Sofa Safari

Exploring Furniture in the Wild

Over the last 18 months, as I walk around the neighborhood, I often see the furniture that has been abandoned or has escaped domestic confines and is now residing on the streets or in the fields.

Couch family
Couch family, digital photograph

In fact, all over Turkey, I see wild furniture. I’m searching for the most elusive varieties of furniture – the avian and the aquatic. Maybe one day I will be lucky enough to see some furniture flying or swimming or even just resting beside a waterway or in a tree or on a rooftop.

Join me on a Sofa Safari

Sofa Safari Poster, digital image
Sofa Safari Poster, digital image

View the whole series on Flickr

Street couch
Explore my series of photos of Wild Furniture sightings on Flickr

Duct tape banana

Duct tape banana, politape, 145x80mm
Duct tape banana, politape, 145x80mm

In response to media surrounding Maurizio Cattelan’s work, “Comedian”, I have created this expression of a banana. Some media reports are incorrectly labelling Maurizio’s work as a duct tape banana when, in fact, it should be labelled duct taped banana.

My work is fastened to the wall with “blu tack”, some of which is not blue.

Is it duct tape or duck tape? This yellow tape is similar in color to that of a yellow rubber duckie. The tape used in this sculpture is branded Politape was purchased from a “dollar” store.

The banana that served as the model was also purchased from a discount store. The banana used in the production of this sculpture was later unknowingly eaten by my son.

Non-flat earth (unpainted)

There are some conspiracy theories floating around suggesting that the Earth is flat. I have traveled around the world and observed that it is in fact round. Well, roundish.

Hindu mythology has the earth supported by elephants or a tortoise/turtle or both or a snake. North America has a legend of a ‘Great Turtle’, which upholds the Earth.

Combining the facts with the legends, I have created this model of the Earth.

Front, non-flat earth (unpainted)
Front, non-flat earth (unpainted), mixed media
Back, non-flat earth (unpainted)
Back, non-flat earth (unpainted), mixed media
Face, non-flat earth (unpainted)
Face, non-flat earth (unpainted), mixed media
Back detail, non-flat earth (unpainted)
Back detail, non-flat earth (unpainted), mixed media

The book of Job in the Bible says the Earth is suspended over nothing.

He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
    he suspends the earth over nothing.

Job 26:7. NIV

While this lines up with the science, getting my globe to suspend itself over nothing is rather challenging.

I’m currently reading a book called The World is Flat. [affiliate link]

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Flight to Egypt

I looked out the window and there were three types of light sources of increasing power. On the ground below were man-made city lights. On the horizon were flashes of lightning from a tropical storm. And above a myriad of stars.

Flight to Egypt #1
Flight to Egypt #1, White and Silver Pens
Flight to Egypt #2
Flight to Egypt #2, Oil Pastel
Flight to Egypt #3
Flight to Egypt #3, Colored pencils
Flight to Egypt #4
Flight to Egypt #4, Fineliner Pen
Flight to Egypt #5
Flight to Egypt #5, Gouache
Flight to Egypt #6
Flight to Egypt #6, Torn and Etched Aluminum Foil
Flight to Egypt #7
Flight to Egypt #7, Florescent Sharpie
Flight to Egypt #8
Flight to Egypt #8, Emirates Colour Pencil
Flight to Egypt #9
Flight to Egypt #9, Pointillism, White Pen
Flight to Egypt #10
Flight to Egypt #10, Graphite (4B) Pencil
Flight to Egypt #11
Flight to Egypt #11, Spray Paint
Flight to Egypt #12
Flight to Egypt #12, Spray Paint Stencil Print
Flight to Egypt #13
Flight to Egypt #13, Cut Paper Inverse (Stencil)
Flight to Egypt #14
Flight to Egypt #14, Cut Paper
Flight to Egypt #15
Flight to Egypt #15, Glitter
Flight to Egypt #16
Flight to Egypt #16, Torn Masking Tape
Flight to Egypt #17
Flight to Egypt #17, Acrylic Paint
Flight to Egypt #18
Flight to Egypt #18, Wax Crayon
Flight to Egypt #19
Flight to Egypt #19, Horizontal Lines, Yellow Colored Pencil
Flight to Egypt #20
Flight to Egypt #20, IKEA Pencil
Flight to Egypt #21
Flight to Egypt #21, White Colored Pencil

Taking The Mickey

Theo does quite a bit of “Taking The Mickey” in his art. 

Here he takes the mickey out of Andy Warhol’s, 1981, Quadrant Mickey Mouse/Myths.

