Issue #192 - The Spaces in Between
Sunlight Absence
Hello,
It's been a while, almost a couple of months by my count. I hope all is good and life is treating you well. You might have thought that this was it, and it sort of is in a way. Not quite making it to 200 issues, I have finally decided to jump off, and the next couple of issues, as I transition to a new service, will mark the end of a weekly writing habit that I started almost four years ago. This is going to frustrate a few of you, but you know, change is good, I'll say more over the next few final issues.
What did you miss? Well, we went to Toronto, via Niagara Falls. We visited during night and day, and the Falls are spectacular, just sheer, raw power. Then Toronto was fun, just a couple of days to have a walk around and get a taste.
We've also travelled to Indianapolis, probably the furthest west we've driven, and I'm sorry to say there wasn't much there, just flat, shopping malls, drive-in super churches.
Just to say that all is well, it's just been a busy time, and writing has slipped lower down the priority list. But it's all good, it's nice to be here.
I have missed you.
Stephan
Teaching & Learning
It's been a good semester, I'm really thrilled with everything that we managed to do. We taught our new documentary filmmaking course, inspired by Third Cinema Theory, and screened a evening of films at Pittsburgh's Row House cinema. I have to say co-teaching the course with my colleague was a wonderful experience, so great to have someone to work with, figure stuff out, and help support the students through their ups and downs. I can't wait to teach the course again, and take the lessons from this first offering into the next.
I'm also really pleased to have been able to welcome filmmaker Roopa Gogineni to CMU, screen her film, and host a series of conversations with students and colleagues. Certainly I was inspired, and it's been a while since I focussed so much on my calling as a filmmaker.
Finally, it was bittersweet to say goodbye to a few of my students, those that I've collaborated with over the years, who are heading off into work or to pursue further study. I'm very proud of the good work that they've achieved, and the learning that they've gained. These students in particular managed their time well, adapted and remained open to different ideas throughout their time. They were all steeped in a trans-disciplinary approach, able to blend different areas in a way that informed their work. I hope that they stay curious, keep exploring, and learning. I'm so excited to see what happens next.
I'm just getting ready for a study-abroad trip to Nantes. After our trip last year to get ready, we'll be bringing a group to this wonderful city in Brittany, to learn French and create a series of live projects, culminating in an exhibition of work, and celebration of our trip. I can't wait to get started.
Life Lessons
Across America students are protesting, holding sit-ins, setting up peace camps, and organizing occupation. Many are unhappy with position of their universities, who take the line that Israel should retaliate against the killings and kidnappings by Hamas. What's clear now is that the right wing Israeli government have gone far beyond retribution, and are committing genocide against the Palestinian people, blocking aid, and using international arms, provided by US and UK governments to wage an illegal war, against unarmed civilians, killing thousands, the majority of them children.
Young people, students included are angry with the Biden administration, and there's a real fear that they will find it difficult to vote, or may even vote against the incumbent, and that this will be enough to give Trump The White House. I really hope this doesn't happen, many will have to vote against their conscience, this really will be a difficult time. America's democracy, and many say, the future stability of our times depends on many wrestling with the contradictions of today.
Lost and Found
So, here's a whole bunch of stuff that I've been squirreling away.
Around ten million people speak Quechua, which is a language from South America and the Andes, it's fascinating that there's a diaspora in the US that are using Quechua as a lingua franca between different South American communities.
Fascinating article about the Algorithmic Justice League, and efforts to reframe AI as a storytelling tool.
Maybe one summer I can enroll in the Uniondocs short course.
I've mentioned it a few times in previous issues, but 20 Days in Mariupol is now streaming on PBS.
I met Steven Pinker, and he was charming. He gave a talk at CMU, about academic freedom and the need for some guidelines for institutions, so that they can protect themselves from the very accusations of bias and misrepresentation that they find themselves embroiled in on a daily basis. In some ways, I thought what he talked about reminded me of a code of journalism, or the neutrality of research, where there are checks, balances and clear frameworks for integrity and truth. He dropped by my lab and tried some VR experiences, he was a bit sceptical, but so are we I told him.
Enjoying learning about discursive design, and starting to turn against design thinking as an outdated framework. More on this to come.
Thank you
In other news, life is good. I'm a little tired and strung out, and that's because it’s been a busy semester, but I'm getting back to it, starting to phase into the next thing. I won't be teaching again until Spring 2025, but I have a load of teaching, making and creating projects planned for the remaining six months of the year.
I'm still here just about, not for long but only because I can't seem to find an alternative that I like very much. Mostly the issue is exporting and importing posts so that they at least retain some of their formatting characteristics, or in some cases, where a site has featured-images, then finding that has to be sorted manually, and I here with almost 200 issues doing this. I am rethinking lots of aspects of my online life, certainly I'm done with WordPress, having fixed holes like a leaky roof for years, I'm going back to static pages.
Pittsburgh is green, the sunlight and humidity mean everything grows so quickly, suddenly the whole place is transformed. We've had a few stormy nights lately, there have even been a few tornados, not too far away. One night we received an alert, our phones went off, and for a few moments I wondered what to do, head to the basement or roll over and go back to sleep. I checked the weather app quickly, looked out of the window and went back to bed.
So, you'll get a few more of these, and I'll let you know what happens next.
Great photos! ...and good to have you back :-)