Ian Garrett

Enter the EPA’s Earth Day photo contest | green LA girl

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Fancy yourself an eco-inspired photographer? Then send in your best shots to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as your good Earth Day deed. The now-hopefully-less-deadbeat-since-Obama’s-president agency’s looking for inspirational photos for its EPA Earth Day Photo project.
 

All you have to do is upload your photo onto one of those 3 Flickr groups — people and the environment, the beauty of nature, and wildlife — by April 30. The winner gets whatever fame comes from being featured on the EPA Earth Day site — and the happy knowledge that the photograph could inspire eco-activism in others.

via Enter the EPA’s Earth Day photo contest | green LA girl.

Treadmill Bike

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I often talk to my students and people in workshops about Ancient Technology. What the term means refers to is old ways of doing things that are simple and forgo electronics. The most important part though is that they strip down systems instead of adding onto existing systems. 

An example of an ancient technology might be using steamed banana leaves for food service, or non-vitrified clay in drink ware that gets smashed and reformed. Both are sterile, both from the about of heat used to prepare them for use. The banana leaf is biodegradable entirely and the cup is truly recycled (as opposed to downcycled, though I guess you might be loose some clay in the process, but It’s just clay)

Ancient technologies are my favorites because they were created out of necessity out of what was available and they’re simple. 

A lot of our green technologies are now systems layered on other systems. Or, the incorporation of one technology into an existing one to make it greener. But, this doesn’t work as well as not making the first one benign in the first place. 

I’ll use Hybrid cars as an example.

By adding a battery into the power train of the car you do decrease emissions significantly. However, battery technology doesn’t last as long as internal combustion technology alone, so the life cycle of the car for the user is less. They would need more cars in the same period of time.

Also, the newness of the technology then asks people to buy new cars. If they already have a working vehicle and it continues to have a life with another user as a used car, you’ve not decreased the number of cars on the road creating emissions necessarily, you’ve added a car that isn’t as bad as another. 

Finally there is also issue of destruction at the end of the car’s life. New systems of disposing the hybrid batteries, or at least expansion of existing systems of disposal make are need to accommodate this new technology. 

And as it continues to evolve, like it will with plug in hybrids, more systems will be created to deal with the effects of changing existing technology. 

On the other hand, another approach to curbing emissions is building infrastructure that doesn’t require a car in the first place. Building an urban environment that is geared towards pedestrians and then added mass transit systems for longer distances that alleviate the need to have a dedicate personal car.

While these infrastructural changes might not be ancient, they do predate cars and thus would predate the issues of cars in their impact. 

As an example of what happens when you unnecessarily add technology onto another, I offer you the Teadmill Bike. It is a bike that instead of pedaling, you walk on a treadmill. 

While the intention is to give you a treadmill gym experience outside, it disregards the point of a treadmill. If you’re on a treadmill you don’t want to walk anywhere, you want to stay put in your gym. 

The better alternative? Walking… or just biking.

I personally hope this was a joke.

9THIRTY THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES: A FRESH ASSORTMENT, An Eco One-Act Festival

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Earth Week 2009: April 22nd – 25th

www.smarttix.com.

New York, NY – March 10th, 2009 – 9Thirty Theatre Company (Jeff Burroughs, Founding Artistic Director; Michael Crowley, Producing Manager) announces A FRESH ASSORTMENT, an ECO ONE-ACT FESTIVAL will be performed April 22nd – 25th @ 8pm at The Seaport Cultural Space located at SEAPORT 210 Front St, NYC 10038.

A FRESH ASSORTMENT will begin 9Thirty Theatre Company’s one-year residency at the South Street Seaport. The company is committed to bringing eco-art and sustainable thinking to downtown Manhattan as part of their 2008- 2009 season: Nature Takes its Course.

A FRESH ASSORTMENT features four eco works:

THE 10 BILLIONTH BABY

Written by Bailey Williams & directed by: Justin Eure

“A woman named Magpie has her second child in a world of only firsts. When the media discovers that he is the ten billionth baby born on Earth, questions rise about the little town of Chester – a town that contains seconds, thirds, and even fourths. Magpie must then decide what is right and what is easy. A question that is only answered with silence.”

