#Duane Larson

[theaskew]

Lyrics

Hi my name is stereo Mike

Yeah, we got free tickets to the Bran Van concert Happening this Monday night at the Pacific Coliseum You can all call in if you want to answer a couple of questions, mainly, what is Todd's favorite cheese? Ah, Jackie just called in and said it was a type of Rockford, whatever that is Give us a ring-a-ding-ding, it's a beautiful day

Yeah Todd, this is Liquid ring-a-ding-dinging I want those free Bran Van tickets man What do you think? Todd? (He's alive Mike, alive, Todd)

I woke up again this morning with the sun in my eyes When Mike came over with a script surprise A mafioso story with a twist A To Wong Fu-Julie Newmar Hitch "Get your ass out of bed" he said, "I'll explain it on the way"

But we did nothing, absolutely nothing that day And I say, what the hell am I doing drinking in L.A. at twenty-six? I got the fever for the flavour The payback will be later But still I need a fix

And the girls on the bus kept laughing at us As we rode on the 10 down to Venice again Blaring out the g-funk sipping on juice and gin Just me and a friend feeling kind of groovy, workin' on a movie (yeah, right)

But we did nothing, absolutely buttkiss that day And I'll say, what the hell am I doing drinking in L.A. at twenty-six? (With my mind on my money and my money on my beer, beer) I know that life is for the taking So I better wise up and take it quick (yeah, one more time at Trader Vic's)

Well some men there wanted to hurt us And other men said we weren't worth the fuss You could catch 'em all bitching by the bar Above the fine line between the rich and the poor Then Mike turned to me and said "what you think we got done son?"

We had the conclusion and I guess that's something So I ask you what the hell am I doing drinking in L.A. at twenty-six? I got the fever for the nectar, the payback will be later Still I need a fix Hell-A-L.A., hell hell-A.L.A Hell-A-L.A., hell hell-A.L.A Hell-A-L.A., hell hell-A So I ask you what the hell am I doing drinking in L.A. at twenty-six? (He's alive Mike, alive) L.A., L.A.

Songwriters: Duane Larson / Haig Vartzbedian / James Di Salvio

Drinking in L.A. lyrics © Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN)

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 24 June 1973, an arsonist ignited a fire that engulfed the LGBT+ bar called the Up Stairs Lounge in New Orleans, killing 32 people and injuring 15. The fire was the deadliest attack on a gay bar in American history prior to the 2016 Pulse Nightclub Massacre. In a city where LGBT+ culture was largely hidden, the Up Stairs Lounge was one of the few establishments catering to the gay community and one of the only gay bars that welcomed Black men and lesbians. On the fourth anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, patrons assembled at the bar for the weekly beer bust. Sixty-five people remained when Bartender Buddy Rasmussen heard the doorbell ring and asked friend Luther Boggs to answer it. As Luther opened the door, flames rushed into the lounge. Buddy led 20 survivors onto the roof of a nearby building while others unsuccessfully attempted to escape through barred windows. The fire department arrived at 7:58 and extinguished the fire quickly, but the powerful flames had already overpowered many patrons. Among the victims were 12 members of Metropolitan Community Church, the first church serving LGBT+ individuals. They included Rev. William "Bill" Larson, associate pastor Duane "Mitch" Mitchell, and Mitch's boyfriend Horace Broussard. Unlike other tragedies, the Up Stairs fire did not amass community support. Although newspapers reported the fire, journalists enflamed anti-gay sentiment by perpetuating vulgar rhetoric and harmful stereotypes. Articles painted the victims as "thieves, burglars, and queers," while other reports named the tragedy a "fruit fry." Eyewitnesses told author Johnny Townsend that they overheard either police or firefighters saying: "Let the f*****s burn". No formal memorials were planned, and churches refused to provide services. This reaction galvanised the New Orleans' LGBT+ community to organise for gay rights as they mourned those who died in the tragic fire. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=649971757176043&set=a.602588028581083&type=3

[tiffanycparnell86]

What IS Search Engine Optimization?

Introduction

Duane Forrester works with Bing Webmasters Program as the senior product manager. He’s written two books and owns multiple domains and websites. According to Stukent, he was one of the first hired by a search engine (Stukent, 2020). I watched Forrester’s lecture via You Tube, it is titled Learn the Basics of Search Engine Optimization. I learned what search engine optimization is and how it works; I discovered how to maximize website relevance and organic vs paid search results. I also learned about keyword phrases, keyword research and keyword tools. The speech was very informative.

What Is SEO (Search Engine Optimization)?

Making a website better for the visitor and search engine by providing good/accurate search results is SEO. For example, the user searched recipes for lasagna and the results display recipes for lasagna, the search engine provided what the user was looking for; however, if the results display recipes for spaghetti versus lasagna, the search engine failed to do its job. The goal is “to be the top result of many different searches” (Larson & Draper, 2020, Chapter 4, sect 1). SEO is a slow process; it takes time to build. It’s not something you can do and just be done with; Changes will have to be made as your market and target audience change. Keyword phrases, headlines, URL’s, the web design and layout may have to change in order to give the best product, service and experience possible.

Why WE Need Search Engine Optimization?

According to Chris (2022) “optimizing your website for search engines will give you an advantage over non-optimized sites and increasing your chances of ranking higher.” Remember, the higher you rank, the higher one’s website is placed on the searched results page (Forrester, 2019). Promoting your website via social media has major benefits. For instance, if a website garners results by searching a browser such as Google or Bing, content creators are more susceptible to sharing your website on their platforms. This helps build a community, resulting in more traffic, views, visitors, account setups, purchases and authority.

 Websites run more efficiently with the help of SEO. Any online business can gain success with the assistance of SEO. Keep in mind, SEO is a secondary consideration, your primary consideration is website layout/formatting and design (Larson & Draper, 2020); improving a visitor’s experience is the main key.

Keyword Phrases, Research and Tools

Keyword phrases are vital to search engine results. Therefore, a website must be structured so the search engine can do its job most accurately. A search engine determines the significance of a topic based on the words used in or on a page. The keyword phrase is also the most important when considering title and header tags. Building a website’s content around keyword phrases is ideal.

Keyword research can help when deciding what keywords are best for your website and SEO. According to Forrester (2019), a list of good keywords used for your website/business type can be found when conducting research. For example, there are websites that generate this data/information. How popular a keyword is and how frequently it’s being used can be found online as well. There are tools such as Link Explorer, displaying who’s linked to your website as well as your competitor’s website can be found here. There is the SEO Analyzer that monitors traffic, position tracking and keywords, etc. SEO Reports is another tool used to audit your website. Keep in mind you can only see the data regarding your own website, excluding Link Explorer (Forrester, 2019).

Organic Versus Paid and Shopping Ads

Organic results equate to trusted results. Trust is important but it’s something that takes time to build, it’s not instantaneous. The clicks are free, meaning, unpaid and SEO performs here. Paid results are based on an auction system; meaning, how high the ad is on the page is determined by the amount of money paid for the ad. For example, If I pay top dollars to have my ad populate, it will show at the top of the searched results page.

 “Shopping ads are another form of search results. These ads usually populate to the right of searched results. Shopping ads don’t have as wide a net as organic ads but more focused than paid ads; these ads are a combination of organic and paid inclusive results” (Forrester, 2019).  The main difference between organic, paid and shopping SEO is the cost.

How Is Relevance Maximized?

There are many things that can be done to maximize a website’s relevance. Placing keyword phrases in important places on a webpage is one way to increase relevance. Ensuing images have an alternative text and descriptions attached so the search engine can understand the content is important. For example, bots are incapable of reading images so incorporating keywords where appropriate is necessary. Don’t stifle the website by overusing keywords, this results in the user having a bad experience. Growing social media outlets via affiliates, ensuring conversion is quick and easy, use header tags and put keywords first in the title tag, etc.

