Forum Thread: Explore - Phil Ebiner

Interesting no smells.

Exploration #2

Something I noticed:

On the drive from my girlfriend's house, I noticed two street signs right near each other. They were 'Walnut' and 'Bonita'

I used to live on another street named Walnut and the nearest cross street was Bonita...

Weird!

Did you live in San Dimas?

yep!

4th and walnut... now i live on san dimas ave...

did you???

Exploration 5...

So I hope you all don't think I'm cheating. I didn't take a picture.

But over the past couple days I've been collecting wrappers. It was the first thing I saw on my desk the other day. And I have progressively collected a nice variety of food and package wrappers. 

At my internship there are a lot of free snacks and my wrapper collection grew quite quickly:

got trail mix bars, chocolates, prune wrapper...

I realized that everything is wrapped in this country!

We are a country of packaged goods.  The ingredients are the scary part for me.  Next time you go buy bread look at all the ingredients.  Bread should be flour, water, yeast.  Thats all that is needed.  Its nearly impossible to only find those 3 ingredients in a loaf of bread.

Scan the wrappers if you have a flat bed and post them high-res.  You will need all these elements later for your final piece.

Exploration #6)

LEGO castle set! When I was a kid, I loved playing with LEGOs. Day in and day out, I would set up skyscrapers and western forts. As I built up my worlds brick by brick, I would come up with stories.

My favorite was my Castle Set. It contained trap doors, hidden skeletons, and a full army. Battles raged on the floor of my room.

Sometimes I wonder where our imaginations go. I wonder how we, as kids, can sit for hours and live in made-up worlds. We spend afternoons outdoors looking around the backyard, coming up with things to do.

Then I realize that the career I'm heading towards is full of imagination. And that makes me happy!

Exploration #10)

Ordinary object.

Arrowhead Water Bottle:

Top half, contains water droplets in resting on the inner edges of the bottle. Date Stamped. It looks like it hasn't been opened in a while. Water doesn't reach the top half of the bottle. The Cap is open. There is a little bump on the cap that looks like a fingerprint. It is shaped like a wine bottle ( This is the Sparkling Water... not regular).

Bottom half, water reaches about a centimeter below the label. The water moves through the subtle movements of the world. Green, Blue, White, Red dominate the label color. Actually green is only slightly there. Maybe green is an unattractive color for a water label. Made with CO2, thats where it gets its bubbles. It was established 116 years ago! wow! It has four legs. nope 5. Why does it say *contains 100% natural ingredients. dang, if my water contained unnatural ingredients, i'd be scared!

Exploration 7: Colors!

There are many colors of my life. One that I connect to more than others is a light blue-ish aqua color. Its not quite turquoise, but almost there. I also like turquoise though! (I have a turquoise kurta- Indian wear) 

I painted my bedroom this blue color when I was thirteen all by myself. Now that my little brother moved into my room, its a bright orange! Yuck! 

I really like blues and greens... I like greens because it reminds me of the environment. I hope to have a garden/jungle when I grow up. 

I feel like my dreams are de-saturated. I don't tend to remember any bright colors. Especially reds... I don't remember reds in my dreams at all! How strange?!

My friend said I look good in blue. I was wearing jeans and a blue collared shirt. I thought this was a bad fashion statement: blue and blue. But it ended up looking nice (i guess). 

When I make movies though, I hate using colored text. Idk why?! It just doesn't appeal to me. I like white text and sometimes black. Even gray works for me. Does this say something about my personality? I usually am a pretty vibrant person. Maybe next time I'll try some different colored texts. 

This exploration has been a free-thought experiment brought to you by my internship lunch break! Hope you enjoyed!

Exploration 7:

Exploration 8:

The story of cracks.

This crack goes into a tree.

This crack has leaves.

This crack almost broke my ankle.

Exploration 9:

Miniature Museum

Things collected at my internship desk:

macbook mini converter

bottle cap

mini-dv (get it)

pen cap!

Exploration 15:

(I know I'm going out of order)

This is what I consumed to day (somewhat in order):

1 Hot chocolate packet with cup of water

1 oatmeal pack

1 scoop nutella

1 cup rice

some corn

1 viatnamese sandwich

some ink in my pen

1 showers worth of water (soap and shampoo too)

1 tissue wipe at the gym

1 piece of gum

electricity... lights, microwave, fridge

5 glasses of water

3 pieces of pizza

5-6 pages of notebook paper

printed out 4 pages of work

1 newspaper

and thats what i can think of! Dang! We are in a consumerist society for sure!

No art or video. : (

Exploration 14: Sounds!

Sitting on my couch, here are the sounds I hear.

