How exactly?

I can't figure out the instructions. Maybe only the people of DC know how to operate this dream machine? Lucky them :-))

Happy new year everyone!

Collaborative Vispo with Cheryl Penn for Books Of Ether - Sneak Peek 1

Cheryl made this incredible set of clay books (clay!) and we thought they would provide the perfect basis for collaborative work. Those books are so beautiful the original photographs don't need much to turn into visual poetry. I hope you like them as much as we do! (there will be more)

Tree Poems or How To Grow A Forest On Quicksand [e-book]

The Tree Poems have been published! You can read and download them for free on Scribd:
https://www.scribd.com/doc/248600378/Tree-Poems
Enjoy!

On the freezing side

The weather in DC was kinda stalactite/stalagmite like.

Wot? Cold drinks and ice cold water? Not even if it were a glass of Veuve Cliquot. Oh alright, just one glass of Veuve Cliquot, and then a hot chocolate please!

The DC catch

The Suitcase was on the heavy side again, but before you say anything, most of those are presents! (for other people, I mean) :-))

World Market is a sort of chocolate wonderland to me, very hard to resist anything in there.

I found that Tokyo Metro duct tape at Smith NRT (Delfonics) before even leaving Narita :-)) I mean, what could I do, just leave it there?

We Can Do It pens, We The People notebook, sealing wax and masking tape are from the museum shop at the National Archives.

I've tried the sealing wax and it's a bit tricky to use, I think it needs practice, but I'll get there.

Vintage office stationery supplies are from The Postal Museum (most of it seems to come from San Francisco so it's not really a DC special).

The Book Post rubber stamp is from Analog (Hi Melissa!), I was very happy to find that one.

Eye shadow and lipstick from Sephora (there is no Sephora in Japan. Well, maybe better this way).

A few cheap and beautiful second hand clothes from Crossroads Trading (a great shop in the very interesting U Street Corridor) and Analog.

Free postcards from The Postal Museum (they had a lot of free merchandise) and tickets for The Wizards, but I'll keep that story for another day.

I found that book at the Hirshhorn museum, almost ignored it, almost put it back on the shelf but decided to give it a go. I don't regret it, she's a genius and such a talented poet. A highly recommended read!

Well, that's it for now. Somehow I'm still jet lagged, waking up at 4am so I'll go have my second breakfast now. Happy Thanksgiving if you are celebrating...

Sumo

Are you ready for more faces through holes?

Vizma loved sumo so much she decided she had to marry a sumo wrestler, so off we went on the search for the soulmate.

She was briefly engaged with this handsome chap but after he told her that he was Vegemite intolerant the wedding was called off.

This one seemed like a good match but he doesn't drink. That's a deal breaker.

Aaaaaaah, sumo bum…..

This was the view from our seats (it looks worse than it actually was, one can see fairly well from anywhere in the venue). It was still half empty mid-afternoon when the lower division (Jūryō) wrestlers were on. It then gradually fills up until the climax around 6pm when the best wrestlers from the top division (Makuuchi - "inside the curtain") are competing.

If (like Vizma) you want to see a close up you can sit right outside the venue and watch the matches as they are braodcasted on TV. There is a sumo tournament every two months for two weeks in various cities of Japan, twice a year in Tokyo (autumn and spring), great timing for us! 

It's very easy to come and go during matches and to walk around, buying drinks and food and souvenirs of course.

And what happened to the husband search, I hear you say? Well, we did find one! Yes we did. Vizma never remembers who he is and what he looks like when she watches the tournament on TV, but the proof is in the picture. There is a wedding picture with both of them lovebirds but since I took it with Viz's phone I'm not currently in possession of it. Viz, if you still have your wedding picture please send it to me so that the folks can see it.

Meanwhile, you'll just have to trust me and believe that this is him. The chosen one. He likes pink, and ice cream. Perfect.

* Ahaaaaaa…. an email just came in with THE wedding picture of the century (thank you Swët):

They both look so happy!! (I just noticed the couple was photobombed. Even more hilarious now. I can't stop looking at them!)

This was a very entertaining day out, we'll go again!

Happy 300th blog post!

Marie's Suitcase is 300 bog posts old and I'm back from freezing DC with a new postage stamp designed at the Postal Museum, where I was able to indulge in one of my favourite pastimes: sticking my face through holes.

Museums are free in DC and really, really good. Enjoyed that immensely. Loved loved loved being back in the US for a bit!

This was the original design, I just noticed one can see my fingers holding the frame :-)) So unprofessional.

Tree Poem #22

This is the last piece in the series of Tree Poems for now. The whole collection will be published online soon. I have enjoyed working on those a fair bit so there might be more at some point. Maybe next year? We'll see.

On a different note, Marie is packing her Suitcase and preparing for a trip, so this is a good time to have a bit of a break. As ever, many thanks to all of you who are always so kind to leave a comment on these pages. I'll be back with new adventures and stories to tell. Meanwhile, be genki and take care!

Tonkatsu

Shameless Self-Promotion Thursday (5) - Books Of Ether

I am very proud to announce the publication of the first two volumes of Books Of Ether, a collection of collaborative poems written with Cheryl Penn that will exist both as "physical" books and as e-books available here at Scribd.
Enjoy!

Tree Poem #19

Lee Mingwei and His Relations at The Mori Museum

Lee Mingwei is a Taiwanese artist currently living in New York. Lee creates both participatory installations, where strangers can explore issues of trust, intimacy, and self-awareness on their own, and one-on-one events, where visitors explore these issues with the artist himself through eating, sleeping, walking and conversation.

In The Mending Project the artist or host will mend the clothing you bring and converse with you while mending. The connections made will be turned into an installation of colourful thread. 

Too bad I didn't know about this project before visiting. I had tons of socks to be mended! :-))

Another part of the show was a display of about ten "couples" of stones.

What would you do if you acquired a piece of art consisting of two stones, one of them an antique from 65,000,000BC and the other one a replica piece made by a famous artist. Upon acquiring it you are asked to throw one of the stones away. Which one has more value? Is value an absolute thing?

The Dinner Project. This is my entry for the ballot to have the opportunity to enjoy a meal prepared by the artist himself and to share dinner on the premises of the museum. 

November 4th is the day after tomorrow and I haven't been called up yet. I guess it's not happening :-((

In the Moving Garden we are invited to take a flower when leaving the museum and to give it to a stranger on a detour to our way home. I didn't take any, as I was too lazy to take a different way home, and too self conscious to give a flower to a stranger. I didn't learn anything did I :-))

In The Fabric Memory, the artist has placed wooden boxes containing items that are part of his childhood memories. Visitors are free to open the boxes and explore, and to read the stories accompanying them.

After mending and eating with the artist, you can also sleep with him (no, not in that way). There are two beds in the room, I could not show both in the picture. You will share your stories with him, chat all night, and bring a few items that surround you in the bedroom you usually sleep in.

The last section of the show is The Letter Writing Project, where visitors are invited to write a few words to a person of their choice. It is up to you if you want to seal the envelope or leave it open for other people to read it. If you write down the address the museum will mail out your letter when the exhibition is over.

Yes, I did write a letter. No, it wasn't to Santa :-))