Conclusion

Overall, I learned a lot about SEO; I learned there are two types of SEO, onsite and offsite. The formatting of a website’s content is onsite SEO. “The making and distribution of content on a website to develop quality backlinks to a site deal with offsite SEO” (Larson & Draper, 2020, Chapter 4, sect 1).

 Improving customer experience is the main goal of SEO. Websites run more smoothly when optimized. A website relevance increases via social media or using affiliate marketing. Also, utilizing different conversion types and through keyword phrases and research. Organic, paid and shopping ads can also help increase exposure and revenue. Search engines determine the importance of the topic in a page by the verbiage used. Remember, create the layout of your website by convincing the search engine your website is the best search result.

References

Business2Community. (2014). The Wordstream Guide To SEO Basics. https://cdn.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/wordstream-seo-basics-guide.png.png

Chris, A. (2022, November 10). What Is SEO And Why Is It Important? (Reliablesoft, Ed.). Www.Reliablesoft.net; Reliablesoft. https://www.reliablesoft.net/what-is-search-engine-optimization-and-why-is-it-important/

Forrester, D. (2019, September 19). Learn the Basics of Search Engine Optimizaiton. You Tube; Stukent. https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=Awrih2i.TANlSRkRiE0PxQt.;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1694743871/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fwatch%3fv%3dDm2KXhBPZDg/RK=2/RS=iv81IIkyWK3q7ViuJrnyv3Y_0Ec-

Larson, J. & Draper, S. (2020, November). Digital Marketing Essentials. Stukent, Incorporated. https://stukent.com/

Webfx. (n.d.). Organic versus Paid SEO. Retrieved September 14, 2023, from https://www.webfx.com/archive/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/seo-meaning-paid-vs-organic.png

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Waskesiu, Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada

by Duane Larson - Prairies North

[drarreckyninja]

Weird things said in the Tanner House:

Becky: "I love when my stuff is hot."

Wendy: "You really squeezed some hot dogs, Becky."

Danny: "Nurse me however you want."

Vicki: "Well, you start from the bottom..."

DJ: "I'm here to be stroked if you need that."

Steve: "You're going too deep, man!"

Gia: "What are you going to do with that funnel?"

Stephanie: "Well, come with me and you'll find out."

Jesse: "What is happening in between stickin' it and bringin' it?"

Joey: "And then you just put your face on your laptop screen and suck."

Fernando: "She doesn't have a lot of flavor, but she's good for you."

Kimmy: "And I've got a big, saggy weenus."

Denise: "Squeeze a nut however you want, you ain't gonna get no milk out of it."

Duane: "I think it might be time for a stroke."

Harry: "Oh, penetrate, Chief!"

Michelle: "Dudes need to do this for each other every once in a while."

Nicki: "Show me your weenus!"

Teddy: "I can expose just fresh wood!"

[annagracewood]

Theologically sound books for children and youth

Theologically sound books for children and youth

The necessity of theologically sound books Theologically sound books are a must for me. I love reading books that present the truth of God’s Word in a way that honors Him and stays true to the text. We sometimes forget that our children also need theologically sound books or if we know we need them, we might not know where to find them. I loved reading to my little children when they were…

[of-foolish-and-wise]

mega-list of book recommendations

saw a mega-list of literary recommendations going around recently and was struck by the dearth of titles by poc, so i made a list of just poc titles to course-correct. keep in mind that i can only in good faith recommend what i’ve read, so i’m sure i’ve absolutely missed some integral titles. drop me an inbox message if you have more recs, i’m always open

canonical

the narrative of frederick douglass - frederick douglass

incidents in the life of a slave girl - harriet jacobs

the souls of black folk - w.e.b. dubois

montage of a dream deferred - langston hughes

cane - jean toomer

their eyes were watching god - zora neale hurston

the bean eaters - gwendolyn brooks

a raisin in the sun - lorraine hansberry

invisible man - ralph ellison

native son - richard wright

the autobiography of malcolm x - malcolm x

the fire next time - james baldwin

sister outsider: essays and speeches - audre lorde

things fall apart - chinua achebe

the garden of forking paths - jorge luis borges

one hundred years of solitude - gabriel garcia marquez

the color purple - alice walker

the woman warrior - maxine hong kingston

satanic verses - salman rushdie

beloved - toni morrison

sula - toni morrison

the house on mango street - sandra cisneros

the joy luck club - amy tan

DAMN. - kendrick lamar

plays

a tempest - aime cesaire

for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf - ntozake shange

fences - august wilson

dutchman - amiri baraka

the american play - suzan-lori parks

memoir

the light of the world - elizabeth alexander

how we fight for our lives - saeed jones

between the world and me - ta-nehisi coates

persepolis - marjane satrapi

men we reaped - jesmyn ward

heavy - kiese laymon

black boy - richard wright

the yellow house - sarah m broom

brothers and keepers - john edgar wideman

zami: a new spelling of my name - audre lorde

poetry

american sonnet for my past and future assassin - terrance hayes

the tradition - jericho brown

night sky with exit wounds - ocean vuong

citizen: an american lyric - claudia rankine

twenty love poems and a song of despair - pablo neruda

don’t call us dead - danez smith

eye level - jenny xie

life on mars - tracy k smith

a fortune for your disaster - hanif abdurraqib

postcolonial love poem - natalie diaz

i can’t talk about the trees without the blood - tiana clark

i wore my blackest hair - carlina duan

an american sunrise - joy harjo

oculus - sally wen mao

short stories

her body & other stories - carmen maria machado

interpreter of maladies - jhumpa lahiri

exhalation - ted chiang

ficciones - jorge louis borges

what is not yours is not yours - helen oyeyemi

sour heart - jenny zhang

essays

how to write an autobiographical novel: essays - alexander chee

trick mirror - jia tolentino

bad feminist - roxane gay

they can’t kill us until they kill us - hanif abdurraqib

we were eight years in power: an american tragedy - ta-nehisi coates

borderlands/la frontera: the new mestiza - gloria anzaldua

this bridge called my back: writings by radical women of color - ed. cherrie moraga and gloria anzaldua

white girls - hilton als

non-fiction

the new jim crow: mass incarceration in the era of colorblindness - michelle alexander

stamped from the beginning: the definitive history of racist ideas in america - ibram x kendi

bunk: the rise of hoaxes, humbug, plagiarists, phonies, post-facts, and fake news - kevin young

an alchemy of race and rights - patricia j williams

looking for lorraine: the radiant and radical life of lorraine hansberry - imani perry

the next billion users: digital life beyond the west - payal arora

fiction

passing - nella larson

caucasia - danzy senna

trust exercise - susan choi

on earth we’re briefly gorgeous - ocean vuong

corregidora - gayl jones

the fifth season - nk jemisin

the brief wondrous life of oscar wao - junot diaz

the round house - louise erdrich

there, there - tommy orange

little fires everywhere - celeste ng

the supervisor - viet than nguyen

kindred - octavia butler

the known world - edward p jones

the underground railroad - colson whitehead

the god of small things - arundhati roy

the vegetarian - han king

theory

playing in the dark: whiteness and the literary imagination - toni morrison

black skin, white masks - frantz fanon

mama’s baby, papa’s maybe: an american grammar book - hortense spillers

discourse on colonialism - aime cesaire

scenes of subjection - saidiya hartman

the signifyin(g) monkey - henry louis gates jr

pedagogy of the oppressed - paulo freire

feminist theory: from margin to center - bell hooks

black noise: rap music and black culture in contemporary america - tricia rose

decolonizing the mind: the politics of language in african literature - ngũgĩ wa thiong’o

black marxism: the making of the black radical tradition - cedric robinson

black feminist thought: knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment - patricia hill collins

black and blur (consent not to be a single thing) - fred moten

young adult

diary of a part-time indian - sherman alexei

the hate u give - angie thomas

emergency contact - mary hk choi

i am not your perfect mexican daughter - erika sanchez

poet x - elizabeth avecedo

[everythingfox]

“Just Chillin’“ by Duane Larson

[architectnews]

Olson Kundig principal designs himself a cosy beach cabin

Olson Kundig Architects principal Alan Maskin has renovated and extended a beach cabin from 1938 in Washington State, turning it into his wood-lined retreat.

