DAZED

i am in a partially dazed state
hoping for god's sake
i could somehow stay awake
to see the day.
-carlton mackey

(photo by kari mackey)

REALITY CHECK

The reality is...that humanity is interconnected and our responsibility is to live lives that advance the causes of justice and eliminate the causes of oppression.
-carlton mackey

IGNORED BY THE SUN

Starring out of the window, there was a knowing. He knew that from this moment forward things would never be the same. There had been a paradigm shift…and nature seemed to agree. The bareness of the maple tree in the distance contrasted by the fullness of the magnolia just outside of his window confirmed what he had known all along -that this would not be easy. He knew that both the vitality of life and the seeming detachment of death were both illusions. For in just a few short months life would remerge from those cold bitter branches of the maple, and what had once been ignored by the sun would suddenly reach out to it like a suckling infant begging for milk.
-carlton mackey

these moments are not happenstance

photo by julia trotti

I found this wonderful blog today. I went to leave a comment and this is what came out:

these moments are not happenstance
but if by chance
they happen
you should grab them
at first glance
and...
hold on to them forever.
-carlton mackey

Please visit this blog - I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU

Red Light...Babylon

today when i was stuck
at a red light
i began to contemplate
the plight
of my people
because as i peeped through
my window
i saw a woman
with a stroller
who couldn't have been
much older
than @ 34
and as she walked
in the rain
my mind
couldn't refrain
from thinking about
where we came
from
-the land of the drum
the so-called chosen ones
now living in Babylon
at least that's what
Rastafarians would say
...a Jewish appropriation
that may be appropriate
for today
though certainly not limited
to African Americans
in any way
...at least in my opinion.
this may be Babylon
but we've all been
"chosen" for deliverance.
so deliver us ALL
from evil hands
so we can move from Babylon
into the promised land.
-carlton mackey

Our New Vintage Madison Furniture Piece and Captain Kirk

so this is the piece i was referring to thursday. we have it in our home now and are loving it...and this is what we found out about it:

Origins of Captain Kirk's chair traced back to Madison County

By JIM LACEY
The Madison County Journal

A chair built at Madison Furniture Industries in Canton in the 1960s has sold at auction for $305,000. It was bought by Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft with Bill Gates, for display at the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle.

What makes the Canton-made chair special is the fact that it was used as Captain Kirk's command chair in the original "Star Trek" television series that ran from 1966 to 1969.

According to the New York Times of last Thursday, March 19, there is a a new surge of interest by Star Trek fans (called Trekkies) in building replicas of Captain James T. Kirk's command module chair. Lou Shornick was the main man at Madison Wood, building it to be Canton's largest employer during the 1960's, and he was quoted in the Times story. Now nearing the age of 91, Shornick lives at St. Catherine's Village at Madison.
read the rest of the article
(During the original TV series producers crafted a fake computer consol around the chair that was designed and produced by Madison Furniture Industries in Canton back in the 1960’s)

if i knew then...

if i knew then
what i know now
i'd know then
that somehow
my now
would be
much more
for me
than i
could see
or know.
-carlton mackey

What I'm Reading

My aunt was in town visiting last weekend. We took her to the Dekalb World Farmers Market and when upon leaving stopped at an antique shop. We went in only with intentions of "walking off" some of the food that we had eaten. Of course we burned more than calories. Kari and I bought a lovely vintage piece from the Madison Furniture Collection (more on that to come). As I was leaving I also saw this book that I am now reading. It is intense to say the least. I read the first chapter this morning. Mr. Cleaver explores a wide range of topics from race relations, politics, prison reform. The book is actually a collection of essays written from his perspective while incarcerated. As with any work of literature, historical context, sociological factors, etc have to be taken into consideration. There is always much to learn, always much to rebel against, but always something to take away for your own journey. My take away for today is a quote that ends the first chapter: "The price of hating other human beings is loving oneself less". - Eldridge Cleaver

Eka's Back in Town...

