Pattie Belle Hastings

Email Deluge

2012-01-07T13:00:00.000-05:00

If email isnot a problem for you, I would not bother to read on. Go spend your fruitfultime elsewhere.

It is annualreport/performance review time at my job. I am looking back and completing arough accounting of all the things I accomplished (or not) last year. Where didall that time and energy go? Out of morbid curiosity, I did some very roughcalculations on the amount of time I spent on work related email. I amhorrified by the results.

8,500 received

3,200 sent

(These numbersare rounded down by 5% for possible error or duplication and comprise work relatedemail only. This is not a scientific analysis nor pretends to be.)

OK, so we’lllook at an extremely rough calculation on this:

Let’s say Ispent an average of 5 minutes writing each of these 3,200 emails. (Obviously,some took seconds and some I slaved over, but 5 minutes is probably areasonable average.) That equals about 267 hours or 6.75 forty-hour work-weeksof responding to work related emails. (This figure does not include reading theones received - I work in academia - academics are not known for their brevity.)

The numbers are ugly. I amunable to bring myself to scrutinize this further in order to estimate the realtime involved in all aspects of this communication. This is not the way I wantto spend my life or my work. This is not the way I want the people I work withto spend their time. It is time for me to step away from the machine(s). Mymachine driven life is out of control. I am complicit. I am addicted. This is NOThow I want to spend the second half of my life.

So, here’s myresolution for 2012: to live in my body – to detach from the machine (as muchas possible within the confines of my career requirements.) It doesn’t helpthat my livelihood depends on the machine, BUT how much work can I do withoutit? How much time can I spend without it? How many of these emails actuallyrequire a response? How many emails are truly critical for me to send? How canI build borders and boundaries around the reading and response to email?

I’m notlooking for “Inbox Zero” or to be more efficient with email communication – I’mstriving for less – less reading, less writing, less processing. Just less.Much less. The goal is more flesh presence (I like being in the room with you);more creative work; more book reading; more writing; more time in real life, inthe real world, in real dimensions. Yes, I’ve read all the articles on email management and I was GTD long before it was the hip-geek thing to be (I took myfirst workshop with David Allen when I was 25 – and that was 25 years ago.) No,this about email abstinence, detox and mindfulness. This is not about being moreorganized. It is about leveling up the mind, body and spirit. This is about no longer participating in the insanity.

Inan effort to conserve my time and energy and my colleague’s time and energy, Ihereby vow to respond to fewer emails, to send fewer emails and to proselytizeto the congregation until every damn one of you is converted. So, when you see me next week and ask me if I received youremail, the answer is “yes.” I just didn’t think it was worth my time or yoursto respond.

Have you forgotten how to play?

2011-10-07T13:29:00.000-04:00

I have and I am trying to relearn this valuable skill.

One of the best presents I received for my half century birthday was a coaching session with the wonderful Gina LaRoche. We met last week to discuss the deep journaling that she was having me do in preparation for the session and uncovered some interesting things. One of those “things” was the lack of play in my life. This was not a surprise to me - I simply hadn’t had time to reflect on it. Subconsciously, I had already started addressing this by scheduling a weekly half hour Laughter Club at the University. We meet in the Blackbox Theater and laugh and breathe and clap. Sometimes we dance. Sometimes we meditate. Sometimes we speak gibberish. We laugh through obstacles. We laugh through failures. We laugh through successes. We laugh for no reason at all. No matter how depleted I walk into that room, I leave transformed, rejuvenated and de-stressed.

I have led Laughter yoga classes for special events, but I haven’t, until now, been able to create a weekly practice. It is possible and positive to laugh alone, but it isn’t as powerful as a group experience. There is something about the eye contact, seeing others laughing and hearing their peals, giggles, and guffaws that transports the experience. How often do we give ourselves over to uninhibited joyful communing? The weekly refresh and refocus has started to have a profound effect on my overall well being. Is it a biochemical restructuring at the cellular level? Neuronal plasticity? Rebirth of my inner child? None of the answers truly matter to me, because what I am noticing in my life are significant increases in my laugh capacity, lung capacity, and joy capacity. Imagine, all that in 30 minutes a week.

Seems like so long ago...

2011-09-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

Denmark Roadtrip 2011

2011-07-21T12:51:00.002-04:00

We have just returned to Oslo from a two week road trip through the Danish countryside.

I have posted some pictures:
Denmark Roadtrip 2011 - a set on Flickr

I try not to take the same pictures over and over, so here are last year’s pics:
Tivoli 2010 - a set on Flickr
Copenhagen 2010 - a set on Flickr

Life on the Fjord

2011-07-06T10:05:00.003-04:00

I have finally gotten around to posting some pics of our Summer life in Norway:
Norway Summer 2011 - a set on Flickr. We don’t have much internet access (a true blessing!), so we are limited to checking email once or twice a day at most.

Yeah, I know, I have trouble holding the camera straight and I didn't take the time to fix them in Photoshop... ;)

A chance encounter

2011-06-11T13:13:00.002-04:00

with a Luna Moth on my way past the Pine Grove to Freshmen Orientation...

Some of my IDD 2011 Graduates

2011-05-14T17:28:00.001-04:00

“shiny happy people holding hands...”

Spare Moments...

2011-03-02T13:27:00.001-05:00

Continuing to add to the collection. Slowly, but surely.

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T12:54:00.004-05:00

It was a lovely end to 2010 with a long road trip through the South to visit friends and family. After stops in Harrisonburg, Atlanta, Charlotte & Richmond, we spent the night in Williamsburg for a romantic 18th century Christmas evening right as the blizzard hit. We have been hibernating since we returned to Connecticut in preparation for a very busy semester. I have finally learned, after a few decades, that it is critical to have some complete “down time” in order to maintain balance and productivity. I schedule it in now. Purposefully. Of course, everyone’s idea of “down time” is different...

In other news, some of my iPod drawings have been published in a UK drawing journal along with a short essay about the work. TRACEY: Drawing and Visualisation Research, published by the Loughborough University, School of Art and Design, Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK: The Drawing and Technology Issue. I'm very pleased with the drawings, but never happy with the writing. Forgive me - I am an artist, first and foremost.

My first semester as Chair of Visual & Performing Arts has passed, but the tasks continue to mount for this next semester. I am learning so much, which is good, because I love learning. I am also being stretched and challenged in new and different ways each day, which also fulfills my desire for growth. Not all is sweetness and light - I do experience growing pains on a regular basis.

Here’s to a happy 2011, everyone. Best wishes to all.

Old San Juan Graffiti

2010-12-02T13:07:00.000-05:00

Body Double

2010-11-16T19:08:00.005-05:00

I’ve been feeling like I need a clone. Here she is. Almost done. There are two hours during the week when I become the student and completely immersed in something new and different. I’m auditing our new costuming class and the professor is the brilliant and talented, Tricia Thelen. This has been one of the most important ways I’ve been able to stay balanced this semester. The students are helping to design and make the costumes for the theater productions, but this dress form project has been an ongoing immersion throughout the semester - from t-shirts and freezer tape to the upholstered form you see in the picture. Each of us has constructed an identical double of our torso - custom dress forms. I have been documenting the entire process, hoping that Tricia and I can turn the project documentation into an article or something. I can’t wait to post more pictures. The process has been amazing. My classmates’ dress forms are fabulous and unique - just like they are... I had to show a little sneak peek.

Still drawing on the iPod...

2010-10-29T15:17:00.001-04:00

Not as much or as often as I would like...

Drawing

2010-08-20T19:25:00.000-04:00

Fresh Danish Peas ;)

2010-08-06T13:14:00.004-04:00

Special Edition of PB’s Newsy News

2010-08-01T08:44:00.003-04:00

Here is the special Summer 2010 issue of PB’s Newsy News from Oslo, Norway. (450kb PDF) Remember, it is written and created in one day, so please forgive the grammar and spelling. :)

Not the stinging jellyfish...

2010-07-30T02:45:00.001-04:00

...that invaded the fjord this summer.