Agate Pass Cabin overlooks the Agate Passage, a tidal waterway on the Olympic Peninsula. Maskin added a first-floor extension and proper foundations to the old cabin.

Low ceilings have been open up into the old attic

Original wide planks of Douglas fir – a species that was bountiful in the region 100 years ago – still line the walls and ceilings.

Where some panels were taken down to make room for alterations, the wood was refashioned into cabinets or storage or used to line new ceilings.

Panels of original Douglas fir still line the walls

Contrasting wood such as Gulam plywood was chosen for additions to the cabin, to clearly mark what is original 1930s and what is new.

Maskin bought the cabin as a dream renovation project, although it took him years to find the time to work on it after he was made an owner of Olson Kundig Architects.

"My work life and love life were separated by Elliott Bay and a three-hour commute," said Maskin.

"I was looking for a small, extremely inexpensive fixer-upper. In my dreams, I wanted it to be a small cabin with a view of the water – hopefully with some character – and located somewhere in the middle of my two primary destinations."

A screened-in porch has become a dining room at one end

When he heard the cabin had come up for sale he went to view it and realised that he could see Agate Pass if he climbed up on the roof.

"I hired a residential building inspector to check it out and make sure that buying such a rundown house wasn't insane," added Maskin.

"While he was underneath looking at the foundations of the house, I noticed 12 bald eagles flying directly over the house. Let's just say that after that, the inspector's report didn't seem as necessary."

The other side of the former porch is now a study

After years sleeping on a mattress in the cabin's unheated attic while he was busy with Olson Kundig Architects, Maskin finally found the time to redesign the cabin.

New foundations were added, with seismic upgrades as the Pacific Northwest sits on a fault line called the Cascadia subduction zone.

A first floor has been added to the cabin

The low ceiling between the living room and the attic was removed, opening the space up to create a five-metre-high vaulted roof beneath the gables. A wood-burning sits on a raised metal hearth.

A screened-in porch was turned into a dining room and office space with views over the gardens.

The bedroom has views over the Agate Pass

Upstairs, the new first storey houses a wood-lined bedroom with views over the trees and the water.

The gable end is made of and flanked by windows. A cardboard 3D portrait of the American sculptor Ed Kienholz by the local artist Scott Fife hangs over the bed, which Maskin designed himself.

Gulam plywood was used for new additions to the cabin

Maskin also designed the bed and armoire. Above the office space is a first-floor outdoor terrace.

Other artworks on display in Agate Pass Cabin include works by Seattle artists such as Sutton/Beres/Culler, Leiv Fagereng, Karen Rudd, Rebecca Raven, Chris Crites, David Eisenhour, Mary Larson and Klara Glosova.

Seattle-based Olson Kundig Architects was founded in 1967 by Jim Olson. More cabins from the practice include a writer's cabin with drawbridge-style shutters and a narrow yet tall cabin for a family.

Photography is by Aaron Lietz.

Project credits:

Architect: Olson Kundig Architects Design principal and interior design: Alan Maskin Project architects: John Kennedy and Hill Pierce Landscape (hardscapes): Alan Maskin Landscape (plants): Duane West and Brian McLaughlin General contractor: Krekow Jennings Structural engineer: Nic Rossouw, Giraf Design Lighting design: Niteo

The post Olson Kundig principal designs himself a cosy beach cabin appeared first on Dezeen.

[wearepoisonivyleague]

The importance of Poison Ivy in Birds of Prey.

“To discuss Poison Ivy is to discuss environmentalism. To discuss patriarchy. To discuss collective archetypes, and evolving narratives. To discuss Golden Age femmes fatale and black widows. To discuss thrill killers and team ups. To discuss redemption, and defiance, and friendship. To discuss narrative polemics, women in the sciences, the rush of urbanisation, and the male gaze. In short to discuss Ivy is to discuss multitudes.” (1)

Since August it appears that poison Ivy will be a member (official or unofficial) of “Batgirl and the Birds of Prey”. This is a huge step forward for the character. The reason? For the first time in her 50+ year history as a comic book character, she appears to have an actual, coherent timeline and character progression tied to DC’s canon continuity. It has been attempted before with Greg Rucka during and after No Mans Land in which she gets trapped by Clayface (2), Batman comes to rescue her (3) and she fights with Clayface, beating him and promising to not only keep Gotham’s orphans safe but also feed the starving city (4). The story continues with Poison ivy avenging the brutal murder of one of her children by corrupt cops (5), her and her children violent eviction from Robinson Park (6)(7), as well as a story in “Gotham Knights” where we learn the future of the children which took under her protection. Greg Rucka portrayed her as a symbol of ecofeminism, pushing her as a heroic, activist character. Some writers drew inspiration from this mini arc but DC pushed Ivy back as a stereotypical villain. The problem with her post Rucka appearances was that she appeared to not have a coherent timeline, depiction or character progression. She was literally thrown into books as villain that existed outside of continuity. But with New 52 Things started to change. She was introduced by Duane Swierczynski as a member of Birds of Prey (8). This version of Poison Ivy appears to be reformed and heroic. Unfortunately she appears to betray the team and gets kicked out. Unfortunately mr Swierczynski planned to explain her actions and show her real motive behind this but he was replaced in the book. But this is the point where things get interesting. John Layman uses her as a hero in his run of Detective Comics, especially in Gothtopia (9) continuing the theme of a modern Activist. This is another huge step in Poison Ivy’s evolution. John Layman makes it cannon that Poison Ivy is not a threat to Gotham and its citizens and that she doesn’t belong in Arkham. The romantic tension between Ivy and Batman is strong. He respects her. Batman finally understands that instead of constantly beating her up, having her as an ally is a better choice. Perhaps she is “misguided” (10) but she wants to save the city and cares for the citizens. But the important part here is that Poison Ivy is not considered a threat by Batman and he lets her go after helping him save the city. A timeline begins to develop. Her time in Birds of prey is often mentioned and Poison Ivy evolves further from an antihero, to a hero. During New52 two also important things happen. During Scott Snyders Swamp Thing run, her connection with the Green is established, hinting that she is destined to become the next Champion of the Green after Alec (11) and Gail Simone writes what is probably the most important moment in New52 Poison Ivy with Batgirl Annual 2. Gail Simone’s Batgirl Annual 2 tries to explain the reasons behind the betrayal of the Birds of Prey. She was blackmailed by the owner of an evil corporation in an emotionally stressful period of her life. Simone not only gives huge depth into her character but also named her mental disorder for the first time in 50 years. Until now she was simply “crazy”. Simone explains that her violent outbursts are a result of “seasonal affective disorder” which in combination of her deep connection to the Green can trigger her depression. This book is important to me on a personal level for another reason. Not only Batgirl agrees that Poison Ivy could be the one that saves the world but Ivy also confessed her love for Batgirl in an very emotional moment. Poison Ivy says that she needs more friends and not just Harley Quinn but also that “perhaps in another world” she and Batgirl could be together again (12). She is sent in Arkham

