Augenblick is a company that I have dreamed of working for since I was 15. Two years ago, I spammed them with offers of my service, and didn't get ONE reply. Not one email, call or text - utter radio silence. This, I conjectured, was a reasonable response. Augenblick Studios is VERY high-profile, with shows airing on both Comedy Central and Cartoon Network, they are a visible presence in the industry and quite hard to approach.
This brings me to earlier this week. I drop by with doughnuts and WOW! does it work. They are thrilled, and I get a next day response. They're full for the summer, but interested in having me intern in September. I tell my supervisor at Larry's Band, and she is founded-dumb. "Augenblick?!" she laughs, "Do you know how many of my interns have tried to get in there?" All of them. Who wouldn't want to work on the violent, immature, MTV humor of Ugly Americans or Superjail? It's a childhood dream! My childhood dream.
Every Thursday at the resistor, there is some form of journalist or documenteur. A week ago, the bright-eyed Maggie Jung of NYU buzzed around the space like a child seeing the world for the first time. She was making a documentary on the hacker phenomena and after a disappointing weekend spent with a vocal sect of NYC Anonymous, Maggie finally found what she was looking for at the Resistor. Those representing Anonymous had no interest in technology or hacking, but instead an interest in protesting. They gathered at any event worth picketing like professional mourners of a Biblical age - loud and visible, but with no real investment in the cause. Furthermore, due to new laws passed within the city, they were no longer able to protest with faces covered, rendering them, well, "nonymous." I too shared Maggie's disappointment.
This week I met the lovely Amanda DeMatto of Gizmodo who is doing a series of pieces called Where the Magic Happens, highlighting amazing workspaces of this brave new era of art and technology.
I only just yesterday realized that Makerbot was in the same building as the Resistor.
I attended the Bust Magazine Craftacular, and made a friend that works for the 9/11 Memorial. After the craft show, we grabbed a pork bun, some bubble tea, and a crunchy, pan-fried tofu pudding of gelatinous goodness and sat in Columbus park for the good portion of the afternoon. Columbus Park is beautiful and green, with falling flowers lazily wafting into our lunch, bees lulling in slow circles around the perfumed stamens of creeping phlox and traditional Chinese music plucking over amplifiers. We watch the locals of Chinatown play baseball across the square and older people in and ancient stone gazebo practice Tai Chi. A man presumably in his eighties sat next to us, charming a squirrel into his lap. He seemed equally pleased at our delight as we were at the squirrel. I lost time and got a bit of a sunburn in that park.
The Bust Craftacular.
In a hysterical coincidence, Lily Su KNOWS this Jewelry artist.
This Brooklyn company makes beautiful terrariums.
This is a shot of Columbus Park.
Williamsburg is considered the Hipster heart of New York City. From what I can tell, there is indeed plenty handlebar mustaches to go around. I attend a guided gallery walk there and sip absinthe cocktails with those in-the-know. Many of the galleries have gimmicks like part gallery/part table tennis collective or part gallery/part sex shop. (I'm starting to see a trend in this city of erotic shops that cater almost exclusively to women - trendy, girly spaces that share NOTHING in common with the overwhelming creep-factor seen in and around Harry Hines. I keep being handed coupons and literature on women's workshops and vibe classes that are housed in shops more akin to tea rooms than porn stores. Weird.)
This installation was fun. Visible from the outside, but walk in and the lighting made the fog within milky and opaque.
Beside me: Quoc, a Jewelry artist; directly behind me: Vee who geeked out with me over the uncanny valley displayed in the mannequins of the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition; behind her: Makeba, a doll artist.
After the gallery walk we had dinner together.
Mexican: nothing to write home about, but very cool muraling!
Earlier this week I attended a show of Naked Girls Read: Shakespeare. This hosted a bawdy collection of sonnets and excerpts from the Bard's plays staying mostly in a humorous or erotic vein, but flirting with the dramatic. The actresses were world class. All of them had at one time or another been on broadway, and in truth, I have never seen a rendering of Shakespere's works preformed so well. That said, these ladies bared their bodies as well as their souls. One may sport a feathered poet's cap, a tall pair of leather boots, or a ruffled Elizabethan collar, but that was it! Their lovely body types ranged from super skinny, to the goldilocks (just right) perfection of a 1950's pin-up girl, and even the round curves of a woman representing the heavyweights (you go girl!). Every one of them brought beauty and talent. Overall my experience could be described as enlightening, hysterical, and....jiggly.
This same troupe host a monthly erotic show called D20 Burlesque that is exactly what is sounds like. Internet memes, Joss Whedon, H.P. Lovecraft, Star Trek and other nerdy themes are the focus of the show.
I go everywhere with Lily, it seems. I see her 2-3 times a week. Her hunger for knowledge and eagerness to improve the world around her is infectious, and I find myself being amazed that a girl with so much talent and panache goes out of her way to hang out with me. She is easily the jewel of my trip so far. Yesterday, exhausted from a frustrating and fruitless day of job-searching, I dragged myself to an event being held at the BAM dance studios per Lily's invite. I am SO glad I went. NYC Volumetrics, a local technology collective was teaming up with a handful of dancers to test some Xbox Kinect hacks. One of the most interesting examples was a series of code that translated a dancer's movements into music. (changing tone and pitch based on how low she stooped, high she jumped, the wingspan of her arms, etc.) It was fascinating!
Approaching the Mark Morris Dance building.
A few dance students were gracious enough to provide their time.
And they put in three straight hours of work for our observation!
After dinner, I followed Lily to her home and shared the best bowl of cup noodles in my life. I really feel like I'm in the right place at the right time. She hugged me for the first time as I left down the subway and we made plans for tea. I couldn't believe how nice it was to share a hug. Ever since I got to this city, I've been mashed into a thousand strangers, but most people baulk at the offering to shake your hand. New Yorkers are a touch quiet and aloof compared to me, and I've been reserved compared to my normal behavior for fear of being labeled a bumpkin or a rube. That farewell hug was the most human thing I've experienced in weeks.
So why if I'm experiencing such amazing and diverse things, did I label my update "Bittersweet"? I am truly stressed over money. Every day I watch my savings slip from simple things like transportation or printing business cards. I have REALLY be pounding the pavement in my job search, up to eight hours on my days off, four on the days that I work. I average around two job interviews every weekday. I am SO CLOSE to working for Augenblick that I can taste it. Somehow I HAVE to find a way to remain in the city. Wish me luck, you guys.
No comments:
Post a Comment