Today would have been Bruce Lee's 73rd birthday. The last thing Mike and I did on our way out of Seattle was stop by Lake View Cemetery to see the gravestones of Bruce Lee and his son, Brandon Lee. The site is a popular place for people to come and pay their respects, and several small groups came through in the short time that we were there.
Bruce Lee is highly regarded as one of the most influential martial artists of all time, and his early death made him a legend. It's amazing that even after 40 years since his passing, his story still resonates with so many. It was an interesting departure from so much of what we'd seen on our road trip, although there was a similar fascination on our brief stop at the Kurt Cobain memorial in Aberdeen, WA several days before.
It was the biggest video project that I took on this fall. SEXSE, which stands for Southeast by Southeast, was a promotional documentary that I shot for Medalta Potteries about a short-term residency featuring five Southeast Asian artists and their experience in Southeastern Alberta. The project centered around the cultural exchange, the variety of work, and the dynamic that was created by a handful of extremely talented artists coming to a place as unique as Medalta.
Creating this video was no small task - especially because I was working as a team of one. From interviews to candid shots of the artists working, from shared meals to public talks, I was in out of the residency numerous times throughout September building my video library. The real challenge was finding the common thread between so many creative voices, and then condensing that story into a short 8-9 minute piece.
I collected hours and hours of raw material, and had the privilege of listening to each artist talk me through their process and share some of their work. In the end, there was simply too much material to feature in such a brief edit, so the focus became strictly about the experience that the artists had shared. Things like the spoon competition quickly stood out as highlights.
By the end of this residency I came away with a pretty unique experience myself. As a fly on the wall much of the time, I got a rare glimpse at the creative processes of these incredible ceramic artists. Even better, I was able to capture and share it. These were some of the behind the scenes photos that I posted while the residency was still in progress.
Between a packed schedule and the giant task of organizing so much material, I'm happy that the finished video has finally surfaced. The weeks of hard work have paid off, and I think the video has a great nostalgic feel - showcasing the variety, chemistry, and creativity that went down at Medalta Potteries in Medicine Hat, Alberta in September.
Mike and I enjoyed the drive through the Columbia River Gorge on our way up to Multnomah Falls. This incredibly scenic area, not far from Portland, was an ideal spot to snap pictures, relax, and enjoy the natural surroundings. As it turned out though, Mike and I started up the long path to the top of the falls without really knowing what we were going to see. More on that to come. Here was the view from the bottom and from the bridge across the falls.
