quick clip from melville craft fair.

photo story 2

documentary draft

I am going to spend some time talking to people about their exercise routines and what the pros of that might be.

yay

ok so I finally found out a way to down load my vlog. I thought it was up, but I was wrong. Now you guys can enjoy me talking about nonsense.. It took me about 5 hours to figure out what was wrong. I don't know if I can do it again. So I hope that my documentary goes good too. I am doing something on exercising.

Trouble downloading

I am having a huge problem downloading my documentary videos. I have a couple of clips that just can't seem to load on to Blogger. I just realized that my vlog is also not down loaded like I thought. I think it's this computer. It says downloading for 30 minutes and then it stops. I don't get it but I need help.

Empty Space

So at the NYSC gym I took many pictures of the place. It looks like if alien pets work out there. That's my theory. People who are obsessed with working out look like hamsters on a treadmill.

Documentary Film Thus Far

Here is what I have so far for my documentary film. Please realize it is far from being completed. I have yet to finish my interviews and post more footage of myself (i.e. the part where it says "Last Words"). I want to also do some more editing and add music into the background. I will probably change the part where I am talking by shooting it at the Wang Center. I have scheduled some more interviews for Monday and will do some additional filming on Wednesday. I hope to have this completed by the end of next week.

So just click HERE for a sample

More Interviews

For part 1 of the interview click HERE

For Part 2 of the interview click HERE

Chatroulette Video

Hope you enjoy, I know I did.

Just click HERE for the full video on youtube.

Chatroulette

OMG. What an interesting night I had on Chatroulette.

It was late last night and I figured I would give it a try after seeing how well *cough, cough* it worked in class. I also wanted to do a little experiment and get a better feel for the site’s demographics, although I already had an idea of what they were. So, after mustering up the courage I needed I proceeded to log onto the site. Before getting settled in I wanted to create a disguise for myself so I played around with the settings on my webcam. Afterwards, I hit the play button and witnessed firsthand the "fun" that was Chatroulette.

The first batch consisted of around 5-10 people, all of whom were white males in their teens and early twenties. I then logged out and refreshed the site for my second trial run. This run was much more interesting. It consisted of about 10 or more people, most of whom were male. In this second trial I also had two females and two older males; one of whom had no shirt on with a hairy chest and man boobies while the other was sitting provocatively in his bathrobe. In addition, I had at least one man who was playing with his ding-a-ling.

After I was finished with the first two trials I thought about how much fun it would be to actually video tape this experiment. So I got my camera and set everything up and proceeded to hit the play button. Again I got some interesting results. This time I let the experiment run a little bit longer so I had more people. Most of the people in this experiment were males in their teens or twenties. I could have sworn that I captured that kid from the UK in this test run, but you’ll have to see for yourself. I did not have any older men, but I did get another guy playing with his crown jewels. That seems to be a pretty standard thing on this site. I also saw a few more girls and I was disturbed to see a young pudgy girl on one of my webcam chats. I did get someone to talk with me, as you will see in the video, but they were only interested in where I was from, and I was not interested in letting them know.

Probably the most exciting part of this trial was seeing who I thought to be the Jonas Brothers. Although I don’t follow them I have seen plenty of pictures of them on television or in the tabloid section of the supermarket. If these three guys were not them then they are the closest celebrity look-a-likes that I have seen. Unfortunately, I could not get a good shot with my camera, but you might be able to see their outline towards the end of the video.

Conclusion: The site is ridiculous and has no real limitations to what can be seen or who goes on it. I also think that it is pretty obvious who uses the site (young white males). Most of these guys are only looking for women to talk with. It does make me wonder what the few girls on the site are looking for. I also noticed that it didn’t take long for these guys to push the next button on me and the one’s that didn’t worried me since I looked so ridiculous in my disguise. Parents should be warned of the dangers of this site after seeing firsthand a young girl who could not have been more than 12 years old. This site just adds to the garbage that gets put onto the internet.

Video will be posted soon...

Greek Plays, Skype, & Soldiers

I cannot wait to start reading both Ajax and Philoctetes by Sophocles because I am big fan of Greek plays. My favorite Greek play so far has been The Odyssey by Homer which I read in 9th grade. I am also fascinated by the story behind the Trojan War. I always try to watch specials about it on the History Channel now and again, and by reading these plays I hope to further my understanding of it all.

