V16-osios gimnazijos istoria nuotraukose siurrealistes Dainos (Cikagos siurrealistisu grupes nare, lietuve siurrealiste). Pries kelis metusas aplaunkiau Lampertheim-Huettenfeld. As atsibudau viena ryta: miestelis mane pasitiko paskendes ruke. As pasiemiau savo fotoaperata ir isejau pasivaikscioti dviem valandom. Ka as pamaciau kai nuejau i mokyklos teritorija, mane suzavejo. Bokstas kuris yra lietuviu bendruomenes ikona, buvo apsiaustas balto debesies.
History in Photos by Lithuanian Surrealist Daina Almario-Kopp (member of Chicago Surrealist Group, Lietuviska surrealiste).
I visited Lampertheim-Huettenfeld a few years back. I woke one morning to find the town thick with fog. I grabbed my camera and went for a two hour walk. What I saw once I got to the school's campus was mesmerizing. The tower, which is an icon in the Lithuanian community, was cloaked in white. The fog symbolizes how memory clouds our recollections of the past. As an ex-student of the school, I feel the first photo best represents my memories of living there. Time is strange and ephemeral; so is the sliver in time we call photography.
Privates Litauisches Gymnasium im Nebel.
I have not named the people in these pictures unless I have their permission to do so.
"As the Fog Lifted..."
Vasario 16 Gimnazija, early 1970s (above.. I didn't take this photo)
Vasario 16 Gimnazija, late 1980s with carved wooden cross (above)
The chaos after the boy's dormitory burned down in the middle of the night; firepeople in the background, rubble in the foreground. Someone woke us up our room at night yelling "Feuer!" That was how I learned the German word for "fire." No one was hurt, thankfully. It ended up on the German news. That entire day we were in shock (Šerlokas Holmsas - Benedict Cumberbatch - BBC, give us your blanket!).
Twelve students, myself included, went on a school trip to Rome. This was on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the death of Saint Kazimir (St Kazimieras; 1458-1484), the patron saint of Lithuania. The students and a handful of Lithuanians had a private audience with Pope John Paul II later that week, on 4 March, 1984. "When the soviets closed the Cathedral of Vilnius in 1948 the coffin with the body of St. Casimir was moved to the church of St apostles Peter and Paul. After the political change, the coffin was brought back to the Cathedral in a big and solemn procession and celebration on March 4, 1989." Quoted from http://www.lcn.lt/en/bl/sventieji/kazimieras/
After the fire, the school built this building to hold classes in while the boys slept in the actual old school building. I had originally cut out the background so the pic would fit in my photo album. Fortunately, I had saved it. This is it reattached.
I'm on the left. On the left is where original school building where the boys slept in while the burned building was restored. In the back is the girl's dormitory. This was before they built an adjacent co-ed dormitory to the girl's dorm. Summer, 1984.
This is the school building from a view showing the teachers' apartments on the left.
Outside the shop the students, across the street from my favourite hangout, the Bruno's Pizza in Huttenfeld. Remember the Spagetti Eis? Yum. 1986
Just visiting.; seeing off friends going on a school trip. At the entrance gate, 1986.
Me visiting a friend from V16 who lived in Berlin, 1987. The Berlin Wall was still up then.
Checkpoint Charlie, West Berlin, 1987.
Me at the west-east crossing point of Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, 1987.
STRANGE INTERLUDE: My Vaudeville inspired band, Hypnagogic Telegram, is going VIRAL on Youtube. Check out my Lithuanian song, Svejotoje, below. Viral Chaplin dance below that.
Songs in German, Lithuanian, French & English.
<---- View YOUTUBE VIDEO here.
On FACEBOOK @ HYPNAGOGIC TELEGRAM
Lewis Carroll, Dr Who, Dream, & Fortean inpired tunes. Multi-lingual (English, German, Russian, Lithuanian) tunes. Silent film inspired dances. Trock. Member of Chicago Surrealist Group, Lewis Carroll Society of North America. Lietuvaite soka kaip Chaplin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steampunk Invasion @ Bristol RenFair
Portage Theater (built 1920). For screening of "The Artist" I came as a Flapper & danced w/ the ever-stylish Jacob on stage as theme song of film played 20 min loop!
With "Time Crash" doctor Who tribute band Dave Kitsberg & his "GuiTardis." The scarf I knit myself.
Madame de Pompadour for Halloween 2008
Looking like a granny from the 50s. The hat, coat, bracelet, and earrings are vintage from that era.
Look inspired by Edith Head designs in classic films of the 50s. Hat, umbrella, coat, & shoes are vintage from that era.
Hypnagogic state: The border state between drowsiness and sleep. In this phase, one is likely to experience visual/audio hallucinations, dream-like images, closed-eye visualizations (CEV), and other anomalous phenomena.
Hypnagogic Telegram is Chicago-based electronica band inspired by Dreams and other Fortean Phenomena. DainaSurrealism has been a lucid dreamer since childhood, thus enabling her to convert the visuals of dreams into atmospheric brouillardesque lyrics. Sung in an assortment of languages (English, German, French, Lithuanian) these singular tunes span both culture and time. She draws inspiration from her days as a New York Underground Club-Kid from the Michael Alig scene, merging eclectic themes with imaginative wardrobe, props, and diverse dance styles. If Doctor Who would have a band, it might sound like this.
<---- View YOUTUBE VIDEO here.