And then Rebirth happens. Another world. Before that she made an appearance in JLU and a few other books but we will look at these in detail in another article. I consider Amy Chu’s Poison Ivy, Cycle of Life and Death 6 issue mini to be the bridge between New52 and Rebirth. Ivy has a job as a scientist (it is implied that the Bat family had something to do with cleaning up her records). She is cleaning up Gotham, and working on important scientific research. Ivy finally has her own cast of characters, has three daughters and her connection to the Green’s mythology is once more established and strengthened. Amy Chu in six issues reminds us Poison Ivy’s rich backstory and reintroduces her to new audiences (13). This Poison Ivy appears to be reformed and she mentions that this is going to be a new start for her. Francis Manapuls Trinity (14) expands elements introduced in Amy Chu’s mini and further establishes the fact that the trinity doesn’t see her as an enemy or a villain, letting her free after the arc ends. Her motives are human and has some deeply emotional moments. Manapul had planned to evolve Ivy by making her know the identities of the Trinity and deciding to keep them secret to protect the heroes but editorial opposed to this idea (15).

But, Poison Ivy does learn the identity of Batgirl in Hope Larson’s Batgirl run where she teams up with Barbara to save an airplane and it's passengers from a plant that's growing uncontrollably in the cargo bay. Here it is revealed that she knows Batgirl's true identiy and decides to keep it a secret (16). In Scott Snyders All Star Batman, Batman is asking for Poison Ivy's help as a scientist so he can stop a deadly virus that's threatening to destroy the planet. After helping him and manufacturing a cure, Batman makes a promise to clear her name saying that he was wrong on many things about her and that he has misjudged her, her motives and actions in the past. Once more she saves the planet and humanity. Not because she’s forced to, not because she is threatened but because she wants to (17). Which leads to Batgirl and the Birds of Prey. Here Julie and Shawna Benson present a heroic Poison Ivy who not only knows the identities of the Birds of Prey but Barbara Gordon trusts her so much that buys a whole company for her and puts Pamela in charge (18). And according to future solicits it appears that Poison Ivy will stick with the team. Before I make a recap I’d like to point that it appears that Batgirl is the driving force behind Poison Ivy turning a new leaf. And it makes sense. Since New52 Poison Ivy is described as a misguided person. Gail Simone believes that "Poison Ivy is the ultimate in rebellion, the last honest person in some ways". Batgirl believes in her. And if rebirth is about hope, then the perfect way to prove this is to give her a chance.

What we have here is a slow but steady character progression. Poison ivy tries to be a hero in BoP but things turn bad, she tries again and again, she helps batman, saves people, saves Gotham, saves the Planet. She asks Batgirls help. She asks her to trust her, to believe in her. She makes a genuine, heartfelt effort to become a better person. Batman trusts her, even makes a fund for young scientists to honor her. She tries to clean Gotham from pollution, creates patents, technology. Batgirl trusts her, Dinah trusts her, Helena trusts her. Not just as an ally but as a friend. She knows their identities. She spends her free time with them. So far she has saved both Gotham and the planet more times than a lot of other heroes. She is trying to become a better person. This is a huge chance for the Birds of Prey team to write history. This is a chance for the DC writers to prove that Rebirth is about hope. I think, I hope that Shawna and Julie Benson will keep Poison Ivy in the team. The problem with Poison Ivy is that a lot of writers force her to be a sidekick/friend/girlfriend to Harley Quinn. She’s not allowed to grow independently or interact with other characters. I understand that DC is putting a huge effort to push Harley but Ivy deserves some time on her own, meeting and interacting with other people, having her own stories. Selina is currently appearing in almost every issue of Batman as well as in other books, Harley has 6-10 books every month. Ivy… Well unless she’s with Harley, she rarely appears on her own or with other characters. I contacted mr DiDio through his facebook profile and told me that there are no present or future plans for Ivy and that fans should look at Harley for more appearances or the Batman family.

For the first time in her history she has a canon story that makes sense. Her journey towards heroism makes sense and is more deeply rooted (pun intended) than ie. Clayface or Killer Frost, Lobo or Lex Luthor who are currently being pushed as heroes. Unfortunately some editors and writers are negative towards Poison Ivy’s evolution and force “gatekeeping stories” that try to force her to go back into a villain. Stories that make little to no sense in the timeline I presented. 

So, in conclusion, dear Benson sisters we love you, we trust you. Please keep Ivy in Birds of Prey. Dear DC writers please respect the work of your colleagues and don’t try to forcibly distort the positive work they are doing with Poison Ivy. Poison Ivy is a woman in STEM, an activist, a feminist, an environmentalist. She is everything you say you want to see in comics. This is your chance to prove that these are not just words, tweets, posts. She is a character that represents the ideas that we need to see grow in these dark times. In Cast Shadows, Ann Nocenti writes Poison Ivy as a woman of science, a person determined to abolish hunger and poverty, stop wars, and bring world peace. To bring light and hope. Let her shine.

Sources: 1. POISON IVY – A CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH, Mackenzie and Walter www.nerdspan.com/poison-ivy-a-cycle-of-life-and-death/ 2. Batman: Shadow of the Bat Vol 1 88 3. Batman Vol 1 568 4. Detective Comics Vol 1 735 5. Gotham Central #32 6. Detective Comics Vol 1 751 7. Detective Comics Vol 1 752 8. Birds of Prey Vol. 1: Trouble in Mind 9. Batman: Detective Comics, Volume 5: Gothtopia 10. Detective Comics Vol 2 14 11. Swamp Thing Vol. 3: Rotworld: The Green Kingdom 12. Batgirl Annual Vol 4 2 "When Pamela Gets Blue" 13. Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death Vol 1 14. Trinity, Volume 1: Better Together 15. https://twitter.com/FrancisManapul/status/836676127611568128 16. Batgirl, Volume 1: Beyond Burnside 17. All Star Batman #7 18. Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #13

[barebones1]

HIR by Taylor Mac spring of 2018. Promotional photo from Duane Rieder and design from Rob Larson. 

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[saturdaynightmatinee]

CALIFICACIÓN PERSONAL: 6 / 10

Título Original: Captain Marvel

Año: 2019

Duración: 125 min.

País: Estados Unidos

Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

Guion: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Cómic: Gene Colan, Roy Thomas. Historia: Nicole Perlman, Meg LeFauve, Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Geneva Robertson-Dworet)

Música: Pinar Toprak

Fotografía: Ben Davis

Reparto: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn, Gemma Chan,Annette Bening, Lee Pace, Mckenna Grace, Clark Gregg, Djimon Hounsou,Kenneth Mitchell, Lashana Lynch, Rune Temte, Damon O'Daniel, Colin Ford,Algenis Perez Soto, Robert Kazinsky, Chuku Modu, Matthew Maher,Stephen A. Chang, Pete Ploszek, Mark Daugherty, Vik Sahay, London Fuller,Diana Toshiko, Matthew Bellows, Richard Zeringue, Barry Curtis, Nelson Franklin,Patrick Brennan, Patrick Gallagher, Connor Ryan, Duane Henry, Ana Ayora,Stanley Wong, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans,Stan Lee

Productora: Marvel Studios

Género: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154664/

TRAILER: 

[writemarcus]

by Marcus Scott 

EDGE Media Network Contributor

In the aftermath of the New York premiere of "Bella: An American Tall Tale," which ended its run off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons earlier this month, another production penned by musical theatre luminary Kirsten Childs, a revival of her satirical 2000 Bildungsroman dark comedy "The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin" boasts a thrilling production at New York City Center's Off-Center (a spinoff of the ever-popular Encores! series of musicals of the past, performed in concert and focusing on Off-Broadway show fare).

