Brother, can you spare $150k?

The Afflicted Yard: The Rock from Rickards Bros. on Vimeo.

This is for an original Banksy wall -- as in THE WHOLE WALL, all 2,000 pounds of it. It's on ebay for $150k, and would look fabulous in my house next to my pirate ship painting :-)

Here's his story in case ebay cuts the listing:


The Artwork
You´re bidding on an original artwork of world-famous street artist Banksy which was sprayed on a wall on Mona Road, Kingston, Jamaica, by the artist during a visit to the island in the year 2004. It is roughly 60 inches by 55 inches and about 7 inches thick. It weighs approximately 2000 pounds. Done by the artist in 2004 on Mona road in Kingston, Jamaica.
If you have any questions at all please contact us (mail@afflictedyard.com). Shipping (to any country but Jamaica) for the wall to your door will be roughly $10k. This is the artcoup of the year.

The Story
It was a non-eventful day when he actually drew them. He bought some construction paper from a local pharmacy and cut the stuff out. Then he drew this stencil of a girl on an exterior wall and some rabbits on the inside the pub itself. I kind of just stood there taking his picture because it was something to do. I had already captured his face back at Buju’s studio where he had done some other stuff so this was just extra. I didn’t really think much of it. I mean I live in a place where people get shot for marking up people’s walls (usually with a paintbrush), so a few sprayed stencils on the wall of a pub didn’t strike me as particularly interesting.
Later when I heard how much his stuff was selling for, I contemplated going back and chopping the wall down. It was there for years and I’m sure I’m not the only one who thought about doing it. Mona road is heavily travelled by a lot of foreign students on their way to the university so people from all over the world would often mention it, but nobody ever took the steps to cut it down…till this last August when I got a email from someone asking about my knowledge of the locations Banksy had tagged. That’s when I figured I should probably go get it before someone else did.
The wall is the last remaining tag that he did in Jamaica that can be seen in public. It’s also the only remaining stencil that has the tag BANKSY on it. The other ones were:

* A bridge in Charleton gully which was painted over.
* A rusting old ship near the airport (a stencil of a skull, crossbones and the signature ‘Banksy’has since faded)
* Buju Banton’s studio in Kingston (where there is another ‘balloon girl’ and some flying insects).

The wall is 60 inches by 55 inches and about 7 inches thick. It weighs like 2000 pounds though that is just a guess. I spent the day getting a bunch of drunk guys to cut it down and raise it onto a flatbed truck tied to one of those sealtbelt-type industrial straps. I was amazed that it didn’t smash to pieces which would have really been an incredible waste of energy and patience. All the guys in that video (including me) had no real idea how to cut the thing down (much less move it) and were completely impaired by the time we actually got it tied to a backhoe (borrowed from a nearby construction site). Ironically, the damn thing almost fell on me in which case there would be a much funnier headline : 'Jamaican who revealed Banksy killed by falling artwork'.

Hey Fatty!

Got your attention with that, eh? A few years back a good friend went to weight watchers and she lost quite a few pounds, and kept it off. Seeing her looking solidly awesome made me think about losing weight. Time passed...

Next, my wife lost a few as she wanted to look great for our wedding, and boy, did she ever. More time passes...

After several visits to my doc, he tells me I absolutely have to lose weight or else I will no longer be borderline for diabetes type two, I *will* have it. 

Fast forward to another friend who lost nearly 70 pounds. She showed me her "fat" pictures, and said how weight watchers helped her. She has kept off weight for nearly 4 years now....more time passes.

Finally, the last straw, another friend loses weight, and is actively attending meetings. She will go to our meetings instead of where she has been going. And with this...game on.

I went to my first meeting, and they provided me a point calculator, a basic list of foods, and an intro into this whole thing. It has been wonderful thus far, and they have taught me SO much. I have been religiously tracking my foods since Friday morning, and already I feel better. I also don't feel hungry in the least -- it's interesting to see what I have been putting in ye olde body all these years. 

You know how in some job interviews they like to ask you in tests whether or not you're the kind of person who would like to go parachuting? I say yes, 'cause it sounds fun. At least once.

I now retract my statement -- I want to do this instead. I mean, if you gonna jump off something, this is an infinitely cooler way to do it, no?



wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

[diem's list] Art, dammit!

It's been a while since I posted to this list, so I resolved to post
more events as they come flying into my inbox. This weekend is
particularly good, so PLEASE make an effort to hit up at least one of
these as I have friends involved in each one :-)

All the posts are lifted directly from the original for your enjoyment.

1) Burning Man Collective Works and Benefit Friday (with free PBR and
bacon -- no wine and cheese baby!) Friday Jan. 9th
2) Georgetown Art Attack -- (go see Jezebel Blessing Custom Clothing
at full throttle bottle 5909 airport way s) Saturday Jan. 10th
3) WinterFest at Seattle Center (silly amounts of fire RIGHT HERE in
our city!) Saturday Jan. 10th
4) Miss Solar System Full of Stars CD RELEASE at ToST Saturday Jan.
17th (they kick elf! Come down with me!)
5) Obama Inauguration (*hops in circles*)
6) B/IAS opening! (HUGE burner outdoor art pad created by burners and
is open one year--come see the passage by dan das man! See buphalo and
morgan hammer's art!)) Saturday Jan. 24th
7) From the Bunnyfather -- how to get off this list and how to post

Aside for Saturday Jan. 10th, it's also Angel's birthday, which marks
the fifth year we've been together. Without her, I would probably be a
blithering hungover idiot in a corner somewhere. Nekkit. You rock my
world bunny.

