Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Pawnshop Diamond releases archival images.
Hello All! I haven't posted anything in quite a while. I'm so very excited to release our (Pawnshop Diamond's) newest song, "Sea Captain". It is pure Canadiana folk-pop and I'm so very proud of it.
We will be release a song each month and when we are done, there will be a super huge, fun party! Until then, enjoy the song. Click the link provided and you can immediately download the song into iTunes or whatever music platform you use.
The song is embedded with images and the song lyrics. The images are archival images that relate directly to the song and to our beautiful Northwest Coast of British Columbia, Canada. If you like the song, pass it on! Sea Captain download.
A quote from Katie, our songwriter extraordinaire:
"The archival photos attached to the track were provided to me by my cousin, Glenn Ormiston, who has made our family proud by following the Ormiston tradition and is himself a captain in the Coast Guard. The ship is the Estevan, the last ship my grandfather captained before retiring. The man standing on the mast is John Ormiston and in the other two photos is my grandfather, the Captain.
I would like to dedicate this song to the memory of my Aunt Sybil. She was the child of the pregnancy referenced to in the song and recently passed away just days shy of her 103 birthday. My father didn't learn about her until late in life and though I never met her, I did type all the letters my father wrote to her when he made contact. They were beautiful letters telling her stories about their father, a man she never knew. May she rest in peace and live on in song."
Lynn
We will be release a song each month and when we are done, there will be a super huge, fun party! Until then, enjoy the song. Click the link provided and you can immediately download the song into iTunes or whatever music platform you use.
The song is embedded with images and the song lyrics. The images are archival images that relate directly to the song and to our beautiful Northwest Coast of British Columbia, Canada. If you like the song, pass it on! Sea Captain download.
A quote from Katie, our songwriter extraordinaire:
I would like to dedicate this song to the memory of my Aunt Sybil. She was the child of the pregnancy referenced to in the song and recently passed away just days shy of her 103 birthday. My father didn't learn about her until late in life and though I never met her, I did type all the letters my father wrote to her when he made contact. They were beautiful letters telling her stories about their father, a man she never knew. May she rest in peace and live on in song."
Lynn
Friday, January 7, 2011
Addendum to BodyWorlds post.
Check out what Manitoba is considering: Manitoba to bury bodies? Not 'proof' just what people value and think and feel.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Ethics versus family.
A small family affair a couple weekends ago found me with my son, my daughter, Anya, and her stepfather at the Telus World of Science to see Body Worlds 2 and the Brain.
I was listening to Jian Gomeshi on Q about a week previously and he interviewed a curator from Seattle (can't remember her name) who was part of a lobby that convinced city counsel to ban Body Worlds exhibits and others that display cadavers. As Counselmember Burns said, "Crowds of people would line up as if they were at a movie theater, smiling and chatting as they waited. But they weren't going to see a film — they were going to see cadavers staged in poses, as if playing football or volleyball, for example. They had no sense that these bodies were precious human beings to some family." http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012391385_bodies19m.html
Indeed.
The Catholic Church and Falun Gong have both protested the exhibits, of which there are seven (one is of animals) that have been displayed in over 50 countries at different times since the mid-1990s. They believe along with members of various Jewish sects (and I'm sure many other religious bodies), that this is a profound disrespect to the human body. Their main contention, however, is that there is actually no proof that these bodies, which come from China, were volunteered by the individual or their respective families. Rumours swirl and persist that these are executed political prisoners, some presumably Falun Gong and Christians.
While the persecutions of Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, traditional Chinese faiths and Falun Gong by the Communist government is well documented (Christian & Falun Gong 2004, Falun Gong Wikipedia) there has not been much protest among Western nations given that trade with China is pretty much a total necessity these days. Without poorly paid Chinese labourers, prices for toys, computer products, clothing, automobiles and etc. would be much higher. For almost no useful information on the controversies at all click a very biased (pro) wikipedia article on Body Worlds.
Protest against our own high standard of living? Not many of us will.
So I went to Body Worlds. I didn't even realize that the controversial exhibit was showing at Science World until I was in line. What do I do? Walk away? This is the only time that I'll be able to spend with my daughter this weekend, visit with her step-father and spend an outing with my soon-to-be exhausted son. Besides, is this the one that people are protesting? Maybe it is a different exhibit, not the one I just heard about on Q. This is my defence - I didn't know.
