Japan: Design Festa Fall 2013, part one

What do you get when you combine some of Asia's most creative artistic minds together twice a year at Tokyo Big Sight? You get a wildly inventive, incredibly diverse array of outstanding talents and creations mingling together, sharing their crafts and selling their wares as part of the ongoing Design Festa Series! As mentioned above, it's a twice-annual festival, occurring in the spring and again in the fall, allowing artisans from across the land (along with nearby countries) to come and share their passion with each other. Meet and greet many of the creative minds themselves, live and in the flesh! Most of who and what I encountered during my visit to the Fall Design Festa of 2013 was thoroughly awe-inspiring, for the precision and sheer imagination or dedication that went into it, while sometimes it was more confounding or awkward, like school girls with fabulously voluminous hair getting railed by a faceless man who appears to be wearing a device intended to, I think, uhh, collect her fluids? 

Huh. But hey, just because it might not necessarily be my cup of tea doesn't mean it isn't a well-crafted piece of art that will titillate someone else! 

But anyway, here are some sweet elephants, in case you're feeling a little disturbed by the blatant hentai above. Remember, though, that these pieces were all publicly displayed for all to see inside of Tokyo Big Sight, so the artist wasn't trying to hide their creation from curious eyes. In fact, completely the opposite! This event is all about getting your work seen and sharing it with others. One of the coolest things about Design Festa is that it's not limited to one particular type of artistry- if you're into cosplay, there were many people milling about in costumes, from furry to space alien, steampunk pirates to mohawk and studded leather sporting punks. All are welcome, and all art is respected. It's a wild experience, and pretty psychedelic when you stumble down some of the more performance arts-oriented groups laden corridors, but do your best to keep your wits. I know it can be hard with the Japanese rope bondage demonstration in one corner, and the friendly lolitas in the other, but there's a lot to see here!

Given just how much there actually is to see here, I've broken this post into several different posts, and it's still pretty photo heavy. I didn't want to exclude any of it, though, because it's all so fabulous!

I hope you enjoy~

Vegas: Huntridge Tavern show

Oddity and the city of Las Vegas are awkwardly close friends, the kind you might half expect to find sloppily making out as a drunken mess in an alleyway or find together in a bathroom stall halfway through the evening's festivities, before encountering them again pounding more shots and taking turns holding each other's hair back during the ensuing vomit parade.  Weird and Vegas go together like peanut butter and jelly, Catholicism and pedophiles, strippers and glitter...  Between the excessive heat that blisters and peels most reasonable soft people into bitter withered husks, the constant flow of starry-eyed tourists looking to get riggity-riggity-wrecked and perpetual creation of shiny new entertainments, the weirdness permeates and sinks in deep like the tobacco smoke stench in old hotel rooms wallpaper. Vegas and weird, you know, they're real tight besties. For that, we should all be incredibly thankful. 

Without this deep-seated weirdness Vegas might not be half as fun or half as interesting, and likely would have followed the countless other ghost towns nearby and shriveled into a brittle husk eon ago, forgotten amongst the sands of the desert that surrounds it. Luckily for us, the city continues it's undulating growth, sending paroxysmal tendrils out into new corners of the valley and sending a healthy flow of humans to fill the new appendages. More humans mingling and cohabiting means more weirdos crawling out of the woodworks, more eccentrics and worst of all, artists. The most insidious of weirdos, artists, and musicians seem drawn to the city like moths to an oh-so-beautiful light. Maybe it's all that neon blinking it's beacon out into the night, like a Bat-signal for the abnormal among us. All this means is that it should come as no surprise to you fine folks reading this blog here that we happen to know, and sometimes even rub elbows with, some musicians and their ilk from time to time. As creative types ourselves, we try to support our fellow makers when given the chance. After all, we're pretty weird, too...

So, if you find yourself out walking around Vegas, especially near the Arts District or Downtown (or, in this special case the Huntridge Tavern off Charleston) and hear some odd, eclectic mix of sounds that may or may not be a nightmarish hellscape, and a man in a dress covered in (fake?) blood tumbles out, don't be afraid. It's probably just Aaron. He's cool, albeit a little weird...but, hey, who you are you to judge?

Photos in this post were not provided by this handsome dude above, but he is a friend and long-time badass. Photos were taken by Antho. Enjoy!

2015 in review

2015 has come and gone! Rather than prattle on wistfully about the passage of time and the ephemeral nature of existence, let's focus on some of the highlights from the past year!

Antho and I were both pretty busy this year! Between our trip to Hollywood to perform at the Whiskey a Go-Go, and the subsequent backpacking across L.A, the Holi-festival of colour, Blinking Man bike ride downtown, our trip to San Francisco (01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23...), our multiple tie-dye sessions and all of our liquid light performances (01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16...) combined with my volunteering with Critical Care Comics, art gigs (01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06...), private commissions, tutoring and blogging it's been an enlightening and mostly enjoyable year full of learning, colourful creations, travel and nesting.

