Category: Uncategorised

Dymaxion Sleep (curled up)

Dymaxion Sleep (curled up)  is a structure of nets suspended above a field of aromatic plants. Inspired by Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion World Map, the unfolded icosahedron has rolled up to form a secret shaded enclosure. Mint, lemon geranium, lavender, and fennel mimic the structure’s topography and define scented regions upon which to lie. If Fuller’s map reconfigured standard representations of the world by refusing to define orientation, Dymaxion Sleep sets up surfaces on which to relax in different configurations: curled up, stretched out, or piled upon friends.

Dymaxion Sleep takes its name from the title of a 1943 Time magazine article which describes Fuller’s regimen of polyphasic sleep – thirty minutes asleep, followed by six waking hours – a reconfiguration he used to dynamically maximize his body’s productivity. Our Dymaxion Sleep subverts Fuller’s focus on efficiency and work and instead maximizes the garden as a space for pleasure and dreams.

Collaborator
Walter Blackwell
Carole Courtois & Dany Fillion – Créations Fil Lion, Gene Mastrangeli

Architect: Jane Hutton & Adrian Blackwell

From Jardin de Metis

See the video on VIMEO

Lesbian National Parks and Services

Lesbian National Parks and Services: A Force of Nature

(produced, written, directed, and performed by Dempsey and Millan.) This mock-u-mentary follows the intrepid Lesbian Rangers through Jr. Lesbian Ranger training camp, research missions, deep-sea rescue, and field work around the globe. Premiered at the Sydney (Australia) Gay/Lesbian Film Festival. 23 minutes. Video. 2002.

From Finger in the Dyke

FIRE PIECE:

PAPER, KINDLING AND FIREWOOD IS CARRIED BY ALL FOR THE DURATION OF A LONG HIKE.

THE MATERIALS ARE USED TO START A WARMING BONFIRE.

THE PIECE CONCLUDES WHEN ALL THE FUEL IS BURNED.

Muay Thai, that’s what we all did in the Arboretum. Though, we aren’t fully equipped with skills to fight in the UFC, I hope everyone got a good workout out of it.

Again, Muay Thai is the “Art of 8 Limbs” – fists, elbows, knees, and kicks. Hands become like swords and daggers, the shins and forearms are hardened in training to act as protective armour against impact, elbows become hammer and mace-like, and the legs and knees became an axe.

Before Muay Thai, there was Muay Boran, a more fatal version of the sport where boxing gloves are replaced with barehands or hemp rope. Below is a demonstration of Muay Boran in an exhibition setting. Note: It is not a real fight.

Muay Thai has grown a lot the past 30 years and that is because of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.

(more…)

“In 2013, at the suggestion of oceanographer Charles Moore, geologist Patricia Corcoran and artist Kelly Jazvac travelled to Kamilo Beach, Hawaii to study a new stone formation. What they found was a new substance that was a mix of melted plastic and natural materials such as coral, sand, wood and volcanic rock. They called the stones “Plastiglomerate” and a co-authored manuscript of their findings can be found here: http://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/archive/24/6/article/i1052-5173-24-6-4.htm

Plastiglomerate has been acknowledged by key researchers as potential evidence of the Anthropocene era. Press can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/10/science/earth/future-fossils-plastic-stone.html?_r=0”

From Kelly Jazvac 

“Dairy cows, are like ferraris” – Prof. Vern Osborne, Animal and Poultry Science

If you’ve ever enjoyed yogurt, cream, cheese, cream cheese, ice cream or a simple glass of milk, you can thank a dairy cow.

Weighing around one ton, the dairy cow must pump 1000 litres of blood that travels around her udder to produce 1 litre of milk for us! In a day, the average cow can produce 30 litres of delicious & nutritious milk.

In order to ensure a cow’s productivity, reproduction and health, farmers use Body Condition Scoring to measure the amount of subcutaneous fat (fat found under the skin) in a cow.

Using a 5-point scoring system, farmers look at the hooks, pins, thurls and ribs of the cow to determine her score. A score of 1 would denote an extremely thin cow, while a score of 5 tells the farmer his cow is excessively fat. Most dairy cows fall in between 2.5 and 4. The hardest part about body condition scoring is narrowing down what quarter point to give a cow (Is she a 3.25 or a 3.5?)

Once we reached the barn, everyone chose a cow to score!

We also got to witness feeding time, one cow even gave Andrea a friendly lick!

After students completed scoring their cow, our dairy expert, Vern, let students know if their scoring was accurate. Everyone’s numbers were on-point!

For their outstanding efforts, students received honorary dairy expert hats.

This spring, the University of Guelph opened a new, state-of-the-art dairy research facility in Elora that houses over 600 cows. To learn more, visit the Livestock Research and Innovation Centre’s blog and twitter!

https://eloradairyfacility.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/milk1elora?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw