Sunday, April 28, 2013

UC Berkeley "Plant" Sign



this bonsai stand was collaborated by bach using repurposed material including metal bookends, commercial grade 
signage post, and a uc berkeley campus sign.  these materials were all left behind some place for someone to use for 
something purposeful ... no bach did not steal the sign from uc berkeley campus. 

i got a kick out of the sign because of the word 'plant' ... its a word with a list of meanings from being used as a noun
or verb, my favorite definition is when it is used as a slang, see #7 & #8:


plant

  [plant, plahnt] 
noun
1.
any member of the kingdom Plantae, comprising multicellular organisms that typically produce
 their own food from inorganic matter by the process of photosynthesis and that have more
 or less rigidcell walls containing cellulose, including vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, and 
hornworts: 
someclassification schemes may include fungialgaebacteria, blue-green algae,
 and certain single-celledeukaryotes that have plantlike qualities, as rigid cell walls or
 photosynthesis.
2.
an herb or other small vegetable growth, in contrast with a tree or a shrub.
3.
a seedling or a growing slip, especially one ready for transplanting.
4.
the equipment, including the fixtures, machinery, tools, etc., and often the buildings,
 necessary tocarry on any industrial business: a manufacturing plant.
5.
the complete equipment or apparatus for a particular mechanical process or operation: the
 heatingplant for a home.
6.
the buildings, equipment, etc., of an institution: the sprawling plant of the university.
7.
Slang. something intended to trap, decoy, or lure, as criminals.
8.
Slang. a scheme to trap, trick, swindle, or defraud.
9.
a person, placed in an audience, whose rehearsed or prepared reactions, 
comments, etc., appearspontaneous to the rest of the audience.
10.
a person placed secretly in a group or organizationas by a foreign government, to obtain 
internal orsecret information, stir up discontent, etc.
11.
Theater a line of dialogue, or a character, action, etc., introducing an idea or theme that
 will befurther developed at a later point in the play: Afterward we remembered the suicide
 plant in the secondact.

verb (used with object)
12.
to put or set in the ground for growth, as seeds, young trees, etc.
13.
to furnish or stock (land) with plants: to plant a section with corn.
14.
to establish or implant (ideas, principles, doctrines, etc.): to plant a love for learning in growingchildren.
15.
to introduce (a breed of animals) into a country.
16.
to deposit (young fish, or spawn) in a river, lake, etc.
17.
to bed (oysters).
18.
to insert or set firmly in or on the ground or some other body or surface: to plant posts along
 a road.
19.
Theater to insert or place (an idea, person, or thing) in a play.
20.
to place; put.
21.
to place with great forcefirmness, or determination: He planted himself in the doorway as if
 daring us totry to enter. He planted a big kiss on his son's cheek.
22.
to station; post: to plant a police officer on every corner.
23.
to locate; situate: Branch stores are planted all over.
24.
to establish (a colonycity, etc.); found.
25.
to settle (persons), as in a colony.
26.
to say or place (something) in order to obtain a desired result, especially one that will 

seemspontaneous: The police planted the story in the newspaper in order to trap the thief.
27.
Carpentry. to nail, glue, or otherwise attach (a molding or the like) to a surface.
28.
to place (a person) secretly in a group to function as a spy or to promote discord.
29.
Slang. to hide or conceal, as stolen goods.
UC Berkeley physical plant sign

Thursday, April 25, 2013

715 Sierra

this clay turtle was beheaded of its clay head, to be replaced with a succulent for a head.  another one of bach's garden sculpture creations ... adding a different kind of life to our home garden.

i named the sculpture 715 sierra, because it was abandoned by someone who used to live in unit 715 at the sierra condo homes in oakland, ca. bach upcycled it, its new home is now in alameda, ca.  

the things we do to our head, to give life to ourself being ...


waiting in the shade for the sun to move its way

too lazy to move to the sun, can't wait to bake in the sun


this is the way to live, rock climbing and sun bathing

High Desert Fever


photographed by andie, she captures her brother walking in the breezeway of our hotel (named "the alameda inn"), in santa fe, nm, in mid-july of 2012.  

i am captivated by the illusion of being disillusioned in this photograph, like how i felt when we were hiking in the high deserts of new mexico.


this is what my vision is when i am hiking in the high deserts of santa fe, NM



Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Bonsai Gardening ... Bake Sale Betty style

bonsai gardening is the way to go when you have a small area of dirt space for gardening.  

bach's home-made bonsai plant collection were needing a place to be outdoors. a place that was functional, protected from the elements, at the same time displayed for enjoyment. inspired by Bake Sale Betty, bach had realized that he had a blue ironing board in his office closet ... so guess what, that unused piece of metal was reclaimed and became the display stand for his bonsai collection.

one of our favorite places to grab a bite for a good fried chicken sandwich and yummy cookies, is Bake Sale Betty in the Temescal district of Oakland, CA. it's an eatery attracting customers having to wait in a line that's as long as several shops down. once you've ordered and paid for your food, you can eat right outside on the sidewalk. the scene is quite unique in that the customers are eating and sitting at tables that are ironing boards (reclaimed).  the other unique scene is that the chef of Bake Sale Betty wears a blue wig!

the reclaimed ironing boards at Bake Sale Betty, made me think about our changed attitudes and cultural about clothes ... no-iron dress shirts, eco-friendly dry-cleaners, laundry dryer replaces ironing, casual attire culture (iron pressed clothes is out)... i grew up ironing almost every piece of clothing in our 6-person family. today my teenage children only seen an iron and ironing board, and never used or touched them.

bach's bonsai collection in alameda, CA

reclaimed blue ironing board stages bach's bonsai collection

the blue adds color to the garden, and the board has the built in holes excellent for irrigating

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

1BachUS & Amigo

this amazing piece was in the composition phase for quite some time ... it is now in its final stages of permanent installation. knowing what he wanted to compose, bach searched and searched for the perfect car bumper to articulate his sculpture.  this wonderful bumper is now a fixture to his herb garden bench, where it lights up a personalized license plate and the tail lights alert like what happens when the brakes are on.

while we waited for our amigo (our hired hand to dismantle the bumper apart from the lincoln) i remanenced about the time i took a road trip with family friends in a lincoln just like this one. the road trip started in san diego, taking interstate 5, to attend another family friend wedding in union city. thinking about that trip made me appreciate the safe and fun trip we had those many years ago.  i remembered those family friends, the friends that got married, and who remained married all these years, the pleasure we have with cars, and how we take for granted the thoughtfulness that is put into producing the cars we drove then and drive now.


Lincoln Continental bumper found at a auto part junk yard in Oakland, CA
Can you see the license plate with the light?
This is the artist and his car bumper art piece in Alameda, CA

 


Artist Paper application version of a photo taken by the artist