Japan Relief Logo

Support the Japan earthquake and Pacific tsunami relief efforts! Please feel free to use this logo I've designed.

Life Imitates Art, Again

I love this new Volkswagen L1 concept vehicle and this article makes an interesting comparison.

Dream Rock Band

With the release of The Beatles Rock Band, I was wishing that they would release something a little more modern and part of our times. So, here's my dream Rock Band release.

ROCK BAND NIPPON

Keiji Heino

Acid Mothers Temple

Boredoms

100 IN CONCERT

Inspired by a friend. Here are 100 bands/musicians I've seen in concert (in no order):

01. P J Harvey*
02. Lou Reed*
03. Patti Smith*
04. John Parish*
05. Einstürzende Neubauten*
06. Swans*
07. Nirvana*
08. Sonic Youth*
09. Jane's Addiction*
10. Pixies*
11. Redd Kross*
12. The Angels of Light*
13. A Silver Mt. Zion*
14. Godspeed You Black Emperor!
15. lowercase*
16. Imaad Wasif with Two Part Beast*
17. Pan Sonic*
18. Ryoji Ikeda*
19. Mudhoney*
20. Sugarcubes
21. Red Hot Chili Peppers*
22. Porno for Pyros
23. Giant Sand*
24. Scout Niblett*
25. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds*
26. Dirty Three*
27. Shellac*
28. Low*
29. Cat Power*
30. The Cure*
31. Eels
32. John Cale
33. Siouxsie & the Banshees*
34. The Creatures*
35. Skinny Puppy*
36. Pigface
37. Pentagram
38. Mötley Crüe*
39. SunnO)))*
40. Earth
41. Xymox
42. Depeche Mode*
43. O.M.D.
44. Smashing Pumpkins*
45. Love & Rockets
46. Lush
47. Grandaddy*
48. Bad Religion
49. Smog*
50. Radiohead
51. Murcof
52. Michael Gira*
53. Phil Niblock
54. Blixa Bargeld
55. Kiss
56. W.A.S.P.
57. The Buck Pets
58. Apparat
59. Lusine
60. Static Static*
61. Roger O'Donnell
62. Jim O'Rourke
63. The Dead Texan
64. Thomas Fehlemann*
65. Björk
66. Devendra Banhart
67. Mouse on Mars*
68. John Parish & Polly Jean Harvey*
69. Howe Gelb*
70. Hazel Winter
71. alaska!*
72. Yeah Yeah Yeahs!
73. Laika
74. Nina Hagen*
75. Múm*
76. Morrissey
77. Sigur Rós
78. The The
79. Do Make Say Think*
80. Rachels
81. Adult.
82. Animal Collective
83. Book of Love
84. Diamanda Galas
85. Tim Hecker
86. Tracy Chapman
87. Tricky*
88. Dinosaur Jr.
89. The Wonderstuff
90. Nitzer Ebb*
91. John Zorn
92. Kim Hiorthøy
93. T. Raumschmiere
94. The Legendary Pink Dots*
95. Oranj Symphonette*
96. Sebadoh
97. Sex Gang Children*
98. Marianne Faithfull
99. New Model Army
100. OOIOO

*means I've seen them more than once

30 YEARS!

I just came across this video and I can't believe it was done 30 years ago!

I feel it's my obligation to share it with people who have not seen it.

Enjoy!

DIScourse

I'm putting this up a little late, but here's some exciting news, for me anyway.

In March, I was asked by John Parish to come up with a playlist for the Guardian UK and as of April 1 the (edited) list was published.

Guardian Playlist

Here's the complete list:

1. Scout Niblett - "Let Thine Heart Be Warned" This Fool Can Die Now

Since I was asked to create this playlist for the British based Guardian, I
wanted to start off my set with something that joins England with my city. This
is my favorite track from Bristish musician and Portland transplant, Scout
Niblett's latest LP, "This Fool Can Die Now".  This is a perfect Scout Niblett
track covering her soft and hard vocal styles with her distinctive guitar
playing and great drum beat.

