Inspired by Oliver Sack’s love of cephalopods I have decided to doodle them until I fill up a notebook. Some might say, why waste all that time? But, I say, I’m trying to be a better visual artist. So this will get me thinking visually and hopefully lead me on a new path to explaining myself. Also, it is really great for reseting my brain when I have crossed a bunch of wires with emails, to-do lists, etc. Plus they’re kinda cute and fun… they make me smile. Whatever, shut up. Here are the first three. Spots. Spider. Petunia.

Photo: Steven Schreiber

About a week ago I was able to catch Kyle Abraham’s, The Radio Show at the MCA stage. I had heard about him through another artist that I adore and admire, Amy O’Neal. The reason I’m writing about it on PopNeurology is because well, here it is best described from his website:

Kyle Abraham delves into identity and personal history in The Radio Show. Creating an abstract narrative around the loss of communication, he investigates the effects of the abrupt discontinuation of a radio station on a community and the lingering effects of Alzheimer’s and aphasia on a family. Abraham mixes recordings of classic soul and hip-hop with contemporary classical compositions to create an eclectic score that evokes fond memories and a passion for what is lost.

There are perfectly placed moments in this tight, intense, fluid and controlled show highlighting the disintegration of communication spoken and physical. The character choice/movement theme that he chooses to represent his aphasic family member is not emotionally manipulative, but meaningful.  It feels like the character is telling the story not just being seen. And thus hits harder and in other places than just the heart and tear ducts. For myself, I hope in future works to remember how much this light handed approach intensified a point. The show offered so much to see and think about with alternate narratives yet it all came together so beautifully. So satisfying. It was one of those moments when you are lost in and completely engaged with a piece of art.

His company’s website: http://abrahaminmotion.org

Additionally, if you live in or around NYC there is a performance of The Radio Show coming up in March, http://www.92y.org/Event/Kyle-Abraham.aspx

The winner for the Wellcome Image Image Awards 2012, is a picture of a real nude living brain. It is beautiful and grotesque and makes me wonder/understand the fascination we have with gore in media. This image is different then gore for me because it is separate from violence, while most “inside of you” media is about violence. What’s the word for gore without violence? Anyway, beautiful. And I would suggest reading the “Why”… well here it is quoted from the Wellcome Image site…

Alice Roberts (anatomist, author and TV presenter) explains: “This is a stunning image. Taken during an operation, which allows surgeons access to inside the skull, for recording electrical impulses, we are looking at the surface of a living brain. It’s just extraordinary: the ‘grey’ matter (which is grey in death) is blushing pink. Small arteries are glowing with the scarlet blood pulsing through them, while purple veins lie thickly in the sulci, the crevices of the brain. And underneath that is somebody’s mind. For me, the context, the composition and the clarity of this image made it a winner.”

A lot of those words are supposed to be gross, right? I just really like this exultation of the beauty of life as opposed to images of … I don’t know, Dexter is the first thing that comes to mind. The most I see of brains on TV or popular media is when they are being blown against a wall. So, thanks Wellcome Images for saluting innard beauty!

I worked at the Pike Place Market in Seattle for 2 yrs. I worked at All Things Lavender across from the At Random – Shirts for Perverts shirt shop. I joked with the owner about a design that my boyfriend and I had talked about. Lo and behold as a going away present, I received this dirty nerdy joke shirt! I loved working at the market!!!

I applied for an artsy thing today because I need a space, some money, and a kick in the butt to do a new brain show. I had to send in a work sample for the application so I took some bits from my show “murder, hope”. That’s the first show I did that was about about brain disorders, neuroplasticity, Batman, and murder ballads. This is the show that I toured on the Canadian Fringe circuit but this clip is from my run at the great, Annex Theatre in Seattle. I thought I’d post it here as well since, y’know I mention it from time to time. These are just a few selections from the show, and its mostly movement stuff (none of the murder ballads, sorry) please to enjoy!

Quick bit about “murder, hope” so you don’t have to go back searching, from my friends (and awesome producer) at http://www.infinityliveproductions.com/html/becky_poole.html

Written and performed by Becky Poole and directed by Carrie Morris, “murder, hope” is the story of one family’s experience with the unimaginably rare and heartbreaking brain disorder, Landau-Kleffner Syndrome. It is a disorienting journey fueled by the creator’s obsessions with superhero archetypes, the burgeoning frontier of Neuroplasticity research, and soul-chilling Appalachian murder ballads. It is a charged and curious show that seeks to make sense of the senseless.

