Month: November 2011

Money Talks? The Occupy George Project

Money Talks? The Occupy George Project

Posted on by Kbaumlier

Ever gotten a dollar bill that someone wrote their name on or stamped a message on? Have you ever “defaced” a dollar bill?

In support of the Occupy Wall Street protests, two men from San Francisco who have backgrounds in design and advertising created Occupy George , 5 graphic stamp designs that can be put on $1 bills.   The goal is to inform others with facts and information through the exchange of currency.

Stamped in red ink, the stamps overlay statistics and charts over the dollar bill to indicate how America’s wealthiest 1% dominate the country’s financial power. The designs range from a graph indicating average worker pay versus average CEO pay, a design that shows the amount of income growth over the last century, and also a simple design that states, “Future Property of the 1%” which is meant to be stamped on George Washington’s face.

For about a week, Occupy George supporters have been working around the clock to create the new Occupy George bills. The printed Occupy George bills then get exchanged at the Occupy Wall Street site for a fresh set of plain bills.    The Occupy George encourages others to download the templates or to buy the stamps.

LINKS:

http://www.occupygeorge.com/

Dinner Theater: Past, Present and Future?

Dinner Theater: Past, Present and Future?

Posted on by Kbaumlier

A few years ago I developed a proposal for a interactive dinner show project which aimed to promote environmental issues and to be used as a fundraiser for non-profits and groups.

While working on the proposal, I did research about the dinner theater genre.  I think this genre has potential recently found this information, and thought I would share about this performance genre where food and live entertainment are combined.

Dinner theater is what it sounds like – a live show within a restaurant where eating a meal is combined with a staged play or performance.

The oldest and longest-running dinner theater in America is The Barn Dinner Theater in Greensboro, NC, which was founded in 1962.  When the theater started, the performance’s cast not only acted on stage, they were the waiters and waitresses as well.

The 1970s were the heyday of dinner theaters, which usually provided popular regional entertainment for local audiences. The shows usually featured popular movie stars in the productions.

Today there are a number of dinner theater or interactive dinner events that combine food and performance and range from providing entertainment, audience participation, and even a couple that aim to promote awareness about an issue.

Some examples of Dinner Theater:

The Hunger Banquet
Since 1974, groups have been hosting Oxfam America Hunger Banquets in homes, campuses, schools, and spiritual institutions around the country.  At an Oxfam America Hunger Banquet, guests randomly draw tickets that assign them to different income levels, based on the latest statistics about the number of people living in poverty. Depending on where they sit, some receive a filling dinner, while others eat a simple meal or share sparse portions of rice and water.

At the Oxfam America Hunger Banquet guests can also take on the roles of real people from around the world and share their experiences with others. While not all guests leave with full stomachs, many gain a new perspective on the root causes of hunger and poverty—and will feel motivated to do something to help.

Bitter Melon Council  Aside/Inside event
Bitter Melon [A]side/[In]side was a 70 people-banquet event created for Grantsmakers in the Arts pre-conference in collaboration with P-Town Parties. The chef was challenged to develop dishes that, while incorporating a significant amount of Bitter Melon, do not have a bitter taste. These specific dishes, developed by the caterer, were accompanied by condiments and garnishes created by the Bitter Melon Council.  The Bitter Melon Council is a group devoted to the cultivation of a vibrant, diverse community through the promotion and distribution of Bitter Melon. Their projects, events, and festivals celebrate the health, social, culinary, and creative possibilities of the bitter melon vegetable.

Medieval times
At the “medieval times feast” costumed servers deliver four courses to guests who watch a medieval show while eating garlic bread and a steaming hot vegetable soup ladled into pewter bowls, roasted chicken, spare rib, a seasoned potato and pastry.  Guests usually watch jousting and other medieval games in a arena-like setting.

Tony and Tina’s Comedy Wedding
This interactive show invites the audience to be the guests at a “traditional” wedding. Guests are invited to dance, sing – all while eating dinner in  a mock wedding reception atmosphere. This show has been running for many years, and got attention for how it blurred the boundaries between fantasy and reality.

Princess Tea at Disneyworld
Want to have tea with a princess?  A tea party, designed for young girls is held regularly at the Disney World Grand Floridian Resort.  At the event there are sing-alongs, stories, and a visit from Princess Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty) or Rose Petal. Girls are encouraged to wear their favorite princess dress.  At the Tea there is a menu for both adults and children.

Country Bear Jamboree at Disneyworld
Robotic bears sing and put on a show while guests eat chicken and cornbread.
(I went to this at the age of 6 and loved it.)

Titanic Theater Restaurant
This show and restaurant is on a boat. Guests are invited to dress in period costume, and experience a show about the last night on the Titantic.

Murder Mystery Dinner Theater
Dinner and a murder mystery.  People sometimes host this in their own homes  – (I saw this on one of the Bravo Housewives shows) or this can be experienced in a  theater.

