Context providers: : negotiating meaning in media arts, edited by Margot Lovejoy, Christiane Paul and myself is being published by Intellect press in the UK. It’s been almost 10 years since we first sat and talked about this!

First week of the Nano Lab summer institute is over and it is exciting to see the students changing their minds. The artist/scientist duo teams are very effective and I believe it is an important experience for them too! This weekend students are going to the Getty (hopefully the fire from a few days ago does not stand in the way) and Venice beach. We skipped the museum of Jurassic technologies this year — were told that there are too many of us and it gets disruptive. See: artsci.ucla.edu/summer

What an amazing way to usher in the new year! THANKS goes to Susan Hopmans who came up with this idea when we visited the desert less then a month ago. At first I was not so excited about creating another whole event, being exhausted from three months of non-stop travel. lecturing and exhibiting. But, I wanted to give back to her for sponsoring the Blue Morph at the Integratron and to Joanne and Nancy who opened their hearts to having this experiment in the dome. So, I decided, we do a small, low-key event but this is not what the universe had in store. Lopsang called and it just so happened that the monks were back from tour and free — it would be good to give back to them too I thought. Now, that the enregy was building, I decided to do the Blue Morph after all, and asked Silvia to extend the Norway wool mad hatter… Joanne and Nancy invited a band to play, Tal offered to DJ and the energy was building… Jim just came back from Japan and we had a couple of nights at Two Bunch as Susan’s guests which was a wonderful way to unwind before all manifested so nicely. New Year’s eve was low key indeed, but January 1 was opened to the public and the place filled to capacity… 

THANKS to the great team that came together: Tal — for overall help and doing a DJ set; Tyler for helping with the Blue Morph and installing a new (untitled)piece; Gil for projecting his work and the nanomandala on the dome; Blanka for photographing and Amy for giving a helping hand; Kim for videotaping.

Toni Dove just sent me this news about the New School and says: “Maybe the 60’s are back!” And I am thinking it is interesting to learn about the history of New School and the idea of University in Exile in relation to our education system as a whole. 

The New School was formed “to be a safe-haven for academic freedom and scholarship free of oppressive political regimes, be they in Europe or America, and to be a center for critical engagement with important issues of our times. It was known for its deep thinkers, its innovative academics, and its commitment to social and political justice as a bedrock of all other scholarship.”

http://www.newschoolinexile.com

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/protest-at-the-new-school-turns-unruly/?partner=rss&emc=rss

 

Yes, the world is spinning in strange ways! All our expectations and assumptions are coming into question. Case in point — a foot and a half of snow in Joshua Tree. Here’s a pic Nancy sent from the Integratron. Tal was not able to go for a site visit because they were snowed in!

Snowed in Integratron Dome

Working non-stop on an endless TO DO list… Getting ready for the Art, Sci & Tech class — so far 164 registered — with no advertising! January 9th, the UC DARnet show opens, then the North South event followed by exhibitions and Sound + Science symposium… So, to prepare appropriately, we are ushering in the New Year at the Integratron with an amazing event beginning with the Tibetan monks… http://integratron.com

Austin in the Blue Morph with the Chakrasamvara