Roommate sneeze

Airplane outside

Phone buzz

Keyboard being typed

Music

light switch

Car outside

Ruffle of paper

Shower

Door open

Voice of friend

scratch on my head

stomach noises

car going over bumps outside

car door opening

plane landing

tinkle of roommates arm bands

Exploration 12:

My night at glow!

50 things (pics to be added tonight)

Drove down lincoln and turned onto washington. Noticed a persian restaurant i want to go to. Almost ran into a biker. Skateboarder riding in the middle of the street. Turned onto pacific ave. Don't know what street to turn down, but turned on a random street past Rose. Parked next to a two story building. Had to back up a couple times. Locked bikes to back of truck. Isabel and I took our two bikes to boardwalk. Noticed the street sign and texted my friend where we parked. There are lots of bikes out tonight. The wind feels good against my face. Its not too cold out. I see the pier lit up ahead. We park our cars next to a fence. A strange man tells us about love. He was on drugs I think. The first art installation is cool... light up DNA. There are a lot of people here. Walk to sand. It's cool that the installations are actually on the sand. A man yells,'dont touch the neon,' to a crowd lined up to go through a tunnel of lights. It smells like weed everywhere. The guy in front of me is drinking a beer in public. I took a picture of Isabel. I like the music from over there (looking in the distance.) The next installation is not so cool, boring video of a beach. I wonder where Diego is. The purple lights in the distance are hard to look at. Foam is spilling out of a lifeguard tower. Water might be expensive. It's 2 bucks, not bad... i'm parched. The cops are aggressive. So many people. This whole food truck phenomenon is interesting. The man at the next installation has a cool voice. I wish he was my grandpa. The man in front of me is too tall. I wish he left. I like the music from this one. The drummers must be tired. I wonder how Beth is in Africa. The greasy weiner... what a good name for a food truck, not. Diego is drunk. Hector isn't wearing his glasses. Bree is taller than Diego. When are we going to go home? The acrobats are cool. They remind me of the cirque du soleil. There are two sketchy guys in the parking lot looking at us. Diego and Bree beat us to the car. I love the smell of the ocean. My eyes kind of hurt. Let's go home...

pics to be added later!

Exploration 16:

Do you believe in God?

75% yes

25% no

Do you consider yourself spiritual?

75% yes

25% no

Do you go to church?

25% yes

50% no

25% rare occasions

Do you pray?

50% yes

50% no

What religion are you?

50%- Christian/Catholic

25%- no religion... just spiritual

25%- atheist

Exploration 11...

pieces of tree bark

Exploration 18

Exploration 3:

Exploration 13

Exploration 17!

Exploration 22:

People Watching

Man With Stone Jersey

Boy with lunch sack

Girl in whit skirt with camera

Hot Dog Lady

Girl on Razor

(creeper shot)

Man collecting recyclables

Man with stroller

Lady with backpack

Girl on Bike...

Exploration 21:
Favorite Street

Along the road glittered signs of bars and the lively night community.

in the fall

The sounds of camradarie fill the air every night.

One can find themselves with a group of fake Aussies at the BillaBonn. Or you might want to try the Irish crowd across the street. For a nice relaxing chat over a beer, try LichtBlich on the corner of this quaint neighborhood street.

Be wary of strangers during the snowy season as a snowball fight might just break out at any moment.

in the fall!

Exploration 20: Thoughts throughout my week...

Who's going to be in charge of the photo exhibit? Maybe Sahar can take charge of selling our handicrafts. I need coffee. Is it Sunday? Oh crap its monday, gotta get up.

It smells like beer. This tastes good. I love her. I wanna hang out with Bobcatt more this week. FIFA is awesome. The sky is beautiful

I feel comfortable here. Why do I have to go to this? MMM... churros.

Coke bubbles on my tongue feel funny. Stop that! That tickles. I want a kitty.

Where is Mal? It's raining today?! My elbow hurts.

Oh shoot, her earring is falling off.

That movie was good. It went be really fast.

Exploration 23: Solve a Mystery.

So today when I went to my internship, I was surprised to see a group of dead flies in the urinal. It was a monday morning, so I figured they had collected over the weekend.

Okay, yah this is kinda gross. So I researched the problem.

None of the other urinals or toilets had flies in them.

I looked online and found a site dedicated to these 'drain flies' that get trapped in toilets.

http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/drainflies.htm

weird! sorry... didnt snap a picture... kinda gross

Exploration 19 Pigments:

Different types of pigments from around my world-

orange juice, melted hershey kisses, crushed leaves, juice, tea, shampoo, milk, toothpaste, olive oil, crushed vegetables (especially tomatoes), melted jolly rancher, yogurt...

Sorry all my explorations are out of order...

but according to the book, there are no rules when exploring :)

You do need to number them correctly.

Can you please go back and number them, thanks.

