capturing velocity shooting days

My sculptural video installation, titled capturing velocity, was included in the Montana Triennial this year.  In the last week of the exhibition, my friend Doug Ness documented it for me.  
  
The final installation in the Missoula Art Museum looked like this.

capturing velocity, Toni Matlock, © 2012, photo Doug Ness

capturing velocity, detail, Toni Matlock, © 2012, photo Doug Ness

The projection of the video into the granules of salt made a slightly reflective and rough texture that looked something like this.

capturing velocity, detail of projection into salt grains, Toni Matlock, © 2012, photo Doug Ness

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I shot the video footage over the course of 30 Spring days in Missoula, Montana.  

When it didn't snow or rain, shooting days usually looked something like this:

pointing west, Missoula, ©2012 toni matlock

watching wind, Missoula, ©2012 toni matlo

To follow posts of my artwork, see ToniMatlock.com. 

 
See my earlier post on the making of capturing velocity by clicking here, it's titled knocking myself out. 











See Doug Ness' photography website, too.

shellac and helen money

This past Sunday we shot video of Shellac playing in Missoula for Sustain, the Travis Bean Guitar Doc that we've been making.  

I met the guitarist, Steve Albini, when we interviewed him in Chicago but this was my first time seeing the band perform live and these guys know how to put on a show.  As ambivalent in attitude as they may seem in some of what I've read about them, their show absolutely pays attention to the audience with banter, momentum and  intensity.  At one point, Albini gnaws at his guitar strings as if it were a chicken leg.  But watching him, and I was directly in front of him zoomed in on the guitar strings at this moment, and hearing the sounds that result, he's almost elegant about it. Considering his straightforward, confidence and enjoyment making well-prepared food for his wife (I follow his cooking blog, 'Mario Batali voice',) his performance with a guitar makes sense.  Like he's lapping at a bowl of three-minute gazpacho.  He makes and enjoys his soup, and he'll share with you how to make it, too.     

Any decent footage that comes out of that dark, low-ceiling den called the Palace will be saved for our movie.  For now, here is a still photo of the band setting up.  Albini is in front wearing his trademark mechanic's jumper.

   

The opening act rocked too

Helen Money, a one-woman electrical cello band, opened for Shellac.  Her weighty notes were a revelation for me.  I bought her latest cd, In Tune, to ruminate over as autumn settles in.  

Here is 'Mondo' by Helen Money with animation by Nelson Chan.

To learn more about the movie we are making on Travis Bean Guitars click here. 

Both bands will be performing in California, Oregon and Washington in the coming days.  Please report back to me if you catch a show.

springing native plants

We hiked around Crazy Canyon last weekend and my eyes almost popped out of my head it was such a deliriously packed blooming wild flower party.  It's very close to town up Pattee Canyon and close to my old house so when I lived nearer, I hiked it more often. Just crossing town for this hike felt like a greater refreshing retreat and the flowers totally sweetened the deal.

For more information on Montana Native Plants, I seriously recommend the Montana Native Plant Society.  It has been years since I made it to a weed pull, but I've been a member for years and no doubt, I will get more involved again. All of the people affiliated with them that I have met are enthusiastic and generous about plants and are a great resource.  They have annual garden tours and plant sales at the Farmer's Market. Even if you aren't in Montana, check out their links page for other states and especially the Native Plant Landscaping link for great information. 

Montana Native Flowers Snaps:

arrowleaf balsamroot

pussy toes

lupine

watch out for handsome wild animals sneaking up on you

indian paintbrush

beargrass

nodding onions about to bloom, pointing up among the shrubs

We saw a lot more that I didn't get very good photos of too.

all the color demands an even more cheerful, playful hike than usual. I think B was trying to help by dodging the camera here.

And finally......(drum roll, please)

 

lady slippers are bad-ass

Lady slippers knock me down they are so discreetly bold and elegant.


Native plant related resources:
Blackfoot Native Plants
Native Ideals Seed Company
Great Bear Restoration
Montana Native Plant Society

 

keep the Princess rolling

Today I broke out my bike, zipped over to a gas station and pumped my tires full of air, then rode downtown.  Within four blocks my front tire was almost flat.  Uh-oh.  I'm a fair weather bike rider, I'll admit it.  And I'm impatient with small hassles that mess with my plan for a day.   Oh, and forget about me fixing the tire myself.  I'll get my hands dirty with plenty of things, but this really isn't one of them.  At least not at this point in my life.  I guess it's a Princess point for me.  