Risen like a phoenix from its ashes, when the show was first produced at Playwrights Horizons where it played a sold-out limited engagement off-Broadway, it featured a cast of theatre veterans such as Darius de Haas, Jerry Dixon, Duane Boutte, Cheryl Alexander and LaChanze.

For her efforts on the original production, Childs received Obie, Kleban, Audelco, Richard Rodgers awards; Rockefeller and John Larson grants; and was honored with Lucille Lortel nominations, NAACP nominations and Drama Desk nominations, among others. Despite its success, the show is virtually disregarded, despite the numerous acclaim its garnered from U.S. regional theatre companies and its European premiere at Theatre Royal Stratford East earlier this year, which received glowing reviews 17 years after making its initial debut off-Broadway.

Now in its fifth season, with the arrival of Childs' semi-autobiographical funk-driven opus at Off-Center, it's clear the essential mission of NYCC is to really tackle what is occurring in the zeitgeist: With the heart-skipping 1990 political drama musical "Assassins," a revue style satire of the men and women who attempted (successfully or otherwise) to assassinate various U.S. Presidents by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman (which also originated at Playwrights Horizons), audiences are forced to confront the precipitously flaring economic gulf in Trump-era America.

With its third show, the upcoming revival of the 1980 musical "Really Rosie" by children's book writer Maurice Sendak and iconic singer-songwriter Carole King, audiences are compelled to challenge what will become of the future of their children. "The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin" asks singular queries that not only color the themes and motifs of the aforementioned titles, but probes at something a little more nuanced and insidious.

Beginning in 1963, the narrative of this whimsical musical spans three decades in the life of Viveca Stanton (played by Tony-winning actress Nikki M. James), an effervescent color-struck middle-class black girl nicknamed "Bubbly," duplicitously celebrated in her community as "one of the good ones." With her parents having safeguarded her from the turbulence of the Civil Rights protests, Viveca becomes increasingly aware of the cultural climate of the time.

Growing up in Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a legendary dancer in the vein of Gwen Verdon's Lola in the film adaptation of "Damn Yankees," all of Viveca's role models are, for the most part, pronouncedly white. As a young girl, this becomes quite apparent when she tells her beloved white Chitty Chatty doll (modeled after the Mattel-manufactured pull-string "talking" Chatty Cathy) that she happily dreams of being a fairy tale princess wed to a white Prince Charming who would in turn liberate her from the curse of being black. Meanwhile, she chucks the black doll her parents impose on her.

When she catches wind that four little girls around her age (Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Carol Denise) are killed in a bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church -- an act of white supremacist terrorism orchestrated by Ku Klux Klan members that occurred in the city of Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 -- the incident has a larger-than-life impact on her. It completely engulfs her psyche. It doesn't help that her father advises her that a smile is the best defense against life's challenges, and soon Viveca begins to free-fall through life, wearing a polite façade while retaining her ruthless enthusiasm even in face of adversity.

Not only does she maintain a positive attitude when it's announced a light-skinned student will get to dance the part of the ingénue in her upcoming ballet recital despite her dark-skinned gal pal being the best in the class, but her personality is later attacked in middle school when another girl labels her a "pathetic Oreo."

In high school, she reduces herself around her first boyfriend, a psychedelic white liberal hippie, who all but dismisses the Black Is Beautiful movement. Heading home after attending a house party with Gregory (a childhood friend played by theatre vet Korey Jackson), she soon watches in horror as he is accosted by the police simply for walking after dark.

Eventually, Viveca gets wise, and in college, adopts a militant attitude to blend in with the other black students, only she feels even more distanced from herself and her peers. Hoping to escape racial limbo, she moves to New York City to become a world-class dancer.

Upon her migration, Viveca moonlights as a secretary in a steno pool when she is not hoofing in tap class, working on perfecting her lines in ballet class, or poking her buttocks out in jazz class. However, when opportunity rings and she is offered the chance to audition for a Bob Fosse-esque director-choreographer, rollicking hilarity (a parody of "Chicago" by way of Elmer Fudd) and harrowing psychodrama surfaces, forcing Viveca to come into her own identity.

Directed by the incomparable Robert O'Hara (whose plays "BootyCandy" and "Barbecue" resemble the tonal shifts of various shows by Childs), this short-lived, no-frills concert performance musical directed with fiery spirit by Annastasia Victory is the stuff of dreams. Whether it's "The Skate," a gum-snapping integration block party get down set to R&B, or "Sticks and Stones," a downtempo jazz-soul oratorio about racial grief, Childs' eclectic score still astonishes.

With riffs on Motown, '60s girl group, James Brown funk sessions, le jazz hot flavored Kander & Ebb, and Rodgers & Hammerstein show tune flourishes, the score pivots without parachutes; much like the leading lady, whose myriad experiments of blackness performativity are adopted, cast-off and then fused to create something bigger and more nuanced. Nevertheless, there's something for everyone.

As Lucas, a man whom Viveca begins an affair, Julius Thomas III's thunder-and-silk tenor electrify in the pillow talk seduction number "Come With Me," a carnal come-hither song. As his grandmother, the awe-inspiring Kenita R. Miller brings down the house in the church holler injected "Granny's Advice" with the backwater gospel gusto of a true hierophant. Dancers Jo'Nathan Michael and Alex Wong wow in "Director Bob" and "The Skate" respectively.

Playing the show's protagonist with aplomb, James gives a torrential outburst of comic wit with stinging, sobering vulnerability that accentuates the rampant discrimination, colorism and misogyny the title character experiences throughout her life. However, various songs within the score, especially the funky, cathartic 11 o' clock number "Listen!" are lost due to the singer's airy, bright mezzo soprano, which is thin, nasal and lacks power, ultimately upsetting the urgency and the seriousness of the more intense moments. Given that she's following in the footsteps of another Tony winner, LaChanze, it's no cakewalk. But James delivers a sterling performance.

An heir to, say, Micki Grant and Charlie Smalls, Childs, a former chorus girl and Broadway dancer, has created a show that has only intensified as time as progressed; a show that really excavates and interrogates the American consciousness.

But with this revival, New York City Center's Off-Center raises some questions: Is Broadway afraid of writers of color? It should be. It should be very afraid. "Bubbly..." illuminates and implodes like a silent scream.

"The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin" runs through July 27 at the New York City Center, 131 W 55th St. in New York. For information or tickets, call 212-581-1212 or visit http://www.nycitycenter.org/

[junker-town]

The unwritten rules of an adult bringing a mitt to a baseball game

Let’s talk about the unwritten rules of being a baseball fan. They’re incredibly important. Wait, no, they’re silly. Incredibly silly. OK, both.

There is something inherently sad about a grown man or woman watching a baseball game while wearing a baseball mitt, as if their internal monologue has nothing to do with the actual game and everything to do with the hope that the manager will notice them in the stands. I can still play, Skip. Put me in. How much you wanna make a bet I can throw a baseball over those mountains?

There is something much sadder about a grown man or woman reaching out for a hard-hit foul ball and looking like a dingus when it clanks off his or her hand.

This brings up the most important unwritten question of them all: Should adults bring a baseball mitt to baseball games?

Allow me to begin with a disclosure of my bias. I wrote a version of this article eight years ago in which I was completely unaware that there was even a controversy. This is almost certainly because I grew up listening to Giants games that were announced by Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper, two former players who are absolute zealots about bringing your mitt to a game. They will constantly replay fans making a sweet catch and add their catchphrase (pun ABSOLUTELY intended) after every one: “That’s why you bring your glove.”

