Halloween Island

North Mutator!

2011-05-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

Collective drawing by North Mutator (K.W.Zentner, S.Higgins, W.A.Davison), Toronto, May 23/11.

Collaborative Texts

2011-01-20T14:29:00.000-08:00

Several collaborative texts from our recent meeting with Ron Sakolsky:

Seaweed Breakfast

Tiny particles open onto poisonous smiles as the lid of the coffin closes and closes and closes and suddenly a bell rings underwater but the sound is muffled by the night air and hair falling from the trees. Motors collapse under your eyelids, heavy with wind that rustles around the back door. Wrestlers dance ring-around-the-rosy from dawn until another tree collapses from the weight of the hair. So I tie them up in ponytails and braid them like dreadlocks of green seaweed that smells vaguely of dandelions and floating islands consisting of tortoise shells and seaweed necklaces tightened round the necks of alabaster cakes.

The spatula slaps the pancake in the face.

~~~~~

The Abstract Gorillas

The mechanical birds gathered around feasting on the flesh of roasted peat moss and bears. Other creatures talk quietly while baring their yellow teeth, and yellow toes, yelling about dirt and the Abstract Gorillas kiss and lick in cacophonous smacks, all of the back doors closing with a slam and the front doors wide open in anticipation of cheese. Other apparitions appeared to be floating like a souffle puffing up and up under the old lady's skirt. A mastodon sneezes her up to the skylight with the force of a swift wind winder.

These types often get upset over the most minor aberrations like small buffalo stampedes and empty enema bags.

~~~~~

Hexagon

When snow falls up in ickly blue flakes it drops down into old buckets of rusty body parts which glow like worms of green hue looking quite lovely in the reflection from your eye's eye. I painted a large hexagon on your belly with my sperm, no I didn't think it inappropriate at all, in fact your scent was thrilling to the parakeet too.

