Deaf Culture Project and Not Completed

I am currently working on this mixed-media artwork that focuses on deaf culture. It is untitled as of now, for it is not completed yet. I am going through a challenge to figure out what else to add to the piece in order to make it become more completed.

As of now, I had a transparent print out of the lips. I used an empty clear plastic package that was for Eclipse black curtains I bought for my living room. I found a plastic bubble wrap. I folded the bubble wrap and slid that into the clear plastic package. I then zipped it up close. I used some clear strong glue at the corners on the back of the image of the lips and attached it onto the the clear plastic package. I poked the top left and right sides of the package and slid a fish thread through the holes. I then slid the thread through the holes of the grey plastic frame above the lips on package. I then tied the thread into a knot behind the package. It now holds the thing, hanging beneath the top of the frame. I then just glued the silver fabrics and taped the grey duct tapes on the frame.

That is it. I am stuck as of now with what else to do. I will need to add more duct tapes or fabrics on the frame. I will need to think of something that go behind the lips on package and frame. I then will have to figure out how to hang it as well.

This artwork conveys the message about deaf/hard of hearing people having difficult experiences upon reading the lips. That is the reason why I glued the words reading, "Threw a birthday." It doesn't make sense and apparently tells you that it could be a guess of what the lips said.

"Bones" in Jim Cohn's Napalm Helath Spa Site

My poem titled "Bones' is uploaded into Jim Cohn's Napalm Health Spa site. The site has well-known poets such as Anne Waldman, Peter Orlovsky, and more. I am very humbled to be in that site along those poets.

To see my video of "Bones" and other poets' work, go click on this site address:

http://www.poetspath.com/napalm/nhs10/index.html

You may need to scroll down until you find Eddie Swayze and "Bones" , then click on it to see my work.

Enjoy the site and spread the word to others.

"Come On and Then Pump It" Video/Electronic Music

I am showing you one video/electronic music work that I created for Rochester Institute of Technology's RIT Imagine Innovation+Creativity Festival, which was shown on May 1st, 2010.

This original composed trippy techno-house electronic music with original wild, crazy video were done in GarageBand (a music software) and iMovie (a video software) in Mac. In this video you're going to see, it does not show my ASL translations of poems at all. The only words that are spoken is the phrase saying, "Come on and then pump it!". This spoken word came from a free downloading sound effects site in the Internet. Like Bjork, a well-known Iceland electronic singer, she downloaded many sound stuff from the Internet and used them in her music. I said to myself, "Why can't I do that?" and so I did.

This is my favorite piece of work, for it turned out the most difficult project ever done. It was a challenge to try to match the video to the music. Many times, it didn't work out and I banged my head against the wall several times. Well, I did the best I could with this project.

I will present this music/video and other music/videos along my ASL poetry at NYC for Interborough Repertory Theatre (IRT). They will have D.E.A.F. Festival during the first week of June. I will be one of the performers on June 5th, Saturday. I will inform you all the exact time, location, cost if there is a ticket or charge to get in, and so on as soon as I get the information from IRT.

Enjoy this video.

Eddie Swayze (WildPoet)

"Interactive ASL Poetry", RIT Imagine

On May 1st, 2010, I will perform my ASL poetry in a high-tech approach for RIT Imagine Innovation and Creativity Festival 2010. It will start at 11 A.M. at the Golisano Building in the auditorium. This event is free to the public.

I will translate my original poems into ASL (American Sign Language) as my original composed electronic music is played. My voice will be heard, reading the poems, in the electronic music. At the same time, my original videos will be projected behind me on stage, which will relate to the poems. This kind of approach allows English and ASL poetry to coexist, which offers the deaf/hard of hearing and hearing audience a chance to appreciate simultaneously.

This is my biggest and challenging project I have ever done. I had to take the time to work on the music, videos, and English/ASL poems daily, which tells me that this is a lot of work ever done for me.

If any of you are in the Rochester, NY area, please spread the word and come on over to see the unique performance. RIT Imagine Innovation and Creativity Festival 2010 is a third annual event that showcases RIT students, faculty, and staff's high-tech, experimental work. This event is an all day festival from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M.

Three Poems for ArtAwake

My three poems were selected to be presented for Rochester's upcoming ArtAwake event on April 10th. I am honored to become one of the performers at the event. I will perform these three poems in ASL (American Sign Language) on stage along a recorded voice of mine, reading the English version of the work.

Here are the three selected poems, copied/pasted, for you to read. Enjoy!




‘"Carpe Diem on 99 Court St."


The ongoing wild electricity zaps behind me like a blue sparkling whip slashing on my back. I whirl around like a dervish in the land of rebels. My emotion is raw with exotic, alluring hues pulling me into a rebellious sensation. I dance like a wild horse, surrounded by dry smoke and blinking strobe lights. My hair flies around in all directions, a discordant punk blur. My blood discharges its outcries, combined with sweat, masking my whole flesh. This energy is a whaling voice of Patti Smith. My soul explores into other dimensions. The musique la’ anarchie’ screams out loud. It's an ultimate protest against the hypocrites. I shall prick their skins with my red rose thorns and wake them up from their deep slumber.


"Cry For The Summer"

I cry for the summer.

Warm rain
Kisses my face.
Gentle wind
Caresses my hair.
Sweat soaks my shirt.
My bare-feet dance on grass-blades.

Enjoy neon-lit amusement parks.
Taste sweet cotton candies.
Feel car hoods hot under the sunlight.
Swim in water into the night.
Cool wind kisses my wet skin.

See jogging men without shirts in the sun.
Laugh at fur-laden dogs sticking their heads out of car windows.
March with pride on the city streets in rainbows.

I envy for the sun burn.
Listen for birds singing in trees.
Crave for flowers in colors.
Seek for some warm water under the sun.
Drive under the summer moon.
Wear only t-shirts and shorts during the night.

I cry for the summer.



“All Is a Swirl Of Love (String Theory and Bjork)”

Photons dance through
Space and Time
In pure abstractions.
Invisible energies
Jazz up everywhere
In micro size,
In macro size.
All is a swirl of love.

Just close your eyes and believe.
They are our seas.
They hug us in beams.
Keep us warm and deep,
Always ever changing.
Dimensions morph in and out.
All is a swirl of love.

Touch anything and you will know.
Search inside and you will know.
Vibrating strings are in you.
Stretch from you up to the sky.
Enclose you and the whole time.
Blanket you and us all into one.
All is a swirl of love.

There is no need to hate or kill.
We are entwined
In micro size,
In macro size.
All connected
By unseen strings
That hold us
Like knots and ropes.
All is a swirl of love

Performance for RIT Imagine innovation and Creativity Festival 2010

I am officially selected to perform my ASL poems along my original composed electronic music and videos for RIT Imagine Innovation and Creativity Festival 2010. My performance will take place at the Colisano Building in the Auditorium on RIT campus on May 1st, 11 AM to Noon. There will be many other students, faculty, and staff's innovative and creative work being presented all day from 10 AM to 5 PM that day and they are all free to the public.

My work will have my own videos that will relate to my poems as I perform along behind me on stage. My electronic music will be played along with my recorded voice in it as well. These three things: videos, ASL poetry, and electronic music will be all combined. This will be my biggest project ever done for my performance. I am honored to be accepted to present this performance for the big event.

Spread the word and come see my show and many others' cool stuff on May 1st at RIT.

"Soldier in Iraq"

This painting depicts a soldier in Iraq. Acrylic paint on canvas. 24x29

$200.00 with 20% off