2. Imaad Wasif with Two Part Beast - "Seventh Sign" Strange Hexes

Imaad Wasif is an under-appreciated guitarist and songwriter and it was hard to
chose what song from this album to put on this but I ended up choosing "Seventh
Sign" because I feel it showcases Imaads range as a musician.  This album also
is the debut for Two Part Beast, consisting of Bobb Bruno on bass and Adam
Garcia on drums, giving a great structure for Imaad to build upon.

3. Hazel Winter - "Don't Send Me Back to the Dark Place" Situation Normal Then

The third and most recent release for Bristol based musician, Hazel Winter,
"Situation Normal Then" is a nice progression from Hazel's previous albums.
What I really enjoy about this track is that retains the familiar sound of her
voice and guitar while adding some interesting instrumentation that's not often
heard in this type of music.

4. Holy Sons - "Evil Falls" Decline of the West

Another track from a Portland based musician.  This one from the prolific song
writer Emil Amos under his Holy Sons solo project.  Holy Sons is a new band for
me but I've been listening to this album a lot as of late.  Emil has a great
voice and I love how this song swells up, breaks and ends with a noise and
samples.

5. Food - "Last Supper" Last Supper

Food along with label-mate Supersilent, are responsible for getting me
interested in Jazz.  This is the final track from the 2004 album of the same
name released on the very dependable Norwegian label Rune Grammofon.  I chose
this track because I like the use of the traditional jazz instruments mixed
with electronics and vocals and I feel it's a good representation of the band.

6. Giya Kancheli - "Enimal" Exil

I found out about Georgian born, Giya Kancheli purely by chance but feel he is
a great example of a contemporary composer making meaningful works today.
"Enimal" is written around a Paul celan poem and features the perfect saprano
Maacha Deubner along with a five piece ensemble.  I love the simplicity and
sadness of this track as well as its use of silence.  Kancheli is currently
living and working in Antwerp, so now there's another reason besides diamonds,
chocolate and fashion to visit that great city.

7. Elegi - "Søvnens Kvelertak" Varde

Tommy Jansen (aka Elegi) is another new artist to me but his latest release,
"Varde" has been in constant rotation at home since its release in January.  It
tells the story of artic explores and their hardships as they trek across
barren lands.  I love how this track opens and closes creating resting places
for the listener during their travels.  I can't help but picture this being
used in a Guy Maddin film.

8. Murcof - "Cielo" Cosmos

Since 2002, Mexican born artist, Fernando Corona has consistantly been
releasing great electronic music and the 2007 release of "Cosmos" on the Leaf
label is probably my favorite to date.  The entire album is great from start to
finish (especially through headphones or a good stereo) but I really enjoy the
track progression and tempo of "Cielo" as well as Corona's use of string and
what seem to be vocal samples.  Get the triple vinyl edition while you can.

9. COH - "No Monsters No Rock (Part I - Mezzo Forte Passionato) Strings

I have been listening to Ivan Pavlov (aka COH) since the his 20' to 2000
release on Rasten Noton.　The full length album, "Strings" was released in 2007
and is broken into three parts that relate to the artists personal history and
experience with music.  The second part, "No Monsters No Rock" is based on
Pavlov's time playing in a Russian heavy metal band.  The main instrument is
his old Russian guitar but the composition has been filtered through the
musicians current interest in electronics.

10. Ester Brinkmann - "Mimesis" Totes Rennen

Thomas Brinkmann and his side project, Ester Brinkmann, are responsible for
opening the door to minimalist techno music for me.  "Totes Rennen" was the
first album to be released under the Ester Brinkmann monicker and dates from
1998, but I keep going back to it.  Brinkmann is a master at creating
infectuous rhythms and "Mimesis" is no exception.  Building on a study beat
Brinkmann starts to gradually layer in glitches, noise, and even samples from
philosophic recordings.