 

Links:

Oxfam Hunger Banquet

Bitter Melon Project

Bear Jamboree

Fireside Theater

Titanic Dinner show

Medieval Times

Tony Loves Tina

Niagara Falls Dinner Theater

Murder Mystery Theater

Photography as Activism: Polar Obsession

Photography as Activism: Polar Obsession

Posted on by Kbaumlier

Last week I wrote about the Climate Change exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art and about how the exhibit relied on text and information in an attempt to gain attention to global warming, which can be ineffective of informing and engaging visitors. There is another exhibit on display of photography at CMNH that is a good example of how imagery and art can spark interest in viewers about the issue of global warming.

The exhibit Polar Obsession features the work of photographer Paul Nicklen, who uses his camera to capture unique images of animals who live in the polar regions, whose livelihood is threatened due to the polar melting away caused by human-induced global warming.  The show features over 60 images that are unique images of polar animals in their natural settings.

Nicklen calls himself an interpreter or translator and says that through photography he can translate what he hears from scientists. “If we lose ice, we stand to lose an entire ecosystem,” Nicklen says.  “I hope we can realize through my photography how interconnected these species are to ice.”

Instead of using telephoto lenses, Nicklen  likes to get close to his subjects, which gives his images a unique presence.   Nicklen writes that, “Two colleagues at National Geographic have nicknamed me the Underwater Street Photographer, because it’s the street photographer who gets as close as possible to each subject, sometimes bringing the camera lens to within centimeters of the subjects.  Many wildlife photographers mainly use a long telephoto lens to shoot full frame images.  If I am using my 600mm lens, I don’t feel close enough.  If I am diving under the ice face to face with a walrus, filling the frame with my fisheye lens in a potentially dangerous situation, where no one has been before – then I know I am getting something good.”

Nicklen’s images have a unique quality than other nature photographs.  The photographs often depict animals from  different angles,  rare interactions of animals, and in a sharpness in the photo quality rarely seen in wildlife photography.

Recently there has been an increase in articles and posts about nature photographers who photograph endangered species as  activists.  Nicklen’s work aims to generate global awareness about wildlife and environmental issues, and is an example of how images can get others to become aware and appreciate polar species.

“I realize that if I really want people to care about polar species such as the polar bear, leopard seal, walrus and narwhal, my images have to be wild and raw.  I want people to feel what it’s like to be in the water, swimming a meter from a polar bear,” Nicklen says.  “I want them to experience what it’s like to be offered a penguin as food by a leopard seal.  Only then will they care about that habitat and that species.”

To do this work, he has gone on expeditions that include tracking Stellar sea lions in the Aleutian Islands, diving with narwhals off of Northern Baffin Island, swimming with leopard seals in Antarctica, photographing walruses on sea ice in Nunavut, and living on the open tundra with bears and wolves for a three-month solo trek. .

In one of his talks he mentions the power of the animals themselves to bring attention to a larger issue.  Nicklen says, “If you tell people ‘We are going to lose ice,’ no one is interested  because we hear it all the time.   If you tell people,  ‘We are going to lose polar bears,’  you get peoples’ attention.”

The exhibition supports his book, Polar Obsessions, which was published by National Geographic in November 2009.

Most visitors at the museum that I saw stopped to view the images, and many watched the TEDtalk of Nicklen that is playing as part of the exhibit.  Even if you have seen lots of imagery of bears and seals – this  show will capture your attention and provide a way to see polar animals and their habitat in a new way.

Polar Obsession is on display at CMNH until January 22, 2012.

Images:

Paul Nicklen

 

Links:

Paul Nicklen’s Website

Paul Nicklen’s TED talk video

Polar Obsession Exhibit :  at CMNH page

Extreme Exposure: Paul Nicklen Talk (Feb. 24, 20111)

 

Redesign the Supermarket

Redesign the Supermarket

Posted on by Kbaumlier

The magazine and website GOOD which offers articles, commentary, design and videos and comics on culture and society which describes itself as “for people who give a damn.”

Each month the site does a 30-day challenge about how to live better. For June the challenge was to redesign the supermarket . Supermarkets are designed to get you to buy more than you want. The stores spread out staples like milk, eggs, and bananas so that shoppers will end up buying more than they need.

GOOD challenged readers to redesign the supermarket to promote healthy choices and discourage impulse junk-food buying.

The winner, Alison Cross created a grocery store design that has a circular structure, lots of bike racks, shorter aisles, community tables, and an on-site garden.

Check out the winning design and other submissions at the project website –http://www.good.is/tag/redesign-the-supermarket.

IMAGE SOURCES:
Alison Cross
Lyza Danger

LINKS:

GOOD Redesign the Supermarket

Article: Secrets of the Supermarket Layout that Grocery Store Chains Don’t Want You to Realize