His/her feathers vibrated in time with the pseudomusical groin calculations of starry nights aboard sinking ships. Audrey was taken by a sudden impulse to eat mud and, according to her nature, vomited.

~~~~~

Several rounds of "If, Then, Because" (variation of Le Cadavre Exquis game):

If boats fly then my sister's lips are wet because antlers are heavy.

If carousels spin then grab your hat because the backsliding preacher is among us.

If money grew on trees then all the trees walk because some people aren't very careful.

If bugs fly then mountains excrete sand because your hands are curled tightly around his thighs.

If the night was day then ants would dance because sand drifts under the door.

If brooms walk among us then keys are only used to open what is stuck because mice like privacy.

If bellowing behemoths embrace in automobiles then eagles sing because sections of the ceiling will collapse.

If the piano catches fire then music burns your fingers because girls like fun.

If drill sergeants laugh then salamanders whirl like dervishes because the red rhinoceros peeks through the hedges twice a day.

If the tiles on the floor flew up your nose then old men see things because the crimson carapace cracks.

If Victorian ambulances appear unexpectedly then coconut trees are like candy to foresters because spider webs are sticky.

If lakes shimmer at night then the black tooth glows feverishly because underneath your doormat is not my resting place.

If your face was made of sausages and lace then flower petals feel soft because electric sea creatures are not always very friendly.

If space capsules land on your house then the laughter of penguins would not be in vain because all people like surprises.

If oranges are edible then birthday cakes explode because the right side of your face doesn't know what the left side is saying.

- R.Sakolsky, S.Higgins, W.A.Davison, Toronto, Jan. 16, 2011

avec Les Boules!

2010-07-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

Collective drawing collaboration between The Recordists (Davison/Higgins), Enrique Lechuga, and Les Boules (Montreal drawing group that has been producing collectively created artworks for more than 30 years! http://www.i-jacques.com/rotuledelimpie.html), Montreal, June 5, 2010

collage/drawings, May 12/10

2010-05-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

Collective collage/drawings, Future Bakery, Toronto, May 12, 2010. Participants: S.Higgins, W.A.Davison, E.Lechuga.

Definitions

2009-11-23T08:20:00.000-08:00

As part of my Nov. 21st presentation at No Face, No Problem, I played a round of "Definitions" with the audience. The results are recorded here:

anal - to put your butt on each other.

apron - to leave slowly.

barf - to create or assemble from materials.

bog - to tidy or clean when one is supposed to be doing something more important.

dog - a pharmacological sleeping aid.

dream - noun: an object one acquires when in a state of turmoil. Falls from the ceiling.

duh - a thing smaller than a bread box.

emit - a special leotard-like strip which holds the toaster down before popping.

fear - too many Johnny's.

help! - is the feeling you get after a night of climbing trees and vomiting from the upper-most branches.

hotdog - adverb: swiftly, quickly and calmly.

kittens - verb: thinking with your eyes open while sleeping.

lugubrious - _____ (blank).

magnify - a great anticlimax.

oink - a drink that comes from a cow's udder.

oversion - not after the best before date.

poo - refers to the battle in 1893 in the fields of Archubacht. Colloquially means to burn diamonds in April.

redemption - red liquid in the body.

sebaceous - a vessel used for nice wine.

sexy - a large tree grown for its strong wood.

sheepish - what hangs lightly.

sick - a state of non-abrasive wonderment resulting in unexplored emotion.

thing - a form which transcends all living matter.

tiger - is the best thing that came out of 1992.

time - to simmer forcefully.

tintinnabulation - noun: sort of like an expensive thing you could buy, like a nice thing, only it's not so great.

yet - an obsolete currency.

_____ (blank) - a murky, deserted place.

In the game of "Definitions" each player writes a single word on the inside of a folded piece of paper. The slips of paper are then passed around the circle, or shuffled and redistributed, and each player then writes a "definition" (in the style of a dictionary definition but funny, serious, dramatic, poetic, absurd, stupid, whatever) on the outside of the folded piece of paper (without looking at the word inside, of course!). The slips are then unfolded and read out loud to the group.

The above definitions will be added to our "Recordist Lexicon" which we started back in the late 90's as part of IBRI's weekly open meeting series (IBRI = the International Bureau of Recordist Investigation, 1994 - 2004).

Unfortunately, I was not able to record the names of all of the participants. If you were there and would like to be credited just send me an email - davison(at)recordism(dot)com. A partial list of participants (the few people I knew and remember being there): Filip Anton, John Barlow, Marc Bell, Mark Connery, Jesjit Gill, Anna May Henry, Graham Hollings, Laura McCoy, Jon McCurley, Brian Random, Nicole Turok.

- William

Drawing tonight!

2009-11-22T07:38:00.001-08:00

Sorry I haven't been able to organize a drawing party this month, our recent travels resulted in a huge backlog of work which I've been wading through over the past week. We'll try to get back on the drawing party thing next month.

In the meantime, we will be at The Ossington tonight for Robert Dayton's "Feelings" DJ set and while we're there we will likely do some drawing. So come on out, say hi and sit in on the drawing if you like!

- William A. Davison

Drawings, Oct. 19/09

2009-10-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

Collective drawings from The Ossington Drawing Party held at The Ossington, Toronto, Oct. 19, 2009. Participants: W.A.Davison, S.Higgins, Larry Eisenstein, Jacob Hughes, Jesjit Gill, Mat Brown, Mark Bland, Ron Loranger.

Oct. Drawing Party!

2009-10-16T19:49:00.001-07:00

First drawing party in a couple of months (!) this Monday, Oct. 19th, 9pm - 12am (or later) at The Ossington, 61 Ossington Ave., Toronto. Bring pens, pencils, paper, good vibes, wicked imaginations, etc.

- William

no drawing party

2009-08-14T15:31:00.001-07:00

No drawing party this month, we're on vacation!

- William

at The Ossington tonight

2009-07-26T12:06:00.001-07:00

S.Higgins and I will be at The Ossington (61 Ossington Ave., Toronto) tonight for Robert Dayton's DJ set. 9pm on. Probably do some drawing, or writing, or something while we're there.

- William

Drawings, July 20/09

2009-07-26T08:27:00.000-07:00

Collective drawings from The Ossington Drawing Party held at The Ossington, Toronto, July 20, 2009. Participants: W.A.Davison, S.Higgins, Lorenz Peter, Daeve Fellows, David James, Jim Bailey, Pete O'Hearn, Kaya O'Hearn.

