Perfect Scents

I love catching random scents on the wind
Doesn't happen a lot in the wintertime
But today
In the chill
I caught one

I hunted the archives
Trying to place it
It was close to - but not exactly like - freedom
Not the wave-your-flag, America-rules-the-world kind
But a deeper sort

And it had a tinge of love
Not the hard-core-passionate-sorry-excuse-for-love
But something more intimate
Softer

Like
The smell of another on your clothes
Remaining after a lingering hug
Or the aromas that only poke their head out at Christmas
The sweetness of new rainfall soaking into the afternoon
Fresh snow
Warm nights
The touch of light on a lovely face
Carressing with elegant fingers

I savored it
The rare taste of the perfect morsel
Stroking the tongue
Reminding me that beautiful things
Still desire to be near me

And I loved it
This visitor passing through
In the wintertime

Snowfire

A house catches fire in the snowfall
Orange on the swirling of the air
Heat reflected warm upon crystals
Smoke entwining fog entwining sky

Snowflakes into raindrops into vapor
Sizzle on tongues of painted light
The hot & cold of found & lost desire
Turning lukewarm to cool into ash

Uncloneable

Love like the womb of a great red star
and the folk that fill up days with life
and some move on like blazing suns
and banners flap atop the upright sticks

The micro & macro have merged into cosm
with the happy/sad feeling of feather touching softly
the wonder & the meaning of bubbles kiss'd with frost
to gather all the people onboard the shortest bus

Mouth can't find the words to place a name upon
what heart is feeling
what scent is carried on wind
what handle needs a sword

To hover in the space between
the place within mysterious skin
tattooing words in foreign tongues
as life turned upside down

The hoped-for incarnation of a dream unheard aloud
when lock & load at nightfall is a gentle wave goodbye
to all the hungry teardrops hidden hot behind wide eyes
underneath a top hat brim

The golden egg like cocoa beans unbrewed inside the pot
woven from a spinster hand swathed in crimson rope
as sister fabric pieces come together in the loom
and crown the head like flower children's light

As if to ever pass this way or choose this way again
a perfect time alignment
a once-forgotten day
of red stars falling through the black & landing in the palms

A finger string of brightest blue to mark the fourfold slide
from there to here in endless loop
from binary orbits above the clouds
yet close enough to flow through veins with ease

A Wig Story

On a recent business trip to Detroit, I found myself surrounded by wig stores, nail & hair salons, check cashing services & bulletproof glass. While asking a native Detroiter about all the wig shops, she said, "Well you know, you've got to take care of the temple!"

That got me thinking. In a town facing major urban decay, economic decline & just all-around getting a bad deal, that makes sense. If your house is rundown & you drive a clunker, the one thing you do have is your body - your temple - your 'self'. You take it with you wherever you go. Personal style & expression becomes a priority in that climate.

So, I took a series of photographs to celebrate that truth. Can plastic/styrofoam mannequin heads & fabricated hairdos serve as the vessels to help us understand what a sliver of the culture of an area like Detroit is like? Can we find humanity in a wig shop?

Appreciation goes out to:

Ethel @ Juno's Wig Center
15334 Grand River Avenue
Detroit, MI 48227

Ryang CHA Wigs [Pronounced "Yong Ja"]
15234 Grand River Avenue
Detroit, MI 48227

Thank you both for opening your shops to me, answering my questions & allowing an outsider to enter your world & tell your story.

Pole Party Performance Project

So, I would like to have left the veil of mystery on a little longer but...

After the Telegraph Forum article: http://www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com/article/20091106/NEWS01/911060306&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

& someone posting a link to the online photos in the article's comment section...

I guess a detailed explanation of the Pole Party Art Installation in The People's Republic of Bucyrus is warranted. Here's the full story - from the artist...

It was time for an art installation. Since I moved to The People's Republic a little over a year ago, I felt that my new hometown would be the perfect place.

PLAN 1:
My original idea was to wrap poles in the city from downtown - the usual location of the Brat Fest- to the fairground venue it called home this year. There was a lot of negative chatter around town about the move & I wanted to make that physical connection between the two places - show that even with a change of scenery, & a different 'feel' to it, it was still the Bratwurst Festival. Unfortunately, the idea came to me too late to actually execute it in time.

PLAN 2:
Since I got a the donation of a bolt of bright orange fabric, I thought the black/orange color scheme would work well around Halloween. Thus, the Pole Part Performance was born.


EXECUTION:
I measured a few poles to get the average circumference, created 3 pretty time-intensive stencils & cut the fabric. Then, I began spraying the pieces with a little help from some friends. Then, on 10/24, I got together some of my creative folk - artists, musicians, poets, a tattooist, vocalists & our kids, etc for dinner & a public art project.

We split the city into thirds. Next, 3 drivers volunteered to chauffeur. We drew names to form the teams & set out w/ 60 pieces/banners/posters/panels/images. Armed with hoodies, masks & staple guns we swam out to distribute free art around the community.