THE 10 BILLIONTH BABY was developed as part of Curious Theatre Company’s New Voices program in Denver and was presented at TCG’s 2008 Convention Plenary Session: Theatre and the Environment, moderated by Pulitzer Prize- winning playwright Paula Vogel.

LIVING IN THE BLUE ZONE

Written by Barbara Kingsley (August: Osage County)

“When a small town girl gets the chance to visit her BFF from college, she is thrilled by the prospect of tasting life in the Big Apple. Expectations clash with reality when Darsi learns that sometimes less can be more – right down to the empty matchbox when you’re living in ‘blue zone.'”

COLLAPSE

Written & directed by Sarah H. Haught

“Two tenured employees await delivery of their precious product. When the silence falls, the workers must make sense of the disruption to their own ecosystem. Little do they know that their co-workers have fallen victim of colony collapse disorder…”

MR. SASQUATCH GOES TO WASHINGTON

Written by Michael Anderson & directed by: Justin Eure

“Mr. Sasquatch Goes to Washington is a fast-talking romp through the world of politics, corporations and environmental activism. It features a senator, a bear terrorist, a famous Dr. Suess character and the furriest lobbyist to ever hit Washington!”

The cast for A FRESH ASSORTMENT features Ashley Morris* (Die Mommie Die!, “The Electric Company“), Will Rogers* (From Up Here, Columbinus), Trevor Vaughn*, Freddie Bennett, Jeff Burroughs, Chance Carroll, Nicole Hodges, Holly Pierson, Stacy Salvette, and Elizabeth Van Meter. With lighting design by Rachel Gilmore and costume designs by: Elaine Lim and Francisco Pablo

Additional Casting and Creative team information for A FRESH ASSORTMENT will be announced at a later date. Tickets will go on sale in late March at smarttix.com.

9Thirty Theatre Company is New York City’s only arts organization dedicated to encouraging writers, artists and designers to explore today’s pressing ecological issues. For more information about 9Thirty Theatre Company, please visit www.9TTC.org.

*Appearing Courtesy of Actor’s Equity Association, Equity Showcase Code Pending Approval

Press Contact: Michael Crowley, 917.705.7014, michael@9TTC.org

Cornerstone Theater Company – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE RESIDENCY

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FLOW

Written by JULIE HÉBERT

Directed by JULIETTE CARRILLO

May 28 – June 21, 2009

The Los Angeles River has a long and documented history thanks to river historians and Hollywood films. But, how do we begin to unravel LA residents’ relationship to a river most of us have only glimpsed from our car windows? Playwright Julie Hebért begins to explore the mysteries and hot spots along the river, including adjacent communities like Frogtown and people working to reclaim the waterway and its benefits. Conversations with scientists, advocates, river lovers, politicians, Native Americans, artists, and residents along the banks of this great paved natural resource will all inform this play. What spaces are vital along the river today? What does the future hold for the ecosystems that exist within it? And, what will happen when Angelinos finally get out of their cars and step into the riverbed?

Community partners for this project include:
Farmlab
Friends of the Los Angeles River
South Asian Network

via Cornerstone Theater Company – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE RESIDENCY.

Rogue Artists Ensemble – AUDITION: Gogol Project Workshop

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Rogue Artists Ensemble is now looking for actors, puppeteers and movement-based performers for a staged workshop version of their upcoming original Hyper-theatrical work, Gogol Project, based on three tales by

Russian author Nikolai Gogol. The script been adapted for the stage by Kitty Felde with music and songs by Ego Plum.

The workshop will begin rehearsals the 2nd week of April and the workshop performs Tuesday April 28-Wednesday April 29th at Bootleg Theater on Beverly Blvd. Rehearsals will be Mon-Thurs with select

rehearsals on weekends leading up to the performance. There is a one-night mandatory technical rehearsal on Monday April 27th from 6pm – 11pm.

For more information including the character breakdown, click “read more.”