11. Einstuerzende Neubauten - "Grundstueck: GS 1" Grundstueck

This is my favorite recent recording by the pioneers of industrial music.
Recorded and released to only to supporters during Phase II of their online
music experiment, "Grundstueck" is proof that albums can benefit from the
absence of record executives.  This song is a great example of Blixa Bargeld's
writing and vocal style, while also showcasing the bands expertise in creating
new sounds using scrap metal, PVC piping, de-tuned instruments and various
other unusual sound sources. The song also feature a 100+ person choir largely
made up of the online supporters. It is the beginning of a bigger piece, but
stands up on its own.

12. Ryoji Ikeda - "Data.Reflex" Dataplex

Ryoji Ikeda is primarily responsible for getting me interested in minimalist
electronic music and multimedia installations.  It's hard to choose one track
from his multitude of releases for inclusion on this list since his music,
while all related, varies quite a bit.  However, I chose "Data.Reflex" from the
2005 "Dataplex" album since it is a good representation of how Ikeda approaches
his compositions.  Created purely from data the piece is like walking through a
supercomputer and being able to see the information being sent and received.
While some people may find Ikeda's music to be hard to listen to I always feel
like my mind is more clear after listening to his recordings.

13. Pan Sonic - "Arktinen/Arctic" Kesto (234.48:4)

This is my favorite track from Pan Sonic's lenghty discography and was the
final track on the disc two of Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen's 2004 mammoth
four cd release, "Kesto (234.48:4)".  By mixing Ilpo Väisänen's rhythmic
minimalism with Vainio's darker aesthetic of glitches, noise and loops, this
track is a great example of how two artists with different styles can create
something wonderful.

14. Bohren & Der Club of Gore - "Unkerich" Dolores

Bohren & Der Club of Gore is another new band for me although they have
officially been around since 1986.  "Dolores", their most recent full length,
was released at the end of 2008 and I've been listening to it quite often.
With "Unkerich" this jazz band has created a wonderfully mysterious atmosphere.
I can picture Agent Cooper listening to this in the Black Lodge.

15. The Gentleman Losers - "Silver Mountain" The Gentleman Losers

Like Pan Sonic, The Gentleman Losers are also a Finnish duo, but that's where
the comparison stops.  This 2006 self titled release is the debut from the
brothers, Ville and Samu Kuukka, and is primarily based around acoutsic guitar,
organ and synthesizer.  I chose "Silver Mountain" because it feels very
hopeful, as if you're traveling down a road at sunset, headed towards a better
place, hopefully, a place with a follow-up album by these musicians.

NOW

Getting ready for adventures!!!

DIScourse - Returns

Wow!  I cannot believe I've neglected my blog for so long.  If my blog was an egg pretending to be a baby, or dog, it would be dead by now.  I'm sorry little blog, I didn't mean to kill you, I just got preoccupied with life.

I've been listening to a lot of great music lately: most importantly, the new PJ Harvey and John Parish album that will be released at the end of the month, I've also been listening to a lot of 20th century composers: the amazing Schönberg Ensemble Edition 25 CD box set, 50 Years of New Music in Darmstadt compilation, and the Rückblick Moderne box set, as well as couple versions of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.  Some other stuff I've been listening to is the latest Holy Sons lp, a Bessie Smith dbl lp I found and various other things that have been shuffling through my ipod.

After a long dry spell, I have started a few new art projects.  One project will be a multimedia piece based on self identity and I hope to eventually get a show for it.  The second project is a series of pen & ink drawings that deal with repetition.  After so many years of doing almost everything on a computer, it's really great to actually pick up a pen and draw on actual paper.  What a concept!

