more ramblings…

Maria Popova has done it yet again – found another book that I now want to buy!
“Visual Storytelling: Inspiring a New Visual Language, from the fine folks at Gestalten, gathers the most compelling work by a new generation of designers, illustrators, graphic editors, and data journalists tackling the grand sensemaking challenge of our time by pushing forward the evolving visual vocabulary of storytelling.”

Check out her original post and the book HERE

I saw this article today, and thought I’d share it – though, I cannot make up my mind which side of the fence I fall on…

Can these two live together? Can ethnography really inform design? Does design even need another set of inputs? Jack of all trades?

Whatever your take on these two very different disciplines working together – this pdf lays out the way they can work rather well. An Ethnographic Primer

So, I find myself in SE Asia again, on University business. This time I am starting in KL and ending in Jakarta – normally, it’s the other way round.
In Jakarta, I don’t really go out on my own, so I spend 5 days in the hotel looking after my own time, going into work in the day, and at night eating in!
I have only once had a bad jet lag experience in Jakarta. And that was when we went out and didn’t really get the right amount of sleep in the first two days.
I got the worst jetlag in Beijing 2 years ago, when I burnt the candle at both ends, and didn’t get any time to acclimatise to the 10 hour difference! In fact, I thought I was going to collapse.
Anyway, this brings me to the last few days here in KL:
Flew out from NCL 4 days ago, via DBX, so we landed in KL 3 days ago. The flight to DBX went fairly smoothly – having a colleague to talk to does help! But the DBX>KUL was hard – I just couldn’t sleep.
We got to the hotel here on campus in good time to meet the Dean here, and had a few beers and a bite to eat.
Slept very, very well that night.
Yesterday – wednesday – all good during the day – we cracked on with work. Then in the evening, we decided to go out for a meal on our own…
I think putting your timekeeping in another’s hands when you are tired, is not a good idea – we were ripped off by the cab drivers there and back! 16km does not take 50 mins…the traffic wasn’t that bad.
Anyway, lovely food at Madame Kwan’s, a small beer too…all going well, until I suddenly felt faint, and could feel the blood draining from my face. My colleague noticed me going pale, and was concerned.
“Just get me back to the hotel”…
A dreadful night continued from there. I couldn’t sleep – melatonin has not helped – I feel the worst I have ever felt with jetlag. Light-headed, faint, wobbly, a bit scared of these symptoms which then makes me a little anxious, and therefore adds to the cumulative effect!
Now, I know it will pass, I just wish it would! Any tips from anyone would be gratefully received…

moonkin pet

Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival is now inviting proposals for commissions in two categories; ‘Artists’ Moving Image’ for an artist or film-maker to make a new piece of moving image work, and ‘Film Score’ for a musician or composer to write and perform a new soundtrack to an existing film or films of their choice.

Each commission offers a fee of £2,500 to create new works relating to the Festival theme, ‘Stagings’ as we explore performance on film and the screen as a stage.

For full details about the Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival 2010 Commissions and how to apply online, please go to http://www.berwickfilm-artsfest.com/commissions

The closing date for applications is Friday 09 July 2010.

Submissions – A call for entries

The Festival is also still open for entries; for moving image works of all types – narrative and artist video, live action and animation, fiction and documentary – which relate to the Festival theme, ‘Stagings.’

For full details of the conditions of entry and how to submit your film online, please go to http://www.berwickfilm-artsfest.com/submit-your-film

The closing date for submissions is Friday 02 July 2010.

Well, thanks (once again) to Jer Thorp (@blprnt) for recommending this book.

I have to say, I bought it knowing nothing about Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, or his writings. But, after finishing it, I have nothing but praise for this book.

How one can link disparate occurrences- historically and geographically, in such a considered manner, is fantastic. From the warring factions of the Hungarian Crusades, to the perceived terrorist activities of an individual.

This book takes you into the poisson distribution of happenings and probabilities, with Heidegger watching over it – and ends with a conclusion regarding the way we communicate and transfer money, disease and ideas.

I can highly recommend it.

This I am liking, in fact, I can see a small summer project here:

Stuck in a Groove / Phonovideo from Clemens Kogler on Vimeo.

I know I have only been here once before, but I somehow expected this visit to not contain quite as many culture shocks.

It was not to be – from coming into Shanghai from Pudong airport, on the fastest land transport I have ever been on – VIDEO HERE to eating the most amazing ‘street food’, to the wealth of some citizens and the desperate poverty of others. The size of the cities!

Being so obviously in the minority when you are out and about is still the greatest shock. The hotels are full of westerners, but the streets are not. However, unlike the UK the indigenous people are not at all fazed by a tall westerner, in the same way the ‘we’ are by immigrants. In fact, I have only had positive experiences with the locals.

I like Shanghai a lot, it seems to be even more vibrant than it was in the Summer. This is despite the rain! It rained alright…

I am avoiding going to the markets here as I have a flight to Beijing, and don’t want heavy suitcases. I’ll wait, and try to go to Panjiayuan in Beijing.

Now in Beijing.

Yesterday, I decided to walk to the Forbidden City – not something I would advise people to do, but I enjoy walking through cities. However, nothing prepared me for the heaving mass of people outside Beijing Central Railway Station! I saw the whole ethnic breakdown of China condensed into one place – from tall Manchurians to tiny little Tibetan women, the diversity of the faces – all moving. If I was to hazard a guess, I would say about 25,000 people moved past me as I walked the length of the station.

Eventually, I got to the Forbidden City – you can see my pics here

Here is one of them;

The Forbidden City, or the Palace Museum

Anyway – even at minus 11 it was amazing!

(you have probably realised I am writing this as I go along, so the next bit will be from tonight)

I never did get to finish this, but I thought I would publish it nonetheless.

I don’t know if my job at the Uni will be taking me back to Beijing – I hope it will, as I have made some good friends there, and would love to see them again. Nevermind the nightlife and the food, the place is amazing!

I assume geotagging would work on the 3g phone. My old 2g iPhone still thinks I am somewhere down the A1!