North Africa with Liberia (blue) and Mali (orange).

In a move that Marcus Garvey might approve of, I’m headed back to Africa next week. I’m going for work (again) but for a much shorter time than my two month stay during the World Cup.

I’ll be working with my friend Nick and Magaurn Video Media. We’ll be shooting promo video for Medical Teams International. During our 10 day trip we’ll visit clinics in Liberia and Mali.

Have you heard of Liberia and Mali? You might have heard about Liberia in the last several years. A peace accord was established in 2003 after over a decade of conflict.  Mali is the home to the legendary Timbuktu. I haven’t been to Shangrila yet and Timbuktu is definitely on the same list. Unfortunately, our schedule won’t allow for any excursions this time around but my visa is valid for five years with multiple entries.

Liberia was an early home to African resettlement by emancipated American slaves. The capital city is Monrovia, named after U.S. President James Monroe for his support of the colony.

Nick and I fly into Monrovia, Liberia (via Atlanta). After a few days there we hop over to Bamako, Mali on Ethiopian Airlines. After a couple of days in Bamako we’re scheduled to return home through Paris and Seattle.

How much radiation do you get?

Using this chart I’ve estimated I was exposed to atleast 788μSv of radiation in the last 12 months, just accounting for my air travel. A μSv is called a microsievert.  You’ll notice that 1,000μSv or 1mSv is the EPA’s recommended yearly limit for a regular ol’ person. I don’t think I had any x-rays last year so that should keep me under 1,000. I did eat a lot of bananas though.

[via boingboing]

One of the perks of working on-site like this is an abundance of mic flags just lying around. Every ENG already has one, but just in case a rabid ESPN fan should swipe one, the office has several replacements ready.

Speaking of mic flags, I’ve started taking photos of all the random ones I’ve been seeing around Mandela Square. I’m hoping to put together a cool collage or something. If you’re as giddy about mic flags as I am, you can imagine my excitement every time I see a new one.

“My drawings and paintings reveal a reality that is almost familiar, as if you had seen it when you were a child.”

My cousin Hans Wendel just finished up a stint on an Argentinian farm. He was there helping out and painting. He created landscapes with oil.

“I went from being a gaucho on the rancho where there was no electricity and nine horses per person in a 80,000 acre expanse of thorns and sky, to the super urban, edgey, sexy city of Buenos Aires,” Hans says.

In Buenos Aires he’s an Artist in Residency at Proyecto’ac. He has some pretty cool work. While in that sexy city he’s changing modes, doing mixed media. His show opens May 12.

“I am making graphically minded prints and working with narrative via the repetition of specific imagery,” Hans says. “My art reflects where I am geographically, socially, and how hard I am clenching my teeth.”

It’s about combination – drawing, graphics and their technological and cultural associations Hans says. He wants to find a new narrative and idea of decorative art.

“Using photography and collage in conjunction with  drawing and etching, I will create new notions of foreground, background, focus and an alternative approach to narrative.

Hans says he’s inspired by “experiences, sights, and sounds, ingrained in my mind when I was a kid.” I’m lucky enough to know what and where he’s talking about. Growing up our families spent a good amount of time together, specifically at Hans’ house on a 300-acre ranch. I can still smell the mixture of sage and juniper. The Eastern Oregon high desert landscape is my favorite.

Hans also finds inspiration in his surroundings and how he’s feeling. “Its all about the rancho you’re stuck on, or the city you’re in,” Hans says.

Not a bad way to spend your first year out of college, if you ask me. Hans gets to experience the world, the real world, away from all that is America. Yes, he’s in a city now but at least he got to experience some real life – hard work, no amenities and land. Who gets to do that anymore? Not only is his art cool to look at, it represents what Hans has done and where he (and his mind) has been and is. Too bad we can’t just hop a plane to see his art in Argentina.

]]> http://www.dispence.org/2010/05/art-in-argentina/feed/ 0 http://www.dispence.org/2010/04/take-a-look/ http://www.dispence.org/2010/04/take-a-look/#comments Sat, 10 Apr 2010 22:10:20 +0000 Spencer http://www.dispence.org/?p=277 Yup, here’s a re-design. Looks pretty cool huh? Go explore what I’ve added, like content under the Resume/CV link at the top.

I’m off to Jamaica tomorrow for the Mojo6. It’s a LPGA event. I’ll be working as a production assistant for CBS Sports.