Pictures from Tivoli - our favorite amusement park

København 2010

2010-07-11T14:12:00.001-04:00

Summer in Copenhagen

Fjord Life

2010-06-30T03:41:00.000-04:00

The Office

2010-06-28T04:19:00.004-04:00

This is a picture of my other office. The Sommerbutikken is just what it sounds like, a little store that is only open in the summer (when we get here in June, it’s only open on the weekends). It is the only shop for miles around. Fortunately they serve up some pretty robust wifi along with the fresh pastries and sundries. I used to borrow my neighbor’s wireless when I taught online classes while here, but he has moved away and we have had to find other means. We bought a Mobile Broadband USB device from Telenor, but the 500 mb a month plan I have only allows bare bones web access (meaning I only do email and some course work at the hytte on the broadband.) When I have to upload student critique movies (40-70 mb each) or talk to someone via Skype, I hike down to the Sommerbuttikken and set up office. This set up has been working so well, I have been having fantasies about becoming a “virtual professor.”

Last night was the neighborhood celebration of MidSummer. It was a low-key event with a grill out/picnic, games with prizes and then a big bonfire. There was a parent/child hula hoop contest and potato on a spoon races. All the kids won bags of candy. My favorite game was the stilt race. The kids each “won” a bottle of soda pop when they reached the finish. Then they had adult stilt races where the prizes were bottles of beer. Needless to say, most adults participated in that race.

I am dusting off my Norwegian and finding it mostly in tact after being on the shelf for 14 months. August is starting to help me with my grammar and word selection, a bit dismissive and fussy about it in an “I’m embarrassed by my immigrant mommy” way, but helpful none-the-less.

My summer work is progressing nicely, but has hit a few snags. My large format printer (Epson 2200) has bit the dust. Bummer, I had planned to print lots of iPod drawings and pictures while here. My smaller all-in-one HP is out of cartridges and they cost 240 kr each (about $40). I think I’ll wait until I return to the US to do my printing. Other creative projects will pick up steam after the online course finishes this week. So far, my department chair duties have been manageable by email from afar. There is nothing like getting away to gain perspective on things.

I am still in something of an existential quandary about my creative work and this time away at my art retreat allows time and space to think. It takes a couple of weeks just to gather the clarity to form consecutive, topic related thoughts. This is really the only time of year that I have for great chunks of thinking time, uninterrupted by phone calls, chores, events and all the daily demands of modern life. Recently, I took a couple of tests online for Focus and Multitasking. I had a perfect score on ability to focus, but I couldn’t even complete the multitasking test. I guess I need to “defrag” my brain every summer.

August and I have been making little terrariums for hostess gifts and they are coming out quite nicely. I have been taking pictures of them and will post some soon. My Father-in-Law sold me his Nikon Macro lens for a really good price, so I have started collecting macro shots of the fjord flora and fauna.

Fjord Moods

2010-06-25T06:09:00.005-04:00

Laughter Yoga

2010-03-01T18:31:00.005-05:00

Last December I became a certified Laughter Yoga Leader. It was through a wonderful training taught by Sebastien Gendry of the American School of Laughter Yoga. I am a longtime student of the various forms of Hatha Yoga (Forrest, Bikram, Kripalu, Flow, etc.) and prefer to be a student. You see, I have this Professor role that I play in my professional life and it is quite a demanding part. Yoga class is the chance for me to be the student, to pay close attention and to follow instruction. It is my turn to be told what to do and how to do it. So, choosing to take the training and lead laughter sessions was not an easy decision. It is done and now I have led a few laughter groups. The results have been wildly positive.

While we were in Norway last year on sabbatical, I had what felt like a radical re-envisioning of my personal mission. My own creative production has been deeply gratifying to me throughout my life. It no longer feels like enough. It is no longer enough to be creative and joyful simply for my own pleasure. I need to stretch beyond somehow. Over time I have settled on the mission to share and spread creativity and joy to as many people as possible. This is an easy thing to accomplish with Laughter Yoga. It is a trickier thing to do with my University students. I have to help them prepare for high level professional work in addition to finding their source of creativity and joy – a much trickier proposition. I have been trying (with varying levels of success) to figure out how to make it more creative and joyful (without sacrificing the rigor). This is a challenge that I relish. I’m sure they’ll let me know how well I perform.

Back to the Laughter Yoga. I’d like to start a Laughter Club, but my schedule has prevented me from pursuing a location and committing to a day and time. For now I will schedule special Laughter sessions when able and on special request.

Jenny Holzer in the NY Times

2009-12-20T12:43:00.000-05:00

Domains - At Home With Jenny Holzer, the Artist - NYTimes.com

"I disappoint myself routinely. If you are an artist and you are honest, you are never good enough."

The Art Compact

2009-12-16T09:21:00.008-05:00

For some time, I have been struggling with the focus of my artwork. Mobile Misuse has been gratifying, but I have been driven by the urge to go deeper, to somehow make a comment on the difficult times that have come to pass – difficult on so many levels and for so many people. I am not the most articulate about these things, but I ponder climate and economy and wonder if the Earth might take my daughter’s life before she reaches old age. This is worst-case scenario thinking, of course. A hopeless vision, but one that I think could happen if humankind does not wake up.

I’ve been toying with an idea – an idea that is based on “The Compact” movement. These are people who, beginning in 2006, took an oath to not buy anything new for a year. The movement quickly gained fame and grew exponentially. It seems natural in these times to be attracted to these sorts of movements. So my version of this for the year 2010 is the Art Compact. I will buy nothing new for making art for the next year. No new equipment, materials, paper, colors, adhesives, paints, etc.
Basically the rules of the game are:

1. Don’t buy new products of any kind (from stores, web sites,...)
2. Borrow, barter, or buy used.

Goals of The Compact movement:

1. to go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socio-economic impacts of U.S. consumer culture, to resist global corporatism, and to support local businesses, farms, etc;
2. to reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-er);
3. to simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)

For my Art Compact I will work to use up the supplies that have accrued over years in my basement studio. I will figure out how to make good work using old, used, traded or free materials. I will write about and document the projects made and the materials used on this blog and my Flickr photo gallery.

Snow Day

2009-12-09T17:18:00.001-05:00

Making and Thinking...

2009-12-08T15:15:00.001-05:00

in preparation for writing...

Holiday Craft Session

2009-11-30T14:21:00.004-05:00

Pictures of things made with my daughter and niece while in Richmond, Virginia for Thanksgiving break.

More iPod Drawings in Process

2009-09-30T08:51:00.002-04:00

Same Old, Same Old

2009-09-28T09:07:00.003-04:00

I have a serious case of Blogger’s Block. After conscientiously and regularly keeping this journal for the past couple of years, I have been grappling with purpose and meaning. Actually, I have been struggling with purpose and meaning in the largest sense of the words. This blog has really been something that I do for myself, with the secondary aspect being for friends and family. There are themes that I ponder a lot these days; attention & focus, creative processes, the death of the planet (or humankind on an uninhabitable planet), and “what is my true life’s purpose?”

We have gone back to our “same old, same old,” but it can really never be quite the same once you have disrupted your life in such a large way. All three of my little nuclear family members have been altered, modified, transformed by the experience and it can never really be the same. Not that we want it to be, mind you. It means that we haven’t yet found a new foothold. We haven’t figured out a new way of being within the old structures.

Perhaps, this is the way I explore the topics that occupy me. I certainly feel better and more focused having written this. What a relief. Now press “Publish Post.”

Traveling Fool

2009-08-14T08:45:00.002-04:00

I am writing this post in Richmond, Virginia. I have been here for a week in order to help my sister take care of her husband – he has just had a liver transplant and is having an amazing recovery.

I have traveled more in the past year than at any other time in my life. The cities list reads as follows: Oslo, Copenhagen, Florence, Volda, Copenhagen, Volda, Stockholm, Lillehammer, New Haven, Richmond, Philadelphia, Princeton, Nags Head, and Richmond, again. I have only listed places I spent two or more nights and I may be forgetting someplace.

