I was right there and I MISSED IT.

I went to Mexico City D.F. in early  April to get my fix of city life and I saw some great art, museums, prostitutes, old friends, new friends, etc. But because of some religious holiday, I forget which one, mexico city basically shut down for an entire day, a Friday, my last day there. There were streets and streets aaaand streets flanked by nothing but garage doors. 

I missed the David Lachapelle showing. It was his first show in D.F. which consisted of some great, large prints. The works are in his new book "Heaven to Hell".  For what it's worth he is the most celebrated pop-surrealist photographer alive.  The construction of these elaborate sets is a big budget hallmark of his work. He started as an art photographer in the early 80's started hanging out with the pop stars of the day and worked his way up the ladder of fame. Really good work,  http://www.davidlachapelle.com/home.html

Interstellar Space Travel and a Flying Toyota

So I was sitting in this coffee shop sketching and reading when I tuned in to a conversation passing between this 50-something, nerdy, white guy and an aging hippie. They were talking about energy. It was clear almost from the start that he was talking quantum mechanics and she was talking spiritualism. He gave up when she refused to acknowledge his points and kept forcibly steering the conversation towards chakras. But, before he turned his back on the babbling burnout I caught, "The Orion Project".  I wrote it down and did a little research. 

They are an organization created to further the research of energy technologies, such as sustainable energy, but we're not just talking windmills and solar panels.  We're talking electromagnetic energy fields, space manipulation, automobile in a bubble, self propelled, floating above the ground sort of stuff. Yeah. It seemed like a bold claim so I had to look harder. 

Is this a new idea? Not completely. The government started research in the 40's and in the early 50's they showed us their flops and classified further development. Now the research has been taken up by several corporations. And of course the principles are being discussed in academia. These were ideas studied and developed by thinkers such as Einstein and Nikola Tesla. 

 

The lectures I read on this subject were dizzying. I looked up a lot of words and forewent many formulas. It basically came to this: there IS energy all around us, surrounding all material objects and tiny matter particulate.  Now, concerning the nature of energy I'm sure you know Newton's whole "equal and opposite reaction" bit.  This is true of most observable energy exchange; however, there was a discovery years back, of an asymmetrical energy called "Zero Point Energy" or ZPE. This type of energy is believed to sort of fill the vacuum of space (not just outside the atmosphere but here with us) exerting a low and constant force on all matter. Think of it as a sea of energy. There is no such thing as empty space.

We are also surrounded and affected by this local Quantum Vacuum, the space in which we and this ZPE exists. It exhibits behavior that suggests it is not bound by space time. Its particles have been observed disappearing in one spot and appearing in another with absolutely no time passing in between relocation. The nature of the vacuum is very fuzzy to me, having to do with special relativity, quarks and quanta. 

Apparently not so fuzzy to some scientists working in the field of Gravitonics and the new field of Inertionics whose ideas have helped shape new hypothesis about the nature and source of gravity. Many different companies and governments are now working on devices used to manipulate the Quantum Vacuum, ZPE, (and the bits of matter it envelops)  to create what is called a Field Effect Propulsion system. Basically a force field that can be used to surround and propel and object. According to the buzz, we are within 2 or 3 of decades of seeing FEP in action.  Consequently, this would mean more than tireless, floating cars, it would mean interstellar space travel, which NASA is openly researching and funding. 

I would hold my breath, but I think I would only last a minute or two.

Speaking of Nostalgic Sneakers

The Marty Mcfly NIKE's from Back to the Future II. Never gonna happen. neither is the self-drying jacket. One consolation though: My friend and I are working on a time machine, and I think we're really close this time. (and that's it for anything having to do with B to the F, for now.)

OMG! Shuz!

It isn't what it is.  In Mike Leavitt's latest series he has reproduced a line of nostalgic sneakers from cardboard and acrylic paint. The recent work was shown in the Fuse Gallery NYC in April. Leavitt, a Seattle-based artist has been creating art in a form perceived as a low brow by the high-art community. It's nice to see this boldface challenge to these established ideas of art. In this newest show titled, "Don't Stop Object Shopping" Leavitt owns up to the product he's pushing. And in so doing, blurs the boundaries between simple consumerism and art buying. You can check out more at http://www.fusegallerynyc.com/09leavitt/leavitt09.html

Of Things to Come

Ok, so it isn't the hover board, or the space cannon, but, it's impressive. They have created a self powered, rotating skyscraper. Each floor rotates individually and is powered by wind turbines positioned between them. I'll save the words and let the video explain. (BTW, please note the utter whiteness of this AP correspondent)