Kim Gordon at Mississippi Studios

Kim Gordon’s microphone doesn’t seem to be working.

She taps it with her finger.

(Someone) comes out to check the cables.

This goes on for some time.

But it is ok.

It is enough really, for her to even be standing here, getting the tech figured out.

(The warm up act, Brainwashers, was great too. They made a bunch of electronic noise that was throbbing and mutating. Someone called him “Steve”. So I guess it was Steve and the person with Steve.)

Video of cities, shot from various traveling vehicles is projecting on a large screen behind the band.

There is a gap, on stage, between the monitors,

it allows Kim Gordon to stand directly in front of us.

We have the only chairs.

She is leaning forward and basically singing directly down into our skulls.

I do not want this to stop.

I can’t really understand what words she is singing.

But this is, ok,

and I can look directly into her eyes as she is doing this,

and her pants are sparkly,

and her white t-shirt is a little unflattering.

But all of this, is ok,

and her band mates are appropriately cool and competent.

I cannot even reach for my smartphone.

It doesn’t seem appropriate, when one is two feet from Kim Gordon.

So a really great show, it can’t be better.

(Towards the end) She rubs the guitar strings on the leading edge of the stage,

and hands the still sounding guitar to a glazed-over person to my right, who eventually passes the guitar to my wife, who then hands it to me.

Kim Gordon’s guitar hovers on my outstretched hands.

I tap my right knuckles a little on the strings to see if I can hear it.

I pass the guitar, Kim Gordon’s guitar, to the person next to me, and I think of Jesus for some reason.

That person hands the guitar back to Kim Gordon, but it is a bit of a stretch, so I get to put my hands under it again as Kim reaches out to take it back.

Kim Gordon goes back stage.

(I don’t think I have ever been so close to a singer before on stage, except for maybe Missy from Breech, but that is different because I have sung Karaoke with Missy, and danced with Missy.

I did get to fill up Eliza Rickman’s water bottle/sound maker, one time before she performed in Las Vegas. We stood at the water cooler together, watching the small plastic animal shaped toy fill up slowly.)

We stand around waiting to use the toilet.

I walk over to buy the album No Home Record.

David Curtis 9 12 2022, edits 10 30 2022

Kim Gordon photo by Natalia Mantini

Boa Constrictor House #1

A custom cabinet for a client in Portland

Dimensions: 6′ wide, 2′ deep, 1′-6″ tall. Exterior grade plywood, pine structure, polycarb liner, stainless steel hinges, latches, and aluminum girts. Hardwood pulls. Galv vents not shown.

© 2022 David Curtis
© 2022 David Curtis
© 2022 David Curtis
galv vent prior to install on right side of enclosure

Telephonic Harassment

Picture of a frog, selected from results of a key word image search for: frog

Chad Miller, AIA, NCARB, Colorado, telephonically harasses (user accounts with various names) from approximately 6/18/2022-6/20/2022 on the forum of the social networking site Archinect.

Mr. Miller falsely accuses an anonymous user account, aka: X, of being someone named “Alexander Watanabe”, in multiple posts, over several hours. Mr. Miller repeatedly makes belligerent, demeaning comments on anything X writes on the site.

Mr. Miller then falsely accuses X of making a “homophobic joke”. Mr. Miller offered that he is a “girl next door sort” to which X replies that the girls next door to X, one just had hip surgery, and the other is recently divorced.

Mr. Miller then proceedes down some rabbit hole.

Mr. Miller and/or others, including an anonymous user account allegedly belonging to (name redacted), Astoria, OR, attempt to de-anonymize another user. (Name redacted) is de-platformed previously from Archinect, but then returns under various other user names. Some of the users have multiple accounts with different user names.

Mr. Miller repeatedly demands X reveal the identity of the person controlling the user account.

(Control of a user account is not a fixed position. Sometimes accounts can, in theory, be hacked, or have unauthorized users. Content can be manipulated or removed by moderators.)

Archinect allows users to be anonymous, the vast majority of the forum users are anonymous.