It has been a brilliant year. One of the side effects of all this travel is an odd sense of dislocation. No longer here or there, but somewhere in between. It’s almost like I could settle down anywhere I stopped along the way. My continuity has been continually broken – just when I get into a schedule and a rhythm – work, research, exercise, daily life – I am uprooted by car, train, plane, boat or bus. I have an eight-hour train ride back to New Haven tomorrow. I generally use this time to think, read, write, and reflect. Eight hours “by myself” – a rare thing, indeed. I will savor the time.

Distance gives an interesting perspective to your life. Though, I think I have had enough perspective and distance for a while and I long for a good six months or so without travel. I dream of an unbroken daily and weekly schedule – which, hopefully, will settle in at the end of this month when classes resume.

Wake, shower, coffee, breakfast, school/work, dinner, family, sleep and repeat. Mmmmm, it sounds lovely.

The Hybrid Book

2009-06-09T08:37:00.003-04:00

I am back from my last public presentation commitment for the academic year. I was on a panel at the Hybrid Book Conference at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. It was a satiating three days for a hungry visual artist. There were two exhibitions and a quite large artists’ book fair attached to the conference. The visual stimulation was overwhelming. My Pentax has died on me, so I have not a single picture to show for it.

I was the very last panel speaker for the event – a schedule I have had before at conferences. It’s a tough spot to be in. You never get relief from the performance anxiety that comes with public speaking. You have to follow everyone else – in some cases quite brilliant speakers. And finally, if anyone on your panel runs over their time, you get cut short. With all that said, I think it went well. My panel was called “The Reciprocity of Books and Digital Media.” I spoke about “the artistic subversion of mobile technologies in the creation of book-like experiences.”

I didn’t get to see much of Philadelphia, but the train station and arts district were impressive. I’m looking forward to getting to spend more time there at some point in the future. Well, it’s back to work – teaching an online class, continuing projects started on my sabbatical, finishing my daughter’s school year and all the other odds & ends that are begging for attention.

*The Amazon Kindling is by Rob Cockerham and Windell H. Oskay. You can read all about it here and see more images here.

Lux Et Veritas

2009-05-16T12:11:00.009-04:00

Yale Graphic Design MFA Exhibition 2009

I had the opportunity to visit the exhibition last Friday – the final day of the show. I was intrigued enough by the presentation of the work that I scrawled some notes that I thought I’d share.

Upon entering the exhibit, I encountered two shelves that were suspended from the ceiling and ran parallel to each other. These held the 16 thesis books that are required for the granting of the degree. Having seen quite a number of these over the years, I noticed a few things. The first is that services like Lulu and Blurb have enabled students to design and print copies of books with bindings that look as though they were professionally published. There were a few unique bindings. One, I recall, was an ordinary saddle-stitched pamphlet-bound book, but the pages had not been folded, so the spine was a big smooth curve. Nice. The overall impression of the book designs I had was a heavy Bruce Mau and Irma Boom influence. They had that S,M,L,XL or Life Style look about their interiors. I’ll be honest, I did not have time to deeply investigate the content of the books. It would have been nice to have a short, easily available abstract for each thesis.

The next room contained a single wall-sized video projection of the class working together on a production of sorts. Nicely done and again reinforced the collaborative or unified feeling of the exhibition. I think when you pass through this space again while leaving the show, it becomes a reinforcement of the collective nature of the endeavor.

Before entering the final and largest room in the show, you were advised to pick up a catalog at the top of the stairs. This last room is a large space that has a double height ceiling. It was filled with about 15 or so video projections running simultaneously. The projectors were hung in stacks from the ceiling and projected onto all four walls of the space. Each projection had a number beside it that corresponded to the catalog listings of works. There were soundtracks that overlapped and faded in and out, but this only added to and complemented the whole effect, rather than creating an overwhelming cacophony.

About half or more of the projections were shots of hands turning pages on book design projects. There were close up details of designs interspersed with hands on books turning pages. The book videos were shot upon a black background, which gave the projections an intriguing “knocked-out” or silhouette look. Several other projections had videos of monitors with screen-based or interactive works and several had people hanging posters or large format designs and then taking them away. The last few projections in the mix had live videos or motion graphics examples. The overall effect was mesmerizing. I sat on the floor for some time, so that I could just relax and take it all in. I was not inspired to go digging through the booklet to try and figure out who did what, however.

And this is where the exhibit became even more interesting to me. It was very hard to distinguish between one person’s work and another’s – from the moment you enter to the moment you exit. Actually, it becomes no easier with the catalog of thumbnails as a cheat sheet. The exhibition has an anonymous feel about it. It could easily be mistaken for an exhibition of the work from a NY or LA design firm, but I don’t think this is negative. Here’s why: Sixteen freshly minted designers came together to create an exhibition showcasing their work and instead of staking out the best wall or shelf space, they cooperated and collaborated at a level strangely beyond ego. I’m sure their meetings behind the scenes were stressful and difficult at times, but what comes across is a group of individuals that can put their needs aside from the needs of the group. Very impressive.

Yale Graphic Design MFA Exhibition Archive

The Journal of Artists' Books #25

2009-04-14T13:10:00.003-04:00

JAB 25 is available. This is the opening spread from the article I wrote – “I {heart} DIY CMYK (an homage)” – the issue looks great and as always, I just wish I was a better writer...

System ReBoot

2009-04-08T11:57:00.002-04:00

It will be QUIET around here a little longer as I ReBoot into an upGrade of my new/old life Operating System.

Last Oslo Edition of the Newsy News!

2009-03-30T12:57:00.003-04:00

Here it is. The last issue of PB’s Newsy News from Oslo, Norway. It was a bit squeezed in among the packing and moving, so I imagine the typos and grammar may be a bit fast and loose. I think I may keep publishing it as a once or twice yearly newsletter for friends and family – it has been quite fun to produce. Now to get to bed early for a long day of travels tomorrow.

Siste Gang (last time)

2009-03-27T09:06:00.003-04:00

Last time waking up in Flaskebekk.
Last time walking home from Nesoddtangen Skole.
Last time gazing out over the fjord.
Last time hearing the fog horns from the big ships.
Ha det bra “Bottle Creek.”

Storytelling Pictures

2009-03-22T05:10:00.003-04:00

I have uploaded photos of the Tactical Nomadic Storytelling Demo to Flickr.

Tactical Nomadic Storytelling

2009-03-09T10:32:00.002-04:00

Tactical Nomadic Storytelling
Pattie Belle Hastings

World Storytelling Day, March 20, 2009 (spring equinox)
Tactical Nomadic Storytelling will start at 6:30 pm (sunset)
at the Kunstnernes Hus and then depart for wanderings
and tellings around the city of Oslo.

Atelier Nord
Wergelandsveien 17, N-0167 Oslo Norway

TNS (for short) is an art project that combines live storytelling and props with mobile digital media (visual and audio). Pattie Belle Hastings is currently in residence at Atelier Nord creating a mobile storytelling projection unit and a series of short stories that combine video/animation, audio, mobile devices and live performance. These digital live art experiences are designed to be performed strategically and spontaneously at tram stops, T-Bane stations, corners, alleys, bathrooms - virtually any spot on the street or any unexpected place around Oslo.

It’s going to be quiet around here...

2009-03-05T04:07:00.006-05:00

for the next couple of weeks... I’m in residence at Atelier Nord and immersed in prototyping one of the projects I have been working on. As you can see I am surrounded by equipment, devices and cables - just the way I like it. :)

Info on the Project

Info on the Kunstnernes Hus (where Atelier Nord is located)

Six Months as a Fulbright

2009-02-24T09:30:00.007-05:00

My official time as a Fulbright scholar ended on February 15th. Some people have been curious about what I have been doing during the past 6 months, so I came up with a general list. It does not include paperwork, project proposals, studio and writing time, commuting by boat, family duties, family travel, or specific art projects. Some of those things are pretty well documented on my blogs. I will write more about the creative work when more pieces are closer to finished. There are many things upcoming and in process, including speaking at a conference in Philadelphia in June.

