120520. Improvise Combustion&Strange. Day 1.

Improvise Combustion is a group show organized by member Chris Mendoza, featuring a collection of collaborations and new work by Michael Miyahira aka Mike Ming, Kenji Hirata, Pablo Power, & Naomi Kazama.

Improvise Combustion is a show concept to liken the visual medium to a group jazz ensemble. It is a week long studio session of soloists to perform as a single form, a band unit, similar to the work of great improvisational musicians. For this particular session, it is an opportunity for the artists to re-unite and re-ignite collaborative connections. The end result is an opening featuring the mural canvas, or perhaps the bands melodies and rhythms, as the rest of the gallery space is transformed to the soloist's moods and collaborations. These artists are old friends from different parts of the world, and are only able to connect because of travel timing. Some are friends from childhood, having a connection of roots that run deep, having shared experiences and the support of each other over a long period of time, but sometimes only separated in physical proximity and time. Despite a decade of collaborating, somehow in all this time, this particular group has never individually fully connected to concert a single collaborative show concept, until now. This show is about unity, society and true collaboration. There is no head or tail but rather like an organic landscape, a sound-scape and visual-scape that embraces and connects to create and unfold a story of improvising magicians unleashing and expressing for the sake of creating. This is the story of atoms colliding and energy bursting creating chaotical in the midst of controlled expressions, ultimately, an 'Improvise Combustion'. The Show will run from 05.26.2012 to 06.13.2012 @154 Smart Clothes, 164 Suffolk Street Between Houston and Stanton in beautiful Lower East Side Manhattan. NYC Opening will be on Saturday, May 26. 7 pm until 10 pm. Finally Naomi and Strange are on a live screen printing tour, and will set up outside "Improvise Combustion" for some unique live screen printing. Strange will be performing from 1 pm until 6 pm on both Saturday May 26th and Sunday May 27. Strange is a live screen printing group that offers to create unique images from either provided templates or 'experimental creations' from the master hands of Naomi to create on-the-fly designs. It is $10 per 'pull'/screen on your favorite clothing item or $40 with provided 100% cotton shirts sourced and created for Strange. 1% of profits of the shirts will also go to the planet. Thank you for reading. ALL GOOD IN THE HOOD,

120518. Strange US Tour.

Strange live silk screening performance is HERE!
Strange is kicking off the event at Colab at Atlantic Ave between nevins and 3rd avenue in brooklyn! 5-8 pm only!!

Strange will continue on to Mo's Bar in Ft. Greene on the corner of lafayette and s.portland tomorrow during the Havana Outpost Block Party! 12-7!

Bring your shirts, fabrics to be screened on and/or your curiosity! Don't forget your cash and good vibes! Watch as the magic of Strange transforms any ordinary article of fabric into visual magic!

More updates to proceed!!!

Thank you.

120518. Thursday Events.

Thursday saw a bunch of events by happenings. Two of which I was able to attend.

A poetry event at Nepenthes NY. It was the first time for me to see poetry on the walls as exhibition. It was also a reading performance event as well. I hope you can forgive
Me.. I m terrible with new names and I dont have all the proper informacion but, dear reader, I can tell you some info I DO remember...
www.newyorknewwave.com
www.nepenthesny.com

Also at nepenthes was a pop up shop by new fashion clothier sensation, Batten Sportswear from Brooklyn. Guaranteed to make a splash for a long time!

In SOHO that very same night was a book signing by fellow artist, Mike Scalisi, mentioned in last blog, at RRL. It was a fabulously festività event packed with admireres, fans, friends and colleagues. Congratulations, Mike! You smashed it last night!

After all that, dinner with friends at bFlat, the underground food and spirits establishment with killer drinks and a crusher teriyaki burger.

A great night indeed.

120517. Follow Me

My good friend, Mike Scalisi, has self published a photobook titled, "Follow Me". Tonight, there is a special opening reception for him at RRL Soho.

You could only find this book in RRL store in LA but now, it will be available in NY!! There is an article written about Mike in Vanity Fair. Please check it.
The book is about a man's journey to lose his 'self' on a trip across the country to find himself.