Anyway, the weather was nice, so I figured I could walk my bike around.  I made it to Biga Pizza for my lunch date then went on to finish my errands.  I stopped in and saw my pal H-bomb at The Red Rooster, who reminded me that conveniently, Missoula has bike shops all around town and one is literally in the middle of downtown.  So, I pushed over to Hellgate Cyclery for a tire repair.  They had my bike ready and rolling again in thirty minutes.  Zippety-do!  Now, that's living like a Princess!

  

Lunch

Roasted garlic tomato soup and spinach salad ©T.Matlock

Scotty's Table is one of my favorite downtown lunch and dinner spots in Missoula.  The owner and chef, Scott Gille, established himself as a restaurateur in this town at a location just across the bridge.  Now in the basement level of the historic Wilma building built in the 1920s, the atmosphere feels fancier with high ceilings and plaster sculpted busts of women at the top of columns. It took me awhile to adjust and trust that it would continue to be a hearty and creative menu and I didn't need to be dolled to the max (though I love to dress up) to enjoy it. Now I regularly meet a friend there for lunch or pop in for a weekday happy hour. Scotty's is also one of three places in town that I can count on variety and excellent quality soups.  The chef is also dedicated to quality ingredients, often locally grown.  

Quesadilla © T.Matlock 

New Mandolin

A new restaurant opened in an old spot. The Mandolin is in the back of the Union Club's bar.

The location earned a reputation for fine dining just slightly separate from a lively bar under the helm of Marianne Forest and was called the Hob Nob.  The Hob Nob moved across the bridge to the Hip Strip about a decade ago under new ownership and has been successful there. Even so, the Old Hob Nob still haunts the Union Club.  It's been hard for a restaurant to stick there since. One of the biggest challenges I can imagine is maintaining a presence in the back of a very active bar popular for live music and swing dancing.  Plus, the bar and restaurant servers are divided so if you want wine or a refreshing V&T with your dinner, you need to get up and go to the bar.  Not a huge thing but an odd thing that most people don't expect.

We ate at The Mandolin for the first time last week. On Tuesdays, they have live mandolin jam sessions in the front corner of the restaurant, but they also had live jamming the night we were there (Friday was it?) as well, so expect music.  We enjoyed our burgers (as you can see) plus they also serve pasta and other fare.  The multiple slices of citrus in the water was a small but nice colorful touch.  The staff all seemed to be on their toes and it was a busy night.  Perhaps they've conquered the space's ghosts or at least are on their way.  I'll be going back to lend a hand making way for the new and now.

Check out their website which indicates the restaurant is a hub for all things mandolin instrument related, with classifieds and notes from history.  Did you know Steve Earle just had a birthday on January 17th?


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Update on May 13, 2011: This restaurant has closed!

Dinner After A Movie

Where do you get a quality meal in Missoula when it's getting late?

After a movie last night it was late enough (9:30-ish) that we speculated if someplace good would be open for us to get dinner.  It was a Monday night, and like Sunday nights, for some reason a number of independent restaurants are often closed.  (Some have told me why but I can never accept whatever it is enough to remember the reason/s.  Small town vs. Big City? A person eats in both cases.  And shouldn't settle for fast food, either.  I think it's me; not them.  I have always preferred dining out late any day of the week.) Anyway...

Luckily one of our favorites, The Red Bird Wine Bar, was still serving.  Because it is located in the back of the lobby of the historic Florence Hotel building, you get a rich entrance to a friendly dining spot.  (The 1941 lobby still has three old school phone booths with rounded pocket doors by the restrooms, plus a gorgeous clam shell water fountain.) The owners and staff are generally congenial and also interesting characters to strike up conversations with once you become regulars like we have.

The Wine Bar has been running monthly tastes of different countries and December is Germany so they've had great pretzels - just the right amount of crunchy crust to chewy middle - and I usually get one to go with my dinner.  Last night I had so much popcorn at the movie that we opted for the pork sandwich and seared tuna salad sans pretzel.  (I also love the burgers served with grilled onions and the Italian sandwich, by the way.)

Last night, they had live music.  (I forgot to ask the soloist's name - my deepest apologies, I  think it's important to give artists credit  - but he was in the realm of Loudon Wainwright.)  An ideal cozy atmosphere on a cold winter night, we perched at the stylish bar and discussed the flaws and merits of the film.

So, cheers to The Red Bird!