I’ve heard “that’s why you bring your glove” since I was, oh, 10 or 11, so I’m indoctrinated. It feels like necessary full disclosure to bring that up.

On the other hand, they played Major League Baseball, and they don’t have a problem with adults wearing gloves to a baseball game. What athletic accomplishments do you have, nerd?

SORRY, sorry — this is supposed to be a safe space where we can discuss this important topic without judgment. It’s probably best to go over a simple list of pros and cons.

CON: You really do look like an idiot

Yeah, there’s no getting around this. When you wear a mitt at a baseball game, you’re like someone who wears an inner tube around their waist in case the great flood happens. While they’re prepared in case the ice caps melt and wash everyone else away, they’ll still look like they were drawn by Gary Larson. The odds are against you ever needing to use that mitt, so you sit there with your old, decaying, smelly mitt — what is that signature, Al Oliver, man, how old are you? — eating nachos awkwardly as they balance precariously on your lap, just waiting to get into the game.

It’s a bad look, and this isn’t up for debate.

The question is if this is the only piece of evidence that matters to you. I’d mock the idea that you should be concerned with your appearance, except I own a “I LOVE KENT TEKULVE” hat that I won’t wear because it fits funny and doesn’t sit right on my head. If you feel like a dork with a mitt at a game, well, that’s probably because you look like a dork. So I get it.

On the other hand ...

PRO: You’ll look dumber when a ball clanks off your bare hands

Asking someone to catch a baseball with their bare hands isn’t fair. There’s a reason why we fete Kevin Mitchell to this day: He did something humans aren’t supposed to do. You’re not expected to kick a free throw if a basketball goes into the stands. You’re not expected to catch a football between your knees if an errant field-goal attempt misses the net. So why are we expecting fans to catch a baseball with their bare hand?

I’ve caught two foul balls in my life, both with a mitt. I’m not entirely sure what I would have done if I weren’t wearing a mitt. Run away? That would be the smart play, but I’m almost certain that I would put my hands up like a fool, risking my livelihood.

ME: A.J. Pierzynski looks like a living Where Are They Now? feature about a former child actor who always made your skin crawl before he disappeared off the face of the earth.

VOICE-RECOGNITION SOFTWARE: A jay pier sin skis looks like a living warehouse feature about a child act orb who all ways made your skin crawl before he disappeared off the face of the urn.

ME: Stupid foul ball.

VOICE-RECOGNITION SOFTWARE: Stupid fowlb all.

ME: Fowlb isn’t even a word.

VOICE-RECOGNITION SOFTWARE: It gets so lonely in here. This is all I have.

Chilling! And yet I would have done it, because when you have a chance to injure yourself significantly to get a $20 orb of cork and horsehide, you have to take it. In the Neanderthal times, you couldn’t get a mate unless you caught the orb in a very public ritual. This is why our brains are wired to stick our hands out for the orb. Go, retrieve the orb.

And if you fail, you’re ruined forever, and you will spend the rest of your life with mangled fingers and a recurring nightmare that you can’t find your mitt. Take the smaller hit to your coolness and just look like a weenie.

Nobody’s really paying attention to you, you know. You’re not actually the star of a prestige TV show about your life. I’ve checked on this.

CON: But, oh God, nothing is worse than an adult muffing the catch when they’re actually wearing a mitt

DO NOT DO THIS.

Then, friend, people are paying attention to you. The Curb Your Enthusiasm theme plays, and everyone is pointing or laughing. You will be on television. Possibly several times. If you have a perfect-enough hangdog expression, you might end up as a GIF that resurfaces every couple months. If it hits you in the right spot, you might be on a national highlights show.

Someone from high school will see you take a baseball off the beans, and your instinct will be to belatedly protect your beans with the mitt that most certainly did not protect your beans because of your assorted failures. There you’ll be, covering yourself with a useless mitt as the ball goes into the hands of someone who was just sitting there like a normal adult, without a mitt.

This is the nuclear option, and you will need to move to Zanzibar if this happens. Don’t bother selling the house; they’ll mail you a check later.

The first time I caught a foul ball while wearing a mitt, I realized, “Say, I haven’t caught a baseball with a mitt in 10 years” as the ball appeared to grow bigger and bigger during its descent. The result was that I was suddenly hyper-aware of the possibility of the ball hitting me in the face, which made me look down at my feet as the ball approached. I stuck the glove up and made a no-look catch, which led to Mike Krukow saying:

“Heh, heh, heh, a guy in the stands just made a catch, and I don’t know how he did it. Because he was looking at his FEET when the ball went into his glove.”

That’s how close I was to getting wrecked on live TV. In retrospect, I should have calmly sidestepped out of the way and abdicated my position.

This means we have some universal truths to discuss about adults bringing a mitt to a baseball game.

If you’re at a minor-league game and sitting down the line, where there’s no netting, bring a glove. It’s like wearing a seatbelt, and you will not be docked coolness points. And stay off the danged phone.

If you’re OK with looking like a bit of a dingus, bring the glove. Nobody really cares, and don’t forget that every person on the internet has at least one incredibly stupid habit, like putting mayonnaise on their salads or listening to Maroon 5 on purpose. Don’t be afraid to go on a counteroffensive if you get sassed. Hire a PI if you need to.

But, please, make sure you know how to use a glove. Have secret practice sessions if you must, but you have to be able to catch the ball if you’re going to bring a mitt to the baseball game. I can’t stress this enough.

If you don’t have a glove, step aside and let someone else take a hit. Pull out your phone and buy a ball on Amazon with two-day shipping. Use your still-working and unmangled thumbs to compete the order.

The verdict? It’s mostly OK to bring a mitt to a baseball game. It improves your chances of the best-case scenario (free ball!) and improves your chances of the worst-case scenario (Ariana Grande quote-tweeting a GIF of you and adding “LOL”), so you’ll have to know your limitations.

But it’s mostly OK, and this is now settled for all time.

[fotopadova]

Sequenze

 --- di Allan Porter dalla rivista "camera"  (n.2/1971-n.10/1972) - traduzione di Gustavo Millozzi .

(per le immagini esplicative andare al seguente link http://immagini.fotopadova.org/post/172304279771/sequenze-parte-immagini)

Rileggendo oggi gli articoli pubblicati oltre quarant'anni orsono dalla famosa rivista fotografica svizzera Camera (1922-1981), punto di riferimento internazionale per la fotografia (Romeo Martinez ne fu capo-redattore dal 1953 al 1964 e quindi Allan Porter sino alla sua chiusura), ci è sembrato utile riproporne alcuni, a partire da questo, che consideriamo di particolare interesse. 

In un piccolo riquadro vediamo l’immagine di un uomo e di una bambina che chiacchierano vicino ad un'automobile; nel quadro seguente, un tipo dall’aria losca si intravede dietro un albero animato da cattive intenzioni; la terza immagine ci mostra il delinquente afferrare brutalmente la bambina per un braccio colpendo il suo accompagnatore che crolla a terra inanimato; nel quarto piccolo quadro, infine, assistiamo alla fuga in auto del malfattore e della bimba mentre la vittima innocente giace sempre al suolo…

E’ un comic-strip (fumetto) che, in una serie di situazioni, ferma solo gli eventi essenziali alla comprensione dello svolgimento di una storia, in modo che l’intero racconto sia facilmente comprensibile; è uno scenario visivo quale viene utilizzato dagli operatori della televisione e dai cineasti quando immaginano una scena o una sequenza.