Archinect has a history of enabling telephonic harassment, and of de-platforming users. Some users engage in gaslighting sorts of posts that they obviously do not want traced to their real names.

X then shares (an) identity, a link to a website, implying the site is related to X, perhaps hoping it would get Mr. Miller to change his behavior, but Mr. Miller continues the telephonic harassment of X and others.

Watching this from a screen (the author sometimes reads the forum posts, even though said author is not a registered user there) the author decides to do a keyword search for “Chad Miller, AIA”.

Author learns the name of his alleged employer, the Blythe Group, an architecture firm in Grand Junction, CO, to let them know that one of their employees is engaging in telephonic harassment, and defamation.

Author suggests to the Blythe Group via their website form that if author was a potential client, author would not hire them based on the posts being made by their employee, Mr. Miller.

(Author frequently collaborates with architects and engineers on design work)

The next day Peter T. Icenogle phoned author.

Mr. Icenogle seems unaware of Archinect, or that Mr. Miller is posting there.

Author suggests to Mr. Icenogle that Mr. Miller’s posts could negatively impact the firm, given they would likely show up high in internet search results of his name.

X commented on Archinect to Mr. Miller: “You know your posts here reflect back on your firm, you know this, right?”

Archinect’s response to this is to de-platform (a user account Mr. Miller is harassing) and delete several related posts.

In doing so, Archinect is protecting the abuser, Mr. Miller, and giving him a platform.

The de-platforming of X seems to be discriminatory and/or retaliatory in nature. Archinect de-platformed X and deletes the posts. Archinect does this numerous times, to numerous people, over a several year span.

Author calls the police department in Grand Junction, CO, where the Blythe Group is based, to ask about filing a police report of Mr. Miller’s online harassment. The dispatcher suggests author file the report in Portland, OR, where author lives.

Author files the report with the Portland police today.

Author, Portland, OR

Summer Design Studio 2022

David Curtis, principal at Pi-Des, leads a studio this Summer from Portland, OR.

An anticipated focus will be de-mountables.

Primitive Hut © 2022 Pi-Des
Primitive Hut © 2022 Pi-Des

David shares lessons learned from his 4 year development of Primitive Hut. There will be offshoots that focus on global just-in-time delivery system collapse responses, and 10-20 year pattern based projections that hope to best influence design practice decisions.

The studio will be remote collaboration, and some on site work, if needed.

The Pi-Des studio is based in NE Portland, OR in the Summer, and Desert Center, CA in the Winter.

Participating students may have introductory to advanced design experience, adequate sketching and or digital modeling ability. It is ok if you are a complete beginner, but you must be open to learning critical thinking, and design language.

David has 34 years of professional design experience, and is a graduate of the Knowlton School of Architecture. He has been in solo practice since 2007.

In addition to his architectural and product design work, he has run several art galleries, most notably a four year stint with the former artist-run Contemporary Arts Collective in the Arts Factory, downtown Las Vegas, NV. He also founded Apparatus studio on Commerce street, and the David S Curtis studio where he was a gallerist.

David was a senior professional for the Stubbins Associates on the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum, and a Design Director for the design architect on the Nevada State Museum, Clark County, NV.

He taught Community Design at the Art Institute of Las Vegas, Residential Architecture at The Community College of Southern Nevada, and Architecture at The Meadows School. He has been a guest critic at Parsons School of Design, and at UNLV. He was a Gallery Educator for the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum.

For more information please contact David at Pi-Des studio, 971 331 9699 mobile, or email: dcpides@gmail.com

Primitive Hut + Triage Field

Update 8 5 2022: Screenshots from the Rhinoceros modeling of Primitive Hut a de-mountable dwelling system by Pi-Des. Pi-Des prepares for the first 3D mockups of system components, structural analysis, and fabrication detailing. Pi-Des hopes to have first runs of the system available for purchase soon. If you are interested in reserving a primitive hut, please email: dcpides@gmail.com.

Rhinoceros model by David Curtis 2022, environment image from Blade Runner, 1982
Rhinoceros model by David Curtis 2022, environment image from Blade Runner, 1982