Trash Talk

'Trash Talk' is a creative writing exercise of sorts that spawned from ordering a to-go chai latte from my new favourite cafe, Transcend. As their take-out containers are deliciously made from compostable material, the guilt of having forgotten my coffee cup was lessened. The container, its structure and feel, made quite an impact on me and inspired the following writing exercise.

Talking trash, in colloquial terms, is about venting. It's about ranting about an incident that has perturbed you, or anonymously spazing (this is the technical term) about someone who has upset the flow of your day. Trash Talk, as the writing exercise, combines venting with sustainability practices and experimental composition. The idea behind it is that you reclaim an item that has been intended for trash and use it as your medium to write upon. The recovered trash is not only the medium upon which to write, it is also the muse to write about, if one so wishes.

In my to-go cup writing exercise, I thought it would be humorous to look at the concept of biodegradable from the cup's perspective. In a sense the cup is venting about being a finite object. And so came about the genesis of the Trash Talk poem 'Untitled':


I biodegrade when
tossed out, how
degrading is that?

Pharaohs were
embalmed to be
preserved for all time.

Even kindergartner's
art work is laminated.

Enjoy your soy chai
latte and feel
environmentally friendly sound
while I
whither to
the ground. ~cup

Read Between The Lines

The Mathmagician

I was desperate to check out the M.C. Escher The Mathmagician exhibit before it closed and, of course, I put off going until the last weeks of it being at the AGA. Escher (1898-1972) was born in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, a stones throw from the province I was born. Like any Dutch family, mine had a print of the originally titled Hand With Reflecting Sphere hanging in a discrete hallway and this, inevitably, catalyzed my appreciation for Escher.As the Dutch, myself included, are not known for their gregariousness, especially towards one another, Escher, as a fellow countryman was to be harshly criticized. My scrutiny of Escher at the AGA exhibit, however, proved that his world renowned status as artist extraordinaire is a highly merited one. His work exudes thoughtfulness, contemplation, and complexity to a craft that was novel if not unknown for his time.

The humble-sized Escher exhibit at the AGA was sizable enough to wetten one's three- dimensional jowls as it were. For reasons unbeknownst to me, the Escher exhibit shared a space with an Acme cartoon expose. And though Bugs Bunny and Gogo Wackston the Dodo are dually important icons of the last century, it seemed odd that they would chaperon Escher here. Though momentarily entranced by a Wile E. Coyote + anvil conundrum, I somehow made it the Escher corridor. The exhibit's layout follows much of the chronology of Escher's life, travels, and artistic development. The first works depict the artist’s experimentation with the division of two dimensional surfaces. These preliminary works include Eight Heads, which is a print from a woodcut stencil(!). From the graphically-charged images of Escher's first works, the exhibit moves into the works Escher created in the 12 years he lived in Italy. These images are landscape-inspired and some have dreamlike qualities, like his infamous Castle in the Air The final section displays Escher's works that depict his interest in the world around him. Here he plays with perspective and illusions of depth so that the mathematician turns magician. The notorious Day and Night hangs here.

A more intimate look at Escher's work made me appreciate its intricacy and peculiarity. It makes me think that in his day Escher must have been quite the catch- for a dutch guy!

The Fringe: Blinking will cause memory loss

The Fringe is one of Edmonton's most, if not the most, anticipated theatre events of the year. And rightfully so as it is seamlessly organized, in high demand, and privy to critically acclaimed performances. The Fringe to some is liken to buying a condo- a life altering occasion. And if you're not willing to put in the time and effort of reading reviews or standing in lines for tickets, then you will most likely end up a) seeing a show that your little brother could have preformed in your basement in your high school band costume that you no longer fit or b) not seeing a show at all and be forced into directing your little brother's basement play that you thought was a bad idea in the first place.

Aside from the fact that it was impossible to see the shows I actually want to see at the Fringe, I did end up seeing a few things worth mentioning here. Social Sundays, put on by Rapid Fire Theatre was a hilarity to watch. What started out as a Gatsby affair soon shifted into a Wes Anderson esque absurdity at which one can't but laugh. The local actors involved proved to be of fine caliber and made their show all the more enjoyable to watch and reflect back on later. It also didn't hurt they play's success that the attractive female lead Molly Flood spent the final twenty minutes on stage in her underwear.

An outdoor shows that got my attention included the impressive ninja a capella stylings of Apocalypse Kow. My friend and I got our afternoon groove on to songs such as Paparazzi, Yesterday, and something that I think was an entire level of sonic the hedgehog background music. The best thing about seeing street performances is is that they're free -KIDDING! The best thing is that you can see some amazing talent out in the open air all the while soaking in all the wonderful carnival smells. Why is it that seeing a performance outdoors makes people jump off the health food wagon and consume a years worth of calories on elephant ears and green onion cakes?