************************************

ArtEAST presents
Burning Man Collective Works and Benefit
January 9 – 31 2009
Opening Reception Friday, January 9th 5pm – 8pm

A showcase of art borne of the harsh Black Rock Desert
and its inspired inhabitants

This year, fifteen artEAST members travelled to the Black Rock Desert
and erected a Burning Man Theme Camp for the purpose of pushing
themselves and inspiring others to create. The camp included tents and
a huge shade structure which served as the community center. ArtEAST
shared their home with Burners from New Zealand, Holland and Ireland.
ArtEAST's theme camp was encircled by 100 feet of blank canvas on
which the Burning community shared their talent, enthusiasm and
messages.

On display at artEAST's gallery at UP Front are the impressive results
of this open experiment with canvas, paint, and a bevy of artists both
professional and amateur who braved the harsh conditions of the Black
Rock Desert in the name of creative exploration. These thirty-five
collaborative pieces inspire us all to embrace the spirit of living a
fuller life.

artEAST & UP Front [art] Gallery
48 Front Street North
Issaquah, WA 98027
425-392-3191

************************************
Georgetown Art Attack
Georgetown monthly art walk, held on the second Saturday of each month
from 6-9pm, reflects the industrial-strength character of the
neighborhood. For more information stop into Georgetown Records at the
corner of Vale and Airport way.

(Ed. -- It's this Saturday, and you can see http://www.georgetownartattack.com/
for a map **BUT KEEP IN MIND THAT SITE IS ONE MONTH BEHIND.**)

************************************
Hi friends,

The Winter Solstice Festival that had to be postponed due to too much
Winter is now scheduled for THIS WEEKEND! The weather report looks
much better - though still a little chilly so dress warm and bring
good friends to huddle with. There may be some sprinkles on Sunday -
that won't stop us but you may want to stick an umbrella in your
pocket. If you're able to join us for this fabulous and free family
event, I promise you a spectacular start to your new year!

http://www.seattlecenter.com/news/detail.asp?ME_MediaNum=1448

NEW DATES: Jan. 10 and 11, 4pm – 9pm
International Fountain and Fisher Pavilion Lawn, FREE
Winter winds and snow put a damper on our original Winter Solstice
Fire Festival plans and led to a rescheduling of this spectacular
Seattle Center Winterfest premiere.
Please join us in January for this fiery festival on its new dates.
You'll marvel at the constellation of glowing steel structures set
afire while local artists offer words, music and movement articulated
with flames. They will illuminate the darkness and transform the
International Fountain and Fisher Pavilion Lawn into stunning
celestial wonders.

Willow

From my original message:

Hi Everyone,

It's that time of year again – the sun sleeps longer and longer each
night and we turn to other means to find light and warmth, and I am
again privileged to be involved in an amazing collaborative fire
performance. Solaris brings together fire performers from all over
the Puget Sound as we fill the part of the Sun and light up the night.

What started as a single performance telling the story of the planets
and seasons has grown this year to include even more amazing fire
artists. Sculptures and additional performances will carry the light
even further into the night. Please join us for one of two amazing
evenings (or both!) that your whole family will enjoy. My group will
help kick off the evening in the Orbis / Solaris performance at 4 and
I highly suggest sticking around to see all of the performances -
especially IGNITION – you will NOT be disappointed.

Willow

Winter Solstice Fire Festival
Part of Seattle Center's Winterfest 2008
Saturday, Jan. 10, 4pm – 9pm
Sunday, Jan 11, 4pm – 9pm
International Fountain and South Fountain Lawn
FREE!
http://seattlecenter.com/programs/detail.asp?EV_EventNum=57

The Winter Solstice Fire Festival, a spectacular Winterfest premiere,
radiates flames and fiery drama. Towering steel infernos will
illuminate the darkness, along with dynamic movement and music – all
to celebrate the Solstice return to light.

The spectacle begins at 4pm with a performance recognizing the Winter
Solstice. Orbis and Solaris create a dynamic outdoor performing art
installation that weaves together words, movement, music, fire
performances and large luminaries to transform the Seattle Center
International Fountain into a stunning celestial wonder.
At the conclusion of the performance, around 5pm, the sculptures in
the open spaces around the International Fountain will be illuminated;
and throughout the evening, fire performances by local artists will
entertain as audiences take in the brilliant works.

This collection of fiery sculptures includes some dramatic, organic,
inspired forms:

Fire-Pod
Created by Mark "Buphalo" Tomkiewicz.
www.fire-pod.com

Pnuema
An organic kinetic fire sculpture by San Francisco artist Charles A.
Gadeken

Water Candle
A 6-foot tall water fountain, created by Chris Piper - based out of
Oregon.
www.fireartistry.com

PyroBeat
Also by Chris Piper
www.fireartistry.com

Participating performing artists include:

Open Flame Dance Theater - 5:30pm on the Fisher Pavilion Roof
www.openflamedance.com

Pyrosutra - 6:30pm at the International Fountain
www.pyrosutra.com

Spinergy Arts - 7:30pm on the Fisher Pavilion Roof
www.spinergyarts.com

IGNITION - 8:15pm at the International Fountain

Winterfest is presented with generous support from Seattle Center
Fund, Starbucks Coffee Company, Seattle's Child and the City of Seattle.

************************************

http://www.misssolarsystem.com/

"Seattle trio Miss Solar System are versatile electronicists who
channel song structure and Miranda Rose's dramatic diva vocals through
drum 'n' bass, funky-breaks, and downtempo frameworks. The members'
associations with hard-gigging favorites KJ Sawka, Fading Collection,
and Beehive shine vividly and their chops are accordingly well-honed."
--DAVE SEGAL (The Stranger)

NEXT SHOW: CD RELEASE PARTY - Sat. Jan. 17th @ ToST Lounge w/ DJ
Leopold Bloom and Special Guests: The Deep Sleep Narcotics Co. - &
Visuals by: Lynn Turner. - Doors @ 9PM! - FREE!