I'm also in the embryonic stages of setting up a website for a new art/social movement to embrace the times we are in and the possibilities of the future.  These are tough times in a lot of ways but in many ways they present a lot of opportunities, but we aren't going to do anything if we all just stop, or if we dwell on the past and the "what ifs".  We have a new President (one that I can proudly claim, for once) and we have the future, and with that we should focus on positive changes.  I don't want to really say anything else at this point because the idea is still developing and I don't really know what it will become.  I do hope that it will encompass many people and many fields.  I will make an announcement when there is more to say.

I've been watching too much television and I have to say when HD is available and working is does look fantastic.  I've also started watching the complete first season of Saturday Night Live (Patti Smith in '76 is something to see!), which makes me remember my childhood and reminds me how much I miss Gilda Radner.  In addition to that box set I've been watching the Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum Edition. I was never one to be into animation with robots and fighting but this is a great anime series and worth watching.  It also looks much better on DVD than it did on the original VHS tapes that I watched years ago.

I leave for Japan in a few days, on what will be my sixth trip to Tokyo.  I'm really looking forward to seeing my friends there and hopefully making new friends.  After a few days in Tokyo I'll head north to Sendai, which I've never seen but have been wanting to for awhile.  I'll celebrate my birthday in Sendai and then fly to LA to see more friends and attend the PJ Harvey and John Parish concert at El Rey.  It's been a long time since I saw John perform and the new album is fantastic, so I expect nothing but excellence at the show.  It will be nice to spend some time with John in LA too, since he's more familiar with the city than I am.  I'm sure it's changed a lot since 1992 when I was there last.

I've started Twitter and LinkedIn accounts as well, if any of you want to find me on those sites.

That's all for now.  -Dis

DIScourse

I've posted my résumé and some work samples online at COROFLOT

Check it out and then hire me.

DIScourse

Hello.  I just thought I'd check in here since it's been awhile since I posted anything.

I've been back in the States for almost two months and time is going by very fast.  I'm doing something I didn't think I'd ever do again and that is live with my parents.  I really can't believe it but it's not so bad and it's allowing me to take some classes in multimedia so I can learn some new skills and expand my digital design capabilities.

I went to see the Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds show last month.  It was a great show but I miss seeing Blixa on stage, especially during The Weeping Song.  The band sounded great though and I don't know if I should laugh or cry at all the facial hair.

The weather here is finally turning and fall is practically here.  I'm excited for the colder weather but not looking forward to the coming eight months of rain.  At least I have a new Demeulemeester coat to wear!

Here's a photo of me (taken with my new iPhone, which I've become addicted to) at the school campus wearing some color.

Daily DIScription

Hello everybody!

I'm back in the States and I'm taking a break from the Daily DIScription posts until I get settled into my new "home", where ever that may end up being. Hopefully, I'll be back in Antwerp in a couple of months, but New York and Japan are also possibilities.

Right now I'm at my parents house (I didn't think that would ever happen) and I'm just looking at my options. Anyway, most of my clothes are still in storage and I can't be bothered setting up a camera or posting photos. Once everything settles into place and I have access to my things I'll resume the photos.

I hope all is well with whoever is reading this. Hello person!

DIScourse

After three months abroad, I'm back in the Portland area for an indefinite amount of time.

I had a great final day in Antwerp. I began the day by getting some of my things together to take to the office so I could mail them back to the states (since my luggage was already full). Of course it grey and raining when I left the apartment, so I put the things in plastic bags and then on the back rack of the bike. Immediately after tying them on and unlocking the bike the whole lot fell off the rack and I thought I was going to be doomed. However, a man walking by helped me get everything back on the rack and then I was able to slowly and carefully ride to work keeping the packages on the rack with one hand.

