#but a lot of places lack cold weather infrastructure just like we lack hot weather infrastructure

[boardwalk-absurdist]

Also: don’t drink alcohol to warm yourself up! It will feel like you’re warmer bc it’s a vasodilator so you’ll have increased blood flow, but your body lowers blood flow to the extremities on purpose. You’ll lose heat faster if you drink alcohol.

If you can, try layering gloves inside of mittens. Mittens will keep your hands warmer because your fingers are all together, and the gloves inside mean that if you have to take them off to use your fingers, they aren’t exposed.

And this is just on a personal level, but I always felt cozier using candles as opposed to flash lights during power outages. I grew up in Alaska and we’d have a decent number of them, usually not very long, but as a kid the candles always made it feel more…exciting? On purpose? I got to pretend like I was in some period drama instead of stuck in the dark and rapidly getting colder. They’re not super handy compared to headlamps, but the ambiance is comforting and fire is always nice to look at.

So you're worried about losing power in the winter- to buy list for when you can't buy a whole generator.

1. A propane tent heater. Mr. Buddy brand is considered very safe.

https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-F232000-Indoor-Safe-Portable/dp/B002G51BZU/

Have extra propane cannisters on hand if possible. This is an expensive buy compared to the rest of the list, but...so worth it. These have a low oxygen fail safe, so carbon monoxide is a low risk, but I wouldn't sleep *right* up next to it, and would put it near a door, just as an extra precaution.

2. A jet boil or other small water boiler/camp stove and fuel. Loss of power for a whole city will almost always trigger a water boil notice.

Fancy one: https://a.co/d/jiElZbj

Cheaper one: https://a.co/d/j8YM6fx

Make sure you have fuel and have lighters to turn them on. Use these in a well ventilated area and only for short periods. Do not use them for a heat source for a long period of time. They can pose a carbon monoxide risk.

3 hot hands chemical hand warmers. https://a.co/d/2u4DSHG

4. No-prep shelf stable food (protein bars are good. Granola bars. Pop tarts. Tuna packs and crackers. Peanut m and ms. Calories that you can consume without power and without water.)

5. Bottled water.

6. Dry shampoo, baby wipes, mouth wash. If this goes on for days, you'll appreciate being able to feel a little clean.

If you lose power for an extended period in the cold: move all people, animals, and supplies into 1 room (ideally adjoining a bathroom.) Cover any windows with towels and extra blankets. If you have one, a small tent that you can sleep in, set up in that room will further reduce the air your body is trying to warm. The goal is to reduce the volume of space/air you have to keep warm. Layer your clothes, but be careful of sweat. Sweating will make you colder in the long run.

DO NOT try to use a gas stove to stay warm- these are a carbon monoxide risks. We lost a lot of people in the Texas freeze last time to carbon monoxide. Please be careful.

[bigskydreaming]

So with the latest refocus on climate change and the immediacy of the danger there, we should be talking more about how this is linked to the rise of nationalism in various regions, and why conservatives in particular have been so resistant to spreading awareness of it.

Hate to get all conspiracy theory, but its the world we live in. Conspiracies are our bread and butter these days, because let’s face it....that’s what people with enormous wealth, resources and access to information do with all that. They conspire among themselves to keep all that. And then they use their control of major information hubs and outlets to spread the cultural message that it’s wrong and foolish to assume shady greedy old men are conspiring against the rest of us.

So. The thing that doesn’t get acknowledged much is the position of the far right’s support base is NOT the same thing as the position of the far right’s leadership, donors and most influential figures. The position of their support base is simply the position their leadership WANTS them to have, and wants them to be vocal about. Basically, shouting down attempts to either stop climate change, reverse it, or even just the attempt to spread awareness about what it means for our future, globally.

The leadership of far right nationalists and white supremacists across the globe has always known climate change is real, and was headed this way. And....its not really a problem for them. In fact, I’d be willing to bet many of them have long viewed it as a solution to most of their other problems.

Ie, their dwindling hold on global power, influence and resources as population demographics shift away from their favor.

Because see, while climate change is scary as hell, it is NOT synonymous with the end of the world. It’s not an extinction event in and of itself, even as many of us adopt language that presents it as the end of human civilization. We have the technology, resources, and knowledge needed to ensure the human race survives this massive shift in our planet’s climates and ecosystems.

If we fail to reverse, stop or slow down climate change in time, which we basically only have the next ten to fifteen years to do, before these changes hit critical mass and become a runaway train we can only adapt ourselves to survive - then civilization will still be here a hundred years from now. And no, it’s not necessarily going to look like a post-apocalyptic Mad Max wasteland of desert outposts.

But it is going to look very different. That part’s inevitable. What exactly it looks like, is still up for grabs....and THAT is what the far right is so desperately grabbing on to all across the globe.

What climate change means, practically speaking, is a global shift in key population centers. Mass migrations to escape parts of the earth newly susceptible and thus less innately resistant to natural disasters. Shifts in what resources are most prioritized and where those resources are most concentrated. The current world powers and influencers, most of whom occupy those positions due to advantages stemming from their location, resources, and yes, climates....will fade in power as these advantages drain away, and their populations with them, either to death, famine, disease, emigration, or all of the above. New world powers will emerge in places that currently are less advantaged, but whose advantages and thus desirability and influence grow in response to the changing planet and the changing needs of the planet’s population.

Basically....if we hit critical mass with climate change and doom ourselves to a rapidly changing planet over the next hundred years....the human race, on the whole, most likely will do what the human race has always done in the face of massive ecological shifts, natural disasters, restructuring of regional or global power, and even potential extinction events. It’ll adapt. It’ll find new ways to survive, to live, to rebuild, to not even start over necessarily, but at least dramatically shift direction.