I wrapped up fringe season by going to a show with a friend of mine "in the know" of the Edmonton theatre scene. We decided to go see Die Roten Punkte because we had heard good things about it. The two Australians cum Germans put on an entertaining show about a brother-sister punk band. The show/concert revealed the turmoils of the siblings lives in an entertaining and humorous fashion yet did not rock my world as it had been rocked in 2004 when I saw a one woman show of which I sadly do not know the name.

All in all I was disappointed by this years Fringe, not because there weren't great shows but because I didn't get to see them! I was desperate to see 7(x1) Samurai and my wounds were only minimally soothed when I got a hand bill from the one man himself (David Gaines). Wanderlust was another one that I really want to see but was sold out through the teeth by the time I heard wind of its incredulity. Hoboheme, also put on by a local group, was among those that sadly I failed to see. So for next year I've learned a few pretty intuitive things, get tickets before the shows are popular and not to wait for Todd Babiuk or Liz Nichols' two cents because, although they're ever so valuable, they pretty much come out when the festival is over.

Edmonton Street Performers Festival

Along with the other festivals happening in town, early July's Street Performer's Festival in Churchhill square was yet another success. For a whole week Edmontonians got to enjoy the comedic and talent-fueled acts of artists from around the globe. The performances range from acrobatic to awe-inspiring to hilarious. My personal G-rated favourite was a young lady who goes by the pseudonym Becky Hoops. On a trip to the Tulip Festival in Ottawa last year, I had the pleasure of experiencing Becky Hoop's performance for the first time.

She is a fearless entertainer who gives street performance a new edge and authenticity that the crowd seems to really go for. Not only is she genuine and pleasant to look at, Becky Hoops is also rib-breakingly hilarious. Her act consists of well, hula hoops, lively music, a crowd-volunteerd dj, a crowd-volunteer boy-toy, and a daring closing act where Becky hula hoops all of her twenty odd hoops at once! We hope to see you back next year Becky!

Edmonton Festivals: A local perspective

I've been to some amazing events already this summer in Edmonton. A few weekends ago I was able to check out The Art Walk event on Whyte Avenue. The Art Walk, which happened from July 15-17 this year, is an opportunity for local artists to set up a mini studio/gallery out on the sidewalk amidst hundreds of fellow artists. There was a broad range of art to view and a sliding scale of talent from mediocre to life altering. Two of my new local favourites were there this year including Giselle Denis and Maria Pace-Wynters. Giselle Denis, who I've linked on my blog, is a refreshing young artist whose colourful images inspire feeling of whimsy and excitement, at least in my opinion. Maria Pace-Wynters' work is duelly colourful as she depicts charming clowns, children and other playful subjects against intricate, textured backdrops.

Additionally, I paid two visits to Heritage Days and was pleasantly surprised by the magnitude of Edmonton's ethnic diversity. It was visceral this past weekend that Edmonton is truly an international hub and one that works well at celebrating culture. Although I shamelessly started at the Dutch pavilion in lieu of my own heritage, I was easily lured away by the many tantalizing aromas that were wafting around Hawerlak Park. I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the Pakoras and the Chot-Poti at the Bangladesh booth and the Sukumawiki and Chapati at the Kenyan pavilion. What really shocked me though were the amount of chile-covered mangos-on-a-stick that were being consumed! I was so enticed by the walking advertisements that I decided to go to the Guatemala booth and get one myself. The fifty-man line, however, made me spend my food tickets on Danish Vinarterta instead. The music and apparel was great too, especially the garb found at the India tent by the lovely ladies who sell the Saraswati line. I can't wait to see what the infamous Fringe will have to offer us in a couple of weeks.

Living Water

A friend of mine got me excited about spring water and informed me that my hometown was a sequestered site for pristine spring water. This information catalyzed my subsequent quest for this living water that is known by underground wild 'foodies' as being the purest water on the planet.
Our trip to Open Creek Dam was dual purpose as there is not only an immaculate spring there but also a great lake free of motorized boats perfect for canoeing. After an adventurous canoe trip on which we found wild mint growing on the dam, we headed to the spring with our glass jugs.
Glass is perfect material for water containers as it is a pure material that does not leach anything into the water.

As we walked up to the spring we noticed it flowed out of a covered cistern into a marshy wooded area. We were excited to taste the water so we cupped our hands, dipped, and drank. It was clean, cold, and earthy tasting- unlike store bought or even tap water. I have no problem with tap water and am thankful for the sophisticated water treatment systems North America has. I have no desire to criticize tap water, but the spring water, with it's vivacious thirst-quenching abilities is definitely something to seek out and experience yourself~

Daniel Vitalis, a health and nutrition philosopher, has created a website called findaspring.com which maps out all of the "wild water" sites recorded by people across the globe.