was cold and dark. These metaphors were not ways of avoiding reality–they were the power to move into difficult and terrifying places, with narrative meaning and life-giving hope. After a year of writing/researching/teaching about the theology of Charlotte Brontë’s fiction and the spiritual power of Mythopoeia, it’s no suprise that my week spent in two physically-constructed fantasy kingdoms would leave me marked with real magic.

Two other enchantment-encouraging factors were that within weeks of my return, I learned that Ian was doing his dramaturgy thesis on audiences’ experience in the narrative environments of Disney rides, and that the three Spiro sisters were spending 2011 watching every single Disney animated feature in chronological order: a Magic Marathon. I was immediately immersed in conversation about the worlds Disney has created, and how we inhabit them. The Disney being talked about was not that of Radio–Disney or 1990’s embroidered Tigger shirts, but the Disney that could take ink and an orchard, and transform the world of imagination forever.

Since coming home, I’ve had a voracious hunger for all things fairy, firefly, castle, starlight and magic. I literally carry a wand in my purse at all times. I’m living proof that a true Secondary World does not fade upon return to the Primary, but instead, transforms everyday life.

What struck me further after watching a documentary on Walt Disney, was that he not only created Secondary Worlds through the myth of his animated fairy tales and stories, but Walt Disney actually BUILT his Secondary Worlds. Tolkien may have written more than three-hundred ages of Middle Earth, but Walt Disney made it possible for us to actually dine in Cinderella’s Castle and fly to Never Neverland. Apparently, Walt would often spend mornings driving the old-fashioned firetruck around Disneyland before opening. He was “playing with his toys,” as his employees would say. He had imagined and created a world he could actually particiapte in: one that we too could enter. It’s a real Secondary World.

And now all of us who have imagined ourselves as Hogwarts students, can now wander through Hogsmeade, wands-at-the-ready, buying candy at Honeydukes on our winter break. (I literally did this!) i know the enchantment is real because my journey into DisneyWorld and Hogsmeade has contiued to grow as I remember and reminisce. When I was there, I kept thinking how sad I would be to leave, but instead, I’ve been able to visit these places in my heart and mind. Here are some of the magical moments and places from my trip now inhabiting my inner landscape:

Leisurely wandering 11 countries in EPCOT’s World Showcase

Hearing Aslan’s voice welcome me as a Queen of Narnia as we stood by the Stone Table in “Journey into Narnia”

Becoming fascinated by Walt Disney’s modernist vision of a future world of progress

Watching an 8 year-old girl being chosen by a wand at Ollivander’s

Watching the Little Mermaid sing live, amidst a shower of bubbles

Millions of dancing Christmas lights on a fictional city street

The taste of Butterbeer and the view from the Hog’s Head Inn

The long, slow, audioanimatronic journey through Spaceship Earth

Co-blogging with Spiro about our Hogwarts journey

Hearing “I Can Go the Distance” amidst fireworks over Cinderella’s Castle on the final night of the trip

What is the Magic Kingdom of the Soul? It’s the capacity to be awestruck with wonder, to watch fireworks with tears in your eyes, to marvel at the early-blooming flowers in your backyard, to be stopped by the sight of the Milky Way as you walk home at night, to be easily surprised and frequently silly. It’s the ability to say YES, PLEASE! to mystery and to allow the knowledge that we are truly made of star-matter to affect our sense of identity.

True enchantment is perhaps this: to be utterly captivated and breath-taken by reality. I love living here.

A Blessing & A Prayer

Kj — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 07:16:22 +0000

Today was the final day of BTI 501 Introduction to the Hermeneutical Task at MHGS where I had the honor and privilege of assisting Prof. Dwight Friesen these past four months. Here’s the benediction I offered the students at the end of their first term of graduate school.

A Blessing

A Prayer

May you read dangerously,
listen passionately,
and write with risk

no matter whom you are running from,
where you are hiding
or who is telling you to beware

and when you find yourself face to face with a story that
awakens your desire
or breaks your heart,
unleashes your hope of adventure
or reminds you why you started seeking in the first place

then dive in, steal it if you have to,
and wrestle it for a blessing.

May you be brave, may you be kind,
may you be haunted by the wonder of God’s Kingdom.

Amen

Oh How I’ll Miss His Elegant Handwriting

Kj — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 04:40:13 +0000

Reunited for one magical summer (which is about to come to an end), Ian & I have been bar-brainstorming- both for cocktails, inventory, menus, everything. Basically, we need to open a bar together. We could call it popCULTURE and it could be a cocktail bar/dvd&comic book retail store. What do you think Ian?