You may remember Anirudh Dhullipalla also know as Eka. (If you don't...you need to CLICK HERE) He's in town for a about a week before he heads to London for a semester abroad. He has some new material and is interested in seeing what we can come up with again. I accepted the challenge.

...and it is certainly a new challenge. This piece plays on a metaphor that is continued throughout the entire poem. It doesn't lend itself well to singular images that correspond to a particular word like REVOLUTION did. This go round an actual script (if you will) had to be written. We came to the conclusion that what was needed for this particular project was a philm that could be shown without the words or music and still be a comprehensible thought.

The first brainstorming session was cool, but had so many elements that couldn't possibly be pulled off in a day. I slept on it, woke up the next morning, and wrote what has officially become my first short film script. I usually work from my head and from instinct as a photographer, but this will be my first 100% video production with 100% of my own original video capture (no photography whatsoever).


my script and a tool of the trade

Rest in Peace Michael

Kari and I together as the King of Pop...Halloween 2006

Spoken Word, Photography, Film, Collaboration

I'm working on a new philm. This one will be a collaboration with the young man in the video below. I organized an event called the Free Speech Art Cafe a couple months ago. This is "Eka" performing Writing Process at that event.

The philm we are working on together is called REVOLUTION.
Stay tuned

this is my true vision

to help other people see you the way you see yourself...
to expose the beauty of the world's diverse cultures and traditions...
to capture the pure, simple, beautiful essence of the world's most powerful emotion...
This is my true vision.

...and this is a sneak peak at my new website. I can't wait to show you the rest.


The New Photography Collection of Kari and Carlton Mackey - coming soon

Cutting Up 'The World' One SLICE at a Time

So my new patnas at SLICE Magazine just gave me a huge shout out this morning. What could I do in return except do the same. SLICE Blog was created to display and promote primarily Canadian artists, as well as to encourage discourse among the arts and culture community. Be sure to check them out. Their stuff is always fresh.

I tipped them off to the band that I used in my latest philm AUTO-JUNK-A-LITE. The name of the band is Bonde Do Role. Check out their myspace page and tell them you heard about them from me. (...and I actually got put on to them by my homeboy. Shout-out to Mark R-B!)


You are going to love the band...Trust Me...but you are going to want to take a trip to the Bahamas for the next Junkanoo Parade just to meet the guy below. My wife and I traveled there for New Years this year. Read our stories from Junkanoo posts to hear exactly how much of a good time it was.


To see more photos of "VITA-MALT" and other colorful sights from Junkanoo Click Here.
Otherwise...Enjoy the Show (Again)!

VISION Philms by Carlton D. Mackey
Photography + Film = Philm
- a creative fusion of contemporary photography, vintage film, and rare music.

Iraq's Newly Open Gays Face Scorn and Murder

...is the title of a New York Times Article I read yesterday. It's most poignant lines read, "In the past two months, the bodies of as many as 25 boys and men suspected of being gay have turned up..." and the closing lines of the article are from a young man and Iraqi citizen which read, "I don't care about the militias anymore, because they're going to kill me anyway-today, tomorrow, or the day after".

The chilling realization is that by the time I finish typing this blog Sa'ad's words may be all that are left...
...and that is worth reflecting on. What does it mean to live life knowing that your existence is so scorned that you will face CERTAIN death at opportunities next entrance?

(i have typed and deleted too many lines at this point to count. i can't get my words together. this article and the thoughts it has generated have really gotten to me)

As an African-American I cannot disconnect the history of one group's struggle for human rights from another. The imminence of death for simply existing as one's self is too marquee. There has to be another mode for dealing with difference.

Through art I'll continue to strive to offer an alternative...a window through which I may peer through and when the light and shadows are just right may offer me a glimpse of my own reflection.