In 2006 Becky Poole’s nephew, Devin, was diagnosed with Landau Kleffner Syndrome, a highly rare childhood neurological disorder characterized by an unusual combination of epilepsy and aphasia. This condition, which robs children of their ability to use and understand language, has been diagnosed in fewer than 10 individuals per year since it was first discovered in 1957. Becky’s urge to make sense of this fascinating and mysterious turn of fate led her to seek comfort and explanation from many sources, and she defended herself against this tragedy by embracing and dissecting Batman mythology, studying contemporary and groundbreaking research in new fields of neurology, and writing eerie and vengeful folk songs to isolate and neutralize her pain. The products of these fascinations have been synthesized in ‘murder, hope’, a one-woman multi-genre performance piece in which the perplexing challenges of balance and communication are made real for audience and performer alike.

Woah! Bugs n’ Brains! Here is a great TedEd talk. As much as ripping a bug’s leg off is not pleasant. This is super cool. Besides, it’ll grow back! This guy make a cockroach leg move by using a beatboxer. This is how dancing feels right? I mean, not like ripping off your leg but like, you just gotta do it! Science makes you groove.

http://www.ted.com

If you like to see pretty brain things like this…

go here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/16/seeing-ourselves_n_1332228.html?ref=art-meets-science#s765203

This February I had the absolute pleasure and delight to work with The Red Kite Project. It is a show/experience and sometimes camp through the Chicago Children’s Theater . The purpose is to create theatre that is created specifically for children with Autism. You can see their mission eloquently put, as well as watch a movie about Red Kite on their site here…

http://www.theredkiteproject.org/home.html

The facebook page is often updated with news, events, etc. http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/The-Red-Kite-Project/120621808004073

The month that we worked to put up the most current production of Red Kite By the Sea, went by so fast and was in some ways a blur. So many magical moments, from the actual technique/art of the show (beautiful music and projections) as well as of course, from heart and mind connections. Smiles, laughter, and no thank yous, group dance parties, learning boundaries, and impromptu sing-alongs. Its hard to not sound cheesy about it, but as a performer on stage to hold an audience members hand, interact with/explore a prop together,  be held accountable for knowing when something is too loud or too scary and have to change in the moment is beautiful and rare. Its a real live event! And that is why I want to do any theatre, for emotional communication, a present connection. This specific audience demands it. This specific show was a sensual (as in the 5 senses), emotional landscape (to borrow a term from bjork) with an attention to schedule, storytelling and detail that I hope to remember for future writing and theatre creations. Also, bubbles are rad. Period.

I can’t wait to get back to Red Kite after a bit of time off (we’ve got a gig at the end of this month!) Speaking of that, if you know of anyone who would like to have Red Kite come to wherever they are, please contact Red Kite for more information … and I’m not just saying that because that would get me work. Although that’s part of it! This is a lovely, gentle, wondrous, dreamy creation and I am so glad to be involved with the team.

learning the sweet tunes! these were some tight harmonies y'all. i even learned some uke. don't worry i'm not gonna go all ukelele bangy and post a youtube vid of the 3 chords i learned.

Want some stereoscopic fun? Who doesn’t?! I had just been reading Fixing My Gaze by Susan R. Barry, about her journey to Stereopsis, when I learned that Eric Drysdale (a very funny and super nice man who writes for the Colbert Report) had conceived and created an “original View-master adventure comedy”. You guys, it is awesome. It is called, The Man With F.E.E.E.T!!!! And another super funny man, Christian Finnegan stars as the crime fighter with enhanced shoes. You can order the view-master, reels and download the soundtrack. It is just about the coolest freaking idea, I wanted to punch everything when I heard about it. Yay creativity! Punch boring ideas! Here’s the site and some pics of me enjoying the adventure. BRA-VO Mr. Drysdale.

http://www.themanwithfeeet.com/index.html

Ahhh! We. Open. Tomorrow!

I am currently serving as an Artist in Residence for Threshold’s Theatre Arts Project. Threshold’s is a rehabilitation and social center for Chicago’s mentally ill population. The show is a collaboration between Threshold members and professional artists in Chicago. It gets deep, it gets funny, it has been a roller coaster. I’m sure I’ll talk me about it more after I’ve “processed” it, but for now please come see this labor of love and hold on tight! The sign for “stars” is pretty awesome.

lobe,

bp