Sakari Sun

Painting Again

The heaviest items are the art supplies. Imposing a residency of arts; audio, painting, sketching, gardening even. The other day I helped a woman with her compost.

For two days now I have been working on this new painting

and then another.

I am on the island of Kauai, my hair has had a lot of sand and tiny sea shells in it from visits to the beach. Just recently I was on the shores and as I was leaving I slightly jumped and asked a friend, hey! is there sand in my hair? She said no, that it was on my face. Thank goodness. After weeks of wash and rinse most of the tiny shells and sands have come out of my dreads. This journey with my wild hair has inspired this poem. There is something about hair that is so important to me. I am reminded of Samson. I am remembering black folk tales of hair and how folks would say watch who you let touch your hair. So in honor of these deeply curly antennae …

Black Girls Hair

Your hair stands on top of your head my child

it points in all directions

sponges suck the water up

don’t let it be too dry

antennas for the heavens

speak of cosmically

wrap them up and hide them underneath beautiful decorated cloth

or t-shirts you don’t want to wear anymore

or hide them in a sun hat, brim level to your eye

big huge hair you’ve got my girl

dress it in oil

smell likes coconuts

smells like chocolate

smells like dirt

is that sea shells trying to escape from the beach

dry them out

shake them roughly

use your nails

clean your scalp

and please take care your hair

I am remembering this song by Regina Spektor as well

Lucidity Festival, Kindred Quest 2015

After a wonderful report back and presentation on Appropriate Technology: Then & Now at Place for Sustainable Living in Oakland, I have great news! Foodwebstories will be live at Lucidity Festival 2015.

Here is the schedule:

Friday @ Permaculture Action Hub, 11 am
Appropriate Technology: Then & Now

Summary:

In the early 20th Century Gandhi lead the Indian Independence Movement. One key component was Appropriate Technology, locally sourced tools and technology that were at times in tune with the indigenous history of the people of a land. It was felt AT, a people centered technology could cut down the supply and demand afforded to outside and often oppressive sources, thereby the people would regain their independence and not depend on their oppressor. Appropriate technology(AT), in most cases it is made from reuse materials, and is very affordable.

AT has saved millions of lives around the world through efficient stove designs and eco-sanitation. In this presentation we discover the stories of AT saving the lives of people and environments while promoting independence and innovation. Overall this presentation is designed to help communities find out whats new and what they can do. It is meant to inspire audience members to start an AT project of their own.

“The possibilities are limitless as to what you can create to live a more sustainable and technologically independent life!”

Saturday @ Nomad’s Nook, 2:30 – 4 pm

Food Web Stories

Summary:

In this report back, I will express the works of foodwebstories. A multimedia blog in which I have traveled to several countries to find stories of people and their relationships to their food web/environment. Through articles, interviews, and audio podcasts Foodwebstories is meant to bring awareness to our environmental baselines and create a dialogue between developing and the developed worlds. It will continue to innovate and shift perspectives. This year the theme is Be Kind Do Not Rewind! We cannot solve our environmental problems by using the methods we used to get us into the situations we have now. Rather we must innovate and find new methods to improve our environments and ourselves. This year I will focus on sea grasses, what is happening with our waters, and address new methods and innovations in animal rights and wildlife corridors.

Sunday @ Nomad’s Nook, 10 am – 12 pm

Community Level Bioremediation 101

Summary:

What is biosyntropy, the elevation of living intentional systems. How can we improve our environments creatively using simple and innovative bioremediation techniques. How important is it to clean our air, soil, and water supply? This in depth look takes you behind the scenes to discover what is the importance of harmonizing with your environment and the factors that play when a person is not in harmony with the spaces, place, and surroundings called home. We will play with techniques, discover new terms, and hopefully leave inspired to bioremediate your land to heal our local watersheds.

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Appropriate Technology: Then & Now

March 19, @ PLACE. 1121 64th St. Oakland, Ca 94608

Scuridae Animation Begins

Scuridae Animation has begun…here is a test seen…

I love animations, as a sketch artist it feels like a great direction. So with a script in hand I begin a new animation. Longer than the Wren, which was a project for someone and you won’t see the final product until the client releases it.

Video test of simple sketches

https://youtu.be/ucicWFm0Akw

If You Ever Wonder

Yesterday, Christmas, was pretty hilarious! A little girl about five years old shouted in a room full of people, “Guess How Old My Mommy Is!!!”

you should have seen her mothers face, then she did the same thing with her mother’s girlfriend. It was hilarious.

I have wondered this week how old and what species is the dog I have been dog sitting. Looks like a German Shepard to me, I would tell people. Then I would say it could be a mix or a whole other type. Well today I went to the store and took Sheezookuh with me. While I was going down an isle eating opened gluten free crackers from the box I heard…Who ever tied up their German Shepard please come to the front! I dashed off knowing for certain that Sheezookuh, the only dog that was tied up in front of the store, is a German Shepard and is probably a two year old German Shepard pup based on the size of her.

The Process ~ The Wren Project Animations

The Wren animations project started as a request from a friend. He asked if I could make up a flip book for his foundation which fights against human trafficking. I said yes and the next thing I knew I bought a really cheap used book for a dollar and some change, cut up some recyclable paper bags as a background, glued a frame to each page of the book, and drew the frames. I know long run on sentence. Then I filmed it using a stop motion animation program and sent it to him.

When we met up to discuss the flip book, he decided he wanted it for his book project instead. A few changes were that the frames be a white background, the color choices were mine. He also wanted to film it himself and add music himself. I don’t blame him the first flip book film I did the music for, and I used my camera phone to film. He’s a photographer, I am sure he could really capture the work better than my camera phone.

The process was extensive indeed and all 2d classical animation style.

1. On each page I drew the frame using a 2b pencil

2. Since the paper I used was carbonless, I could see the frame before it. So I built the work piece by piece by placing each paper on top of the other so as to capture the right placement and hope for fluid action. This style mimics the light board classical animation style.

3. I colored the frames in using marker and colored pencil

4. I inked each frame

5. I showed a friend 🙂

I am so relieved the work is done

I really love animation. It’s a lot of work but I knew it could be done and I was excited for the opportunity. So I am sure there will be an update. I now look forward to other projects. Such as…The mushroom bench installation. To art! To music! To colors.

Preliminary Wren Project Flip Book Animation

First Flip book animation for the Wren Project, cleaning up the frames this week. Here is the draft

Escape to Reverie Preliminary Sketch

Here is a preliminary sketch for Escape to Reverie, an interactive dreamscape environment by the Talisman Toys team.

www,escapetoreverie,wordpress.com

Vacation

We are all in seperate beds
My room door closed
Came down off the mountain to a plateau
Breath heavy till lifted light

We are across from each other
Keys on the dresser
Mirror turned away
I am really here
Cold
Warm
Manipulating what moves in the air
Suspended by string

Its been quiet
We sit together
My every foot step announced by the beam of my smile
Its from someplace where they meet

we play games
Fighting sticks
Can you feel when my hand is near
You had better practice
Sweet dreams

Am i confessing or digressing
These things aren’t speedily played with anymore
I practice discernment
I know better now
I digress it is done
We venture to our seperate rooms right across from each other
It is my keys behind the locked door on the dresser
I sprawl across the bed I will not share

The storm is over
Please don’t be jaded