What is What

ABOVE: An excerpt from the film Forest Gump. The main character, Forest, is chased by bullies and runs away while shedding his braces. The scene is a touchstone for the entire film in which Forest, a mildly developmentally disabled adult, lives a life full of romance, adventure and prosperity while blissfully unaware of his dumb luck. I am thankful not to have seen the film Forest Gump as a young child with braces on my legs who also ran from bullies.

My plate is full this year with multiple ongoing projects. The Rex "project" mentioned below several months ago has stabilized after 6 months of staggeringly little sleep ( or awake-ness ) and I am happy to share with you that the Rexy continues to payoff in a myriad of very small beautiful ways and I am BACK!

ABOVE: Limited Edition Lithographic Print by Bill Shannon, "I Will Dance With Strangers" 2012 I have ten of these for sale.

GIL SCOTT HERON Storm Music  thank you Mr. Heron. Unprecedented storms on multiple fronts figuratively and literally.

ABOVE: Painted Skateboard Griptape Graphics To Communicate medical usage of Crutches with a Skateboard To Complete Strangers. The graphics emulate existing color and symbols in public space for safety boundaries and disabled people. I also added the Red Cross with MED written inside it to further reinforce the message. Normally graphics are painted on the bottom of the board and the tops are black griptape. Communicating through symbols from the top of the board is a very useful way to answer questions without them being asked.

CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO READ MY INTERVIEW ON VEGANSKATEBLOG.COM

ABOVE: Arrested For Protesting Skateboarding Ban In Pittsburgh 1988

ABOVE: Custom Skateboard Paintjob @ Parade Starting Point /Photo by THOS

NYC DANCE PARADE 2012 was a fun and exhausting affair. I danced every block two or three times using my skateboard to exhibit my Step-N-Roll Flavor. I cannot really decide on how to title the form. Is it Stepping-Roll, Steppin-Roll or Step-N-Roll .. These are the kind of decisions I am not very good at making. Tons more images after the jump

Greetings dear Readers. It has been far too long since I have last posted here. If you have been with me since the beginning then you are well aware that I do have these long breaks between posts. This site is not really a bloggers site, in the blogger sense of blogging daily, but rather an artist's site that starts and stops and starts again with a regular irregularity.

ABOVE: "Keep Dancing" Intaglio Ink Print on Archival Paper 8x10 2012

ABOVE: Stepping Roll Toe Up Footwork on a cruiser board

I often times i send you here because i have just met you and you have asked me a question. Often times I dont know your name and you dont know mine. If you came here I first off want to Sincerely Thank You for not reacting negatively to my answer of " if you really want to know the answer to your question go to my website whatiswhat.com I cannot expain now". Thank you for not letting your ego misinterpret negatively me just trying to get on with my life without expaining something to you as I have been asked so many times before. Its not personal at all. I dont always say -go to my website- to every person that does ask me questions. There are many factors. If I sent you here and you came for an explanation of the specifics of why I came to skate with crutches that story is here. " What happened to you?" What do you call that" What kind of crutches are those" What happened to your leg? " etc.etc.etc. These are the questions that I am asked and whatiswhat.com remains a tool for me to deflect some of the inquisitive if disbelieving attempts to figure me out.

ABOVE: BLOWFISH STRATEGY. In my world of phenomenology and identification of sociological dynamics in public space the development of performed "strategies" as tools to unlock disable or otherwise transform the implications on my life of a given phenomena are important. The BLOWFISH STRATEGY is part of my engagement with the almost constant phenomena of AMBIGUITY OF DISABILITY. In other words...

ABOVE: Dance Delight Magazine Cover Shot 1999 This came out right when I was first hitting New York hip-hop and jungle clubs. Basically I went wherever the circle was alive. Eventually I discovered how crazy the Club Shelter Circles were under Robbie Promoter with Timmy and many other stellar house Dj's. Up until Shelter I was never that much into house music but progressive vocal house was a whole new world. So danceable and Funky.

click thru for the interview

THISISWHATISWHATIS

ABOVE: interview in Japanese