And in the face of this planetary shift, in order to adapt and survive, a lot of the human race is going to have to move. Physically. Pulling up stakes, and migrating in huge numbers, following the reshaped landscape and repositioning of global resources and settling in new locations better suited to survive and thrive in. Just like any number of previous civilizations did any number of times throughout human history....but which hasn’t happened on any kind of mass scale like we’re looking at now for centuries at the very minimum....because for thousands of years, our planet has been relatively stable and civilization had advanced to the point where we were able to adapt or ride out any of the relatively minor changes our planet threw at us, without having to uproot entire civilizations.

But if climate change keeps happening and worsening, people are going to have to move in massive, unprecedented numbers, and in very specific directions:

North. And inland.

And the far right, in any number of countries, has been planning to already be there when people do.

There is nowhere on Earth that won’t be affected by climate change over the next hundred years. BUT, those changes are not all going to look the same. Global warming means the planet is getting hotter, even as people point to colder winters in their area as proof that sounds ridiculous. But the intricate ways climate systems are all interconnected means that overall increases in temperature of course lead to colder weather in some places and climate systems shift....but global warming is still global warming. The planet IS getting hotter. Ice caps are melting, sea levels are rising, and this means a handful of very specific things.

1) An increase in hurricanes, flooding and extreme weather along coastal regions, gradual erosion of current coastlines, etc. Unpredictable and extremely destructive hurricanes like Hurricane Michael are going to become more and more commonplace. Rising sea levels means literal less space and more and more coastal land gets overtaken by the ocean. Some coastal regions are going to become completely uninhabitable, and the remaining will at the least become completely undesirable until the planet’s new climate patterns stabilize either naturally or due to future human intervention, and sea levels stop rising, allowing for new coastal population centers to safely emerge.

In the meanwhile, the very things that made coastal regions the hubs of any number of countries’ economies as well as concentrations of their more progressive and liberal populace, are the very things that are going to make these among the hardest hit by climate change. Ports are a convenient way to travel and trade, as well as an easy way to spread information, culture, and points of views as travelers from various parts of the globe intermingle. That’s the way its always been. As long as the coastlines have been relatively stable. With unpredictable and extremely hostile oceanic weather patterns on the rise, as well as a lack of infrastructure along the new, ever shifting coastlines to receive ocean-going vessels, we’re likely to see a huge decline in ocean-going travel and trade. Meaning no more influence for formerly coastal regions and populations. No desirability to live there. Mass emigrations either by choice or by weather conditions or lack of resources driving people....inland.

Where the far right have long been consolidating their power bases, and are already well dug in and established, holding most of the power and resources. Look at the US as an example....with major liberal hubs like California and New York in a state of rapid decline....the central US is going to become more and more a hub of its political power and haven for populations fleeing the coastlines and needing to rely on the assistance of those currently entrenched there in order to re-establish themselves and rebuild.

2) Next look at global temperatures in general. The planet getting hotter doesn’t just mean rising sea levels, it means heat waves in locations that are already extremely hot, or even just moderately temperate. The southern hemisphere and equator is going to become more and more inhospitable in general. Some places, the heat is just going to become too unbearable to live. More and more, in greater and greater numbers, people are going to migrate north. To places where its currently less desirable to live because of the cold. Because winters are harsh on agriculture. 

Temperatures spiking in the areas that are currently deemed to have optimal weather means temperatures spiking in areas with suboptimal temperatures too. The places that are too cold now, are going to become just right, fairly soon.

And once again....look where the far right has been consolidating power. 

This is what I mean by the rise of nationalism being no coincidence. Because look specifically at WHERE nationalism has been most on the rise. Yeah, its a global thing, but also pay special attention to places where that nationalism has been boosted, vitalized and encouraged by support from wealthy conservatives from other nations.

I’m talking north central US (Montana, the Dakotas, etc, as well as Maine and Alaska, which are coastal regions that are widely considered to be in the sweet spot where their shorelines will likely remain about where they’re at now, due to the way currents distributing the melting ice water from the polar regions are arranged.) But I’m also talking about Canada. Northern European countries, specifically. Russia. 

These are the areas that are best positioned to a) have built in resistance to natural disasters or lie in areas where such natural disasters are least likely to increase, b) have stockpiles of resources as well as natural resources that are most climate-change proof, and thus best positioned to become the new global trade currency or lead the way in shaping the new directions human civilization takes, c) be most resistant/least vulnerable to rising social tensions, riots, wars over dwindling resources IF they consolidate their key/desired population densities in time.

And by the time new climate patterns stabilize or human technology comes up with ways to stabilize them, the map of global power will be completely redrawn. With the far right sitting smack on top of the most desirable locations and resources with white nationalist populations who are grateful that their leaders had prepared for the worst and allowed them to weather the coming upheaval relatively unscathed, seeing it as affirmation they were right to put their faith in them all along, rather than seeing that their leaders could've helped prevent all this upheaval but chose to capitalize on it instead.

Too much focus has been spent playing up the myth of the stupid, self-destructive GOP and other far right governments willing to destroy the whole world rather than give up the reins.

People are forgetting the number one defining character trait of people that greedy, that ruthless, that GOOD at exploiting people and power and influence in order to consolidate this much wealth and power in the first place - they don’t want to give it up. EVER. Not even in death.

They’re not out to watch the whole world burn....just enough of it that it leaves them holding all the seeds of future civilization when its time for reforestation. 

Why try and kill off all the people you’re unsure you can maintain power and control over when you can get the planet to do it for you?

So here’s my take - yes, we absolutely need to be doing everything we can do slow down climate change, make the changes we need on a society wide level in time to keep the worst of all this from happening. And that means voting, trying to take back democratic control of the current global regimes, getting legislation that curbs and regulates the environmental offenses of the 100 companies responsible for 71% of global emissions, most of which are controlled by exactly these people, mandates the introduction and proliferation of more sustainable, less ecologically damaging systems and power grids, etc.

But if climate change’s critical mass is still gonna happen, if the changes we need to make can’t be made in time, if it takes too long to oust those currently in power and replace them with more conscientious public servants?