At work I spent the day getting the package ready, cleaning up my desk, getting the papers I needed, and saying goodbye to the people that were in the office (a lot of people were on vacation). At 12:30 I said my final goodbyes and went to the Demeulemeester shop to try on the suit that was waiting there for me. For some reason the jacket was twice the amount as the jackets I had seen in the same cut on the first day of the fall collection. I suppose it was just the fabric, but it really didn't seem like it was that different, a black wool, linen and cotton blend. After trying on the coat I decided that it really seemed a little too big in the shoulders and chest (it was an XS and I probably really take an XXS in her tops). I really wanted to get something else for fall though so I kept looking around and trying things on. I tried on pants, vests, sweaters, cardigans, coats, hats, etc and finally I saw a double breasted coat (sort of a peacoat) in the women's section that was in a heavy wool/metal fabric. It was the only one available in that fabric and it was a size 38, so I tried it on. It fit perfect and looked great with my new glasses as well as the the shirt, t-shirt and scarf I got earlier. So, after three hours we had a toast at the store, I said my goodbyes to the staff and left with a new winter coat!

Halfway home I realized that I had forgotten about the money that I had put down to hold the pants until the suit jacket came in. I walked home and hung up my coat then walked back to the shop, making a short detour at the Kulminator for a final Belgian ale (actually it was a Dutch trappist triple ale). When I got back to Ann's shop I decided that I wanted another accessory, so after another hour I left with a black flower brooch and scarf.

I walked back home and had some left over curry and rice from the night before and packed most of my things. After packing my small trolley and weekend bags I walked them to the train station and put them in a locker (to save time and pain in the morning). I then went to the ticket office and bought my train ticket for the following morning. I then went back to my apartment and took a short nap before my final meeting with Romy Smits.

What was going to be an early night of meeting a friend (for a single drink) and then packing and getting to bed early so that I'd be prepared for my 7am train ride to Amsterdam, turned out to be a very long night of drinking (beer, wine, whiskey and vodka), eating mussels and frites and talking. I got back to my apartment after 3am and nearly overslept. When I got up I was in a panick since it was 6am and I wasn't completely packed. I quickly got ready and threw what was remaining in my large suit case and back pack then quickly walked to the train station. Luckily it wasn't raining.

By the time I got to the station I was dripping in sweat from wearing my new coat as well as a sweater vest, long sleeve shirt, and boots (stuff that took up too much stuff in my suit case). I got the bags out of the locker and went to the platform where to my surprise I was 9 minutes early. Getting all the bags on the train was a little struggle but I got a seat near the door. The next two hours were uneventful and I was just trying to stay awake so I wouldn't miss my stop.

I arrived at Schiphol in plenty of time and got a luggage cart to push all my things. Checking in was simple enough and I got priority treatment on my luggage which was nice. I then had to take my receipt to the VAT returns office to get stamped. When I arrived at the office there was a huge line of Chinese tourists getting a demonstration of what to do at the VAT office in order to get the refund. I wasn't about to wait my turn behind the group of tourists with all their shopping bags so while their guide was talking to them I walked past them and into the office. The woman in the office looked at my papers and quickly stamped them so the whole thing took less than 5 minutes, which was a relief. All I had left to do was walk to the gate, board the plane and sleep for 10 hours.

Once I was on the plane and we were in the air I had a hard time sleeping and ended up watching movies between meals, dozing off and drinking water. The flight went by pretty fast and without any real complications. After landing in Portland I had to wait for my bags for a few minutes (the were some of the first ones out) then went through immigration and customs which all went fairly quickly. Once I got into the terminal I went outside and immediately saw my mom's car waiting for me.

The next few hours were spent getting an iced americano (thank you Stumptown) and then visiting with my grandmother and her friends in Portland.

I finally got back to my parents house around 3:30 (some 18 hours after getting on the train). The following hours are all just a blur. I talked with my parents, watched television, napped, drank some wine and unpacked some things.

Now I've been here a few days and am trying to decide what my plan is going to be. For right now I have to wait to hear back from Antwerp about the job, so I'm just going to readjust to life in the US while I decide what my options are.

DIScourse - Antwerp

Today is my last day in Antwerp.  I can't believe how fast the time has gone by!