I do not think we will have too much trouble getting soldiers to act out either of these plays. I know that I will try a number of different resources before throwing in the towel. I do have a friend who is from India and he has mentioned that he knows a few people who are in the Indian Army. I also know a student who I graduated with from high school who is currently serving or has served in the United States Army. I figured that I would message him via Facebook to see if he is available or knows any willing participants. As a last resort I might try Chatroulette, Craigslist, Second Life, and other various online sources.

Monkeys like Surveys

I started a surveymonkey account earlier this week. And posted the link with my questions on Facebook. I just checked it the same night, and I got like 4 responses.

Recently I just checked it again a couple minutes ago and it soared to 24!

Here's the link below. Hope you guys will participate?

Please? And thank you!!

It would be greatly appreciated [:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/H7P73S5e

Cat sitting

My sister is moving into her new house next week. She did not want to pay March's rent from her apartment now so she is going to stay at her in-laws for a week. My dad lives with her so he is going to visit my grandmother in Puerto Rico for a week. My sister's stupid cat Gabby did not have a place to stay, so she's staying in Kyle's house. Cats are weird. Since yesterday Gabby has been stuck in the bathroom, underneath the sink. She does not want to move from there. We try to feed her, and make her feel comfortable, but nothing works. At least she uses the litter box. So I get into stupid fights with Kyle because I don't want to make her come out of her hiding spot. He goes in the bathroom to check up on her every 20 minutes. Then he comes out and says that I am horrible with animals. What a jackass. I am going to call my sister in a couple of days if the cat continues to do this. Kyle wants me to call my sister now, and I told him to relax because it hasn't even been 24 hours.

I am allergic to cats. Gabby is really cute but I don't want to touch her. Itchy eyes, red blotches, wheezing, it's not fun. I took a claritin so I should be good for 12 hours. I wonder if the cat is going to react the same way in my sister's new house. She is afraid of new open space. I hope she gets used to it because if not, my sister has a problem.

Some Photos

Port Jefferson Station

battle of algiers

i watched this movie with the sociology department at their "social movements film series" the other night. and i finally felt like i could properly analyze a social movement! finally. after a whole semester of feeling lost - i was now armed with tools.

let me rewind - i took a social movements class last semester. my first semester in graduate school and i ventured outside of my department. this was, ultimately, a good idea. but i was originally freaked out. i dreaded going to class. i never spoke. i spent hours upon hours reading. i wasn't even sure what in god's name i was reading. i felt like a bit of a disaster. i wrote my final paper and swore i'd spend more time over the summer trying to understand it all.

and then i got an e-mail about a film series sociology was sponsoring and i thought, i love film. i love all sorts of film. and i do love social movements. and social movements and art, so, why not?

so i went and i am so glad i did.

i assumed that the battle of algiers was a once time event. good guys against the bad. but i was wrong. it was a bunch of tiny events that dragged out for years. in the end, with the f.l.n. all killed and in prison, the actual action didn't even start until two year later. we spent the majority of our time talking about terrorism and if it works and is it necessary in a social movement. i have to say no. i have to believe that there are other and better ways of getting people to join and stay in a movement. but what i wanted to talk about was the cultural change with the people of algiers. why, after the leaders of the movement were killed or imprisoned, did the movement still occur? and two years later! what does that say about the elite involvement? i think it has a lot to do with cultural changes. the "elite", the leaders, of the f.l.n created, through terrorism and strikes, a sense of community. there was a shared cultural understanding that algiers was entitled to their own freedom. there was a sense that if you hurt one of us, you hurt us all. it was also interesting to see the women involved with this movement. what were the roles that women played? they were integral to the success and longevity of the movement, for sure. at checkpoints that the french set up they were not allowed to touch the women. this allowed for women to hide guns and bombs inside their clothing. they played into the own cultural beliefs about women to further their cause. without this, i completely believe their cause would not have been so successful. again, a cultural aspect that helped them.

there has to be some sort of structural importance here. and there was with the elites and the leaders and, even that little boy that was shouting encouraging things over the microphone. but, without that cultural understanding to bind them all the terrorism, the strikes, the imprisonment, the deaths - would not have been possible.

as a side note - while they didn't use art in their promotion of a cultural understanding, it sure would have helped the cause. just saying.