Well. All those liberal progressives who talked about moving when Trump got elected, fleeing the country, going to New Zealand or whatever....fuck that. You want to move and you actually have the privilege of being financially secure enough, have enough resources and means and opportunity to be able to do that? The places to move are Maine, Alaska, Montana, northern Europe....all the places that are deeply red and with the far right just trying to make more so. Go there. Establish yourselves there now. Dig in. Build a foothold. Wrestle away some power on a local scale. Try and reshape the political climate of these places in case the worst happens, while there’s still time.

Build up means and infrastructure to be able to help and receive immigrants coming north and inland without means or resources of their own as climate change forces them from their homes. Don’t force them to rely on the kindness of people we know have none for anyone who isn’t straight, white, and with them 100%. 

And if we’re somehow able to pump the brakes in time, pull back from the brink, stop the rise of nationalism and climate change? Great, fantastic, you haven’t wasted anything, you’re still helping to spread out the distribution of progressive politics, mindsets and resources to better resist whatever nationalists turn to next to try and consolidate their power even further.

[caveartfair]

10 Innovative Glass Artists on the Challenges and Joys of Their Medium

Christine Tarkowski, Copper Pour, 2018. Courtesy of the Corning Museum of Glass.

Glass is a volatile material. Working with it as an artistic medium can involve physical and mental strain, great expense, and a high chance of failure. And yet artists and designers who work with glass can shape it into anything from ethereal vessels to dynamic installations that resemble liquid. Glass is unmatched when it comes to the creative potential it offers.

Dutch artist Krista Israel sees working with glass, at times, as an obsession. “For me, it is not just any material I work with—I live, breathe, and think in glass,” she said. “It gave me a voice to tell my narrative and shape concepts.” Arriving at such a stage of mastery requires finely honed skills and trustworthy collaborators, not to mention a keen understanding of the medium.

“Glass is often used by artists, designers, and makers who don’t have much background in it,” explained Irish artist Karen Donnelan. “I think understanding some of the properties of glass and its history is a good starting point to making great work with the material.” A lack of this understanding, she added, can lead to derivative work.

Ayako Tani, Ghost 3, 2010 . Courtesy of the artist.

But glass artists who focus solely on the medium have often been overlooked in the past. As American artist Deborah Czeresko noted, glass has “been pigeonholed as a craft material.” Only recently, she added, it has caught the attention of the larger art market.

Glass institutions like the Corning Museum of Glass and UrbanGlass have helped make the material accessible to more artists, Czeresko said. The Corning Museum’s show “New Glass Now,” which runs from May 12, 2019, to January 5, 2020, features 100 works by artists working in more than 25 countries who are taking fresh, innovative approaches to the medium. Below, we share the insights of 10 of the participating artists on the greatest challenges and rewards of working with glass, and what it takes to excel with it. (Editor’s note: The artists’ responses have been edited for length and clarity.)

Rui Sasaki

B. 1984, Japan. Lives and works in Kanazawa, Japan.

Rui Sasaki, Liquid Sunshine/I am a Pluviophile, 2018. Courtesy of Yasushi Ichikawa and the Corning Museum of Glass.

Can you tell us a bit about your work?

Liquid/Sunshine/I am a Pluviophile (2018) is inspired by unstable weather in the Hokuriku region, where I live in Japan. There are more than 200 raindrop-shaped glass pieces with phosphorescent material hanging from the ceiling in a darkened room with a motion detector.

What does it take to excel with glass?

I need a lot of practice and have to experiment often to get skills and learn knowledge to know glass enough to fully explore it in my work. There are so many failures in the process. However, I believe that failures and experiments are the only way to break through and to let me achieve what I am most interested in with glass.

What is something you can do with glass that you can’t do with other mediums?

Glass has so many characteristics and phenomena as a material—such as reflection, transparency, fragility, strength, and so on—to work with to make a project. What other mediums have these unique characteristics to work with?

Stine Bidstrup

B. 1982, Denmark. Lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Stine Bidstrup, Bifurcation, 2017. Courtesy of Corning Museum of Glass.

ARCHITECTURAL GLASS FANTASIES SERIES - OBJECT NO. 9, . STINE BIDSTRUP Heller Gallery

Can you tell us a bit about your work?

My work exists at the cross section of sculpture, craft, and installation art; it’s inspired and informed by the history of architecture and design.

My work in “New Glass Now” is based on an interest in patterns of people, infrastructure, architecture, and systems that have grown so large and out of proportion to their original purpose that they lose touch with human reason and understanding.

What is the greatest challenge you face in working with glass?

Glass is far from an easy material to work with, generally speaking, and I tend to make a hard thing harder by developing several complex ways of creating form and pattern and combining them into one work. I use a spectrum of techniques—glassblowing, glass-casting, fusing and stretching, cold-working, gluing, painting, etc.—in my pieces to create dense layers of information and meaning.

What does it take to excel with glass?

In order to be able to develop your own voice with glass, I believe it is important, early on, to be in a learning environment where you are led to question established notions and potential clichés of what glass is in an art and design context.

It takes a very determined willpower to continue working with it for years and stick with for a lifetime. For me, it has to make sense in a conceptual way to keep working with glass, because there are many other materials and mediums that are more approachable. I do it because glass triggers curiosity and an engaged and complex viewing relationship between the objects and the audience.

Krista Israel

B. 1975, the Netherlands. Lives and works in Amersfoort, the Netherlands.

Krista Israel, Ayako Tani, and Hans de Kruijk, Lapi Boli Project, Netherlands, 2018. Photo by Krista Israel. Courtesy of the artist.

Can you tell us a bit about your work?

My use of multiple techniques to arrive at complex works is based on the complexity of society. I try to capture its ambiguity in layered, ambiguous works that touch both personal and universal feelings. No ready-made solutions, but moments of reflection.

What is the greatest challenge you face in working with glass?

