Category: Activism

Bowls of Words (2019-present)

(2019-present) Ongoing project of ceramic bowls

 

One thing that has always attracted me to pottery is the potential permanence that clay possesses. In the first stage, I threw, fired and glazed thirtythree soup bowls, decorated with one of three phrases ( I WAS BORN A WOMAN, IT IS A SERIOUS THING JUST TO BE, MASTERS WERE FEARFUL) I felt spoke of who we are as a society at this time. Inspired by ancient texts, ceramic law cones and the discovery of these artifacts in modern day. With these Bowls of Words I aim to create a document that could be discovered in the future by another civilization. 

 

 

For 2020 I threw over 100 bowls, some porcelain, some terracotta, with the three phrases ( I LOVE YOU, WE ARE ANIMALS, FREE THE FUTURE). Also see, Bowls for Sale.

 

For 2021 I chose the three phrases, SPACE ANNIHILATORS, YOU AND I ARE EARTH, and TIME IS MEMORY. Here’s a little explanation of the three phrases: SPACE ANNIHILATORS, in reference to humans, comes from Paramahansa Yogananda; YOU AND I ARE EARTH, was written on a plate discovered in the sewer of England also accompanied by the date of 1661; and TIME IS MEMORY, is the creative mantra of my good friend. Bowls for Sale

 

For 2022 the three phrases I chose were, NADIE ES ILEGAL, GIVE TAKE, and MOONAGE DAYDREAM. With each bowl I’m planting a seed that looks to grow into a future revelation about who we are at this time. Someone or something may unearth a broken piece or an intact bowl in an archaeological dig, and learn about humans of the 21st century. I also like the idea of inanimate objects having a voice, kind of beautiful I think.

I chose these words because I feel that we have a lot to learn about how to be kind humans. We have allowed artificial lines to be drawn, we give power to “leaders” who capitalize on these imaginary lines to demonize people fleeing climate catastrophe, and political upheaval. NADIE ES ILEGAL, no one is illegal. 

GIVE TAKE can be applied in so many ways in our lives. I specifically left out the more traditional & in the middle because I wanted to make plain my interest in the act of giving and taking. 

What do you think of when you imagine a MOONAGE DAYDREAM? David Bowie’s iconic title on an iconic album is just the beginning. MOONAGE DAYDREAM feels like a limitless possibility in my imagination. Bowls for Sale

 

For 2023 I added in a few new phrases, WHATEVER, QUESTION EVERYTHING, and THEY WERE LIKE GODS. I took a look back at past phrases that still feel present to me and mixed in a few new fonts. Alongside this work I also made time to explore more complicated ideas and possibilities with big bowls and the layering of text and designs. I’m thinking for 2024 I want to continue to broaden this big bowl project in two ways, collaborating with living writers to capture words that speak to our current state of humanity, and to share my own personal truths about familial relationships. I make this work from the stance of creating bowls that both serve the use of vessels and as a voice in the future. Bowls for sale.

Mother Father (2019)

(2019) Commissioned public art mural, Mosquito MT, Leadville CO.

 

Painted with the assistance of artist NKO while in residence at Artville in Leadville CO. 13,000 feet up in the mountains on an old abandoned radio shack, this message speaks to past generations asking them how have they cared for the world that is being handed off to younger generations? Painted with Enamel paint, the message will stand as a visual voice in the cold high land of the mountains. 

 

Bring Back The Salmon (2019)

(2019) Commissioned public art mural, Art in Parks, Seattle WA.

 

Working together, Nahaan and I designed a native formline salmon, as a rain-activated, ground stencil. Working with the Office of Arts and Culture Art in Parks, we settled on Alki Beach Park as our project site. We used RainWorks to stencil a temporary non toxic clear coating which is only visible during Seattle’s rainy weather. The stencil design we created was roughly 4’ long and 2’ tall. This installation is meant to bring attention to the loss of native salmon in this region as a result of overfishing, dam’s blocking salmon runs and pollution. We possess the power to change the fate of the northwest salmon.
 

$tate of Emergency (2019)

(2019) Visual art poster exhibition, The BLDG, Seattle WA.

 

Painted with funding from 4culture Art Projects, this was the culmination of a grant I received supporting Rent Control postering. Three large posters (this one measured 14’x7’) were created, two classes/lectures were presented to highschool kids along with one poster making demonstration. A run of rent control T-shirts was also created with this funding.

 

 

Artist Lecture on practice and current projects. University Prep, Seattle WA 

If you would like one of these WE DESERVE RENT CONTROL T-Shirts. Email Ezra at: baldieoner@hotmail.com
Funds from T-Shirt sales go towards Sawhorse Revolution, and printing future messages on T-Shirts.

