Impressionism is a theory or style
of painting, literature or music which aims to reflect subjective impressions
rather than objective reality.
Ceremony is defined as a formal
act or set of acts as prescribed by ritual, custom or etiquette. [sacredness or
religious rite]
There is something beautiful and magical about a ceremony. It brings people together.
During our trip to Barbados, our group participated in a very moving one. It was
an ash to sea ceremony. We found the location on the island which was noted as
being nearest to Africa. It was there that the twelve of us performed what I
will always remember as a beautiful and deep expression of love and
remembrance. Some of us said a few words in observance of the passing, and others expressed
compassion and recited poetry. And in the end there were flowers, sand, and
surf coming together to set adrift the physical presence of a loved one.
What ceremonies remain in your heart? Do you believe that ceremonies are still
important in this day and age? Tell me about a ceremony or ritual that you participated
in that changed your life, and if so why.
Maybe Tomorrow a Better Possibility / Resolution and Redemption was first conceived as a collaborative project with video artist Walter Smith and fellow artist / singer / actor and friend, Ronald Freeman in 1994. The emotional impetus for the project was the ever increasing urban decay surrounding us in Philadelphia. Through substance abuse, drug warfare, and a rapid deterioration of its infrastructure, we came to see our beloved city in a struggle for survival. The original song, Hunger for Holiness, which accompanied the original video was written and sang by Ronald. The composition sought to give insight to the problems and plight of the urban construct and hope for a better tomorrow. In this remixed version, a dreamlike jazzy trance score replaces the composition to create an otherworldly sense of ambiguity, but again hope.
Maybe Tomorrow a Better Possibility / A Self Portrait of Resolution and Redemption
Okay, you have to visualize this
true story to absorb the moment.
It is 1989 in the urban landscape
which is West Philadelphia. The streets are lined with row homes, some occupied,
others abandoned. The row homes cast deep, long, shadows onto the pavements
where the trees have long since been cut down. The shadows are created from the
orange florescent-crime prevention lights hanging ominously from above. I
remember distinctly when Philadelphia changed from ordinary street lamps to
these supposedly crime preventing monoliths. There is an eerie glow and a surreal feeling
as I drive my 1987 Toyota MR2 towards the corner of 52nd and
Catherine Street.
It is the middle of summer and the
temperatures are in the low 8o’s at 2:30 a.m. It is hot and humid. There are
some young kids out playing in the streets, and I wonder why they aren’t in
bed. But this is Philly, and there is a never sleep embodiment that pervades.
There is also a contrasting sense of culture that sometimes invades places
unknown….
I am listening to the cassette
tape of The Waterboys and the song “Bang on the Ear”. My windows are down and
the volume is up. I approach the intersection and on my left a teen, dressed in
true urban, black, hip-hop gear, is standing smoking a joint. Our eyes connect
for a moment. I am waiting for the traffic light to change. It’s taking its
time, when all of a sudden the youth in rebellion jumps into a country square
dance. “Whoa”, I say to myself, “he is so cool and down by law”, as his arms and
legs move in perfect rhythm to the beat of the Waterboys pumping from my car.
It is a surreal moment indeed as
time stands still. I watch him, watching me, as he performs specifically for
me. The light changes, I smile, give him a thumb up and slowly pull off.
I will never forget that
encounter. It reminds me of how art and music transcends, transforms and
connects our different cultural backgrounds. In a moments’ notice we can be
swept away by something new, different and exciting.
Enjoy the song. It has the beat of life 🙂
p.s. “down by law” means “one who has authority” in urban slang.
Impressionism is a theory or style
of painting, literature or music which aims to reflect subjective impressions
rather than objective reality.
The Crop-Over Festival is a yearly
event celebrating the sugar crop production in Barbados. It is a week-long party
all over the island. Everywhere you go people are in the streets, restaurants,
and on the beaches drinking, eating and partying. It was fascinating watching the
many parades that snaked throughout the streets.
And everywhere the town was alive with music.
Even the beaches could not escape the sound of bands playing reggae, rock, and Caribbean
music on stages lining the shore. One such moment was quite magical as the
sloping foothills crowded with people edged its way down just yards from the
ocean.
