Exploring Bishops Arts District at night …
Dallas by day
I made my first trip to Dallas after all these years living in Texas and found that I really enjoy the city. My sister was graduating with her Masters and it was a good excuse to finally see the city. The drive was a short one (especially since I was able to finally nap my way from an exhausting week full of work deadlines) and even though the trip was a short weekend, we still managed to discover a few local spots along the way. We stayed in the Bishop Arts District, which is a quaint little neighborhood filled with old but charming homes and small shops and boutiques, superb cafes like Oddfellows, which has one of the most amazing brunches that even my brother in law and mom couldn’t complain. We also hung out in Deep Ellum where the downtown scene was vibrant with a more younger and hip crowd and the Japanese BBQ is very very g o o d. Overall, if I have more, I’d definitely like to venture back into Dallas to explore more of the city.
night visions
Downtown Houston has always had a soft spot in my heart. Even when I used to live in the suburbs, I would find myself making that long trek into the city. I remember, my friends and I would drive down Allen Parkway after filling our bellies with Amy’s ice cream or after a long night of dancing in dirty dance clubs, or sweating away in crowded rooms where our favorite bands would entertain us; we’d drive down that same road and make that curve and see the downtown skyline in front of us and it always made me feel so tiny in the world. We would joke around that we felt “infinite” and we’d have a good laugh, but I’d place my hand out the passenger window as we drove down that road fast and I’d let the cold wind through my fingers and I really felt content for that very moment.
Downtown has a new f e e l for me. I love that I’m only a short train ride into town now where I can venture into my favorite haunts and discover hidden secret bars. Most places are loud and full of people enjoying their own weekend adventures, but there are a few gems that I’ve come to appreciate more and more as I frequent down Main Street, and the experiences are new and different and exciting all at once. The night time inspires me and my head is full of ideas and plans. I’ve rediscovered my old art videos from college and have been getting itchy with getting the camera back into my hands to make some art videos. Sound and light and memories are all that haunts me at night now and I’m excited to see where this all leads to…
morning dew
the exception of light
On Sunday, we woke up very early and made our way to the Chinati Foundation in hopes of experiencing a few of the exhibits during sunrise. And as the sun rose through the fields, I saw more and more people making the same trek, dark figures moving in formation along the gravel pathway towards the hangars, where aluminum blocks awaited us. Donald Judd’s 100 untitled works in mill aluminum is a collection of these rectangular aluminum structures lined up and facing tall windows inside an old hangar. Every structure is the same in dimension externally , but the inside is build slightly differently for the purpose of reflecting and accepting light in various ways. The light coming through, shining on surfaces and creeping into each crevice of these structures created these beautiful tones and ombré that a photograph really does not do any justice.
One of my favorite experience in Marfa was walking down the hallways of Robert Irwin’s dawn to dusk exhibit where I was able to experience the progression of natural light. I felt as if I were inside a camera obscura, watching the light shine through and reflect off the mesh and onto the walls. The existence of light created these golden hues that were really beautiful to see as the sun rose from the horizon and projected itself into these narrow rooms.
Later in the day, we were able to see all of Dan Flavin’s untitled light installations. Each light structure had opposing colors that really strained my eyes. Whereas the existence of light in Donald Judd and Robert Irwin’s pieces created these subtle and beautiful tones of color, the absence of light in Dan Flavin’s rooms only intensified and heightened the effect of color on my eyes to point where I had to step outside and take a break from the abundance of hues. The monochromatic landscape just outside these buildings really helped to prepare me as I went back into the next building to experience it all over again.
There’s an excerpt from The Place We Live by Robert Adams that I’ve read and which has stayed with me for a very long time now. As I was having all these wonderful experiences with light, taking in the idea of West Texas, and driving through its landscapes and desolated towns this weekend I couldn’t help but recall some of Adams’ words.
psaugust.com 