Ever seen the inside of a brain with a tumour or kidney stones in a splayed stomach or a three week old fetus in a jar? Ever see a grown man sliced vertically into 15 slivers? I did. And I was shocked and not a little creeped out. I have to admit, I also learned a fair amount. But enough to be worth it?
It reminds me of the album Outside by David Bowie. The album is a sort of dystopian, kafkaesque story of a near future where hanging body parts are all the rage in underground art galleries. The album feels apocalyptic and Bowie is more graphic then Gunther. He also doesn't pretend that this art is constructed for educational purposes and the good of humankind. It is purely voyeuristic, self-serving and shallow fascination.
I'l leave you with this rather disturbing song from the album. You form your opinion about cadavers and the display of human body parts. I have formed mine and you won't find me going again to another Body Worlds or anything similar.
The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction (As Beauty)
I shake
And stare at the sun
Till my eyes burn
I shake
At the mothers brutal vermin
I shake
And stare at the watery moon
With the same desire
As the sober Philistine
And I shake
(Turn and turn again)
Worm, the pain and blade
Turn and turn again
The screw
Is a tightening Atrocity
I shake
For the reeking flesh
Is as romantic as hell
The need
To have seen it all
The Voyeur of Utter Destruction
As beauty
I shake
Turn and turn again
I shake
Turn and turn again
I shake
I was listening to Jian Gomeshi on Q about a week previously and he interviewed a curator from Seattle (can't remember her name) who was part of a lobby that convinced city counsel to ban Body Worlds exhibits and others that display cadavers. As Counselmember Burns said, "Crowds of people would line up as if they were at a movie theater, smiling and chatting as they waited. But they weren't going to see a film — they were going to see cadavers staged in poses, as if playing football or volleyball, for example. They had no sense that these bodies were precious human beings to some family." http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012391385_bodies19m.html
Indeed.
The Catholic Church and Falun Gong have both protested the exhibits, of which there are seven (one is of animals) that have been displayed in over 50 countries at different times since the mid-1990s. They believe along with members of various Jewish sects (and I'm sure many other religious bodies), that this is a profound disrespect to the human body. Their main contention, however, is that there is actually no proof that these bodies, which come from China, were volunteered by the individual or their respective families. Rumours swirl and persist that these are executed political prisoners, some presumably Falun Gong and Christians.
While the persecutions of Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, traditional Chinese faiths and Falun Gong by the Communist government is well documented (Christian & Falun Gong 2004, Falun Gong Wikipedia) there has not been much protest among Western nations given that trade with China is pretty much a total necessity these days. Without poorly paid Chinese labourers, prices for toys, computer products, clothing, automobiles and etc. would be much higher. For almost no useful information on the controversies at all click a very biased (pro) wikipedia article on Body Worlds.
Protest against our own high standard of living? Not many of us will.
So I went to Body Worlds. I didn't even realize that the controversial exhibit was showing at Science World until I was in line. What do I do? Walk away? This is the only time that I'll be able to spend with my daughter this weekend, visit with her step-father and spend an outing with my soon-to-be exhausted son. Besides, is this the one that people are protesting? Maybe it is a different exhibit, not the one I just heard about on Q. This is my defence - I didn't know.
Ever seen the inside of a brain with a tumour or kidney stones in a splayed stomach or a three week old fetus in a jar? Ever see a grown man sliced vertically into 15 slivers? I did. And I was shocked and not a little creeped out. I have to admit, I also learned a fair amount. But enough to be worth it?
 |
| I also took photos that I'll probably get sued for. Here is the best one taken slyly from my iPhone. |
Gunther von Hagens (the main dude) seems like a bit of a Machiavellian creep to me. He 'invented' plastination, is a doctor (although not a medical doctor), he is wealthy because he has turned dead humans into a sport of spectator consumption and ... according to his interview on Q can't actually prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that these bodies are not executed Chinese prisoners. He also insists that he does this for the good of educating our children and ourselves. Yeah right .....