Fulbright Norway

Fulbright Orientation
August 25 & 26, 2008 at the
Nobel Institute

Fulbright Potlucks
Various

Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony
December 10, 2008

Fulbright Seminar & Ski Retreat
February 12-15, 2009

Lectures/Presentations

The Oslo School of Architecture and Design:

September 5, 2008
Lecture to PhD Program:
Art Practice as Research – Case Study: Cyborg Mommy

September 29, 2008
Lecture to Industrial Design Masters Program:
Identity and the Data Body

October 20, 2008
Lecture/workshop to PhD Program:
Research Aids: Web 2.0 applications for data collection and mind mapping

November 3, 2008
Lecture/workshop to PhD Program:
Blogging as a researcher, designer and educator

December 4, 2008
Research by Design, An AHO Research Seminar
The Mobile Manifesto: a work in process

March 23, 2008
Lecture to Interactive Design Masters Program,
Mobile Misuse: Tactical Nomadic Storytelling

University of Oslo:

GRIG - Guild for mixed reality integrators & generators (annual meeting)
A group of European artistic and cultural operators creating & researching mixed reality works that intertwine digital media & physical materials, objects & spaces.
Presentation on Mobile Misuse, Dec. 3, 2008

Høgskulen i Volda (Volda University College):

Ulsteinseminaret, December 8-9, 2008
Informasjonsutdanninga ved Avdeling for Mediefag
Interactive Design Education: The precarious balance between theory and practice
(seminar participation and presentation)

Smart Mobs and Mobile Media Workshop, January 20-22, 2009
Three day hands-on workshop for undergraduate students in the Media and Journalism program.

Artist’s Residency

Atelier Nord, March 2-20, 2009
Project production support for Tactical Nomadic Storytelling
“Atelier Nord is 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.”

Publications

Journal of Artists’ Books
“I (heart) DIY CMYK,” JAB25 (Spring 2009)
JAB25 focuses on offset printing, guest-edited by Tony White.

Blogs

Performing the Art
Mobile Misuse

Conferences/Workshops/Lectures Attended
(not including the ones at which I presented)

Intermedia, Universitetet i Oslo
September 25, 2008
Intermedia’s 10th Anniversary Celebration (lectures, posters, reception)

Transmedia Literacy and Identity Development
Jay Lemke at UiO, October 9, 2008

Social Web and Learning Conference
Universitetet i Oslo, October 16th, 2008
Keynotes: danah boyd and Neil Selwyn

Atelier Nord
Data Forensics in the Landscape (pictures)
November 6-8, 2008

Drawing Again

2009-02-23T07:03:00.006-05:00

When I work on projects that take weeks, months or years, I often long for some more immediate, tangible, creative outlet. During the past few months I have been wanting to draw again (partly inspired by rereading Annie Dillard’s books.) Not the life model, still life sort of drawing in which I was trained in art school, or the sketching of ideas in my notebook kind of drawing, but something that would develop out of my imagination over time. I picked up a foundation drawing book while we were in Stockholm and have been quite inspired from the simple start-from-the-beginning approach. This has coincided with the installation of a couple of free drawing applications on my iPod touch. I love the small size and the somewhat extreme limitations of the application I am using. Perhaps, if I am successful at this new outlet, I will fork over some money for a more sophisticated drawing application. For now, this is enough. They are crude (imagine drawing with your finger) and I am still exploring using only black & white, like those early years in design classes. Drawing anywhere and anytime. I like how this act of drawing on a mobile device ties in with the Mobile Misuse research and projects. This is so much fun. Don’t worry, I’m not letting it get in the way of those big projects that take forever...

Fulbright Ski Weekend

2009-02-16T05:45:00.004-05:00

What an amazing conclusion to my Fulbright residency in Norway. Last Thursday twenty of the Fulbright scholars and students gave 15 minutes presentations on their research and then we all attended a reception at the US Ambassador’s residence. It was quite a marathon day. The next morning we left Oslo in a deluxe tour bus that took us north of Lillehammer to Skeikampen.

Some went skiing (cross country and down hill), some went snow shoeing, some walking, some for massages, some went swimming and we all met up at meals and in the common areas. It gave us time to get to know each other better, a chance to celebrate and a chance to share our experiences of living and working in Norway. There were three kids in the group – two that are nine and one ten year old – one boy and two girls. The kids were inseparable – they went skiing together, played together, ate all their meals together and sat for hours on the bus together.

Now we are back in Flaskebekk and it is snowing. School is out this week for Winter vacation, but B has a work deadline, so we will be sticking close to home. There will be skiing and excursions in between the work hours. This week I am regrouping, preparing and planning for the last 5 weeks of my work here. I need to be organized and on top of things in order to complete one of my projects by March 20th. We are also trying to do a little planning for the move back. Preparing to leave is a melancholy thing, but there is no place like home...

Photos on Flickr

Telling time by ferries.

2009-02-09T02:41:00.002-05:00

The Princessen arrives at Flaskebekk Brygge (the dock here) at 8:05am. The DFDS slides by on it’s way into Oslo from Copenhagen at 9:15 am and the Colorline comes shortly after that from Kiehl, Germany. At about 3:15 pm the Colorline glides past on it’s way out of Oslo harbor and the DFDS follows at 5:15 pm. The Stena Line leaves Oslo harbor at about 6:30 pm on it’s way to Denmark. They are quiet. There is a low purr that I have come to recognize over time and I find I must look out to see the ship, just as I might look at the hands of a clock to reckon my hunch at the time.

Ferries in the Summer (2005 or 04?)

Ruminations

2009-02-06T02:34:00.004-05:00

I have been having the hardest time getting myself to write a blog post. Too much on my mind, too much to do and too much news. I need to focus on preparing my presentation for a Fulbright seminar next Thursday and then all the Fulbrighters are going on a ski weekend to Lillehammer. The trip to Stockholm was fantastic and I want to write about that. Projects are proceeding and I want to write about that. BUT the biggest news is that we have decided to go back to the US on March 31st. That’s right, in less than two months.

My official time as a Fulbrighter ends on February 15. We were unable to get approval from Norwegian Immigration for me to stay through the summer (long story that involves much paperwork and bureaucracy) and on the other side, US Immigration will require that B apply for a re-entry visa if he stays out of the country past June 12. A’s passport expires in May, which means that we would have to make several trips to the US Embassy to take care of more paperwork and bureaucracy. We have actually been through enormous amounts of paperwork and bureaucracy just to get through the Fulbright application process and to live here in Norway - comparable to what we went through for B’s US resident alien status 15 years ago. We are completely burned out on it. We are homesick and often lonely. A is really longing for her old life and her old school. I think we have all gotten what we came for from the experience... It has been a damn hard decision to make and we are very disappointed that we won’t get to spend the summer here, but we will get to do new and different things this summer...

I’m going to start on the final Norway edition of PB’s Newsy News when we get back from Lillehammer, so I will go into more detail in the newsletter.

OK. Gotta get back to work now. The hour glass has broken and the sand is pouring out much faster than we anticipated...

Long Weekend in Stockholm

2009-02-03T08:27:00.002-05:00

Great city, fun weekend, many pictures.

Three Days in Volda, Norway

2009-01-22T05:26:00.003-05:00

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

LOVE

2009-01-20T12:31:00.000-05:00

Farewell, Judith A. Hoffberg

2009-01-18T03:23:00.003-05:00

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

2009-01-12T11:21:00.005-05:00

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...

2009-01-07T06:08:00.004-05:00

“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

2009-01-04T09:19:00.002-05:00

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!

The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

2008-12-28T05:10:00.002-05:00

One of our favorite excursions while in Copenhagen was the The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. I have just uploaded the pictures to Flickr.