Abortion is Freedom (2019)

(2019) designed and hand painted poster

 

In anticapation of the LA Women’s March, Shout Your Abortion commissioned No Touching Ground and I to create this large two section poster to be displayed in Pershing Square nearby the start of the march. We designed and hand painted this work to fit perfectly into the media advert display case shown here. It is an unquestionable right that women have access to legal abortions and be able to choose for themselves what’s best for their body. Men and religious beliefs have no place imposing their expectations on any woman’s ability to make a choice.

 

photo NTG

Give us a voice (2019)

(2019) commissioned choreography

 

Choreography set on ten young women in North Star Ballet School’s advanced level. This work was created in collaboration with the students. I’ve been interested in exploring different ways of integrating text, voice, and clear messaging into my choreographic works. This interest began with creating gifts of performance for my mother. When I arrived at North Star, I had decided that I wanted to ask my cast of ten young women the question, “what do you have to say to the generation that is leaving you this earth”. We spent a good portion of our first rehearsal time talking about this question. I wrote down each answer, after hearing all the thoughts, I explained that I wanted to build the choreography around the words that we had just discussed. Collectively we settled on “give us a voice” as the text and title for the piece.
My aim was to push these young performers to not only realise my movement ideas, I wanted them to realise their voices individually and as a collective by building vocalised text into the choreography from the very start of rehearsals. I had decided beforehand that the sound used in this work was to come directly from the performers live. Exploration of repetition, abstraction, volume, and exhaustion was the ideas I built, and shaped this work vocally, around. I feel that younger performers often have to be shown how to learn a section of choreography so that they can know this movement sequence without having to think about what step comes next. When this effortlessness is found, the next step is to run this movement sequence to the edge of exhaustion so that the dancer’s ego is shed. When this is found ten dancers can perform as one, their awareness of the ensemble grows and is able to collectively lift each other up. A clear image of the body being propelled by muscle is the intended result. This is quite a lot to ask of young performers, I feel though that this is the most important concept to have been introduced to in the development of a young professional dancer. I was quite proud of what these ten young women accomplished in our time together in rehearsal. This work was set to premier in Fairbanks in April 2020, unfortunately Covid-19 had other plans, so for now the premier is on hold.

 

Artville Residency (2019)

(2019) Leadville Colorado residency

 

The month of October, high in the mountains, served as a time for allowing space. My time was spent walking, seeing mountain tops, movement researching/choreographing, environment sketches, mural painting, all while living with dear friends.

 

 

I was able to create the movement framework used for the choreographic commission at North Star Ballet in Fairbanks Alaska following my residency. My environment sketches serve as a personal photograph for my eyes, a drawn memory of any location that captures my attention.

 

 

My friends like to walk. While at Artville I was invited to go for a three-day walk along a section of the Continental Divide Trail. I have for quite a long time fantasized about long distance walking. This served as a beautiful introduction to this revealing and healing path.

 

 

I visited the peaks of five mountain tops over 14,000 feet while at Artville. I have a long standing practice of planting a handstand at the top of high points. I aim to try and pretend that while in the handstand, I’m actually rightside up and holding up the mountain and world in my hands. As a student of my own body, I love the reality of walking up a steep mountain, the physical strength and stamina needed to listen to and work through rapid altitude shifts is humbling to say the least.

 

XEIGAA LATSEEN (2019)

(2019) poster collaboration

 

Created with my best friend Nahaan. This poster speaks to the sad reality that indigenous women continue to be murdered and go missing. Inadequately investigated, this heartbreaking reality pulls at the backbone of culture and strength in native families, communities, and ceremonies. The words XEIGAA LATSEEN in Tlingit  translate to “TRUE POWER”, true power and wealth come from strong women.

 

BASIC HUMAN NEEDS (2018)

(2018) Visual art poster, Seattle WA

 

In an effort to voice what to some might be viewed as overly idealistic. One must press ahead and put actions, thoughts and intentions into public space that support what we all understand as goals that can not be forgotten, let alone actually brought into reality for the survival and betterment of all humanity.

 

Daniel Covarrubias (2018)

(2018) designed and hand painted poster

 

The family of Daniel gave their blessings for No Touching Ground and I to create this portrait. De Escalate Washington acted as an intermediary between us and the family as we worked to create this memorial. NTG painted the portrait and I the text. Daniel, the proud father of seven, had been dealing with mental health issues and drug use before being murdered by Tacoma police. Daniel was unarmed when police shot him. This is another example of police killing a person experiencing mental distress. Death could have been avoided if a properly experienced social health response team could have responded instead of unprepared police. No officers have been charged in the murder of Daniel.

 

Photo NTG