I spent Thursday in Bruges and on Friday evening I went to Bristol, England to visit friends for the weekend.  I'll write more about this when I return to the US.

Yesterday I returned to Belgium at 10:00 only to run into a baggage handlers strike at the airport.  I ended up not leaving the airport until 17:00!  After six hours I finally filed out the lost luggage forms and was going to leave but it was 16:10 and the bus to Antwerp leaves on the hour.  So, I sat down and after about ten minutes the words "THE HOUSE OF DIS" caught my eye.  I couldn't believe it.  My luggage had finally made it out of the basement.  It was supposed to arrive on Belt 2 but ended up coming out on Belt 7 so it was pure luck/fate that I happened to sit down across from Belt 7 (in a completely different part of the terminal).  

Today I'm at the office for part of the day to mail out a box to clothes to the US, check my mail, say my good byes and clean out my desk.  I'm still not sure what my future is going to be at Theo but I am hoping that I can at least continue to do some freelance work with them.

Tomorrow I have to catch a train from Antwerp to Schiphol in Amsterdam at 07:00 for my 10:30 flight back to Portland.  I'm glad that it's a direct flight because I'm not looking forward to hauling my luggage around.

New Glasses

I just picked up my new glasses.  I love them.  I'm not used to wearing such thick frames though, so it will take some getting used to.

PS  Ignore my hair.  I woke up late today and didn't have time to do anything with it.

Daily DIScription

I just realized that in exactly a week I'll be on a plane heading back to Portland. I'm so not ready to face that future. I am looking forward to seeing some people but I really need a little more time in Antwerp, say 2-3 years.

Today is also my last full day at work. Tomorrow I will go to Bruges to visit the main designer behind Theo, Patrick Hoet. I'm also going to check out the fine art museum to see a Hieronymus Bosch painting (I've never seen one in person). I normally am not too interested in historical paintings but in this case I'll make an exception. I also found out that there are some Bosch paintings in Antwerp, so I'm going to see if I can fit them into my schedule.

Yesterday I got paid and made my first purchase for Fall/Winter 08-09. I bought a beautiful black pleated shirt with a collar that disappears into the neckline (hard to describe), a silk scarf with a floral print that was sort of the signature print of the season and a purple long sleeve thin cotton shirt with the word Heaven printed in black on the front.

Today I got a call saying my glasses are finished and ready to be picked up. I'm really excited! I've wanted these since April and I've been looking for a thicker pair of glasses for awhile. Too bad I could get two pair and turn one pair into sunglasses.

Friday I head to Bristol, England to visit some friends. I may not post anything else until I get back to Portland. It all depends on my internet access in the coming week.

06 Augustus 2008

05 Augustus 2008

DIScourse - Countdown Begins

I've been in Antwerp for about 11 weeks now and I can't believe how fast time has gone by. I only have 9 more days left in Europe and a few of those will be spent visiting some friends in Bristol, which I'm really excited about but I'm really not ready to go back to the States and I'm not ready to face the possibility of not being able to come back to Belgium to live and work. However, I am ready to see friends and family. I'm also ready for a burrito, dancing and riding my bike.

This weekend I was planning on going to Bruges (or Brugge in Flemish) but the weather wasn't cooperating and I was informed at work on Friday that I could take a few days off during my last week at work. So, I think I'm going to try and go to Bruges on Thursday instead.

Friday at work I was was also told that there will be some discussions at the end of August (when the owner of the company will be back from vacation) about my future with the company. This could include everything from getting an offer to come back to Antwerp and work full time at the company, to a freelance position or possibly a thank you and good luck. So, it's still very much up in the air. The main issue seems to be that my lack of knowing Flemish makes me an outsider and possibly makes it uncomfortable for my coworkers. Of course everyone can speak English here, but normal office conversation is in Flemish so I miss out on most small talk/gossip/etc. I've also been told that even if I spoke Flemish my accent would be strong enough that people would prefer to speak English to me, it would give me a better understanding of the day to day life here though. If I am offered a position I am planning on enrolling in a Flemish course.