The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (Glypto-, from the Greek root glyphein, to carve and theke, a storing-place) is an art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. The collection is built around the personal collection of the son of the founder of the Carlsberg Breweries, Carl Jacobsen (1842-1914). The museum collections include classical Egyptian, Roman and Greek antiquities, Romanticist sculptures, and paintings, as well as Golden Age Danish art. The Etruscan collection is one of the most extensive outside Italy.

From Wikipedia

I need to start processing all the holiday pictures today. This week will be a time for reflection on 2008 and of planning for 2009. Right now I need to rest up from all the late nights and social events. It has been a marathon and it isn’t over yet.

The Christmas Newsletter

2008-12-22T05:47:00.004-05:00

There is a holiday tradition in the USA of the Christmas Newsletter. I used to think it was quite cheesy, but over time I have found myself enjoying the ones we receive so much that I have reconsidered the form. Here is my take on it. Perhaps this will become an annual thing even after we return... I can’t commit. Again, please forgive the typos - I crank these things out in less than a day.

Special Holiday Edition of PB’s Newsy News (360kb pdf)

Notes from a very busy December

2008-12-20T10:53:00.006-05:00

The past three weeks have sped by in a blur. The speed effect has to do with the amount of travel, obligations and deadlines that packed my schedule. It all started with midterm grant report deadlines on December 1 and then meetings, presentations and seminars at UiO and AHO on the 3rd and 4th. A restful Friday, then a Juleverksted* (Christmas workshop) with friends on Saturday and off to Volda to meet with Torill on Sunday. After two days of a seminar in Volda, I flew back and the next day attended the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. In between all these events, I received notice that a journal article I had written was being emailed for revisions and I had just over a week to turn it around. December 11th involved laundry, packing, gift wrapping and package mailing (to Virginia) before we left to take the Ship to Copenhagen. While in Copenhagen I got news that a conference proposal that I had submitted in late November had been accepted. We returned from Copenhagen Sunday, December 14th and I hit the ground running on article writing and final Christmas preparations. Done and Done. Phew! School is out and we are all three officially on holiday. The only thing left to do is the grocery shopping for the Christmas celebrations.

In the background of all this, B’s mom has been very ill and my mom has just had her 4th surgery on her hip. It’s going to be a strange holiday this year and we are planning as many social engagements as possible to keep from getting homesick and fretting too much.

*Juleverksted: any combination of making cookies, cards, presents, wrapping, or festive foods, etc.

Christmas in Copenhagen

2008-12-18T12:23:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we took the boat (DFDS) to Copenhagen. Tivoli was dressed in a brightly lit Christmas market and the entire city was even more charming than in the summer. One of my favorite excursions was the Glypotek - I’ll try to post the Glypotek pictures tomorrow. I finally bought another cable for my camera so that I could download pictures so I have a bit of a backlog...

The Peace Prize Ceremony

2008-12-11T03:31:00.002-05:00

Nobel Peace Prize Celebrations

I have uploaded my few decent shots to Flickr from the ceremony yesterday, but I don’t have time to describe the event right now. We’re off to København (Copenhagen) this afternoon and I have presents to wrap & ship to Virginia and packing... I will have much to tell when we return Sunday - it has been a very busy and productive time lately.

The Ferry Life

2008-11-30T07:55:00.003-05:00

The kiosk on the ferry from Nesoddtangen to Oslo.

Pilgrim at Bottle Creek

2008-11-23T10:42:00.005-05:00

We ran a couple of errands yesterday and went by the library to check out some movies for the weekend. There is a free bookshelf outside the main entrance to the library and we always scan the shelves before we leave. Bjørn spotted an old treasure, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. It seemed serendipitous to me, so I took it.

I don’t often re-read books, so revisiting Tinker Creek has been a delightful reawakening of thoughts and senses long left to atrophy. My 47 year-old artist self is reconnecting with my 22 year-old artist self. A difference of 25 years. A quarter of a century. This was one of those books that you were expected to read as an artist of that period and most definitely required if you were an art student.

I have only gotten as far as the first couple of chapters and already my sense of sight is renewed. I see everything differently – finer grained, more in focus, macro and micro. My perspective is once again altered. Everything seems more precious and fragile and fleeting than even a day ago. How amazing that a few pages of text can do that to me. The language is rich with complexity and imagery. It is no wonder that it won a Pulitzer.

The content of the book seems so much more urgent and important as we witness scientific discussions about climate change and attempt to do our own small part to help. It also seems prescient when so many of us have given over our lives to devices and hardly take time to gaze beyond the screen. The Tinker Creek kind of detailed concentration and focus of observation is impossible when the cell phone is ringing. Perhaps it is even impossible simply with the device in your pocket – a sliver of consciousness and concentration always diverted.

To be continued…

Annie Dillard (official site)

Tinker Creek images on Google

PB’s Bottle Creek

All the news that’s fit to PDF

2008-11-17T10:21:00.003-05:00

PB’s Newsy News (300kb pdf)

I’ve been a bit delinquent on the words about life in Norway to go along with the pictures of life in Norway, so I cranked out this newsletter for friends and family today and sent it off by email, so please be forgiving of typos and bad grammar.

A Spoof Too Good Not To Post

2008-11-13T07:42:00.000-05:00

The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia

The Invitation

2008-11-10T02:47:00.002-05:00

Data forensics [in the landscape]

2008-11-06T01:28:00.003-05:00

For the next three days I will be here:

Data forensics [in the landscape]

A practical workshop with Martin Howse and Julian Oliver.

With an emphasis on the active construction of hardware and software apparatus, the Data forensics workshop will apply practical tools, techniques and theory to analyse [un]intentional data emissions within the city of Oslo.

Happy Happy Day

2008-11-05T02:52:00.005-05:00

Need I say more? How shall we celebrate today?

Self Portrait in the City (Oslo)

2008-11-03T07:52:00.002-05:00

Self Portrait in the City (Oslo), originally uploaded by PB Hastings.

har det bra...

2008-11-03T04:36:00.000-05:00

I am so sad over this news.

Qba

2008-10-31T09:45:00.003-04:00

Qba, originally uploaded by Jon Olav.

Chatting with Andrew, Synne and Jon Olav after a day of working at AHO.

Earlier this week...

2008-10-31T04:24:00.003-04:00

I posted pictures of the first snow on Flickr. What a surprise to wake up to... It’s gone now, but is was fun for a day.

The Commute

2008-10-28T05:23:00.004-04:00

Ferry time in Oslo is like train time in New England. Time to have a bite, get a little work or reading done, and time to prepare for a day in the city.

I am doing better. I had a good cry and moved on. As if life wasn’t complicated and expensive enough, a tree fell in our New Haven yard and damaged our neighbor’s property. We are trying to deal with that from afar. B may have to fly back this week to help take care of it... No one was hurt - that’s the important thing.

My work is coming along nicely. I have various project, conference and exhibition proposals due this week. I’m excited by the prospects of these new projects and I will be more descriptive when details are a bit firmer.

Yesterday I mailed 1 small package and 7 letters. The total postage came to 240kr - that’s $35 in today’s exchange rate. The postage amounted to much more than the actual value of the contents. Ah, well, back to work.

Worry Knot

2008-10-23T04:46:00.010-04:00

I think I’m finally putting my finger on it. I have been experiencing an on again off again anxiety since our trip to Italy. I have been dismissing it as basic displacement, but I think it is more complicated than that. In that time, I have been glued to the US newspapers and news sites, reading every item on the collapse of the economy and the 2008 election. The Fulbright organizations are thorough and clear, in their forms and orientation materials, about the ups and downs that scholars go through in their moves to other countries. They are also specific on the process and methods of extracting scholars from countries that enter into civil war or a similar crisis. There wasn’t anything in the documents about crisis in your own country, or state, or neighborhood. We simply look on from afar.

The news for New Haven is bleak. As our current Mayor said, when the state of Connecticut gets a cold, New Haven gets pneumonia. Right now it looks like Connecticut has a cold that is becoming a sinus infection. My friends and family are OK. No one is losing their house or job, yet (that I know of…) But their businesses are affected and I worry. Our bank and mortgage company have changed hands and I worry. We are 10 days away from the most important election in decades and I worry. Transition to another country is difficult for all members of my family and I worry. Just taking a family of three to the movies here is about $100 and I worry.