I count you missing one exercise, though I can't tell which - either 11 or an early one. 

Exploration 4:

I could make something up that i collected on my walk... 

or do it later...

and just get the F.

i'll be honest... didn't do this one.

Exploration 24:

Exploration 25:

Last week when it rained, I found many shapes of water.

Cupped in leaves. Running between the cracks on the ground. In an open bottle.

Water comes in the shape of a drop. Flat. Round.

One can shape water into any shape you want...

In the form of a wave.

Exploration 26:

Things I use in my daily routine:

Pillow. Blanket. Mattress.

Shower head. pipes. water.

Utensils. Fridge.

Bicycle. Air Pump.

Desk. Chair. Cup.

Plate. Pencil. Gasoline.

Couch. Television. Stove. Microwave.

Oxygen. H2O.

Exploration 27:

Found Art:

sweet art on my walk.

Exploration 28:

The object in my pocket is this...

A rectangular box with rounded edges. One side has bumps. But part of this side has a smooth screen on it. It is about as long as one of my fingers. The other side is half that size. On the edge, it has a groove that goes around the entire object.

It is my cell phone.

The object in my pocket is this...

It is long and round. It has a point at the end. The other end is a little soft and rubbery. It has a clip on one side- rectangular shaped clip. At one end, the rounded side has little grooves all round the cylinder.

It is a mechanical pencil.

Exploration 29:

Tactile boards...

My qualities:

1/3- adventurous

1/3- cuddliness

1/3- wisdom

Exploration 30:

Travel History:

Ate an apple on my way to my internship at Participant Media. Walking down the stairs of the parking garage.

Exploration 31: Found Sounds

Sounds I heard on my beach field trip:

-lapping of waves

-airplanes from LAX

-sand bulldozer

-seagulls

-wind against my ears

-people's voices

-people playing volleyball

-dog

Exploration 32: World of Magic

These magic tennis balls were found in a field near my apartment. They come from the heavens up above. One can toss their balls up into the sky while making a wish. It becomes stuck in the clouds of heaven. At night, the angels play golf with these balls. Because of their magical qualities they go further than other types of balls. When you see a shooting star in the sky, you can know that an angel is practicing his swing up above. When your ball is played, your wish is granted...

Exploration 33: Arrangements

An arrangement of rocks in Joshua Tree. People come by and make their own stack. The higher the better.

Exploration 34: Interesting Garbage

This morning I went and did a beach clean up with my service organization. I found some very interesting garbage. Most of it consisted of styrofoam, straws, bottle caps. But other items I found included wine bottles, tennis balls, medicine capsules, and old matchbox cars.

Obviously these items were either thrown out or got lost in a gutter somewhere. Either way, they were left unloved.

I thought of some ways to reuse these trash items and other trash items i've thrown away in the past.

Wine Bottle Flower Vase: great way to use old wine bottles. I did this for my girlfriend a few weeks ago.

Coin holder: My dad always has a medicine capsule of loose change in his glove compartment. A good way to reuse old plastic and a good way to keep track of your change.

Tennis ball art... well... yah...

Exploration 35: Invisible City

Magic waterfall by my apartment. This waterfall contains the water of life. No, it doesn't give you everlasting life. But it will change into any drink you want. You name it: Kool-Aid, Hi-C, TANG... it does 'em all.

Exploration 36: Inanimate Objects

A little Christmas decoration story I made a few years ago. Kinda long... but fun with inanimate objects!

Here's a little video I made a few years ago. Thought about it because it has a part with an inanimate object coming alive!

Exploration 37: Time Observation

1. How fast the ice melts in my glass of juice.

2. How fast my food gets cold.

3. The change of television show.

4. The brightness outside.

Exploration 38: Grocery Shopping

Ralphs Cheese Aisle:

Brie- tried

Camembert- nope

Goat Cheese- tried

Cheddar (mild-strong)- tried

Gouda- tried

Parmesan- tried

Munster- tried

Limburger- nope

Emmentaler- tried

Gruyere- tried

Jack- tried

Jalapeno Pepper- tried

String Cheese- tried

American- tried

Swiss- tried

I love cheese!

Exploration 39: Food as Art

Quesadillas and refried beans...

Turn the knob of the stove. Flip on a pan. Spin four corn tortillas onto the surface. Cheese: Mexican shredded. Pile a handful onto each tortilla. The smell rises to my mouse. Burned cheese that missed the tortilla. Toss another tortilla on top.

Start the beans. Sizzle as they hit the pan. Smooooosh with a spoon.

Flip the quesadilla. One side is browned. Looks delicious. Why does it look better when it is toasted.

Steam rises from the beans. Flip quesadilla. Cheese squeezes out the sides. Feels warm enough. Looks warm enough. Smells warm enough.

