Leonardo Davinci

Over spring break I visited the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia PA. This was a frequent school field trip when I lived there, but my boyfriend, a budding mechanical engineer, got to see it for the first time. The Franklin Institute is a Natural Science and History Museum that celebrates active learning through play. Summed up, it's fun AND educational.

They had just opened a new exhibit called Leonardo Davinci's Workshop. They had digitized all his notebooks, and created huge computer screens that you could flip through. They even added animated models of his sketches and how they might have worked if they had been built. They took many of his models, like a spring powered moving cart and elaborate flying machines, and built life sized scale models.

The prolific amount of work and huge variation of applications that Davinci created is astonishing. A famous painter and engineer, Davinci took knowledge from all areas of academia and integrated them into innovative ideas. His work is an example of creativity and intellect working elegantly as cohesive elements. I highly recommend this new exhibit at the Franklin Institute. It is an inspiration that pushes perceived limitations of man's ability.

Under the Dome

Imagine a group of children holding a magnifying glass on a sunny day over a colony of ants. Watching for amusement as they burn. Now imagine a group of beings from another world trapping an entire group of humans and performing the same practice. This is the concept of Stephen King's book, Under the Dome. A large impenetrable dome appears over the town of Chester Mills, and what follows is the devolution of community into a panic stricken, desperate and savage group of individuals who struggle for power and resources.

I really enjoy Stephen King, and this is by no means a review or a critique. Instead I'd like to talk about one of the themes that seems apparent in all his books: good and evil in humanity. More specifically, the corruption of what was once good.

As a psychology major I am very interested in understanding the series of events that create a person. So naturally, the degradation of society in Under the Dome, made me drool a little. They way people are slowly and subtly shaped and manipulated by others and the environment around them is so cool. King's rendering of the human condition is tangible and raw. It's real and evil.

I feel my own work is inspired by this human trend toward fallacy. Instead of relishing it and celebrating it like King does, I try to cover it up with excuses and hide it under explanations. It appears my work and I are in denial about our pessimistic view of society. Maybe I should spend sometime making work that explores my frustrations instead of my denials.

My Clothing Diet.

This past summer I moved out of my parent's house and took all of my possessions along with me. There is something about packing up over 50 shirts and 20 pairs of pants that makes you think... "I have too many clothes." And after lugging boxes full of clothes to Rochester, I decided that I wanted to restructure my wardrobe.

Now, this did not entail buying new clothes. I owned heaps of clothes I never wore. This was the time to stop being so picky and unsatiable and learn to be happy with what I already had.

I promised myself to stop buying clothes for a whole year. With the exception of socks and underwear.

That was last August. It's been eight months.

I feel like my priorities have changed drastically. My body image is no longer about what I wear, but how my body looks and feels. I am less concerned with appearance, thus more comfortable and happy with it. Little oddities that I once noticed in my clothes are gone. The back of my closet, where clothes went untouched for small nuances is slowly being integrated back into my wardrobe.

I'm really proud of this promise. And recommend it. When you don't have the option to buy new clothes, you are forced to reevaluate what you have and realize it was enough all along.

Wes Peden

Wes Peden grew up in Rochester, and learned how to juggle when he was very young. Today he has become one of the most inspiring and innovative performing artists in the juggling world. Follow his blog at http://papermacheanimals.tumblr.com/. For more information, check out his website, wespeden.com.

I first saw Wes perform when he was 14 years old at a juggling festival in Buffalo NY. This was six years ago, and even then his style was beginning to evolve into a unique and creative brand of manipulation. I had the pleasure of seeing him perform twice this past week and his skill at performing has become even more refined.

His success is in his balance between skill, performance, and humor. He combines thought provoking sound and content, with the subtle humors of humanity and impressive skill. His artistry is not above his audience, a flaw of many circus performers. He is easy to relate to and expressive on stage. At 21 years old, he has so much more to offer the world.

If you even see just one juggler, you should watch Wes perform.

Upcoming Events.

The official postcard for my show! As a novice photo shop user I'm excited about how much I learned and how well they came out. The show consists of a great group of talented artists and is definitely worth checking out!

Film is not my Medium

Today was the official release of The Strong Jugglers trailer! Check it out!

The Strong Jugglers Go Bananas!

A Tribute to Childhood

When I was very young and living in Pennsylvania I found myself exploring the beautiful indoor/outdoor gardens that make up Long Wood Gardens. I would go for school trips, to see light displays, fountain shows, and fire works. One of my fondest memories, is of their children's garden. Here there were hedges that created mazes and passage ways with water features that you could play in. Simply put, it was awesome!

Last week, I had the pleasure of returning for the first time as an adult. The childrens' garden has been renovated, and certainly did not disappoint! The designers and artists that created it, inspired that same awe in my adult self as they did years ago.Everything was made to scale. We had to duck through passageways to get to secret parts of the garden.

The fountains and statues in the garden created a magical atmosphere.
There was a great balance of aesthetic beauty and playfulness.
These birds blew bubbles into the fountain. Imagine walking through stone passage ways and finding quaint gardens filled with jovial fountains and small nooks to play hide and seek. This is all while experiencing a strong enveloping smell of roses and greenery no matter what season.

Magic.