On Friday we also received the new buffalo horn glasses in the office, which I saw in April when I was in New York, and which I wanted since I saw them. We received 4 styles in 6 colors per style and I helped to check them in (making sure they were made correctly and not warped). So, I found the style that I liked the best and narrowed it down to two colors and was going to ask the owner on Monday if I could get a pair at cost (normally employees get two free pair a year). However, since I found out the owner was leaving for Spain after work I had to ask him directly. To my surprise, he offered to let me have a pair for free, and I said I'd get the lenses done at his shop in town. This morning when I got into work I decided on the color and then went through the frames and made my final selection. Since horn is a natural material the color and grain varies from frame to frame, sometimes drastically. I'm going to go to the opticians during my lunch break, but here are the frames I picked out:

Saturday was the first day of the fall collection at the Ann Demeulemeester shop in town and a day that I had been looking forward to since I found it would occur during my stay in Antwerp. The collection is fantastic and as always has a lot of black in it but there are a lot of purples, earthy greens and pinks in the collection as the main print for the season is a photograph of dried hydrangeas from her garden. The store opens at 10:30, but I didn't want to be the first person there, since I've already spent too much time in the shop, so I decided to go at noon.

When I got to the shop I went upstairs to where the men's collection is, along with some of the women's. I started at one end of the rack and worked my way to the other (maybe 10 meters) and to my surprise and disappointment there were no coats, jackets, vests or cardigans in XXS or XS. There were some t-shirts, shirts and pants in XS but the selection was very limited. Of course not everything has arrived but what was in the store was the majority of what would be in. Very disappointing and one of the few times that I wished I was just a little taller and bigger. I would have a much bigger selection if I was a size S (38 US) and wore size 8-9 shoes instead of size 7. I did end up trying on some shirts and pants and then found out that there would be at least one XS suit jacket coming in later this week. I also found out that they sold two XS jackets before I got to the store (damn!), I didn't ask which ones since that would probably be torturous. In the end I did find some nice things to add to my waredrobe and now I'm just waiting to try on the jacket when it comes in, hopefully it will fit.

Sunday it was raining off and on all day and I was felling a little down and unmotivated. I was going to get a drink with a coworker but it fell through. Around 8pm I decided to go for a walk, since it's my last weekend in the city. I ended up walking around for a little over an hour before heading back to the apartment.

Now it's Monday and I only have a few things to do at work this week. I'm looking forward to having a couple days off and looking forward to going to England again (I hope the weather will be better there). I really can't believe I have to leave in just a few days. It feels like I've only been here a month.

Daily DIScription

04 Augustus 2008




























03 Augustus 2008




























02 Augustus 2008

Daily DIScription

01 Augustus 2008

31 Juli 2008 (Missing)

30 Juli 2008 (Missing)

29 Juli 2008

DIScourse - Antwerp

Antwerp, BVBA 32

Antwerp, Ogre Statue at the National Shipyard Museum

Brussels, View from the Wiel Museum

Brussels, The Original Maison Martin Margiela boutique

Antwerp, Kulminator sharing a Kasteel beer from 1989.

Here are some photos from the past weekend. The weather was finally looking like summer which was a real relief after all the grey skies and rain.

A longtime friend was visiting from Vienna so the weekend was more active than usual. Not long after I got off work my friend got in so I met him in front of the train station. We walked back to my apartment and then walked to a few shops before meeting up with a mutual artist friend (and a friend of his that I'd met before) for drinks at Berlin which is a little restaurant/bar that I'd been meaning to go to. After our friends left we walked to Kulminator to continue drinking in the sun. Since my friend and I met nearly 19 years ago in the fall of 1989 I decided we should try having a beer from that year. After scanning the extensive menu I found an '89 Kasteelbier that we decided to get not realizing it was 12% alcohol. It was a rich brownish auburn and almost like a liquor in taste. Very smooth and heavy. Since it was so warm out we ordered a couple other blonde beers to keep us refreshed while we sipped the Kasteel. Somehow we managed to walk home and make it up the stairs to my apartment.

