Mummers — Part of the Sequined Fabric of Philly

Love them or hate them — the Mummers are a part of the (sequined) fabric of Philadelphia. Growing up I remember watching the Mummers year after year on TV and being quite dazzled by the costumes and performances and this was the first year I’ve actually seen the parade in person. Yes, a large portion of the parade is more a drunken Mardi Gras a few months early, however it really is a triumph of creativity for many people, who may otherwise be considered not the most creative people. These are everyday guys (and some gals) ; blue-collar and white-collar workers, who take the greatest pride in putting together this storied spectacle to ring in the first day of the year. So in context, the quality of performance, the costumes and sets are astounding examples of local theatre and pure Americana at its best.

Here are a few shots from Broad street for your viewing pleasure.

The Best (and worst) in Movies (poster design)

There are few things that excite me more than good design and good movies and this recent article, Best and Worst Movie posters of 2008, couldn’t slip by without comment.

Check out the article to see what the “experts” think and let me know what your top lists are.

My Best:
1. Burn After Reading
2. Man on Wire
3. Blindness
4. The Dark Knight
5. Frost/Nixon (sorry yahoo, I totally disagree and think this a great poster and an even better movie)

While we’re at it, My Best Actual movies of 2008*:
1. Frost/Nixon
2. Doubt
3. MILK
4. The Visitor
5. Vicki, Cristina, Barcelona

*Based on movies I’ve seen, this list could change.

Bodies in Urban Spaces

Every year I look forward to the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. If you haven’t caught any performances its not too late, there is still an entire week of “fringing” left. While the performances are definitely hit or miss, this year, I saw one of my favorite performances ever—Bodies in Urban Spaces—a unique blend of dance, movement, sculpture and scavenger hunt performed throughout a 10 or so block radius in Center City Philadelphia. Local dancers, choreographed by Austrian Artist and choreographer Willi Dorner, arranged themselves in various locations throughout the city, bending and shifting to create shapes in the most unusual spaces in buildings, park benches, subway stations and even phone booths. A crowd, which quickly grew to several hundred people, chased the group around the city waiting to see what they would come up with next. It was really a great experience, highlighting what the fringe festival does best—allows any artist to imagine something simple to extravagant and make it a reality.

Pictures are worth a thousand words so check them out here.

Leaving the workstation behind?

For years since I purchased my first palm handheld device I’ve been totally intrigued by mobile technology. That old monochrome screened palm has been gathering dust for years now and a new device has taken it’s place. Yes ladies and gentelman I am talking about noneother than the iPhone.

I know by now my friends and family are probably so sick of hearing me rave about this. I have to admit I am a little sick myself of raving about it as it makes me sound like a materialistic nut, but I really have seen this new phone as a breakthrough in the way digital artists like myself can find new ways of creating and communicating on the go, releasing our thoughts and observations wherever and whenever we please.

So this post is the first of what I hope is many more that may take their lifeform at any given moment no matter where I am at the time. And yes…I’ve posted this using my iPhone.

The Best of Both Worlds

Yesterday, as we were taking a trip up to Provincetown I couldn’t help but marvel, as I had over the course of the week, at how the landscape on the cape so quickly shifts. One moment you are driving down a highway sandwiched by 2 story high dunes and then a few turns later, the scenery shifts to a wooded country road. I have to see this place in the fall sometime. I can’t even imagine how beautiful the juxtaposition of the leaves changing color against the sand and sea landscape must be.

Our last day was a good one! We took a 7-mile bike ride along paths outside of Provincetown and explored all the dunes. There are some truly beautiful sections along the trail and I felt like I was stopping every few minutes to take another picture.

I couldn’t resist one last stroll through Provincetown’s main street. There were a few more last minute purchases that I needed to complete and then my sister and I went for a delicious sushi lunch.

The vacation went far too quickly and I am now writing from the comfort of my chair back home in Philly. I’ll be compiling all the pictures and posting the rest up very soon.