It reminds me of the album Outside by David Bowie. The album is a sort of dystopian, kafkaesque story of a near future where hanging body parts are all the rage in underground art galleries. The album feels apocalyptic and Bowie is more graphic then Gunther. He also doesn't pretend that this art is constructed for educational purposes and the good of humankind. It is purely voyeuristic, self-serving and shallow fascination.
I'l leave you with this rather disturbing song from the album. You form your opinion about cadavers and the display of human body parts. I have formed mine and you won't find me going again to another Body Worlds or anything similar.
The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction (As Beauty)
I shake
And stare at the sun
Till my eyes burn
I shake
At the mothers brutal vermin
I shake
And stare at the watery moon
With the same desire
As the sober Philistine
And I shake
(Turn and turn again)
Worm, the pain and blade
Turn and turn again
The screw
Is a tightening Atrocity
I shake
For the reeking flesh
Is as romantic as hell
The need
To have seen it all
The Voyeur of Utter Destruction
As beauty
I shake
Turn and turn again
I shake
Turn and turn again
I shake
Sunday, November 14, 2010
BCMA Top 10 Part 2
I guess I better, before this year's BCMA becomes part of my (dis)remembered past.
Top 10 continues.....
5) I'm a libertarian. Yup, I admit it. I don't like government control, I don't like being forced into a collective, I want my own freedom to choose and screw up on my own. That said, there is something to be said about being part of a collective, a commune, a kibbutz ... a common way of thinking. To me, it's not balance that is key (that just doesn't seem possible to me) but more like tilting the axis back and forth, instead of weighing heavily either way. This BCMA contained elements of that. Where we want community, we also need to have individuals making informed decisions. Participation in community spaces, where the local museum firmly sits, cannot be achieved without the actions of members taking responsibility for themselves while working collectively in groups. Happily, I often saw and felt this at the BCMA. I would like to see more. A place to start: join the Young Museum Workers Coalition on Facebook.
4) Social Media. Tweets, blogs, messages, youtube, etc. are all the rage right now. Let's get on the bandwagon folks. Remember, there is a tipping point, a place where everyone who invested on the upwards curve have varying degrees of success while those that join when the trend is on a downward path are way behind the pack. A word of advice: if you are going to begin engaging in social media, you need to 1) Share with others, 2) Refer others 3) look for new sites, advances, changes, etc. Pretty much a fulltime job. So, museum, art gallery, archives and general cultural geeks, here's a link, passed on to me by my esteemed colleague, Liz Czerwinski, for you to begin further exploration: http://www.collectionslink.org.uk/. Join up! I just did.
3) Alcohol. "Alcohol, alcohol stop me. Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before ...". What's a blog without a musical reference? Well, what's a conference without a few? Enjoyed drinks at a number of local pubs/clubs/drinking establishments. One evening Paul, Julie and I walked past another with the inviting sign "$6 for a beer and whiskey shot". Tempting? Yes, but soon found out that it was kareoke night when we overheard someone drunkenly belting out Bohemian Rhapsody. Although impressed, I suddenly felt it really was time for bed and Jon Stewart.
2) Speaking of Jon Stewart, the following evening I found myself listening to Obama speak. This resulted in a "we love Obama" conversation (over drinks) the next day. Well, martinis really. Every time I hear/see Obama speak, I place both feet in his camp. However, as the ringing of his voice slowly fades, I move back to sitting on the fence. Remember, I'm a libertarian and although numbingly slow, the American veto system seems to be just the right mix for a divided country.
1) And now, the drum roll .... Should it be funny? Smart? Philosophical? Slightly cheesy and lovie-dovie? I'll go with the latter. Conversation at the AGM centred on being inclusive. The BCMA seems to be stuffed with heritage/history museums, especially of the small variety. And I'm happy for that because God knows that the small local museum is where the heart is and is also where the communities live. However, I could write a whole essay, a diatribe if you will, on the lack of inclusivity, the parochial nature of museums, the false elitism and the snobbery of museum professionals. But, thank the good Lord, I won't. Instead, I'll just leave at this: don't forget the natural museums (thank you Beaty Biodiversity Museum at UBC for representing), the science museums, the art galleries (again, thank you Paul Crawford from the Penticton Art Gallery), and more. We need you all. You all represent the people, so people, stand up and say 'I'.