But for now, here’s Ian’s notesheet from our Saturday concessions shift. Ever wonder what your baristas are doing behind the cookies & coffee? THIS.

Narrative Cocktails

Kj — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:11:50 +0000

Time for another round up of Intiman Theatre’s specialty cocktails, some from last season and some we’re serving right now. I created a lot of these. I did not create the cute little quotes.

Try these at home.

The Year of Magical Thinking
By Joan Didion

The Gin Didion –
A mature, refreshing drink with the strength of a martini and a cool finish.
Muddle cucumber and lime and one sugar cube (peeled & blended cucumber works best)
6-count of Tanqueray Gin
Shake
Serve up
Top with Soda
Garnish with cucumber slice

The Ordinary Instant
A beautifully layered drink, pleasantly sweet but tempered with citrus and tonic.
Make directly on rocks
4-count Citrus Vodka
1.5-count Tonic
.5-count Chambord, poured over spoon to settle
Garnish with lemon

Abe Lincoln in Illinois
By Robert E. Sherwood

Drinkin’ with Lincoln
As comfortable as a slice of homemade apple pie.
Put a solid dash of bitters on a sugar cube, muddle with orange.
4-count Applejack
.5-count Goldschlager
Shake
Serve on rocks
Top with soda
Garnish with a cherry

The Mud Wagon
A drink fit for a Postmaster — or a President.
3-count Kahlua
2-count Dewar’s Scotch
2-count Drambuie
Shake
Serve up
Top with a generous amount of soda
Garnish with lemon

Black Nativity
Book By Langston Hughes
Music Direction by Pastor Patrinell Wright

The Poinsettia
Add a little sparkle to your holiday.
½ flute of champagne
1-count of Grand Marnier
Fill with cranberry juice
Garnish with lime twist

The Winter Warming
A cozy drink for a cold winter night.
Splash of honey in a cup/mug
Fill ½ with hot water
Stir with cinnamon stick to dissolve
Squeeze a lemon wedge, drop in
4-count of Makers Mark Bourbon
Stir & serve

Paradise Lost
By Clifford Odets
The Gold Standard
This smooth concoction is worth its weight in gold.
4-count Jameson’s Irish Whiskey
1-count Peach Schnapps
Serve on rocks
Top with Izze Sparkling Clementine juice
Garnish with lime

The New Deal
Find your own cure for the recession with this tart delight.
Muddle pink grapefruit
5-count Tanqueray GIn
1-count Campari
1-count Grapefruit Juice
Dash of bitters
Shake
Serve up
Top with soda
Garnish with grapefruit

The Thin Place
By Sonya Schneider 
Conceived and Directed by Andrew Russell 

The Shaken Rainier – Featuring locally-made Dry Soda
This elegant blend of muddled lime, Tanqueray gin, Green Chartreuse, and Juniper Dry Soda evokes the verdant forests of the northwest mountains.
Muddle lime
5-count Tanqueray Gin
1-count Green Chartreuse
Shake
Serve up
Top with 2-count Juniper Dry Soda
Garnish with lime (or rosemary)

The Sound – Featuring locally-made Dry Soda
Calm your senses with this delicate combination of lemon, Smirnoff citrus vodka, Chambord, and Lavender Dry Soda; rose-tinted like the sunsets over Puget Sound.
Muddle lemon lightly
3-count Citrus Vodka
1-count Chambord
Shake
Serve on the rocks
Top with 2-count Lavender Dry Soda
Garnish with lemon (or lavender)

Ruined
By Lynn Nottage

The Karibu (Welcome)
Let us welcome you with this delightful concoction. You’ll feel right at home.
Muddle lemon
2-count Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
2-count Brandy
2-count Sweet Vermouth
1-count Red Apple Schnapps
Heavy splash of cranberry juice
Shake
Serve up
Garnish with a cherry (dropped in)

The Sunbird
Fly into the sun with this smooth, refreshing mix of muddled lemon, Smirnoff Citrus Vodka, Amaretto, and Chambord. It’s like rich berry lemonade.
Muddle lemon
3-count Citrus Vodka
2-count Disaronno Amaretto
1-count Chambord
Shake
Serve up
Top with soda
Garnish with lemon

William Emmert On My Wall

Kj — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:04:46 +0000

While at MHGS, I spent three years on Student Leadership. Part of what my particular team (Sacred Space) did was to curate the two art galleries in our building. The main floor gallery is for local artists and the upstairs gallery is for artists from the MHGS student body. For my final summer as a student, I was stoked to get to bring in my buddy William Emmert as the main floor gallery artist.