I also think about Dad. We are approaching the one year anniversary of his death and it occupies my mind. I’m glad that I will be far away at Thanksgiving. I need the distance and solitude to process this grief.

So here’s my strategy: A total news fast. I don’t know if it will help or work, but it will free up a goodly chunk of time that I can use for something else (yoga, meditation, art, cleaning…) I also plan to have a really good cry. Maybe now.

Sunday Hikes

2008-10-21T03:31:00.001-04:00

I have added new pictures to the Sunday Hikes set on Flickr.

The Hair Cut

2008-10-17T04:05:00.010-04:00

There is a part of downtown Oslo called Grönland that consists of mostly Indian, Pakistani and Middle Eastern shops and businesses. We had other errands in that part of town one day when I saw some barbershops advertising women’s cuts for 150 kroner (about $25). I’ve been dreading getting my hair cut here. The typical salon price for a cut (no color, etc.) is about 600 kroner (almost $100). I thought I might have to go for a year or so without getting a cut, but then I thought I’d give one of these shops a try. I picked one at random (eek) and went in. He knew no English, so we used a little hand gesturing and Norwegian and managed to get what I needed across.

I went into the Indian sweet shop next door to get a samosa and a homemade kulfi popsicle to eat while I waited my turn. I was clearly the most exotic thing to ever come into the shop for a cut, but after a while the men just went about their business chatting in hindi or urdu or something. He was like Edward Scissorhands - compulsively snipping with the scissors, even when there was no hair involved. There was no styling, lotions, mousses, or shampooing and when I left, my hair was not looking it best. I knew I had to give a condition and a wash to find out the true results. You be the judge.

Haircut and dinner - total cost = 185 kroner ($30) - that is a real deal in Oslo! Actually, that would be a pretty good deal in New Haven.

A Room with a View

2008-10-14T03:51:00.006-04:00

No matter how difficult things seem at times, the location of our sanctuary bathes us in peace and tranquility. You can breathe it in and the quietude flows through your veins. I felt a stream of calm rise over me as I walked home from the bus last night and I gazed out over the water. Every time I look out a window of this house, I smile and take a deep breath. When I woke at seven this morning, it was still dark and the full moon was hanging over the far shore of the fjord. Bright yellow. Just floating there. I thought, “Should I wake everyone to see this?” No. I kept it to myself. I let them sleep.

Bottle Creek Sunsets

Official Business

2008-10-09T03:15:00.003-04:00

Well, it’s official - my page is finally up on the University of Oslo site:

Pattie Belle Hastings - InterMedia

The Nobel Peace Prize...

2008-10-07T11:02:00.001-04:00

The Fulbright Norway office gets 5 or so tickets to the Peace Prize Ceremony every year and they have a lottery among all the grantees. I GOT ONE!!! So, I will be attending this years' ceremony! The winner(s) will be announced on October 10th.

The Nobel Peace Prize – The award ceremony

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in a solemn ceremony in the Oslo City Hall on December 10. Seated on the podium are the Laureate, the Nobel Committee and its permanent secretary. Maintaining a tradition that goes back to 1905, the ceremony is attended by members of the Royal Family. The rows of seats behind the Royal Family are occupied by representatives of the Government, the Storting, the Corps Diplomatique and other specially invited guests.

Firenze

2008-10-07T05:23:00.005-04:00

I have uploaded the pictures from the trip to Florence and it already seems a distant dream. We visited the Uffizi, the Duomo, Palazzo Pitti, the Boboli Gardens, Pisa, Fiesole, and much more. There are no pictures allowed in the Ufizzi and the exterior corridor was under construction, so I did not take pictures there except for one sign.

I will get around to adding descriptions to the photos - eventually. The problem with taking so many photos is that you really have to stay on top of editing and uploading or you quickly get behind. I have also uploaded pictures from our visit to the Folk Museum in Oslo a couple of weeks ago - when Nick was here. And I have more to edit and upload - Sunday walks, more commute, Intermedia, etc.

We are back and...

2008-10-05T05:58:00.005-04:00

thoroughly exhausted from walking and looking at art, design, architecture, archeology, and antiques for 5-10 hrs per day. We filled our eyes with the Renaissance - Botticelli, Leonardo, Michaelangelo, etc. A. kept up with us the whole time as we dragged her on buses, trains, taxis, etc. We had a very good time, but it seems weird to be coming back to Norway instead of New Haven. There’s actually a New York Times article today about our street in New Haven. There are lots of pictures and descriptions of all lovely neighbors and I even get a brief mention in one of the paragraphs. Reading it makes me homesick and a bit lonely...

While we were in Florence would do the sites by day and after August fell alseep about 9 or so, we would turn on BBC World News and watch the US unravel. In the past week or so our mortgage company (Washington Mutual) has gone under and now our bank (Wachovia) is either being taken over by Citigroup or Wells Fargo. Being this far away is a bit scary and impotent - what can we do? what do we need to do? what happens if...?

Today, I’m restoring order in the house for back to school and back to work week. I’ll do a blog post on Italy with pictures in the next couple of days and another on Italians and their cell phones on the Mobile Misuse Blog - what a trip...

Writing does not come easily to me…

2008-09-26T06:50:00.004-04:00

Concepts, pictures, visuals, narratives and ideas flow through my mind at a pretty consistent pace, but transferring that flow into a river of sentences, paragraphs and pages is a struggle. Yet, I keep trying.

I have sent off a draft of an article that I have been working on. I feel a bit of relief, a bit of weight lifted off my shoulders and now I can turn my attention back to “all things mobile.”

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary celebration of InterMedia at the University of Oslo, which included a series of lectures, a poster session and a reception with speeches. It was a good introduction to the history and politics of the organization. It was a very long day and I met so many people – I hope I remember some of the names. I also got to spend some time with Rolf Steier, the other Fulbrighter studying mobile devices. It was very good to compare notes and share common and uncommon experiences.

After I pick up A from school today, we will take the ferry to Oslo to play with some other Fulbright kids. She’s been having a bit too much of the new girl experience – not getting picked as a partner for sports and games, being left out at recess, and everyone else already has plans after school. The teacher even intervened yesterday – I guess he saw A sitting on her rock at recess a few too many times. He spoke to the class in general terms about being the new person and what that might feel like… not mentioning names directly, but there is only one new kid in the class. She is actually handling it quite well.

We are off to Florence, Italy next week for the autumn school holiday. A and I have never been to Italy and we are thrilled. It will be nice to get away for a little bit and reflect on the reflection. Of course I’ll be observing Italian mobile usage while we’re there… in between the art, pasta, gelato and art. Oh, I already said “art,” didn’t I. ;)

Art, art, art, art, art...

Bizzee

2008-09-19T05:41:00.005-04:00

Watch out! There’s a documentary filmmaker in the house... Nick (aka Captain Planet) is here to visit for a few days and he seems to think that this is some disturbing reality television show...

This is going to be short because I have an article due by the end of next week, company (yay!), the usual complexities of life in another country & my work/research... More on all of that later - after the article is finished.

I have been posting more pictures to Flickr:

The Fulbright Rooftop Potluck
More pics of life at AHO
And the Changing of the Guard

Sunday Hikes

2008-09-12T03:35:00.005-04:00

The weather is cool and the Birch tree leaves are just beginning to turn yellow. Research, writing, designing, school, and soccer are the skeleton on which we build the flesh of our life. We have started a new family tradition of hiking on Sundays. This past Sunday we went on a hike that lead to an old farm owned and run by the community. It has trails, pastures, sheep, and horses. The buildings have been renovated and are used for school trips and events. A’s class had hiked there a couple of weeks ago.