I had a great time, and I recommend if you get the chance and love to party to go visit Barbados.
I took over two hundred photographs to document the festivities. In this post I include some of my favorites.
What do you think? Do you have a favorite party locale where you can let yourself go? Please share your thoughts.
Without a doubt a guilty pleasure is Miles Davis. I am not
sure what the guilty part of this represents Miles, however any excuse to add
him to this challenge is fine by me. What’s not to love about the Black Prince,
Miles Davis? Yes he has lived a controversial life (doing it his own way, and his
not so good relationships with women) but still he is the man who owns the
trumpet. And I do mean own the trumpet. Whether or not it was with his famous
bands of the 50’s or 60’s, both acoustic and electric, Miles was the leader
that changed Jazz forever. He brought together some of the most talented
musicians in the world, like Coltrane, Chick, Jack and Herbie to name a few, to
create a myriad of traditional and experimental compositions, that have stood
the test of time.
Miles remains to be one of my favorite musicians. He
has been a great influence on my musical taste, art and life style.
Impressionism is a theory or style
of painting, literature or music which aims to reflect subjective impressions
rather than objective reality.
In 1995 I had the pleasure of going to the island of
Barbados during the week of the Crop-Over Festival. The festival is a week-long celebration of
the sugar crop production of the year. This is a celebratory time for
visitors and native islanders who line the streets and beaches in search of fun
and surf. I was with a party of 12 that consisted of my sister and her friends.
We stayed in some lovely and remote time-shares located on the southern part of
the island.
The Impressions in Barbados series was created as a
salutation to all of the impressionist painters who have over the years turned
landscapes, seascapes, towns and islands into a visual paradise. I have always
felt that this style of painting exemplifies the beauty that can be found in
the manipulation of light and color. The key is in the brush stroke. In all of the
pieces here, I attempt to imitate various brush strokes to convey the essence
of Impressionism.
For this post, I have separated the series into 3 parts i.e.
Beauty, Celebration and Ceremony. This being part 1, I am concentrating on the beauty of the
island and focusing on its natural habitat.
What do you think? Are you a lover of Impressionism? Do you
like this style of painting and if not what is your favorite? Who are some of
your most revered Masters when you think of Impressionism? Is it Cezanne, Van
Gogh, Matisse or a contemporary that you love? Please share your thoughts. And finally,
where have you vacationed that has been or could be a great work of
impressionistic art?
I guess the answer to the question what is “a song from your
favorite band” is significant in a sense that it makes me ponder what band for
me stands apart. I could perhaps go back in time to many possibilities (The Smiths in the 80’s,
Tangerine Dream in the 70’s, or the Miles Davis’ quartets of the 60’s). But recently
over the past 3 years no band has consistently produced astonishing music with
such harmonic beauty as Stars of the Lid.
The Austin, Texas duo of Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie are Stars of the Lid. In 2007 they
produced the phenomenal double CD entitled “And the Refinement after the
Decline”. The song “The Evil that Never Arrives” is my selection for this Day
11 challenge.
This is micro-minimalism at its best. There is an obsession here
with drones fading in and out from strings sections, solo cello, harp, trumpet
and even a children’s choir. Acoustic instruments and electronics are
manipulated and sustained to create at times, single notes that float endlessly
in an ether of dreams and imagination.
This is music of great quiet, yet produces a devastating power of momentous
silence that can invade any space.
It is 2011 and my favorite band is Stars of the Lid.
day 01 – your favorite song – Stars of the Lid’s “Don’t Bother They’re Here”
day 02 – your least favorite song – Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”
day 03 – a song that makes you happy – Ivy’s – Edge of the Ocean
day 04 – a song that makes you sad – Trespassers Williams – Love You More
day 05 – a song that reminds you of someone – Trespassers Williams – Lie in the Sound
day 06 – a song that reminds you of somewhere – Isabelle Aubret – La Fanette
day 07 – a song that reminds you of a certain event – William Baskinski – The Disintegration Loops 1
day 08 – a song that you know all the words to – Philip Glass – Knee Play 1
day 09 – a song that you can dance to – Ror-Shak featuring Julee Cruise – Fate or Faith
day 10 – a song that makes you fall asleep – Brian Eno – Thursday Afternoon
Brian Eno is considered to be the father of Ambient Music. I first discovered him in 1977 when I heard what I consider to be his best ambient album entitled Discreet Music. Most people are familiar with Music for Airports which is the album that set the standard for the genre. For this post and the challenge, what is a song that makes you fall asleep; I found it difficult to decide between 2 works. Both are slightly over an hour in length: Neroli and Thursday Afternoon. But in the end it is (drum roll!!) Thursday Afternoon. This is a 5 minute version of the song, which in my opinion does not convey the entire essence of the piece. As the song progresses there is an ever increasing simmering of sound in the latter minutes as if on a hot paved road in the desert sun. This is the perfect song for that afternoon nap on a beautiful day.