Grant Application #1

Dear American Express Philanthropy:

My name is Donald Rebar and I am currently researching materials for a documentary film on emerging masculinities in the United States for _________. Although targeted towards young males, it is our hope that this film will reach a wide, multi-gendered college audience. If brought to production, this film would encompass a brief history of masculinity in the United States, documentation of current dominant masculinities and their relationship to the past—a return to the 1960’s “Esquire Man”, subgroups of hegemonic masculinities that could range from the punk rock aesthetic to the hipster phenomenon, as well as masculinity’s relationship to the economy and technology—with special attention to online blogs and communities. The American Express Philanthropy program would be an exceptional fit for this project, as this film looks to document a culture that is both ephemeral and ever changing, and to inform choices and attitudes that future generations will make.

The execution of this film will take place in the New York City area and will include interviews with scholars, informed parties such as bloggers and heads of organizations, and the “on-the-street” male. Special attention will be paid to followers of television shows such as “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and “Mad Men”—two shows with a recent influence on menswear and culture and men and women who follow those lifestyles. Shooting will take place over one month, with post-production taking anywhere from one to two months. I am requesting $10,000 to cover equipment expenses, wages, transportation, and marketing to universities. At present we have no other pledged financial support, but are actively looking.

To be judged as a success, we intend to produce one 30-40 minute documentary film that will be shown on campuses throughout the United States. While the lasting effects of this film on young men and women is difficult to measure, it is our hope that by facilitating a greater understanding of history and current masculinities, a positive masculinity can be established for future generations.

Thank you for your consideration.

pattern & design

i, too, went to kppc. i have to tell you, i'm always really freaked out when i go. i'm constantly looking over my shoulder while i walk around. even on the state park side! the legal side! i can't seem to relax. so i was a little worried about going to take pictures there. i need to be relaxed to take pictures i like. so i went to the doctors' homes. i figured i'd find some relaxation there? i know everyone loves the looming main building. you know, the one with all the barbed wire around it. and, that makes sense. thats where it all went down. but i prefer the doctors houses.

there is something about them - bunched up together, away from the madness of the patients, and really close to the water that intrigues me. maybe it's this idea of "peace and quiet," some semblance of normalcy for these doctors and their families when they came home from work. the homes are modest with bushes out front and a few even have a balcony and patio on the top floor to look out over the sprawling landscape. most of the buildings at the psych center are over grown, decaying, collapsing, growing weeds...but not the doctors homes. even in abandonment they seem to be living better than the rest. so imagine my astonishment when i came across the one home that was starting to look a bit scraggly. the front door looked as if it had been tampered with and the sides of the building were covered with weeds inching towards the roof. paint was cracking and peeling. even the doorbell looked out of whack. i became fascinated with the designs in the cracked paint and the mis-matched textures. like a detailed quilt, the house began to look patterned. maybe it's the arts and crafts on my mind but i saw texture, layers, exposed brick, and weeds as a woven fabric surrounding this structure. i was so fascinated with this house i think i spent thirty minutes just walking around it. i even tried to get in! me! scareddy cat me. i tried to bust open the already loose door. but, no luck. i think i'm going to try to get back there and get in.

after my walk around that house, i looked across the street and saw these three buildings. i'm not sure what they were for. they were connected by this one way street that looped around them all. most of the psych center is boarded up so, thats nothing new. this one building had a clear path to walk up into its atrium so i took the invitation. the doors and windows of the entire building were boarded up. but these boards seemed to be a pretty bright red in comparison to the others. i began to see mark rothko. do you guys know him? he was an abstract expressionist artist in the early 50's that did these large scale paintings of (this is very reductive of me but i want to put it in the easiest of terms) blocks of color. a lot of people didn't take him seriously because they didn't understand why canvas' of straight color were art. if i remember correctly, some of his paintings connected a color with a feeling and that was part of what he was trying to depict - a feeling. i certainly got a feeling from these boards of color. it was a sense of anxiety. i no longer felt the calm i did in front of the doctors homes. this was completely different. like someone was about to sneak up on me, or jump out from behind one of the boards. i could even hear some birds echoing inside. it made me freak. but i forced myself to stand there and get the patterns on film. or digital film, rather. and then i booked it out of there.

