Three Days in Volda, Norway

Teaching, learning, and communing with Torill. I return to Oslo tonight.

LOVE

Farewell, Judith A. Hoffberg

You will be sorely missed.

From “The Mail-Interview with Judith A. Hoffberg” (1995-1997):

Well, since the name of my business became Umbrella Associates in 1978, thanks to a suggestion from Joan Hugo, as we were sitting in an airport in San Jose waiting for our late plane to Los Angeles after the First Artists' Publication Fair in San Jose in 1977. I had just resigned from the position of Executive Secretary of the Art Libraries Society of North America, which I had founded, and as we were sitting, Joan, a noted librarian and my co-curator in the Artwords & Bookworks exhibition, asked what I would be doing next; I hadn't the faintest idea at the time, but she had been thinking about it, and told me she had done some research. She had discovered that there was once a periodical called Parasol edited by Ricky de Marco, but it was not extant. Then she had looked through the entire list of periodicals and could not find any other periodical called "Umbrella", and so she thought I should start a business as a consultant, called Umbrella Associates, and publish a newsletter called Umbrella, and so I did.

Judith Hoffberg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Umbrella Online - Home

One step backward and two steps forward

Another Full Moon passes... The glowing, watery trail across the fjord lights my way and I am found again. Things fall into place. All but the essential falls away. Falling, falling forward, but the landing is soft. I find myself sitting among the...

Saying no to one thing means saying yes to something else (and vice versa.)

I am preparing to teach a mobile media workshop in Volda next week. That is the first order of business for the next few days. I’ll be posting about the workshop on Mobile Misuse. I am also preparing for a production residency at Atelier Nord for the month of March to complete one of the art projects I am investigating. Big smile. More on that later - talking about it diverts the energy I need for the project. Atelier Nord is where I took the Data Forensics workshop. It is an interesting art organization that describes itself as:

...a project base for unstable art forms, such as electronic and new media art. Our aim is to create better conditions for these art forms, and to maintain a critical reflection in relation to them. Our work consists of producing and supporting projects that promote these goals.

See? A perfect fit.

We spent last weekend at a winter hytte (ski cabin) with friends. We got back onto cross country skis for the first time in a long time. “A” is picking it up really fast and, well, I know my limits. I am careful - I really enjoy cross country, but I love yoga, dancing, tai chi, skating and walking - if I break or damage my body it will be hard to do those things. “B” is Norwegian and was born on skis, so for him it’s as easy as walking...

There is no path...

“If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it’s not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That’s why it’s your path.” Joseph Campbell

I am taking things step by step. Most days I have no idea where I am going and I struggle to muster faith that I am going in the right direction. I am lost today.

I am lost today and trying to be OK with lost. So many unknowns. So many questions. I think it is time to take a walk. The fjord always clears my head. The fjord always feeds my soul.

The Holidays come to an End

We are just finishing 2+ weeks of holiday social events. There were only two days that it was the three of us on our own - every other day or evening involved a brunch, lunch or dinner celebration of some kind. There were even several events we were too busy to attend. Not a spare moment to be homesick. We have been ice skating every day for the past three days and plan to continue as long as the ponds and lakes are frozen and there are places to skate. Tomorrow is back to early mornings and off to work and school. We have been sleeping unusually late for over two weeks. The three of us have been together without even a short break for over two weeks - no major upsets or breakdowns!