Saturday I woke up not feeling so hot and saw a half eaten sandwich on the table next to my bed. I suppose I needed a snack when I got home the night before since I hadn't had dinner after work. After a somewhat slow start my friend and I made it out of the apartment and to a shop we had been to the day before so my friend could buy a hat that he had tried on (his first hat in years). We walked around town a bit and to a couple other stores then headed to the train station so we could check out Brussels.

In Brussels we went to a few shops that we had wanted to check out before they cleared out all the sale stuff (Saturday was the last day of sales at most shops). I was extremely lucky and found a pair of summer boots in my size that I had been wanting, along with a new button up shirt at Stijl. I actually found several shoes that I wanted to get but I'm really looking forward to the fall collection and need to save some money for its arrival in the store. We made our way to the Hoet optical store (Hoet is owned my the main designer of Theo) to look at the Hoet line of frames and so I could introduce myself. We then went to a cafe for an afternoon drink and stopped into a gallery to check out a small group show.

We then caught a cab to the Wiels museum where the Mike Kelley retrospective was that had been recommended to us. The museum is in an old brewery and is on the edge of Brussels. The show covered three floors and was a really great overview of his work complete with sculptures, paintings, videos, music, sketches, and photographs. When we were done at the museum it was getting close to 7:0o so we walked to the Brussels south train station and caught the next train back to Antwerp.

Back in Antwerp we dropped our things off at the apartment and then walked to the city hall neighborhood for some pizza and people watching. After pizza we walked around for quite awhile. We picked up some bicycles from my office and took them back to my apartment then sat on the balcony and had some beer while listening to music. Later in the evening we went for another walk before heading home.

On Sunday, after we got up we had coffee and got ready for the day (me in my new boots, my friend in his hat). It was super sunny and warm. After leaving the apartment we went to le Pain Quotidien (daily bread) for a light lunch. We then wandered around the city stopping for beer later in the day near the Demeulemeester boutique (which is closed until the 2nd). After having a drink we went to the MuHKA (the modern art museum) to see the group show that was going on Die Lucky Bush, which turned out to be a great show and also included some Mike Kelley pieces. It's funny that I've been in Antwerp for 2 1/2 months and for some reason never new about MuHKA.

After leaving the museum we headed back to my apartment for a brief rest before getting on our bikes and riding to the suburbs to see and take photos of Ann Demeulemeester's le Corbusier house. We rode around some more and then took the bikes back to the office before heading back to the apartment. I was going to cook Japanese curry that another friend had sent me but the gas was out on my cooktop, so we ended up just having a cold dinner which was fine since it was so warm out. We sat on the balcony and listened to music while eating, drinking and people watching.

We then decided to head back out on the town for some more people watching and a beer at one of the many outdoor cafe's. It was already past 10pm but there were crowds of people out eating and drinking still. We went to the Pelikan Bar and had a La Chouffe as we talked and watched people walk by. We kept seeing flashes of light every 10-15 minutes and assumed that it was coming from the outdoor concert that was happening nearby but as the flashes increased we realized a storm was coming. So around 11:30 we headed back to the apartment. About ten minutes after we got in the first rain drops fell. We sat at the balcony doors watching the lighting and rain until the wind picked up enough that we closed the doors. It was a huge electrical storm that also created some of the heaviest rains I've seen in Antwerp. It was still raining when I fell asleep.

Daily DIScription

28 Juli 2008

27 Juli 2008

26 Juli 2008

25 Juli 2008 (Missing)

24 Juli 2008 (Missing)