it wasn't until later that i thought about the rothko chapel. it was commissioned by dominique and john de menil for a site in houston, texas. the chapel is dedicated to martin luther king jr.. it's not only a place for religion but it also houses some of rothko's work and beautiful modern architecture designed by philip johnson and executed by howard barnstone and eugene aubry. religion, art, and architecture. interesting combination. it's non-denominational and a place for anyone who wants to admire the art work, architecture, or just sit and talk. it is a site for interfaith marriage, speakers from all over the world (i think nelson mandela even spoke there?), community meetings, etc. etc. etc. it is a site that welcomes everyone. the now abandoned psych center is just this way. i think its over 100 acres of land. in the winter, i've seen people snow shoe across the campus. i've seen picnics near the water. there's shelter from the elements under the awnings of the buildings. one building even has the boards on its windows painted by the local elementary school. this too is like rothko's work in the chapel. hia paintings are very much a part of the architecture. the two intermingle to a point where, at times, you loose a sense of what is architecture and what is art. check it out: (http://www.rothkochapel.org/virtual-interior.htm)

the chapel is meant to bring people together, demonstrated by its small enclosed space, and i think the psych center can have this same feeling. yes, it's a wide open space. you can be on one side of the campus and not even see another person. but, there have been times when i've been by the doctors houses staring off into the distance and have seen a teeny tiny outline of a person. while they are so physically far away, we are in this sprawling space (oxymoron?) together. you can feel completely alone, if you want to, or part of a community, if you want to. i like the idea that this once "sick" institutional, structural, rational place is now open to the public as an openly shared space. an environment of community or independence. whichever you prefer.

will i be damned by future art historians for comparing elements of rothko's chapel to a psych center? possibly. and, at the same time, i think this is an idea to explore much much further.

Immersive Space

Lobby/Waiting area of Male Dormitory

Fullbright

It's a start...

Personal Statement
Donald R. Rebar, United States

If chosen for the Fulbright award, I would like to examine contemporary theatre in South Korea—particularly how new works and aesthetic values gestate in a country that has seen an explosion of Westernization, both culturally and economically, throughout the past century. Three main areas peak my interest. Given the deep placement of traditional forms of performance (Dance, Shamanism, etc.) within the Korean culture, I would like to examine how realistic forms of theatre can be influenced by these traditional forms—are they included, dismissed, neglected? Given the abstract nature of many forms of traditional performance, I would also like to see what steps are being taken by contemporary artists to continue or disengage this form of abstraction, when more literal, linear forms of entertainment—such as Shakespeare and Chekhov—are abundantly accessible. Furthermore, as one of the most technologically advanced cultures on the planet, I would like to perform a close examination of how technology plays itself into the themes and aesthetics of the Korean theatre.

The nature of my study would include a formalized mentoring with an expert on traditional Korean forms, as well as extensive field research into the contemporary theatre scene of the country. As a classically trained dramaturg, I attempt to link texts and theatrical experiences to their historical origins so that they can be best realized in production. In this case, my findings would not be applied to a specific production, but to the state of the American Theatre in general. Historically, the appearance of the abstract on the American stage has become less and less palatable for the theatergoing public. While it is easy to throw the blame at the extreme realism of film and television, that is not only a base answer, but it is an admission of defeat by the American Theatre. Through close exposure to a culture where the logic of Western theatre has taken hold, I would like to see the ways that the abstract and the logical can cross paths, hopefully leading to the creation of a theatre where imagination is truly valid, and that is accessible to all.

Interview x2

Again sorry for the link, but here is another video of my interview. Please click HERE to see it.

Doc. Film Interview

Just click HERE to see it on YouTube.

Hey, It's A Start

Here is a copy of the start and end of my documentary film. I had music on it, but I took it off when I published it on YouTube just in case their was a copyright issue. I also had to link this because Blooger and Windows Live Movie Maker are not very good friends.

So please click HERE to enjoy.

Space perception.... people perception?

I went to the Kings Park Psychiatric Center and took these pics. These are just some of the shots I got and I think they speak for themselves. I wondered a lot about the people that were kept in this center, I wondered who they were and what they did or did not. I wondered how they felt walking up the long linear path to the center and how they felt when they were no longer outsiders to this place but insiders. What they thought looking through the windows. Who they saw on the outside. I wondered about their families, their pets, their money, their property, they way they combed their hair and brushed their teeth. The reflections they saw in mirrors (if any were around). I wondered about what sounds came out of this massive building.

I have more pictures that I will post later on. I hope you enjoy these. I also plan to visit other places, hopefully for the weekend.