And that, my friends is enough of museums for a little while. Stay tuned for a post-colonial interpretation of The Smith's "Vicar in Tutu". Ha!
Top 10 continues.....
5) I'm a libertarian. Yup, I admit it. I don't like government control, I don't like being forced into a collective, I want my own freedom to choose and screw up on my own. That said, there is something to be said about being part of a collective, a commune, a kibbutz ... a common way of thinking. To me, it's not balance that is key (that just doesn't seem possible to me) but more like tilting the axis back and forth, instead of weighing heavily either way. This BCMA contained elements of that. Where we want community, we also need to have individuals making informed decisions. Participation in community spaces, where the local museum firmly sits, cannot be achieved without the actions of members taking responsibility for themselves while working collectively in groups. Happily, I often saw and felt this at the BCMA. I would like to see more. A place to start: join the Young Museum Workers Coalition on Facebook.
4) Social Media. Tweets, blogs, messages, youtube, etc. are all the rage right now. Let's get on the bandwagon folks. Remember, there is a tipping point, a place where everyone who invested on the upwards curve have varying degrees of success while those that join when the trend is on a downward path are way behind the pack. A word of advice: if you are going to begin engaging in social media, you need to 1) Share with others, 2) Refer others 3) look for new sites, advances, changes, etc. Pretty much a fulltime job. So, museum, art gallery, archives and general cultural geeks, here's a link, passed on to me by my esteemed colleague, Liz Czerwinski, for you to begin further exploration: http://www.collectionslink.org.uk/. Join up! I just did.
3) Alcohol. "Alcohol, alcohol stop me. Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before ...". What's a blog without a musical reference? Well, what's a conference without a few? Enjoyed drinks at a number of local pubs/clubs/drinking establishments. One evening Paul, Julie and I walked past another with the inviting sign "$6 for a beer and whiskey shot". Tempting? Yes, but soon found out that it was kareoke night when we overheard someone drunkenly belting out Bohemian Rhapsody. Although impressed, I suddenly felt it really was time for bed and Jon Stewart.
2) Speaking of Jon Stewart, the following evening I found myself listening to Obama speak. This resulted in a "we love Obama" conversation (over drinks) the next day. Well, martinis really. Every time I hear/see Obama speak, I place both feet in his camp. However, as the ringing of his voice slowly fades, I move back to sitting on the fence. Remember, I'm a libertarian and although numbingly slow, the American veto system seems to be just the right mix for a divided country.
1) And now, the drum roll .... Should it be funny? Smart? Philosophical? Slightly cheesy and lovie-dovie? I'll go with the latter. Conversation at the AGM centred on being inclusive. The BCMA seems to be stuffed with heritage/history museums, especially of the small variety. And I'm happy for that because God knows that the small local museum is where the heart is and is also where the communities live. However, I could write a whole essay, a diatribe if you will, on the lack of inclusivity, the parochial nature of museums, the false elitism and the snobbery of museum professionals. But, thank the good Lord, I won't. Instead, I'll just leave at this: don't forget the natural museums (thank you Beaty Biodiversity Museum at UBC for representing), the science museums, the art galleries (again, thank you Paul Crawford from the Penticton Art Gallery), and more. We need you all. You all represent the people, so people, stand up and say 'I'.
And that, my friends is enough of museums for a little while. Stay tuned for a post-colonial interpretation of The Smith's "Vicar in Tutu". Ha!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Inspiration? My top 10 at the BCMA.
Oh to be inspired. What is it that drives us to succeed? Sometimes, but only sometimes, I find myself so fully absorbed in a project that I get giddy. It is exciting to realize that the day went by and I didn't spend any time on facebook/twitter/linkdin/cbc.ca/bbc/, etc., etc.....
I've spent an inspiring week at the British Columbia Museums Association conference in beautiful Nanaimo, BC. I've reconnected, met new people and gained some incredible insights.
My top ten - well lets start with 5. I'll add more next post:
10) Enjoying fantastic conversations with new and old friends. Cumberland, Langley, Penticton, Wells, Victoria, Vancouver, Richmond, Port Moody, New Westminster, Kamloops ... I salute you.
