VST

VST Release

2009-01-12T16:08:00.000-08:00

The Visionary subTEXT :: VST Chapter 1 :: LA Culture Jam release was hosted by Project Butterfly in Downtown Los Angeles. Guests included close friends and contributors; an array of creatives: graffiti artists, musicians, djs, poets, producers, graphic artists, web developers, painters, clothing designers, stylists and more... The release of Chapter 1 :: LA Culture Jam had been long awaited.

As lights went off and guests found their seats, a loud sound of Tibetan trumpets infused by a cacophony of traffic sounds and news broadcasts opened the presentation. The VST experience had just begun.

Mike the Poet, acclaimed poet-historian-teacher, known for his vast and deep knowledge about the City of Angels followed the dissonance of sounds with a poetic introduction to the history of Los Angeles, which one can find written in the preface of VST's :: Chapter 1. From the Tongva and Chumash tribes to orange groves, guests were served a spoon full of knowledge and were just getting warmed up for what was to follow.

The VST :: Chapter 1 release was layered with live readings from the book by the author: D Miller, accompanied by projected visuals; pages and images from the book itself, sound recordings such as hawks screeching, music, traffic, public announcements, abstract recipes, and more... VST's Chapter 1 was alive! Guests were captivated by this new experience, an experience that opened their eyes, ears, minds, and possibly their souls.

D Miller has redefined "book reading". The presentation gave the viewers a peek inside the broad possibilities contained in VST. The book itself is hard to define as never before has there been one like it; combining facts, stats, fiction, graphics, and giving it a touch of spirituality that simply takes it to another level that many are yet to explore but will soon get the chance.

-M Abstract

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M Abstract & Jun putting together Visuals and Sounds for the VST Presentation:

Jun dialing in the sound prior to the presentation:

el YEM assisting in making the guacamole

VST's Chapter One contains a dash of spirituality and so did the book's release. Peter Youngblood Hills sages the space and cleanses the Project Butterfly/VST crew:

Emi M and Emily Batson:

Fresh Perspective table:

Mike the Poet and MEAR One

Ra is astounded by the taste of Project Butterfly's homemade Refried Beans:

Black Bird amongst friends:

Mikiko and Master Zero:

Beautiful guests Lynn, Deema & Kara, and of course Justin Bua in the background:

VST Presentation is about to begin:

VST Presentation :: Section 16 :: Eye & I

Mike the Poet is Alive in Los Angeles:

Page Evolution

2009-01-12T12:11:00.000-08:00

The purpose of the Page Evolutionary Process:
We are so accustomed to witnessing the finished product of things, however to be able to witness the construction process has proven to be just as informative and provocative as the final product. Witnessing the construction and the intentions deepens the relationship to the content. And in this day with so much information being blasted through every aspect of our lives, the need to develop stronger relationships to this information seems imperative.

In a time where we do not know where our food comes from beyond the supermarket, where our water comes from beyond the faucet, where our energy comes from beyond the switch and our information beyond the newscasts, it is time to take more responsibility in how we live, consume, walk, talk and love.

Below is the final version of Section 01 :: Heart, Breath & Mind

First Draft :: This page serves as an introduction to the book. The intention was to offer the reader an opportunity to enter into the mind and body of the character and the story through a meditation. When the page was handed to the VST graphic designer, Shari Hyun, we began with this page and a list of the different elements to be incorporated onto the page.

Second Draft :: Shari incorporated the elements into the page design. Remember, the design scheme of this project is to capture the vernacular of the 21st century, a language consisting of text, image and graphic.

MEAR One Meditating Man piece from the streets of Los Angeles served as the ideal representation of all the elements being discussed: Heart, Art, Breath, Mind & Meditation. To be given permission from MEAR One to utilize this work of art for this project was a beautiful blessing.

On the meditation note :: I was inspired to incorporate the honorable Thich Nhat Hanh image which I had taken at a Peace March/Protest that he led at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. It was a prayer/march/protest where all the people marched in silence for Peace - taking each step as though the bottom of their feet were kissing the earth below. As powerful as any march/protest/prayer I have ever been to or experienced.

Final Draft :: With all the pieces together we were able to finalize Section 01 :: Heart, Breath & Mind

Stencil Art Streets of Melbourne

2008-11-20T11:31:00.001-08:00

In 2003, I lived in Melbourne. Walking the streets of this city, was like
walking in a 24/7 art show. A huge dialog was happening... instead of
reading the newspapers for my daily dose of news, I preferred to look at the
walls. A lot of inspiration came from my many walks through Melbourne.
In time, I was able to meet many of the artists such as haha, dlux, vexta,
civil to name a few... The stencil scene was going off. Crazy times... Upon
having to leave Melbourne due to visa issues, the plan was to do a show in
Los Angeles featuring many of the artists from Melbourne with the help of
amac owner of the Citylights project [an amazing 24/7 outdoor gallery
located in the heart of downtown Melbourne]. Due to circumstances out of my
control the show never did happen. It would have rocked LA in 2004. Here is
a taste of what it would have looked like...

During this time in Australia, the project Visionary subTEXT was being
developed. The issues I was focusing on then were public vs private space,
advertising and street art; as well as getting a necessary fresh perspective
living outside of LA. I met so many incredible people down under. I hope to
reconnect with them all soon in the real. Today, I begin to do it virtually.