Reinventing myself as an artist over and over again and developing skills are my greatest challenges in working with glass.

What does it mean to excel in working with glass?

Eighteen months ago, I found myself influenced by something I had no control over—a new work environment in the porcelain capital of the world, Jingdezhen, China. The environment led me to develop the experimental project “Lapi Boli”—lapi is the Chinese word for the ceramic throwing technique; boli is glass. It was so exciting, but also so very far out of my comfort zone. Aside from the technical challenge, for me, it is also an emotional challenge to experiment and to give myself the space to walk this new path of becoming an artist/researcher.

I strive to grow by continuing to improve my skills and being open to learning. I brainstorm a lot with “glassie friends” and, if possible, take a course to deepen my skills during a summer academy. Growing my ability to control the material brings me self-confidence, so I can technically implement more complex ideas. It is nice to experience that control, but there must be a balance, so I remain emotionally resilient. It is easy to lose yourself in the pursuit of perfectionism. The strength to keep yourself in balance, and being honest with yourself and the work, is of most importance.

Ayako Tani

B. 1981, Japan. Lives and works in Sunderland, United Kingdom.

Ayako Tani, Ghost 3, 2010. Courtesy of the artist.

Can you tell us a bit about your work?

I developed the genre of calligraphic lampworking, where glass is used as “ink” to draw spontaneous marks in three-dimensional space. The work is often inspired by my own personal recollections and those of others. Recently, I have been investigating the history of glass ships in bottles made by former Pyrex lampworkers in Sunderland, and applying the skills I have acquired to my new work.

What is the greatest challenge you face in working with glass?

Stretching and bending a rod into a large and perfect circle of a uniform line thickness.

What does it take to excel with glass?

Love of the material and an abiding fascination with its possibilities.

What is something you can do with glass that you can’t do with other mediums?

Freezing the moment when the piece is created in hot glass and preserving this moment for thousands of years.

Fredrik Nielsen

B. 1977, Sweden. Lives and works in Stockholm.

Fredrik Nielsen, I was here, 2017. Courtesy of Dunkers Kulturhus and the Corning Museum of Glass.

Can you tell us a bit about your work?

The work[s] I make are the largest shapes I can manage; I go until I can’t go anymore. The pitcher shape has become a kind of canvas for me. Sometimes I look at the pitchers as a trash can with a handle—the handle, or the grip, makes it into something else. When the piece competes with my own body, I reach a place where I want to be. Glassblowing is my race car, my amplifier, my main material.

What is the greatest challenge you face in working with glass?

It’s just about hitting that right energy level of creation. It’s such hard work, and it’s a lot of technical stuff that’s easily interfering with the connection between the artist and the potential art being made. I guess the challenge is to get rid of that interference and to just be connected. When glass is just technical, you lose all art, but you might win the competition within the field of the craft. I mean where the rulebook is about how stuff is supposed to be made. We all need that, but then turn our back on it if we now want to be artists. My hand holds a language, and if I can get that out there, it becomes something. Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the intelligence of the hand, the silent knowledge, and so on. I think the language of each artists’ hand takes quite a while to become interesting, it’s almost like ideas and choice of color [don’t] matter if you don’t speak your own language really well.

What does it take to excel with glass?

I think it takes so much, especially with glassblowing; the labor is hard to compare with other materials. It’s not for no reason that they call glassblowers “the truck drivers of the art world.” For my own sake, it’s that understanding, that flow, that puts me into motion. When I gather glass, I look at it as a really good glue, the best glue in the world. Thinking about it like that opens up new possibilities. And when I’m able to make stuff that I couldn’t make up beforehand, it makes me understand what glass is. Glass is, for me, the fastest sculptural material there is, and when and if you are ready to connect to that, you’ve got everything going for you. It’s like the best fairytale material there is.

Christine Tarkowski

B. 1967,United States. Lives and works in Chicago.

Works from The Chthonic Void, 2015. Christine Tarkowski devening projects

Can you tell us a bit about your work?

I’m an artist who works in a variety of mediums, including textiles and architecture, so this glass sculpture I’m showing at Corning is an extension of my creative practice. The work is a sculpture that relies on drawing with molten materials; hot glass and liquid copper that get alternately poured onto a vague steel armature that “catches” the material as it cools. I approached the sculpture as if it were a three-dimensional drawing, constructed from iterative parts.

What is the greatest challenge you face in working with glass?

Surely the ability to access facilities and collaborating with skilled glass makers. This challenge, however, is one of the unique conditions surrounding glass, which is the social aspect of the making of glass. The process of production is often communal, which in turn allows for a more emergent and collaborative environment.

What is something you can do or achieve with glass that you can’t do with other mediums?

As my background in glass involves training, but is for the most part technically limited, I feel I’m more able to create experimental yet informed works than I would be able to with another medium. Glass can yield unimaginable results if one approaches the material with an ethos toward observation and discovery.

Qin Wang

B. 1978, China. Lives and works in Shanghai.

Qin Wang, Four Treasures, 2016. Courtesy of the Corning Museum of Glass.

Can you tell us a bit about your work?

By using the character of glass, I try to show the space between the spirit and the object. In the spirit of the zen narrative, I want to express a unique Asian perspective. My work Four Treasures takes inspiration from the silence of nature. The aesthetic focus of this artwork is opacity, immateriality, and silence. I constantly try to push beyond the boundaries of light and glass material by studying their properties.

What is the greatest challenge you face in working with glass?

Serendipity fascinates me. It is beyond our control and understanding; unpredictable and unexpected. In my artwork, glass melting in the kiln is a zen moment. This method of creation is like an exploration, providing a world of possibilities. It decreases the acts and traces of human intention. The pursuit requires keen intuition and a rich experience. Magic can happen.

I respect glass as a material, and don’t want to control it. I try to talk to the glass and understand it; merge with it to achieve an utterly harmonious connection between my heart and the material.