9) Plenary A: Nina Simon. Talk about inspirational! She spoke of the 'participatory' museum where people actively use the museum and contribute to it's essence (www.museumtwo.blogspot.com). I would add to this by saying that we need to begin encouraging local communities and neighbourhoods to use the museum as their meeting place, as their place of refuge, as the place where communities are strengthened through a common discourse and cultural ownership. Museums are perfect places for this. Lets get the communities to curate exhibits, organize speakers series and be full partners in cultural/artistic events.
8) Keynote: Bob Janes (editor of Museum Management and Curatorship) and Jacqueline Gijssen (senior Cultural Planner in Vancouver). Along the lines of (9) but at a deeper, more philosophical level where the museum drives change and contributes to positive change from the local to the global. They spoke of the need for organizational change at the social level that can only occur when we choose to change our world view from that of being. Museums are more influential then the public (and us museum professionals) realize. Museums tell stories of who we are. Without even realizing it, their discourse moves towards hegemony of storytelling ... who else is telling our stories in a publicly sanctioned way apart from (often) segregated cultural groups. But museums are often parochial, white, regressive and uninspiring. We (the museum professionals) need to look beyond our 'mandated' areas to see the wider picture, the big bad world. That is where the inspiration comes from. That is where change occurs ... when we tackle the big issues and bring them down to a level where people can understand, be motivated, take responsibility and give.
7) Vancouver Police Museum. Lets just say that I'm impressed with what Chris has done and is doing. www.vancouverpolicemuseum.ca
6) Cumberland Museum. Ummm, can anyone say labour history? We need more like you. (overheard in a pub: "We need to unionize more museums"). What do you say, comrade?
5) Well that's about it now.... more next post.
I've spent an inspiring week at the British Columbia Museums Association conference in beautiful Nanaimo, BC. I've reconnected, met new people and gained some incredible insights.
My top ten - well lets start with 5. I'll add more next post:
10) Enjoying fantastic conversations with new and old friends. Cumberland, Langley, Penticton, Wells, Victoria, Vancouver, Richmond, Port Moody, New Westminster, Kamloops ... I salute you.
9) Plenary A: Nina Simon. Talk about inspirational! She spoke of the 'participatory' museum where people actively use the museum and contribute to it's essence (www.museumtwo.blogspot.com). I would add to this by saying that we need to begin encouraging local communities and neighbourhoods to use the museum as their meeting place, as their place of refuge, as the place where communities are strengthened through a common discourse and cultural ownership. Museums are perfect places for this. Lets get the communities to curate exhibits, organize speakers series and be full partners in cultural/artistic events.
8) Keynote: Bob Janes (editor of Museum Management and Curatorship) and Jacqueline Gijssen (senior Cultural Planner in Vancouver). Along the lines of (9) but at a deeper, more philosophical level where the museum drives change and contributes to positive change from the local to the global. They spoke of the need for organizational change at the social level that can only occur when we choose to change our world view from that of being. Museums are more influential then the public (and us museum professionals) realize. Museums tell stories of who we are. Without even realizing it, their discourse moves towards hegemony of storytelling ... who else is telling our stories in a publicly sanctioned way apart from (often) segregated cultural groups. But museums are often parochial, white, regressive and uninspiring. We (the museum professionals) need to look beyond our 'mandated' areas to see the wider picture, the big bad world. That is where the inspiration comes from. That is where change occurs ... when we tackle the big issues and bring them down to a level where people can understand, be motivated, take responsibility and give.
7) Vancouver Police Museum. Lets just say that I'm impressed with what Chris has done and is doing. www.vancouverpolicemuseum.ca
6) Cumberland Museum. Ummm, can anyone say labour history? We need more like you. (overheard in a pub: "We need to unionize more museums"). What do you say, comrade?
5) Well that's about it now.... more next post.
Changing the way we think about education.
In our fast-paced, overstimulated society, it is no wonder that educators and cousellors find it easier to prescribe medications and search for defaults in children (and adults) instead of looking at how we are taught. This youtube video is excellant in depicting how we have changed but our education system has largely stayed in an Fordist, industrial paradigm .... think about it: bells, exact/set times, group think (teaching), generalizations, discipline for those that cannot conform, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U
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