Re-Releasing:

Coffee - A Regular Joe *a philm by Carlton D. Mackey

Patience, Trust, Integrity...a Big Mistake

That bag that you see me with in this picture is very important to me...so are its contents. It belonged to Kari and my Uncle Glenn. Uncle Glenn died tragically in a car accident. He loved his family and photography. Uncle Gary sent us a package for Christmas this year. Enclosed in a box was this bag, a 70's era Nikon SLR, and a letter. In the middle of the letter was this quote: "This has been sitting in my closet for years and I know with what you are doing, Glenn would have wanted you to have this." This letter and a receipt from 1984 for a repair to the lens stays in the bag at all times.

I carry this bag everyday. It is cool, holds sentimental value, and encloses my own camera and accessories. You almost never see me without it. I take it everywhere...and therein lies the problem.

Friday night me, Kari, and two of our friends went to Cafe Istanbul. Cool Spot... Belly Dancers, Turkish Coffee, Pillows, Hookahs. It's Packed. We sit in the not-as-cool "holding area" and eat hummus until a table clears.

The next morning (after a great night), I want to listen to Bondo de Role's With Lasers album. I'm conceptualizing a new philm to a song off of that album. Then it hit me. I don't have my iPod...which means that I don't have my still camera, which means that I don't have my video camera, which means I don't have my bag...which means I left it at Cafe Istanbul in the not-as-cool "holding area". $7000 worth of stuff and a bag that is priceless.

I call Cafe Istanbul and ask for the owner. I know him personally. Through my job at Emory, I've brought countless students here over the years and have gotten to know him well. He's not there. The person from the staff who answers the phone says he doesn't see a brown bag with two zippers and a long handle. "Call back b/w 2 and 3 o'clock. _________ will be in then".

It's noon.

tick
tick
tick
playing it cool.
watch tv
clean up
play with dogs
tick
tick
tick

call back.

___________ answers the phone. I talk. He listens and responds, "I have it right here...and by the way...how much does that camera actually cost?"

I pick it up about an hour later. Kari shakes her head repeatedly...then laughs.

photos: carlton mackey by kari mackey, miami (march 2009)

Go to Cafe Istanbul every time you're hungry and want to be around people with integrity. Tell them (an imperfect person named) Carlton sent you.

Artists Give Freedom to Speech - Free Speech Art Cafe

Artists Give Freedom to Speech
By Pooja Yadav Posted: 03/30/2009
The Emory Wheel
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” said Voltaire, whose powerful quote is resounded by millions of free speech activists, including Martin Luther King Jr., Bob Marley and Nelson Mandela, who fought for a better world. Last week, Emory students gathered to explore these heroes and their words, using their art, songs and poetry to convey the issues they felt passionate about in their own lives.

The Free Speech Art Café, hosted by the Center for Ethics last Monday, exhibited student art and performances that undertook the idea of free speech. Despite being the first café sponsored by the Center, there was a strong audience turnout that packed a room with more than 75 people, prompting the organizers to continuously bring in more chairs.

Carlton Mackey, the organizer and director of the Ethics and Servant Leadership program, was especially enthusiastic about the students’ artistic submissions and performances, which had allowed the event to take place.

“Originally there was supposed to be a lecture on freedom of speech, but I wanted to give students the chance to express themselves,” said Mackey......

click here to read the rest of the article
— Contact Pooja Yadav.
pyadav2@emory.edu

To God Be the Glory

for granting me life
for giving me spirit
for access to knowledge
for bringing me near it
for four second chances
for presence of mind
for infinite possibilities
for consciousness of time
for the ability to see
through intuition and perception
for the mistakes of today
and their valuable lessons
-carlton

Express Yourself

the powers that be gave me another opportunity to make an attempt at organizing and hosting an event. several months ago, i had the distinct pleasure of forging a friendship with a couple that continues to inspire and uplift my spirit. dan and dena keplinger are artists and fighting spirits. you should know them and their work. you too will be uplifted. www.kinggimp.com
thanks for everything guys and congratulations.

coming soon

Urban Chic Sophisticate Hip Ho[p]tel

Kari and I spent last weekend in South Beach Miami, Florida...a first time for both of us. We rested out heads for a couple of hours each night in a hotel that had a totally different feel than any other that i've been in.

WHITELAW Hotel - Miami, Florida