Stir beans. Scoop onto plate.

Tap some tapatio onto the beans.

Bite. mmmmm...

Exploration 40: Altered States

This morning I woke up feeling sick. I decided to document my day as a sick person. I found out that my whole life is altered. Waking up was harder this morning than usual due to the lack of sleep. The warm shower felt better than before. The cereal was a struggle going down my throat. Answering questions in spanish was also more difficult. But my accent sounded better for some reason. Today at my internship I felt more content with just sitting in front of a computer screen all day. I've drinken a lot more today. Food doesn't taste as good. I've had to pee a lot more than usual. The day overall is slightly not as good as normal mondays...

Sickness has altered me.

Exploration 41: Found Faces

In my yogurt. Two almonds for eyes and a spoon for the tongue.

This bag didn't remind me of a face, but it reminded me of a mouth. I guess that's why they call it the 'mouth' of the bag...

Exploration 44: Library Poem

Richard IV, on the road

without a crew, the te of piglet

A farewell to arms, my first movie

cut by cut, revenge

of the apple revolutionary

Hamlet, romeo, and henry

interviews of a broken heart

beat down, under shadows

our dumb world winks at you

peace and change we can believe in,

tis the story of them all...

Exploration 43: Found Paper

Exploration 42:

India- Interviewed Diego, Vince, Sahar, Caitlin, Myself:

"A cinematographer's dream"

"Beautiful and desperate"

"So many flies!"

"My home"

"No trip to Disneyland"

"Peaceful"

"Serene"

"Full of life!"

"Can't wait to go back"

"Never want to go back"

"Colorful!"

Exploration 45:

Breaths I take

13 per minute. that means:

780 per hour.

18720 per day.

131040 per week.

6814080 per year.

545,126,400 per life (80 years)

Total breaths so far: 143,095,680

CRAZY!

Exploration 46: Patterns

Exploration 48:

Compositions: Can you tell what they are?

Exploration 49:

Overheard conversations.

At breakfast yesterday, at Denny's, my girlfriend and i overheard a couple talking about eating sugar.

Another couple talked about the marijuana proposition.

At a halloween party I heard people talking about the beer, about the bathroom line, about going to another party, about what their ridiculous costumes were.

Exploration 50:

Due to a stuffy nose, this adventure was hard for me this week. But the results indicate smells that were particularly strong. Here they are:

grass from the many lawns

a hint of gasoline or some other smell like that

the after rain smell of the puddles

Donut smell from yum yum donuts

Food from Denny's

Exploration 51: Daily Encyclopedia

Personal Health Related:

Shower

Eat Meals

Run (see exercise)

Hang with friends (see also recreation)

Work Related:

Internship at Participant

Spanish Class

School

Projection Booth

Recreation:

Exercise- gym or run

Hang with Friends

Go to Loft

Edit

Take photos

Spend time with Girlfriend

Relationships:

Friends- spend time

Girlfriend- call on phone

Family- talk to once a week

Exploration 47:

Stains. Pics to come...

I am a messy eater. And when I drink, I often miss my mouth. In turn, this leads to many many stains all over my body...

Exploration 54:

TREES

I collected leaves that fell from a tree outside my apartment and used them to wrap a gift I gave to my girlfriend. I thought this was a creative and sustainable solution to buying wrapping paper!

Experiment 52:

I did this experiment on accident last week. I had a left over water bottle with a few different types of liquids in it. I experimented and left the bottle in my sink for a couple days. After a couple days a green blob began growing at the bottom of the bottle.

I made the mistake of opening up the bottle. The stench took my breath away. And almost my life.

After another day, a green film covered the sides of the bottle.

On the last day I opened the bottle to wash it. But the green blob had grown times four. The smell, well, couldn't be handled.

I ended up throwing the bottle away because I couldn't imagine ever drinking out of it again!

Blog I found about bacteria build-up in re-usable bottles: gross!

http://whatsh2ofor.blogspot.com/2009/04/bacteria-build-up-in-metal-plastic.html

Exploration 55/59:

Yesterday during lunch I decided to take a walk. I usually go on a certain walk around the block. But this time I walked the other way. I followed nothing. I just walked. I ended up in a beautiful courtyard which I plan to walk to today for lunch. I walked past a stranger twice. I think he was walking around the block the other way. I walked past a dog day care center. I work in Beverly Hills, and the dog center had a ton of chihuahuas outside. Ironic?

It was  a nice walk!

Exploration 57:

Yesterday from the kitchen of my apartment I began some thought experiments. This is what past my mind:

A girl walked by, what if she could fly?

A man passed by who looked like my boss. What if we all had clones walking around and we never knew it?

I drank sparkling water. What if this was the secret of life?