My Name In Hebrew from Rabbi Dov

Rabbi Dov While researching how my name is written in Hebrew, I was emailed this site, (The Hebrew Name) by my friend Zoltan (thank you!) in Budapest. Zoltan and his wife, Sherri, recommended that I find a Scribe, or sofer stam, and have my name written the right way! I couldn’t agree more, great advice!

Rabbi Dov pulled a piece of parchment and did what he does best, wrote my name in Hebrew. A name is a powerful thing. And when it’s a Hebrew name, even more so (IMO). I think it’s beautiful. Thank you, Rabbi.

Rabbi Dov and I had a conversation about my name, the Hebrew letters/script and briefly discussed some personal stories. Our communication will continue, he seems like a very gracious man. He is going to send me the parchment he wrote my name on, too. Update: I have the parchment framed with his letter hanging on my wall – very cool!

Rabbi Dov’s Parchment - “Yacobson” – Jacob was named by his father, Isaac and then G-d named him Israel. 
Digital Conversion - “Yacobson”

Self Portrait: Collodion & DNA

I have a couple of really important goals that I want to accomplish in the next few months. One of them is to make work for my project, exhibition and book.

I thought I would get creative with my time and my commitments. We are leaving Thursday for ten days and wanted to post the October Video Podcast on Chemical Pictures before we left. I also had an image in mind that I've wanted to make for a few weeks. I thought, why not make a few plates, create an image for my project and cover the podcast, too? So that's what I did today.

These image are about numbers, labeling, skulls & sockets, history, evilness, genetics and otherness. I distressed plate #3 a little bit. I varnished it shortly after making this copy and it cleaned up quite a bit - I was a little disappointed about that but I still like the image. I look so different in each image, it trips me out a wee bit.

It took four plates to get two that I really like.

"Self Portrait #3 - Jewish DNA" - 8"x10" Alumitype - Viernheim, Germany 2009 
Self Portrait #1 With Y-DNA Sequence Backwards (written by hand)

Art Is The Enemy Of The Routine

"Adoph Hitler Strasse" - Viernheim, Germany In my (ongoing and lifelong) pursuit of defining the meaning and  purpose of art, I've come across a lot of insightful and powerful quotes. Simon Schama said something so simple and brilliant that I felt compelled to share it with you here. He said, ""Art is the enemy of the routine, the mechanical and the hum drum. It stops us in our tracks with a high voltage jolt of disturbance; it reminds us of what humanity can do beyond the daily grind. It takes us places we had never dreamed of going; it makes us look again at what we had taken for granted."

Of course, this isn't definitive (in defining art), but for me, it defines an aspect of what good art can do and some of the purpose involved in making art.

There is something to be said for being "present" in your daily life. Present to the good and to the not so good. I believe artists are highly perceptive and extremely "present" in their daily lives (sometimes too present as they go mad or sink into depression). The subtle, unnoticed details are what tell the story. Artists are very good at picking up on those and sharing their opinions or views about them. If you think about all of the mundane and superficial information we are subjected to on a daily basis, few things are really valuable. Artists have an important voice in the world, I wish more people listened.