Picture this

I have been doing some reading and research for an activity I will be leading at a FAB meeting in a couple of weeks. Even though it is not directly related, I was prompted to pick up and re-read my copy of Picture This: How Pictures Work by Molly Bang. It is a fascinating exploration of how the structure of a picture affects our emotional response.

I Googled to see if the book is still available. It is, on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca among other sellers. I also found a link to a site which has lifted and reproduced much of the book. I assume this was done without permission. I am linking to it here, but only so you can get an idea of the content. The actual book contains much more text and explanation. If you enjoy this material, please respect the author's copyright and purchase the real book or borrow it from your library.

Time = 1 hr, 15 min

Handwork!

A middle-of-the-night brainstorm has sorted out the question about the borders of the mitochondrion quilt. I started to work on it today and immediately realized that I needed to incorporate beads. 

Here is a rough sample of my interpretation of the structure of hemoglobin. I need to find a better way to transfer the pattern to the fabric so the stitch lengths are better. And I just picked up the first three bead colors that came to hand. I actually like the green but the brownish ones (nitrogen) don't work. I think I might choose a larger bead for the centre (Fe - iron),

This pattern will be randomly placed all over the four inch borders and will serve to stabilize that portion of the quilt. I am planning to finish each of the sections independently and then assemble the final piece so this will be easy to carry around to appointments and to do in front of the television with a dog in my lap.

Time = 1 hr, 46 min

Health service

A friend recently told me that she was glad that I was no longer writing about my illness and surgery. This post will break that pattern - sort of.

I had to see the biofeedback nurse today at 11:30 am and then my surgeon at 1:10 pm. The general instructions are to arrive 30 minutes early for appointments. After checking into the system, you are sent to a common waiting room from which you are then called back to your specific clinic. I had to teach two classes this morning so I taught the last in my street clothes and then raced for downtown, hoping that I would find parking. I arrive at about 10:30 am. About two minutes after I sat down in the large waiting room a nurse from the Urology clinic came out to call in two patients. He recognized me and smiled and waved. Five minutes later he called me in, took me to a different room to change because the usual one was in use and I was then shown into the nurse's office. She explained that she was running ahead of schedule because of a cancellation. But she also told me that they had looked at the schedule and realized that it didn't make sense for me to wait to see the surgeon. So he would see me as soon as she was done. She was right - he was ready for me as soon as I was dressed. I ended up leaving the building before my first appointment was scheduled to begin.

This is not an anomaly. The Urology clinic staff have made a conscious decision to run on time or even early. In my fifteen or so visits, they have always been early. When I discuss this with the staff their reaction is always "We have no right to think that our time is more valuable than our patients'." That is just the first in a series of care decisions that can only have a positive impact on health outcomes. Bravo to them.

On the mitochondrion front: a really good solution to muscle and an idea that ditches bone and substitutes hemoglobin. It sounds complicated but is in fact simple and restful.

Time = 52 min

Amazing performance of dance and technology

I spent the best part of the morning drafting a layout for the mitochondrion piece. I need to find the correct balance for the various elements. It is possible that I have made things too complicated. Now is the time to find out. I also experimented with a variety of non-traditional fabrics to see if I liked them better for the muscle portion. And it has occurred to me that I might want to frame the whole thing in something that references bone. See what I mean - too complicated.

Here's something very complicated yet strikingly simple and wonderful. These are snippets from an hour long dance performance conceived by Adrien Mondot and Claire Bardainne in collaboration with hio-hop chorepgrapher Cie Kafig. The piece is entitled Pixel and it mixes digital projection mapping techniques with the movement of eleven dancers. Wouldn't you like to see the whole thing?


 
Pixel - extraits from Adrien M / Claire B on Vimeo.




Time = 2 hr, 29 min

Hendiatris

Today, in my indoor cycling classes, I am teaching a profile I developed last winter on the occasion of the winter Olympics in Sochi. It is called Faster, Higher, Stronger and is meant to be an opportunity for inspiration and reflection. All of the songs have the word Victory in their titles and/or lyrics. One of the things we consider as we ride is the meaning of victory.

During the sixteen minute climb that forms the Higher portion of the class I introduce the concept of a hendiatris.

From my script:

The phrase ‘faster, higher, stronger’ is what is known as a hendiatris [pronunciation guide here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCHekGCmhmg]. That’s a fancy term for a three word phrase that expresses one idea. Such phrases are often used as descriptors or mottos - like “sex, drugs and rock’n roll’,‘reduce, reuse, recycle’, ‘truth, justice and the American way’. 

During this long climb I want you to develop your own three word phrase that you can use to describe and/or inspire your effort.  

Here are a few examples: ‘prepare, persevere, perform’, ‘educate, endure, achieve’, ‘strong, certain, sexy”. People often use alliteration in their phrases but that’s not necessary.

I am always delighted by the fact that people take this challenge seriously and come up with some great three word phrases. The fact that they say them aloud at the end of class means that it is likely that they will remember their phrase when they most need it in a period of stress. I am going to teach the same profile to the ringette team on Thursday night and will challenge the girls to come up with a hendiatris for their team to use.

To bring things full circle to the last few days, this class profile was published on the ICA website and I heard of a student whose hendiatris was 'Make More Mitochondria'.  

Time = 37 min

Progress

I made good progress on testing a number of things related to the mitochondrion piece. I am almost finished piping the edge and then I will confirm that I can successfully attach it to a background. After that I will dye it and work on ways to highlight various portions.

I tried a number of styles of stitching in the background and am happiest with the texture at 12:00. I also learned what not to do in terms of creating some subtle "fingers" of texture. I tried to incorporate some organelles but they got swamped by the background so I now know how to make them stand out. The mitochondrion is 19" x 8"; there was surprisingly little shrinkage. I will be aiming for something about 24" long for the final piece so this scale is definitely proof of concept.

Time = 2 hr, 47 min

More like it

It was a snowy day and I accomplished a lot. Samples for the mitochondrion piece worked out well. I will be able to use some of my favourite materials and techniques to great effect. And I did some hand stitching experiments using very stiff upholstery thread that was originally purchased to warp my beading loom. The hand stitching will form the matrix of the 'cell' so it needs to give an overall texture with some variation.

I also did research on texture for the accompanying 'muscle tissue'. At last I have a reason to really study The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Colette Wolff. I have learned that I like shirring over a tightly held cord over the more traditional gathering thread technique. All the samples are made with Kaufman PFD fabric so I can do some dye experiments later.

Time = 1 hr, 47 min