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20180712

Participating in the ISCP weekly Open Doors Thursday. The beginning of the day was busy. I got to meet nice people but I got tired pretty fast. I retreated into my studio and started to log/quasi-edit Signal #6 (Cifas) footage which was shot by by Camille Laufer in 2017. Here is a raw cut of the Trans-Horse Parade and some footage form Care & Control workshops.

My visit to Staten Island (on Monday) felt like a beating, I’m still recovering. Busses were late, I was late, it was hot and I was so sweaty I couldn’t hold my camera rig steady. I didn’t have stamina to direct the interview I shot. The footage is almost good, better then I feared (More on that later). Bought a Rode RodeLink Wireless microphone system which worked well (Learning how to balance the audio will take a while).

Discovered Kensington Stables at Prospect Park. 45$ for an hour with a horse – Not bad! I learned from the news that there are a drastic development plans for the area and the local urban horse culture is under thread. I guess I’ll go to a riding class next week.

Why the Ed Sheeran lawsuit makes no sense (2018) Adam Neely. A very convincing video, arguing that some copyright lawsuits benefit lawyers (who work for corporations), at the expense of artists (who work for music).

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20180504

We manufactured eight Trans-Horse medals from recycled aluminium with Jesse over the weekend. I’ll send five of them to Brussels to honour the participants of the Trans-Horse Parade. The Parade was a part of a series of horse related performances we prepared for Signal #6 Festival / Cifas last Autumn. Casting the aluminium was relatively easy (we succeeded in making one medal in 20minutes!). The horse in the medal is The Awaited Son (A drawing based on the photo can be downloaded from OpenClipArt). I’m really exited to send a medal to the Cavalry department of the General Reserve of the Federal Police of Belgium! Other recipients are horse stables around Brussels and the staff of the Schaerbeek recycling center.

We are preparing the third Horse & Performance course for the Theatre Academy Helsinki with Pietari.

I’m preparing a performance for the Kone foundation Lauttasaari manor spring party with the Neighborizome crew. Repurposing an old Trans-Horse ethical infta text for a small publication I plan to share with my audience.

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20180102

Enlisted as an unemployed in an effort to collect funds for the upcoming New York residency. I have some savings and gigs scheduled but I need to pull in all available resources to fund the trip (grant applications for Taike and Skr failed).

Guests from Brussels are arriving today and staying for a week in our place. Kids are still on their winter vocation and I can’t work at home.

Neighborizome events are being planned and prepared for 18.1.

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20171113

Wrote a detailed summary (in Finnish) of my art-camp contribution for 12-18 year old kids from Hyvinkää and Hämeenlinna children’s art schools. Added links to Peggy Pierrots talkshop-guidelines and referred to Poste Restante.  The title “Postructuralism for Kids -lecture” brings a smile to my face.

Neighborizome project development is in a mid development crisis. Nothing threatening but we need to find more sensible ways in to work together. We drafted a budget for next year.. If everything goes as planned we’ll publish a booklet and host a miniature performance art festival in the spring of 2018. Things will be confirmed next week.

Through this collaboration I’ve come to understand of my personal shortcomings as a project manager. Instead of engaging in negotiations which would be rooted on clearly articulated opinions, I tend to continue addressing questions I have issues with for as long as it takes for the group to address them the way I prefer – This way I inadvertently assume indirect control of the discussions, without clarifying and assuming responsibility for my intents. This style of management is rooted in collective low budget production culture (typical for performance art in Finland) where members have strong creative opinions and they don’t have the resources to challenge their beliefs. When issues are continually re-address the aims and shape of the artwork (or project) is address as a series of tasks which fit within milestones and deadlines (instead of creative intents and visions). As a result the project will be lead by the person who invest the most in task solving and this seldom makes for good art.

Vili Mustalampi performed well at the Kom-theater sound night at Vuotalo. I haven’t listened to the recording yet. I think the Mitä kuulu+ (for Ihme-days) & Kutsu projects which focused on the changes in city soundscapes are now complete. I’m not completely satisfied on how things went. The 48min documentary I made is a tad too long and unfocused and unfortunately I haven’t found anyone who would be interested in publishing it. I should share it more boldly to people I imagine would like it.

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20170923

Visited Life is Beautiful – Cocktail bar and asked for a cocktail which would “prove to me that life is truly beautiful”. “It depends on your preferences” I was answered. I scratched my chin and tried to figure what my preferences for life are. I must have looked like I was struggling because it didn’t take long for the bartender to elaborate: “For example do you like bitters or sweets”.

“Ah.. I like bitters. I like Fernet-Branca.. Can you make me cocktail with Ferned?”. While he was mixing it I thought about bitterness as a preference. It takes a developed taste can appreciate bitterness I thought to myself. He mixed the ingredients, I didn’t recognize them all. There was eggwhite, a liqueur relished with white flowers (if the bottle label is to be trusted) and something else.

“This is like watching brain surgery” I complemented the craftsperson at work. The taste was manufactured by hand under my judgemental gaze. “This tastes civilized” was my first reply. The taste was exciting and I felt privileged. “The taste is like a puzzle, like a riddle” I continued sipping. “Thats a good way to look at life” the bartender replied. I continued with my drink as he prepared cocktails for the customers. We talked about horses and art.

I promised him I’d bring my friend to the bar too.