Deborah Czeresko

B. 1961, United States. Lives and works in New York.

Deborah Czeresko, Meat Chandelier, 2018. Photo by Jess Julius. Courtesy of the Corning Museum of Glass.

Can you tell us a bit about your work?

The work I create in glass addresses the hand and making as subject matter. Specifically, my thematic approach addresses the gendering of occupation and object through the lens of a mythical Renaissance Venetian glass maestro who is female. The work fuses the history and tradition of chandelier- and glass-manufacturing with the relationships of gender and mastery through the skill-laden culture of the glass studio.

The most recent piece in the series is included in “New Glass Now.” This elaborate light fixture, called Meat Chandelier, references traditional Italian chandeliers, typically depicting complex floral arrangements. I subvert these visual markers and render accurate pieces of meat out of glass in place of the frilly floral motifs. Hot dogs are tethered together; logs of salami, as well as prosciutto, dangle; and a pork chop flaps at the center.

What does it take to excel with glass?

Becoming proficient at hand-formed hot glass is a painstaking process, which is deceptively simple. It takes a huge investment of time and thousands of mistakes to get to a level where execution is fluid and natural. Weather conditions matter; temperature and humidity place strain on the body. It helps to condition oneself physically so the body is not a limiting factor to making in the demanding hot shop.

Glass requires complete mental focus to merge with the material technically. Once a piece starts, you must drive the process forward with no breaks; you cannot put it down and come back later. It’s an extended state of focus or meditation on the process that is very demanding and dynamic, mentally and physically. There is a bizarre disconcerting psychological element to glassmaking.…I fall in love with pieces that are still on the blowpipe that I have invested a lot of time and energy into, then force myself to subdue this passion because the material is so complicated and fragile that it can break or be lost at any step in the process.

What is something you can do or achieve with glass that you can’t do with other mediums?

Glass is a phenomenological material rich with mineable metaphorical qualities. It transforms from one state to the next in a viscous primordial ooze. Its scientific state is considered a supercooled liquid or an amorphous solid. This transmutational nature makes me think of glass as genderless or gender-malleable; this aspect informs the narrative of my work and is not present in many other materials.

Obviously, glass has transparency and delicacy going for it, and associations to spirituality, science, and futuristic aspects, as well, that can be harvested for content. You can freeze the fluid ooze in motion or capture organic matter in a glass bubble and watch it incinerate. Glass breaks in interesting ways that can turn a seemingly docile and soft form into a razor-sharp weapon. It is capable of reflection through mirroring. It can glow under UV light by adding inert Uranium. Huge masses of it can appear weightless and ghostly, such as the work of Roni Horn.

Karen Donnellan

B. 1986, Ireland. Lives and works in Alfred, NewYork.

Suzanne Peck and Karen Connellan, Blow Harder: Alternative Lexicons for the Hotshop, 2018. Courtesy of the Corning Museum of Glass.

Can you tell us a bit about your work?

I make sculptural works, video, sound, and performance. Some works use glass, some don’t, but my training in glass and my love of the material does inform my material choices.

The work I’ll be showing as part of “New Glass Now” is based on a collaboration with Suzanne Peck. It began as a research paper titled “Blow Harder: Language, Gender, and Sexuality in the Glass Blowing Studio.” The work is a poster with alternative lexicons for the usually gendered—and sometimes problematic—glassblowing terms. Our poster offers “neutral,” “feminist,” and some ridiculous “highbrow” alternatives—e.g., the usual term “glory hole” could be “reheating chamber” (neutral); “g-spot” (feminist); or “chamber of life-affirming heat” (highbrow).

What is the greatest challenge you face in working with glass?

That I am seen as a “glass artist” or craftsperson, and as such, the research and ideas in my work are dismissed or not seen. I also work with a lot of other media, and I don’t always fabricate the work myself, so the term “glass artist” is not very accurate anyway.

What is something you can do with glass that you can’t do with other mediums?

It’s not one specific thing, but other materials that are glass-like—e.g., plastic/resin, wax, cellophane, quartz, ice, water—can only replicate certain qualities of glass. None have the archivability, transparency, weight, optics, magnification, and clarity, or can be manipulated using the wide range of ways that glass can (casting, fusing, blowing, cutting, polishing, flameworking, stained glass, etc.). They also don’t have a history like glass does, and few are at the bleeding edge of technology like glass is!

Jahday Ford

B. 1994, Bermuda. Lives and works in Manchester, United Kingdom.

Jahday Ford and Joseph Hillary, Breathe, 2017. Photo by Ester Segarra. Courtesy of the Corning Museum of Glass.

Can you tell us a bit about your work?

Many of my creations involve the manipulation of glass materiality beyond its decorative normality. Experimenting with mixed materials and digital processes allows the state of the semi-fluid material to manifest in peculiar intricacies and formats you’d never be able to predict. This curiosity keeps me constantly testing for more discoveries.

What is the greatest challenge you face in working with glass?

The modern-day life of glassmaking, realistically, has proven to be shockingly challenging outside of university, as a postgrad. Hot-shop hires, equipment fees, travel, shipping, assistants, studio fees, packaging, cold-working, glass color—the list goes on. All the while, you’re making sure your bills are covered and you’ve got a nice plate of risotto at the end of the day. Amid all of these hardships and high expenses as a freelance maker in glass, I’ve never lost the eagerness to pursue professional making. It gives me a feeling of chasing something special and discovering more with the material, even though it costs me an arm and a leg.

What does it take to excel with glass?

Working in hot glass, specifically, requires the utmost respect for the material. It’s actually alive, with a very short lifespan, if you think about it. You can’t just put it down, have a break, and take your time with it. If you don’t respect or connect to the material first, the work you make won’t come out as you’d like, and you can seriously injure yourself and others in a staggering amount of ways. Once you control these elements within your making, you can push your work to such a higher level.