Pole selection within each area was left up to the individual team. We set the goal of balancing residential & commercial areas. Some locations were planned ahead while others were just randomly placed as the creativity led. We fanned out & made it happen, taking a few photos along the way. Afterwards, we returned to the mother ship & laughed & shared & celebrated as we viewed a slide show of the night.


INTENT:
First of all, 'malicious' is not my thing. More of a lover than a fighter... Contrary to many popular theories heard around town [as far as I know...] there were no aliens, occult members, a specific band, heroin users, al Qaida, gang ruffians or stupid kids involved in the process. It was simply an art project intended to peak curiosity, cause people to pause & take note & [hopefully] regain a sense of youthful wonder for a moment in time. [??Mission accomplished??]


MEANING:
Images: I chose tentacled sea life for a reason. [I love that some people interpreted one of the creatures as a rooster, though!] I wanted to pop a question in the minds of the discoverers. Why sea life? Why a squid/octopus/nautilus? After all, we're quite a bit inland & sea life doesn't really belong here...

Arrows: The arrows were added as an extra bonus! These made the project participative & interactive. One could follow the arrows and see where they led. There was no intentional rhyme or reason in the placement, so the randomness would take a follower wherever the arrows happened to direct. [Thanks to all those that took a chance & followed the arrows! You got the point! And wasn't there 'life' in the process?]

DEEPER PURPOSE:

So why even do it at all? I wanted to get community members to think for a moment. I have always wondered if 'Lower Lifeforms' truly have the ability to think, calculate, wonder, have true consciousness. Do they know what they're doing or do they simply respond to natural stimuli?
- "Oh, light - swim over there."
- "Cold - must move."
- "Touched something - eat it."

Often, I believe we humans fall into the same cycle - the same invertebrate mindset. We swim along reacting to external stimuli without really feeling, living, thriving...

What if - for an instant - I could help the inhabitants of The People's Republic of Bucyrus to cross into consciousness? What if, through 30 hours of work & $10 worth of supplies, I could entice them to see, ask questions & breathe fresher air for a time?


THOUGHTS:
Although I'm new to town, I am aware of the plant closings in the area. I have friends & family who have experienced layoffs from local businesses. We can respond to that stimuli as
- "Makes sense. Automotive industry struggling."
- "Sucks. Move on."
- "Hungry. Where food?"
- "Bills. Need help"

But what if - instead - we asked deeper questions? What could we do to turn this area around economically? How can we approach this problem creatively & affect change upon it?

- "What if we created industry that would set little Bucyrus apart in the Midwest as the leader in a new capacity? A breakout industry"
- "What if we tapped into the coming demand for clean energy & started manufacturing windmill blades or rechargeable batteries or the infrastructure needed to power electric cars?"
- "What if we reinvented the mobile home & began manufacturing 2-story models, round ones, 2-story/3-story round ones?"
- [Insert your own living, breathing, creative idea here]

Hopefully you get the gist. The old paradigms have changed. This part of the country has experience in manufacturing. If we're gonna stick with that - then let's set the example. Let's think creatively on what that would look like in the new economy w/ the changing culture of the world. How do we get in on the ground floor of what's coming next?

Back to the tentacles...
Each of the 3 images selected have 'arms/hands' of a sort. I could have used sponges or sea urchins or coral or slugs... I chose animals with the capacity to grab, to hold, to manipulate, to work with their 'hands'. We can dream & hope but we must also put our hands to work to make things happen.


CONCLUSION:
So, the Pole Party Performance Project was/is:
- A free public art installation
- A distraction from the mundane
- An opportunity to wonder again
- An opportunity to wander again :)
- A challenge to revamp who we are as a community

Perhaps we're floating downstream with the current. Perhaps it's time to fight against the tide. Perhaps it's time to recognize the stimuli & not just react to it, but affect change upon it.

Thanks for participating! The conversation has started...

~GYPSYLUC

-----------------------------------------------------------------

COMMENTS? WANT TO BE INCLUDED IN FUTURE PROJECTS?
email: hesaidfollowme@hotmail.com
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/luchargis
myspace: www.myspace.com/gypsyluc

INTERESTED IN SEEING MORE ARTWORK?
http://www.etsy.com/shop/gypsyluc
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=117793&id=656233114&l=07f51c00d7
Matters of the Art - Bucyrus
Mansfield Art Center - Mansfield
Kenosis Gallery - Mansfield [Solo Show opening Thursday 11/12 - Details Upon Request]

Death of a Loved One

ANTIWAROTIC PEACE COMPOUND [APC]

Many experience discomfort during the first few injections of the Antiwarotic Peace Compound [APC]. The body - accustomed to recurring bouts of injustice, war, violence & needless confrontation - initially rejects the ‘invader’ cells. Only after much upheaval of ingrained organic paradigms can the system begin to accept the serum. Slowly, however, the biochemical regeneration will take root, multiply within the DNA of the host, work its magick & precipitate the anticipated internal transformation. As the new sensations burn through one‘s being, intense feelings of euphoria may result. Unfortunately, this effect can be surprisingly temporal. For the time being, anti-peace relapses are especially common in those with a family history of prejudice or elitism. Researchers are still perfecting a more comprehensive cure. Until such time as a viable & permanent antidote is formulated, the APC serves as the preeminent antiwarotic weapon in Man’s arsenal against anti-peace sentiments & actions.