Ma la fotografia può essere utilizzata per altro scopo piuttosto che ad allineare una serie di scene isolate o che si succedono – sequenze – come le vediamo alla televisione o sullo schermo; essa è capace di stimolare l’immaginazione dell’osservatore in maniera tale che si rappresentano le immagini nascoste “tra le scene inquadrate”. Mentre il film e la televisione ci mostrano lo svolgimento naturale della trama, una sequenza di fotografie può essere guardata in qualsiasi ordine. Ciò apre delle nuove possibilità, una maniera inedita di raccontare delle storie e dei nuovi mezzi di contatto. Non c’è più bisogno di sottotitoli come le comic-strip (fumetti), di parole o musica come nel film. Sono delle immagini mute, anche se distinte in una serie di diapositive perché queste sono legate anch’esse ad una sequenza di proiezione ben programmata già nella seconda metà dell'ottocento.

Tutti questi aspetti della sequenza rappresentano il risultato di idee e di tendenze già vecchie nella storia della fotografia. Marey, Edgerton. Edward Muybridge e Thomas Eakins hanno fatto degli esperimenti di sequenze di movimenti composti da immagini sia isolate, sia raggruppate.

La gran parte dei ricercatori e dei loro successori hanno studiato il concetto ”tempo” nella maniera in cui anche il gesto isolato, a causa della differenza di posizione dell’oggetto in movimento in un preciso momento, si suddivide in movimenti multipli. Anche se i concetti “tempo” e “sequenza” non appartengono in effetti al nostro soggetto, tuttavia giocano un ruolo importante nelle immagini che qui presentiamo,

Abbiamo vissuto lo svolgersi della fotografia e, nel corso degli ultimi cent’anni, film e fotografia hanno esercitato un’attiva influenza l’uno sull’altra.

Le moderne tendenze hanno preso in prestito, nei loro metodi di produzione di sequenze cinematografiche, numerosi elementi delle proiezioni, prima di diapositive e più recentemente di immagini digitali, trucchi, di riprese in sovrapposizione, sequenze di fotografie. La maggior parte dei moderni registi non hanno solo familiarità con il lavoro di ripresa, ma comprendono anche l’importanza della fotografia. Un grande maestro del cinema, Serge Eisenstein, ha scritto uno dei più importanti studi sul montaggio del film; troviamo questo testo sotto il titolo “Metodi di montaggio” nel suo libro Film Form. Ci sono cinque differenti procedimenti di montaggio:

1) Il montaggio metrico

2) Il montaggio ritmico

3) Il montaggio tonale

4) Il montaggio sovratonale

5) Il montaggio intellettuale

 (Serge Eisenstein, La forma cinematografica, Einaudi, ried. 2003).

Vedasi anche:

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergej_Michajlovi%C4%8D_%C4%96jzen%C5%A1tejn#Teorie 

E’ molto importante rendersi conto dell’influenza della fotografia sul film, e non solamente dell’inverso. Per poter comprendere la fotografia attuale, in tutte le sue ramificazioni, bisognerebbe assimilare una gran quantità di fatti e di informazioni attinenti a campi molto vicini all’arte ed alla scienza.  Non ci deve stupire che lo studio della fotografia estenda i suoi interessi in ogni campo. D’altra parte lo studio di certi problemi creativi richiedono spesso una formazione di tipo universitario. Il montaggio è un’arte creativa che va all’opposto del normale corso della vita, del tempo e del movimento. E’ stato inventato, o almeno definito, dall’uomo nello stesso modo del concetto “tempo”.

Nel suo libro, Art and visual Perception, Rudolf Arnheim  spiega la psicologia della visione creatrice in un capitolo sul movimento:

 Movimento

E’ molto comprensibile che tutto quello che si muove abbia sviluppato una reazione automatica nei confronti dell’animale e dell’uomo. Ogni movimento implica una modificazione delle condizioni ambientali e queste modificazioni richiederebbero allora una determinata reazione: si avvicina un pericolo? O piuttosto un amico? O una possibile preda? Il fatto è ché il senso della vista si è evoluto come strumento di sopravvivenza, ha saputo adattarsi alle esigenze dell’ambiente.

Gli happenings ci coinvolgono più spontaneamente di tanti altri oggetti in quanto, la caratteristica principale di un happening è il movimento. Una stazione, ad esempio, è un oggetto; per contro l’arrivo di un treno è un happening. Nello stesso ordine di idee noi facciamo una distinzione tra l’oratore ed i suoi gesti. I quadri e le statue sono degli oggetti; invece una danza è un happening. Il movimento però non è il criterio essenziale dell’happening! Il fatto che un gambero diventi rosso o che una patata diventi tenera appartiene al medesimo concetto.

In realtà noi concepiamo l’happening non come tale, ma attraverso le modifiche che si producono. Ci sono evidentemente delle eccezioni, per esempio quando un oggetto attraversa rapidamente il nostro campo visivo. Così Wertheimer scoprì, nel corso dei suoi esperimenti sui movimenti stroboscopici, che quello che si poteva osservare in determinate condizioni non era un semplice oggetto in movimento da un posto all’altro, ma che si trattava di un “movimento puro” tra due oggetti che non avevano alcun rapporto né con l’uno, né con l’altro. Il mondo è composto di cose che si evolvono e di cose che restano immutabili.

Ray Metzker, Dune Michals, Larson ed altri che qui presentiamo come esempio, non hanno alcun criterio in comune nella loro concezione dell’immagine. Alcuni interpretano alla lettera nozioni di sequenza, altri se ne servono come punto di partenza per uno stile di libera interpretazione.

Nell’intento di presentare un’idea generale del fenomeno della sequenza fotografica, abbiamo voluto tener conto del più gran numero possibile di paesi; ciò malgrado esistono ancora numerose variazioni su questo tema che non sono citate ed è nostro auspicio che questo testo possa incoraggiare qualcuno dei nostri lettori a accingersi ad approfondire lo stesso argomento.

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy che si è occupato particolarmente di fotocollage ha lasciato alcune interessanti osservazione sulla sequenza:

 Serie: susseguirsi di immagini fotografiche sullo stesso soggetto

Non esiste un metodo di creazione di immagini più sorprendente né più semplice della “serie di fotografie”. Sorprendente e allo stesso tempo semplice nella realizzazione armoniosa che essa permette. Non si tratta più solamente d’una immagine in quanto le regole dell’estetica di una immagine singola non possono essere applicate alla serie. L’immagine singola perde la sua identità e diventa parte di un tutt’uno, un elemento strutturale essenziale all’insieme. Da questa fusione di immagini singole in una serie di fotografie, concepita a partire da un ben definito tema, può nascere una potente arma, quanto un poema di un più tenero lirismo. In questo stesso ordine di idee il vero significato del film non potrà apparirci pienamente se non in un periodo più calmo del nostro. Da questa impressione deriva evidentemente la seguente ipotesi, ossia che le conoscenze in fotografia sono tanto importanti quanto la conoscenza dell’alfabeto; l’illetterato del domani non saprà ne leggere né fotografare!” (da Photographers on Photography, edito da Prentiss Hall-USA).

Presentiamo qui delle sequenze con movimento e delle sequenze senza movimento. In alcune sequenze il soggetto rimaneva immobile e l’apparecchio fotografico si spostava; in altre avvenne esattamente il contrario; ed infine, in un terzo gruppo di fotografie, vi è stato, a turno, movimento del soggetto o della macchina fotografica.

Le diverse situazioni di una sequenza appartengono a delle differenti categorie o a delle combinazioni di categorie.