This book was shot entirely on film, on location with medium format camera. A very interesting book and very rich. Full of landscape to get lost in. A dynamic visual statement.

120428. Brooklyn Boulders & Mike Ming

There are two new tee shirts and two new paintings for Brooklyn Boulders' newly realized store front. Please check it!

120420. Tribeca NY Footie Festival

Got an email recently from my friend, Jeff Saunders. Saturday sees the 2nd annual NYFEST ( film and entertainment soccer tournament) withe the Triebca Film Festival. Bring the kids out to participate in the skills stations and Youth soccer showcase, master clinics from US national team members, Freestyle juggling competition with world champion Elie Freeze and celebrity match with Claudio Reyna, Jeff Agoos, Eddie Lewis, Richie Williams, ndamukong suh, Justin Tuck, Leshawn Merritt, Juan Agudelo and many more. Info at www.nyfest.org come on out! This was last year... This is What it is. TRIBECA/NYFEST SOCCER DAY Saturday, April 21 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Hudson River Park’s Pier 40, 353 West Street (at Houston Street) Presented in partnership with NYFEST, co-founded by Sony Pictures Classics executive Dylan Leiner and film director Jeffrey Saunders All ages and skill levels are welcome to “kick it” at Tribeca with the second annual Tribeca/NYFEST Soccer Day, which brings together celebrities, film and media professionals, and New York youth for a day filled with athleticism, learning and fun. The Tribeca/NYFEST Soccer Day will take place on Pier 40 in Lower Manhattan. The day will include an entertainment industry soccer tournament, a celebrity soccer match, and a youth soccer showcase, including soccer clinics for NYC youth, skill demonstrations, freestyle juggling and workshops. Over 300 participants, including noted actors and musicians, former US National Soccer Team players Claudio Reyna, Richie Williams, Eddie Lewis, Chris Armas, Brian McBride, Jeff Agoos and Tony Sanneh, and Ndamukong Suh (Detroit Lions, NFL), Juan Agudelo and many more are expected to participate along with teams representing Sony Pictures Classics, Focus Features, Filmnation, ATO, Oscilloscope, Paradigm, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Deluxe, Fotokem, Law & Order SVU, CBS Sports.com, Visit Films, Black Bear Pictures, Phase 4, law firm CDAS, and Goldcrest Films, and additional participants from companies including Naked Edge Films, Tribal Brands, White & Case, mTuckmanMedia (MTM), ESPN, Comedy Central and Tribeca Enterprises. Proceeds from team registration fees for the event will benefit the Claudio Reyna Foundation and City Soccer in the Community, non-profit organizations focused on the betterment of youth in the inner city. Open to the public, the event will have food and drinks available for purchase onsite, and will include activities for all ages throughout the day. Continue to visit www.nyfest.org or www.tribecafilm.com/soccerday for more information. By The Way. My other friends.. er mates.. are supposed to be participating as well.. BOUWERIJ FC. And I m almost thinking ... Group Of Death and Waterboys FC. There was a live SAMBA Troupe last year and it was off the hooks! Even it was really WET. JOHN McEnroe played too! Cheers, Mike

Insanity

Albert Einstein is said to have said.."insanity is making the same mistakes over and over and expecting a different outcome...".
I must be insane. Or in denial. Or have lofty selfish goals where I get everything AND everyone I am supposed to be suporting gets everything They want. The world is super geared to my wants and everyone's needs as well. Selfish because I don't really care about society and even family. And with this attitude, I m just gonna keep acting insted of being, because BEing is responsible and that's not fun or self serving. There is nothing to look foward to. Although I am eventually going to die, I ll keep dreaming insted of seeing. What I will keep my eyes open for is an opportunity to take advantage for purely selfish reasons and personal sensory experiences.
Why does life have to only be one habituated living way, where sometimes I trick my self to think I ve learned and overcame obstacles and changed my inner self only to find that I m still thinking and acting the same.
Is this insanity or is this an excercise in self awareness/affirmation/masterbation?