Everyone wants to have some impact on the world; to change things for the better or simply to create something of value to others. This can translate into producing a work of art or an excellent loaf of bread, or into providing efficient service in a check-out aisle. Whatever people’s social class, age, and physical or cognitive ability, using an acquired skill toward greater goals is a deep human need. While employment can take many forms, it is the dramatic effect that work can have on increasing the quality of life for everyone—including persons with disabilities—that remains unquantifiable. It’s in this spirit that The Powell River Measuring Up Committee for Accessibility and Inclusion will host the free lunchtime event Ability First! A Community Gathering on Employment for Persons with Disabilities on May 26, 2009 from 11 am to 2 pm (snacks provided) in the Powell River Recreation Complex’s Cedar Room (upper level).
This event will bring together local organisations like Career Link, Triumph Vocational Services, The Model Community Project for Persons with Disabilities, The Powell River Association for Community Living, and government agencies providing support to clients with visible or invisible disabilities or barriers to employment and to their employers. It is a delicate and individualised process that is helping us to meet R.H Claude Richmond’s “10 by 10 Challenge”: Read more »
by Giovanni Spezzacantena
Almost anyone can come up with some form of definition for animation that revolves around the basic idea that animation is ‘drawings that move’, or maybe ‘the technique of making inanimate objects appear to move in film, video, or on computer screens’. What is maybe less contemplated is what this feels like for the animators as they create this illusion of life.
If you have had any experience with animation, you know that there is a certain basic sense of empowerment in being able to produce that ‘magic trick of the eye’ for yourself, and ultimately, for an audience. Shyness and the almost standard lack of confidence in drawing ability are set aside with that initial awe when the word “cat” you just typed onto your computer screen metamorphoses into a picture of your own cat—and this after just a few simple steps!
The not-so-horribly-Technical Aspects:
Cartoon animation emerges from the projection of a sequence of still drawings that are each a little bit different, one from the other; it’s actually the differences between one drawing and the next that make the illusion of motion. The careful and studied control of these differences makes for quality animation.
The theory is that the phenomenon of “persistence of vision” creates the illusion of motion by blending the rapid projection of one still image with the next one, in the brain. Typically, in web animation, there are about 12 ‘frames’ or still images needed in every second of motion. The greater the difference between one frame’s visuals and the next, the faster/more erratic the resulting motion; the less things change from one image to the next, the smoother and slower the animation will seem. As the McLaren quotation above suggests, you are actually trying to reproduce movements through the drawings in a sort of reverse-engineering of real-life motion. Read more »
by Giovanni Spezzacatena
The only-just-becoming and the passing-away. These two opposing ideas describe the aesthetic of wabi-sabi. The Japanese words “wabi” and “sabi” are difficult to define precisely, because they refer to that which is elusive, personal and subtle. This is where Zen Buddhist philosophy shines through, as in the famous saying by Rinzai Gengen in the 9th Century: “When you meet the Buddha, kill him.” All meaning lies within—mistrust authority in favour of self-defined truth.
Wabi-sabi openly romanticizes the parts of nature that are usually overlooked—the awkward, fleeting, unformed shapes and colors of early spring, and the murky corrosion and earthiness of autumn. These two extremes form much of the traditional Japanese aesthetic sense that evokes certain melancholia, where the natural world and seasons are seen as symbolically reflecting the inescapable stages of life.
The wabi-sabi aesthetic can occur in any art form, whether Zen poetry or haiku, design, pottery, or paintings and architecture. It can be functional, representational or completely abstract. Wabi-sabi is not about an artist’s use of materials, tools or even the employment of a ‘style’—it is a mindset. Wabi-sabi values natural products, textures, and irregularities, again evoking Zen philosophy where these imperfections point to a deeper truth, and encourage contemplation.
by Giovanni Spezzacatena
Powell River’s Model Community Project for Persons with Disabilities and The Powell River Brain Injury Society are proud co-sponsors of the 5th annual Rick Hansen Wheels in Motion Event for 2007. It’s the 20th anniversary of Rick’s ‘Man in Motion World Tour’ which increases awareness, quality of life, and works for a cure for spinal cord injury.
Our 2007 goal is the purchase of a standing frame for the Powell River Recreation Complex. The adult ‘glider’ standing frame provides dynamic leg motion for wheelchair users, enhancing the therapeutic benefits of standing.
On Sunday June 10th, 2007, starting at 9 am at the Recreation Complex, choose the 1 km, 5km, or 10 km routes to walk, wheel, run, bike, or roller-blade! The event is free to participate in, with money being raised through pledges, donations, and special events. Pre-Register online: www.wheelsinmotion.org. There are three $100 cash incentive prizes for the individual, the family/friend team, and the corporate team raising the most money, as well as buttons and t-shirts! Donations can also be made at Scotiabank.
One special event this year is our ‘Raffle in Motion!’ Win prizes like a round-trip for two to Vancouver, with a stay at the River Rock Hotel-Casino, Terracentric’s Zodiac tour, and more! Tickets are $2 each. Buy them at: Scotiabank, RBC, Rocky Mountain Pizza, The Recreation Complex, Visitor’s Centre, Jump Radio/MCP, Magic AM, and Powell River Brain Injury Society, etc. The raffle draw date is June 27th.
Info: www.modelcommunityproject.ca/wim.htm
Or call MCP at (604) 485-2688