Gas Water Nothing: Of Things and Days

Of Things and Days

March 1, 2008

So I finished Thing-a-Day 2008 relatively intact. I really did make something every day. Some were better than others, but a lot of them were good enough that I feel good!! And no way would I have been as productive without the structure and pressure of Thing-a-Day.

I’d like to say a big thanks to the organizers, the other participants, and everyone who commented on my work (either here, there, or on Flickr).

Two other participants really stood out as especially excellent. One was Helllllen, who is one helllll of an artist. Go check her stuff out, on her own site and on Thing-a-Day!

The other was Ranjit Bhatnagar, who made a different musical instrument for each day of the month. Some of them were downright astounding. I think my top favorite is the Automatic Tension Guitar, but check them all out. Ranjit hosted a wonderful little event today at Flux Factory to celebrate the month and show off his handiwork. It was great to be there and play a bunch of his creations. I met some cool people, and I even took a turn at making my own instrument, a one-stringed rotten-wood fiddle that frankly doesn’t sound like much of anything at all, but did give me a chance to use a plastic baby for a nut!

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aw shuxxx dude, thanks for the linkin’! You were a seriously awesome poster to the site, and I enjoyed all of your paintings and illustrations. You’ve also been rss-ed!

also, I am SUPER jealous that you got to play ranjit’s instruments. so awesome

— Hellen March 5, 2008 #

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Launching Launchpad in Brooklyn

from UrbanSketchers: Jason Das

March 7, 2010

Last night I went to a pre-opening "pencil party" for a new community/arts space on on Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn a few blocks away from my home. The space will be called Launchpad. I had a chance to chat with Mike, the founder (and owner of the building) and his priorities seem right on. Most remarkably, there is no obvious political, religious, or ideological agenda--how rare is that for a grassroots community space?! They just want to provide a place for people to hold events, classes, share resources, etc. Mike expects non-profit incorporation to be completed within the week.

Launchpad is reaching out for foundation funding, and Mike is donating his storefront, but they do need financial support from individuals as well. They're raising start-up funds via Kickstarter, and have about one more day to meet their goal. Please consider contributing! I really hope this place gets a strong start and thrives.

The gist of the "pencil party" was to draw on the walls, in this case with markers instead of pencils. One of my contributions was an urban sketch--a view from the window right on the window frame:

Urban Sketch on the windowframe at Launchpad

(Sorry the pics are so lousy--it was dark and all I had was my phone.)

I neglected to take any photos of the space or the party, but here's one I snagged from Mike's Facebook:

While I'm excited about Launchpad and have high hopes for it, the crowd at the party did give me cause for worry--it was extraordinarily skewed in terms of age, race, and class. As they go forward, I really hope Launchpad can involve a more representative cross-section of who lives in the neighborhood. A major point of a place like this is that everyone will feel welcome, and given the demographics of the neighborhood (shifting fast and loose these days), it may take some real effort and reaching-out to achieve this.

Launchpad is located at 721 Franklin Avenue, between Sterling and Park, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York City.

Day 28: Thinged-Out Self Portrait

from Jason Das Makes a Thing-A-Day

March 1, 2010

Catching up is hard to do...

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Day 26: I Combed My Hair

from Jason Das Makes a Thing-A-Day

March 1, 2010

I know it wouldn't be a big deal for many people, but it is for me! Besides, I didn't have a chance to make another thing that day. (The occassion for getting dolled-up was a Krinkle Bearcat show.)