Often, you may not want to focus on massive pieces or master-level techniques—this spurs exciting room for collaboration or working with more experienced makers in other mediums. If I didn’t jump to investigate my practice, or challenge my knowledge, by working with other like-minded creatives, I never would have discovered the areas of glass I work in, designing molds, creating digital methods, and using unusual techniques.

from Artsy News

[austinpanda]

More Crisis O’ Faith! Woot!

We lost electricity Friday morning a little after midnight. I woke up and noticed right away, and thought, “Fuck, that’s twice since we moved here.” We moved here about three weeks ago. The power returned by about 4:00 a.m. Some very high winds were occurring, and not for any really exciting reason, just because...have some wind, losers. My phone warned of high winds, but who gives a shit? It’s not going to blow my car off the road, right? By morning, we barely remarked on the outage, although the high winds made a ruckus. Some of our trailer skirting popped out of place and had to be popped back in place. The recycle bins of nearby trailers tipped over. 

Then, at about 11:00 a.m. on Friday, I heard a boom, like a bomb had gone off. Zach had heard it, but also seen the sky light up when it happened. We assumed from that point forward that some piece of electrical infrastructure got shorted in the high wind and blew itself up. Immediately, the power went out. That was a nasty feeling, too. It was a, “Ooo, that sounded expensive,” kind of feeling, a “That won’t be fixed any time soon,” feeling. 

By that night, the temperature was in the 40s and dropping, and the temperature inside the trailer was dropping too. We made it through the day alright, but when it started getting cold, the entertainment value of the roughing-it element began to wear thin. No problem, just wear socks and pants and a sweater to bed. Whee!

We had about five candles, and lit them. We entertained ourselves by discussing what we wanted to do first, once the power came back on. I happen to have a bunch of glowsticks, those chemical glow lights that you snap and shake up. We used the glowsticks to light the way to the bathroom. I had bought a couple of solar-powered garden/walkway lights, since we lack a front door light, and I brought them in for us to use as flashlights. (They worked great as flashlights, by the way! They’re designed to make and store power all day, and illuminate brightly all night.)

Day two started well, and we played Scrabble, and Zach won, which is a rarity because of my big, throbby vocabulary, and I decided to take a nap. The bed was the warmest place to be. I slept for a couple of hours, and by the time I woke up, Zach had had enough of this cold bullshit. I was running out of patience for it, too. It just didn’t feel like the problem was being worked on. It felt like it was going to be another cold night, colder than the previous evening because everything in the house was now cold, our furniture, our clothes, nothing had any residual heat left to make life any warmer.

But the problem was being worked on! The traffic lights and fast food places and gas stations began to regain power and function again. 

We didn’t know when we might regain power, because our cell service is lousy here without the wifi, which I still think is stupid, and wrong, and perplexing, and wrong. We just knew we were sailing into night two with no heat, no hot water, no TV, no computers, and, increasingly, no cell phones. We made the decision to head back to the Ramada and see if they could put us up for the night. 

They could! I feared it would cost $150 or $200, but it was only $100, which still felt like a lot at the time, and still feels like a lot now, a hundo to sleep in their bed and use their warmth for a night. While we were at the hotel, we had access to their wifi, and I kept googling “Old Town Maine power outage” to check for updates. This morning, the updates indicated that power would be restored to just about everyone by the end of the day. I shared this with Zach. We began to have hope. 

Going back home from the Ramada this morning, we felt better about things. Mostly this was because we had a bit of hope that the updates were accurate. And they were! We went home; it was still dark and cold. We opened all the curtains and some sun came in and we started trying to warm the place. Zach made his weekly phone call to his parents and I began to entertain myself by cleaning up as much as I could and listening to an audio book. 

You can do a lot of cleaning without electricity. What I really wanted was to vacuum, but I could still wipe down counters and put stuff in the sink and do all the trash and recycling. I puttered, tidying my frigid home, seeing my breath as I worked, keeping warm with layers, and a knit cap. At some point, I rested in the sunbeam on the sofa with the kitty in my lap, and I heard someone make a WHOOP outside.

I looked out the front of the trailer, and saw a couple of guys, residents of the trailer park, and they were looking at a power company utility truck that was stopped nearby, seemingly in the process of restoring power to our ill-chosen trailer park, and the adjacent McDonalds. (Thank Christ for McDonald’s! We were so worried!) Ours was the first trailer in the park to get its power back. I assume this is because we’re pure of heart, but everyone else’s came back within a minute or two. 

So...that sucked, particularly when I had to drop a hundred to stay at a hotel with no idea how many more nights I might need to do that. Learned a few things, though.

Get someplace with wifi and check the internet for updates from the power company, for they contain useful info.

When it’s cold at home, wear something warm on your head. It’s true, you lose a lot of heat through your head.

People who camp in weather like this, who voluntarily poop in frozen nature, are, and I say this with love, fucknuts crazy. 

Kitty is fine staying in a frozen house overnight. We didn’t break the kitty by leaving him here when we went to the hotel. Kitty is wearing fur, and is not thrust into anguish by cold air, like the big intelligent monkeys are.

We need to find a way to heat the place when the power goes out. Working on that.

Of course, the big problem is this: It’s not even winter yet! We still have November to get through, then December happens, and I’ve read that December is the BEGINNING of winter, not the middle or the end. According to the internet, we don’t have a lot of options for heating this place without electricity. We don’t have a fireplace, e.g. But we don’t have zero options. 

They make propane heaters that are supposed to be safe indoors and out. Not in love with that idea, but I’m not in love with looking like the Jack Nicholson popsicle from the end of The Shining, either. They’re kind of expensive, and you get to keep paying for the propane as you use it, and they have special alarms so they’ll switch off if they sense they might be fucking with the supply of oxygen to your brain, by, for example, filling the place with carbon monoxide. Another problem is that we’re trying to spend LESS money on enjoyable things like warm clothing and electricity, wherever possible. Neither of us is working yet. 