Taking The Mickey
Taking The Mickey, Digital image

The Collins English Dictionary has these definitions:

The Urban Dictionary has this definition:

Taking the mickey

Joking, doing something without intent.

Making fun of someone or something.

A less offensive way of saying taking the piss.

Happy National Procrastination Week

 

Tomorrow
Tomorrow, digital image

Tomorrow is only a day away. Tomorrow might be a bit too close and this song may be too optimistic for some procrastinators but it may have potential as a procrastination anthem.

What do you think? Leave a comment sometime.

 

Procrastination Die 2018

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

A while ago I created a social media procrastination die (single dice) for times when you need to decide which social media platform to procrastinate on.

I have updated it for 2018 with the current top 6 social media platforms according to DreamGrow.

The 2018 die features logos for:

  • Facebook (~2.10B monthly users)
  • YouTube (~1.50B monthly users)
  • Instagram (~800M monthly users)
  • Twitter (~330M monthly users)
  • Reddit (~250M monthly users)
  • Pinterest (~200M monthly users)

Tumblr and Google+ on my original procrastination die have been replaced by Instagram and Reddit. I am on Instagram but I am procrastinating on joining Reddit.

Using an online tool to randomly go to a social media website could save you time, but remember, procrastination is not about saving time. Make your procrastination more effective with this manual tool. First, step away from the computer, then roll the die several times, then type in the address of the social media website (not provided so you get an extra procrastination step to find them). In every part of the process, there is abundant opportunity for you to get distracted and procrastinate further.

This Way Up

Which way would you hang (or wear) this art?

ThisWayUp
ThisWayUp, digital image

The orientation of the image is important. To ensure maximum viewing pleasure place this side (with the image on it) so that it faces the audience. Placing the art so the image faces away from the viewer may make it difficult to see.

Available as prints, apparel and other formats from CafePress,  Sociey6 and RedBubble.

Ode to Summer

Winter ray
Winter ray, photograph

Ode to Summer

Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s day?
Yes if you like, but ’tis winter now and
Summer hath long faded
Her days are a distant memory, a long forgotten hope
Gone is the sun with its passionate heat
Gone the joyful scent of flowers and their vibrant colours too
Where are the cool evening walks and the lovers in the park?
I am alone in the cold and the dark
All around is grey and dreary and gloomy as I await the dawn
How I long to embrace your light and be wrapped in the warmth of your touch
Return to me again 
Shine your smile on me and dry away my tears 

 


 
 
I’m looking forward to the end of this winter and fulfilment of this scripture:
“My beloved spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.” – Song of Songs‬ ‭2:10-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Too many winters

I am in the midst of my 53rd Winter. So far I have experienced 50 Autumns and 48 Springs, but only 47 Summers. How old am I? Why am I procrastinating Summer?

The seasons I have met (pie chart)
The seasons I have met (pie chart), digital image

One of the benefits of international travel is that I can spend time in different hemispheres, experiencing the different food, culture, and people of the world. I grew up in the Southern Hemisphere where Christmas is in Summer and the school year matches the calendar year. But, 14 and a bit years ago I moved to the Northern Hemisphere for work and a different lifestyle. I now get a real Winter Christmas and the academic year spans two calendar years with a long break in the Northern Hemisphere Summer/Southern Hemisphere Winter.

One of the drawbacks of living on the other side of the equator from family and friends is the opposite seasons. With my immediate family in school, our local long Summer break is the only practical time for us to visit our antipodean whanau, who are then in the midst of their Winter.

The seasons I have met (stacked)
The seasons I have met (stacked), digital image

Unseasonal days experienced during the season have not been counted, only prolonged exposure to the season experienced by the rest of the hemisphere at that time.

For the purposes of my calculations, a season is counted if I was in a hemisphere experiencing any part of that season at the time. If I visit an opposite season and return before the end of the original season, the original season is only counted once – for example, I left the Northern Hemisphere Summer in June 2016, had four weeks of Southern Hemisphere Winter and returned to experience the remainder of the Northern Hemisphere Summer; earlier/later in the year I had another whole Northern Hemisphere Winter. I have only counted a season if I experienced it for at least one week – I do not remember any of the 21.5 hours of the summer of my birth.

I am using the Meteorological definition of seasons:
Southern Autumn / Northern Spring: 1 March to 31 May
Southern Winter / Northern Summer: 1 June to 31 August
Southern Spring / Northern Autumn: 1 September to 30 November 
Southern Summer / Northern Winter: 1 December to 28 (29 in leap years) February
[ Source https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/aboutseasons.html ]