Collaborative texts, July 19/09

2009-07-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

Barbarians vs. Cowboys

The lake of mud quivered slightly as she emerged, slowly and obliquely angled. Her bonnet remained hopeless but fear gripped the throng of onlookers and hippies sat in the back in a haze of goats' hair. The sack remained motionless, humming slightly for the return of England and other outmoded extravagances. Questioning whether it was possible to put both legs in one compartment, Lady Anthracite blinked and fluttered in the fog. "It's all a sham!", she moaned as the mysterious lights slowly moved under her smock. Scarlet flowerpots fell from a tremendous height only to ascend rapidly again mere seconds before crashing. Protective magic might serve to hide those unsightly folds of flesh worn by the Barbarian tribes but around here the cowboys have got it all wrapped up!

The Bearded One!

Feathers and paint were the sole components of his elaborate and ornate vehicle. The wheels were aristocratic planets that creaked in a vaguely tuneful way as they turned the butterfly wings. Older men scuttled across the ocean floor like crabs while the young ones employed inflatable roses to float to the oily surface. Loose or tight, molded infants appeared in the wings, their plastic faces gleaming under shapeless garments or microscopic organisms. Magpies grew more formal and transparent as evening descended. A crippled mathematician disintegrated into a picturesque fog. The mechanisms were inspected carefully and cleaned of any errant hares and toads but witchcraft still seemed the more viable option under the circumstances. Oak or willow poppies clattered noisily in the driveway where earlier civilizations once provided bugs with floatation devices. Queen Elizabeth now appeared from under a rock. "Behold, the Bearded One!", she exclaimed while extraordinary discretion kept her from revealing her magnificently lathered apparition.

- S.Higgins, W.A.Davison, July 19, 2009

Drawing Party July 20th

2009-07-18T20:56:00.000-07:00

Drawing Drawing!!

This month's Ossington Drawing Party is set for Monday, July 20th at 9pm. Yes, that IS this coming Monday, as in two days from now! Sorry for the short notice. It was originally set for the 27th but there were some scheduling conflicts so we bumped it ahead.

This Monday at The Ossington is also the one-year anniversary of Intervention Monday (our generous hosts!) so it's an extra-special evening and should be a lot of fun! Bring your fave drawing implements and your collaborative spirit.

But wait! What if you just can't hang on until Monday? Then come and join us at The Ossington tomorrow night too! That's right, we'll be there Sunday night for Robert Dayton's DJ set "Feelings"...ah, good times my friends, good times...

To recap:

Sunday, July 19th, 9pm we'll be at The Ossington (61 Ossington Ave., Toronto) for "Feelings"

Monday, July 20th, 9pm at The Ossington again for the Ossington Drawing Party and the Intervention Monday one-year anniversary!

See ya there!

- William

More Drawings, June 29/09

2009-07-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

Collective drawings from The Ossington Drawing Party held at The Ossington, Toronto, June 29, 2009. Participants: W.A.Davison, Mark Connery, Kelly Wilson, Alex Scholz, Jesse Huisken, S.Higgins, Peter Kalyniuk, Lorenz Peter, Kerry Zentner, Olia Mishchenko, Steve Venright.

Drawings, June 29/09

2009-07-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

June drawing party

2009-06-23T07:54:00.001-07:00

Next drawing party is set for Mon., June 29, 9pm - 12am at The Ossington (61 Ossington Ave.). Hope to see you there!

- William

The Ossington tonight

2009-06-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

S.Higgins and I will be at The Ossington (61 Ossington Ave.) this evening around 9 or 9:30 to listen to Robert Dayton's DJ set (with guest DJ Mishegoss). Not our official drawing night but we will likely do some collective drawing while we're there. Come out, say hi, sit down and draw with us, shoot the shit, etc. etc.

Hope to see you there!

- William

Drawings, May 18/09

2009-05-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

Collective drawings from The Ossington Drawing Party held at The Ossington, Toronto, May 18, 2009. Participants: W.A.Davison, Mark Connery, Brian Demoskoff.

Drawing Party May 18th

2009-05-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

Our monthly drawing party is set to take place at The Ossington this coming Monday. Bring your favorite mark-making devices, paper, positive vibes, etc.

Monday, May 18, 2009, 9pm - 12am (or later)
The Ossington
61 Ossington Ave., Toronto

- William

Drawings, May 3/09

2009-05-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

Collective drawings from impromptu drawing session at The Ossington, Toronto, May 3, 2009. Participants: Dahye Kim, S.Higgins, Kerry Wright Zentner, W.A.Davison, Brian Demoskoff.

at The Ossington tonight

2009-05-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

S.Higgins and I will be at The Ossington (61 Ossington Ave., Toronto) tonight around 10pm. Our friends Robert and Kevin are DJing so it's a good night to just hang out, relax, chat with whoever might be there, etc. It's not our official drawing night (so we won't be able to take over the back room) but we will likely do some collective drawing and maybe some writing too. Maybe we'll see you there!

- William

Drawing, Sept. 29/08

2009-04-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

Collective drawing from The Ossington Drawing Party held at The Ossington, Toronto, Sept. 29, 2008. Participants (partial list): Mark Connery, S.Higgins, W.A.Davison, Kerry Wright Zentner, Jon McCurley, Laura McCoy, Graham, Lorenz Peter, Ellie Ardani, Andrew Harwood, Mat Brown, Ron.

Drawing, Sept. 17/08 + Sept. 29/08

2009-04-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

Collective drawing from drawing session held at Future Bakery, Toronto, Sept. 17, 2008 and completed at The Ossington Drawing Party, The Ossington, Toronto, Sept. 29, 2008. Sept. 17 participants: Mark Connery, S.Higgins, W.A.Davison, Graham. Sept. 29 participants (partial list): Mark Connery, S.Higgins, W.A.Davison, Kerry Wright Zentner, Jon McCurley, Laura McCoy, Graham, Lorenz Peter, Ellie Ardani, Andrew Harwood, Mat Brown, Ron.

Drawing, Sept. 17/08

2009-04-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

Collective drawing from drawing session held at Future Bakery, Toronto, Sept. 17, 2008. Participants: Mark Connery, S.Higgins, W.A.Davison, Graham.

Collage/Drawings, Dec. 1/08

2009-04-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

Collective collage/drawings from The Ossington Drawing Party held at The Ossington, Toronto, Dec. 1, 2008. Participants: Michelangelo Iaffaldano, S.Higgins, W.A.Davison.