day 01 – your favorite song – Stars of the Lid’s “Don’t Bother They’re Here”
day 02 – your least favorite song – Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”
day 03 – a song that makes you happy – Ivy’s – Edge of the Ocean
day 04 – a song that makes you sad – Trespassers Williams – Love You More
day 05 – a song that reminds you of someone – Trespassers Williams – Lie in the Sound
day 06 – a song that reminds you of somewhere – Isabelle Aubret – La Fanette
day 07 – a song that reminds you of a certain event – William Baskinski – The Disintegration Loops 1
day 08 – a song that you know all the words to – Philip Glass – Knee Play 1
day 09 – a song that you can dance to – Ror-Shak featuring Julee Cruise – Fate or Faith
It has been quite a while since I have been to a dance club. Most of my clubbing days existed back in Philadelphia and NYC. The 80’s and 90’s were the highlight of those late night / all nighters at raves, triphop and trance clubs. Bands like Everything but the Girl featuring Tracey Thorn, Massive Attack and Philly’s own King Britt were leading the triphop scene. Dj’s Tiesto and Paul Van Dyke were taking charge of the trance movement. Somewhere in between there were bands like Saint Etienne, Bent and my featured band for this challenge Ror-Shak featuring Julee Cruise (you might recall her haunting voice from David Lynch’s film Blue Velvet and TV’s Twin Peaks (Floating)). Here she gets down with the beat singing Fate or Faith and asks the question…who do you follow?
Enjoy the video, and find a dance partner tonight. Now if only they would bring back the club Emerald City.
day 01 – your favorite song – Stars of the Lid’s “Don’t Bother They’re Here”
day 02 – your least favorite song – Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”
day 03 – a song that makes you happy – Ivy’s – Edge of the Ocean
day 04 – a song that makes you sad – Trespassers Williams – Love You More
day 05 – a song that reminds you of someone – Trespassers Williams – Lie in the Sound
day 06 – a song that reminds you of somewhere – Isabelle Aubret – La Fanette
day 07 – a song that reminds you of a certain event – William Baskinski – The Disintegration Loops 1
day 08 – a song that you know all the words to – Philip Glass – Knee Play 1
Blogging and Art Simply Beautiful, Thanks Elizabeth
Beautiful Blogger Award
Copyright Information
All photographic images posted on the blog
Newdigitalscapes are the copyright of Walter W. Smith. All rights reserved and all pictures are the product of Walter W. Smith, unless specified otherwise. Please do not copy, or print without the written or verbal consent of the artist and author Walter W. Smith.
Liebster Blog Award
n e w d i g i t a l s c a p e s Published book: The Abstract Series
Here is a detail of the cover of my new published book of digital abstract art, poetry and prose. Available in hard and soft cover at Blurb publishers. Select picture to link to my bookstore. A preview of the book is also available online.
n e w d i g i t a l s c a p e s – online store
If you would like to visit my online store and browse my selection of digital art, please select the online store link located in the menu bar at the top of the page. At the store you will find a diverse selection of fine art and canvas prints in various sizes for purchase.
Very Inspiring Blog Award
N E W D I G I T A L S C A P E S – Published Book: The Abstract Series by Walter W Smith
N E W D I G I T A L S C A P E S is proud to present the newly published book of digital abstract art, poetry, and prose. Available in hard and soft cover at the Blurb bookstore. Here is the link to my page. A preview of the book is also available online. http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3536063
n e w d i g i t a l s c a p e s 