Pyrex Productions presents Pyrex No. 1

With the help of my inspiring friends, Skyler and Kyle, I finally got a bicycle wheel spinning from my ceiling! Several years and 3 apartments ago, I was inspired by a ReadyMade magazine article on re-purposing old bike wheels. I constructed a wheel into a pot rack and then never figured out how to suspend it safely from the ceiling...until this past weekend. I asked Skyler to video tape me turning the pot rack so I could show off its spinning capabilities. Within a few minutes, this simple video turned into a costumed affair with high heels, lipstick, and even a carefully arranged set of props with rehearsal. Pyrex Productions was born on a cool summer night over a bowl of cherries and under a spinning rack of pots. I dropped all other goals of preparing my classroom lessons for the start of school this week. Instead, I set to editing "Pyrex No. 1" until the wee hours. To priorities! And to my new film collaborator: Skyler Schrempp!

http://youtu.be/Hn6CnrAfPho

"My Teacher Has Corrupted Me"

I had the privilege of accompanying over 30 teen artists to an air-conditioned space. Lucky for us, that space was the Art Institute of Chicago. During our hours wandering the galleries, I made the impromptu decision to record the casual conversations sprouting in front of artwork. There were sassy voices, thoughtful voices, and brave whispered voices barely trickling into the microphone of my iphone. This collage of conversations has been whittled down to 9 minutes from almost 2 hours of chatting. Each conversation in the video is accompanied by the original artwork we were looking at when we were talking. Just like any good teacher, in order to really listen to the students, you have to lean in close and stay there.  So turn up the volume on your computer and lean in.