shipbreakers & venue on the Lilac

As the Tibetans say: no such thing as a coincidence.

The day after I posted on shipbreaking, the The Horticultural Society of New York sent a notice of a short film on shipbreaking:

Shipbreakers, directed by Michael Kot
“Since the early ’80s, the rusting hulks of thousands of the world’s largest ships have been driven onto the remote beaches of Alang, off the Arabian Sea, to be dismantled, piece by piece. Sold for scrap, the ship owners rarely bother to abide by the UN Basel Convention, which bans shipments of transboundary waste…Shipbreakers vividly captures both the haunting beauty of the ships and the deplorable conditions of the workers–in an unforgettable portrayal where Third World ingenuity meets 21st century global economics.”

Thursday, August 20, 2009

6:30pm – Doors open at HSNY
7:00pm – Screening of Shipbreakers (30 mins)
10 minute intermission
7:40pm – Screening of The Beekeepers (30 mins)

The Horticultural Society of New York
148 West 37th Street, 13th Floor
New York, New York 10018

Admission: HSNY members $5, non-members $10
RSVP to gpisegna@hsny.org or (212) 757-0915 x115

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A play is being performed on the Steamship Lilac, on pier 40:

The Report of My Death, a docudrama of Mark Twain.

Hanging out before the show with Carolina (you know, the girlfriend that bought a tanker) and Tugster, we unanimously agreed the chandelier hanging off the boom should stay. In the distance heading south, the cargo carrier, Spar Virgo (2005, flag: Norway, destination: Montreal) blasting five bells as it steams through sailboats ahead.

Fri, Aug 21 and Sat, Aug 22 at 8pm. Photos, reviews from a moveable bridge and tugster.

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1. tugster said, on 2009/08/17 at 09:20

   shipkeepers and beebreakers . .. hmm! by the way, i love the fishies between the two parts of the post.

2. Pat said, on 2009/08/17 at 13:25

   I suppose the shipbreakers are just as busy as the average bee even if a bit more destructive? And the shipbreakers swarm over the ship like bees around a hive. But the bees have nicer apartments than the shipbreaking workers? And the cutting torches are sort of like stingers? And shipbreaking is a form of recycling, which is sort of analogous to composting, which is a horticultural process and bee pollination is a horticultural process? Help me, this is becoming rather a stretch….. and it seems that someone clever could put all this together into some convoluted shaggy-dog story or extended bad pun.

3. Celeste Maia said, on 2009/08/17 at 14:04

   How ingenious people can be! Your story reminds me of reading about WW II in Naples. When the American tanks arrived and were left on the street at night, the next morning they were gone, not even a screw was left. Neapolitans had dismantled the tanks and carried the pieces for whatever money purposes. Even today, you dont want to leave your car unattended in some of the streets of that beautiful city.
   Yes, that chandelier hanging off the boom has to stay, it adds a surreal touch.
   And I also enjoyed the fishies in the middle of the texts.

4. Vagabonde said, on 2009/08/17 at 17:47

   This is truly a beautiful picture – the color of the sky, the chandelier, the darkness of the stumps in the sea – a very pleasant composition.

   
   
5. Mage Bailey said, on 2009/08/17 at 19:33

   I haven’t seen that and dearly wish I lived closer.

6. Celeste Maia said, on 2009/08/22 at 06:33

   Just wanted to share you the beautiful view of the Sagres going right in front of my terrace. Am taking a photo and will email it to you. Have a great week end.

   
   
7. tugster said, on 2009/08/22 at 06:54

   The movie about alang shipbreaking is available for purchase for $20 at
   http://www2.nfb.ca/boutique/XXNFBibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?formatid=51361&lr_ecode=collection&minisite=10005&respid=50409
   I was quite moved by it.

8. Michael said, on 2009/08/28 at 13:40

   Okay it’s time for more Bowspritage (pronounced ‘Beaux spree TAGE’)

   please.

9. tugster said, on 2009/08/28 at 15:51

   i second michael’s request. encore. i’d love to see you splash more paint onto my screen. or happy videos of recycling sturgeon. or fotos of dramatic clouds.

10. O Docker said, on 2009/08/31 at 01:09

    I figure you’re doing something that makes you happy, and a happy artist is a prolific artist. I can wait.

    Did you see the photo Bonnie posted of the backlit traffic light? Maybe it’s just my myopia, but I see so many parallels between that and your chandelier photo.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/93843138@N00/3850954651/

    Your muses must go to the same analyst.