There is no pay for the workshop, but it will be a rewarding and inspiring experience for all involved The full production of Gogol Project will take place from September through October at Bootleg Theater, and

auditions will be held in July. Participation in this preliminary workshop does not guarantee a role in the full production. The workshop performance will be open to the public and pay-what-you-can/free.

The cast size for the workshop will be twelve actors, some of which will be performing as the silent characters and puppet based characters in the piece. Gogol Project will require an ensemble of actors to together create

the over twenty characters which populate the world of Nevsky Prospect. The workshop will feature some projected elements, puppets, set and costumes in order to help approximate the feel of the full production.

Interested artists should submit by March 20th to scawelti@rogueartists.org, including their resume and headshot if available.

Cast will be contacted by March 27th and auditions/readings may be scheduled if needed.

via Rogue Artists Ensemble – AUDITION: Gogol Project Workshop.

Tipping Point to commission climate change performances – 4 May deadline

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Editors’ note: This commission is unique among those dealing with art and climate change in its focus on performance and theatre.

The Tipping Point Commissions are inviting artists to submit proposals for new performance work in the context of climate change. The proposals will be considered by a selection panel, leading to around four commission awards of at most £30,000.

The theme of climate change is intended to provide a springboard for the commissions. Artists are invited to submit projects that stimulate audiences towards the radical and imaginative thinking necessary to comprehend a world dominated by climate change. The Tipping Point Commissions are seeking proposals that offer creative reflections on a world that is rapidly changing and on humanity’s role and responsibilities within it.

Proposals can be made by practitioners of any performance discipline, as individuals or groups, by artists on their own or together with curators or producers.

Proposals must be submitted by 4 May at 5pm. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to develop ideas and attend an interview. The selection panel which will include:

  • Graham Devlin: Chairman, Tipping Point (Chairman of Selection Panel)
  • John Ashton: UK Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change 
  • Nick Starr: Executive Director, National Theatre 
  • Maresa von Stockert: Director, Tilted Productions 
  • Cecilia Wee: Writer, Broadcaster and Curator

The criteria for the TippingPoint Commissions and the application form is available here.For further information, contact Angela McSherry.

www.tippingpoint.org.uk/commissions

Go to the Ashden Directory

Eco Arts: Japanese Artist Creates Stunning Pieces Of Art From Toilet Paper Rolls – Ecofriend

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Recycled art is nothing new on Ecofriend, but we just can’t let our eyes off objects reincarnated from things we usually throw in our trash bags. Yuken Teryua is another artist from Japan who knows the value of trashed objects and has the skill to make them a part of your living room in a stylish way.

via Eco Arts: Japanese Artist Creates Stunning Pieces Of Art From Toilet Paper Rolls – Ecofriend.

DiverseWorks: Solution

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Solution
Curated by Janet Phelps
March 6-April 18, 2009
Opening Reception: Friday, March 6, 2009, 6-8pm
DiverseWorks Main Gallery

 

The notion of progress is much more than a simple idea; it is a question — a 10,000-year-old experiment we have participated in but seldom controlled. Curator Janet Phelps poses it to seven accomplished multimedia artists – Jeffrey Gibson, Christopher K. Ho, Nina Katchadourian, My Barbarian, Jeanine Oleson, Joseph Smolinski and Michael Waugh with DiverseWorks’ latest exhibition, Solution. Through the use of abstract symbolism, discussion, personal reflection and political discourse, these artists explore the meaning of progress and its implications on civilizations of the past and present while offering theoretical solutions for humanities’ relationship to change and progress.  

via DiverseWorks: Celebrating 25 Years.

2009 Indy Convergence

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The end of my February was spent in Indianapolis, crossroads of America, dead center of Indiana, home of the Indy Convergence. I was brought in last year and spent 30 hours making something. I decided to make a little more space for making this year and spent 10 days in Indy. As part of what was made was this short video I put together for the open lab/performance we culminated tour time together with. 

I had led a couple of workshops on sustainability in performance and also led the effort to measure our waste, primarily by weighing our waste and then running numbers on what that waste meant. Here is that video:

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