Inside the farmhouse they were selling Norwegian style pancakes that are served with jam and coffee or juice. Outside the farmhouse they two had crafts for kids/grown ups. Kids could makes their own jump ropes by twisting colorful fabrics together. A. made one and then we both made felted wool hearts with colorful loose wools - I have to remember this felting technique for the Westville ArtWalk - it would be perfect.

I’ve posted pictures. My camera batteries died during jump rope making, so I didn’t get pictures of the lovely felted hearts and the people carrying baskets of edible wild mushrooms they had found in the forest.

Technical Difficulties...

2008-09-10T02:48:00.004-04:00

When I canceled the AT&T/Yahoo DSL at the New Haven house for the year, I didn’t realize that there would be online account repercussions that would come back to haunt me. I have been slowly moving everything over to my Gmail account for a few years now, but left out 2 very important address changes - my Amazon account and my Yahoo login. When my old email address disappeared from existence about 24 hours ago, Amazon simply required a completely new account - no options. Now I am Tabula Rasa to Amazon - no book recommendations, no account history, no wish list. The bigger problem is my Yahoo ID. I hadn’t really put it together in my head that this was attached to my Flickr account. When I went to upload new pictures yesterday I was locked out. I was sent over and over to the Yahoo login page. I have sent a request to Flickr customer support, but it is unclear how long it may take to resolve this... So it may be a while before I can show you some new pictures from our expat life... bummer. I just hope there isn’t anything else I have forgotten with that address... hhmmmm...

Commuter Visions

2008-09-04T11:20:00.001-04:00

Just uploaded more pictures of my commute in and around Oslo.

Genius Loci*

2008-09-03T04:28:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I met with Andrew and other interesting scholars/professors at The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO). The building evokes creative experimentation, reuse, recycling, growth... The spaces inside feel and smell and look like an architecture & design school - reminds me very much of the art schools I have attended and taught at - makes me feel at home. This place has lots of interesting minds to bounce ideas off of, collaborate with and get to know.

*Genius Loci

The Fubright Begins

2008-08-29T02:25:00.004-04:00

This past Monday and Tuesday I attended orientation for the Norway Fulbright grantees. There are 28 of us - 14 scholars and 14 graduate students - the largest group of Norwegian Fulbrights to date. It was a chance to get to meet each other and the staff of the Norway Fulbright office in addition to learning loads of information about our host country.

As it turns out, at least two of my Fulbright colleagues are blogging the experience:

Lauren has an excellent summary of the entire orientation on her blog:

...when Norwegians lose some of their shy tendencies to make new friends (not in class, at work, or on the t-bane), what I can do to beat the winter blues without eating all the Freia chocolate products (which I already love!)...

And Kathee touches on the formal reception that was given in our honor:

...After the reception, Anne Kjelling, the Head Librarian of the Nobel Institute, gave us a tour of the building. She focused on the room where the Nobel committee deliberates and explained the process to us...

It was quite inspiring and humbling to be in the atmosphere of the Nobel Institute for two days. The whole range of emotions flowed through the days from elation and excitement to fear and inadequacy. I mentioned these feelings of inadequacy to one of the Norwegians that I met at the reception. He had been a Fulbright scholar in the US decades ago. I was anticipating having to go to the podium in front of the entire audience and announce myself. When I expressed my disbelief that I was worthy of this honor, he looked at me with a big smile and said “You sound just like a Norwegian.”

I have uploaded a few pictures of the Nobel Institute.

New Pictures Posted

2008-08-27T04:16:00.008-04:00

I have uploaded many new pictures to Flickr:

Flaskebekk Sommerfest 2008

Life in Bottle Creek (new ones added to this set)

The Commute (new ones added to this set)

The picture above is a dessert plate that “A” made for us on our anniversary.

Life at Bottle Creek

2008-08-22T15:27:00.002-04:00

We are squeezing out every last bit of Summer... and here are the pictures to prove it. What a magical place and a magical year*...

*That doesn’t mean that uprooting your family and relocating to another country has been easy, there are difficult moments - fortunately, we don't all have them at the same time (yet.)

15 Years

2008-08-21T02:40:00.006-04:00

Fifteen years since we married and fifteen years since my first trip to Norway. Two complex, creative types, joined in legal matrimony, recognized by most governments. I don’t think anyone thought we would make it this long (including us at times), but somehow we have made this relationship work. It has grown into a very fine and creative partnership. I adore this man. I won’t go into the whole mushy list of his fine points. I’ll just say that I am a very lucky (and grateful) woman. The side benefit, of course, has been all these visits to Norway. I lost count of them years ago... Happy Anniversary, Sweetie.

Yearbook

2008-08-19T13:53:00.008-04:00

I couldn’t help myself, everybody else is doing it...

I don’t know who this is but she looks very smart and wise beyond her years.

These two are definitely my sisters Harriett Ann and Billie Jo.

First day of school...

2008-08-18T14:07:00.009-04:00

Yes, that is a big happy grin on that sweet face running toward me. We could not have hoped for a better first day. “A” was very nervous yesterday and especially this morning and as usual, expressed it in her own articulate way. She said that she was both excited and scared, happy and worried. But her father and I were far more anxious than she was, though we could not let on. I burst into tears when we left her at the school.

Her teacher speaks Ny Norsk, which is a dialect from the west coast and she didn't seem to have any problem with it. But then again, why would she when she understands Swedish & Danish? She spoke Norwegian to her classmates and her teacher today - that was the thing she was most nervous about - and she met lots of girls in the class that she likes. We are so proud of her and thrilled that she has done so well with all of this change, transition and dislocation for the year. This afternoon she said that she couldn't wait to go to school tomorrow... she has never, ever, said that, ever... Fingers are crossed that school continues to go well...

Ahhhhhhh, weight lifted, now I can really get back to work...

August Here... and There

2008-08-14T11:20:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow will mark two weeks in the Bottle Creek House. It seems as if we have lived here for years. The plums are ripening on the tree and are some of the sweetest most delicious I have tasted. The trick is to get to them before the birds do (they got most of the cherries.) B. thinks that the pears are going to be very good, but they have another month or more on the tree before they are ripe. The apples are coming in but they are not the best in flavor or texture.

This is the time of year that we are flying back and settling into New Haven life – seems very odd not to be leaving. Our arrival back on West Rock Avenue usually signals to our neighbors the coming end of summer and a communal melancholy sets in… how will they know now? ;)

Structure is slowly coming back into our lives. Next week A. starts school and I start regularly commuting into Oslo for my project. Last Friday I made my first “test commute” to meet with Andrew and Synne, my colleagues from UiO and AHO. I stopped by the craft store on Karl Johan’s Gate to pick up a few items I needed to complete some button necklaces. We had our preliminary meeting in a Mexican restaurant in Grünerløkka.

We also did something very Norwegian this week – we drove to Sweden to stock up on groceries. By our calculations we saved several hundred dollars (even factoring in gas and tolls.) The weather has been gray, cool, and rainy for the past eleven days or so. This afternoon turned warm and sunny so I am taking advantage of some of our outdoor spaces by writing this post on the front porch overlooking the fjord.

Pictures posted:
Newly made button necklaces
My Commute (the beginning of an ongoing series)
Odds & Ends

Things I miss:
The Sunday Farmer’s Market in Westville
Sushi (my homemade & restaurant)
Target
Talking to my friends & family (all the time... anytime...)

Being a Tourist

2008-08-05T03:53:00.006-04:00

The temperatures have dropped back down to 20˚c (68˚ F) from 30˚c (86˚ F). We have enjoyed a number of tourist/cultural experiences over the past couple of weeks:

Oscarsborg Festning where the Norwegian Army tried to defend Oslo from the Nazi invasion. (Pictures Here)

The Botanical Gardens (Pictures Here)

The Zoological Museum (Pictures Here)

Beaching with friends on islands in the Oslo fjord

A few of the things I am beginning to miss:
Coffee to Go (just too damn expensive here...)
Meeting my girlfriends for coffee at Deja Bru or Lena's
Silk Soy Creamer
Take out food (again, just too expensive...)
Trader Joe’s
Food Labeling (I should write a whole post about this...)

