Kanyakumari in the province of Tamil Nadu is the southmost tip of India and the meeting point of the three bodies of water that surround the subcontinent – the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian Ocean to the south, and the Bay of Bengal to the east.
This important location is home to a variety of attractions that are irresistible to masses of tourists and pilgrims.
Frothy chai and coconut fritter served on a piece of newspaper at a stand up counter in the street near the temple in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu province, India. February 2009.
Totem Pill is a flash animation created for an art show called Sequential Desire.
Martin Perna aka Ocote Soul Sounds came for to visit in November 2008 while I was living in rural France, and that’s when the idea to put Totem Pill and the Grand Elixir together was born.
This image of a mushroom enabled garbage composter was inspired by a video podcast of Paul Stamets talking about his extensive research into the bioremediation capabilities of mycelium networks (aka mushrooms). Here is link to a transcript of another great interview with Stamets about the remarkable nature of mushrooms.
Here’s the sketch I was making when the guys from Hubli introduced themselves.
While I was taking pictures of cows sleeping on the beach, Marc was drawing. This friendly group surrounded him and started asking questions excitedly. They plied us insistently with cigarettes, wanting to offer hospitality. They claimed that even they did not smoke, only once a month on vacation – at MOST once a week! They stood very close to us, one guy actually leaning on Marc the whole conversation. They wanted a description of Toronto, … >> read more
In the fall of 2005, Magda and I decided to sell off most of our possessions and embark on an extended period of travel.
The reasons for this were many.
We had figured out a way to coast through our life as freelance graphic designers/artists. We had developed a well-worn, carefully cultivated, comfortable rut of routine in Toronto. Our combination of skills and our solid network of business contacts and friends assured that we would be able to maintain a subsistence level artist existence in the city, although that year we were getting a bit more in debt every month. Although our apartment and such was comfortable, there was very little social wiggle room and the resulting torpor was upsetting to Magda. This is a very frustrating situation for someone who thrives in a rich environment characterized by rapid changes.
Our personal evolution was at a standstill. We needed to shake things up.