Having worked with William for two years, I’ve been witness to the many hours he spends meticulously drawing and painting the images that fill his extensive body of work. I love the mix of nostalgia, strangeness and specificity in what William does. The materials he uses, the images he collects and his crafting process all contribute to the themes of identity, absence and American culture that his work engages. You can see most of his work on his flickr page.

Many of his pieces he showed at MHGS are not framed, but rather, constructed in actual desk drawers hung against the wall. This effect is especially cool for his pieces that use baseball cards. Its art but its also just a drawer full of someone’s card collection.

I enjoy William’s work for a lot of reasons, many of which have to do with my own obsession with nostalgia, collections, pop culture, repetitive images and adaptive reuse, but I also enjoy his work because of how much I enjoy William himself. He’ll be leaving to get his MFA in San Francisco in a few weeks, and I will absolutely miss how much he lets me annoy him with loudly sung pop songs in his very close proximity. Lucky for me, he let me pick a piece to keep! I choose this two piece work which utilizes a 1930′s yearbook. I can’t believe how good it looks in my room! Thank you William.

“Fast Times” By William Emmert

On my wall

More William Emmert links:

The Weird World of William Emmert on ThinkFaest

Unstage.com

Beautiful/Decay

Kj’s Corner: Real Presences & Adaptation

Kj — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 09:38:16 +0000

This summer I had the opportunity to serve as research assistant to Dr. Chelle Stearns for her course on “Theology & the Artistic Impulse.” This meant I got to give two lectures on the class material. (At MHGS we don’t use student TA’s due to dual relationship concerns- so research assistant is a kind of newish thing). Struck with the utter surprise and amazingness of this opportunity, I sort of wondered out loud about it to Chelle, and her response was, that since I’m likely heading into academia moreso than ministry proper, it makes sense that as I got to practice pastoring in my program, I should also get a chance to try on teaching before I graduate. I guess its a good sign that the thought of having two whole hours of class to do with what I wish felt like receiving a ticket to DisneyWorld. Frankly- i would have loved even more time, but two lectures was PLENTY work for this crazy final term. So twice I got to facilitate classtime, focusing on any aspect of the readings- through whatever lenses I felt like bringing to it. Chelle dubbed the time “Kj’s Korner.”

1st lecture: The week’s reading was George Steiner’s “Real Presences,” an incredibly difficult but fascinating text. The amazon review gives a good idea of what I had to work with: “Steiner asserts moral and metaphysical issues are the basis of all art and that our experience of meaning in music, painting and literature presupposes the existence of God as a “necessary possibility.” Dense, difficult, rewarding, this passionately argued essay ranges fluently over aesthetics, linguistics, philosophy, post-structuralism, the range of Western culture.”

As I do with all things, I read, asking myself, “What else does this bring to mind? Where do I see this applied in a way that makes sense to me?” I quickly landed on Charlie Kaufman’s film Adaptation. I used quotes from the book to explore scenes from the film and scenes from the film to explore concepts from the book, etc. Here’s some images my my lecture, as well as the opening scene of the film.

When You Visit A Tattoo Parlor Alone…

Kj — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 08:28:22 +0000

…it’s inevitable you’ll end up playing Monopoly on your phone while your skin is purposefully wounded.

Otherwise known as…I went to get my tattoo touched up (pretty standard for foot tattoos to need touch ups), and I passed the time taking video of the experience.

Yay for Matt Sawdon and the crew at Sunken Ship Tattoos in Everett. 5 stars for atmosphere, and 5 stars for the sweet tattooing. If all goes well, I hope to see you again before graduation Dot Dot Dot

Time to Talk Twilight

Kj — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 09:31:29 +0000

For about eight minutes, at least.

Anyone in Seattle who’s interested, some of us from my MDiv cohort will be presenting our Integrative Projects

Wednesday, April 7th at MHGS from 3-5.

You would be most welcome.

Theology Collage- Literally

Kj — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:02:00 +0000

For my current theology class, we were invited to share our “vision of the Church”, in audio or visual if we preferred, rather than writing a paper. I made a little collage which will really only make sense to me. I’m not still not used to being graded. Thanks Bennington.

gotta click on it I guess