We moved into our adorable little townhouse around Valentine's Day and our lease is rapidly coming to an end... I had originally planned on moving to Korea (and Antho following!) for work, but due to the passing of my grandmother I've had to postpone as I attempt to get her affairs in order. I've started a GoFundMe campaign trying to raise funds to get her buried...if you can contribute anything, anything at all, I would be so grateful! It's awful knowing she's just sitting there, stuck somewhere in Florida, when her last wishes were to be buried next to the man she loved in Ohio and there's little to nothing I can do about it at this moment. That put a real damper on the end of the year for me, as I struggled with feelings of hopelessness and helplessness on top of mourning the loss of my last grandparent. Creating the campaign helped me to feel like I'm at least trying, so I've been slowly crawling out of the depths of my depression of late, but it hasn't always been easy. Antho lost his grandpa a month later which left us both rather down and out during the holidays...

As heartbreaking as it is to lose someone, it's an unfortunate consequence of getting to exist at all, isn't it? Normally I prefer to focus on all the good experiences we shared and the memories they've given us, which helps, but the lack of closure in this instance is especially difficult for me to deal with. Antho's grandpa is already having his service later this month while my grandma's is still unknown, unscheduled, despite her having departed over a month prior and it pains me. Our bodies aren't intended to last forever, especially once we've evacuated the premises... *sigh* every day that passes is another day she sits alone and lost.

Well, look at this.... After starting this post with a vow not to prattle on about life, the universe, and everything, here I am waxing philosophic. Oof. 

In the end, 2015 had a lot of good in it. There were some truly beautiful, exhilarating, eye-opening moments that I will be forever grateful for having the opportunity to participate. The year ended on a real downer note, but that doesn't mean the entire year was a bust. You have to try and take the good with the bad, right?

Hope your 2015 was a good one guys.

Much love.

XOXO Nau

Las Vegas: Periskope w/710 Visuals @ the Womb Room 2015/10/03

Antho and I have done several shows at the Womb Room now, and it's one of our favorite venues. Being somewhat small, the intimate vibe encourages people to mingle and meet one another on friendly terms. We've met some truly amazing people there!

There's less pretense and I've yet to see any arguing as none of the bands want to ruin their good standing with the hosts. It's an invite only kind of shindig, so if you lose your invitation you're out!

And with so many talented acts coming through on a frequent basis, that would truly be a shame. 

Talented acts like these guys, Periskope!

A self described "psycho-surf-rock instrumental reverb-disco" band featuring:

Sonia Verde on Bass 

Brandon Fansler on Drums 

Jake Lasky on Guitar 

Justin Ptak on Guitar 

and Hank, the Band Dog.

While some members weren't really visible during the show due to lighting angles and proximity, they all did their part and put on a great show. 

More photos and video below the cut!

Las Vegas: 710 Visuals performance at First Friday 2015-10-02

Oh, Photo Bang Bang, I should write a love ballad to thee.

The photo gallery/studio/event center/stage/lounge/artistic haven is a bustling hub of creativity that brings people of all types together. Lying on the outskirts of the official First Friday event, there is a lot of foot traffic that filters through, but on other days of the month the venue still attracts musicians, photographers and make up artists.

As 710 Visuals, Antho and I have been collaborating with them for several months now and are always happy to participate. 

Las Vegas: Candy Warpop Show at the Double Down Saloon 2015-09-11

Candy Warpop, in case you've been orbiting Pluto and haven't heard of them, are a badass group of musicians who craft some glorious angst anthems. With Anisa on drums, Josh on guitar, Jonas on bass and Amy on vocals, they combine their individual talents into a passionate performance every time they do a show. We've actually done a show with them before, back in the early days of 710 Visuals!

Trust no one who dislikes the song White Rabbit. 

It's fun seeing these old videos as it really demonstrates how far we've come since then! 

This show was at the Double Down Saloon, which is renowned throughout Vegas for their ass-juice and punk-rock aesthetic. The show went really well and we had a great time!

Check below for more photos and videos.

Vegas: 710 Visuals performance at the Womb Room

One of the most gratifying aspects of life is when things come full circle. Good writers often include examples of this karmic turn around in their media be it through visual gags, narrative, or character development. 

It was with special pleasure, then, that 710 Visuals accepted an offer to perform at the Womb Room, the same venue where we'd originally witnessed liquid light art in action and been inspired to invest our time and energy into the medium ourselves.

Photos and video below!

Light Show: Fourth of July show with Toxic Dump

Performing as 710Visuals we've collaborated with musicians from a wide array of musical styles and tempos and that's a huge part of the fun as every show is something different with each band bringing something new to the table. 

For the Fourth of July we collaborated with my friend Marcus to do a show with his band, Toxic Dump. Between it being Antho & I's anniversary, the fireworks, BBQ and festivities it was an all around great evening.

Vegas: June 13th, 2015 Liquid Light art Show @ the Velveteen Rabbit

O's of Presidential getting down with some excellent tunes. 

Antho & I have been doing liquid light art together as 710Visuals for a few months now, hitting various venues all around Vegas and have even performed at the Whiskey A Go-Go in Hollywood, but this was our first time at the Velveteen Rabbit. It's a lovely little bar and music venue tucked away in an enclave of eccentric businesses downtown, with a crew of dapper hipsters running things behind the counter and a lovely little garden out back. For this show, we collaborated with the exceptional visual artist Jason Casey, whom we've worked with at Photo Bang Bang in the past. His style of light art mixed with liquid light art creates quite an effect. 

For the O's of Presidential set, the very talented balloon artist Tawney constructed a balloon wall on site, giving the visuals that much more texture and creating a dreamy scene between sets.

Click through for photos and videos of the event!