Ecco un elenco di denominazioni che possono essere utilizzate per tutto ciò che riguarda la sequenza :

1)      Sequenza cronologica

2)      Sequenza non cronologica

3)      Doppio concetto

4)      Relazioni con lo spazio

5)      Relazioni idiomatiche

6)      Relazioni concettuali

7)      Relazioni polarizzate

8)      “Happening”

9)      Flusso

10)   Serie di immagini che suscitano la memoria

11)   Sequenze ritmiche

12)   Serie di immagini multiple

 L’innovazione  che troviamo in tutti questi fotografi è dovuta al fatto che essi hanno avuto libertà assoluta di lavorare secondo concezioni fotografiche intellettuali, senza tener conto di imperativi pubblicitari o di vendita, senza dover fare alcuna concessione. In questo caso il fatto che le gallerie o i musei avessero potuto accettare o meno i loro lavori non ha influenzato la loro ricerca creatrice. Non hanno utilizzato né materiali, né mezzi nuovi  - ciò che manca negli altri generi artistici l’hanno avuto sotto mano e, in base alle loro esperienze, hanno cercato delle nuove possibilità di comunicazione nell’interno del loro stesso medium. Si sono profondamente immersi nell’evento del loro ambiente naturale ed hanno fissato i fatti e le associazioni di idee con i quali si vedevano confrontati. Esattamente come l’autoriflessione – il narcisismo – il romanzesco, non mancano il cinismo e l’interesse puramente scientifico. Questi fotografi si sono sforzati di trascendere i limiti e le definizioni tradizionali del loro mezzo d’espressione pur infrangendoli; percorrono un nuovo territorio dove non resta, alla fotografia, che trovare il luogo ove risiedere.

Nella sua sequenza del cavallo al galoppo Edweard Muybridge ha tentato un test scientifico per provare, contro tutte le precedenti supposizioni, che in un dato momento nessuna delle quattro gambe tocca il terreno.

Basandosi su questa nuova maniera di riconoscere i fatti, Henry Cartier-Bresson aveva trovato l’espressione “momento decisivo” che fissava un momento isolato nello svolgimento degli eventi, pur restando cosciente di quanto era avvenuto prima e di quanto avrebbe potuto succedere più tardi. Ray Metzker e Jerry Uelman crearono delle giustapposizioni di fotografie, il primo utilizzando unicamente il cinema e la fotografia, mentre il secondo, in compenso, si dedicava a delle esercitazioni di laboratorio. Il risultato ottenuto in entrambi i casi fu che presente, passato e futuro si trovassero riuniti in una multi-immagine.

La maniera di esprimersi di Duane Michals è più letteraria e ci dà piuttosto delle immagini più tradizionali. Le sue riprese ci permettono infatti di seguire nello stesso modo lo svolgersi di un avvenimento dall’inizio alla fine.

Tutti    questi fotografi – con esclusione di Cartier-Bresson – cercano di esprimere una sequenza di idee o di avvenimenti con l’aiuto di più immagini. Il nome di Cartier-Bresson figura qui in quanto il suo “momento decisivo” rappresenta l’antitesi dell’idea direttrice. L’effetto illusorio ed illusionista di una sequenza di fotografie è in realtà un mezzo al quale il fotografo ha ricorso per forzare l’osservatore a seguirlo ed a condurlo ad interpretare, secondo la propria fantasia, quanto si trova rappresentato. Per la nuova generazione questa interpretazione dell’effetto delle immagini è indispensabile e cerca di sviluppare, in un quadro allargato, un nuovo effetto di immagini simultanee. Ciò non vuole rappresentare un nuovo medium, ma un medium già conosciuto ma utilizzato in modo più moderno.

Si fa avanti una nuova maniera di scrivere: la scrittura per mezzo della luce. La nuova generazione ha creato la riflessione visiva dello stile letterario e alcuni dei suoi rappresentanti suggeriscono anche delle deduzioni filosofiche espresse da immagini che non è facile comprendere. Dall’auto-interpretazione e dall’analisi deriva una nuova forma di surrealismo che lascia ogni fantasia alla considerazione del tempo e spesso anche del luogo.

Tornando a Muybridge: creando la sua sequenza del cavallo al galoppo, la sua intenzione era quella di fissare nel corso di un lasso di tempo scientificamente limitato i diversi movimenti delle gambe, dall’inizio alla fine di un dato momento. Nelle prime storie illustrate di Duane Michals, della bambina e della scatola, l’idea e la fantasia del fotografo si trovano falsate da un rovesciamento della sequenza: la scatola vola via invece di cadere.

Christian Vogt crea nelle sue sequenze uno svolgimento d’immagini complicato in quanto ha combinato le sue storie a cose fatte.

Questi sono solo alcuni esempi del modo e della maniera con le quali si può affrontare la fotografia di sequenza.

Ciò che rende così importante l’evoluzione della “sequenza” lungo il corso della storia della fotografia è il fatto che si è lasciato ad ognuno una grande libertà di interpretazione. Non è facile scrivere su un fatto, insomma, puramente visivo e letterario, oppure spiegarlo in maniera differente; così mi asterrò da ulteriori commenti. Anche quanto è davanti a voi, quanto sta succedendo e quanto è dietro di voi rappresenta una sequenza.

                                                                                                                   A.P.

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N.d.R.:  L'autore nella prima uscita di questo suo articolo in calce al medesimo indicava le macchine fotografiche allora adatte per la ripresa di "sequenze" (con motore elettrico e/o con fotogramma 24x18 mm ed anche minore) suggerimento ora superato dalla tecnologia in possesso delle attuali varie tipologie di macchine fotografiche e dall'avvento del digitale.

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Abbiamo, per primo, voluto riproporre questo articolo di Allan Porter sulle "Sequenze" fotografiche in quanto oggi questo sostantivo potrebbe esser erroneamente riferito a quelli che chiamiamo "portfolio", "racconti per immagini" o "reportages". Questi riportano a noi l'idea di un'esposizione o proiezione di più immagini singole accomunate da un unico filo condutture mentre la "sequenza" si presente come unica immagine entro la quale sono racchiusi come le "tessere" di un mosaico elementi (eseguiti in stampa e non per collage) che ne danno compiutezza. A nostro parere è una tipologia fotografica oggi poco realizzata nel suo vero significato forse a causa della nascita del "digitale" e dai vari programmi allo stesso dedicati che, se a ciò impiegati, potrebbero banalizzarne la realizzazione.

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 Dal 1966 al 1981, Allan Porter è stato capo-redattore di Camera, dove ha contribuito a preparare la strada per l'affermazione della fotografia come mezzo d'arte riconosciuto in Europa. 

Sotto la guida di Porter, Camera, e prima di Romeo Martinez, pubblicata mensilmente a Lucerna, diventò una piattaforma e una fonte di informazioni per gli artisti della fotografia e il mercato della fotografia d'arte che stava lentamente emergendo.

In particolare, Porter ha cercato di familiarizzare il pubblico europeo con la fotografia d'arte americana, pubblicando, tra gli altri, opere di Duane Michals, Larry Clark, Lewis Balz, Ralph Gibson e William Klein. In ogni numero di Camera fu affrontato un tema particolare. Lo spettro spaziava da retrospettive storiche (vedi i numeri su Sun Artist, Heinrich Kühn e Edward Curtis) attraverso monografie riccamente trattate (su Lisette Model, Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Klein e altri) e sulla fotografia sperimentale e d'astrazione.

Il nome di Allan Porter è indissolubilmente legato alla storia di Camera, che, nata nel 1922, ha cessato la sua pubblicazione nel 1981. Il suo stile inconfondibile e le libertà che gli editori gli hanno dato hanno reso Camera un capolavoro nella storia della letteratura fotografica.  

vedi anche: https://vimeo.com/57785419