On FACEBOOK @ HYPNAGOGIC TELEGRAM
Capturing the spirit of Kate Bush (Brit Fortean), X-Mal Deutschland (German Goth), Cocteau Twins (atmospheric), Zazie (French socially conscious Rock), and the performance art of Mathieu Chedid, aka M (French Funk guitarist extraordinaire), and Linda (Russian experimental performance artist), Hypnagogic Telegram ventures into a kaleidoscope of dance beats and surrealism. The historical spectrum of music from by-gone eras (classic jazz, chansons, Neue Deutsche Welle, et al) and current sounds (club mixes, effects, etc) entwin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~Dance 2:44 inspired by Charlie Chaplin
~~Performance art inspired by Mathieu Chedid, aka M
~~Fashion inspired by Albert Robida, "Le Vingtième Siècle" 1890 (SciFi author)
~~Shoes inspired by "Series of Unfortunate Events" film (2004) Colleen Atwood (designer), worn by Emily Browning
~~Backdrop film by George Melies, "Trip to the Moon" (1902)
~~Time travel inspired by Doctor Who
Original turn-of-the-century wall & ceiling from old vaudeville theatre in Racine, Wisconsin.
Reflections, both visual and philosophical, make their appearences in peculiar locations, before odd backdrops, and with Fortean uncanniness. Zeitgeists of by-gone eras are channelled in my work, as if through a seance. Statues speak, movie palaces flicker, vaudeville audiences echo in my ears, and memories come alive again. Antiquated buildings around me represent my unusual relationship with time (after all, I am the Mad Hattress!). Dissheveled hair, which has a personality all its own, decides for itself whether it wants cutting...or not. Round windsor frames evoke the whimsical spirit of Groucho Marx, as well as the classic era of those who wore them (c 1880 - 1930s).
"I think you might do something better with the time than wasting it in asking riddles that have no answers," said Alice.
"If you knew Time as well as I do, you wouldn't talk about wasting it. It's him," said the
Mad Hatter. "I dare say you never even spoke to Time! If you only kept on good terms with him, he'd do anything you liked with the clock. For instance, suppose it were nine o'clock in the morning, just time to begin lessons: you'd only have to whisper a hint to Time, and round goes the clock in a twinkling! Half-past one, time for dinner!"
~"Alice in Wonderland," Lewis Carroll, 1865
That was, of course, before the Mad Hatter had a falling-out with Time. Which is another story the Mad Hatter discusses during the Tea Party.
Spiegel im Spiegel (Mirror in Mirror), named after
the exquisite corpse book by Michael Ende
illustrated by his surrealist father, Edgar Ende. M. Ende wrote
"Never-ending Story," and "Momo." You can read my
review of "Momo"(both the book & the film) in my blog.
Original floor tiles inside Portage Theater in Chicago, IL. Built in
1920, it is now in threat of being bought & converted to a church.
Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" premiered here in 1940. The film
was considered too controversial for wide release. The Music Box
was the only other Chicago theater to premiere it.
Johnny Depp came here to film the scene of Dillinger at the flickers
for "Public Enemies," in 2009.
Reflections
Reflections
Reflections in drag
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Strange Interlude: SURREALIST NEWS: HYPNAGOGIC TELEGRAM (my band) is GOINGVIRAL w/ Chaplin dance. New album out soon. New videos, incl How to Remember Dreams (surrealist tips) & songs soon on YOUTUBE. Johnny Depp inspired Character Morphing w/ every song! Here is us doing CHAPLIN DANCE to backdrop of George Melies 1902 film Trip to the Moon (as seen in Hugo film). "Like" us on FACEBOOK
Lewis Carroll, Dr Who, Dream, & Fortean inpired tunes. Multi-lingual tunes (English, German, French, Lithuanian, Russian). Silent film inspired dances. Johnny Depp inspired Character Morphing. Trock. Lietuvaite soka kaip Chaplin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Curl of Light
Day of research at the Kinsey Institute, Indiana University
Research at Indiana University, Kinsey Institute
I wish you were there to hear what this statue had to say!
Reflections
More jellyfish than in SpongeBob's closet!
Which way is up?
Pretty colours over Montreal
95 floors over Chicago and a frozen Lake Michigan (Hancock Center)
Louise Brooks (1908 - 1985), famous flapper actress
Two girls on a skateboard
103 floors over Chicago (Sear's Tower)
Gardens near Art Institute, Chicago
Art Institute, Chicago
University of Chicago campus
University of Chicago campus
Spiral objet d'art reflection, NYC
Chicken pot pie, yum!
A somber moment in front of Liberty Studios, NYC
I used to work at Liberty Studios, NYC. I was saddened to see a "for sale" sign in front.
24th St, NYC
23rd St station, NYC
Random wandering, NYC
Odd objet d'art in window, NYC
23rd St station, middle tracks for express trains, NYC
Relection from random wandering, NYC
Silhouette looking out over Paris courtyard, 16th arrondissement
Mirrow on ceiling, 2008 (this was way before I knew of Claude Cahun's photograph). Cahun (1894 -1954) pioneered surrealist self-portraits. Her photo was taken in 1915. I find these two photographs to be quite uncanny.
"If Walls Could Talk" Old vaudeville theatre in Racine, Wisconson
Portage Theater, Chicago. Save the Portage theater from being converted
to a church. http://www.portagetheater.org/ I witnessed too many movie
palaces close or turn into churches on Flatbush Ave
in Brooklyn. I want to see this one saved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ STRANGE INTERLUDE: My Dream, Time-Travel inspired band, "Hypnagogic Telegram" is going VIRAL on Youtube. Timelord Rock.Trock. I play a timeghost (zeitgeist) that inhabits the wardrobe closet in the TARDIS. I come out in costumes from various eras to dance & sing. If Doctor Who would have a band, it might sound like this.
<---- View YOUTUBE VIDEO here.
On FACEBOOK @ HYPNAGOGIC TELEGRAM
Check out my Time Travel, Dream, surreal artwork, performance art, costuming & photography on the other blog pages!
