A Weekend of Uncommon Experiences

Art, Music & Film

This weekend was chalk full of all of them. 
(Feature Photo is from Brendan Lorber’s Instagram account)

Art

Nick and I spent part of our weekend map making thanks to #uncommonexperiences, a one-of-a-kind workshop offered by #uncommongoods and artist #brendanlorber who has maps displayed from MOMA in New York City to Edinburgh. As a fan of all things uncommon goods (I have gotten the coolest most unique gifts for people from their website), I was thrilled to see the addition of experiences you can now buy.

From the ucnommon experiences section of their website, click on the activity you want, choose a day, add to cart, and show up via Zoom at your chosen date and time. Easy Peasy. They have everything from Paint Your Pet classes to Cocktails in Paris.

The one we chose was Fantasy Mapmaking, and prior to entering our zoom classroom we had some homework – to list 25-50 memorable items in any given particular category that have helped define the geography of our lives. I chose 50 books that have left imprints in my head and in my heart and Nick chose music. 

You can see the list I worked from scribbled below.

Then  it was time to video in. After some brief introductions we got straight to work. Lorber had us use coffee beans to create our landmasses and in 90 minutes he walked us through how to transform our items into mountain ranges and coastlines, forests and valleys. We quickly went “from apprentice mapmaker[s] to master cartographer[s]” (ucnommongoods.com). 

On my map you can visit the island of Boheme or 1000 Splendid Suns. You can travel down River Rumi, or explore The Painted Girls (a mountain range in the southwestern part of my map). Check out Duende waterfall or stay at Amelia Bedilia’s B&B. Stop at Neruda’s lighthouse or take a spooky stroll through Goosebumps cemetery. Bike through Green Gable Prairie or hike Poisonwood. 

By the time we were done Lorber’s statement that “Anyone can have a treasure map [but] [i]n this class, you’ll be making maps that themselves are treasures,” felt pretty spot on.

Here is my finished map!

Talk about a conversation piece! I kinda want to invite you all over just so you can saunter over to the gallery wall and look admiringly on my piece and ask, “what is this?”

Music

While I won’t go into details about Nick’s map, I will say there was a lot of Pink Floyd represented. Nick and I differ petty significantly in our musical tastes, but I did promise him that he could listen to the songs he was using on his map as we penciled and then inked our projects, AND I was able to appreciate the artistry of some of the lyrics as they sounded through the house. A verse from Floyd’s Brain Damage caught my attention and I was interested enough to scribble the verse down in my journal:

…the lunatic is in my head
The lunatic is in my head
You raise the blade, you make the change
You re-arrange me ’til I’m sane
You lock the door
And throw away the key
There’s someone in my head but it’s not me

Film

Next up was the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) where we watched a bunch of comedy shorts ranging from 4 minutes to 21.

So many good ones in our lineup. These were my top four (as confirmed by my review tear sheet copied below):

Chemistry – The couple in this film had me falling in love all over again. They were quirky, charming, and just so darn cute in how they interacted with one another. Director, producer, screenwriter and actor (so impressive how many hats the creatives involved with these films wear) Issac Garza invites the audience in to experience a moment oozing with intimacy and sweetness.

Based on a true little incident, this film details an intimate night gone wrong

https://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2022/chemistry

Reversal of Fortune – I’m still laughing. The characters in this film are so funny and unforgettable I’m still talking about them three days later. Director Mark Kunerth mentioned in the Q&A that followed the viewing (I very much appreciated that some of the directors, writers, producers were in attendance) that the short might have “longer legs” and be extended in the future. I most definitely hope this is the case.

While many people are aware of the world of professional competitive eating, this short film mockumentary, narrated by Minnie Driver, follows the journey of three of America’s up-and-coming amateur competitive eaters, eager to break into the big leagues and join the ranks of gastro-gorging gods.

https://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2022/reversal-of-fortune

Written By – I cried. So much to unpack with this one I’m already afraid I won’t due it justice so I’m not really going to say much except that I recommend you view it for yourself. I’m in awe at what directors Callie Bloem and Christopher Ewing were able to pack into 15 minutes – gender, race, allies, fiction, reality, authorship

Kenzie, a 20-something Angeleno, disovers during a totally boring and routine general checkup that she is fictional. And, even worse, that she was written by a dude.

https://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2022/written-by

Numb – I now want to go do drugs with my parents. I’ll leave it at that 🙂

A father and son take the time to spread the ashes of the mother. After the unemotional experience they begin to talk about spontaneity and the father’s missed opportunities. Thus begins their shared journey.

https://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2022/numb

Great news is that the festival runs until April 9 and you can stream any of the films right to your living room up until April 17 so either check out what is listed above or try out some new ones (I want to watch all the films, and can via streaming, which is now a problem, but a good one to have).

My World Better

As the perfect cap to an arty weekend I attended the open house of My World Better with a good friend. The name of this community hub is so good I wish I had come up with it myself and the space feels just like you are visiting your bestie’s house (granted this is a really gifted visual artist bestie’s house). We were welcomed immediately and encouraged to take our time exploring the art and class offerings. I plan to be at the Artist Circle event happening there April 29. Maybe I’ll see you there?! We can talk about my map. (joking! kinda).