Photo: 321 N. Justine, Chicago
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First Batch of All-Grain Beer
My first two batches of home brewed beer were made using malt extract. They were both delicious, and afforded a lot of pleasure as their flavors changed so much in such a short period of time. I think of brewing from extract as similar to baking from a mix: yes, it’s baking, but not really, as the ingredients are all prepped for you, or mostly so. Since I already had all the gear, I figured I should try to make beer using the all grain process, in which you start with malted barley (still looking like grain) and extract sugars from it in order to produce the liquid that will eventually ferment into beer.
Homebrewing Pictures – Northern English Brown Ale
I’ve been having a great deal of fun brewing beer at home. These pictures are from the second batch I’ve made. I’m very much looking forward to brewing different styles of beer, and using different techniques. Both of these first batches have been made from malt extract. The process is a lot like baking a cake from a mix in a box: yes, it’s baking, but no, it’s not the same as making it from scratch. The next batch of beer will be entirely from scratch, or “all grain” as it’s called.
Weighing the hops pellets. Homebrewing: brewing beer at home. Photo by David Ettinger.
The process is a lot like cooking, a lot like running science experiments, and a little bit like keeping a pet, all mixed up with a dash of “sticking it to the man.” The beer has been delicious – the best part has been tasting it as it changes over time. Pairing it with food (like last weekend’s homemade pretzels) has been great. My one complaint is that it never seems to stick around very long. Here are some pictures of the process.
Artist Jesse Seay’s “Hanami” – Spinning Red Rubber Bands
Spinning red rubber band and monofilament art installation by Chicago artist Jesse Seay. Photo by David Ettinger.
I’ve photographed a number of pieces for Jesse over the past few years, all of which have been fun and interesting. Jesse has built this piece as a model for a much larger version. Here’s the description in her words:
This kinetic sculpture is comprised of red rubber bands hanging from fishing lines, each line attached to tiny motors. When the motors are activated, the rubber bands spin, bounce and float like tiny lassos. The bounce of each rubber band is affected by the length of the monofilament and by tiny variations in the mass-produced motors and rubber bands. The spinning produces standing waves in the monofilament which are highly visible when back-lit against a black backdrop. With a white backdrop, the filament is nearly invisible, leaving the impression of red circles floating in space. On display, the motors run continuously.
In Japan, springtime is marked by “hanami”, the Japanese custom of viewing the cherry blossoms as they fall from the trees. Traditionally, social gatherings are held under the trees to view the flowers. When I lived in Yokohama, Japan, I watched the blossoms pile into snow-like drifts along the sidewalks on my walks home.
Red rubber bands serve as a springtime marker for me where I currently live and work, in Chicago, Illinois. Once the snow melts, I find the tiny rubber bands dropped on the sidewalk by delivery people who use them to affix fliers to doorknobs.
I started collecting the rubber bands and eventually incorporated them into this piece, which evokes both places for me. The tiny red circles become minimalist cherry blossoms, and the wide, landscape layout of the sculpture evokes a Japanese painted folding screen. As a viewer moves around the piece, the red circles form different patterns in space, mimicking those of blossoms flowering on a tree. The tethered standing waves capture the motion of the blossoms, fluttering to the ground.
Here the spinning motion is stopped (mostly). Spinning red rubber band and monofilament art installation by Chicago artist Jesse Seay. Photo by David Ettinger.
Standing waves in the monofilament fishing line. Spinning red rubber band and monofilament art installation by Chicago artist Jesse Seay. Photo by David Ettinger.
Closeup of the motors. Spinning red rubber band and monofilament art installation by Chicago artist Jesse Seay. Photo by David Ettinger.
Looking up at the grid of motors. Spinning red rubber band and monofilament art installation by Chicago artist Jesse Seay. Photo by David Ettinger.
Red rings floating in space. Spinning red rubber band and monofilament art installation by Chicago artist Jesse Seay. Photo by David Ettinger.
Here’s an older piece of Jesse’s. This one is installed in the Chicago Children’s Museum. There are small speakers in each of the tubes, playing recordings from the Favorite Chicago Sounds Collection.
Jesse Seay's Sound Tubes installation at Chicago Children's Museum.