It’ll all work out. Since we’ve regained electricity, I’ve done three loads of laundry, folded, hung, and put it all away, enjoyed my lovely, stupidly large TV, vacuumed the whole place, taken a (brief, with an arctic finish) shower, and generally enjoyed living in the damned 21st century. We may see our first snow within the next week. Cautious optimism!

[tripstations]

10 Tips for First Timers in India

India is many a traveler’s dream, and at the same time it can quickly become a nightmare. It is an incredible country, and there are so many places to visit in India that visitors are often overwhelmed by the choice.

One thing is for sure though: this is not an easy country to travel across and appreciating it fully can be a real challenge.

So, here’s 10 tips for first timers in India:

Be Prepared for Culture Shock

Only go to India after you have visited many other “developing countries.” I actually don’t like to use this expression at all, and to be fair, India can’t even be considered a “developing country.” We are talking about one of the strongest world economies, with a regularly increasing gross domestic product.

What makes India different from the strongest economies of the Western world is the chaos that characterizes it, which can cause a bit (or a lot) of a cultural shock. This is a place where cars pull their rearview mirrors inwards because anyways nobody uses them: they’d rather honk like there’s no tomorrow to warn other drivers and passers-by of their passage. It is a country where there’s no real garbage collection system, especially outside the cities, so garbage is piled up in the streets and at times even burnt.

To be frank, I was so enchanted by the colors, by the atmosphere, by the swing of daily life that I was not put off by any of the chaos around me. But it’s good to have at least an idea of what to expect, and it is good to have some previous experience of chaotic places.

Cover Up

I never saw an Indian woman (and actually, not even a man) walk around without being properly dressed. Occasionally, in really smaller villages which don’t get much tourism a man can be spotted wearing a vest. Other than that, they always wear pants and a shirt and women wear a saree and, in case they are not wearing that, they are wearing long pants or skirts and shirts that cover shoulders, chest and arms. This is the case regardless of the weather: even in the swealthering heat, everyone gracefully covers up.

I know that as Westerners we are used to wearing tank tops and shorts when it is hot outside. But I think that when we are traveling to a country that is not our own, we should try to follow the local customs. Travelers already do get a lot of attention in India and the only way of minimizing this is by covering up.

Be Respectful

Travelers often forget their manners and how to be respectful when they are in a country which is not their own. One of the things that annoyed me the most in India was seeing tourists taking pictures of cremation ceremonies in Varanasi. Guide books state this pretty clearly, guides always mention it, and even those who are not taking a guided tour or who have not bothered to do any reading about the culture and traditions of India should easily figure it out. Think of it in these terms: would you ever walk into a funeral back in your home country and start taking picture? If the answer to this is no, make sure that the same applies when traveling around India.

Travel Slow…

India is the kind of place where independent travelers can only travel slowly. Keep in mind that a distance of a mere 200 km, which would be covered in 2 hours or less in any western country, requires up to 8 hours of travel in India. Guided tours may be effective in terms of maximing the time available, but really – India should be discovered a little bit at a time. In order to get a real feel of the vastity of the country, of its multiple colors, landscapes, cultures and even foods, one should travel there for at least 3 months. That’d mean just scratching the surface. And if time is an issue, then focus on just one State or region.

… and Book Trains (or Flights) in Advance

India is a huge country and the infrastructure is somewhat lacking in certain areas – though it is generally improving. There is a huge network of trains, buses and planes that connect pretty much the entire country. Trains are great value for money, and a great way to travel – especially for longer distances and at night – but they get booked up really fast. It is way better to book trains in advance to avoid being stuck in a city.

Watch Out for Touts and Scams

The minute I’d step out of a bus, I’d be literally surrounded by hoards of people trying to sell me any possible souvenir. Most would take a firm no as an answer, and generally, ignoring them proved to be a good way of not being bothered too much. At times, especially in the most touristic places, I was literally followed around by a few who’d continue pointing their shops, demanding that I’d go visit them at least on the way out. And sure enough, I was actually recognized on the way out and the whole process of following and demanding started again.

I actually took the chance of asking one in a shop why he did that, pointing out that it was not a good marketing technique. The interesting thing is that he agreed with me, but then he pointed to the shop manager who stood close by, and said that he was pushed to do this. Go figure!

Scams are common in India. Typical ones involve transportation, with drivers agreeing on a price and then demanding significantly more. This can be avoided by simply taking out the exact change once you are in the car / tuc tuc / rikshaw and then, upon leaving, just handing it in without further discussion. In other words, make sure never to open your wallet in public as this will show how much money you have.

Learn How to Haggle

It is safe to assume that in India prices are significantly increased for tourists, especially for taxis, tuk tuks and rikshaws, or at markets. I have learned how to haggle in Cuba, so I was hardly bothered in India. In any case, I firmly believe that it is fair to haggle only to a certain extent. I won’t waste time to bring the price down of $0.50!

Mind the Selfies

Indians will never refuse to pose for a picture. I don’t think I was ever told off for taking one, even when it was of children. In fact, I was often stopped at tourist attractions by children or young couples who wanted to pose with me, and I hardly refused. The only times I did actually refuse was when adult men asked me. For some reason, it just didn’t feel right – and I heard horror stories of girls being touched. I’d just rather avoid it.

Look After Your Health

India isn’t exactly the cleanest of places. I was lucky enough never to get sick (aside from a cold and from a mild sorethroat which was due more to pollution than anything else). But I did pay a lot of attention on where and what I ate. My advice is to carry avoid eating uncooked foods (like salads) and possibly even chicken or mutton (they are not exactly kept in the most hygienic conditions); and never drink tap water (buy bottled one or, to avoid using plastic, carry a filter).

I’d also advise to carry hand soap, sanitizer, and toilet paper as lots of places don’t provide it; and to bring a good dose of ferments (I took them throughout the duration of my trip) and imodium (which I fortunately didn’t need).