MIGH & HIGHTY

We think we’re so might & highty
tanging the chime
Fing spoward, Ball fack
One hour
yice a twear

Hying our dair
& fifting our laces
Electing sanother
to dighten or larken our skin-
ralter our aces

Stere I hand-
an example
Waying these sords
with paper & pen
Expressing dy mistaste

So might & highty
to offer opinion
athout being wasked
My fersonal peelings
I wiv them gaway
Nonetheless

For Photo's Sake

"fOR pHOTO'S sAKE" pROJECT:
a. photograpH aN existinG artworK
b. tweaK photograpH
c. shoW peoplE

lOCATION: dETROIT iNSTITUTE of aRT
dATE: 20091030

For Photo's Sake

"fOR pHOTO'S sAKE" pROJECT:
a. photograpH aN existinG artworK
b. tweaK photograpH
c. shoW peoplE

lOCATION: dETROIT iNSTITUTE of aRT
dATE: 20091030

For Photo's Sake

"fOR pHOTO'S sAKE" pROJECT:
a. photograpH aN existinG artworK
b. tweaK photograpH
c. shoW peoplE

lOCATION: dETROIT iNSTITUTE of aRT
dATE: 20091030

For Photo's Sake

"fOR pHOTO'S sAKE" pROJECT:
a. photograpH aN existinG artworK
b. tweaK photograpH
c. shoW peoplE

lOCATION: dETROIT iNSTITUTE of aRT
dATE: 20091030

Pole Party Performance

59 fabric/stencil/spraypaint artworks
stapleguns
hoodies & facemasks
fellow ninjastic, clandesinated cohorts

1 night
the People's Republic of Bucyrus

Dissemination into the city [divided into 3rds.] Random & Studied posting of tentacled polewraps throughout the city. Zero (0) incidents. 100% success.

FUTURE: they will remain living in their places until blown away, stolen, adopted, or rotted

SPIRITUAL THINGS

A while back I took all my understandings of Jesus and placed them over to one side. I put them in a box labeled ‘jesus’ with a lowercase j, a box with the name “Jesus” in quotation marks.

And I set about finding out, as best as I could, who the one with a name so big really is.

I have come to find that many people have stolen, copied & hijacked his name for their own agendas, beliefs & causes. Yet, underneath all the sludge & attachments there is an amazing figure worth following. For what it’s worth, this is what I have found in the midst of it all…

• I believe that God has indeed created us & wants to be in relationship with each of us. Therefore, he communicates with us. The greatest way he has done that is through the person of Jesus.
• Jesus loved, laughed, loved, ate, loved, drank, loved, lived, loved, taught hard things & loved some more.
• In Jewish culture, a rabbi would have his own interpretations about the words God had handed down through the years. This set of teaching & interpretations was called a ‘yoke’.
• Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
• Jesus did not seem at all interested in judging people for breaking other rabbis’ rules.
• He seemed more interested in sharing his own interpretation, his own yoke. And he believed that by teaching and living it out, he would show us the ‘Father’.
• He seemed quick to forgive anyone who truly wanted to be more like him.
• Matthew chapter 5 seems to be Jesus’ outline for living a life pleasing to the one who created us.
• I wonder if ONE ANOTHER is really what it’s all about…?
• Jesus said that to love God with all your heart & to love your neighbor as yourself are the two greatest commandments and that everything else hangs on these two truths. And then he showed us what that looked like by actually living it out himself…
• From that place of authority Jesus said, “Follow me.”
• So I have set out to see what that looks like. I have committed to living a life of following this Jesus. Not the one who’s been hijacked & stuffed in a box too small for him - not the one trapped behind stained glass.
• The only yoke I have found that fits right, is the yoke of Jesus himself. I am still looking for a ‘rabbi’ & a community that teaches & lives out the yoke of Jesus as I understand he taught & lived it.
• At this point, I am living out that yoke in the context of family & friends - loving one another, serving one another, praying for one another, turning the other cheek, loving when it costs me something…
• I believe that all truth is God’s truth & that his attributes show up in many places and are made manifest through many & varied means. I strive to keep my eyes open for his hand in the world.
• Jesus’ yoke seems to me to be about pleasing a God who makes it easy to please him.
• Jesus’ yoke seems to me to be about doing what we know we should be doing anyway, and reaping the joy that flows out from an others-centered life.

I still have many questions, much to learn & much to unlearn. Among them...

• On the cross, Jesus said, ‘It is finished’ and then breathed his last. How universe-altering was that moment? Or the moment his spirit & body were reunited & resurrected? Do we even vaguely understand it?
• What does it really mean to be ‘born again’? What is the pure, unhijacked version of what Jesus meant by that beautifully pregnant phrase?

Jesus spoke a lot about the “Kingdom of God”. I want to purposely live in it & help others be a part of it. Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” I feel freer than I ever have, yet I want to be freer still. So, I continue to seek him out - the truest, purest Jesus - the only one spelled with a capital J.