Even with the incredible circumstances we have found ourselves in, at times I feel completely and utterly overwhelmed by the undertaking. I try to keep this in mind with A & B, as well, and I am trying to be extra kind and understanding.

Living in “Bottle Creek”

2008-08-02T05:55:00.002-04:00

We are getting settled in to the rental house and we are back online.

NYFA

2008-07-14T05:39:00.002-04:00

Sunday 6.13.08: We are finally settling into a rhythm here. On most days I work on my projects in the morning and then head to the beach in the afternoon to take A swimming. I read, think and do yoga while she swims and plays with her friends. Today it has been gray and sprinkling, so instead I have been working on website, resume and project proposal updates.

Much of what I have been changing was suggested to me in a private consultation in early June with one of the staff members of NYFA, Christa Blatchford. NYFA Live offers a few slots every month for these artist consultations and I had been longing to participate for some time. I booked this June time slot back in January or February. By the time my appointment had arrived, I had applied for four different grants related to the Mobile Misuse project and I had heard positively from Fulbright and had been listed as an alternate for the American-Scandinavian Foundation (I have since received funding from them for this project.) The consultation was very helpful and worth every penny of the $45. I highly recommend taking advantage of this service.

While I conduct a very similar service for my students in the Senior Portfolio class, I find it extremely difficult to look at my own “packaging” from the inside. So, during this hour-long consultation, you get to pick the brains of a staff member (often also an artist) of one of the main arts granting organizations in the US. I had prepared and printed previous grant proposals, my CV, artist’s statements, and my website. I was given concrete, specific suggestions and advice from the actual writing of proposals and statements to the organization of my website. Fortunately, I recorded this rich session on my iPod and have been listening to it in order to catch the details that I had forgotten. I have finally had the time to make the changes suggested to the website, but revising the resume and Mobile Misuse statement will take a bit longer. I have, however, made quite a bit of progress on both of those items, as well.

København 08

2008-07-14T05:33:00.006-04:00

I have posted pictures of the annual “vacation from our vacation”.

Settling In..

2008-07-06T07:59:00.003-04:00

It’s time to add some words in addition to the pictures I have posted. The first week was spent taking care of many errands and loose ends, although we have managed to fit in a fair amount of socializing. Day 2, with jet lag and all, we visited the two candidates for A’s school & picked one. I think it will be a very good year for her and the school has a teacher that is solely devoted to the students with Norwegian as a second language. Everyone was so friendly and inviting, especially one of the headmasters, Jostein. One of the parents even approached us as we headed to the car to speak with us and welcome us – very Edgewood.

This week has been “the beach vacation” – with days of excellent weather strung together. The water in the fjord is still quite cold, but every hot, sunny day warms it up a bit. Here are some beach pictures.

Price Report

There is the inevitable sticker shock on entry into Norway. Most prices for food, clothing, objects, technology, etc. are two to three time what we are used to paying in the US. For instance a small latte at the Kaffe Kroken in Vinterbro Mall is $5.25. A 6” Subway sandwich at the same mall is $8-12.00 (B reports that the Subway has already gone out of business.) The Burger King at the same mall sells a chicken baguette sandwich for $15.00. The Norwegian food shops are priced similarly. Yes, we mostly eat at home.
American/English magazines (where you can find them) cost the same as a standard hardcover book in the US ($25.) Gas is averaging 13.5 Kroner per liter – about $10 per gallon. Fortunately, the house we have rented allows me to commute to the Universities by ferry and tram. A & B never have to leave the neighborhood if they wish. The school is within walking distance, as well as shops, a post office and the ferry terminal. More on the new neighborhood once we move in. Posts will become more regular when we move into the rental house – we’ll have broadband. ☺

Berry Report

Not a good year for the berries. It seems that there was quite a drought here this spring and the berries have paid the price. The wild strawberries are tiny, unripe and far fewer than usual, but they are starting to revive a bit and are very tasty. Many of the blueberry bushes are brown and dry. The ones that aren’t burned to a crisp have no berries on them at all. B says that there are some down the hill – I’m not sure how they were spared. The raspberries are in the worst shape. They appear to be nowhere near ripening and many have dried hard and brown on the bush. There will be a few here and there, but not the big bowls of raspberries that we are used to. The red and black currents have also been affected, but they are starting to ripen and we grab handfulls to munch on our way back from the beach.

We are all settling in nicely and making lots of new friends. My head is having a hard time getting around the idea that we don’t have to go back to the US in August. Strange and exciting.

Hytte Liv 08

2008-06-27T12:17:00.002-04:00

Pictures of the hytte – post renovation.

Fulbright

2008-06-27T05:34:00.002-04:00

Fulbright Scholars in Norway for 08/09

Our Norwegian Summers

2008-06-17T11:58:00.008-04:00

I thought I’d post a link to the photo galleries from previous summers. We have found a great house for the academic year & I will post photos of that when we move in mid-August. Until then, we will be at the hytte. I can’t wait...

Train Travel

2008-05-29T09:21:00.007-04:00

I spent the weekend in a haunted house. Well, not so much “spooky haunted” as “sentimental haunted.” A. and I took the train down to Virginia last weekend. We stayed in the room that was my father’s – the room that he spent much of the last two years of his life in and the room in which he died. All the pictures in the house look different to me now. When I look at pictures of my father as a child or a young man, I have a completely different view of them. Gazing upon these images brings feelings to the surface ranging from sadness to fear – sadness that he is no longer here and fear that is brought on by the recognition of my own mortality.

I am shifted into an alternate existence when I visit the place I was raised – like a planet in retrograde moving backwards through space and time, reflecting, reminiscing, and losing myself completely in memory. We got back on Monday. It was a long train journey with delays from Virginia to Connecticut. It has taken me two days to readjust – two days to move back to the point I was located before I left. I am here...

Just three and a half weeks until A. and I leave for Norway and there are 1 million tasks undone.

Kabaret

2008-05-05T14:19:00.003-04:00

A post from the fjord 5 years ago: Reke Kabaret

Vital Records

2008-05-05T12:59:00.007-04:00

Passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates, forms, paperwork, everything notarized in duplicate or triplicate...

If you are planning to live in another country for a period over three consecutive months, then you must go through the immigration department of that country. So, as in the case of my upcoming year in Norway, I am going through the process of filling in forms and proving that I will not become a burden on the Norwegian government. This means collecting documentation of my current employment, the Fulbright grant offer, that I have a place to live, and that the university (UiO) truly wants me there (among other things). It is quite time-consuming, but I am sure it will be worth it. And, unlike when we went through this with my husband’s immigration to the US, there are no questions on the Norwegian forms asking if I have ever been a member of the Communist party or if I have ever attempted to overthrow a government. (I don’t know if the forms still ask those questions...)

At the same time that I’m completing all of this paperwork, I’m finishing out the school year (this is finals week), collecting books, materials, software, and equipment to help me with my art and research while I’m in Oslo. We are packing our winter clothing for next year, arranging for our mail to be collected and sent to Norway, as we watch the airline ticket prices climb higher every day. We can’t really purchase our airline tickets until we know that the paperwork for the residency visa will arrive in a timely manner.

I am going to keep a journal of the whole Oslo/Norway/Fulbright experience on this blog so that my family and friends can follow along during our stay. I have done this before during our summer visits on my previous blog and uploaded a lot of image galleries before Flickr became so popular. I’ll probably use Flickr and YouTube for pictures and videos this year.

End of the Semester

2008-04-23T13:53:00.007-04:00

Next week is the last week of classes and then Finals week. Light at the end of the tunnel. Then, then, then... a full year of research and art making. The thought just makes me smile. No course preps, no advising, no student meetings – not that I don’t enjoy my teaching – I’m just not sure what it will be like – NOT multitasking and squeezing the thought and art in between the multitude of tasks. I’ve started reading anthropology and mobile books to ease into the work to come, but I am really looking forward to large chunks of uninterrupted time to focus on this line of research and making.