Just Go!

India blew me away. I was incredibly nervous before I went, but I found it to be an incredibly beautiful country. Add to this the fact that my $ would go a long way, and that I had some incredible encounters with the locals and it’s easy to see why I fell in love with it and I can’t wait to go back.

Have you ever been to India?

What are your top tips for first timers? Leave it as a comment.

Categories: General InformationTags: first time indiascamsTrainsCountry: India

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Okay, you’ve booked your trip, you’re headed to Central America! One of the great things about Central America, and probably one of the reasons you’ve booked your vacation there, is the chance to explore another culture, see something new, and try some great foods. So remember, when you arrive there, chances are it will not be like “back home”- wherever that may be!  Instead relax and enjoy your travels in Central America and appreciate the differences.

Below, we have detailed some of the subjects about traveling in Central America that drive people crazy.  Depending on your view, these can make your holiday the best or the worst vacation ever! Over time we have spent what amounts to several years traveling through Central and South America, so this is based on our own experiences as English speaking, Western travelers.

Mañana (or Tomorrow)

Most other cultures do not share the Western concept of time, and they certainly do not in Central and South America.

With a more laid back sense of time, things can wait ‘til tomorrow or mañana. Why do today what you could put off until tomorrow?

This makes the lifestyle much more relaxed, but as a tourist, with a limited amount of time, it can drive you crazy!

Just know, it doesn’t matter how impatient you are, it won’t speed things up. The only person getting upset is you!

Tip: If you need services, ask at your hotel, often they will refer you to places experienced with travelers and they are more aware of the need to be on time (or show up at all!). Be aware that the cheapest option is not always the best option.

Transportation for your Travels in Central America

Road infrastructure, despite the marketing, is not usually too good. Driving and even following laws and traffic patterns varies from country to country, but generally don’t expect the same standard as at home. Slow moving, overloaded vehicles, dangerous passing, failing to indicate and lack of driving in lanes are all common.

If you do rent a car, the agency will usually warn you of any scams or hazards to be aware of locally. (And often make you sign something to acknowledge you have been told). Check the price quote includes insurance when you make the reservation. The most common complaint we hear from travelers about Central America is they arrive to pick up the rental car and the price charged is much higher than quoted- sometimes more than double the cost! Insurance is mandatory and often not included in the quote. Our post about avoiding “surprise” fees and charges when you rent a car explains this and offers some advice.

If you don’t want to drive- consider internal flights, tourist buses or hiring a car and driver. Places that don’t seem that far in distance, can take a long time via road due to poor infrastructure and/or mountainous terrain. Sometimes it is just easier to fly. Check domestic airlines. Sometimes booking internal flights separately is much cheaper than booking them as part of your international airfare.

A car and driver can also be a comfortable option at a reasonable cost. Your accommodation can usually help you organize this option. Tourist class buses (not the local bus- pictured above) can also be a good option. Tourist buses are usually modern and have air conditioning. They do not usually have restroom facilities; the bus will stop somewhere on the route. Safety, quality of the buses and being “on time” varies by company. Check other traveler’s reviews, read blogs, or ask your accommodation for a reputable carrier. Rome2Rio can help you find transport options between two destinations. We use it all the time.

Accommodation in Central America

There is something to suit every budget. We tend to like small, locally-owned accommodation. Often, we rent an apartment using Airbnb or finding a great hotel using Booking.com. You can find our advice about finding the perfect accommodation in this earlier post.

Everything is not air-conditioned. A lot of rooms without air conditioning do not have screens in the windows. Leaving the windows open in a busy area can create issues with noise and /or safety. Depending on your needs you need to check these things.

For some reason, hot water seems extremely difficult to find in some parts of the world, Central America included. The shower is either freezing cold, or scalding hot, somehow warm to hot is not an option! Check other traveler’s reviews, we find most people will mention this one!

Technology

Most of the world seems to have access to the internet. We find it relatively easy to find accommodation with free Wi-Fi. More upmarket, luxury hotels will sometimes charge exorbitant rates for internet access, so if that describes your accommodation you might want to check.

Don’t expect your mobile phone to work. This is the subject for a whole other post, but quick tips- check with your carrier before you go about access and charges. Don’t just flip your phone to roaming- the data charges might cost more than your entire trip and I’m not kidding!

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Language

Central America speaks Spanish! While some people do speak English, don’t expect everything to be in English and everyone to speak English! Learn a few of the basics:  “good morning”, “nice to meet you”, “excuse me”, “please” and “thank you”, “do you speak English?” “sorry, I don’t understand Spanish”. If you try, people will be more willing to help you.  If you want to learn some Spanish DuoLingo is a free app for your phone.

Being rude to people because you don’t speak Spanish is not a way to make friends! And yes, we see it all too often. If the person you are trying to communicate with can’t understand you, chances are someone nearby can assist.

Personal Safety

Check for government-issued travel advisories. For Australians check the SmartTraveller site, for British Citizens travel advisories are found here, and for Americans the State Department website has travel warnings.  They are usually updated with weather and other current events, as well as less urgent warnings. They will often list common scams.

Leave your jewelry at home. Petty theft, sometimes violent, is unfortunately not uncommon for travels in Central America. Watch for pickpockets in crowded places and markets. We tend to leave our valuables in the hotel and only carry what we need. If we lose a few dollars to a pickpocket, our wallets and credit cards are still safe.

And don’t forget travel insurance.  Yes, you need some sort of coverage for Central America and anywhere else.

Use common sense and you will be fine.

More Information about What to See and Do in Central America

If you are looking for more information about Central America- you might enjoy other posts about:

Guatemala

Panama

Costa Rica

Honduras

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How to Enjoy your Travels in Central America Okay, you’ve booked your trip, you’re headed to Central America! One of the great things about Central America, and probably one of the reasons you’ve booked your vacation there, is the chance to explore another culture, see something new, and try some great foods.